Ava Max almost gave up on her music career before it even got off the ground, saying she had a “mental breakdown” in 2018.
Speaking with Rolling Stone, the pop star shared a story she’d kept to herself for nearly five years. “No one knows this but I had a mental breakdown,” she said, noting it happened when she released “Sweet but Psycho.”
She was desperate for a breakthrough song, and remembers getting on her hands and knees to pray for its success.
“I’m like, ‘God, please, if you’re listening. I need to pay for my gas. My parents, I want to buy them a house. I just want to help the people I love and I want to perform on big stages and I want to have fans and I want people to relate to my music,'” Ava recalled. “I was yelling this at the top of my lungs … I said, ‘If “Sweet but Psycho” does nothing, I’m done.'”
After that outburst, Ava remembers standing up and wiping away her tears while telling herself, “Oh my God, b****. Get yourself together.”
We know what happened next: “Sweet but Psycho” took off. It made it into the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has so far been RIAA-certified four times Platinum.
Now Ava is days away from releasing her second studio album, Diamonds & Dancefloors, which arrives Friday.
Although she’s launched a successful music career, the singer says she owes it all to her parents, who fled Albania in the ’90s. “If they didn’t risk their lives, I wouldn’t be here,” she said. Ava added her parents “came here with nothing” and took on multiple jobs to obtain the American Dream.
Their work ethic, she said, inspired her to always keep going.
(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — Abigail Zwerner, the teacher who was shot by a student in a classroom in Newport News, Virginia, earlier this month intends to file a lawsuit against the school board, her lawyer said Wednesday, alleging the shooting could have been prevented by school administrators.
Zwerner sustained a gunshot wound to the chest when a 6-year-old student brought a gun into a classroom at Richneck Elementary School and intentionally shot and wounded her, according to police. A bullet remains lodged in her body, according to Diane Toscano, Zwerner’s lawyer.
“This should have never happened. It was preventable and thank God Abby is alive. But had the school administrators acted in the interest of their teachers and their students, Abby would not have sustained a gunshot wound to the chest,” Toscano said at a press conference Wednesday.
Toscano revealed new details about the events leading up to the shooting, alleging that school administration was warned that the student had a gun with him at school and had threatened people several times the day of the shooting, but school administrators took no action.
Toscano alleged that the administration was warned four times by teachers and school employees that the unnamed student “had a gun on him at the school and was threatening people.”
Toscano laid out a timeline of events the day of the shooting:
At around 11:15 to 11:30 a.m., Zwerner went to a school administrator and told them that the 6-year-old had threatened to beat up another child that day. The administration did not take action or remove the student from the classroom, according to Toscano.
At 12:30 p.m. a teacher told a school administrator she searched the 6-year-old’s backpack for a gun and told the administration that she believed the boy put the gun in his pocket before going outside for recess. The administrator downplayed the report and responded that the boy has little pockets, according to Toscano.
Shortly after 1 p.m., a third teacher told administrators that another student who was scared and crying confessed that the shooter showed him a gun at recess and threatened to shoot him if he told anyone, according to Toscano.
A fourth employee asked the administrator for permission to search the boy but was denied and was told to wait the situation out because the school day was almost over, according to Toscano.
Zwerner was shot almost an hour later, according to Toscano.
She is now home recovering, “but the road to recovery will be long,” Toscano said.
The press conference came hours before the Virginia public school system is set to decide the fate of its superintendent.
The Newport News School Board has called a special meeting for Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET to vote on a separation agreement with Newport News Public Schools Superintendent George Parker III and the appointment of an interim superintendent.
Parker has been under fire from teachers, parents and community members since the shooting. The boy, who has not been named publicly, allegedly took a handgun from his home, put it in his backpack and brought it to school that day before shooting his teacher in an “intentional” act, according to the Newport News Police Department.
Police said Zwerner was giving class instruction that afternoon when the student pointed the gun at her and fired one round. The teacher took a defensive position, raising her hand. The bullet went through her hand and into her chest, police said.
There was no physical struggle or fight, according to police.
After Zwerner was shot, she ushered all of her students out of the classroom. She was the last person to leave the room, police said.
About 16 to 20 students were in the classroom at the time of the shooting and none of them were physically injured, according to police.
Police said responding officers found a school employee physically restraining the 6-year-old suspect in the classroom. The boy allegedly hit the school employee before officers took him into custody. He was subsequently taken to a local hospital for evaluation, police said.
Since then, a temporary detention order has been obtained and the child is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility, according to police.
Newport News Police Chief Steve Drew has called Zwerner a “hero” who “saved lives.” He told reporters that the teacher has repeatedly asked how her students are doing.
Zwerner was released from Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News last week and will continue to receive outpatient treatment, according to Riverside Health System.
Police said the investigation into the Jan. 6 incident, including a motive, is ongoing and no one has been charged so far. Richneck Elementary School has remained closed in the meantime.
The 9 mm Taurus pistol used in the shooting was legally purchased by the boy’s mother, according to police.
During a town hall meeting with parents earlier this month, Parker said the student’s backpack was searched at school the morning of Jan. 6, after someone reported he may have had a weapon. The person who searched the backpack didn’t find a weapon, according to the superintendent. It was unclear who conducted the search or how the tip about the weapon was received.
When asked for comment, a police spokesperson told ABC News: “We have determined through our investigation that a school employee was notified of a possible firearm at Richneck Elementary before the shooting occurred. The Newport News Police Department was not notified of this information prior to the incident. I cannot release any further information at this time because of the ongoing investigation.”
Earlier this month, Newport News School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law said they have been given approval to purchase 90 walk-through metal detectors, which will be installed in every school across the district, starting with Richneck Elementary School. The district will also bolster protocols on handling school violence, including implementing a safety stand down and reviewing student conduct and discipline records, according to Surles-Law.
The unnamed family of the boy released a statement last week, saying the “firearm our son accessed was secured” and that he “suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day.”
“The week of the shooting was the first week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives,” the family said. “Since this incident, our son has been under hospital care and receiving the treatment he needs.”
The boy’s family called the shooting “horrific” and noted that they “have been cooperating with local and federal law enforcement to understand how this could have happened.”
“Our heart goes out to our son’s teacher and we pray for her healing in the aftermath of such an unimaginable tragedy as she selflessly served our son and the children in the school,” they added. “She has worked diligently and compassionately to support our family as we sought the best education and learning environment for our son. We thank her for her courage, grace and sacrifice.”
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso, Caroline Guthrie, Davone Morales, Emily Shapiro and Ben Siu contributed to this report.
The film was already on the awards track before its three Golden Globe wins, but The Banshees of Inisherin‘s nine Oscar nominations apparently finally got the internet’s curiosity.
According to Google data compiled by the online gambling site Slotbox, searches for the Martin McDonagh-directed film jumped 1,150% following Tuesday’s Oscar nominations announcement.
On January 11, after the movie took home three Golden Globes — a Best Actor nod for Colin Farrell, one for Best Film in the Musical or Comedy category and one for Best Screenplay — searches had jumped 150%.
Many of those queries related to Inisherin tourism. In fact, Google’s search automatically loads the common question “Is Inisherin a real place?” Alas, the picturesque Irish island town of the title doesn’t actually exist. You can, however, visit Inis Mor and Achill Islands on the west coast of Ireland if you’re looking to soak up the sights — or break up with a longtime buddy.
The Banshees of Inisherin received Oscar nominations for Best Actor for Farrell, Best Supporting Actor for Barry Keoghan and Best Supporting Actress for Kerry Condon, as well as Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Director for McDonagh.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers fans are getting a new look at the band’s famed 20-show residency at San Francisco’s iconic Fillmore back in 1997. The band just released a 12-minute video, The Fillmore House Band – 1997 (Short Film 2), which features footage from the shows, along with commentary from the band members.
“You feel the history; you feel the ghosts,” guitarist Mike Campbell shares about the venue. “And you feel the magic that’s happened – it’s sort of dripping on the walls.”
“The Fillmore to me is an event, it’s a place in time,” keyboardist Benmont Tench adds. “Being that close to the fans was better … When you’re in a smaller space that’s enclosed like that, then the concentration of the energy, the concentration of the band, the focus, is different.” He noted, “That’s got a really serious kind of magic … It’s incredible.”
The video follows the November release of the Live at the Fillmore (1997) box set, which featured performances recorded during the final six shows of the residency, and included guest appearances by The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn and blues legend John Lee Hooker.
Luke Combs is set to take the stage in a couple weeks at the 65th annual Grammy Awards.
He’s among the first round of performers just announced, along with Brandi Carlile, Mary J. Blige, Lizzo, Sam Smith, Bad Bunny, Steve Lacy and Kim Petras.
Luke could take home three trophies: Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Outrunnin’ Your Memory” with Miranda Lambert, Best Country Song for “Doin’ This” and Best Country Album for Growin’ Up.
Trevor Noah returns this year as host. You can watch the show live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Sunday, February 5, starting at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Steve Lacy is among the artists performing at the 2023 Grammys.
The initial lineup also includes Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Lizzo, Kim Petras and Sam Smith.
Lacy is nominated for four Grammys, including Record and Song of the Year for his breakout hit “Bad Habit.” On its way to hitting #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Bad Habit” became the first song to lead the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts simultaneously with the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs rankings.
The 2023 Grammys take place February 5 in Los Angeles.
Sam Smith doesn’t care as much if people love or don’t love Gloria. They love their new album just the way it is.
Speaking with Billboard, Sam opened up about their new mentality and why they are more at ease than ever before an album launch. “It doesn’t feel nerve-racking this time around,” the singer shared. “I made a very conscious decision with this record to not bring anything out until I just loved it, in and out.”
“[I] didn’t want to be in a position where I was putting something out and was thinking, ‘Are people going to like this?’ I wanted to be in a position where I put something out and I felt I didn’t care if anyone else liked it, because it’s about whether I like it. Because it’s what I make,” Sam explained.
The singer said Gloria is their most intimate album yet, adding it “really came about expressing the liberation I’ve been feeling over the last few years, when it comes to my sexuality, my emotions, my spirit.”
Sam added they were also tired of making songs about love confessions and heartbreak. So, the album was born when Sam felt they were “in a good place” because “I wanted to explore a more confident voice and a voice that was stronger, honestly.”
“I really do feel like I’m in that place,” they marveled. And while Sam admittedly hopes people like Gloria, the singer noted, “I’m on my fourth album now. I don’t feel like I have to prove so much, I just want to enjoy what I make and enjoy my job.”
Foo Fighters will headline Germany’s 2023 Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals, taking place June 2-4.
Dave Grohl and company take the place of the reformed Pantera, which was dropped from the lineup earlier this week.
Statements posted to bothfestivals‘ Facebook pages read, “In the last few weeks, we have had many intensive conversations with artists, our partners and you, the festival fans, we have continued to deal with the criticism together and decided to remove the band from the program.”
According to German news site DW.com, said criticism stems from when Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo yelled “white power” while giving the Nazi salute during a performance at the 2016 Dimebash concert, held in honor of late guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott.
Other artists on the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park lineups include Machine Gun Kelly, Rise Against, Limp Bizkit, Evanescence and Bring Me the Horizon. For more info, visit Rock-am-Ring.com and Rock-im-Park.com.
For Foo Fighters, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park are part of the band’s live comeback this year following the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in 2022. The group is also set to headline this year’s Bonnaroo, Boston Calling and Sonic Temple festivals.
Metallica’s new album, 72 Seasons, is dropping April 14, but fans will now have a chance to hear the whole thing one day early, thanks to a just-announced global listening party.
The one-night-only 72 Seasons global premiere, presented by Metallica and Trafalgar Releasing, is coming to movie theaters worldwide on April 13 and will feature the album played in full in surround sound, accompanied by a new music video for each track. The band will also talk fans through each track with exclusive commentary. The band promises “a few surprises” for attendees.
“This is a monumental opportunity for Metallica fans to be the first to hear the new album,” Kymberli Frueh, of Trafalgar Releasing, shares. “We are thrilled to be a part of this historical global moment—connecting Metallica with their fans once again.”
Tickets for the listening party go on sale March 2 at metallica.film.
Sarah Morris/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Lizzo isn’t just heading to the 2023 BRIT Awards as a two-time nominee, she’ll also be performing.
The singer was added to the set list, marking her second onstage appearance since she brought down the house — and maybe stirred a little controversy — with her “incendiary performance” in 2020. The singer also turned heads when she took Harry Styles‘ wine glass, which was filled with tequila, and chugged it live on air.
Speaking of Harry, he’ll also take the stage at this year’s BRIT Awards, where he’s up for the most awards with four nominations.
David Guetta was also just announced to take the stage this year, where his Bebe Rexha collab “I’m Good (Blue)” is up for international song of the year. The DJ said in a statement, “The UK dance scene is full of incredible artists, so to be recognised once again means a lot to me. This collaboration with Bebe is the gift that keeps on giving, and we are both so grateful to be nominated!”
Other previously announced performers include Sam Smith and Kim Petras.
The BRIT Awards, which are essentially the United Kingdom’s equivalent of the Grammys, will be handed out February 11 at London’s O2 Arena and livestreamed globally on YouTube.
