Jay-Z’s Made in America Festival, which Lizzo was headlining, cancelled

OHMYGOSSIP — Jay Z’s Made in America music festival, which was due to be headlined by Lizzo and SZA, has been cancelled.
The 53-year-old hip-hop legend’s annual two-day music event is held every Labor Day weekend (September 2 and 3) on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
However, the organisers made the “difficult” decision to pull the plug on this summer’s event, with full refunds offered.
A statement read: “Due to severe circumstances outside of production control, the 2023 Made in America festival will no longer be taking place.
“This decision has been difficult and has not been made lightly nor without immense deliberation.”
Philadelphia’s spokesman Joy Huertas told CNN: “The City of Philadelphia was working closely with the festival producers throughout the planning process and we’re disappointed to hear the news.
“The City, along with our hospitality and tourism partners, look forward to bringing MIA back and bigger than ever next year.”
Philadelphia’s Mayor Jim Kenney said: “I’m disappointed to hear that the 2023 Made In America festival will no longer be taking place.
“Since 2012, Made in America has grown into a Philly tradition on Labor Day Weekend celebrating music and promoting worthwhile social causes.”
No reason was given for the cancellation.
The festival being cancelled comes amid Lizzo’s sexual harassment scandal.
The pop star is facing a lawsuit from three of her dancers – Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez – for alleged sexual harassment, creating a hostile work environment and discrimination.
Last week, Lizzo, 35, broke her silence on the allegations, writing on Instagram: “These last few days have been gut wrenchingly difficult and overwhelming disappointing.
“My work ethic, morals and respectfulness have been questioned. My character has been criticized. Usually I choose not to respond to false allegations but these are as unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous not to be addressed.
“The sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.
“There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world. I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.
“I’m hurt but I will not let the good work I’ve done in the world be overshadowed by this. I want to thank everyone who has reached out in support to lift me up during this difficult time. (sic)”

Source: IconInsider.com

Offset and Cardi B are ‘very hard on each other’ about their music

OHMYGOSSIP — Offset says he and his wife Cardi B don’t release collaborations often because they are “very” critical of each other.
The pair have collaborated a handful of times and have hooked up again on the track ‘Jealousy’ and whilst the former Migos star says the pair have “great energy” on record together, they are “hard on each other” if they see a fault.
Speaking on ‘Good Morning America’, the 31-year-old star said: “Me and her got great energy.
“We don’t really put a lot of records out because we’re very hard on each other about the records.”
The ‘Clout’ rapper is just as critical of his own music as he is of his ‘WAP’ hitmaker spouse’s.
Asked about his upcoming second solo album – the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Father of 4’ – he said: “I didn’t rush it. I love y’all, but I didn’t rush it because I want it to be perfect.”
Earlier this year, Offset admitted he needed to “master who I was” before releasing his next record.
The music star was a member of the popular trap trio Migos until he parted ways with the group early last year, with Quavo, 32, and the late Takeoff continuing as a two-piece until the tragic death of the latter, who was shot dead in Houston, Texas on November 1, 2022, aged 28.
In February this year, Quavo shared a music video for the tribute song ‘Greatness’, in which he confirmed that Migos were over.
And Offset opened up in a new cover Interview with Variety about his plans as a solo artist but admitted he had to do some soul-searching before he shares it with the world.
He said: “This is me going full-fledged into my solo career. The objective is to do it fully and smash s*** and f*** the game up as a solo artist. It’s all set, my next chapter. It’s my time.”
Offset – who has Kulture, five, and 23-month-old Wave with Cardi – added: “Sometimes you gotta sit back and not rush.
“I really wanted to drop the album like two years ago, but it wasn’t time. I had to master who I was, and I got it now.”
A Capitol spokesperson told the publication: “Offset has made a phenomenal album; we can’t wait until the world hears his masterpiece.
“We’re deep into release planning now and will soon have big news to share!”
Offset was asked about Takeoff – who was like family to him – but had to walk away from the interview for the night because he was overcome with grief.
The only way Offset can get through is by pretending that his death was “fake”.
He said: “It’s hard for me to talk about s*** right now. I’ve never talked about this stuff. Seriously. Talking about Take is hard, man. Talking about all this s*** is hard. That’s why I don’t, to be honest. That s*** hurts. Like, it’s gonna put me in a mood, and I don’t want to get in that mood. Some things I don’t never tell nobody. He’s not here. That s*** feels fake, bro. I get through my day thinking it’s fake. And I don’t say nothing to nobody about it.”

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Travis Scott teases first tour since Astroworld tragedy

OHMYGOSSIP — Travis Scott has teased his first tour since the 2021 Astroworld tragedy that saw 10 attendees lose their lives.
The hip-hop star announced the ‘Utopia: Circus Maximus tour’ will be heading to the US and Europe.
He wrote on Instagram: “UTOPIA TOUR SOON US AND EURO DATES SOON TO BE ANNOUNCE I MISS THE ROAD I MISSS YALLLL (sic)”
It will mark his first jaunt since eight people were killed during the crowd crush at the concert while two others died in the hospital in the following days.
The cause of death for the concertgoers was ruled as “compressive asphyxiation” causing suffocation due to external pressure.
No dates have been released at this time.
The news comes after Travis held a concert for 60,000 fans at the historic Circus Maximus in Rome, on Monday (07.08.23), which saw him bring out fellow rapper Kanye West.
The shows are in support of Travis’ latest LP ‘Utopia’, which is the biggest hip-hop release of 2023 so far, with 500,000 album units sold in its first week and more than 650 million streams globally.
Apple Music recorded the biggest first-day streams of an album in 2023, and Spotify named it the most streamed record in 2023 on its first day with 128 million streams, and 79 million on its second day, which is bigger than the first day of any other rap record released this year.
Just days ago, Travis’ team hit back after an Astroworld victim’s attorney called him “stunningly tone-deaf.”
After they accused law enforcement of trying to “sabotage” his new album with the release of their investigation into the deaths of the fans at Astroworld, attorney Bob Hilliard, who is representing the family of 10-year-old victim Ezra Blount, hit out.
Bob told TMZ: “For an artist making his living with music, these are stunningly tone-deaf comments about this preventable tragedy that took so many lives and injured so many.
“Of course they would only focus on how the report’s release date hurts their album sales instead of the facts contained inside of the report.
“For Mr. Scott to allow his lawyers and spokespeople to make the reckless and untrue statement that just because he was not indicted means he’s blame-free is arrogant and insulting to the memory of 10-year-old Ezra as well as the other victims of this terrible night.”
However, Ted Anastasiou, a representative for Travis, 32, told TMZ: “As we’ve said before, the Houston police report confirmed Travis’ concern for his fans’ safety.
“The report contains the same exact evidence that was presented to the Houston grand jury that decided there was no basis for charges against Travis. To use that report to try to blame Travis for the Astroworld tragedy doesn’t just defy logic, but can be seen as nothing but a cynical attempt to exploit the victims and gaslight the public.”

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Nicola Roberts mentored by Geri Horner at height of Girls Aloud fame

OHMYGOSSIP — Nicola Roberts has recalled how Ginger Spice “supported and championed” her when she auditioned to be in Girls Aloud.
The 37-year-old singer and songwriter shot to fame alongside Cheryl, 40, Nadine Coyle, 38, Kimberley Walsh, 41, and the late Sarah Harding – who tragically died of breast cancer in 2021 aged 39 – when they were created on and won the UK TV talent competition ‘Pop Stars: The Rivals’ in 2002.
And Nicola has revealed fellow redhead, Geri Horner, 51, was a huge support to her when the ‘Love Machine’ hitmakers became a big deal like the Spice Girls.
She told The BRIT Awards with Mastercard’s ‘The Red Carpet Treatment’ podcast: “Geri was so supportive. She really championed me which was crazy because I was a massive Spice Girls fan and she was my favourite. At 16, to be supported and championed by your childhood idol was, like, actually insane.”
Nicola – who has gone on to pen songs for the likes of Rita Ora, Tinashe, Iggy Azalea, and her former bandmate Cheryl – admitted she doesn’t know how she got through the madness that came with being in one of the biggest girl bands.
She said: “It’s pretty wild, really, when you look back and you think about the fact you did that and you went through that experience. You try and normalise everything to be able to deal with it.”
Even now, Nicola finds it hard to believe it happened to “five normal girls” with “no musical background”.
She said: “It just is weird. It’s quite far-fetched when you think about it. Five very normal girls, with no musical background, just somehow managed to go to the moon together.”
The girls took home the BRIT Award for Best Single for ‘The Promise’ in 2009, something they didn’t think was possible, as they’d already been nominated several times before but went home empty-handed.
Nicola shared: “It was very good. We performed and won. So it felt like it was a big night for us, and just for our team really, as well. That was seven years in, so although we’d been nominated before for best group or Pop Act it just felt like it was always not tangible. Then that night, it very much was. So it was like, Okay, finally, we have been recognised, somewhat, by this fantastic establishment.”
Check out the full interview, available across platforms via pod.link/1652102418, or watch the video version on The BRITs YouTube channel.

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Arctic Monkeys should make the music that ‘feels right’ to them, says Hives singer

OHMYGOSSIP — The Hives frontman Pelle Almqvist says Arctic Monkeys should carry on making the music that “feels right” to them.
Alex Turner and co’s recent albums have seen them head in a space rock direction, but some fans of their early records – such as the noughties hits ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor’ and ‘Mardy Bum’ – are so much into their latest stuff, including latest LP ‘The Car’.
Pelle, who recently supported the indie rockers on the road, is a fan of everything they do and hopes they continue to make the music they want to make.
Asked what it was like supporting the ‘Snap Out Of It’ group, he told Music Week: “Great. No complaints. A+ tour. Everyone was really nice to us. There were a s***-ton of people watching the shows. We got paid decently. It was really f****** fun and the weather was amazing throughout the whole tour. Also, I like Arctic Monkeys. I think they’re pretty much the only good really big band I know [laughs].”
Asked about their polarising albums, he replied: “I think they should do what feels right. I think everything they’ve done has been good, it’s just different genres. I can see that someone who loved the first album maybe isn’t into the last album and vice-versa, but who gives a s***? They’re doing what they feel like they should be doing and that’s all there is to it. I like all their stuff, basically.”
Pelle’s comments come after Damon Albarn said Arctic Monkeys were the “last great guitar band” before the genre’s recent resurgence.
The Blur and Gorillaz star admits guitar music had gotten “so sterile”, and even though there are bands with a “huge amount of potential” coming through, Damon, 55, still believes the ‘505’ rockers can’t be beaten.
He told the ‘Broken Record’ podcast: “I feel like there’s a bit more excitement about guitar music again, that can’t be a bad thing because it got so sterile. For me, the last great guitar band would have been Arctic Monkeys and I don’t really know if there’s anything as good as that since.
“But now there are bands with a huge amount of potential. It’s really dismantled itself, guitar music, and put itself back together again in a different form. You’ve got some fantastic new mutations of the genius of it.”

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Sir Paul McCartney schedules first Australian tour in six years

OHMYGOSSIP — Sir Paul McCartney is heading Down Under for his first Australian tour in six years.
The Beatles legend recently confirmed he’s returning to the road for his ‘Got Back’ shows in North America in 2024 and now he’s revealed he’ll be playing Australia first with a series of gigs that launch in Adelaide on October 18 and run through until November when the tour winds up on the Gold Coast.
In an announcement video, the 81-year-old musician said: “Hey, G’day Australia. Paul McCartney here, I’m coming down to see you in October with my ‘Got Back’ tour. Haven’t been back since 2017, very excited to come down and see all you Aussies.
“We’re going to have a great time, it’s going to be really special and we’re going to rock. So come on down, see you then.”
The ‘Got Back’ Australian tour dates are: October 18, Adelaide – Adelaide Entertainment Centre, October 21, Melbourne – Marvel Stadium, October 24, Newcastle – McDonald Jones Stadium, October 27, Sydney – Allianz Stadium, October 28, Sydney – Allianz Stadium, November 1, Brisbane – Suncorp Stadium, November 4, Gold Coast – Heritage Bank Stadium.
The shows will mark McCartney’s first shows since his headline performance at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival in 2022. He will go on to kick off the North American leg at Washington’s Spokane Arena on April 28, with his final stop scheduled for June 16 at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium.
In reference to the American dates, McCartney said in a statement: “I said at the end of the last tour that I’d see you next time. I said I was going to get back to you. Well, I got back.”

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Lil Wayne shares top tips for hip-hop success

OHMYGOSSIP — Lil Wayne insisted it is impossible for new artists to “break” without social media.
The ‘Lollipop’ hitmaker – whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. – acknowledged “real talent” is still essential in order to rise to the top, but he also believes there is no chance of doing so without an online presence and the exposure that offers to up-and-coming singers and rappers.
Asked what it takes to break new acts, he told Billboard: “Today, you have to know social media. If you don’t, you have to have a team that does.
“That said, the main thing today is what it has been yesterday and the day before yesterday: You just have to have real talent. Real, everlasting and undeniable talent.
“That’s how you still break an artist. Once you find that in an artist, then use and highlight that as much as you can, because it’s hard.
“There are lots of artists that want to be exactly what they see [and hear] on social media. They just want to be that instead of being what they actually can be.
“So get them to believe in what they are and what they truly can be. And even if it is a challenge, that challenge has always been one of the most fun things ever for me. I love it.”
The 43-year-old rapper believes hip-hop has changed more in recent years than ever before, which he attributes to the rise in social media.
He added: “Right now is the time where I see the most change in our genre, because back then, I think it was just progress more than change; progression from what was already set before us and also us honouring what was set before us.
“But now it’s not that no one’s honouring what was before them — it’s just that the world has changed thanks to social media.
“There was no such thing as social media when I started doing this. But social media has changed the genre and opened doors.
“That’s definitely what helped contribute to its going global. [Social media] is good and bad.”

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Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge and The 1975’s Matty Healy share kiss and hit back at Malaysia’s anti-gay rules

OHMYGOSSIP — Blink-182’s Tom DeLonge has declared he “won’t be going to Malaysia” – after sharing a smooch with The 1975’s Matty Healy.
The pop group were performing ‘Robbers’ at Lollapalooza Chicago on August 4, when frontman Matty spotted the pop punk legend in the crowd and stumbled down off the stage into the crowd to share the sweet embrace.
Sharing a screenshot from someone’s TikTok of the moment, Tom wrote on Instagram: “I guess myself ‘AND’ The 1975 won’t be going to Malaysia – just a couple of dudes kissing during their phenomenal set at Lollapalooza.”
Alongside the video clip, he also wrote: “The 1975 blew me away at Lollapalooza… Great f****** band. [Matty Healy] even gave me a quick kiss as a first time hello.”
The 1975 are banned from the country in Southeast Asia, where same-sex activity is illegal, after Matty, 34, protested the laws by kissing his male bassist Ross MacDonald during their show at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur.
He went on to mock Malaysia’s anti-gay officials after they were told they cannot perform there again.
Matty wrote on his Instagram Stories as news about the ban made global headlines: “Ok well why don’t you try and not make out with Ross for 20 years. Not as easy as it looks.”
The singer then posted a series of pictures showing his close friendship with Ross, as well as a since-deleted video of a speech from author Christopher Hitchens, in which the intellectual said: “Homosexuality is not just a form of sex – it’s a form of love.”
Other posts on Matt’s Stories in the wake of the Malaysia controversy featured a black hat superimposed on a map of the country along with a screenshot of his name trending on Twitter.
The Good Vibes Festival was scheduled to run the rest of the weekend but was abruptly axed by authorities following Matt’s kiss.
He told the crowd: “I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it. I don’t see the f****** point… of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.
“I’m sorry if that offends you and you’re religious… but your government are a bunch of f****** r******.
“I don’t care anymore. If you push, I’m gonna push back. I’m not in the f****** mood.”
He added about why the band had decided to turn up at the festival despite his anger, before kissing Ross: “I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool. I pulled this show yesterday, and we had a conversation.
“We said, ‘You know what? We can’t let the kids down because they’re not the government.’
“If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f*** off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before, and it doesn’t feel good.”
Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital said about cancelling the festival in the wake of Matt’s kiss: “The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws… we sincerely apologise to all our ticket holders, vendors, sponsors, and partners. We are aware of the time, energy and efforts you have put into making this festival a success, and we value your steadfast support.”
The rest of The 1975’s Asia Tour, which included stops at Jakarta, Indonesia’s We the Fest on Sunday and a show in Taipei, Taiwan, were also pulled, and the Lollapalooza concert was their first show since Good Vibes.

Source: IconInsider.com

I shake it off! Taylor Swift admits performing live continues to be her ‘coping mechanism’

OHMYGOSSIP — Taylor Swift admits performing live continues to be her “coping mechanism” and vowed to make “as many albums as humanly possible”.
The ‘Shake It Off’ hitmaker wants to keep the connection she has with her Swifties alive for as long as she can by creating new records that they can relate to.
According to Variety, Taylor said at one of her six Los Angeles shows on ‘The Eras Tour’: “The reason we didn’t tour for five years — that was not a normal or scheduled thing. We had a global pandemic; we had much more important things that we had to worry about.
“But I’ve been playing shows sort of as a coping mechanism my whole life since I was about 12 years old. I go through this process where I feel things, I write a song about that thing, I show it to you and I go, ‘Do you like it? Did you ever feel this way too?’
“And so, when you guys are at a show if you even nod your head or make eye contact with me or sing the words to a song during a show, that to me validates that emotion and makes me feel like I wasn’t alone in feeling it. It’s sort of my coping process in life — so all of a sudden that was gone.”
She concluded: “And so I decided, in order to keep that connection going, if I couldn’t play live shows with you, I was going to make and release as many albums as humanly possible.”
The ‘Anti-Hero’ hitmaker is working her way through re-recording her first six albums following a masters ownership dispute with former record label, Big Machine Records, its founder Scott Borchetta, and new owner Scooter Braun.
So far, she has released ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’, ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ and ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’.
Meanwhile, Taylor has just extended the ‘Eras Tour’ again with new shows in the US and Canada.
The ‘Karma’ hitmaker had been due to finish the American leg of the concert series – which began on March 17 in Glendale, Arizona – this week following six nights at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, but she’s revealed she’ll be returning to the States in October next year for shows in Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana, and Indianapolis, Indiana, playing three nights in each city, before six dates at the Rogers Center in Toronto.
Sharing the dates on Twitter, the ‘Cruel Summer’ hitmaker wrote while referencing a tweet from Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “Turns out it’s NOT the end of an era.
“Miami, New Orleans, Indy and Toronto: The Eras Tour is coming to you in 2024 with Gracie Abrams!”
begged Taylor to bring the ‘Eras Tour’ to his country.
The politician tweeted: “It’s me, hi.
“I know places in Canada would love to have you. So, don’t make it another cruel summer. We hope to see you soon.”

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Dua Lipa’s new era is to be inspired by ‘1970s-era psychedelia’

OHMYGOSSIP — Dua Lipa is to ditch her disco pop era in favour of music informed by “1970s-era psychedelia”.
A New York Times profile on the Grammy-winning pop star, 27, has claimed the ‘Physical’ hitmaker is reinventing her sound for her follow-up to 2020’s dance record ‘Future Nostalgia’, and is getting help from psychedelic act Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker.
Asked if the rumour is true, she coyly replied: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The profile noted: “She doesn’t want to “alienate” them [her fans], although she’s developing a new sound that may be informed less by the house and disco beats beneath songs like ‘Physical’ and ‘Hallucinate’ than by 1970s-era psychedelia.”
Last month, Mark Ronson revealed that he has already heard “some” of Dua’s new album.
The studio wizard – who brought Dua on board for the hit ‘Dance The Night’ for the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack – has hinted at what fans can expect from her third studio effort.
He told Vulture: “I’ve heard some of it and it’s incredible.”
Referencing the music video for ‘Dance The Night’, he suggested that one key moment could be a big hint of what’s to come.
He added: “I think that’s why there’s the disco ball that smashes in the video, right?
“This feels like her triumphant stomp on that era of her music into whatever she does next.”
Fans are still waiting for a release date for the upcoming record.
Dua backtracked after telling Sir Elton John the collection was “50 per cent done” in March last year.
However, in December she admitted the record had “taken a complete turn”.
She told Variety: “When I was speaking to Elton, I really felt like I was halfway done.
“But it’s taken a complete turn as I’ve carried on working, and I really feel now that it’s starting to sound cohesive.
“So I’m going to keep writing in the early months of the new year and see where that takes me.”
She admitted the record is “different sonically” from what’s come before and teased that the title would make “everything” clearer to her fans.
She added: “The album is different – it’s still pop but it’s different sonically, and there’s more of a lyrical theme.
“If I told you the title, everything would make sense – but I think we’ll just have to wait.”

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Taylor Swift didn’t want a massive paycheque for use of music in Heartstopper

OHMYGOSSIP — Taylor Swift was more than happy not to make “big bucks” from ‘Heartstopper’ using her song.
The 33-year-old singer gave her permission for her track ‘seven’ from 2020’s ‘folklore’ to be used in an emotional scene in the coming-of-age Netflix series’ season two finale starring same-sex couple Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell).
And music supervisor, Matt Biffa, has insisted the show didn’t have a massive budget to pay the Grammy winner huge royalties and Taylor was just happy to help them out with the “beautiful” moment.
When one Twitter user wrote: “so you mean THIS heartstopper scene with ‘seven’ by taylor swift in the background that highlights sapphic love and absolute queer joy, she was willing to get less money because she thought it was beautiful and her song would be perfect for it???? (sic)”
Biff responded: “No, she just thought the scene was beautiful and we were then able to make it work.”
He also wrote: “Sometimes art is more important than $$$.”
The likes of The 1975 and Wolf Alice also have music featured in the hit show.
Meanwhile, the pop superstar just gave out bonuses worth $55 million to her tour crew.
The ‘All Too Well’ singer rewarded her hardworking ‘Eras’ tour crew, including dancers, riggers, sound technicians, and catering staff with cash bonuses, according to PEOPLE.
It was recently revealed by TMZ that Taylor had gifted her tour truck drivers a $100,000 bonus each.
She handed out the six-figure bonuses to the truckers who have been carting her equipment all over the USA.
Taylor is believed to have 50 truck drivers on the tour, meaning she shelled out $5 million in bonuses to them alone.
Taylor’s nationwide tour has already taken in $1 billion in sales.
She kicked off the ‘Eras’ tour in Glendale, Arizona, in March and is completing the original US leg this week with two concerts as part of her six sold-out shows at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
Taylor will head to Mexico at the end of August and in 2024 will take the tour to Europe, Asia, and Australia, plus she’s just added more dates in the US and Canada next year.

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The Sherlocks feel like ‘the Tyson Fury of the music industry’

OHMYGOSSIP — The Sherlocks have hailed themselves as the “Tyson Fury of the music industry”.
The ‘Sorry’ band – who are chasing their first UK number one album with ‘People Like Me And You’ – have compared their struggle to the superstar boxer who also “hard it hard for quite a while” in his own rise to the top.
Frontman Kiaran Crook told the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column: “For so long we weren’t backed, we’ve had to prove ourselves over some time.
“Like Tyson Fury, he had to let his fighting do the talking, and now it feels like everyone loves him all of a sudden.
“I feel like he had it hard for quite a whole and we feel like that too. In many ways we feel like the Tyson Fury of the music industry.”
The singer is glad to see the likes of The Reytons and The Snuts topping the chats recently, with “guitar bands getting in those spots” once again.
IT’s also refreshing for the Yorkshire-based group – which also includes his brother Brandon, along with bandmates Alex Procter and Trent Jackson – to see so many northern artists getting the spotlight.
Kiaran said: “A lot of the music industry from what I have learnt operates in the south of England, in London, so if you come from Sheffield and you actually want to make a dent in the industry and get noticed then you have to craft.
“It feels like people don’t take notice until you can’t be ignored, whether that is selling loads of tickets, like us, and all the sudden people’s ears prick up and they say, ‘Who is this band?’ ”

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‘We nearly shaved our heads’: The 1975’s Matty Healy feared prison stretch after same-sex stage kiss in Malaysia

OHMYGOSSIP — Matty Healy feared he would be sent to prison after he kissed his bandmate Ross MacDonald on stage in Malaysia and criticised the country’s anti-LGBTQ laws.
The 1975 were banned from the Southeast Asian country, where same-sex activity is illegal, last month after the 34-year-old frontman protested the laws by kissing his male bassist Ross during their show at the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur on July 21st.
Matty has now revealed he and Ross nearly shaved their heads in preparation for a potential prison stint.
During a show in Hawaii on August 6th, Matty told the crowd: “All I’ll say is that I don’t give a f*** about any white saviour complex b*******.
“What I’ll say is that doing the right thing often requires quite a lot of sacrifice and very little reward.
“And being seen to do the right thing requires very little sacrifice, and that’s when you get all the rewards.
“And me and Ross nearly shaved our heads because we thought we were going to prison for being f***.”
The 1975 were performing a headline set on the Friday at the Good Vibes Festival last month when Matty and Ross smooched on stage.
The event was scheduled to run the rest of the weekend, but it was abruptly axed by authorities following the controversial kiss.
Before kissing Ross, Matty told the crowd: “I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it. I don’t see the f****** point… of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us who we can have sex with.
“I’m sorry if that offends you and you’re religious… but your government are a bunch of f****** r******.
“I don’t care anymore. If you push, I’m gonna push back. I’m not in the f****** mood.
“I’m sure a lot of you are gay and progressive and cool. I pulled this show yesterday, and we had a conversation.
“We said, ‘You know what? We can’t let the kids down because they’re not the government.’
“If you want to invite me here to do a show, you can f*** off. I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before, and it doesn’t feel good.”
Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Digital said about cancelling the festival in the wake of the pair’s smooch: “The Ministry has underlined its unwavering stance against any parties that challenge, ridicule, or contravene Malaysian laws… we sincerely apologise to all our ticket holders, vendors, sponsors, and partners. We are aware of the time, energy and efforts you have put into making this festival a success, and we value your steadfast support.”
The rest of The 1975’s Asia Tour, which included stops at Jakarta, Indonesia’s We the Fest, and a show in Taipei, Taiwan, were also pulled.

Source: IconInsider.com

Demi Lovato collaborates with LE SSERAFIM

OHMYGOSSIP — Demi Lovato has collaborated with LE SSERAFIM on a remix of their song ‘Eve, Psyche the Bluebeard’s Wife’.
The 30-year-old singer has joined forces with the South Korean girl group – comprised of Sakura, Kim Chae-won, Huh Yun-jin, Kazuha, and Hong Eun-chae – for a new version of their hit single.
Demi contributes new lyrics to the second verse, where she sings: “I see it written on your face, yeah / I know you want a little taste, yeah / You know I’ll put you in your place / You’re crawling on the floor, begging me for more.”
‘Eve, Psyche the Bluebeard’s Wife’ originally appeared on LE SSERAFIM’s first studio album ‘Unforgiven’, which was released in May.
Demi is the latest star to sing on a new version of “’Eve, Psyche The Bluebeard’s Wife’.
A remix with Rina Sawayama was released last week, while a version with UPSAHL dropped on July 14.
The English version of the track was also released at the beginning of July.
Meanwhile, last month, Demi announced a new rock album ‘Revamped’, which will include new rock versions of some of her hits.
She tweeted: “Breathing new life into the songs that played such a huge role in my career has allowed me to feel so much closer to my music than ever before.
” I can’t wait for you to hear REVAMPED on 9/15. Pre-Order Available now.”

Source: IconInsider.com

‘Turns out it’s NOT the end of an era’: Taylor Swift extends tour

OHMYGOSSIP — Taylor Swift has extended her ‘Eras’ tour again with new shows in the US and Canada.
The 33-year-old singer had been due to finish the American leg of the concert series – which began on 17 March in Glendale, Arizona – next week following six nights at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, but she’s revealed she’ll be returning to the States in October next year for shows in Miami, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Indianapolis, Indiana, playing three nights in each city, before six dates at the Rogers Center in Toronto.
Sharing the dates on Twitter, the ‘Cruel Summer’ hitmaker wrote: “Turns out it’s NOT the end of an era.
“Miami, New Orleans, Indy and Toronto: The Eras Tour is coming to you in 2024 with Gracie Abrams!”
Verified fan registration for the US shows is open now until Saturday (05.08.23) at 5pm ET/ 2pm PT.
The announcement came a month after Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, begged Taylor to bring the ‘Eras Tour’ to his country.
He tweeted the ‘Shake It Off’ singer: “It’s me, hi.
“I know places in Canada would love to have you. So, don’t make it another cruel summer. We hope to see you soon.”
Taylor is said to have caused a 2.3 magnitude earthquake with her Seattle shows last month, according to a seismologist.
The pop star played to 144,000 fans over two nights at the city’s Lumen Field on July 22 and 23 and Jackie Caplan-Auerbach believes the noise from the crowd and the sound system caused the biggest earthquake since 2011’s “Beast Quake”.
The latter was caused by the crowd’s piercing reaction to Marshawn Lynch’s touchdown for the Seattle Seahawks during their match against the New Orleans Saints.
The geology professor at Western Washington University explained how the “shaking was twice as strong”.
She told CNN: “I grabbed the data from both nights of the concert and quickly noticed they were clearly the same pattern of signals.
“If I overlay them on top of each other, they’re nearly identical.”
Taylor had said of the sold-out shows: “Seattle that was genuinely one of my favourite weekends ever. Thank you for everything. All the cheering, screaming, jumping, dancing, singing at the top of your lungs.”

Source: IconInsider.com

Damon Albarn: ‘We’re gonna need more drugs to get through absurd AI’

OHMYGOSSIP — Damon Albarn has quipped that “we’re gonna need better drugs” to get through an age of AI.
The 55-year-old Blur frontman has slammed AI versions of the ‘Parklife’ group’s songs sung in the vocal likeness of Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé and Snoop Dogg
Asked about the rise in Artificial Intelligence music, Damon is quoted by The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column as saying: : “It’s absurd. Anyone who has so much time to sing songs through a Michael Bublé filter and put them on the internet is a f****** idiot. If the AIs are the future of music, we’re gonna need better drugs to get us through it!”
Many artists have raised their concerns about the lack of emotion in AI, including Nick Cave, 65, and Sting, 71, the latter of whom believes it will be a “battle” for the music industry.
However, 35-year-old experimental artist Grimes – who has gone as far as to create her own AI software – and will.i.am are pro-AI.
The Black Eyed Peas star, 48, is one of the music artists championing songs created by artificial intelligence software, with the songwriter claiming it can pen a tune just as good as he can.
He told ITV’s ‘Good Morning Britain’: “People have to decide what types of songs they want to write because, although I wrote songs like ‘Boom Boom Pow’ and ‘I Gotta Feeling’, the machine is going to write amazing versions or original ‘Boom Boom Pows’.”
The tech enthusiast says AI can provide “social commentary” just like a human.
He said: “It was a new song and it wrote it the way I would have written it.”
Will continued: “It’s a unique world that we’re entering into. It’s a new renaissance.”
He added: “The concern is what we do as people and the regulation that we put on folks that are building the models.”

Source: IconInsider.com