Music

Brad Pitt And Damien Quintard Are Reopening A Legendary French Recording Studio, Miraval Studios

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Hélène Hadjiyianni

Château Miraval is a large villa in Correns, France that is co-owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, and it has a rich musical history. French pianist and composer Jacques Loussier used to town the place and while he was there, he built a recording studio, which was known at the time as Studio Miraval. The studio was part of a number of noteworthy releases; Perhaps most notably, Pink Floyd held sessions for The Wall there. Other artists who have made use of the space include AC/DC, The Cure, Sade, and The Cranberries, among others.

Muse’s 2006 album Black Holes And Revelations was one of the last projects recorded in the studio before it was shut down. Now, though, Pitt and French producer Damien Quintard are bringing the facility back as Miraval Studios, which is set to reopen in the summer of 2022. Press materials note, “Pitt and Quintard will reopen the completely redesigned and updated Miraval Studios for the future, honoring the past while pushing forward a new take on recording, amid a breathtaking vista sure to nurture all manner of creative expression.”

The space is also described:

“In addition to the original gear on which so many classic albums were recorded, the studio is built around a desk designed by Pitt and Quintard with hybrid analog/digital capacities, while boasting a fully integrated Dolby Atmos system as well as technology to handle pre-mixing for film and television. With its 25-foot ceilings, Studio One has a 100 square meter control room and 320 square meter live room that conserves what Quintard describes as the ‘heritage of the quirky sound’ of the iconic drum room pioneered by Loussier.

Quintard says, “The combination of Brad’s vision for Miraval and our common passion for taking the time to make simple but beautiful things has resulted in something that is one-of-a-kind. We are so excited for musicians of all types to be a part of what we’ve created.”

Pitt and Jolie signed a long-term lease for Château Miraval in 2008 before buying it in 2012 for an estimated $60 million, as People notes. Pitt and Jolie divorced in 2019, and now, they each own a 50-percent share of the estate (which is now worth a total of about $160 million), per Page Six.

Miraval Studios has launched some social media pages (here’s Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube), so check those out to keep updated on the status of the studio.

Tyler The Creator Adds Nail Polish To His Growing Golf Le Fleur Collection

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Tyler The Creator’s fashion-forward Golf Le Fleur line has recently expanded its offerings, adding a fragrance in addition to the usual assortment of apparel designed or inspired by the multitalented entertainer. That growth continues this week with the inclusion of nail polish, which will come in three colors: Georgia Peach, Geneva Blue, and Glitter. Tyler has been seen throughout the rollout of his new album Call Me If You Get Lost wearing the blue shade, which is being offered along with the others for $20 at the Golf Le Fleur website.

Tyler’s French Waltz fragrance, which was announced just last week, was crafted in collaboration with CPL Aromas. Tyler accompanied the announcement with a short film (in French!), putting his own unique spin on those dramatic fragrance ads, saturating the usually somber tones with bright sunlight and pops of pastel. Tyler showed off his one-of-a-kind vision in another ad — this one for his Converse collaboration — earlier this year, putting NBA legend Bill Walton in a hilarious Chuck Taylor club with the likes of Don Cheadle, Henry Rollins, and Vince Staples.

With the release of the new Golf collection — just in time for the holidays! — Tyler caps a year that saw him live out some of his biggest rap dreams (working with DJ Drama, appearing on BET) and elevate his brand to new heights. We can’t wait to see what he does next.

Kanye Joined Future For A Surprise Performance At Rolling Loud

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In the handful of years since its inception, Rolling Loud has accumulated an impressive number of memorable surprises, from Offset popping out during Cardi B’s headlining set with a big public apology to DaBaby bringing out Tory Lanez for his set in Miami. And while both of those examples land more on the “Facepalm” side of the spectrum, the final night of the festival in San Bernardino brought one that was much more exciting and positive.

During Future’s closing set, the Atlanta rapper brought out one of the biggest names in hip-hop: Kanye West, aka Ye, who joined Future to perform a freestyle to Future’s “F*ck Up Some Commas,” as well as his own monster hit, “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.”

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wowwww 😳 #fyp #kanyewest #future #pluto #rollingloud #yeezy #musicnews

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The surprise performance capped an impressive week for Ye, who also held his Free Larry Hoover concert in Los Angeles just a few days earlier. Unfortunately, in true Kanye fashion, that show now has as much potential for controversy as anything else he’s done in the past few years. A new report found that the merchandise profits from the show — which also featured Drake as a special guest, constituting a ceasefire between the two rappers — won’t be donated to any charities.

Lady Gaga, Alana Haim, Billie Eilish, And Other Music Stars Earned 2022 Golden Globes Nominations

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MGM

The Golden Globes celebrate the best in TV and movies, but the music world usually finds its way into the proceedings, too. The nominees for the 2022 event were announced this morning, and sure enough, some of the biggest names in music are on the list.

Lady Gaga scored a huge nomination thanks to her work on House Of Gucci, as she’s up for Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture, Drama. On the flip side, Alana Haim got a nomination for Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture, Musical Or Comedy for her breakout starring role in Licorice Pizza.

When it comes to music-specific awards, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood locked up a nomination for Best Original Score for The Power Of The Dog. As for Best Original Song, Motion Picture, the field is packed with familiar names: Beyoncé (for “Be Alive” from King Richard), Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Dos Orugitas” from Encanto), Van Morrison (“Down To Joy” from Belfast), Jennifer Hudson (“Here I Am (Singing My Was Home)” from Respect), and Billie Eilish (“No Time To Die” from No Time To Die).

Meanwhile, a few music-adjacent projects are up for Best Motion Picture, Comedy Or Musical: Cyrano (Aaron and Bryce Dessner composed the film’s score), Don’t Look Up (Kid Cudi and Ariana Grande have roles in the movie), and Licorice Pizza.

Check out the full list of nominees here.

Kid Cudi Plans To Release Two New Albums In 2022

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Kid Cudi has been in a cinematic place lately: He’s fresh off a role in the Netflix movie Don’t Look Up and last month, he shared a documentary called A Man Named Scott. It looks like next year is going to be all about the music, though. He has been teasing an album called Entergalactic for some time now and plans to drop it next summer, and ahead of that, he wants to drop another new project.

During his set at the Rolling Loud festival yesterday, he told his audience, “I’m teasing all this stuff because as you know, I have Entergalactic coming in the summer, but I wanna drop another album before that. I got some tasty surprises and I really am excited about all this new sh*t, this new music to give to you guys. So that’s why I’m teasing this sh*t now, because it’s coming out soon. So tonight, record this sh*t.”

As for the teasing Cudi was referring to, during the set, he performed a new song called “Freshie.”

Cudi fans have been able to enjoy new music from the rapper in recent days, as he and Ariana Grande teamed up for a song from Don’t Look Up, “Just Look Up.”

Watch clips from Cudi’s Rolling Loud performance above.

Doja Cat Had To Cancel Some Jingle Ball Performances After Testing Positive For Covid-19

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Looks like Doja Cat will be spending at least some of her holiday in quarantine. Although she was slated to appear for some Jingle Ball performances during the annual iHeartRadio Christmas tour this December, the rapper-pop-star had to disappoint fans when she tested positive for coronavirus. Doja has been performing behind her new album, Planet Her at various award shows this year, like the VMAs, but has yet to announce a full tour. Probably a good thing considering she now has to cancel some slated appearances.

“As most of you probably heard earlier, a few members on my production team tested positive for Covid-19 and I had to cancel a couple of my upcoming performances as a safety precaution,” she wrote on Twitter. “Unfortunately, I’m sad to share that I just tested positive as well and will no longer be able to perform on the rest of the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour. While my spirits are down since I can’t be there to celebrate the holiday with my fans in Philly, DC, Atlanta and Miami, I’m doing ok and look forward to recovering and getting back out there as soon as I can! The rest of the tour stops have some really great lineups, wish I could be there. Much love xo.”

Get well soon Doja! And everyone else, please remember to wear masks and social distance, we’re not out of the woods yet.

Ye And Drake’s Merchandise Profits From Their Benefit Concert Will Reportedly Not Be Donated To Charity

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On Thursday, Ye and Drake’s Larry Hoover benefit concert finally went down, to great acclaim. Ye performed a number of tracks from throughout his catalog while Drake stuck to songs from Certified Lover Boy. The concert also offered some merchandise for attendees and viewers at home to purchase, ranging from hoodies, jeans, and t-shirts. As the show was a benefit concert for Larry Hoover, the incarcerated founder of Chicago’s Gangster Disciples gang, many wondered where the profits from the show would go. Just a couple of days after the concert, we have an answer (sort of).

According to GQ, a representative confirmed that the sales made from the merchandise sold with the concert will not be donated to charity. It’s unknown where the money will go, but the representative confirmed the funds will not be given to organizations like criminal justice reform groups. However, that is not the case for the ticket sales from the concert. Those will reportedly be donated to those groups, leaving them to receive a sizeable amount of money as a result of the benefit show.

This comes after a report revealed that federal officials were “surprised” and upset about Drake and Ye’s support towards Larry Hoover. They struggled to understand why they would vouch for Hoover’s release, a man they called “the worst of the worst.”

Rod Wave Denies That His Latest Single Was A Suicide Letter: ‘That’s Not How That Works’

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Rod Wave is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve. It’s what that’s made him appealing to his fanbase, who gave the Florida rapper his first No. 1 album with Soulfly earlier this year. Despite this, Rod Wave’s last single “Nirvana,” which he shared and quickly deleted on Saturday, left many concerned, as people felt it sounded like a suicide letter.

The lyrics left people worried. “If you’re hearin’ this, it’s too late / I’ve been writin’ this since Tuesday, today Friday / That mean tomorrow’s doomsday / Tried to fight the pain, but it ate me alive,” he sings. However, according to Rod Wave himself, there’s nothing to worry about.

The Florida native hopped on Instagram Live to set the record straight. “Why the f*ck people take that sh*t and just say that was my suicide letter?” he said. “That’s not how that works. That’s not how suicide letters work. You don’t go to a studio and record a suicide letter. Real fans of me, people that listen to my music and f*ck with me, they know what my music be like, feel what I’m saying?” He added, “So, sh*t, they should already…But all the blogs and sh*t posting…just like cooking up sh*t saying, ‘Rod posting a suicide letter,’ that’s not true, bro.”

Rod also addressed critics who believed the song was an odd way for him to get people’s attention. “F*ck niggas hating, talking ’bout I’m looking for attention. Bitch, who the f*ck needs attention?” he said in the video. “You forgot who the f*ck I was? I don’t need new attention. Did you not see my tour? Did you not see my album sales? I don’t need no extra attention. I had already deleted my Insta and my Twitter and all that shit because of the extra attention. I don’t need no extra attention from nobody, I’m good.”

You can listen to a clip from his livestream and hear some of “Nirvana” above.

Rick Ross Gives A Nod To The ‘Outlawz’ Of The World In His Video With 21 Savage And Jazmine Sullivan

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More than two years after releasing his last body of work, Rick Ross returned this past weekend with his eleventh album Richer Than I Ever Been. It’s a rather short project, with just 12 songs and guest appearances from Wale, Future, Benny The Butcher, and more. To celebrate, Ross returns with a video for the album’s lead single, “Outlawz” with 21 Savage and Jazmine Sullivan. It finds Ross driving around town, with appearances from his two collaborators.

The video comes after Ross responded to rumors that he and Meek Mill, who is signed to his Maybach Music Group label, were not on good terms. “I feel like we’re both hustlers,” he said during an interview at the Grammy Museum. “That’s one thing about life, you either grow together or grow apart. As a boss, you make that decision, because whatever it is you want to do, Ricky Rozay wants to see you do it. There’s a lot of people that didn’t last or was still down with me the way Meek is — so I want to see the homie shine regardless.”

You can watch the video for “Outlawz” in the video above.

Richer Than I Ever Been is out now via Maybach Music Group/Epic Records. Get it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Billie Eilish Leads A Twerk-Filled Update To The Story Of Jesus’ Birth In A ‘SNL’ Sketch

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Last night, for the second time in her career, Billie Eilish brought her talents to Saturday Night Live. The last time she appeared, back in 2019, she defied gravity with a performance of “Bad Guy.” This time around, the singer signed on as both musical guest and host. In one sketch, the singer and cast member Heidi Gardner joined forces to update the story of Jesus’ birth.

The sketch was entitled “Hip-Hop Nativity,” and it found the two recruiting a group of actors to play many of the characters from the biblical story. They taught them how to twerk, strut, and pole dance. The actors initially raises issues over the biblical update, but they eventually went along with it. The closing bit also jokingly revealed that Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda will direct a full-length film version of Billie and Gardner’s updated nativity story.

In addition to the “Hip-Hop Nativity” skit, Billie also performed “Happier Than Ever” and “Male Fantasy” on SNL. The former made for an epic performance while the latter was a bit darker and relaxed.

In non-Eilish SNL news, the episode also featured Kate McKinnon returning as Dr. Fauci while Weekend Update skewered Jussie Smollett and the torching of the Fox News Christmas tree.

You can watch Billie’s Hip-Hop Nativity sketch in the video above.