CONGRATULATIONS TO @LILNASX !!!! #MONTERO IS BEAUTIFUL, HEARTFELT & NECESSARY… 3 TOP 10s AND A #2 DEBUT IS A BIG DEAL YOU SHOWED US HOW TO INNOVATE AND BE TRUE TO OURSELVES—I HOPE UR HAVING CHAMPAGNE TODAY— CELEBRATE YOURSELF YOU DESERVE IT IM SO PROUD OF YOU
CONGRATULATIONS TO @LILNASX!!!! #MONTERO IS BEAUTIFUL, HEARTFELT & NECESSARY… 3 TOP 10s AND A #2 DEBUT IS A BIG DEAL YOU SHOWED US HOW TO INNOVATE AND BE TRUE TO OURSELVES—I HOPE UR HAVING CHAMPAGNE TODAY— CELEBRATE YOURSELF
And Nas was blown away that she took the time to celebrate with him. “oh my god u did not have to congratulate me! thank you so much lizzo i’m tearing up fr ,” he responded.
oh my god u did not have to congratulate me! thank you so much lizzo i’m tearing up fr
Chlöe has been having a wonderful 2021. Following the success of her collaborative album with her sister, Ungodly Hour, last year, she’s also found her own voice this year and recently released her debut single, “Have Mercy.” The song was hotly anticipated, and her VMA performance of the new track even sparked reactions from rappers like Gunna showing their appreciation for her finesse.
Well, rappers aren’t the only ones who can see themselves in the song’s bombastic braggadocio, and with its unpredictable rhythms it was probably only a matter of time until a swaggering marching band set the tune to orchestral mode and turned up the brass. Enter the Marching Storm from Prairie View A&M University, the marching band for this historical black college. Captured by a Chlöe stan account, who posted a clip of the band’s rendition to Twitter, the song is accompanied by a performance from the school’s dance team that is clearly inspired by Chlöe’s own moves.
For her part, Chlöe saw the cover and was ecstatic about their version. “GO OFFFFFF” she wrote in all caps while sharing the original tweet to her own followers:
Rihanna is gearing up for her upcoming Savage X Fenty fashion show, and during the lead-up, she took time to indulge James Corden, who took over as her assistant for a Late Late Show segment. Corden didn’t do much actual assisting, as he was more focused on doing gags and kind of just being a nuisance.
He did manage to gather some insight on the show, though, like when Rihanna told him it takes months to put it together. She continued, “I’m really impressed by what my team and I have been able to put together, especially off a pandemic. So many restrictions, so many rules and boundaries.” Rihanna then trailed off as she noticed a Corden headshot had been added to a board of the show’s models and broke out into laughter.
Corden later asked Rihanna about the inclusivity of the show, and Rihanna said, “That’s all that I ride on. That’s my bottom line. My foundation is built on inclusivity, not just because it’s a thing. That’s a thing because people are making it a thing, right? But I only know my household, my childhood, my mom. She’s a Black woman with curves: I don’t know anything else. So when I make something, I’d be an idiot to want to exclude anyone. I don’t care what size you are, what race you are, what religion you come from: I want you to feel like you’re represented here.”
Ultimately, at the end of the segment, Rihanna understandably fired Corden given the poor job he had done throughout the day.
Once COVID-19 vaccines became widely available in early 2021, artists wasted no time plotting tours again. And after a largely concert-less 2020, it felt amazing to just have the option of seeing our favorite bands live onstage. Now that the year is drawing to a close, seeing bands announce tour dates feels almost normal again, with an added — and very important — caveat that fans should bring their vaccination cards if they want to attend. With fall fast approaching, we’ve rounded up 25 acts we’re excited to see live, and there are sure to be more announcements rolling out in the weeks to come.
100 Gecs
Hyperpop phenom 100 Gecs initially made waves on their 2019 debut album, 1,000 Gecs. Since then, 100 Gecs have dropped a remix album and fired off a few collaborations (including one with Charli XCX). Now, Dylan Brady and Laura Les are kicking it up a few more Gecs with the 10,000 Gecs North American tour, comprising 34 stops and kicking off in October in Oakland before coming to a close two months later in Brooklyn.
Both Adrianne Lenker AND Big Thief are headed out on the road this fall, which shouldn’t get confusing at all! (I kid.) Let’s break it down: In November, Lenker will tour a series of dates, kicking off in Burlington, Vermont, and wrapping up in Minneapolis. It’s all likely in support of her 2020 album(s), Songs and Instrumentals. Meanwhile, the wider collective are going on tour in September for a month-long journey wrapping up in early October in Philadelphia. During that trek, they’ll no doubt play both previously released singles “Certainty,” “Sparrow,” and “Little Things,” not to mention more new music the indie-folk favorites cooked up during their time spent at Sam Evian’s Flying Cloud Studios in the Catskills.
Check out Adrianne Lenker’s tour dates here, and check out Big Thief’s tour dates here.
Ava Max (opening for Maroon 5)
Ava Max — an Uproxx cover star — turned some heads with her 2020 debut album Heaven & Hell, including those of some of her peers in the industry. She’s worked with people like Charlie Puth, Kane Brown, and Jason Derulo, but these days she can be found on the road with Maroon 5. The longtime pop-rock outfit have been touring steadily since mid-August, with Max joining up with them in Chicago, Hersey, PA, and Boston. Come October, her last date with Maroon 5 will be in Los Angeles at Banc Of California Stadium, with the guys concluding their tour later in the month in Concord, CA.
Uproxx cover star Beabadoobee only just put out her debut album, Fake It Flowers, last year, but already she’s released a follow-up EP, Our Extended Play, which was created in collaboration with the 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel. Now comes the victory lap, with a full North American tour featuring Blackstarkids, starting in November in Washington D.C. at the 9:30 Club and concluding in mid-December in Pittsburgh.
If memory serves, Caroline Polachek contracted COVID while on tour in Europe early last year, sharing updates to her Instagram Story about how she was doing health-wise. And it was particularly frightening because we knew so little about COVID at the time. Now, two years after releasing her debut solo album, 2019’s Pang, the former Chairlift singer is staging a comeback, complete with the single “Bunny Is A Rider” and the “Heart Is Unbreaking” tour, which kicked off in August at the Greek Theatre in LA. Moving through the US, the (Covid-safe!) tour will wrap just before Christmas in Santa Cruz.
Houston’s Don Toliver has opened up for the biggest artists in the game — Travis Scott in 2019, and in 2022 he’ll be in the supporting slot for The Weeknd. In addition to showing up on a collaboration with Skrillex and Justin Bieber (“Don’t Go”) and prepping his forthcoming sophomore album L.O.A.D., the Don will be playing across the US on his Life Of A Don tour with BIA supporting, starting in Austin, Texas, and wrapping up at Day N Vegas and Rolling Loud California.
Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger have been making a low-key comeback for a couple of years now. Last year, the Chicago indie-rock torchbearers released “Down At The So And So On Somewhere,” their first new song in over a decade. Then came its B-side, “The Fortune Teller’s Revenge.” This fall, they’re hitting the road again with special guest Fred Armisen. “We’re very excited to be playing again, to get a chance to do new things with old stuff, or old things with new people,” the band said in a press release. “And we’re very happy to have Fred opening the shows.”
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their hugely influential 1996 album The Score, Fugees — aka Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and Pras Michel — plan to reunite this fall for a brief set of reunion tour dates. The first of them is on September 22 at a yet-to-be-announced venue. After that, they’ll pick things back up in November and December for a handful of shows in the US, as well as dates in Nigeria and Ghana. The moment carries a great deal of significance for all involved. After all, the trio, each of whom went on to have extraordinary solo careers after The Score, have a fraught history with one another, to put it mildly.
Harry Styles‘ Love On Tour was originally meant to run in 2020, which meant, of course, that it got postponed due to COVID. Since then, the former One Directioner hit the road in September with opener Jenny Lewis, with dates running through late November 2021. Lewis will accompany Styles on every date, with the exception of October 30 and 31, which will be Styles’ “Harryween” concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden. (Orville Peck and Madison Cunningham will open those dates.)
Despite a pandemic, this has arguably been the most active year of Japanese Breakfast’s career. In addition to releasing a remarkable memoir, Crying In H Mart, Michelle Zauner also dropped her band’s critically beloved third album, Jubilee. Fall 2021 brings the indie-rock band’s victory lap, with Japanese Breakfast hitting the road in mid-September and touring across the US, wrapping up in Pomona, California on November 16.
Alabama-born alt-country player Jason Isbell has been one of the most vocal supporters of COVID-safe concerts, therefore supporting him as he tours through the country with The 400 Unit is probably in everybody’s best interests. Isbell, who actively maintains an entertaining Twitter presence, was unfortunately not able to tour his band’s 2020 album, Reunions, so you can definitely expect to hear some cuts from that. Even better, don’t be surprised if Isbell churns out some covers from his forthcoming Georgia Blue charity album, featuring renditions of songs by Georgia Artists, such as R.E.M. and Gladys Knight.
Back in the spring, J. Cole released his sixth studio album, The Off-Season. Not only that, but he even did some remarkable album promo by even playing pro basketball in Africa. Now comes The Off-Season Tour, which is set to feature two of the album’s guest rappers, 21 Savage and Morray. Beginning in September, the tour will hit 17 cities, kicking off in Miami and concluding in October at LA’s The Forum.
Kaytranada had a great start to 2021, winning the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album (2019’s Bubba) and Best Dance Recording (for “10%” featuring Kali Uchis). Moving forward, the Canadian DJ/producer is hitting the road now through December, where he’ll wrap up with a show in Toronto.
Texas trio Khruangbin expanded their psychedelic funk sound with their third LP Mordechai, but more recently, they released a 10-track effort called Mordechai Remixes featuring contributions from Kadhja Bonet, Ginger Root, Knxwledge, and more. In support, Khruangbin has been on tour since August, but the journey is nowhere near complete. They’re doing a series of dates through December, hitting Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre, Atlanta’s The Eastern, and New York City’s Radio City, among others.
In June, Lil Baby and Lil Durk released their collaborative album, The Voice Of The Heroes. To celebrate, both Lils are hitting the road on their Back Outside Tour, which also has a supporting slot from NJ rapper Coi Leray and kicks off in September and runs through mid-October at West Palm Beach’s iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre.
Check out Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s tour dates here.
Machine Gun Kelly / KennyHoopla
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Capping off a very Machine Gun Kelly summer is the rapper-turned-pop-punker’s 2021 fall tour, starting in mid-September and featuring singer/rapper KennyHoopla. I repeat, if you haven’t seen or heard enough from MGK this year, you’re likely in for a treat. I mean, it’s not every day that a rapper pivots to pop-punk, gets matching tattoos with Travis Barker, and starts a highly public relationship with the most beautiful woman on the planet. In addition to cuts from 2020’s Tickets To My Downfall, fans will no doubt get to hear new music from MGK’s forthcoming effort Born With Horns (release date TBD).
Check out Machine Gun Kelly and KennyHoopla’s tour dates here.
The New Pornographers
It’s been a meaningful few years for the Canadian indie-pop supergroup. Last year marked the 20th anniversary of their 2000 debut, Mass Romantic. Since they couldn’t celebrate properly (because, pandemic), The New Pornos have plotted out a fall tour where they’ll play Mass Romantic and Twin Cinema (celebrating its 16th anniversary) in their entirety. Joining them will be original band members Neko Case and Destroyer‘s Dan Bejar (!), plus AC Newman, Joe Seiders, John Collins, Todd Fancey, and Kathryn Calder.
Last fall, Omar Apollo shared his long-awaited debut project, Apolonio. The Mexican-American singer-songwriter has been on the road since July for his Desvelado Tour, and he has a long way to go. He’ll be performing throughout the US all the way through mid-November, wrapping up at Boston’s Big Night Live.
Now through October, Phoebe Bridgers is touring the US in support of her critically adored 2020 album Punisher, which she mostly promoted last year via livestreams and other pandemic-safe events. Bridgers’ Reunion tour has a number of COVID safeguards in place: all previously indoor shows have been moved to outdoor venues (per an Instagram announcement), and entry will require proof of vaccine or a negative COVID test within 48 hours. In more exciting news, though, the Reunion Tour will feature special guests Muna, who recently signed to Bridgers’ Saddest Factory records and released “Silk Chiffon” with Bridgers.
It’s been a few years since Playboi Carti’s last tour. Last time the Atlanta rapper toured was his headlining jaunt in 2018 for Die Lit. Now, though, Carti is heading out to arenas on The Narcissist Tour, kicking off in mid-October in Nashville and concluding just before Christmas in Carti’s hometown. It’s all in support of his forthcoming new project of the same name, which the rapper revealed via Instagram, where he is pictured wearing a series of layered outfits.
Despite the unfortunate loss of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts earlier this year, the band’s fall 2021 tour is still scheduled to go forward as planned. The beloved classic-rock act are set to hit the road in late September and wrap up in November in Austin, Texas. Still, before Watts’ passing, it was announced that longtime Rolling Stones associate Steve Jordan would be stepping in for the revered drummer, as Watts needed to rest and recover after a medical procedure. At the time, Jordan said, “It is an absolute honor and a privilege to be Charlie’s understudy.”
The Strokes had a banner 2020, despite it being a pandemic year. Not only did they release the Rick Rubin-produced The New Abnormal, they even won Best Rock Album at the 2021 Grammys. So it seems only fitting that they should do a victory lap now that it’s possible. In October, the band will hit III Points Festival in Miami, followed by Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta. Then, they’ll hit The Forum in Los Angeles and Outside Lands in San Francisco. Short and sweet.
In support of her latest album, Daddy’s Home (and perhaps also her just-released rockumentary/mockumentary The Nowhere Inn), St. Vincent (aka avant-pop powerhouse Annie Clark) heads out on the road this fall for a tour hitting all of the big venues: Radio City Music Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and more. Running for a little over a month, the Daddy’s Home tour will wrap up on October 22 at Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta.
Even though Tame Impala released an album, The Slow Rush, in 2020, the psychedelic rock figurehead (Kevin Parker) was, like everyone else, forced to postpone touring. Now, thanks to Parker’s patented “drug” Rushium, Tame Impala is hitting the road for the band’s official The Slow Rush 2021 North American tour, kicking off in September (they were originally supposed to play Bonnaroo, but that was canceled due to weather) and closing in November in Dallas, Texas. Press materials also noted that this tour is only “Phase I” of the “Rushiam trials,” suggesting that more tour dates could be announced in the near future.
Grammy-winning R&B bassist Thundercat has already played a few sets at various festivals this summer — Maha Music Fest in Omaha, Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco, Pitchfork Fest in Chicago — and in October, he’ll hit the road again. With support from Channel Tres (plus some surprise special guests), Thundercat will start out in Orlando at The Plaza Live on October 24 and wrap up at Boise’s Knitting Factory on December 5.
Lizzo recently showed love for BTS with an impromptu freestyle the other day, but now she has expressed her admiration in a more professional environment. BBC Radio 1 is in the midst of its “Live Lounge” Month, and as the latest guest, Lizzo performed a cover of BTS’ No. 1 hit “Butter.”
For her performance, Lizzo emphasized the funky elements of the song and put a delightfully engaging spin on the song.
“Everyone loves @BTS_twt because they’re so pure and kind hearted – I hope I do ‘Butter’ justice!”
Before the performance, she also offered praise for BTS and spoke about why she chose to cover “Butter,” saying, “I’m really a sucker for people who make positive music. I have dedicated my artistry to making positive music and BTS does just that. The word has fallen in love with them because they are so sweet and pure, and they’re good-hearted. I wanted to bring some more positivity into the world via their song. It’s a great song, too. It’s so funky. I hope we do it justice.”
Meanwhile, fans were also treated to an appearance from Sasha Flute, as Lizzo calls her instrument, as she busted it out while performing “Rumors.”
The first ever filmed performance of ‘Rumors’ and @lizzo brought Sasha Flute along for the ride
In news that Rihanna fans are painfully aware of at this point, this singer’s most recent album is 2016’s Anti, which was released nearly six years ago now. In the years since, Rihanna has periodically offered statements on either when she expects to release the album or what her upcoming music is sounding like. Her latest dispatch on this front falls in the latter category, as she’s teasing an experimental new project.
In an interview with the Associated Press (on the red carpet of her latest Savage X Fenty fashion show), Rihanna said:
“You’re not going to expect what you hear. Just put that in your mind. Whatever you know of Rihanna is not going to be what you hear. I’m really experimenting. Music is like fashion: you should be able to play. I should be able to wear whatever I want, and I treat music the same way. So, I’m having fun and it’s going to be completely different. That’s it.”
This expands upon what she noted at the end of 2020 when she said, “2021 is a little unknown for everybody and nobody is sure what restrictions there are going to be. My creativity is within my control, though, and I want to take my music and my brands to a different level.”
When Rihanna put on her first Savage X Fenty fashion show in 2018, it was clear she intended to revolutionize the industry. Rather than simply sending models down the runway in her lingerie garments, Rihanna tapped celebrities and famous models to showcase their outfits in a cinematic and size-inclusive show complete with live music and choreography. This year, Rihanna is once again inviting a number of today’s top stars to join her for her third Savage X Fenty fashion show.
The singer just dropped an exciting trailer for Savage X Fenty Vol. 3, previewing how the runway show will take over an entire building. Along with previously announced performances by Normani, Daddy Yankee, and Nas, Rihanna has invited musicians like Troye Sivan, Erykah Badu, Sabrina Carpenter, and Jazmine Sullivan to make a cameo in the performance. The entire show will be available to stream starting on September 24 exclusively on Amazon’s Prime Video.
According to an official press release, Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty 2021 lingerie collection fashion show are meant to exude “baddie energy” by incorporating “strong lines that trace contours of the body and unconventional silhouettes that push the boundaries of individuality to bring out the baddie in everybody.”
Watch the Savage X Fenty Vol. 3 trailer above.
Savage X Fenty Vol. 3 premieres 9/24 on Prime Video. Watch it here.
Over the past decade-plus, Drake and The Weeknd have become two of the most prominent musical figures in pop culture, so much so that at least one professor thinks they’re worth spending an entire semester studying. Writer and teacher Dalton Higgins will teach a course titled “RTA 950: Selected Topics In Media — Deconstructing Drake And The Weeknd” at Toronto’s Ryerson University.
In an Instagram post about the course, Higgins explained his motivation behind creating the class, writing:
“There are great courses out there being taught about numerous rock, folk and pop stars like Miley Cyrus, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, so why not The Weeknd and Dizzy. Also, I’ve been kicking around the Hip Hop Ed scene for years and have seen some great courses being taught in the USA about Jay Z (Georgetown University), Outkast (Armstrong State University), Beyonce (there are MANY Bey courses; Arizona State, University of Texas; Rutgers University). Plus the University of Arizona offers a minor in Hip Hop Studies, and Mcnally Smith College in Minnesota offers a hip hop diploma. […] Nevertheless, it’s time to get our Canadian rap & R&B icons recognized & canonized academically or otherwise. And it is CRITICAL for scholars, historians, to examine the Toronto music scene that birthed Drake/Weeknd and helped create the conditions for them to become mega successful.”
When Lil Nas X first took the music industry by storm with his viral “Old Town Road” track, people didn’t know whether it should be classified as country or hip-hop music. The song originally appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts in 2019, before being quietly excluded from the country genre. Now reclaiming his country crossover, Lil Nas X takes on a cover by the Queen Of Country herself, Dolly Parton.
Lil Nas X appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge for a series of filmed performances. Not only did he perform a handful of songs from his recently released debut album Montero, like “That’s What I Want,” “Dead Right Now,” and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name), but he also gave a mesmerizing rendition of Parton’s “Jolene.” Complete with a slight southern drawl and a few backup singers, Lil Nas X’s rendition of the 1974 track stays faithful to Parton’s original version.
Ahead of taking the Live Lounge stage, Lil Nas X raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity in a very clever way. After joking he was “pregnant” with his debut album, the musician shared a “baby registry” that was a list of non-profit organizations his fans could donate to. Bro In Convo, an organization that supports Black, gay, bisexual, and queer men, reportedly received over $33,000 in donations from Lil Nas X’s registry.
When Lil Nas X first took the music industry by storm with his viral “Old Town Road” track, people didn’t know whether it should be classified as country or hip-hop music. The song originally appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts in 2019, before being quietly excluded from the country genre. Now reclaiming his country crossover, Lil Nas X takes on a cover by the Queen Of Country herself, Dolly Parton.
Lil Nas X appeared on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge for a series of filmed performances. Not only did he perform a handful of songs from his recently released debut album Montero, like “That’s What I Want,” “Dead Right Now,” and “Montero (Call Me By Your Name), but he also gave a mesmerizing rendition of Parton’s “Jolene.” Complete with a slight southern drawl and a few backup singers, Lil Nas X’s rendition of the 1974 track stays faithful to Parton’s original version.
Ahead of taking the Live Lounge stage, Lil Nas X raised tens of thousands of dollars for charity in a very clever way. After joking he was “pregnant” with his debut album, the musician shared a “baby registry” that was a list of non-profit organizations his fans could donate to. Bro In Convo, an organization that supports Black, gay, bisexual, and queer men, reportedly received over $33,000 in donations from Lil Nas X’s registry.
BIG DEAL
YOU DESERVE IT IM SO PROUD OF YOU
,” he responded.(@LilNasX) September 27, 2021
