In 2022, many new artists received their first Gold and Platinum RIAA certifications — 39 in all, including GAYLE, Stephen Sanchez, Em Beihold, Jax, Lauren Spencer Smith, JVKE and Armani White. But among the RIAA’s Class of 2022, GAYLE’s the one who really stood out.
The singer’s Grammy-nominated hit “abcdefu” was certified three-times Platinum — marking sales of 3 million — which was the highest certification of any other Class of 2022 artist. In fact, GAYLE is the only one who received a multiple-Platinum certification, period.
Songs that were certified Platinum this year, signifying sales of 1 million, include Beihold’s “Numb Little Bug” and Sanchez’s “Until I Found You.” Coincidentally, there’s a remix duet version of “Until I Found You” featuring Stephen and Em.
Songs certified Gold this year include Emmy Meli‘s “I Am Woman,” Jax’s “Victoria’s Secret,” Armani White’s “Billie Eilish,” Benson Boone‘s “Ghost Town,” Lauren Spencer Smith’s “Flowers” and “Fingers Crossed,” Leah Kate‘s “10 Things I Hate About You” and JVKE’s “this is what falling in love feels like.”
Michael Bezjian/Getty Images for Mario Barth/Coalition/Tattoo Safety
Buckcherry will be lighting up your summer with a new album.
The 10th studio effort from Josh Todd and company is set to arrive in June. The first single will premiere in March as Buckcherry launches a co-headlining U.S. tour with Skid Row.
“Response so far has been GREAT and we are currently working on more shows with Skid Row for later in the year,” Buckcherry says.
The upcoming Buckcherry album will be the follow-up to 2021’s Hellbound.
Fetty Wap will have to wait a little longer to learn his fate: AllHipHop reports the rapper’s drug case sentencing has been delayed.
Judge Joanna Seybert issued the court order Wednesday, pushing the initial January 18 hearing back to March 19.
Fetty was arrested in October 2021 at New York’s Citi Field, where he was supposed to take the stage for Rolling Loud NY. He was charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine for allegedly running a Long Island-based drug ring that transported, distributed and sold over 100 kilograms of cocaine, opioids and crack cocaine from the West Coast to Long Island.
He pleaded guilty to the charges and faces five to 40 years in prison.
Fetty Wap was initially granted a pretrial release after posting $500,000 bond in November 2021. The bond was revoked in August 2022 after he allegedly brandished a gun and threatened to kill someone during a December 2021 FaceTime call — a violation of his release conditions.
French Montana and members of his Coke Boys record label are teaming up with DJ Drama for their very own Gangsta Grillz mixtape. With the release date set for Friday, French took to Instagram to unveil the track list and give fans an idea of what’s on the way.
CB6: Money Heist Edition features 29 tracks with appearances from Coke Boys’ Max B, DThang, Kenzo B andthe late Chinx. A$AP Rocky, Jeremih, Benny the Butcher, EST Gee, Kodak Black and morealso guest on the album.
As its name implies, CB6 marks the sixth installment of French’s Coke Boys mixtape series. It’s also the latest Gangsta Grillz tape; Pusha T and Juelz Santana‘s respective Gangsta Grillz will drop later on this year.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Friday is expected to award the Presidential Citizens Medal — the nation’s second-highest civilian honor — to officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, multiple sources told ABC News and a White House official confirmed Thursday.
Biden will present the awards during a ceremony at the White House. Friday marks the second anniversary of the Capitol attack.
The recipients include Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges, Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, Capitol Police Officer Carolyn Edwards, retired Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, and retired Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone.
Biden will also bestow the honor posthumously to Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who officials said died of natural causes a day after being assaulted with bear spray while defending the Capitol.
ABC News was the first to report these details.
“To mark two years since the insurrection on the Capitol, Biden will host a ceremony at the White House where he will deliver remarks and award the Presidential Citizens Medal to “individuals who made exemplary contributions to our democracy surrounding January 6, 2021,” a senior White House official said.
Others who will receive the award include Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, mother-daughter election workers who were the target of right-wing conspiracies following the 2020 race. They’ve since discussed living in fear since the attacks against them began, describing how they were forced to leave their jobs.
Several state and local officials who stood up to pressure to overturn the 2020 election results will also receive the honor, including former Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt.
“These 12 heroes demonstrated courage and selflessness during a moment of peril for our nation,” the White House official added. “They include Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police, election workers, and officials at the state and local level.”
Many of the officers Biden will recognize on Friday have testified about their harrowing experiences during the insurrection. More than 100 officers were injured as pro-Donald Trump supporters stormed the area.
Dunn, Hodges, Fanone and Gonell described first-hand the violence toward law enforcement during the first hearing of the House Jan. 6 committee, telling lawmakers they all feared for their lives.
Edwards, who testified at a different Jan. 6 committee hearing, said called the Capitol attack a “war scene.”
“There were officers on the ground. You know, they were bleeding. They were throwing up. You know, they had, I mean, I saw friends with blood all over their faces. I was slipping in people’s blood. I was catching people as they fell.”
Biden has repeatedly condemned the Capitol attack as a dark day for American democracy.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday that Biden’s focus on the second anniversary of the attack will be to recognize Americans who “showed those best values of who we are.”
Blondie’s Debbie Harry has lent her vocals to a star-studded new single, to be featured in the upcoming movie 80 for Brady.The tune “Gonna Be You,” dropping January 20, was written by legendary songwriter Diane Warren and also features Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan, The Go-Go‘s Belinda Carlisle and Dolly Parton.
80 for Brady is based on the true story of four best friends who traveled to the Super Bowl in 2017 to see then-New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady play. And the stars of the film are just as impressive as the lineup for the song: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno. Brady also appears in the film, which arrives in theaters February 3.
“I wanted to write a song that celebrated these women’s deep friendship,” Diane says in a statement. “Since 80 was in the title I got a crazy idea, why not get some of the most iconic singers from the 80s, who are still amazing and always will be, to all sing it?!!!!”
She adds, “I’m honored to have Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Debbie Harry on this song!! ‘Gonna Be You’ is that song you want to sing along to with all your good friends!!!”
Dave Bautista, now starring in Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, tells GQ he’s relieved to be done playing Drax The Destroyer in Marvel’s TheGuardians of the Galaxy movies.
The former pro wrestler-turned-actor told the magazine the story of his rags-to-riches career, from broke wannabe wrestler to WWE superstar who gave it up to be a struggling actor.
After appearing in November’s The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special as the gray-skinned, overly literal alien, Bautista has one more go-round as Drax, in May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which has already wrapped.
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him,” the actor says. “But there’s a relief [that it is over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy — it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.”
That said, Bautista fondly recalls how he learned he landed the role that helped launch his career: A phone call from Marvel Studios as he was on his way to the gym. “I had to pull over because I was crying so hard,” Bautista says. “I turned right back around and walked into my house shaking to tell my wife I had gotten the role, and we were both standing there freaking out.”
Bautista followed the Guardians movies with more dramatic parts, like director Denis Villenueve‘s 2017 film Blade Runner 2049. Heworked with the Oscar-nominated director again in 2021’s Dune reboot.
He’ll soon be seen in the next film from another acclaimed director, M. Night Shyamalan, in the thriller A Knock at the Cabin, which debuts in theaters February 3.
(NEW YORK) — The former chief executive of the cryptocurrency lending platform Celsius Network defrauded hundreds of thousands of investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of cryptocurrency, New York Attorney General Letitia James alleged in a new lawsuit filed Thursday.
Alex Mashinsky lied to investors, concealed Celsius’ dire financial condition and failed to register as required by state law, the lawsuit said.
As Celsius lost some $440 million in risky investments, Mashinsky concealed the platform’s rapidly deteriorating financial condition, according to the lawsuit, which seeks to ban him from doing business in New York and requires him to pay damages, restitution and disgorgement.
“As the former CEO of Celsius, Alex Mashinsky promised to lead investors to financial freedom but led them down a path of financial ruin,” James said in a statement accompanying an announcement of the lawsuit.
Celsius is a cryptocurrency lending platform where investors could deposit their cryptocurrency in return for receiving yield on their deposited assets. Throughout Mashinsky’s tenure as CEO he made numerous false and deceptive statements about Celsius’ safety, number of users, and investment strategies to recruit investors, the lawsuit said.
In hundreds of public appearances, videos, interviews, blog posts and livestreams, Mashinsky asserted that Celsius was safer than a bank, though the attorney general’s office noted banks are highly regulated by state and federal agencies and subject to regular and robust examinations. Celsius was not and its customers had no hope of receiving the same protections as banks.
According to the lawsuit, Mashinsky repeatedly claimed that Celsius made safe, low-risk investments and only lent assets to credible and reputable entities. However, investors’ assets were routinely exposed to high-risk counterparties and strategies, many of which resulted in losses which Mashinsky concealed from investors.
The collapse of Celsius has left many individuals in financial ruin. The lawsuit mentioned a New York resident who mortgaged two properties to invest with Celsius. A disabled veteran lost his investment of $36,000, which had taken him nearly a decade to save up. Another disabled citizen, who depended upon government assistance to supplement his $8 per hour income, lost his entire investment.
Jackson Dean‘s getting “Fearless” with his new single.
The new release from Greenbroke is the follow-up to his debut single, “Don’t Come Lookin’,” which went on to become his first #1.
“I believe in ghosts/ Most people don’t/ I swear it on my Grandpa’s grave,” Jackson sings in the opening lines of “Fearless,” continuing in the rebellious, mystical style he established with “Don’t Come Lookin’.” This time, he makes room for a little romance, adding, “I got thick skin/ I’ll dive in/ I’m fearless/ Except when it comes to you” in the chorus.
2023’s a big year for Jackson. He joins Blake Shelton and Carly Pearce on the Back to the Honky Tonk Tour, before performing in the New Faces Show at Country Radio Seminar in March — a feat seen as one of the biggest predictors of long-term success in the genre.
Katy Perry is practicing “Dryuary” — where one is challenged not to drink alcohol during the month of January — and reveals she actually goes a step further than that.
Speaking to Women’s Health, Katy revealed she will go alcohol-free for months when it comes to her music. “Sometimes when I’m prepping for a tour or album release, I’ll take three or six months where I’m not drinking at all,” she disclosed.
“I am a zero to 100 type of girl,” she continued. “I lean into the luxury and the pleasure. But then I have to recuperate and take time, pull back, re-energize by feeding myself good things and taking care of myself in certain ways so that I can go back out into the world and ham it up.”
Katy will never drink alcohol before a show. “I have so many marks to hit, and so many things that I have to make feel effortless and easy and natural, but they’re actually very technical,” she explained. “I’m hanging on wires, I’m masquerading as a Cirque de Soleil performer many of the times.”
Katy also spoke about being a first-time mom, and said she gives all the “extra moments I have to being present and being a mother.” She shares a 2-year-old daughter named Daisy with partner Orlando Bloom.
Katy became a mom at 35 and believes the timing was perfect. “I really feel like I checked off a lot of my life boxes and was ready to do that, to be of service as a mother does … I’ve seen so many views of so many different mountains, and this is the best view,” she said.
