Pop Music

The Guardian reports: David Mancuso, DJ and pioneer of New York dance culture, has died aged 72. Kid Recordings owner Craig Shifty announced the death on Facebook on Monday, writing: “He will be greatly missed, but, thankfully, he left the world a lasting vibrant legacy that continues to inspire and influence countless generations of music lovers and clubbers.” Cause of …

ABC News reports: Notable singer and songwriter Leon Russell passed away Sunday in Nashville. He was 74. Russell’s wife, Janet Lee Constantine, said that he died in his sleep, according to a statement on his website. Earlier this year, Russell had to postpone 28 concerts between July and September after suffering a heart attack. Still, his website said then in …

Via Entertainment Weekly: At 76 years young, Giorgio Moroder isn’t slowing down. The disco pioneer is following the success of his 2015 comeback album Déjà Vu by gearing up for more and more new music. EW has the exclusive premiere of Moroder’s new single “Good for Me,” released Thursday, with singer Karen Harding handling vocal duties. “My goal is to …

Rolling Stone reports: Leonard Cohen, the hugely influential singer and songwriter whose work spanned nearly 50 years, has died at the age of 82. Cohen’s label, Sony Music Canada, confirmed his death on the singer’s Facebook page. “It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away,” the statement read. “We have …

The rally begins at 7PM and the line to get in is over 1.5 miles long at this writing. I’m posting this a bit early as a heads-up. Via NBC News: Bruce Springsteen is set to join a powerful lineup of guests that includes President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Jon Bon Jovi on …

A pleasant diversion from election news. USA Today reports: Look at where we are, look at where we started. We started with Lin-Manuel Miranda rapping about Alexander Hamilton at the White House one evening and now we have artists like Kelly Clarkson, The Roots and Busta Rhymes putting their personal spins on the incredible songs from Hamilton. The Hamilton Mixtape, …

Via Playbill: NBC-TV has announced that its 2017 holiday live Broadway musical broadcast will be Bye Bye Birdie Live! and its star will be pop songstress Jennifer Lopez, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter. She will sing the Charles Strouse/Lee Adams score, which includes “Spanish Rose” for her, and “Put on a Happy Face” for her yet-unnamed leading …

The Telegraph reports: “Isn’t that something…?” Bob Dylan isn’t exactly making a big deal out of being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. But at least the 1960s trailblazer is finally acknowledging his becoming the first musician to be granted admission to the world’s most elite literary club. When I ask him about his reaction to hearing the news a …

This is REALLY something. Watch this. Rolling Stone reviews: Pussy Riot launch a no-holds-barred assault on Donald Trump’s candidacy in their new video for “Make America Great Again.” “YOU decide elections,” the video’s captions reads, “and if we get together, we could blow this shit up, take action and reverse this erosion of rights. Because fuck it.” The “Make America …

The Guardian reports: It still seems unlikely a full public Abba reunion will ever happen, but the Swedish quartet are pushing themselves back towards the spotlight. Four months after they performed together for the first time in more than 30 years – at a private gala event in Stockholm in June – they have announced that they will launch a …

Rolling Stone reports: Lady Gaga hitched a ride with James Corden Tuesday in the latest installment of Carpool Karaoke, where the singer also discussed the Super Bowl, recording “Pokerface” and her massive collection of Michael Jackson-worn clothing. Gaga, who recently received her driver’s license for the first time, then takes the wheel of the Carpool Karaoke mobile, but her inability …

The Mirror reports: Pete Burns has died unexpectedly of a heart attack, his manager has confirmed. The star rose to fame in the 80s appeared in Celebrity Big Brother 4. In a statement on Twitter, Pete’s manager wrote: “It is with the greatest sadness that we have to break the tragic news that our beloved Pete Burns of (Dead Or …

Rolling Stone reviews: Cher joined James Corden Thursday to perform “I Got You, Bae,” a modernized version of Sonny & Cher’s 1965 hit “I Got You Babe,” on The Late Late Show. “I’m going to do one of my favorite songs tonight,” the singer told the crowd. “But I want to do it in a different way.” Corden walked out …

Spin Magazine reports: The Hillary Clinton campaign is now also notable for the reunion of Le Tigre. Because nothing is more punk than political endorsement, the trio has returned with “I’m With Her,” a pro-Clinton dance number that’s also their first new single in a decade. The four-minute jam features lyrics like, “She’s with us / We won’t stop” and …

Cleveland.com reports: Recent changes to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee seems to have benefitted longtime snubs and older fan favorites. Last year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, which handles its annual nominations, dismissed more than a dozen of its members. The changes have led to the committee focusing part of its attention on …

People Magazine recaps: Will.I.Am has a serious message about Donald Trump. The Black Eyed Peas frontman did not hold back in a new music video — in collaboration with Funny Or Die — called “GRAB’m by the P—-,” in which he condemned the GOP nominee for the controversial remarks that have marred his campaign — particularly the infamous hot-mic video …

Reuters reports: Bob Dylan, regarded as the voice of a generation for his influential songs from the 1960s onwards, has won the Nobel Prize for Literature in a surprise decision that made him the only singer-songwriter to win the award. The 75-year-old Dylan – who won the prize for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition” …

Beefy bears, blasphemy, and a NIN-esque beat. What’s not to like? Radio.com reviews: Neon Trees’ singer Tyler Glenn is rather famously working through a crisis of faith on his upcoming solo debut Excommunication. The Mormon singer came out in 2014 and had hoped to find a way to blend his identity with his religion until the Church of Jesus Christ …

CBS News reports: The song “You’re So Vain” wasn’t written about Republican nominee Donald Trump, but singer Carly Simon thinks it applies to him anyway. Simon’s well-known song appears in a new anti-Trump video from a Democratic super PAC—the first time she has given permission for its use in a political video. The 2.5 minute-long video, from the group Patriotic …

“The republic is under siege by a moron, basically. The whole thing is tragic. Without overstating it, it’s a tragedy for our democracy. When you start talking about elections being rigged, you’re pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it’s a very, very dangerous thing to do. Once you let those genies out of the bottle, they don’t go back in …