Kelsea Ballerini continues to find success with her third album, kelsea: The project has officially notched RIAA Gold certification, with over 500,000 units sold.
She put out that project, and its introspective, reimagined version, ballerini, in 2020. The track list includes her current single, a duet with Kenny Chesney called “half of my hometown,” which is currently approaching country radio’s Top 5.
Meanwhile, it’s been a year of new experiences and ventures for the singer. She put out her first-ever book of poetry, Feel Your Way Through, in late 2021.
Next up, she’s staying in the literary world for a while, as she co-stars in the audio book of Dolly Parton’s upcoming novel, Run Rose Run. She plays the role of protagonist AnnieLee Keyes. You can hear Kelsea’s voice when the audio book — as well as its written component — arrives on March 7.
It’s been over two years since The Chainsmokers put out new music and, after bowing out of social media in 2020 to give their new album their full attention, they confirmed the news fans have been dying to hear… TCS4 is done.
“It’s finally done now. Thank you for giving us time to rediscover ourselves, our music, and our love for why we do this. The truth is, we could have only made this album now. And we can’t wait to share it with you,” Alex Pall and Drew Taggart wrote in a joint statement on Thursday.
The message came in a multi-part chain that saw the Grammy winners explaining why they took their time developing their fourth studio album, which they admit they “wish we could have made… four years ago.”
As for why the group retreated from the public eye in 2019, they said they “felt a little bit lost” at the time. “We decided we needed to take some time to reflect and rediscover what made us most excited about this project,” they shared in a follow up tweet. “We escaped to Hawaii with some friends and gave ourselves permission to not create anything at all if we didn’t want to.”
The Chainsmokers say they lasted four days before they felt the urge to make music and produced a song fans will hear “soon.” They said the track made them fall back in love with music, adding, “We hadn’t felt that way since the beginning of our career” and that they created “the backbone of this album” while in Hawaii.
They said they then spent the next two years “picking apart every song” and making “them the absolute best they could possibly be.” An announcement regarding the album’s name and release date is forthcoming.
Zhang Hengwei/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images
While some people started the new year with a new romance, others may have experienced the opposite — and one company has quite the job offer for those brokenhearted individuals.
FinanceBuzz is looking for their new DJ of Heartache, who will be tasked to indulge in sad, breakup tunes for 24 hours. In return, they’re offering a $1,100 salary. So, what’s the minimum requirement? All applicants must be freshly single.
“Breakups are never easy, and they can be costly! We’ll pay the hired DJ of Heartache $1,100 to listen to some of the most infamous heartbreak hits, then categorize them into 5 new playlists to become the soundtrack of every breakup phase,” the job posting reads. “We’re looking to ease both the emotional and monetary pain for one heartbroken soul.”
Among the 24-hours worth of “infamous heartbreak hits” are tracks from both Adele and Taylor Swift.
FinanceBuzz explains they arrived at the $1,100 salary because, statistically, that’s how much a person typically spends before getting back on their feet. “Since it’s clear relationship splits have a breakup bill… we’ll help cover the costs associated with their breakup,” they generously offer.
The playlists the so-called DJ of Heartbreak must create will reflect the five stages of breakup — which borrows elements of the five stages of grief: denial, anger, relapse, depression and acceptance. Adds FinanceBuzz of the latter stage, “We like to call it moving on!”
The company will accept applications on its website until midnight EST on January 31. Those interested in applying must be over the age of 18 and be a U.S. resident. They will pick their lucky new employee on February 2.
Disturbed and Breaking Benjamin are headlining the 2022 Upheaval Festival, taking place July 15-16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Other artists on the bill include Three Days Grace, Theory, Nothing More, Starset, Nita Strauss, Avatar, Ayron Jones, Escape the Fate, Fire from the Gods, All Good Things and Butcher Babies.
For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit UpheavalFest.com.
The inaugural Upheaval Festival took place in 2021 after being postponed from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Headliners included Rob Zombie and Korn.
The latest hearing in Britney Spears‘ ongoing legal woes lasted for three hours after attorneys for her and her father, Jamie Spears, engaged in a shouting match. Although Britney is free of her 13-year conservatorship, a few lingering issues still need attention.
Wednesday’s hearing focused on whether Britney is financially responsible for her father’s legal fees and if Jamie Spears is guilty of bugging her room and phone — as reported by the New York Times.
Varietyreports that Britney’s lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, sparred with Alex Weingarten, who represents her father, and in one particular heated exchange, shouted “Lies!” after Attorney Weingarten accused him of weaving “preposterous” and “nonsensical” stories — such as the alleged eavesdropping — to vilify his client.
Weingarten said of those surveillance claims, “Virtually everything that is alleged is demonstratively false or taken out of context.” Britney’s lawyer fired back that he uncovered “strong evidence” that could prove Jamie Spears engaged in “very intense and potentially illegal” surveillance of his daughter.
Jamie’s lawyer dismissed the allegations and requested Judge Brenda Penny set a hearing to unseal all the records pertaining to the conservatorship, which would include Britney’s medical records, because he says it’ll exonerate his client.
Rosengart objected and Judge Penny did not set a hearing date. She did, however, reject Weingarten’s request for Britney’s estate to set aside a certain amount of money to ensure all legal fees are paid in full. Weingarten also remarked the conservatorship was enacted because “Ms. Spears was irresponsible with her finances.”
“Let’s not go down that road,” was Judge Penny’s response.
The next hearing, set for March 16, will determine if Britney has to pay the attorney fees for her mother, Lynne Spears. The next major hearing is set for July 27.
Congratulations are in order for The Weeknd, who just made Billboard history! His new album, Dawn FM, is currently the number one album in the world even though it has yet to have a physical release. Currently, it is only available on digital platforms.
According to a press release, Dawn FM also places 24 of The Weeknd’s songs on the Global 200, which breaks the all-time record for the most songs charted by a male solo artist. The accolades don’t stop there — the “Save Your Tears” singer has another album — aside from Dawn FM — charting on the Billboard 200 top 10. His The Highlights has risen to number six while Dawn hovers in second, giving him the rare honor of having two studio efforts atop the prestigious chart.
Dawn is also making major waves in the streaming world after fans listened to it over 500 million times across Spotify, Apple Music and other services. His “Sacrifice” track went to number one on Spotify and Apple Music notes it is currently charting in over 130 countries.
Considering this album was a surprise and The Weeknd has yet to release physical copies of his new record, it stands to go to number one on the Billboard 200 once it hits the shelf — which would follow his 2020 effort After Hours.
Jimi Hendrix‘s estate has filed a lawsuit against the heirs of the two other original members of The Jimi Hendrix Experience — bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell — after those parties threatened to sue Jimi’s estate for millions of pounds in alleged unpaid royalties, Billboard reports.
The Hendrix estate, along with the Sony Music label, filed a suit in a New York City court on Tuesday asking that the court rule they owe no money to Redding’s and Mitchell’s estates.
In documents obtained by Billboard, the Hendrix estate and Sony explain they launched their action after the Redding and Mitchell estates sent them a cease-and-desist letter in December in which they threatened to file a lawsuit in a British court demanding millions of pounds in unpaid royalties dating back to 1973.
Hendrix’s estate and Sony maintain that Redding and Mitchell had signed away rights to Hendrix’s royalties in exchange for a monetary settlement during legal proceedings that followed the guitar legend’s death in 1970.
However, in the December letter, reps for the Redding and Mitchell estates claimed that the agreements Noel and Mitch signed weren’t enforceable.
“For almost half a century, there has never been any claim by defendants or their successors…concerning the copyright ownership, exploitation of these recordings by plaintiffs, or payments of royalties,” the Hendrix estate and Sony wrote in their suit.
The plaintiffs aren’t seeking any monetary damages in the lawsuit; rather, they want the court to declare that they haven’t done anything wrong.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience formed in 1966. Redding left the group in 1969, while Mitchell continued to play with the band until Jimi’s death in September 1970 at age 27. Noel passed away in 2003 at the age of 52, while Mitchell died in 2008 at age 62.
This year’s Super Bowl won’t happen until February 13, but you can get ready for the star-studded halftime show right now, thanks to a cinematic trailer that Pepsi just dropped on Thursday.
Directed by Straight Outta Compton and Friday director F. Gary Gray, the trailer is titled The Call, and it features four of this year’s halftime headliners — Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar — all receiving a mysterious call that makes them rush off by plane, car and bicycle to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the site of the big game.
As each performer appears in the trailer, we hear one of their hits: “Rap God,” “The Next Episode,” “Family Affair” and “HUMBLE.”
The call comes from the fifth headliner, Dr. Dre, introduced by his hit “Still D.R.E.” He meets up with the other four outside the stadium. As they walk towards it, “California Love” begins to play.
“Each time I collaborate with Dre, it seems to mark an important moment in entertainment history, from projects like Friday, Set It Off, Straight Outta Compton, to now the Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show,” Gray said in a statement. “As a super fan, I consider it an honor and privilege to authentically build and create this moment with five of the most legendary artists in music history. It’s been a blast!”
In the coming days, look for information on giveaways, including limited-edition Super Bowl LVI footballs signed by Dr. Dre, plus news on how you can win some of the props from the trailer shoot.
The fifth studio effort from the Swedish metallers will arrive March 11. It includes the previously released single “Hunter’s Moon,” as well as the just-dropped new track “Call Me Little Sunshine,” which is available now for digital download.
“Over the course of Impera‘s 12-song cycle, empires rise and fall, would-be messiahs ply their hype (financial and spiritual alike), prophecies are foretold as the skies fill with celestial bodies divine and man-made,” a press release declares, adding that the record covers “the most current and topical Ghost subject matter to date.”
Impera is the follow-up to 2018’s Grammy-nominated Prequelle, which spawned the singles “Rats,” “Dance Macabre” and “Faith.”
Ghost will celebrate the new album announcement with a performance on Thursday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, airing at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC.
Here’s the Impera track list:
“Imperium”
“Kaisarion”
“Spillways”
“Call Me Little Sunshine”
“Hunter’s Moon”
“Watcher in the Sky”
“Dominion”
“Twenties”
“Darkness at the Heart of My Love”
“Grift Wood”
“Bite of Passage”
“Respite on the Spital Fields”
Elton John‘s much-delayed Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour resumed Wednesday night in New Orleans, with a fresh new addition to his set list.
Not only did Elton play pretty much every hit you’d want to hear, from “Bennie and the Jets” and “Tiny Dancer” to “I’m Still Standing” and “Your Song,” but he also played his current top 10 hit “Cold Heart” live for the first time. His duet partner Dua Lipa didn’t join him for the song, but her vocals were heard during the performance.
“Cold Heart,” from Elton’s The Lockdown Sessions, is his first U.S. top 10 hit since 1998.
Elton’s North American tour dates run through April, and then he’ll head to Europe. This summer, he’ll return to North America to play stadiums starting July 15 in Philadelphia; he’ll wrap up those dates with two shows at Dodger Stadium in L.A. on November 19 and 20.
