Music News

Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images Ed Sheeran found out the hard way that little kids can sometimes ask the toughest questions. Sheeran, 30, recently sat down with BBC Radio 1 recently, where he was peppered with "difficult questions" from his nine and 10-year-old fans who wanted to know everything from his favorite food to how much money he has in the bank. Nine-year-old Zach brought up the latter inquiry, which caused the "Shape of You" singer to start chuckling. "I've been very fortunate to be able to do what I love as a job for a long time. I've done all right and I would say I have -- more than I would ever need, I think," Sheeran hedged. "I like doing a lot of stuff for charities, keeping it local... I feel like that's where to put the energy." The Grammy winner then explained fans can Google the actual answer, but insisted the amount displayed is not what's in his bank account in full, but is "tied up in... stuff." Another question that brought Sheeran ..

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation According to a report, Mariah Carey has severed her ties with Jay-Z and quit the rapper's agency, Roc Nation. British tabloid The Sun spoke with an insider that claims the two multi-Grammy winners, who collaborated on the 1999 hit "Heartbreaker," had an intense falling out after a disastrous get-together. "Mariah and Jay had an explosive meeting which did not go well at all," the source said. "She has made it clear she wants nothing more to do with him and has called it quits with Roc Nation." The Glitter star had been represented by Roc Nation since 2017. The insider continued, "She will formally depart in the next few weeks. It is a shame because they had done some great work in the last few years. But this meeting couldn’t have gone much worse." Mariah and Hova have been friends for over two decades, but they apparently didn't see eye-to-eye over her career's future. It is unknown what the two discussed in the doomed mee..

Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for MTV Taylor Swift is no stranger to breaking records, but you wouldn't know from her reaction. For the fourth nonconsecutive week in a row, Swift's ninth studio album evermore returned to the top of the Billboard 200 chart for the week ending June 3, according to MCR Data, Billboard reports. The push to number one was fueled largely in part by the release of the record's vinyl LP, autographed CDs and discounts on the digital album, as noted by the publication. Not only did the 31-year-old skyrocket to the top of the charts again, it marks the biggest sales week of 2021 with 202,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. That number surpasses the previous largest sales week of the year (April 24), when her album Fearless (Taylor's Version) sold 179,000 its first week. Evermore's fourth nonconsecutive week at number one makes Swift the artist with the third-most weeks in the slot. She previously tied with Garth Brooks, who ..

Courtesy SelvaRey Rum Bruno Mars is an owner of the ultra-premium rum brand SelvaRey, and he stars in a new commercial for its new coconut rum, and the liquor's "Tropical Luxury, Wherever You Are" campaign. But while the ad mentions the joys of rum punch, Mai Tais and pina coladas, Bruno says if he could raise a glass with any other musician in history, it wouldn't be one of those drinks he'd be downing. Asked by The Daily Beast, "If you could have a drink with one musician dead or alive, who would it be and what would you drink?" Bruno replied, "I'd drink a Mojito with Luther Vandross!" The chart-topping R&B superstar sadly passed away in 2005. Asked to name the "all-time best dive bar jukebox song," Bruno surprisingly didn't choose a raucous rock tune, or a country song about drinking. His pick? "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. In the new commercial for SelvaRey, which Bruno also directed, he stars with his Silk Sonic band mate Anderson. Pa..

MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images The Kid LAROI is on top of the world thanks to his hit collaborative songs with superstars Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber. But life wasn't always easy for the Australian teen and his family, which is why he says it means so much to be able to take care of them now. LAROI's parents split up when he was young, and his mom moved around a lot with him and his younger brother, living everywhere from inner-city suburbs to a remote town in the Australian Outback. At times, they lived below the poverty line. That's why LAROI says now, it's "the best feeling in the world" to know that his mom, who supported his decision to become a musician, doesn't have to struggle anymore. "I grew up watching my mom...like, no matter our financial position, no matter what she was going through, personally, I always saw her get s**t done and make s**t happen for me," he tells ABC Audio. "So that was a thing that always inspired me: seeing my mom be..

Courtesy VEVO Now that all of the songs on Olivia Rodrigo's new album SOUR have made the top 30, how about listening to a song that isn't on that album? "Granted," which Olivia's character Nini sings in the latest episode of her show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, is now available on all digital platforms. Nini sings it after visiting Salt Lake to see Ricky and her friends before heading back to her new school in Denver. If you'd rather watch Olivia, a new short film has been released as part of her stint as VEVO's first LIFT artist of 2021. Called Write Your Heart Out, it features Olivia doing things like sitting on her roof, lying on a blanket in the grass, eating ice cream in a supermarket and hanging out in her room or on the porch, while she discusses her songwriting process in a voiceover. "I'm so not the girl that I was when I wrote SOUR," she explains. "I remember writing it being so sad and so insecure. I have moments all the t..

Kevin Winter/Getty Images Kesha is hitting the High Road. She's announced a batch of concerts in August that will see her performing both hits and fan favorites, as well as songs from her most recent album, High Road. The Kesha Live tour, with Betty Who as opener, kicks off August 13 in Billings, MT and is scheduled through August 29 in Cincinnati, OH. “I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW LONG IT HAS BEEN SINCE WE SAW EACH OTHER WTF!!!!!!!! It’s time to celebrate the fact that we got through the past 14 months, holy s**t," Kesha says in a statement. "Bring. Your. Boogie. Feet. It’s about to go down!!!!!!! Thank God. Let’s party.” You can access a presale on Monday by singing up for her email list at KeshaOfficial.com. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Thursday June 10 at 10 a.m. local time. (Instagram video contains uncensored profanity.) Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lady Gaga: Will Heath/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images; Peck: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Michael Kors Lady Gaga has tapped alt-country artist Orville Peck as the latest artist for her reimagining of her 2011 album Born This Way. As previously reported, Born This Way the Tenth Anniversary album, due out June 18, will feature the album's original 14 songs, plus six reworkings of those songs by artists who are "representing and advocating for the LGBTQIA+ community." The first release from the project was Big Freedia's take on "Judas." Now, Peck, a Canadian artist who identifies as gay and always wears a mask in public, has recorded the album's title track. It's called the "Country Road Version" and it sort of sounds like a cross between Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. It's also faithful to the original except in the bridge and breakdown sections. In the bridge, Peck changes the lyrics, singing, "If I wanna make it cou..

Daniel Prakopcyk The Kid Laroi's come up isn't stopping anytime soon. After collaborating with Justin Bieber on Justin's latest album, JUSTICE, the Australian singer and rapper has signed with Justin's manager, Scooter Braun, reports Variety. That means Laroi is now part of the SB Project roster, a stable of artists that not only includes Justin, but also Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Tori Kelly and Dan + Shay. Still, it's the connection with Justin that probably means the most to Laroi. The "Without You" artist told Variety in April that it was watching Justin's 2011 documentary "Never Say Never" when he was just seven years old that inspired him to make music his career. Amazingly, Laroi says that after he and Justin recorded "Unstable" together for JUSTICE, they've become close friends, and even play basketball together every weekend. "It’s crazy, that’s my boy now,” Laroi told Variety. Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Columbia Happy New Music Friday! Here's a roundup of songs to add to your playlist: Superstar DJ and producer Calvin Harris is back with an upbeat dance anthem called "By Your Side." It features vocals by British singer/songwriter Tom Grennan, know for his song "Little Bit of Love." About working with Tom, Calvin tells Apple Music's Zane Lowe, "I liked his voice a lot. I started following him on Instagram. And I was struck by his positivity, his relentless positivity in his posts...so when I figured out what the song was going to sound like, he seemed like such an obvious choice." Tate McRae has teamed up with hitmaking singer/songwriter and producer blackbear for a new single called "u love u." There's also a video featuring both artists. Tate will perform at the Juno Awards this Sunday night in her native Canada; she's up for two trophies. Surf Mesa, who gave us the 2020 TikTok smash "ILY (I Love You Baby)," has a new single out called "Lose My Mind." It fea..