Pop

The Hollywood Bowl’s 2022 Schedule Includes Diana Ross, TLC, And Sheryl Crow

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Hollywood Bowl 2022 Schedule
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It’s one of the best times of the year — time for the Hollywood Bowl to announce their schedule for 2022. As one of the premier venues in Los Angeles, the Hollywood Bowl dropping their lineup isn’t just another venue announcing live shows, it’s a chance for a lot of local music aficionados to truly plan out their live music input for 2022. Luckily, the Bowl has delivered yet another stellar lineup for 2022, with a packed schedule that includes stars like Diana Ross, TLC — opening for Boyz II Men, no less — and Sheryl Crow herself.

Because the Bowl is such a classic venue for locals, their schedule of in-house shows is always a highly anticipated event. Kicking off this June, the Bowl’s lineup will include stars like Kenny Loggins with Jim Messina, Ricky Martin, John Fogerty, Polo And Pan, Trombone Shorty, Flying Lotus and Kaiyote performing with the LA Philharmonic orchestra, The Gipsy Kings, Grace Jones and Chvrches, Herbie Hancock, and more.

Check out the venue’s entire lineup right here, and stay tuned for all the other bookings that aren’t necessarily in-house shows, this venue is well known for making both in-house and external shows entirely worth your while. If you’ve been craving live music, this outdoor venue is a great place to make a return.

Britney Spears Thinks Eminem ‘Should Have Had Way More Time’ For The Super Bowl Halftime Show

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This year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show was a big one thanks to all the mostly-early-’00s hip-hop and R&B firepower involved (Kendrick Lamar was the only headlining performer whose first album came out in the 2010s). A non-hip-hop icon of that era, perhaps the biggest, was Britney Spears, and now she has shared her thoughts on the performance and how nostalgic Eminem’s appearance made her feel.

On Instagram yesterday, Spears wrote, “Wow [face screaming in fear emoji] !!! @Eminem last night at the Super Bowl … he should have had way more time … he was everything to me when I was younger and it was so weird in the first two seconds I saw him on stage last night I felt like I was 17 again !!! It’s honestly kinda scary how certain artists and music can do that … we are so lucky to live in a world [globe emoji] where music can give us hope … identity … acceptance …and love [hearts emoji]!!!”

Spears has famously popped up in Eminem lyrics on several occasions over the years, and not usually in a flattering or laudatory way. On “The Real Slim Shady,” Em raps, “You think I give a damn about a Grammy? / Half of you critics can’t even stomach me, let alone stand me / ‘But Slim, what if you win, wouldn’t it be weird?’ / Why, so you guys could just lie to get me here? / So you can sit me here next to Britney Spears?” He also said on “Ass Like That,” “I am Triumph, Britney Spears has shoulders like a man / And I can say that and you’ll laugh ’cause there’s a puppet on my hand.” On “Marshall Mathers,” he raps, “An anti-Backstreet and Ricky Martin / Whose instinct’s to kill *NSYNC, don’t get me started / These f*ckin’ brats can’t sing and Britney’s garbage.”

Tinashe’s Unsettling ‘Naturally’ Video Is A Literal Bloodbath

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Pop-R&B singer Tinashe’s known for the high-concept treatments of her music videos such as “X,” “Bouncin,” and “Pasadena,” but rarely have they been as viscerally provocative as her new video for “Naturally.” Seemingly inspired by 1970s psychological horror (and its recent resurgence), the video finds Tinashe covering herself in gore for a literal bloodbath on a sun-soaked farm where she apparently slaughters some local livestock and performs choreography with a team in Western ranch regalia.

“Naturally” is the first single from the deluxe version of Tinashe’s 2021 album, 333, which adds four new songs to the singer’s second independently released album. Two of the songs also bring in new featured guests, Compton dance musician Channel Tres, and Oakland rapper Christian Blue.

In a recent interview, Tinashe talked about her pioneering, experimental sound and why she hated being categorized as “just” an R&B artist. “I hated being called an R&B star,” she said. “I really, really had a strong aversion to that. I felt that created a ceiling to my artistry that really turned me off in the early days. I didn’t want to be in that box that I felt had some type of inevitable lid on it. I’ve always honestly classified myself as a pop star. That’s always been what I see for myself, and then I think people’s interpretation of what that means is maybe where it gets convoluted because some people think pop means mainstream. Like, I don’t know, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, or something. But I think that’s not what that really means. To me, it’s more like what you embody more so than, I think, what it sonically sounds like.”

Watch Tinashe’s “Naturally” video above.

‘Encanto’ Hit ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ Stays At No. 1 On The Hot 100 For A Third Week

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“We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” the biggest success story of the Encanto soundtrack, became the biggest-ever hit from a Disney animated movie, in terms of chart performance, when it spent a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last week. Now, it’s just running up the score: On the new Hot 100 chart dated February 19, “Bruno” is on top for a third week.

In late January, Lin-Manuel Miranda (who wrote all the Encanto songs) appeared on The Tonight Show and was asked if he could have predicted the success of “Bruno.” He responded, “No, mainly because group numbers never get the same kind of love that the ballads get or the comedy songs get. But I did know it was catchy, because when I was first writing it, I would catch my kids singing it just from overhearing me writing it.”

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj and Lil Baby’s new single, “Do We Have A Problem?,” scored a big debut, making its first appearance on the chart at No. 2. That makes it the 20th top-ten song for Minaj and the ninth for Baby.

Outside of the top ten, King Von and 21 Savage’s “Don’t Play That” debuted at No. 40, giving Von his first top-40 hit.

Watch Mickey Guyton Absolutely Belt The National Anthem At Super Bowl LVI

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For those of us country fans who are passionate about expanding diversity within the genre — word to Jason Isbell — the recent success of Mickey Guyton has been a boon. This rising country star isn’t afraid to speak on the subjects that are closest to her heart, releasing the song “Black Like Me” last year, following up on themes addressed in the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. But her debut full-length, Remember Her Name was also an incredible addition to country music last year, and it earned Guyton three Grammy nominations in this year’s ceremony.

So for anyone who has been paying attention, the NFL’s decision to tap Guyton for the National Anthem at this year’s Super Bowl made perfect sense. And she was in fine form for her moment in the spotlight today, absolutely belting out the anthem to kick off one of the most important sporting events of the year. Another great addition to her setlist would’ve been Mickey’s own early hit, “Rosé,” but hey, we can’t have everything. Check out her performance up above, and if you want to get a headstart before she likely wins a few awards at this year’s Grammys, stream her 2021 album, Remember Her Name right here.

Diplo Prepares For His First Solo Album In 18 Years With ‘Don’t Forget My Love’ Featuring Miguel

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It has been a while since Diplo last released an album under his own sobriquet — 18 years, actually. This year, though, the EDM mainstay will end that drought with the 14-track album, Diplo. Dropping on March 4, the self-titled album will contain collaborations with Aluna, Busta Rhymes, Leon Bridges, Lil Yachty, and R&B singer Miguel, with whom he worked on the new single Diplo released today, “Don’t Forget My Love.”

The new track is straight-up old-school House, with a dramatic build over a scatting rhythm with bold piano chords rushing into a pulsing four-on-the-floor beat anchored by Miguel’s soulful vocals. Miguel’s lyrics evoke a classic “tonight is the night” vibe, describing a free-for-all party while admonishing his companion to remember him in the morning.

In support of his new album, Diplo has a few high-profile performances planned, including a set at Shaq’s Super Bowl party, Shaq’s Fun House, tonight in Los Angeles, and select appearances on Bad Bunny’s upcoming World’s Hottest stadium tour. And while it hasn’t been quite as long since Miguel’s last full-length release, fans still eagerly await the follow-up to his 2021 EP, Art Dealer Chic, Vol. 4 and his 2017 album, War & Leisure.

Listen to “Don’t Forget My Love” above. Diplo is due 3/4.

Tate McRae’s ‘She’s All I Wanna Be’ Video Is A Super-Charged Dance Competition

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Though Tate McRae has already been blowing up over the last few years, her latest single “She’s All I Wanna Be” has some serious momentum. Though it might still have some of the sad energy that Tate songs tend toward, check “Feel Like Sh*t” and the ubiqutious “You Broke Me First” for a refresher — like her Khalid collab, “Working,” the song takes a more complicated issue and turns it into something of a banger.

In the song, Tate is focused on some potential competition, who she thinks might steal her man’s attention, and the video plays out this narrative beautifully. In the clip, Tate and her rival, along with a colorful ensemble of other dancers, face off on the stage, dancing their way through choreography that mimics the song’s chaotic energy. In the description of the Youtube video, Tate let her fans know exactly what inspired the concept for the video. “I hope u guys enjoy this music vid that we put together,” she wrote. “I was super inspired by the incredible dance film Chorus Line. So happy this is finally out!!!!!!!!” Which is just another great reminder that no matter how big a pop star Tate becomes, she’s always going to be a dancer first. Check the video out above.

Kanye West Declares ‘It’s Cheap And Dismissive To Say I’m Off My Meds Any Time I Speak Up’

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In recent years, Ye (aka Kanye West) has been open about dealing with bipolar disorder. Perhaps most notably, on his 2018 Ye track “Yikes,” he says, “That’s my bipolar sh*t, n****, what? / That’s my superpower, n****, ain’t no disability.” Since then, though, some people have decided to use his mental health against him and Ye is tired of it.

In an Instagram post last night, Ye called out Billie Eilish for seemingly dissing Travis Scott’s handling of the Astroworld Festival tragedy, when she paused a recent concert because a fan was having an urgent health issue. “I wait for people to be OK until I keep going,” Eilish said on stage. Ye noted, “I NEED BILLIE TO APOLOGIZE BEFORE I PERFORM.”

(Eilish responded, by the way.)

He followed that post quickly by sharing a screenshot of a comment that’s presumably representative of many comments he received on the previous post and others over the years. The user wrote, “Man’s off the meds album gonna go crazy.” Ye captioned the post, “THE WORLD IS RACIST SEXIST HOMOPHOBIC AND CRAZY PHOBIC AT OUR CORE ITS CHEAP AND DISMISSIVE TO SAY IM OFF MY MEDS ANYTIME I SPEAK UP PHOBIA IN THIS SENSE DOESN’T MEAN BEING AFRAID OF IT MEANS NOT GIVING POWER TO LETS BE MORE CONSCIOUS AND NOT WRITE EACH OTHER OFF SO EASILY.”

Indeed, some comments on the Eilish-targeted post use Ye’s mental health for punchlines. Examples include, “why is kanye having his midlife crisis on instagram feed,” “Bro has lost his mind,” “are u good?,” “oh he’s really lost it,” “Lmao u r manic beyond compare,” “take your meds baby,” and “Kanye take your meds pls…”

Billie Eilish Responds To Kanye West’s Demand For Her To Apologize To Travis Scott

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Well, that didn’t take long. Less than two hours after Kanye West posted on Instagram demanding that Billie Eilish apologize to his would-be Coachella special guest Travis Scott for her comments during a recent show, Eilish responded in the comments to notify West that she not only has no intentions of doing so but she also doesn’t have anything to apologize for.

Kanye, who, like many, interpreted Eilish’s recent comments as a dig at Travis Scott posted the all-caps demand after apparently coming across an Instagram gossip account’s report of the facts. “COME ON BILLIE WE LOVE YOU PLEASE APOLOGIZE TO TRAV AND TO THE FAMILIES OF THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES NO ONE INTENDED THIS TO HAPPEN TRAV DIDN’T HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN HE WAS ON STAGE AND WAS VERY HURT BY WHAT HAPPENED,” he wrote, before adding the threat, “NOW I NEED BILLIE TO APOLOGIZE BEFORE I PERFORM [at Coachella, where Billie is also set to headline].” This is the rockstar equivalent of getting skunked at pickup so you take your ball and go home, but Billie handled the situation as graciously as could be.

“Literally never said a thing about Travis,” she reminded the mercurial rapper. “Was just helping a fan.” This is, in fact, what she did, stopping her show mid-performance to ensure a fan who couldn’t breathe got an inhaler while noting, “I wait for people to be OK until I keep going.” Some construed this as a slight toward Travis Scott, who reportedly performed for nearly 40 minutes during the Astroworld mass casualty disaster, but anyone who’s been to enough shows can tell you this is something performers say quite a lot — I mentioned in my recap of 2019’s Real Street Fest that Kanye’s own former artist Big Sean did and said as much during his own set.

If Travis Scott’s feeling guilty, that’s on him to settle with his own conscience. And while Kanye is running around demanding apologies perhaps he should consider offering one of his own for the last five years he subjected us all to.

Kanye West Demands That Billie Eilish Apologize To Travis Scott Or Ye Won’t Perform At Coachella

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Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever, The World Tour is officially in full swing. Last night, she was in Washington D.C. to perform and she and brother Finneas even stopped by The White House to say what’s up to President Joe Biden. But something Eilish said on stage this past weekend at her Atlanta concert has really ruffled Kanye West’s feathers, and now his Coachella headlining appearance could be in jeopardy if Eilish doesn’t act.

A fan in the Atlanta crowd was apparently having trouble breathing and needed an inhaler. Eilish was made aware of this and briefly stopped the show. “Do we have an inhaler? Can we just grab one?” she asks the arena, before someone presents an inhaler to the fan. “We got one! Guys, give her some time. Don’t crowd. It’s ok, relax. We’re taking care of our people!” she says, reassuring the fan. Then as the situation calms down, Eilish walks back to restart the show and says, “I wait for people to be OK until I keep going.”

This was interpreted by some as a reference to Travis Scott and the tragic crowd control issue at the Astroworld Festival that left at least ten people in the crowd dead. Kanye West just caught wind of what Eilish said and in an Instagram post today and demanded (in all caps) that she apologize to Scott for the comment, or he won’t perform at Coachella — where Eilish and Ye are both headlining. He also said that Scott wouldn’t perform either, whom he subsequently confirmed in the post is going to be his guest performer at the festival.

COME ON BILLIE WE LOVE YOU PLEASE APOLOGIZE TO TRAV AND TO THE FAMILIES OF THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES NO ONE INTENDED THIS TO HAPPEN TRAV DIDN’T HAVE ANY IDEA OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING WHEN HE WAS ON STAGE AND WAS VERY HURT BY WHAT HAPPENED AND YES TRAV WILL BE WITH ME AT COACHELLA BUT NOW I NEED BILLIE TO APOLOGIZE BEFORE I PERFORM

Eilish has yet to issue a response.