Music news

• Sonic Youth release archive recordings of 12 live shows to help you through quarantine

  27-03-2020 23:57 via nme.com
  
  Sonic Youth have released archive recordings of 12 live shows from throughout their career.
  The iconic noise rock band formed in 1981 and split in 2011, following Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore’s separation.
  Earlier today (March 27), they shared some glimpses into their live show over the years, releasing the 12 live sets on their Bandcamp page. The gigs documented included a show at New York’s CBGB’s in 1988, San Francisco’s The Warfield in 1993, and a ‘Daydream Nat
  
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• Jaimie Wilson Takes a Painful Trip Down Memory Lane in ‘Homesick’ Video

  27-03-2020 23:52
  
  For many LGBTQ people around the world, going back to your childhood home can be a traumatic experience. But singer-songwriter Jaimie Wilson is taking that trip home and sharing his experience with the world.
  On Wednesday, Wilson shared his video for “Homesick,” a moving acoustic track that sees the singer addressing his past in as honest a way as possible. Throughout the song, Wilson explores his coming-out journey as a trans man, singing about the pain that came with telling his fa
  
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• Parson James Gets ‘Vulnerable’ on Demo for His New Single ‘Fallin on Me’

  27-03-2020 23:49
  
  Different people have found different ways of coping with the spread of the coronavirus around the world. For indie-pop singer Parson James, that comes in the form of music.
  On Friday (March 27), James debuted an unfinished demo of his single “Fallin on Me” on SoundCloud, a soulful pop single that sees the singer struggling with hard times. Backed up by soft pianos, handclaps and even a chorus, James wails about the pain of dealing with emotional turmoil, singing, “Then I&rsquo
  
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• What’s Your Favorite New Dance Music Project Out This Week? Vote!

  27-03-2020 23:46
  
  While dance floors are empty worldwide, the beat goes on via the internet, where a high-caliber posse of dance and electronic acts including Major Lazer, Kygo, Nicolás Jaar, Seven Lions, Bicep and more have released music this week.With sounds spanning tropical folk, to techno, to house to experimental to trance, there’s something for every niche of the dance world this week. We want to know which of the dance projects released this week ranks as your favorite. Vote below!
  
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• Dua Lipa, PartyNextDoor & More: What’s Your Favorite New Music Release This Week? Vote!

  27-03-2020 23:42
  
  Keep Calm, because 5 Seconds of Summer isn’t the only act coming in hot with new music this week.
  Dua Lipa revived ’80s disco-pop for her sophomore album Future Nostalgia, a 37-minute soundtrack to the perfect dance party at home. But PartyNextDoor’s new project Partymobile puts listeners right in their feelings with songs featuring his OVO boss Drake on “Loyal” and “Believe It” or not Rihanna, who caused social media mayhem wit
  
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• Watch Midland Sing Joe Exotic’s ‘I Saw a Tiger’ From ‘Tiger King’

  27-03-2020 23:40 via rollingstone.com
  
  "Mr. Lonely" hitmakers tackle the Netflix docuseries' outrageous country ballad
  
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• ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic Is the Next Big Country Star: See His 7 Best Songs

  27-03-2020 23:38
  
  If you’ve been on Netflix’s Tiger King bandwagon, you know that there’s a lot of insanity packed into seven installments.
  A hilarious fun fact that was thrown into the first episode of the docuseries is that tiger enthusiast Joe Exotic is actually a country singer who has released full-length albums available for purchase at his gift shop.
  Given this information, we at Billboard decided to compile Joe Exotic’s 7 best songs for your listening pleasure. See them b
  
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• ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic Is the Next Big Country Star: Hear His 7 Best Songs

  27-03-2020 23:38
  
  If you’ve been on Netflix’s Tiger King bandwagon, you know that there’s a lot of insanity packed into seven installments.
  A hilarious fun fact that was thrown into the first episode of the docuseries is that tiger enthusiast Joe Exotic is actually a country singer who has released full-length albums available for purchase at his gift shop.
  Given this information, we at Billboard decided to compile Joe Exotic’s 7 best songs for your listening pleasure. See them b
  
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• Alex Gaskarth Reveals Why All Time Low Didn’t Delay Album During Billboard Live At-Home Concert

  27-03-2020 23:24
  
  The last few weeks have seen countless postponements — from Billie Eilish’s world tour to Lady Gaga’s highly anticipated new album, Chromatica — amid the coronavirus crisis. But for All Time Low, it was important to keep their album release as planned during this period of uncertainty.
  The pop-rock group’s eighth LP, Wake Up, Sunshine, is due April 3,  and the band’s frontman Alex Gaskarth played a couple of songs from the album during a Bi
  
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• The Birthday Massacre Keeps Shining on Eighth Album ‘Diamonds’

  27-03-2020 23:23
  
  “It’s slowly turning into some strange Howard Hughes world where we’re using Kleenex boxes as shoes,” ponders Rainbow. “[But] life could be worse.”
  No, The Birthday Massacre’s guitarist isn’t going stir crazy — not yet — under self-imposed isolation. Back home in Toronto following the postponement of the band’s U.S. tour supporting eighth album Diamonds (arriving today on Metropolis Records) due to the coronavirus pandemic, his ci
  
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• Viva Friday Playlist: New Music by Sebastian Yatra With Ricky Martin & More

  27-03-2020 23:18
  
  Viva Friday is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin editors.
  Sebastian Yatra & Ricky Martin – “Falta Amor” (UMLE)
  Sebastian Yatra and Ricky Martin joined forces, for the first time, to revive romantic music with their heartbreaking ballad “Falta Amor.” The song, written by Yatra with producers Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo, will serve as a prelude of sorts to the Ricky Martin/Enrique Igl
  
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• The Vaccines’ Justin Young says next album is “heavier” and “face-melting”

  27-03-2020 22:58 via nme.com
  
  The Vaccines’ Justin Young has discussed the band’s follow-up to 2018’s ‘Combat Sports’, teasing it as “heavier” and “face-melting”.
  The band have been busy working on their fifth album, which the frontman said will be released in 2021.
  Speaking to NME, Young said his work on side project Halloweens with Vaccines keyboardist Timothy Lanham had allowed their main band “to flourish”.
  “The new Vaccines album is heavier than any
  
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• From Kanye West & Pharrell to Dr. Dre & DJ Premier: 7 Beat Battles We Want to See

  27-03-2020 22:58
  
  With the coronavirus pandemic keeping American citizens out of nightclubs and temporarily off the dance floor, many have found a source of entertainment by joining different DJs, artists, and producers’ Instagram Live sessions, essentially turning their bedrooms into Club Quarantine.
  On Tuesday (March 24), Swizz Beatz and Timbaland who have been going head to head with their battle of the beats, continued with an epic hours-long back-and-forth as the two super producers sparred well i
  
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• Looking Back on Backstreet Boys’ ‘Shape of My Heart,’ The Ultimate Boy Band-Turned-Man Band Single

  27-03-2020 22:52
  
  Following our Billboard staff-picked list of the 100 greatest songs of 2000, we’re writing this week about some of the stories and trends that defined the year for us. Here, we examine a quietly important boy band single that hinted at where a massive pop group would eventually go after their teenybopper years had passed.
  At the turn of the century, two five-piece boy bands were locked in a war of one-upmanship based on raw, hard numbers. Were Backstreet Boys or *NSYNC the bigger pop
  
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• Monét X Change Wants to ‘Pump You Up’ With Energetic Self-Isolation Playlist

  27-03-2020 22:45
  
  For many people around the world, staying active while stuck inside for social distancing can be hard. So drag star Monét X Change is here to give you a reason to start dancing around your apartment.
  The RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 4 winner curated a brand-new playlist for Billboard Pride, and she wants fans to find a reason to keep themselves active during these hard times. “In living through this pandemic, some days waking up is easy … some days it’s
  
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• Jessie J Toasts Her Birthday With a One-Woman Virtual Concert Unlike Any Other

  27-03-2020 22:39
  
  Neon-green lights dotted the homey Los Angeles venue and spacey synths greeted fans before an audio montage of broadcasters repeatedly cheered Jessie J’s name and the birthday girl appeared live in front of 14,000 fans.
  The U.K.-based pop star donned a sleeveless cobalt-blue lace jumper with matching gloves before digging into “Masterpiece,” the first song of Jessie J’s phenomenal one-woman production entirely hosted from the comfort of her home and broadcast via In
  
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• Lecrae Set Us Free With Inspirational Pep Talks During Billboard Live At-Home Concert

  27-03-2020 22:38
  
  If you’ve been feeling bit low given the state of the world, listen to Lecrae to cheer you up.
  The artist hosted his Billboard Live At-Home concert on Friday afternoon (March 27) to raise money for Love Beyond Walls, which works to provide visibility, shelter, community, grooming and support services to the homeless and poor, helping them achieve self-sufficiency.Between explosive and powerful performances of chain-breaking tunes like “Set Me Free” and “I’
  
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• Song You Need to Know: Waxahatchee, ‘Oxbow’

  27-03-2020 22:37 via rollingstone.com
  
  The opening track to Katie Crutchfield's new album, 'Saint Cloud,' opens up a new world of Americana bliss
  
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• Simon Pegg tells Bastille’s Dan Smith what ‘Shaun Of The Dead’ says about British culture

  27-03-2020 22:33 via nme.com
  Simon Pegg answered questions about the seminal horror film Shaun Of The Dead on the first episode of Bastille’s new film club Distraction Tactics earlier today (March 27).
  The premise of Distraction Tactics is to tour the world via film, with Bastille frontman Dan Smith hosting a discussion of each film on the band’s Instagram at the end of the week.
  Read more: WhatsApp film clubs and Houseparty pub quizzes: how social distancing is bringing people together online
  The first sto
  
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• Bad Bunny Dresses in Drag for Empowering ‘Yo Perreo Sola’ Music Video

  27-03-2020 22:30
  
  Bad Bunny dropped a music video for “Yo Perreo Sola,” part of his chart-topping album YHLQMDLG, announcing the visual Friday (March 27) via Instagram during his “183rd day of quarantine.”
  Dubbing it “the most badass music video,” the Puerto Rican artist dresses in drag in his new clip in an effort to defend women’s rights.
  The song, which translates to “I twerk alone,” is about a woman who likes to dance reggaeton alone and doesn’t
  
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• The 13 Best Things That Happened in Music This Week (March 27)

  27-03-2020 22:24
  
  As social distancing continues amid concerns of coronavirus spreading, music continues to offer some positivity and a ray of light through these uncertain times.
  This week, Taylor Swift contributed to that by donating $3,000 to some fans who are out of work; BTS gave the ARMY some hope with a sweet video; and Elton John announced an exciting all-star benefit concert that’s set to air on Sunday (March 29). And of course, there’s plenty of new music as well. Dua Lipa, 5 Seconds of Summ
  
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• Album Sales Hit New Weekly Low in U.S. — But There Is a Bright Spot

  27-03-2020 22:20
  
  As record stores were forced to close up shop last week due to coronavirus concerns, and music fans became preoccupied with social distancing and quarantine, U.S. album sales hit a new weekly low.
  In the week ending March 19, overall album sales fell 29% to 1.52 million, according to Nielsen Music/MRC Data. That number combines sales of all formats of albums: digital albums, CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes and so forth.
  1.52 million is the smallest number of albums sold in a week since the firm began
  
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• Chilean Pop Star Javiera Mena Goes Back to the Future in ‘Flashback’

  27-03-2020 22:16 via rollingstone.com
  
  Trailblazing singer teases new album, slated for 2020 release
  
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• Dolly Parton Tells Fans to Keep the Faith During Coronavirus Pandemic

  27-03-2020 22:15 via rollingstone.com
  
  "Don’t be too scared. It’s gonna be alright, God loves us."
  
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• Jennifer Nettles Fosters Hope With Inspiring Rendition of ‘Tomorrow’

  27-03-2020 22:14 via rollingstone.com
  
  Singer releases new video set to the 'Annie' standard as a response to COVID-19 isolation
  
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• Mark Ronson Celebrates the ‘Beautiful’ Manu Dibango Following His Death From Coronavirus

  27-03-2020 22:09
  
  Mark Ronson took to Instagram on Friday (March 27) to pay tribute to legends who were taken too soon due to the coronavirus pandemic.
  “I think because of the current news cycle, they didn’t get the same celebration they might have gotten normally,” Ronson said of Manu Dibango, who died just a few days ago at age 86 from COVID-19 complications.“A legend in music, a beautiful man,” Ronson said of the soul ambassador, before noting that Dibango “made a recor
  
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• The Assassination Blues: Rock’s History of JFK Death Songs

  27-03-2020 22:06 via rollingstone.com
  
  Eminem, Tori Amos and the Beach Boys among many who have tackled John F. Kennedy's murder
  
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• First Spin: The Week’s Best New Dance Tracks From Duck Sauce, CamelPhat, Seven Lions & More

  27-03-2020 22:01
  
  New Music Friday is intense. Hundreds of songs drop from artists around the world, and you’re supposed to somehow find the best ones. It’s fun work, but it’s time-consuming — so we at Billboard Dance want to give you a hand. Each week, we sift through the streams and dig in the digital crates to present the absolute must-hears from the wide breadth of jams.
  This week saw new singles from Kygo and Major Lazer, the latest album from the ever-evocative Nicolas Jaar, a n
  
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• Orion Sun’s Planetary Love Songs Will Transport You

  27-03-2020 21:59
  
  As Orion Sun, songwriter Tiffany Majette creates vulnerable, self-probing, insular R&B-pop that reaches beyond the comfort of the rooms in which it's created. She told MTV News about being an optimist, visualizing her music, and more.
  
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• R. Kelly Says He’s at Risk of Contracting Coronavirus In Prison

  27-03-2020 21:53 via digitalmusicnews.com
  
  R. Kelly’s lawyers submitted a request to a federal judge for a prison release on bond due to coronavirus. R. Kelly is awaiting trial for several sexual abuse allegations. The singer says the unsanitary conditions at the Chicago federal jail leave him at risk of contracting COVID-19. Kelly filed the motion on Thursday as a […]The post R. Kelly Says He’s at Risk of Contracting Coronavirus In Prison appeared first on Digital Music News.
  
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• R. Kelly Requests Prison Release from Judge – Cites Coronavirus Risk

  27-03-2020 21:53 via digitalmusicnews.com
  
  R. Kelly submitted a request to a federal judge for a prison release on bond due to coronavirus. R. Kelly is awaiting trial for several sexual abuse allegations. The singer says the unsanitary conditions at the Chicago federal jail leave him at risk of contracting COVID-19. Kelly filed the motion on Thursday as a third […]The post R. Kelly Requests Prison Release from Judge – Cites Coronavirus Risk appeared first on Digital Music News.
  
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• Vote for Your Favorite Selena Music Video, From ‘Bidi Bidi Bom Bom’ to ‘Amor Prohibido’

  27-03-2020 21:51
  
  March is a very nostalgic month for Selena Quintanilla fans all over the world. Her life was cut short at only 23 years old on March 31, 1995, but her legacy became eternal.
  As fans gear up to honor the Queen of Tejano, Billboard brings eight of her music videos that spotlight Selena’s irreplaceable talent, dancing, and captivating personality.
  In “No Me Queda Mas,” Selena sings the heartfelt lyrics on an elegant stairway while she rocks the glamorous gown she wore to the Gramm
  
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• Self Esteem to host digital festival PXSSY PANDEMIQUE this weekend with all femme line-up

  27-03-2020 21:49 via nme.com
  
  Self Esteem is hosting a digital festival on Instagram this weekend as self-isolation due to coronavirus continues.
  PXSSY PANDEMIQUE features an all-femme line-up including Another Sky, Lapsley, KT Tunstall and more, and is streaming from tonight (March 27). All gigs will be streaming via the festival’s Instagram page.
  Speaking about the new festival, Rebecca Taylor – aka Self Esteem – says: “Before the pandemic there was a lot of press about how unequal festival line ups
  
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• NAV, Gunna & Travis Scott Join Forces Again on ‘Turks’

  27-03-2020 21:49
  
  After nailing his first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with Bad Habits last year, NAV bounces back on the scene with new music alongside Gunna and frequent collaborator Travis Scott.
  Produced by Wheezy, “Turks” is a trap-heavy anthem led by some of hip-hop’s most explosive stars. The song was first premiered at XO founder Cash’s birthday party earlier this year and has since gained massive steam online. Dedicated to the b
  
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• Weezer launch “unbeatable” new shooter game

  27-03-2020 21:47 via nme.com
  
  Weezer have launched a brand new shooter game called The End Of The Game Game, which is reportedly impossible to beat.
  The game takes its name from the band’s recent single, which is set to appear on their upcoming album ‘Van Weezer’.Read more: Green Day vs ‪Weezer vs Fall Out Boy – which band sits on the Hella Mega Tour’s iron throne?Fans can play the game in their web browser and can select a member of Weezer to play as. Extra lives are up for grabs in Weeze
  
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• Liam Payne partners with hometown charity amid coronavirus crisis

  27-03-2020 21:45 via music-news.com
  
  Liam Payne has partnered with The Trussell Trust.
  
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• John Legend and Ellie Goulding join Twitch Stream Aid

  27-03-2020 21:45 via music-news.com
  
  The livestream will also feature appearances from Joe Jonas and Charlie Puth.
  
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• Jesy Nelson used to 'just want to be' like her Little Mix bandmates

  27-03-2020 21:41 via music-news.com
  
  The 28-year-old singer - who has previously spoken of how intense online bullying over her looks made her suicidal - resonated with Amy Schumer's
  
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• Nicolas Jaar Expands His Universe on the Bold & Experimental New Album ‘Cenizas’

  27-03-2020 21:38
  
  There’s something wonderfully mysterious about Nicolás Jaar. Even though he’s prolific, an artist in the truest sense of the word, the just-released Cenizas is only the third album he’s put out under his own name. It’s as if he operates under a maxim to perform and collaborate using as many different aliases as he can. Two of his three solo albums — the 2011 classic Space Is Only Noise and Cenizas, out Friday (March 27) — sound as if
  
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• Baby Shark Does Its Part to Fight Coronavirus With ‘Hand Wash Challenge’

  27-03-2020 21:36
  
  Sorry parents, ‘Baby Shark’ is making a comeback — for a good cause.
  Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark” — that jingle earworm that every toddler seems to know — has been reworked to teach good hygiene to combat COVID-19.The company has debuted the “Wash Your Hands With Baby Shark” video and started a dance challenge to encourage families to upload videos of their children washing hands to the song.
  “Wash your hands/doo doo doo doo doo/Wash y
  
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• 10 Songs From 2000 That Predicted Pop Music’s Future

  27-03-2020 21:34
  Following our Billboard staff-picked list of the 100 greatest songs of 2000, we’re writing this week about some of the stories and trends that defined the year for us. Here, we look at the notable songs from 2000 that gave us a glimpse at some of the places pop music would be going a little further into the 21st century. 
  The year 2000 was undoubtedly a banner year for the recording industry: boy bands and teen divas continued their late ’90s dominance, rappers and rock ban
  
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• The Legendary Abbey Road Crossing Repainted After Coronavirus Shutdown

  27-03-2020 21:27 via digitalmusicnews.com
  
  The legendary Abbey Road crossing is repainted amid the coronavirus shutdown. The zebra crossing is located right outside Abbey Road Studios and is one of London’s most popular tourist spots. Tourists line up for days to re-create the famous image on the cover of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album. Last Friday, London went into lockdown […]The post The Legendary Abbey Road Crossing Repainted After Coronavirus Shutdown appeared first on Digital Music News.
  
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• After London Enters Lockdown, the Legendary Abbey Road Crossing Finally Gets Repainted

  27-03-2020 21:27 via digitalmusicnews.com
  
  The legendary Abbey Road crossing is repainted amid the coronavirus shutdown. The zebra crossing is located right outside Abbey Road Studios and is one of London’s most popular tourist spots. Tourists oftentimes line up to re-create the famous image on the cover of The Beatles’ Abbey Road album. Last Friday, London went into lockdown to […]The post After London Enters Lockdown, the Legendary Abbey Road Crossing Finally Gets Repainted appeared first on Digital Music News.
  
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• Breaking Down Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia,’ Rihanna’s New Feature & More on ‘First Stream Live’

  27-03-2020 21:20
  
  Some things are unknowable — like when the government is going to allow us to leave our homes again. Some things, though, are inevitable — like the music industry’s relentless churn and the coordinated release of new music that awaits us each Friday.
  This week, the big news is Dua Lipa, whose pristine new album Future Nostalgia arrived overnight via Warner. PartyNextDoor also dropped his new project PARTYMOBILE, which features the previously released Dr
  
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• Bad Bunny Gets Full Drag Transformation in New ‘Yo Perreo Sola’ Video

  27-03-2020 21:17 via rollingstone.com
  
  "I wrote the song from a woman's perspective — but I do feel like that woman sometimes," says Bad Bunny
  
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• Bad Bunny Gets a Full Drag Makeover in New ‘Yo Perreo Sola’ Video

  27-03-2020 21:17 via rollingstone.com
  
  "I wrote the song from a woman's perspective — but I do feel like that woman sometimes," says Bad Bunny
  
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• Is There Another ‘Old Town Road’ in Nine Inch Nails’ New ‘Ghosts V-VI’ Albums?

  27-03-2020 21:15
  
  The world has hardly ever seen a song dominate a calendar year with the same kind of all-encompassing magnitude as Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road.” For 19 consecutive weeks in 2019 — that’s nearly five full months — his collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus reigned at the top of the charts on its record-breaking path to becoming the longest running No. 1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100. The song was practically inescapable.
  But what went little noticed
  
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• Blossoms share Brandon Flowers’ response to their demo for The Killers: “What’s the singer’s deal?”

  27-03-2020 21:05 via nme.com
  
  Blossoms have shared Brandon Flowers’ response to a demo they offered him for The Killers.
  The Big Read: Blossoms: “We might be uncool, but so are ABBA and everyone loves them”
  The Stockport group are set to support the Vegas band on their upcoming UK tour. The dates are scheduled to begin at the end of May and are, at the time of writing, still going ahead.
  Speaking to NME for this week’s Big Read cover feature, Blossoms revealed they had given Flowers a demo of a &ldquo
  
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• Country Star Joe Diffie Tests Positive for Coronavirus

  27-03-2020 21:01
  
  Veteran country artist Joe Diffie has tested positive for COVID-19.
  Diffie, who is the first country artist to announce publicly that he has been diagnosed, said in a statement, “I am under the care of medical professionals and currently receiving treatment… We want to remind the public and all my fans to be vigilant, cautious and careful during this pandemic.” His publicist did not immediately respond to a request for more information.The Grammy and CMA Aw
  
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• Watch Elvis Costello Perform an Intimate Acoustic Set From Home

  27-03-2020 21:00 via rollingstone.com
  
  New Wave icon also answers fan questions
  
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