Music

Lately, Avril Lavigne has been collaborating with some musicians who are continuing the emo-slash-pop-punk sound she helped take to the top of the charts 20 years ago, including her boyfriend Mod Sun and WILLOW, the daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith.  She’s also seen how Olivia Rodrigo‘s music has been compared to her early work. But now, Avril’s ready to take back the sound for herself.

After she announced that she’s putting out new music next year, ABC News asked Avril what fans could expect from it.  “B****, I’m back to rock!” she declared, adding, “And the new music is exactly that.”

“Everyone’s having a lot of fun, sort of, like, with alternative music right now. My new album is kind of like that,” she continued. “It’s got, like, a pop-rock, pop-punk vibe. So I’m ready to have some fun…[and] rock out!”

And Mod Sun is pretty excited about his girlfriend’s new music.  He commented on Avril’s Instagram, “I can not wait for u to show the world what you’ve been working on. Ur an absolute icon + the most beautiful thing on this planet.”

Avril’s most recent album, Head Above Water, came out in 2019 and was inspired by her battle with Lyme disease.

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David Byrne’s American Utopia, the Spike Lee-directed TV special presenting former Talking Heads singer David Byrne‘s critically acclaimed Broadway show of the same name, won two awards Sunday at the 2021 Creative Arts Emmys ceremony.

The program was a winner in two technical categories — Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special.

The program, which premiered on HBO and HBO Max in October 2020, also will vie a trophy in the Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) category at the 2021 primetime Emmy Awards, airing live this Sunday, September 19, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

The American Utopia show features Byrne accompanied by 11 musicians, dancers and singers who move freely about an almost-empty stage. The production includes monologues by David connecting performances of songs from his 2018 American Utopia album, as well as Talking Heads songs and several other Byrne solo tunes.

Another music-themed winner at the Creative Arts Emmys was the documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, which won the honor for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program (Single or Multi-Camera).  The doc premiered on on HBO and HBO Max in December 2020.

For more details about the Creative Arts Emmys, visit Emmys.com.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

David Byrne’s American Utopia, the Spike Lee-directed TV special presenting former Talking Heads singer David Byrne‘s critically acclaimed Broadway show of the same name, won two awards Sunday at the 2021 Creative Arts Emmys ceremony.

The program was a winner in two technical categories — Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special.

The program, which premiered on HBO and HBO Max in October 2020, also will vie a trophy in the Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) category at the 2021 primetime Emmy Awards, airing live this Sunday, September 19, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

The American Utopia show features Byrne accompanied by 11 musicians, dancers and singers who move freely about an almost-empty stage. The production includes monologues by David connecting performances of songs from his 2018 American Utopia album, as well as Talking Heads songs and several other Byrne solo tunes.

For more details about the Creative Arts Emmys, visit Emmys.com.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Static-X has announced a 2022 headlining tour.

The outing, dubbed the Rise of the Machine tour, is set to kick off February 21 in Portland, and will wrap up April 3 in San Francisco. Other artists on the bill include Fear Factory and Dope, as well as Mushroomhead and Twiztid on select dates.

On the tour, Static-X will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2001 sophomore album, Machine. The band previously launched a 20th anniversary tour for their 1999 debut, Wisconsin Death Trip, during which they introduced Xer0, the mask-wearing mystery singer who now fronts Static-X in tribute to the late Wayne Static.

“We are so excited to finally get back out on the road,” Static-X says. “We plan to play most of the songs off of both Machine and Wisconsin Death Trip, as well a number of nice surprises that are being incorporated into the set list.”

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit Static-X.com.

Meanwhile, Static-X is planning to release a deluxe 20th anniversary reissue of Machine on February 18.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Songs by Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Kool & the Gang, Donny Hathaway, Delfonics and other soul and R&B artists are featured on the recently released soundtrack of the award-winning documentary Mr. Soul!

The film tells the story behind the groundbreaking public television variety program Soul!, which ran from 1968 to 1973 and featured interviews with and live performances by Black artists, musicians, writers, poets, politicians, activists and more. The show was created, hosted and produced by enigmatic producer, broadcaster and promoter Ellis Haizlip. Mr. Soul! was written, directed and produced by Ellis’ niece, Melissa Haizlip.

Among the many guests who appeared on the show, which came to be known as America’s first “Black Tonight Show,” were Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Earth, Wind & Fire, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Roberta Flack, Muhammad Ali and author James Baldwin.

Mr. Soul!, which originally was released in 2018, premiered last month on HBO Max. For more info about the doc, visit MrSoulMovie.com.

The soundtrack is available now as a digital download and via streaming services. Here’s the album’s full track list:

“Show Me Your Soul” — Lalah Hathaway & Robert Glasper
“The Ghetto” — Donny Hathaway
“Express Yourself” — Charles Wright
“Over the Rainbow” — Patti LaBelle
“Grazing in the Grass” — Hugh Masekela
“If I Were Your Woman” — Gladys Knight and the Pips
“Didn’t I Blow Your Mind” — Delfonics
“I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel to Be Free)” — Billy Taylor
“Chocolate Buttermilk” — Kool & the Gang

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Nicki Minaj isn’t in attendance at this year’s Met Gala, which is currently underway in New York City, and she revealed that it’s because she hasn’t been vaccinated for COVID-19.

“They want you to get vaccinated for the Met,” the rapper tweeted. “if I get vaccinated it won’t [be] for the Met. It’ll be once I feel I’ve done enough research. I’m working on that now.”

She added, “In the meantime my loves, be safe. Wear the mask with 2 strings that grips your head & face. Not that loose one.”

Nicki also revealed that she recently contracted COVID after prepping for the MTV VMAs and shooting a video. Last week, Nicki announced that she would not be performing at Sunday’s VMAs as she’d planned, but did not give a reason why at the time.

In response to a fan on Twitter who posted about needing to be vaccinated for certain jobs, Nicki added that she is open to getting the vaccine in the future. “I’m sure I’ll b vaccinated as well cuz I have to go on tour, etc.,” she wrote.

“Which vaccine would you recommend?” she asked her Barbz. “It’s #QueenRadio time. Talk to me.”

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It was a “wild” weekend for Teyana Taylor. She received a steamy lap dance while strapped down during Normani‘s “Wild Side” performance on the MTV VMAs, and she also presented a show for New York Fashion Week.

The versatile singer/actress/designer is the creative director for the PrettyLittleThing brand, and her showcase featured her five-year-old daughter, Junie.

“I’m so in awe of how much hard work pays off and how much of my heart was involved in making sure this show reflected it,” Teyana commented on Instagram, sharing video highlights from her show.

“Trying hard never fails you when it comes to your passion” she continued. “Thank you to everyone involved in this magical moment! Cause it aint just me!!! Y’all know it takes a village!! Thank you @prettylittlething & @theauntiesinc we did it again!!”

The 2017 VMA winner for Best Choreography says her spring/summer 2022 collection was inspired by hip hop culture from 30 years ago.

“As everyone knows I’m obsessed with the whole ’90s era,” Teyana tells Essence. “Diddy, Mase, Mary [J. Blige], I appreciate that era so much. I appreciate the early ’00s as well.”

She adds that her two daughters, Junie and one-year-old Rue, motivate her to succeed.

“They are the greatest form of genuine love. They’re my biggest fans,” the 30-year-old entertainer says. “They don’t say, ‘Oh mommy, you wear sweatpants, you like a little boy.’ They say, ‘Oh mommy you look cute today, you look like a Teletubby.’ That’s what gets me going. I was always a strong person, but having my babies has made me unstoppable. I get my fearlessness from them.”

 

 

 

 

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Taylor Swift has been rumored to have been visiting Northern Ireland for quite some time now, because her boyfriend Joe Alwyn is filming a TV series there.  Well, now there’s ironclad proof that she’s been hanging around the Emerald Isle.

As People reports, last week, Taylor was seen at a restaurant called Shu in Belfast, where she posed for photographs with fans and workers.  The eatery shared the pics on its Instagram, and wrote, “Taylor was so lovely and really is a beautiful person inside and out and she kindly agreed to get photos with all our staff!”

The following night, Taylor was seen enjoying margaritas at a cocktail bar called The Tipsy Bird, and she also posed for pics with the staff.  They turned the visit into a full-on advertisement, posting the photos and writing, “The one and only @taylorswift graced us with her presence last Friday night…We can confirm she is just as lovely as you would expect and was kind enough to take a picture with our team.”

They added, “Oh, and if anyone wants to join us for Margaritas that are good enough for T-Swizzle just click the link in our bio.”

The bar also shared that Taylor was indeed in town to support Joe as he films a Hulu TV series based on the Sally Rooney novel Conversations with Friends, which is expected to debut next year.

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Rihanna‘s Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3, which takes place next week, promises to be more spectacular than ever, with performances by Normani, Ricky Martin and more.

RiRi made the announcement with a dazzling Instagram teaser featuring dozens of dancers. She commented in an accompanying message, “SAVAGEXFENTYSHOW VOL. 3!! Start making that guest list to ya watch party baby …. Sept. 24.”

Sabrina Carpenter, Troye Sivan and Vanessa Hudgens will also appear on the show, along with renowned models Behati Prinsloo, Adriana Lima, Gigi Hadid, Irina Shayk and many more.

Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3 will stream on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide beginning Friday, September 24.

Normani also took part in last year’s presentation at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Tonight, Rihanna, whom Forbes declared is the wealthiest female musician in the world, worth an estimated $1.7 billion, will host a special VIP after party following the exclusive Met Gala in New York City.

 

 

 

 

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