Post-Thanksgiving box office is notoriously slow, but concert movie defied odds, opening in first place with $21m in ticket sales
Beyoncé ruled the box office this weekend.
Her concert picture, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, opened in first place with $21m in North American ticket sales, according to estimates from AMC Theatres Sunday.
Continue reading...Star conductor becomes latest Kremlin supporter to lead a major Russian cultural institution
Valery Gergiev, the star Russian conductor and prominent supporter of Vladimir Putin, has been installed as general director of Moscow’s Bolshoi theatre, in the latest appointment of a Kremlin loyalist to a leading cultural institution.
The appointment means that Gergiev, who also heads the rival Mariinsky theatre in St Petersburg, will have artistic control over the two crown jewels of the Russian ballet and opera.
Continue reading...Michael D Higgins compares Pogues frontman’s songs with ‘perfectly crafted poems’
The Irish president, Michael D Higgins, has led Ireland’s tributes to Shane MacGowan, describing the Pogues frontman as one of “music’s greatest lyricists”.
After the singer’s death at the age of 65, Higgins compared MacGowan’s songs with “perfectly crafted poems” that captured “the measure of our dreams”.
Continue reading...Allegations, which rapper and mogul denies, follow another lawsuit last week from former girlfriend Cassie, which was quickly settled
Sean Combs, the rapper and mogul known as Diddy, has been accused of sexual assault in two new lawsuits, after another he settled last week with former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, AKA Cassie.
The first, from Joi Dickerson-Neal, alleges Combs attacked her in 1991 and inflicted “substantial and lifetime injuries … as a result of being drugged, sexually assaulted and abused, and being “the victim of ‘revenge porn’ that Sean Combs or ‘P. Diddy’ created and distributed”. A representative for Combs has called the claims “made up and not credible … purely a money grab”.
Continue reading...Last four members of South Korean supergroup have begun enlisting, meaning the band will finish their mandatory military service by 2025
Jung Kook, a member of the K-Pop supergroup BTS, said on Wednesday he would begin military service in December, after the group’s management agency said that all seven BTS members were on track to carry out their service.
BTS is on temporary break as a group with three of its seven members now doing South Korea’s mandatory military service.
Continue reading...‘Kill switch’ to cut power in case of an ‘unwanted incident’ was discussed, but the band’s support of Palestine has endeared them to prime minister
A Coldplay concert is going ahead in Malaysia on Wednesday despite opposition from conservative Muslims in the country, but the band could face a “kill switch” that cuts off the show if they seriously offend cultural sensibilities.
Following outcry over a same-sex kiss between members of the 1975 at a Kuala Lumpur concert in July, earlier this month deputy communications and digital minister Teo Nie Ching introduced a ruling that concert organisers must have “a kill switch that will cut off electricity during any performance if there is any unwanted incident”.
Continue reading...Record-breaking run comes to an end after raising over £1m for food bank charity The Trussell Trust
After beating the Beatles’ record for the most UK Christmas No 1s and raising well over £1m for charity, YouTube star LadBaby is bowing out of this year’s race for the festive top spot.
Mark Hoyle, with his wife Roxanne and their two sons in support, has reached No 1 at Christmas every year since 2018, with a series of songs featuring punning reworks – chiefly centred on sausage rolls – of classic rock songs.
Continue reading...‘I’ll be sad to see them go but we’ve had wonderful times together,’ says musician ahead of London auction
Mark Knopfler has said he wants to let his guitars have new adventures with new owners as he announced the sale of a collection of the instruments spanning his five-decade career.
Knopfler, who made Dire Straits one of the the biggest bands in the world, is to sell 120 of his guitars and amps at Christie’s in London in January, with 25% of the proceeds going to charity.
Continue reading...Colombian singer to pay €7.3m fine instead of risking prison sentence in deal that ends Barcelona trial
The Colombian pop star Shakira has reached a settlement with prosecutors to avoid a trial in Barcelona over charges she failed to pay €14.5m (£12.7m) in Spanish income tax between 2012 and 2014.
As part of the deal, she accepted the charges and a fine of 50% of the amount owed, more than €7.3m.
Continue reading...Colombian singer is accused of defrauding authorities of €14.5m and could face jail if found guilty
Shakira, the Latin Grammy-winning singer, is due in court in Barcelona on Monday on charges of defrauding the Spanish tax authorities of €14.5m (£12.7m).
The 46-year-old Colombian musician, who lives in Miami with her two children, could face up to eight years in jail and a €24m fine if found guilty.
Continue reading...Settlement to their ‘mutual satisfaction’ announced in a statement released on Friday evening without details being disclosed
Sean “Diddy” Combs and singer Cassie said on Friday that they have settled a lawsuit containing allegations of beatings and abuse by the music producer.
Combs, a hip-hop icon and the founder of Bad Boy Records, was accused of rape and abuse in a major lawsuit filed by Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, that alleges he used his powerful network to keep her trapped in a violent relationship with him.
Continue reading...The prestigious awards are being held in Europe for the first time. But does this ‘landmark moment for Spain’ neglect the musicians at the forefront of Latin music innovation?
Hordes of fans wait anxiously along fenced barriers clutching their phones, itching to catch a shot of some of the world’s most famous musicians. Some scream in excitement as cars with blacked-out windows roll up outside the glitzy venues, eagerly anticipating the arrival of artists such as Shakira, Maluma, Camilo and Karol G in the run up to the ceremony on Thursday night (16 November). This is the Latin Grammys, the most prominent event recognising artists in the Latin music world – but this year, it’s far from its usual lavish Las Vegas home. Instead, the awards are taking place in the Spanish city of Seville, the first time outside the United States in its 24-year history.
The move is the result of a three-year sponsorship deal with Andalucía’s regional government, which has allocated €22,748,000 to the ceremony and its satellite concerts. The president of the regional government, Juan Manuel Moreno, has said that the Latin Grammys in Seville presents a “landmark moment for Spain, and for Europe”.
Continue reading...In-development film comes after controversy around the re-creation of late stars’ voices, such as Anthony Bourdain
Sixty years after her death, Édith Piaf’s voice will be re-created using AI to narrate her biopic.
As reported by Variety, Warner Music Group (WMG) has partnered with the Piaf estate to produce the feature-length film Edith. Artificial intelligence has been trained to replicate Piaf’s voice by feeding it hundreds of voice clips, with WMG promising the resultant re-creation will “further enhance the authenticity and emotional impact of her story”.
Continue reading...Politicians have long sought to silence the genre, but previous clampdowns have only boosted its popularity
A typical song by Peso Pluma, one of Mexico’s most popular singers, might start with a guitar and a trumpet, sounding like something for the older crowd – but then come the lyrics telling of drug shipments, stacks of cash and diamond-encrusted pistols.
Peso Pluma has produced some of the most notorious recent examples of narcocorridos – ballads celebrating the exploits of the Mexican underworld that are hugely popular not just at home but across Latin America and the US.
Continue reading...Ex-executive Drew Dixon alleges Reid, known for growing stars such as Usher and Pink, assaulted her twice and derailed her career
LA Reid, the music executive known for helping develop superstars Mariah Carey, Pink, TLC and Usher, was sued on Wednesday by a former music executive who accused him of sexually assaulting her more than two decades ago.
Drew Dixon said Reid, 67, derailed her once promising music industry career after he became Arista Records’ chief executive because she rejected his advances, including two assaults that she said occurred in 2001.
Continue reading...Fifty-year mystery solved as research suggests picture shows Lot Long, a widower from Mere
For Led Zeppelin fans it is an instantly recognisable image: that of a grey-bearded figure stooping, his leathery hands grasping the pole supporting a bundle of hazel on his back.
But the origin of the image, which forms the centrepiece of the eye-catching front cover of Led Zeppelin IV, has remained a mystery for more than half a century.
Continue reading...Frontman’s Liverpool bandmates and fellow touring band the Wombats post tribute message and pictures online
The indie band the Night Café have said they are “devastated” as they announced the sudden death of their lead singer, Sean Martin. The group, from Liverpool, announced the news on Instagram: “We are devastated to share the sudden passing of our best friend Sean.
“Words can’t describe the pain we are feeling right now. We’re still struggling to process it all. We ask everyone to respect the privacy of Sean’s family and friends during this difficult time.
Continue reading...Exhibition puts music previously shunned by elites as ‘stuff of outlaws’ in long tradition of black culture and resistance
Hebert Amorim was eight when he got his first taste of funk carioca (Rio funk): a pirate CD by Mr Catra, a favela MC famed for his ferociously explicit verses about gangs, guns and sex.
“My mum caught me listening to it and went mental,” said the 30-year-old visual artist from Senador Camará, a hardscrabble corner of west Rio de Janeiro where police fear to tread.
Continue reading...Kate Bush and Soul Train creator Don Cornelius were also inducted, with Missy Elliott closing the ceremony with roof-shaking set
Sheryl Crow and Olivia Rodrigo kicked off the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday night and Missy Elliott closed the show more than four hours later with a roof-shaking set, as the hall celebrated a strong representation of women and Black artists.
Chaka Khan, Kate Bush, Soul Train creator Don Cornelius, the Spinners and DJ Kool Herc were also inducted in a celebration of funk, art-rock, R&B and hip-hop, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Continue reading...Pitchfork reports that hundreds of fans are sharing tents on a meticulously planned schedule to ensure they get the best spot when doors open next week
After a whirlwind excursion around the US that has generated billions of dollars in income and broken records for crowd size and seismic activity, Taylor Swift is taking her Eras tour to South America – and fans have reportedly been lining up for five months.
In Buenos Aires, a cadre of Swifties has been sleeping in tents outside River Plate Stadium, where Swift is set to open her Latin American leg with three shows from 9-11 November.
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