Pop Music

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: Neil Young debuted a politically charged new song at a benefit concert in Los Angeles over the weekend to deliver pointed criticism of President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and his electric vehicle company Tesla. The track, believed by fans to be titled “Let’s Roll Again,” opens with a rallying cry to American automakers: “Come on …

Rolling Stone reports: David Johansen, frontman for the New York Dolls and the last surviving original member of that pioneering punk band, has died at the age of 75. The death of the singer who also moonlighted as “Buster Poindexter” and, as an actor, appeared in films like Scrooged and Let It Ride, was confirmed Saturday by a spokesperson for …

Variety reports: Legendary pop/R&B vocalist Roberta Flack, who was launched to stardom in the early ’70s by the Grammy-winning hits “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” has died, according to a statement from her rep. No cause of death was cited; she was 88. “We are heartbroken that the glorious Roberta …

Mediaite reports: Singer Sheryl Crow sold her Tesla and donated the proceeds to NPR as a way to stick it to “President Elon Musk” and the Trump administration, sharing a farewell video on social media. In an Instagram post aimed at Musk, Trump, and DOGE’s slashing of federal jobs and agencies, Crow said she had sold her electric vehicle in …

Billboard Magazine reports: The nominees for the Rock Hall this year are: English rock supergroup Bad Company; Southern blues-rockers The Black Crowes; powerhouse singer-songwriter Mariah Carey; early rock n’ roll hitmaker Chubby Checker; late blues belter Joe Cocker; radio-friendly punk rocker Billy Idol; post-punk-turned-dance-rock pioneers Joy Division/New Order; pop iconoclast Cyndi Lauper; Mexican rockers Maná; Britpop legends Oasis; critical and …

The Daily Beast reports: Kendrick Lamar got more than a third of the country to watch him hate Drake. The rapper’s halftime show—which featured the likes of SZA, Serena Williams, and a victory-lap rendition of the Grammy-winning “Not Like Us”—saw 133.5 million viewers tune in, making it the most-watched halftime show in history. Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVI also …

The Guardian reports: A Dolly Parton-themed musical had to be suspended mid-show in Manchester because of homophobic abuse, an actor in the production has said. Stevie Webb, who plays a superfan of the country music icon in Here You Come Again, said an incident at the Opera House last Wednesday resulted in the whole cast having to “leave the stage, …

The Daily Beast reports: Neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes has co-signed an anti-Semitic social media tirade from the rapper Kanye West. In the middle of an overnight flood of posts calling for disgraced mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to be freed following his September arrest on charges of sex trafficking, West also ranted against Jews. “F— ALL OF YOUR F— A– UNFAIR …

The Guardian reports: Marianne Faithfull, whose six-decade career marked her out as one of the UK’s most versatile and characterful singer-songwriters, has died aged 78. A spokesperson said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull. “Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family. …

People Magazine reports: Cher isn’t as successful at turning back time as she would’ve hoped in a new ad. The Believe singer, 78, shows just how wrong things can get when she tries to take a step back in time — like the lyrics to her infamous 1989 hit song — in a new Uber Eats commercial that premiered in …

Los Angeles’s ABC affiliate reports: The biggest names in pop, rock and country are coming together to raise funds for victims of the Palisades and Eaton wildfires and assist with the recovery. A benefit concert, FireAid, will take place on Jan. 30 on two stages, one at Intuit Dome and the other at The Kia Forum, organizers announced on Thursday. …

The Daily Beast reports: The Village People will perform during Donald Trump inauguration celebrations, the band’s frontman Victor Willis announced on Monday. “We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics,” Willis wrote in a Facebook post. The band’s hit songs “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man” …

The Hill reports: Country music star Carrie Underwood is set to take the stage on Inauguration Day, a sign that President-elect Trump’s second inauguration may be drawing more high-profile talent than his first go round. Trump in 2017 struggled to attract major celebrities to his inauguration festivities amid criticism and concerns about how he would govern after a polarizing campaign. …

The Guardian reports: Elton John has hit out at the legalisation of marijuana in parts of North America, saying it was “one of the greatest mistakes of all time”. The musician, who brought his touring career to an end last year and has been sober for 34 years, has helped fellow celebrities including Eminem and Robbie Williams to recover from …

Village People lead vocalist Victor Willis writes: There’s been a lot of talk, especially of late, that Y.M.C.A. is somehow a gay anthem. As I’ve said numerous times in the past, that is a false assumption based on the fact that my writing partner was gay, and some (not all) of Village People were gay, and that the first Village …

The Daily Beast reports: Sean “Diddy” Combs is using the “But Donald Trump” defense in his latest bid for a bail release in time for Thanksgiving. Combs’ lawyers have already tried several times to get the incarcerated ex-mogul out on bail. But when prosecutors argued against his latest attempt, making the case that Combs had been trying to influence jurors …

NBC News reports: Beyoncé is expected to perform at the halftime show for the Christmas Day matchup between the Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens, which will be streaming live on Netflix. The Texans-Ravens game at NRG Stadium in Beyoncé’s hometown of Houston is one of two that will mark the first time Netflix livestreams an NFL Christmas gameday contest. Beyoncé’s …

The Daily Beast reports: The Village People responded with a firm “no” when asked to perform at President Trump’s first inauguration. They also declined to appear at Mar-a-Lago last New Year’s Eve. But the iconic group of the disco era is ready to at least consider playing President Trump’s inauguration and singing his campaign anthem Y.M.C.A. if asked. “We’re expecting …

NPR reports: Quincy Jones, whose decorated music career ran from the early 1950s through the best-known works of Michael Jackson and beyond, died Sunday. He was 91. His death was confirmed by his publicist in a statement to NPR that did not mention the cause of death. The statement said that Jones died peacefully at his home in Bel Air, …

NBC News reports: Harris will hold a rally and concert in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, tomorrow evening with performances by GloRilla, Flo Milli, MC Lyte, DJ Gemini Gilly and The Isley Brothers and featuring remarks by Cardi B. The event is part of a series of campaign events leading up to Election Day aimed at mobilizing voters. “These artists and public figures …