Category Archives: Music

Coachella 2022: big stars head to the desert with safety concerns looming

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After a two-year pause, Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and The Weeknd will be headlining at a festival with no Covid-19 restrictions

Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and The Weeknd are headed to Coachella this weekend for the first edition of the mega-festival in three years.

The California-based festival, which takes place over two weekends, is expected to draw more than 125,000 people a day. In February, the festival announced that there would be no rules regarding mask-wearing, testing and vaccination proof “in accordance with local guidelines”.

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Britney Spears is pregnant with third child, Instagram post suggests

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Announcement comes after singer was released from conservatorship she says required her to stay on birth control

Britney Spears has apparently revealed she is pregnant with her third child, months after she was released from a conservatorship that she said prevented her from marrying and having additional children.

The Toxic singer shared the news in a post on Instagram on Monday, saying she had taken a pregnancy test after her partner, Sam Asghari, had teased her about being “food pregnant”.

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Jack White marries musician Olivia Jean in on-stage surprise

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Star proposes in Detroit while singing lyric ‘let’s get married’, before ceremony performed by label co-founder

Jack White surprised fans by marrying the musician Olivia Jean on stage during his Detroit homecoming show on Friday.

The Detroit-born singer, songwriter and producer invited Jean onstage to join his performance and introduced her as his girlfriend.

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Suspect in shooting of Lady Gaga’s dog walker mistakenly released from jail

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James Jackson, 19, one of the three suspects accused in connection with shooting of Ryan Fischer, who was walking artist’s bulldogs

The 19-year-old man arrested over the shooting of Lady Gaga’s dog-walker last year was released from jail in California earlier this week – by mistake, the authorities have said.

James Jackson, 19, Jaylin White, 19, and Lafayette Whaley, 27, were charged after the incident last February, accused of attempted murder, second-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery in connection with the shooting of Ryan Fischer, who was walking the music artist’s French bulldogs.

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Bobby Rydell, US pop idol of the early 1960s, dies aged 79

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Singer, drummer and actor had five US Top 10 hits, and inspired the Beatles to write She Loves You

Bobby Rydell, who enjoyed numerous US hits during the teen pop craze of the early 1960s, has died aged 79. He suffered complications from pneumonia, and died in hospital in his native Philadelphia.

With songs of decorous romance sung in his clean, hearty voice, Rydell reached the US Top 10 five times – with We Got Love, Swingin’ School, his version of the standard Volare, Wild One (also a UK Top 10 hit) and Forget Him. The latter is believed to be the inspiration for the Beatles’ She Loves You after Paul McCartney said the song was inspired by an unnamed Rydell number.

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Grammy awards 2022: Olivia Rodrigo wins big and Ukraine’s Zelenskiy makes cameo

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The specter of Oscars chaos loomed over the music awards – a mega-concert which included a message of hope from the Ukrainian president

Teenage pop phenom Olivia Rodrigo and R&B duo Silk Sonic dominated the major categories, and Jon Batiste won album of the year at the 64th annual Grammys – a three-and-a-half-hour mega concert that mostly steered clear of politics or the pandemic, save for a virtual message from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and an emotional tribute to victims of the Russian invasion.

A week after one of the most chaotic Oscars in recent memory – during which Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage – the Grammys seemed to revel in its technical proficiency and lack of controversy. “We’re gonna be listening to some music, we’re gonna be dancing, we’re gonna be singing, we’re gonna be keeping people’s names out of our mouths,” said host Trevor Noah in his opening monologue, acknowledging the elephant in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

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Hula teacher and composer Edith Kanaka’ole to be featured on US quarters

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Native Hawaiian musician to be depicted in 2023 as part of program honoring eminent American women

The late Native Hawaiian hula teacher Edith Kanaka’ole is among five women who will be individually featured on US quarters in 2023 as part of a program that depicts notable women on the coins.

The US Mint described Kanaka’ole, who died in 1978, as a composer, chanter, dancer, teacher and entertainer.

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French fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier dies at 78

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Demarchelier photographed Princess Diana, Beyonce and Madonna during long career

Patrick Demarchelier, the fashion photographer who worked with high-profile figures including Diana, Princess of Wales, has died at the age of 78.

His death was announced by his representatives on Instagram on Thursday. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Patrick Demarchelier on 31 March 2022, at the age of 78,” the post read. “He is survived by his wife Mia, his three sons Gustaf, Arthur, Victor and three grandchildren.”

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Trump may face day in court thanks to lawsuit from reggae singer Eddy Grant

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The musician sued the former president and his administration over the use of his song Electric Avenue in an ad in 2020

Reggae singer Eddy Grant may succeed where the attorney general of New York state and other powerful figures have struggled – by forcing Donald Trump to answer questions under oath in a legal proceeding.

Grant sued the former president and his campaign over the use of the song Electric Avenue in an ad in 2020.

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Ariana Grande giving $1.5m to support trans youth amid ‘disgraceful’ legislative attacks

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The pop star vowed on International Transgender Day of Visibility to match donations to groups that advocate for trans rights

On International Transgender Day of Visibility, Ariana Grande is using her star power to rally her millions of fans to support trans youth.

In an Instagram post on Thursday, the pop star announced the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund, which she founded with the fundraising platform Pledge.

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The Wanted singer Tom Parker dies from brain cancer aged 33

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Pop star who was diagnosed with tumour in 2020 had ‘infectious smile and energetic presence’, says his wife

Tom Parker, singer with the Wanted, has died aged 33 from brain cancer.

His wife, Kelsey, said on Instagram: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we confirm Tom passed away peacefully earlier today with all of his family by his side. Our hearts are broken, Tom was the centre of our world and we can’t imagine life without his infectious smile and energetic presence.”

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Philip Jeck, acclaimed British experimental composer, dies aged 69

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Jeck was celebrated for his use of dilapidated vinyl records and players, across 12 albums and numerous collaborations

Philip Jeck, the experimental British composer who deployed sampling and DJing to highly imaginative ends, has died aged 69 after a short illness.

The founders of Touch, the record label that released his music, announced the news, writing that Jeck was “a remarkable man and a wonderful artist,” and that “he has been one of the kingpins of our work for 30 years. But with Philip it was never just the work, more the love, the spirit and the dedication. He touched so many with his wit, his zest for life and his wisdom.”

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Talking Heads musicians survive serious collision with drunk driver

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Tina Weymouth in ‘a lot of pain’ after she fractures sternum and three ribs in car crash, says husband Chris Frantz

Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, the husband and wife musicians who were core members of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, have survived a serious car crash after a collision with a drunk driver.

According to a post from Frantz on Facebook, accompanying an image of their wrecked Ford SUV, the incident happened two weeks ago on US Route 1. He wrote:

We were struck head on by a drunk driver who was driving on the wrong side of the road. Incredibly, we walked away from the collision. Tina had a Cat scan and suffered three fractured ribs and a fractured sternum. She’s been in a lot of pain but she will get better with time. I give thanks to our guardian angels and to the Ford Motor Company for building a car that protected us from getting killed.

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Taylor Hawkins: drugs found in body of Foo Fighters drummer

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Toxicology test indicated presence of 10 substances including marijuana, antidepressants and opioids

The Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins had at least 10 substances in his body when he died suddenly in Bogotá, according to a preliminary toxicology test carried out by Colombian authorities.

The 50-year-old musician was found dead in his hotel room on Friday afternoon, hours before the band was due to perform at Colombia’s Estéreo Picnic festival as part of its South American tour. The Grammy award-winning group had then been due to headline one of Brazil’s biggest music festivals on Sunday night.

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Martha Wainwright: ‘Forget rock excess, life on the road was a juggling act for me’

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The Canadian-American singer-songwriter on why she needed to tell a different story in her candid autobiography

The rock autobiography is typically a male genre, telling tales of excess so competitive that readers could be forgiven for wishing Keith Richards, Neil Young, Roger Daltrey, et al, would break the monotony by taking up wood whittling.

But now comes Martha Wainwright, whose autobiography, published this week, is a female-gaze account of what it takes to juggle relationships, familial and domestic circumstances with life under the stage lights.

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Cardi B beats lawsuit over alleged defamation during parking feud

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Judge dismisses plaintiffs’ claim over tweeted video, saying insults by rapper’s sister did not qualify as defamation

The rapper Cardi B has beaten a lawsuit filed against her by three beachgoers who claimed they had been defamed during an altercation over parking.

A lawsuit filed in New York last year alleged that the singer’s sister, Hennessy Carolina, and Carolina’s girlfriend, Michelle Diaz, had blocked the plaintiffs in.

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Music improves wellbeing and quality of life, research suggests

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A review of 26 studies finds benefits of music on mental health are similar to those of exercise and weight loss

“Music,” wrote the late neurologist Oliver Sacks, “has a unique power to express inner states or feelings. Music can pierce the heart directly; it needs no mediation.”

A new analysis has empirically confirmed something that rings true for many music lovers – that singing, playing or listening to music can improve wellbeing and quality of life.

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Berlin Krautrock exhibition celebrates groundbreaking genre

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Posters of Kraftwerk, Neu! and Can span movement’s roots in the counterculture scene of 1968

A motley train of shaggy-haired musicians is gliding into the future on a hastily sketched highway, brandishing bongos, vegetables and flaming guitars.

The poster for a 1971 gig by German-English-Swiss trio Brainticket, on display at Berlin’s small Bröhan Museum until 24 April, visually sums up the essence of a German musical movement so forward-looking at its height, its country of origin is only now starting to recognise its legacy.

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‘Roll on the summer of love’: UK music festivals on song after Covid closures

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From Glastonbury to Radio 1’s Big Weekend there are heady expectations of a vintage season

For a while it felt so far away: listening to your favourite artist, pints flying overhead, queueing for portable toilets, losing your friends and finding new ones. But after two years of cancellations and delays, music lovers can once again look forward to an array of festivals and gigs this summer.

From Paul McCartney at Glastonbury and Tyler, the Creator at Parklife, to Adele and Elton John at BST Hyde Park and Liam Gallagher at the Etihad Stadium, there’s something in the music calendar for everyone.

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Kanye West barred from Grammys over ‘concerning online behavior’

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Representative confirms rapper will not perform at awards show after he was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours

Kanye West has been barred from performing at the Grammy awards next month due to “concerning online behavior”, a representative for the rapper and designer said.

The decision, confirmed to Variety, came a day after West, now legally known as Ye, was suspended from Instagram for 24 hours. The platform said content on the 44-year-old’s account was in violation of its policies on “hate speech and bullying and harassment”.

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