Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Almost Monday has premiered a new song called “Sun Keeps on Shining.”

The appropriately upbeat track finds the “Live Forever” trio trying to find the positives in difficult situations. After all, the sun keeps on shining.

You can listen to “Sun Keeps on Shining” now via digital outlets. Its accompanying video, which was filmed in Australia, is streaming now on YouTube.

“Sun Keeps on Shining” follows the single “Sunburn,” which dropped in April.

Almost Monday is playing a run of headlining and festival dates over the next month, including New York City’s Governors Ball.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Since Niecy Nash recently married her wife, Jessica Betts, the actress says she can now participate in June’s Pride Month events and festivities. In a recent sit-down chat with theGrio, the couple discuss Pride plans and the importance of LGBTQ+ representation.

“We’ve come a long way from how the music industry was then but I feel good about the visibility,” said Betts of her career as a singer-songwriter. Betts says she “gets to see herself” in fellow LGBTQ+ artists like Janelle Monae, Kehlani and Lil Nas X.

“You know, I get a chance to dream, I get a chance to dream big! That’s so important — as opposed to back then to when there really was no one to represent.”

As for “new community member” Nash, who recently starred in Betts’ new music video for “We Drip,” the 52-year-old entertainer says she’s looking forward to joining in on the Pride celebrations this year. 

“You know I’ve never been to a Pride parade, so maybe somebody will invite me,” she said. “I’m the newest member of the community, so I need my running routes! I don’t know when the parades are, I don’t know anything yet!”

Regardless of which of the many events the couple will make it to, they agree that what matters the most is the visibility they provide to other members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Me and my wife, we say all the time, representation matters, it really does,” Betts said. “Because now I know that little young girls or that [a] little young boy see themselves [in] someone who is like myself, someone who is like my wife, or anyone. It’s important to see yourself.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

If you’re not on good terms with your former bandmates, then Three Days Grace is definitely not just like you.

Earlier this year, ex-TDG frontman Adam Gontier revealed that he had met up with drummer Neil Sanderson, marking the first time the two had seen each other since Gontier left the band in 2013 and was replaced by Matt Walst, the younger brother of founding bassist Brad Walst. As Brad tells ABC Audio, that goodwill extends to the rest of Three Days Grace, as well.

“It’s been 10 years,” Brad says. “Obviously, [Gontier’s] changed a lot, and so have we.”

“I think it’s good that [Gontier and Sanderson] got to meet up and have lunch,” the bassist adds. “Adam lives 20 minutes from me here, we often text and have coffee. So, it’s great. I’m glad he’s doing well and he’s happy. He’s got a good family going on, couple kids. Yeah, so everything’s good.”

In fact, the Walst brothers will see Gontier again when the three are honored at their old high school’s graduation this month.

“They want Adam, Matt and myself to be on their ‘wall of honor,'” Brad shares. “I contacted Adam and I contacted Matt, and I was, like, ‘You guys wanna do this?’ And they’re both in.”

Brad thinks the ceremony will be “pretty cool” for the trio, especially since he admits that they “weren’t the best students” in their later high school days.

“We were all rockers, and didn’t give a s***,” he laughs.

In addition to preparing to go back to school, Three Days Grace is getting ready for a U.S. tour in support of the band’s new album, Explosions. The outing launches in July.

Explosions, which features the singles “Lifetime” and “So Called Life,” is out now.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Shaggy is now “Dr. Shaggy” after receiving an honorary degree from Brown University at the Ivy League school’s recent graduation ceremony.  And Shaggy says he was shocked that the graduating seniors not only knew him, but all seemed to be big fans of his, too.

“I was blown away in many ways [by] that whole experience,” he tells ABC Audio. “I was walking and people were just yelling, ‘Shaggy, Shaggy, Shaggy!’ Right as…the president introduced me, the whole auditorium was like, ‘Shaggy!’ She’s like, ‘Okay, I got to give the man his degree, calm down!'”

And the “It Wasn’t Me” singer says everyone at the after-party recognized him too.

“There was a commencement dinner afterwards — y’know, a lot of the honorees, including Nancy Pelosi and a whole bunch of Nobel Peace Prize winners and…congresspeople and senators and donors. And again, it was a huge reception,” Shaggy says. “I was like, ‘Wow, I really transcend through generations here with these songs!'”

According to Shaggy, that’s because he’s worked hard to try and make “timeless music” — and his new album is certainly that.  After teaming up with Sting in 2018 for a Grammy-winning album, the two reunited for Come Fly Wid Mi, which features Shaggy singing reggae versions of Frank Sinatra classics. Yes, Shaggy admits that the idea of him singing Sinatra was “freakin’ nuts,” but he was down.

“The thing that Sting and I have in common is that we are both allergic to boredom and we like to think outside the box…And so it wasn’t far-fetched for me,” Shaggy tells ABC Audio. “It was scary…singing isn’t something that I was very confident on.”

But Sting, who produced the album, says Shaggy did a great job.

“It just makes people smile,” he says. “And what does the world need more than a smile at the moment?”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ed Sheeran helped bring the U.K.’s Platinum Jubilee celebration to a close on Sunday by performing his hit “Perfect” at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, the final big event of the four-day celebration marking Queen Elizabeth II‘s 70 years on the throne.

Wearing a blue suit and armed with just his acoustic guitar, Ed sang his ballad “Perfect” in front of Buckingham Palace, as video clips of the Queen and her late husband, Prince Phillip, were shown: The romantic song was chosen to reflect the couple’s relationship.  Her Majesty herself then appeared briefly on the balcony of the Palace.

The low-key performance was a far cry from the flash and spectacle of the Platinum Party at the Palace, the star-studded concert that took place Saturday night in the same location. The event was viewed by 13.3 million on TV, while thousands and thousands of flag-waving spectators crammed the Mall leading to the Palace to watch in person.

The concert kicked off with an adorable video showing the Queen having tea with a CGI version of Paddington Bear, in which both shared their love of marmalade sandwiches. Then, Her Majesty began striking her teacup in a familiar rhythm: the unmistakable drumbeat that starts “We Will Rock You” by the other Queen. Cut to Buckingham Palace, where Queen + Adam Lambert got the crowd going with that song, plus “Don’t Stop Me Now” and, of course, “We Are the Champions.”

Rod Stewart sang his hit “Baby Jane” and then led a massive singalong as he belted out, of all things, Neil Diamond‘s “Sweet Caroline,” which is a soccer anthem in the U.K.  Duran Duran performed “Notorious” and “Girls on Film,” joined by Nile Rodgers of Chic on guitar, while Alicia Keys sang “Superwoman,” “Girl on Fire” and “Empire State of Mind,” changing the lyrics of the latter song to “Let’s hear it for London” at the end.

In a performance taped in the Red Drawing Room at Windsor Castle that was projected onto the Palace, Elton John sang “Your Song” and, addressing the Queen, said, “Long may you reign.” Diana Ross closed out the festivities with performances of “Chain Reaction,” “Thank You” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.