Music

“What Kinda Man” doesn’t love a happy ending? Well, quite simply, his name is Parker McCollum, who’s made no bones about the fact that he much prefers a sad song.

It’s actually such a trademark for Parker that his wife had begun to wonder if he even had a happy ending in him. So, for his self-titled fifth album, he acquiesced, at least a little bit.

“The whole record’s super vulnerable, but you know, Hallie Ray [McCollum] was always asking me, ‘Are you ever gonna write songs that end happy?’ Which I’ve never liked,” he admits. “And so there’s a couple on this record, this one included, [‘What Kinda Man’], that kind of have a happy resolution.”

“But they’re not cheesy,” he adds. “I think it’s said in a way that still allows a song to have quite a bit of integrity. So I think the songwriting is good. That’s a hard thing to do, have a happy ending. There’s a way to do it. It’s just, it’s not as easy, I think, as making it go terribly wrong.”

Fortunately for Parker and Hallie Ray, his penchant for sad songs isn’t a reflection of his life. Their son, Major Yancey Tyler McCollum, celebrated his first birthday on Aug. 8.

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Sure, summer road trips are fun, but what if the people riding in the car with you — like your kids — are miserable? Well, Fiat has an answer for that.

To celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Fiat 600, the car brand has created what it’s calling the “World’s Happiest Car Playlist,” featuring 30 songs guaranteed to boost your mood because … science.

Specifically, Fiat worked with music psychologist Dr. Claire Renfrew to find songs that are formulated to “deliver joy.” The songs in question all use a 4/4 time signature and are at least 137 beats per minute. They have a “repetitive, simple structure,” and positive lyrics, and they all use a melodic major seventh chord, which lends them a “smooth, dreamy and jazzy” feel.

Taken all together, the tracks are designed to raise your heart rate and release dopamine into your brain, bringing feelings of joy and wellbeing along with it.

Among the songs included on the playlist are Taylor Swift‘s “Shake It Off,” Dua Lipa‘s “Levitating,” Katy Perry‘s “Firework,” “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake‘s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” Pink‘s “Get the Party Started” and Pharrell Williams‘ “Happy.”

Some of the tried-and-true classic bops are Earth, Wind & Fire‘s “September,” Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive,” Hall & Oates‘ “You Make My Dreams,” The Beach Boys‘ “Good Vibrations,” ABBA‘s “Mamma Mia” and The Cranberries‘ “Dreams.”

Of course, if the music doesn’t work, you can always fall back on Plan B: snacks.

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The Doors have dipped into their archives and shared a classic live concert with fans.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers just released Live at Bakersfield to digital services for the first time. It’s a recording of their Aug. 21, 1970, concert at the Bakersfield Civic Center, which, according to a post on Instagram, is “one of the most sought-after live shows of 1970.”

“For an audience member watching the concert unfold, it probably seemed like The Doors had rehearsed everything, but many of that night’s lyrical and musical twists and turns had never been discussed by the band, let alone rehearsed,” reads the post. “Odds are the band didn’t even have a set list.”

The concert, recorded on a two-track reel-to-reel recorder, features performances of songs like “Love Me Two Times,” “Roadhouse Blues” and “The End,” including a 13-minute version of “When the Music’s Over.”

The Doors Live At Bakersfield August 21, 1970 is available now via digital outlets.

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Three Days Grace‘s new album, Alienation, is out now. It marks the band’s first record with returning frontman Adam Gontier, forming a two-vocalist lineup alongside longtime 3DG singer Matt Walst.

Gontier had previously left Three Days Grace in 2013, but, as drummer Neil Sanderson tells ABC Audio, there weren’t any hard feelings to overcome in welcoming him back into the group.

“Any sort of hatchet burying was done a while ago,” Sanderson says.

Sanderson adds there was “no awkwardness” in beginning to write again with Gontier after over 10 years.

“It felt like time had stood still in a lot of ways … in the writing process of sitting with acoustic guitars and flushing out what we all agree are the most exciting ideas,” Sanderson says.

Said process confirmed to all the members of Three Days Grace that they had something with their revamped lineup.

“Once all that felt naturally and organically happening, then it gave us a lot of confidence that we were gonna be able to all get on a bus together and go out and try to conquer the world again,” Sanderson says. 

Alienation includes the singles “Mayday” and “Apologies.” Three Days Grace will launch a U.S. tour in support of the album alongside Breaking Benjamin Aug. 29 in Ridgedale, Missouri.

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Shinedown is currently out on their Dance Kid Dance tour, named after one of two singles the band dropped earlier this year; the other, “Three Six Five,” is still climbing the pop chart. And while it’s a powerful song about loss and grief, Shinedown singer Brent Smith says the track also offers a glimmer of hope.

“Three Six Five” was inspired by the fact that Shinedown bassist Eric Bass lost his father and his aunt, and Eric’s wife, Kellie Bass, lost her sister, all in the same year. Brent says the song addresses that, but also talks about your loved ones remaining a presence in your life, even if they’re not with you anymore.

“Me and Eric were having so many conversations about, you know, his dad and what his dad taught him and his aunt and Kellie and her sister. And they were trying to reflect on all of the good times versus any of the bad times,” he says. “And it’s reflecting on that, and how that hurts and can sadden you.”

“But at the same time, you have to think about that person from beyond, when they kinda wink at you in your own everyday life — even when they’re gone,” he adds. “That they’re reminding you that they see you and they’re telling you to keep going.”

The song also carries an important reminder to not be permanently weighed down by loss, Brent says.

“Time is precious, but it’s not promised,” he notes. “So it’s about going after the things in your own life that mean something to you, [and to not] hold back and to live every day to the fullest.” 

Shinedown’s tour wraps Aug. 30 in Memphis. They released a new song, “Killing Fields,” in July, but there’s been no word on a new album.

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Ciara‘s new album, Cici, has arrived, marking her first release since 2019’s Beauty Marks.

“It’s time. Honestly, I’ve been working on this album for almost five years. I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, as they would say, into this project,” she told The Associated Press, noting she’s been “still actively putting out music” in between albums.

Ci says she will put a complete stop to her music career if and when she stops “loving the process and experience,” but for now she has the “same excitement I had as a little girl.”

Yet, despite her continued passion and excitement for the genre, she clarifies that music is not her sole focus or the only way she measures success. 

“Not every year has been about music. And sometimes, it’s been about me just growing as a human. Sometimes, it’s been about me finding my way obviously as a mom, and then I have family now and my husband, being there for him. These are all real things,” Ciara says, sharing that her days often consist of going from the stage to the classroom to the football field and back home.

“Success to me is yes, putting out music. Being the best artist I can be, hopefully being known as one of the best to ever do it. … But it’s not solely in that,” she continued. “People lose themselves because they didn’t live. I don’t want to be that girl – I’m not going to be that girl.”

Cici is now available on streaming services. 

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Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats have shared a demo of their song “Trying So Hard Not to Know.”

The unearthed recording is included on the upcoming 10th anniversary reissue of the 2015 self-titled Night Sweats debut album.

“It was the first song I wrote and recorded for the project, a sound that changed our lives,” Rateliff shares in an Instagram post.

The reissue also includes 10 other demo recordings. It’s due out Oct. 10.

The original Night Sweats album spawned the outfit’s breakout hit, “S.O.B.”

The most recent Night Sweats record is 2024’s South of Here. Rateliff and company will launch a U.S. tour in September.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 



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Lil Nas X was arrested and taken to the hospital after he was seen roaming down a street in Los Angeles early Thursday morning, nearly naked, sources told ABC News on Thursday.

The sources said they got a call for a man in the road in his underwear, and when Los Angeles Police Department officers responded to the scene, Lil Nas X was arrested.

The sources said some force was used, saying the rapper and singer did not go willingly.

It was unclear what Lil Nas X, born Montero Lamar Hill, was subsequently taken to the hospital for, according to the sources. An investigation is underway, the sources said.

ABC has reached out to reps for Lil Nas X for comment.

Video shared by TMZ Hip Hop earlier on Thursday shows the “Montero” rapper walking in nothing but white cowboy boots and his underwear.

In the video, he sings and interacts with the person filming, saying, “Didn’t I tell you to put the phone down? Uh oh, someone’s gonna have to pay for that.”

He also makes comments about being at a party as he struts down the street and strikes a pose.

Lil Nas X is known for his unique musical style, which blends hip-hop, pop and country influences.

His 2019 song, “Old Town Road,” became the longest-running No. 1 in Billboard history.

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The Barbarians of California, AWOLNATION frontman Aaron Bruno‘s hardcore side project, have released a new song called “Modern Fashion.”

“Hopefully, ‘Modern Fashion’ can become a metaphor for whatever you feel like wearing and for whatever music you feel like listening to…never having to explain yourself,” Bruno says.

The video for “Modern Fashion” is available on YouTube.

“Modern Fashion” follows the debut Barbarians album, 2024’s And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth. The song arrives as the band is preparing to launch a tour opening for Deftones and Phantogram starting Friday in Vancouver.

The most recent AWOLNATION album is 2024’s The Phantom Five.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.) 



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