Pop Music

Politico Europe reports: Donald Trump isn’t known for his love of classic British guitar band The Smiths — even though they have a song called “Bigmouth Strikes Again” that could be an ideal soundtrack for his planned return to the White House. But a Smiths song — “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” — was played at …

The Messenger reports: Sunday’s NFL showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills is officially the most-watched playoff game ever. Pop superstar Taylor Swift notably supported her boyfriend Travis Kelce at the game, which his team won 27-24. According to CBS, the NFL Divisional Playoff Game surpassed 50 million viewers, averaging 50.393 million throughout the game. Viewership peaked …

CBS News reports: Singer Elle King took the stage at the Grand Ole Opry for a Dolly Parton tribute on Friday, admitting to the crowd she was hammered before botching the words to a Parton song. The expletive-laden performance, which occurred on Parton’s birthday, was criticized by audience members and prompted an apology from the venue. Videos on social media …

New Music Express reports: Marlena Shaw, the US soul and jazz vocalist best known for her hit ‘California Soul’, has died at the age of 81. The news was confirmed by Shaw’s daughter Marla on her official Facebook page last night (January 19). Shaw’s signature song ‘California Soul’ was recorded as a humble album track on her 1969 LP ‘The …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Elton John is the latest member of the EGOT club, scoring his first Emmy for best variety special (live). The 2023 Emmy Awards win for the musician’s Farewell From Dodger Stadium special, which he secured during Monday night’s telecast, joins his Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. John was recovering from a knee operation and couldn’t attend …

The Messenger reports: Dolly Parton paid a debt of gratitude to a fellow big-haired, blonde icon doing important political work in the state of Texas. The country music legend sent a custom guitar to drag performer Brigitte Bandit, who has been a fierce advocate for the rights of drag queens and queer youth in her home state. “Never did I …

The Daily Beast reports: Dionne Warwick batted down a report that she intends to grace a fundraiser for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with her presence later this month, calling it “absolutely ridiculous.” The Daily Mail reported last week that Warwick would be among a star-studded roster of “well wishers” at the “multi-million dollar” gala for the presidential hopeful, including Martin …

The Messenger reports: While playing their 2004 hit “American Idiot,” Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong tweaked the song’s original lyrics to make a political statement. Instead of “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda,” he sang, “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda.” Elon Musk was not a fan of the change, replying to a tweet from …

The Huffington Post reports: Green Day tweaked one of their best-known songs to lash out at Donald Trump and his supporters during a televised New Year’s Eve performance on Sunday night. “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda,” singer Billie Joe Armstrong belted out during “American Idiot” on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC. The line is …

TIME Magazine reports: Taylor Swift’s accomplishments as an artist—culturally, critically, and commercially—are so legion that to recount them seems almost beside the point. As a pop star, she sits in rarefied company, alongside Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna; as a songwriter, she has been compared to Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, and Joni Mitchell. As a businesswoman, she has built …

NBC News reports: Pop star Taylor Swift notched the highest net favorability rating of any figure tested in the latest NBC News national poll, with 40% of registered voters saying they have a positive view of Swift, versus only 16% holding a negative opinion. Seventeen percent of those surveyed reported having “very positive” views of Swift, while 22% had “somewhat …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Hitmaker P!nk has teamed with free-speech advocates PEN America and will distribute banned books at her first couple of concert stops in Florida this week. P!nk, known for chart-topping hits such as “Raise Your Glass,” “Get This Party Started” and “So What,” kicks off the Florida leg of her current tour in Miami on Tuesday, with …

The Louisville Courier-Journal reports: Lawrence County native Tyler Childers leads the way for the Kentucky nominees, receiving five 2024 Grammy nominations, including Best Country Solo Performance for “In Your Love,” Best Country Song for “In Your Love,” Best Country Album for “Rustin’ in the Rain,” and Best Music Video for “In Your Love.” Author Silas House [the current Poet Laureate …

The Independent reports: Taylor Swift managed to drive record-breaking numbers to voter registration website Vote.org after urging her 232 million followers on Instagram to take action. On Tuesday (19 September), hours after the pop star, 32, called on her US fanbase to register to vote in honour of National Voter Registration Day, Vote.org’s communication director, Nick Morrow, announced that “our …

Variety reports: The world premiere of Lil Nas X’s documentary “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” at the Toronto Film Festival on Saturday night was delayed after a bomb threat was called in targeting the artist. The gala screening was scheduled for a 10 p.m. start at Roy Thomson Hall, one of TIFF’s premier venues. The documentary’s co-directors Carlos López …

Rolling Stone reports: Steve Harwell, who cofounded the band Smash Mouth in 1994, has died at the age of 56, band manager Robert Hayes confirmed. The musician, best known for hits like “All Star” and “I’m a Believer,” died at his home in Boise, ID “surrounded by family and friends.” Harwell had been in hospice care following medical complications. The …

New York City’s ABC News affiliate reports: The Electric Zoo Festival reached maximum capacity on Sunday night ‘due to unforeseen circumstances’ and did not let anyone else in for safety reasons. While the festival still went on, many of the people who bought tickets and planned to go were turned away. Some fans did not leave quietly when they got …

NPR reports: The popular singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett died on Friday after living with Merkel cell skin cancer for four years, according to an announcement posted to his website on Sunday. “He continued to perform during treatment, playing his last show, a surprise appearance in Rhode Island, in early July,” the post read. Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare form of …

The Associated Press reports: Singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett, who popularized beach bum soft rock with the escapist Caribbean-flavored song “Margaritaville” and turned that celebration of loafing into an empire of restaurants, resorts and frozen concoctions, has died. He was 76. “Jimmy passed away peacefully on the night of September 1st surrounded by his family, friends, music and dogs,” a statement posted …

Rolling Stone reports: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 2024 presidential hopeful, announced today that he will be joined by rocker Eric Clapton for a campaign fundraiser at a private estate in Beverly Hills on Sept. 18. Clapton will perform live at the event, with tickets starting at $3,300, up to a maximum contribution of $6,600. “We expect supporters from across the …