Music

Olivia Rodrigo is V Magazine’s newest cover star.

In an interview with SNL’s Bowen Yang for the mag, the 18-year-old talks about everything form fangirling over Taylor Swift and Dr. Anthony Fauci to being a role model for young Filipino-Americans.

“I sometimes get DMs from little girls being like, ‘I’ve never seen someone who looked like me in your position,’” Olivia says. “And I’m literally going to cry. Like just thinking about it. I feel like I grew up never seeing that. Also it was always like, ‘Pop star,’ that’s a white girl.”

Olivia also discussed the pressures young women in pop music face.

“[It’s] like this thing where you’re only successful if you’re under 30,” she says. “I’ve always resented that because I think I’m just going to get better with age.”

But at the moment, the “good 4 u” singer says she’s enjoying where she is in life.

“Honestly, I literally just turned 18, so there are so many normal teenage things that I’m really excited to do,” she says. “There’s so much in life that I have to learn and so many experiences to be had. So I’m honestly most excited for that. I love growing up. I feel like I get happier with age, so hopefully that’s a trend that continues.”

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Shawn Mendes was clearly a fan of Niall Horan’s guest-hosting gig on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week.

“I need @NiallOfficial to have his own talk show one day !!!” Shawn tweeted Thursday. “Born to host and make people laugh and smile !!”

Niall responded and said he might be open to the idea — if the whole pop star thing doesn’t go as planned.

“Hahahah. Maybe one day,” he tweeted. “If I’m doing a talk show full time, you know the music career hasn’t worked out and that’s not a good thing.”

Hey, if Kelly Clarkson can do both, maybe Niall can too!

The former One Direction member filled in for Jimmy Kimmel Tuesday night, where he played a hilarious game of golf with the Jonas Brothers and engaged in some heavy flirtation with Lizzo in a now-viral interview.

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Luke Combs officially released “South on Ya,” his love song to life in the rural Southeast, this week. It’s more than just an ode to the North Carolina native’s home turf: The song will also be this year’s brand anthem for the SEC Network.

That means that fans can hear Luke’s song throughout live college football events and on-air programming this fall.

“Man, this is pretty special,” the singer notes. “In the beginning of my career, I spent a lot of my time playing my music all over towns within the SEC. The fact that one of my songs is now such a big part of the Network is really cool to me. It feels like a full-circle moment, for sure. I am a huge fan of the SEC and am honored my song was chosen to be a part of it.”

In the lyrics of “South on Ya,” Luke shouts out every included state, from “muddy Mississippi” and “swampy Louisiana” to “the grass in Kentucky” and “the blue skies in Carolina.”

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Wednesday marked the 20th anniversary of the passing of Aaliyah in 2001, and her mother is accusing a writer of visiting the gravesite to promote an unauthorized biography.

“First and foremost I want to thank my dear ‘Special Ones’ (The Fans) that have been with us for years and supported every endeavor that came our way without hesitation,” Diana Haughton wrote on Aaliyah’s Instagram page. “However, due to the behavior of an individual that has been to Aaliyah’s resting place in order to promote a book, I have been forced to make a drastic change at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum.”

It is unclear what the change is at the cemetery, which is located in Hartsdale, New York.

“This person interrupted all my thoughts and ideas to make August 25th, 2021 a day of Remembrance and Love for my daughter,” Haughton continued, referring to the date of Aaliyah’s death. “Please accept my sincere apologies for this and know I love you and always will. Aaliyah’s life will shine no matter what.”

Kathy Iandoli, who last week published the book, Baby Girl: Better Known As Aaliyah, denies the accusation.

“I did not promote my book outside of Aaliyah’s gravesite. That is offensive to even suggest,” she responded on Instagram. “I have been told that fans have had my book there with them. Please no longer bring my book to Ferncliff. Apologies that fans can not visit Aaliyah’s resting place.”

As previously reported, on August 20, Aaliyah’s second album, 1996’s One in a Million, became available for the first time on all streaming platforms. Spotify will release her entire catalog, with the Romeo Must Die soundtrack following on September 3, her self-titled album on September 10, and the I Care 4 U compilation project, which was released in 2002, on October 8, according to Essence.

 

 

 

 

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Gorillaz has dropped a new EP called Meanwhile.

The set includes three previously unreleased songs: “Meanwhile” featuring Jelani Blackman and Barrington Levy; “Jimmy Jimmy,” featuring AJ Tracey; and “Déjà Vu,” featuring Alicai Harley. You can download it now via digital outlets.

Gorillaz previously premiered all three tracks during their concerts at The O2 in London earlier this month in support of the U.K.’s NHS healthcare system.

Meanwhile follows Gorillaz’s 2020 album Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez. The collaborative effort featured guests including The Cure‘s Robert Smith, Beck, St. Vincent and Elton John.

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While fans anxiously await the release of Kanye West‘s DONDA, the rapper has reportedly raked in millions from its delay.

One way the Yeezy founder apparently cashed in on his upcoming album is by holding listening events. The first event, held on July 22, was followed by another two weeks later. Both took place at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, with 42,000 fans dishing out between $25 to $100 for a ticket, which Billboard estimates grossed between $1.5 million and $2.7 million.

Both times, DONDA failed to drop the following day, leaving fans on standby. 

A third listening party is now scheduled for Thursday at Soldier Field in Kanye’s hometown of Chicago, where he will likely rake in some more dough — and is also expected to finally release his highly-anticipated 10th studio effort. 

In addition to the live-streamed listening events, a source close to Ye says he snagged about $7 million in in-person merchandise sales. And that’s not all. 

The buzz around DONDA has also resulted in an uptick of people streaming Kanye’s music. The outlet reports that his U.S. streams rose 37% between July 19 and August 9, which earned him an estimated $350,000. 

So, if we do the math, Ye could have easily made somewhere close to $10 million before he even released DONDA. 

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Old Dominion are heading to Atlanta next weekend, where they’ll be helping football fans kick off their tailgate in style with a free show.

The band has signed on to play the T-Mobile Kickoff Concert, which happens September 4 ahead of the Alabama versus Miami Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game. No tickets will be required to see the show, which will take place outside the city’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The first 1,000 fans will receive a pair of limited edition Old Dominion sunglasses.

The show announcement comes just days after the group revealed plans to put out their next studio album, Time, Tequila & Therapy, which is due for release in October. When they shared that news, Old Dominion dropped their newest song, “All I Know About Girls.”

The band’s Atlanta stop comes in the midst of a busy tour schedule. You can also catch OD on the road at a variety of fairs, festivals and arenas throughout the fall.

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Bring Me the Horizon has worked with the likes of Yungblud, Halsey and Evanescence‘s Amy Lee, but frontman Oli Sykes has just now released his “fave collab so far.”

Sykes is featured on a new song called “Salt,” recorded by buzzy Filipino-Australian musician daine. In an Instagram post announcing the track, Sykes writes, “‘SALT’ IS OUT NOW MY FAVE COLLAB SO FAR SORRY FOR CAPS BUT I’M GIDDY.”

“I’M CHANNELING SUM PROPA DOWNA EMO VIBES HERE,” he adds.

You can listen to “Salt” now via digital outlets.

Bring Me the Horizon’s most recent release is their 2020 EP Post Human: Survival Horror. In a TikTok post earlier this month, the band declared that they were “bAck2wORk,” suggesting more new music is on the, ahem, horizon.

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Ed Sheeran played an intimate show in England Wednesday night and debuted two brand-new songs from his upcoming album, = [Equals].

At the Coventry gig in celebration of British music retailer HMV’s 100th anniversary, he delivered the first live performances of the tracks “First Times” and “Overpass Graffiti.”

In video captured of the “First Times” performance, Ed contrasts big moments in his career with special little moments in his personal life.

“I thought I’d feel different playing Wembley/80,000 singing with me/It’s what I’ve been chasing, ’cause this is the dream,” he sings.

In “Overpass Grafitti,” he talks about a long-lasting love.

“I will always love you for what it’s worth/We’ll never fade like graffiti on the overpass/I know time may change the way you think of us/But I remember the way we were/You were the first full-stop love that will never leave/ Baby you’ll never be lost on me,” Ed sings.

Also included in Ed’s 19-song set were his latest single “Bad Habits” and the song “Visiting Hours,” which he released last week, as well as previous hits “Shape of You,” “Thinking Out Loud” and “Castle on the Hill.”

= [Equals] comes out October 29.

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