On Friday, longtime Elton John guitarist and music director Davey Johnstonereleased his first solo album in almost 50 years, Deeper than My Roots.
Johnstone tells ABC Audio that the project started coming together when Elton’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour was postponed in 2020 album because of the COVID-19 pandemic and he unexpectedly found himself with extra time on his hands.
As he amassed new songs, aided by some lyrical help from his friend, actor and poet Rick Otto, Davey says he got the idea to enlist several of his musically inclined children to contribute to the album, which he notes became “a complete family affair.”
Early in the project, he asked his youngest son, Elliot, to sing on a track, while his son Charlie, an accomplished keyboardist, also played on that song and engineered it.
“[I]t was suddenly sounding really magical,” Johnstone notes, “and I thought, ‘Well, this could be the basis for this record. It could be…me writing all this material and then involving my kids.'”
Elliot wound up singing lead on most of the tracks. Johnstone reports that his other family members who contributed to the album included “my middle son, Jesse, [who] played drums remotely on about four, maybe five songs, [and my] eldest son, Tam, who…produced and mixed a couple of the tracks.”
Davey tells ABC Audio that he titled the album Deeper than My Roots because it’s “got a lot of different influences,” including 1960s and ’70s pop and rock, and “Scottish and Irish traditional music.”
Johnstone also reveals that his famous boss “was blown away” when he listened to the record, pointing out that Elton said, “[T]his is sweetest album I think I’ve ever heard,” and was particularly impressed by Elliot’s vocals.
British artist Mae Muller scored a massive hit with “Better Days,” her collab with Swedish producer NEIKED and Polo G. Now, fans tell her they’ve gone online check out all her solo music, and she says that means everything to her.
“That’s the most important thing,” she tells ABC Audio. “Obviously I love ‘Better Days’ — the song has opened so many doors, but all the songs I did before, they really came from the heart and [are] really personal to me. So it just makes me feel like everything was kind of worth it, and it’s happening when it’s meant to happen.”
It’s because she wrote all her solo songs that Mae was hesitant to sing on anything she didn’t write, but “Better Days” changed her mind.
She explains, “I’ve had quite a few songs be sent over and they’re like, ‘Yeah, we think this is going to be a big song,’ but I’m like, ‘But it doesn’t feel right, and I wouldn’t say that. The message isn’t right for me.’ And that’s the biggest thing.”
But after hearing “Better Days,” Mae says, “I was like, “I would say this, and this is very aligned with how I feel and what I would say.’ And also, I was like, ‘This song sounds like a banger, and the only person who’s going to lose out if I don’t do this is me!”
“It just felt right,” she says, and laughs, “I just said, ‘Dolly Parton didn’t write every single one of her songs, so I’m sure it’s fine if I don’t!'”
Mae’s now hard at work on new songs, and her upcoming U.S. shows in March, she’ll “definitely” perform “some unreleased music that people can enjoy” — music that she says will be “a little teaser” of what’s to come.
At the age of 50, Clifford “Method Man” Smith Jr. is proud to continue his successful career with his featured role in Power Book II: Ghost. He loves appearing in the series with co-star Mary J. Blige after winning a Grammy with her in 1996: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “I’ll Be There for You”/”You’re All I Need to Get By.”
The member of the iconic Wu-Tang Clan admits that growing up poor in New York City borough of Staten Island, it was not easy “getting by.”
“I was a Black boy living in some of the worst areas in New York,” Smith says in the cover issue of Essence‘s February digital issue. “I’ve been told that from the gate, ‘You don’t belong here.’ Sometimes even without words.”
Since then, Smith has proven that he belongs as an actor, as well as a rapper.
Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of Wu-Tung’s 1993 triple-platinum debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Beyond his group accomplishments, Method Man has forged his own identity with five solo albums, plus three collabo projects with Redman. He made the transition to acting in 1996, and his film credits include Belly, Brown Sugar, Red Tails, and 2019’s Shaft.
He tells Essence that he remembers it being difficult to convince casting directors he was ready for film and TV.
“I guess my background turned some people off. Some people aren’t willing to give you a chance, especially when you’ve already had one and you kind of squandered it,” Smith notes. “There was a changing of the guard in hip-hop. I was cool with that. I had to evolve with the business and if that meant acting, so be it.”
When Russell Dickerson sings the first verse of his hit song “Home Sweet,” he’s remembering a real-life story, complete with going from “all-inclusive margaritas in Malibu” to “prayin’ we could pay rent this month.”
The song’s about his newlywed days, when he and his wife Kailey has just tied the knot — and they were broke.
“Literally, the day we got back from our honeymoon is when I got dropped from my first publishing deal,” Russell remembers. “Which was two years of great income. I was providing for the fam…and my income went to zero dollars.”
Fortunately, those lean times didn’t last: Russell found success as a country star, and he’s had four number-one hits to date. Now, “Home Sweet” is just outside country radio’s top-ten. Though most of his fans have never had a publishing deal, Russell says that most listeners can relate to the song’s sentiment.
“I think so many people, so many newlyweds or people who are just young, and you know, just struggling to pay rent…everybody’s been there,” he says. “So that’s kind of a level of relating to the song.”
“Home Sweet” comes off of Russell’s 2021 album, Southern Symphony.
Jennifer Lopez stood her ground when casting the main characters for the upcoming Marry Me movie and revealed she said no to some of the biggest acts in music when casting Bastian, a role that eventuall went to Maluma.
“So many names came up. All the big musicians you can think of right now,” the “On the Floor” singer told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “But not one Latin name came up. And I was like, ‘You know what? I really want to make a bilingual album for this for a mainstream Hollywood movie. Why don’t we pick a Spanish artist, a Latin artist. Somebody who just is in Spanish, and let’s talk Spanish in the movie.'”
Jennifer, who plays pop superstar Kat Valdez in Marry Me, continued, “I wanted to make a bilingual album,” and says hiring a Latin artist was her top priority. “When we were talking about that part, a lot of different names came up. We need somebody who’s a musician, superstar, super swag, could play this character. And all of the nuances that he has could be lovable,” she described.
Although the part called for “the perfect, right guy,” Jennifer adds there was a caveat: the person also had to be “the guy who you don’t want to marry, and who could that be?”
Maluma was eventually hired to play Bastian, Kat’s boyfriend who cheats on her the day they’re supposed to wed. Jennifer adds of Maluma, “The two songs that he wrote specifically for the movie, not as a Maluma song, but as a Bastian song, was so impressive to me. Because it showed me that he really understood the character.”
Marry Me, also starring Owen Wilson, Sarah Silverman and Game of Thrones star John Bradley, arrives in theaters Friday, February 11.
Last week, eagle-eyed fans spotted clues that they claimed proved that a Taylor Swift/Ed Sheeran remix would soon be upon us. Now, fans have spotted the biggest clue yet that a new version of Ed’s song “The Joker and the Queen,” featuring Taylor, is imminent.
On YouTube, if you go to the credits of the official lyric video for “The Joker and the Queen,” and scroll down past the lyrics, you’ll get to the publishing information. There, plain as day, it says, “The Joker And The Queen (feat. Taylor Swift).” At least it did at press time — but it’s also been captured and posted online.
As previously reported, rumors of the remix began last week when Ed posted an Instagram teaser that showed him signing some CD on with artwork depicting a playing card that was one half joker and one half queen — with the queen looking very much like Taylor with blonde hair and bangs.
In addition, Ed wears a Taylor Swift patch on the back of his jacket in the video for “Overpass Graffiti,” and in Taylor’s“I Bet You Think About Me” music video, she draws an “equals” sign in the icing on a wedding cake. “The Joker and The Queen” appears on Ed’s album = (Equals).
The two have previously released three songs together, all on Taylor’s albums: “Everything Has Changed” on Red, “End Game” on Reputation and “Run,” a vault track on Red (Taylor’s Version).
(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Sunday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Denver 124, Brooklyn 104
Minnesota 118, Detroit 105
Philadelphia 119, Chicago 108
Boston 116, Orlando 83
Dallas 103, Atlanta 94
Cleveland 98, Indiana 85
New Orleans 120, Houston 107
Milwaukee 137, LA Clippers 113
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Houston 80, Cincinnati 58
Providence 71, Georgetown 52
Ohio St. 82, Maryland 67
(SAN DEIGO) — A Navy SEAL candidate has died and a second is in the hospital after falling ill on Friday just hours after both had successfully completed the grueling culmination of initial SEAL training known as “Hell Week.”
Both sailors were quickly taken to local hospitals hours after they began showing symptoms of illness.
On Sunday, the Navy identified Seaman Kyle Mullen, 24, of Manalapan, New Jersey, as the SEAL candidate who died. He was assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command in San Diego, California.
“We extend our deepest sympathies to Seaman Mullen’s family for their loss,” Rear Adm. H.W. Howard III, commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, said in a statement.
Mullen was pronounced dead at 5:42 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Friday at Sharp Coronado Hospital in San Diego, officials said. His cause of his death remains under investigation.
The name of the hospitalized SEAL candidate was not released, but they are in stable condition at Naval Medical Center in San Diego, officials said.
“Two SEAL candidates, assigned to Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command, were taken to the hospital on Feb. 4 several hours after their Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL (BUD/S) class successfully completed Hell Week, part of the first phase of the Navy SEAL assessment and selection pathway,” said a statement from the Navy’s Special Warfare Command.
Hell Week is the famous end to the first phase of BUD/S training where sailors who want to be SEALs are pushed to the limit of physical and mental exhaustion through a series of intense training. More than half of the SEAL candidates who go through Hell Week do not complete the grueling week of training that allows them to continue on through the six months of SEAL training.
“Both Sailors were not actively training when they reported symptoms and were transported to receive emergency care,” the statement from the Navy added.
The last Navy SEAL candidate to die during BUD/S training was 21-year-old Seaman James Lovelace who drowned in a pool during his first week of training in May 2016. After his drowning, the Navy instituted additional safety protocols to the swimming program.
“SEAL training takes you beyond your personal limits,” said Eric Oehlerich, a retired SEAL and ABC News contributor. “It’s designed to push you beyond your perception of what’s possible, breaking glass ceilings of what you’re capable of both mentally and physically.”
Oehlerich said he believes the difficult training for prospective SEALs is carried out within proven medical boundaries and run by highly trained professional instructors, but he acknowledged that there are risks involved in all types of military training.
“From time to time training fatalities do occur. Although tragic, adhering to the training curriculum keeps SEALs alive in combat,” he said. “It’s necessary, it can’t be diluted.”
“Condolences to the family of the trainee,” Oehlerich said. “They’ll always be a part of the community and we will always be there as able.”
(NEW YORK) – Last month, a federal judge approved the largest debt restructuring plan ever reported in the United States, paving the way to end Puerto Rico’s long and painful bankruptcy process.
The plan — capping a years-long debate between creditors and local and federal officials — reduces the largest part of the island’s largest outstanding debt portion from $33 billion to about $7 billion. Debt originally amounted to $70 billion plus $50 billion in pension obligations.
Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority separately owes more than $9 billion. The financial oversight board responsible for extricating the island from bankruptcy expects to have a plan for that debt later this year.
Last week, the longtime executive director of the board, Natalie Jaresko, who helped negotiate the plan, announced her resignation effective in April. She and the board have faced criticism for the length of time it took to negotiate the plan as well as austerity measures imposed in the meantime, but they lauded the deal as a historic step for Puerto Rico’s future.
Although the plan is a step forward in moving Puerto Rico out of crushing debt, experts remain concerned about the island’s economic future.
According to the Center for the New Economy’s policy director Sergio Marxuach, the plan is “based on long term projections for the economy, which are very uncertain.”
Economists are expecting an influx of money to reach Puerto Rico in the next five years linked to the recovery efforts from both hurricanes and the earthquakes. But the rest of the economy remains uncertain.
“I want to believe that elected officials in Puerto Rico and in the U.S. are concerned that Puerto Rico needs to grow after the reconstruction ends,” economist and professor at the University of Puerto Rico, José Caraballo-Cueto told ABC News.
“The economy is not going to grow by itself, and it’s not going to grow jobs based on more fiscal stimulus either by receiving new federal funds or rather by issuing new debt,” Caraballo-Cueto added.
How Puerto Rico’s economy faltered?
Decades of mismanagement and excessive debt led Puerto Rico to file for bankruptcy in 2016 under the Puerto Rico Oversight Management Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). The law, signed by former President Barack Obama, gave the island an alternative because, as a territory, it could not file under Chapter 9, the traditional avenue for financially distressed municipalities.
The year before, the island failed to comply with payments on $70 billion in public debt and more than $50 billion in pension obligations. The pension portion of the debt will not be restructured which means every pensioner is supposed to received what they were promised.
“Puerto Rico’s debt is unpayable,” said former Gov. Alejandro García-Padilla in 2015. Under his administration and President Obama’s last term, PROMESA was imposed, including its Financial Oversight and Management Board.
The board, made up of seven members, is in charge of handling the island’s finances and has received criticism from residents, local and federal officials amid the delay in reaching a consensus that would lead Puerto Rico out of the bankruptcy.
In a statement announcing her departure, effective in April, Jaresko touted her achievements during her tenure.
“I am leaving the Oversight Board at a time of recovery and stability. I am proud of what we have achieved, and I am confident that the road that led us to this milestone will take Puerto Rico further to growth and prosperity,” Jaresko said in a statement.
The board’s chair, David Skeel, lauded her work.
“I am saddened by her personal decision to step back but I also understand her desire for a change after five years of rewarding but relentless and difficult work to help Puerto Rico recover from its fiscal and economic crisis,” Skeel said.
Jaresko acknowledged, however, “these have been complex years, and the painful natural disasters, political turmoil, and the pandemic added to the hurdles we needed to overcome,”
Months after the board started working on the island, Puerto Rico was slammed by Hurricane Irma and María causing over $90 billion in losses, according to the local government.
Three years later the island got hit again with thousands of earthquakes and the ongoing pandemic — debilitating Puerto Rico’s economy even more.
What’s next for the island?
Puerto Rico will have to start paying the debt with the hope that the island’s economy will grow independently from the federal aid that is expected to arrive.
“It’s a leap of faith,” Marxuach, from the Center for the New Economy, told ABC News.
“It’s a big concern for us, that once this money dries up, we really don’t have a, you know, strategic vision, as you know, for growing the economy. And we may go back into a recession,” Marxuach added.
Although many experts are aware the agreement is not perfect and risky, they considered it a step forward in getting Puerto Rico out of the financial crisis.
Under the approved plan, pension obligations were protected, securing many retirees that were fearful of their economic stability.
“I think the positive side of this restructuring was that pensions were protected… and I think that’s a big win for the civil society of Puerto Rico,” Caraballo-Cueto told ABC News.
Although he is in favor of fully protecting pensions, Marxuach is concerned what protecting pensions means for the ability to invest in younger generations.
“Protecting the pensions was a good thing but I think about the amount we’re going to be paying on pensions every year going forward, which is about $2 billion and think then think about the amount we’re going to be putting from the general fund into the University of Puerto Rico, which is only $500 million,” Marxuach says.
As Puerto Rico heads into a new phase of the bankruptcy process, experts are warning that this is just the beginning.
“We’re turning the corner and things are starting to look better, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Marxuach said.
(WASHINGTON) – Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, criticized the Biden administration’s approach toward Russia on Sunday, as the country continues to build up its military presence around Ukraine.
“The deterrence has not been there and deterrence is key,” McCaul told ABC “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
The ranking Republican member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee moderated a classified briefing on Capitol Hill earlier this week amid escalating tensions in and around the former Soviet Republic. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin led the briefing for House members on Thursday.
On Thursday, the Biden administration accused Russia of planning to film a fake Ukrainian attack to give President Vladimir Putin a reason to invade the neighboring Baltic state. The U.S. hoped to spoil the operation by making the plan public.
A bipartisan group of senators is close to reaching a deal on a bill that would impose crippling sanctions on Russia for its hostilities against Ukraine.
