Music

Hardy is engaged! 

The hit singer-songwriter revealed in an Instagram post that he proposed to girlfriend Caleigh Ryan at The Lyric, a historic theater and live music venue in Oxford, Mississippi. 

Surrounded by white roses and with red rose petals decorating the floor, the pic shows Hardy down on one knee as Caleigh smiles in shock. “I’m not her boyfriend anymore,” he captions the moment.

Among Hardy’s friends to comment is Breland, writing, “Beautiful moment. Congratulations to you both.” Actor Taylor Lautner and professional golfer Zach Johnson also extended their congratulations. 

Caleigh, who works in marketing at the Graduate Hotel in Nashville, also shared photos from the special occasion that shows the newly engaged couple sharing a kiss outside the theater and raising glasses of champagne. “WE’RE GETTING MARRIED!!!” she celebrates in the caption. 

Hardy is the songwriter behind such hits as Blake Shelton‘s “God’s Country” and “Simple,” by Florida Georgia Line. His current single, “Give Heaven Some Hell,” is currently in the top 40 on country radio.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Alice Cooper, Pearl Jam‘s Eddie Vedder and Elvis Costello are among the artists hosting new episodes of Audible’s ongoing Words + Music series, an audio program described as a combination of music and storytelling.

Cooper will give a rare inside look at the real person behind his iconic shock-rock persona in Who I Really Am: The Diary of a Hollywood Vampire, debuting October 7.

Vedder’s installment, titled I Am Mine, is set to premiere October 21, and will find the grunge rocker “reflecting on a life at the intersection of art, sensitivity, masculinity, and ascendant pop/rock-super stardom that defined an age.”

Costello will host an episode titled How to Play the Guitar and Y that premieres September 16. The program is described as “[p]art masterclass, part madcap guitar-manual” that will feature the eclectic singer/songwriter delivering “a love letter to the guitar, to music, and to the restorative power of ‘play.'”

Other artists taking part in new installments of the Words + Music series include Dave Matthews and Against Me!‘s Laura Jane Grace. Previous episodes have been hosted by Sting, James Taylor, Patti Smith, Sheryl Crow, and Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Shinedown has premiered the trailer for ATTENTION ATTENTION, an upcoming film based on the band’s 2018 album of the same name.

The clip features several striking images — from a woman screaming underwater to a building exploding — as a sinister voiceover warns, “It will keep pushing and pushing and pushing you until everything around you completely collapses.”

You can watch the trailer streaming now on YouTube.

The ATTENTION ATTENTION film features all 14 songs from the album, including the hit singles “GET UP,” “DEVIL” and “MONSTERS,” coming together to form a narrative arc. It’s set to premiere digitally and on-demand September 3.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The new season hasn’t aired yet, but Ariana Grande has already been gushing about her time on The Voice. On the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Monday night, it was fellow coach Kelly Clarkson‘s turn to gush.

“I love her!” Kelly said of Ariana. “We had actually run into each other a couple of times before, but not really like, been able to talk and she so’s funny. Like, very witty.”

“We’ve already taped everything up to the lives, and she’s hysterical,” she continued.

Kelly adds that The Voice has never had a coach quite like Ariana. “I’ve only been there for eight seasons, but in all my seasons, I’ve never heard a coach talk about vocal health as much, and I’m like, ‘I guess we should have mentioned that,'” she laughed. “No one’s ever mentioned it, and she’s really into it.”

Over the weekend, Ariana posted one of her looks from the show and captioned it, “One month @nbcthevoice ! you just ….. have no idea. i love this show and everyone involved so much and yes, i will continue saying this repeatedly until september 20th goodbye.”

The new season of The Voice premieres September 20 on NBC.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Shawn Mendes enjoyed hyping his music the old fashioned way — by performing it live for unsuspecting fans.

The 23-year-old singer, who released his new song, “Summer of Love,” last Friday, stole his way inside five New York City nightclubs over the weekend and jumped on stage before a crowd of unsuspecting fans.

Page Six reports that Mendes started his impromptu PR tour by singing his new single when having dinner at NYC’s Beauty and Essex.

Later, he palled around with friends and wandered into the PHD rooftop bar, where a source tells the outlet that he “immediately got on the mic and told the crowd, ‘Let’s be thankful that we’re healthy and happy!'”

The Grammy nominee also performed similar stunts at Marquee, Tao and the Lavo Nightclub, even taking a selfie at the latter with a fan who boldly crossed the velvet rope.  A witness says Mendes also “poured a glass of Don Julio.”

“His friends’ excitement and the crowd’s excitement never lessened after he did it again and again,” the source claimed.

Girlfriend Camila Cabello was not in attendance, but the source claimed Mendes became excited when one of the clubs that night played their “Señorita” duet.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

After sending social media into a frenzy when she went platinum blonde, Billie Eilish has changed her hair yet again.

The singer unveiled a brand new chop Monday on her Instagram Story. She’s now rocking a shaggy blonde bob.

Billie posted some old photos of her mom sporting a similar hairstyle, captioning one of the pics, “Like my mama.” She also posted a short video clip of her tousling the new ‘do, writing, “I love it.”

Of course, fans were instantly obsessed.

“Billie Eilish cut off her hair like she cut off her exes,” one fan tweeted. Another wrote, “BILLIE EILISH WITH THIS MARILYN MONROE STYLE HAIR FOR THE MET GALA????????????? GOODBYE.”

Yet another added, “that one women who breaks the internet just by cutting her hair: BILLIE EILISH.”

This week, Billie’s album Happier than Ever topped the Billboard 200 chart for the third week. She leads an all-female top three on the chart, along with Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo, marking the first time that’s happened in over 10 years.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lauren Daigle‘s latest single, “Hold On to Me,” is doing well, but it remains to be seen if it can match the record-breaking success of “You Say.” Lauren says she doesn’t expect a repeat — and that’s O.K.

“You Say,” released three years ago last month, topped numerous Billboard charts, including Adult Top 40, Adult Contemporary and Hot Christian Songs.  On the latter, it stayed at number one for an astonishing 129 weeks.  In fact, it was the first song to spend 100 or more weeks on any Billboard chart, ever.

“That was a one and done, probably,” Laure laughs. “I mean, unless there’s other plans out there, I have no idea if that will ever happen again. That’s why you have to revel in the moment when it happens.”

“Being present is so…rich because moments will pass you by and you’ll realize, ‘OK, I missed out on the joy of what that moment had. And now I’m longing for that moment in a different season,'” she cautions. “And it just doesn’t work out.”

Lauren, who’ll kick off a world tour on September 24, says for her, that’s the only way to approach any sort of overwhelming achievement.

“Being present and really reveling in, like, the ‘Wow, I can’t believe that happened,’ because it may never happen again,” she says. “But hopefully, fingers crossed, you wish for the best!” 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Today, August 24, marks the 40th anniversary of the release of The Rolling Stones‘ classic 1981 album Tattoo You.

Tattoo You spent nine consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 in the fall of ’81, holding the top spot on the chart longer than any other Stones album.

Tattoo You featured three singles that reached the Billboard Hot 100’s top 20 — “Start Me Up,” “Waiting on a Friend” and “Hang Fire,” which peaked at #2, #13 and #20, respectively.

Respected music journalist and author Alan Light tells ABC Audio that many people consider Tattoo You to be “the last great Rolling Stones album,” while noting that it’s “such a funny and odd project” in the band’s history.

What made Tattoo You unusual was that it was put together from unfinished outtakes that The Rolling Stones had recorded during various sessions throughout the 1970s and that the band revisited to complete for the album.

Because of this, ex-Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, who left the group in late 1974, actually appears on two of the record’s tracks.

Tattoo You also features contributions from a variety of guest musicians, including keyboardists Nicky Hopkins, Ian Stewart and Billy Preston, founding Santana percussionist Michael Carabello, The Who‘s Pete Townshend and legendary jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins.

Townshend sang backing vocals on the song “Slave,” while Rollins delivered a memorable solo on “Waiting on a Friend,” and also played on “Slave” and “Neighbors.”

To date, Tattoo You has sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. As announced last week, The Rolling Stones will release a 40th anniversary reissue of the album on October 22. The reissue’s deluxe versions will feature nine previously unreleased tracks from that period to which the band has added new vocals and guitar.

Here’s Tattoo You‘s original track list:

“Start Me Up”
“Hang Fire”
“Slave”
“Little T&A”
“Black Limousine”
“Neighbours”
“Worried About You”
“Tops”
“Heaven”
“No Use in Crying”
“Waiting on a Friend”

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne is opening up about the impact of publicly coming out as gay, saying that his life has changed in “a lot of ways.” 

“I didn’t realize what a sense of purpose it would bring to my life to be here. I didn’t realize how much it would resonate with some people,” TJ told CBS Sunday Morning, appearing alongside brother John Osborne.    

After host Gayle King shared a tweet from a mother citing the duo as a role model for her teen son, who has depression and anxiety and recently came out to her, the singer admits he didn’t initially consider how being open about his sexuality would relate to parents of queer youth “and how that would really help them to be able to help their relationship. That was something that never dawned on me,” he expressed. 

TJ also met a fan at a recent show who shared a heartfelt message with him. “I want to thank you for making a safe space for people like me to come the show,” the fan told him.

“And I thought ‘to me, that is worth more than anything,'” said TJ.

Brothers Osborne continue on their We’re Not for Everyone Tour through November 20.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tetrarch has premiered the video for “Stitch Me Up,” a track off the band’s new album, Unstable.

The clip finds the “I’m Not Right” outfit performing in a high school gym where one student is dressed like the Batman villain Scarecrow and is shunned by the rest of his classmates.

“The theme of this video is kind of about being an outcast in your everyday life,” says guitarist Diamond Rowe. “You can sometimes feel like a complete freak when it seems like no one else sees things the same way that you do or has common interests, but finally meeting up with people that are like you can make you feel safe and whole.”

You can watch the “Stitch Me Up” video streaming now on YouTube.

Unstable was released in April. It also includes the single “You Never Listen.”

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.