Trevor Noah made his debut hosting the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, back for the first time in three years after being placed on hiatus due to the pandemic.
11.04.2022 - 20:05 / variety.com
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRepublic Records is relaunching the Mercury imprint as an “extension” of the label, the company announced Monday. The move is similar to Atlantic’s relaunch of Elektra and Interscope’s of Geffen, an effort to split the parent label’s large roster so that artists receive more attention.
The relaunched label will have Tyler Arnold (pictured below, right) as president, based in New York, and Ben Adelelson (below, left) as GM in Los Angeles. Both will report to Republic co-founders Monte and Avery Lipman.Mercury will launch with a new roster including Post Malone, James Bay, Lord Huron, Jeremy Zucker, Chelsea Cutler, and Noah Kahan, as well as emerging talents BoyWithUke, Ka$hdami, Lyn Lapid, Stephen Sanchez, and Camylio.
They also have strategic alliances with Nashville’s Big Loud Records (Morgan Wallen, Lily Rose) and Imperial Music (Bo Burnham). The Mercury label was originally founded by Irving Green in 1945 and operated for decades out of Chicago.
It was acquired by PolyGram which in turn was acquired by Universal in the late 1990s and ceased operations as a stand-alone shortly afterward. It will now operate as an extension of Republic.Regarding the next chapter of Mercury Records, Monte Lipman commented, “Tyler and Ben’s accomplishments speak volumes as top A&R executives over the past few years, and the legacy of Mercury Records will be in perfect hands.
Their competitive spirit, drive and determination will lead a new vanguard of creative artists into uncharted waters.”Arnold commented, “We’re very grateful to Monte and Avery for entrusting us with such a legendary label and brand. I am so proud of our incredible roster and am excited to represent some of the most talented, influential
.Trevor Noah made his debut hosting the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner, back for the first time in three years after being placed on hiatus due to the pandemic.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFrom the Beatles to the Backstreet Boys to Billie and BTS and beyond, the teen-centric pop concert is both timeless and definitively contemporary, from the screaming and sing-along/shout-alongs to the masses of similarly dressed fans — looking almost military in matching merch — to the indulging attendant parents and, these days, the selfies and social overload. And it was the latter, along with the overwhelmingly pre-drinking age audience, that made Olivia Rodrigo’s concert at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday the most definitively 2020s teen-centric concert of all: a near-total, two-hour-long wi-fi blackout in the venue so extensive that Russia could have launched a cyber attack and most of the crowd would have assumed it was simply due to thousands of kids posting selfies and video.
Post Malone has confirmed the release date for long-awaited new album ‘Twelve Carat Toothache’.Taking to social media, Post Malone shared the artwork for the record (a blurry, red photo of his face) alongside a pre-save link.It was accompanied by the caption “Twelve Carat Toothache. June 3”, confirming the release date for the album.Twelve Carat Toothache.
Post Malone is getting us prepped for his new album twelve carat toothache. On Saturday, April 23, the rapper hopped on Instagram Live to share snippets of a few new tracks with some big-name collaborators.
Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music CriticPost Malone has posted a release date for his long-promised new album: “Twelve Carat Toothache” will be out June 3, he announced in a social media message that contained little else besides a blurry red image and a link to pre-save the album on streaming services.The album will mark the performer’s first on the Mercury Records label, the revival of which was announced by Republic Records earlier in April. Tyler Arnold, the newly installed president of Mercury, signed and developed Post Malone at Republic, where he had been executive VP of A&R.Twelve Carat Toothache.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWith a hit single in “About Damn Time” and a new album, “Special,” due in July, Lizzo has unveiled dates for her tour in support of the album, with support from special guest, Atlanta rapper Latto.Produced by Live Nation, the tour kicks off on September 23rd in Sunrise, FL and runs through November with stops including New York City on October 2nd and Los Angeles on November 18th, full routing is available below. Public onsale will begin Friday, April 29th at 10 a.m.
Post Malone shared snippets of some new collaborations with Doja Cat, Roddy Ricch, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold and The Kid Laroi during an Instagram Live last night (April 23).The rapper – whose real name is Austin Post – is expected to return soon with his fourth album, ‘Twelve Carat Toothache’, and gave fans previews of some of its collabs and other tracks.Post started a livestream around 3am PT (11am BST) last night and played a handful of songs throughout it. “I would love to play this entire record and I just want to say hey to everybody that’s hanging out,” he told fans who tuned in.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorCynthia Albritton, a.k.a. Cynthia Plaster Caster, the legendary artist and “recovering groupie” renowned for the plaster casts she took of many top musicians’ erect penises and other body parts, has died after a long illness, her rep confirms to Variety. She was 74.Her collection included Jimi Hendrix, Wayne Kramer of MC5, Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks, Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys as well as female breasts from the likes of Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab, Sally Timms of the Mekons, Peaches, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and many others.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJustin Bieber and Dan + Shay have been hit with a copyright lawsuit that claims they borrowed the “core portion” of their Grammy-winning hit “10,000 Hours” from a comparatively obscure 1980 song called “The First Time Baby Is A Holiday.” The complaint was filed Thursday in Los Angeles federal court by a company called Melomega.“Defendants’ theft is impudently bold,” reads the complaint reads, which also names Dan + Shay’s label, Warner Music Group, as a defendant. “One need only listen to ‘First Time’ and the infringing ‘10,000 Hours’ to discern the unmistakable similarities between the songs.” The claim is supported by musicologist Dr.
Green Day, Post Malone and SZA topping the poster.Returning for its 14th iteration, the festival will run over the weekend of Friday August 5 through Sunday 7, taking place at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. This year’s bill sports a total of 92 acts, with sub-headliners including Jack Harlow, Weezer, Phoebe Bridgers, Illenium, Lil Uzi Vert, Kali Uchis, Disclosure, Mitski and Anitta.Elsewhere throughout the line-up, standout acts include the likes of Mac DeMarco, Pusha T, 100 Gecs, Wet Leg, Sam Fender and Pussy Riot.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFrom the T.S.A. to the Coachella festival, from your local supermarket to your local music club, mask and vaccination mandates continue to fall across the country, in the face of all credible scientific evidence that yet another coronavirus surge is not only taking place, but raging.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLorde covered Rosalía‘s track “Hentai” during her concert at New York’s Radio City Music Hall on Monday night — and Rosalia gave her a big thumbs-up for her version in her Instagram story.The song is from Rosalía’s innovative latest album “Motomami,” which has earned rave reviews almost across the board, including from Variety.Fuckin hell @lorde covering @rosalia I can die now pic.twitter.com/vANjLYG7nM— Austin Rieders (@RiedersDigest) April 19, 2022Early Tuesday, Rosalía shared footage of Lorde’s performance on her Instagram Stories this afternoon and wrote: “Lorde que bonitaaaaaa” [how beautiful].As noted by NME, Lorde raved about “Motomami” in a recent letter to fans. “I’ve listened to the Rosalía album every day since it came out, fuck, it’s so good,” she wrote.
21 Savage played at Coachella last night (April 16) and was joined on stage by Post Malone – see the moment unfold below.Savage was playing a set in the Sahara Tent on the Saturday of the festival’s first weekend, and Post Malone joined him to play their huge 2018 hit ‘Rockstar’.According to reports, Post Malone also smashed a guitar onstage during his cameo performance.Watch the rendition of ‘Rockstar’ below.[Music]Post Malone(ポスト・マローン)が、21 Savage(21サヴェージ)の『Coachella(コーチェラ)』のステージにサプライズ登場。全米1位を獲得したコラボ楽曲“rockstar”を披露し、その直後にギターを破壊するロックスター然とした行動を見せた。配信のアーカイブはこちらから。https://t.co/z00MixJk1w pic.twitter.com/hz8SuP1fnW— Internet BoyFriends (@Internet_BF2020) April 17, 2022Elsewhere at Coachella, Arcade Fire played a secret set on the first day of the festival, performing tracks from upcoming new album ‘WE’, due out next month.Harry Styles headlined the night and was joined on stage by Shania Twain, who performed her hits ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ and ‘You’re Still The One’.During his 18-song set, Styles gave a live debut to record-breaking comeback single ‘As It Was’ as well as live debuts to new tracks called ‘Boyfriends’ and ‘Late Night Talking’.Carly Rae Jepsen also debuted a brand new track called ‘Western Wind’, which she had been teasing for the past few weeks; Justin Bieber teamed up with Daniel Caesar for a performance of their collaborative single ‘Peaches’.
Post Malone and Billy Strings have teamed up for a cover of Johnny Cash’s ‘Cocaine Blues’ – watch it below.On Wednesday night (April 13), Strings – a rising star on the bluegrass scene – played a show at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California.During his second set, he invited Malone to grab a guitar and join him on stage for a plucky cover of Cash’s 1968 version of ‘Cocaine Blues’. Cash famously performed the song at his 1968 Folsom Prison concert.“I saw this guy lurking around backstage and figured we gotta drag him up here to fuckin’ sing for us,” Strings told the crowd.Check out the pair’s cover below:Earlier this year, Malone shared some details of his upcoming album, saying he doesn’t want to compromise on the new record.‘Twelve Carat Toothache’ will be the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Hollywood’s Bleeding’ and is expected to be released this year.Speaking to Billboard, Post revealed that the album would be around 45 minutes, going against the current trend of releasing long records to capitalise on streaming figures.“Trying to shove 20 to 25 songs, it doesn’t work,” he said.
Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor“The only way that this could be more elegant,” said Father John Misty as he surveyed the crowd in New York’s legendary Rainbow Room, a venue that epitomizes elegance, “is if we had three tables heaped with shrimp cocktails.”He wasn’t wrong. The opulent venue, opened in 1934 and located on the 65th floor of 30 Rock, has multiple chandeliers, a sunken, circular dancefloor and a 15 or so floor-to-ceiling windows offering breathtaking views of Midtown Manhattan and beyond, with the Empire State Building’s nightly light show occasionally distracting from the performance onstage.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorPhoebe Bridgers has dropped “Sidelines,” her first original song since her Grammy-nominated 2020 album “Punisher.” The moody and low-key track is from Hulu’s adaptation of Sally Rooney’s low-key blockbuster novel “Conversations With Friends.” According to the announcement, it will be Bridgers’ only new original song of 2022, although she’s released multiple covers and reworked versions of “Punisher” songs over the past few months.Bridgers will be making her first-ever appearance at the Coachella festival this and next weekend, and then will launch a long tour of North America and Europe through the end of August; dates appear below.
Post Malone to have a lawsuit over his 2019 hit ‘Circles’ dismissed.US District Judge Otis D. Wright II declined to rule from the bench on Malone’s dismissal motion after an afternoon hearing in Los Angeles yesterday (April 11), but the federal judge made it clear he was still anticipating a trial on May 17, reports Rolling Stone.It comes after Canadian songwriter Tyler Armes previously filed a federal lawsuit in California listing Post (real name Austin Post), Post’s producer Frank Dukes, and Universal Music Group as defendants.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLorde, Mitski and Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers will headline the 2022 All Things Go Music Festival, which returns to the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland on October 1. The festival, which will host 16 artists across three stages, will also feature King Princess, Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, Maude Latour, Bartees Strange and more.Tickets go on sale Friday, April 15 at 10 a.m.
Closer than ever! Nearly seven months after Joe Amabile and Serena Pitt’s televised engagement aired, the twosome have taken the next step in their relationship.
Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorClive Davis doesn’t do anything by half, and his 90th birthday is no exception. Not only will there be a star-studded party tonight at Cipriani in Lower Manhattan, there’s a four-part music-and-interview series on Paramount Plus culled from last year’s virtual pre-Grammy galas; a Clive Davis Gallery with personal items from across his career at New York University’s Brooklyn location; an interview on the “Rock & Roll High School With Pete Ganbarg” podcast airing April 14; a talk at the 92 St.