Categoría: Billboard

Drake has been staunch in standing alongside Tory Lanez, calling for his freedom on multiple occasions after the singer was convicted in the 2020 felony shooting of Megan Thee Stallion. The 6 God had some time on Sunday (Aug. 24), as he hopped into the comments of a resurfaced Tory Lanez Genius interview clip, which found the singer reciting bars to Lil Wayne’s Dedication 2 classic “Cannon.” “Of course this good Markman couldn’t finish the bar… Free Tory,” Drake wrote while mocking journalist Rob Markman. The clip features a 2019 interview between Markman and Lanez, who stopped by for an episode of the journalist’s For the Record series on Genius. Markman fired back on X, referencing Drake’s ongoing lawsuit against Universal Music Group. “I could call him names too But you know he love to sue,” he quipped. It’s not the first time Drake has taken shots at Markman. Back in 2019, he hopped into Joe Budden’s Instagram Live and wanted to see Budden play any of his collection of Drake diss tracks or Pusha T’s “The Story of Adidon.” “Yo play your diss songs for me right now I want to see if they ring off,” he wrote. “Play story of adidon right now and see if it rings off I promise the only person that’s gonna know the words is Rob Markman.” Lanez is currently serving a 10-year sentence for the felony shooting of Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. He was convicted of three felonies in December 2022 and sentenced in August 2023. Lanez was stabbed in prison in May, which resulted in him being hospitalized to treat his injuries. As for Drake, he’s teasing a second interview with Bobbi Althoff, which appears as if it will be the launch episode of her Not This Again podcast. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

We are 166 days away from Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Feb. 6. And even though the regular season doesn’t kick off until Thursday (Aug. 28), that doesn’t mean we can’t begin cranking up the speculation machine on who might perform during halftime at the big game next year. Coming off of Kendrick Lamar’s universally lauded halftime show in New Orleans earlier this year featuring cameos from SZA, Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams and Mustard, Usher’s star-studded 2024 show in Las Vegas featuring Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., Lil Jon, Ludacris and will.i.am and Rihanna’s baby bump bonanza in 2023, it feels like anything goes for next year’s show. And while Jay-Z’s Roc Nation has been bringing the hip-hop/R&B heat since coming on as co-producers of the hugely watched extravaganza in 2019 with sets from The Weeknd in 2021 and 2022’s iconic performance by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, so far the biggest buzz for a potential ’26 headliner surrounds one of the biggest names in music who has never played the big show before: Taylor Swift. Swift, who performed a pair of dates at Levi’s stadium in July 2023 on her Eras Tour has been in the conversation before, but the stage seems more perfectly set than ever this year for her to add a halftime show to her already gaudy resumé of achievements. Not only has the singer become a fixture at NFL games over the past two years due to her romance with three-time NFL champ Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, but on the baller’s New Heights podcast earlier this month she dropped a few breadcrumbs suggesting that she might enhance the sparkle of her upcoming 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl (Oct. 3) with a halftime ramble. Swift isn’t the only name that has been in circulation as fans begin the annual ritual of searching for clues about who might headline the most-watched broadcast of the year. With the traditional September announcement of next year’s headliner possibly just a few weeks away, she joins a star-studded list of artists who have been mentioned as potential performers. Other names in the buzz bin this year include Justin Bieber — after his recent surprise drop of Swag, his first album in four years — Roc Nation boss Jay-Z, who is rumored to be prepping his first LP in more than eight years, as well as Bay Area locals Metallica and Green Day, Mariah Carey, Post Malone and Drake.  Check out the case for each of those acts (and a few more) below. Taylor Swift Swift has become the NFL’s number one cheerleader over the past two years. The singer’s high-profile romance with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has seen her become a staple of game day coverage thanks to her nearly weekly appearances in the Kelce family sky box with her famous friends. With her 12th album due out on Oct. 3, Swift seeded what seemed to be super major Easter eggs during her recent New Heights podcast debut, noting that while she wasn’t a football fan growing up, she knew “every halftime show” even if she didn’t watch any games. She also happened to mention that one of her new favorite hobbies is making sourdough bread, notable because “Sourdough Sam” is the name of the Levi’s Stadium home team, the San Francisco 49ers, and because the next Super Bowl is the 60th, the same percentage the Taylor used to describe her high level of bread talk lately. A coincidence? C’mon, you know there are no coincidences in SwiftLand! — G.K. Jay-Z Jay’s Roc Nation has been overseeing the Super Bowl Halftime Show since 2019 — the two sides re-upped and extended the partnership in 2024 — and since then, Jay has had an outsized role in selecting the performers each year. During the Roc’s tenure, the performers have noticeably shifted in accordance with Jay’s tastes and business relationships: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira; The Weeknd; Dr. Dre and friends; Rihanna; Usher; and Kendrick Lamar have all performed, while Jay himself has kept to the sidelines. But a few things are aligning this year. One is that Jay has started to make a few more public appearances than in recent years, most notably stepping out onstage with Beyoncé in Atlanta to perform “Crazy In Love” in July. Another is the persistent rumor of a new Jay album, one which reignited earlier this month with a Memphis Bleek podcast appearance. But maybe the biggest clue is nostalgic: next year would mark the 30th anniversary of Jay’s 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt, a certified classic that Jay has said in the past is his favorite among his oeuvre. And if he is the ultimate decision maker, then what better time than now? — DAN RYS Post Malone He may not want to perform if his beloved Dallas Cowboys aren’t playing (and pre-season projections don’t look good), but Posty is the perfect broad-appeal superstar to headline half-time. Not only does he have a slew of solo hits that span several different genres from hip-hop to pop to country, but his most recent set, F-1 Trillion, provides him with a ready-made cast of co-stars to bring out from Morgan Wallen (“I Had Some Help”) to Blake Shelton (“Pour Me a Drink”) to Jelly Roll — though the NFL probably doesn’t want the half-time entertainment raising its glass to the “Losers!” — M.N. Metallica The Super Bowl halftime has certainly featured rockers before, including The Who and Bruce Springsteen, but it’s never gone as hard as it would go if it unleashed Metallica on the Santa Clara crowd. But it makes so much sense to have the Bay Area boys finally get their shot. They’re hometown favorites, their live show is unparalleled, and it’s been a long time since the half-time show has rocked people’s faces off. Start with “Enter Sandman,” throw in some “Master of Puppets,” “Seek & Destroy” and

After spending much of the year opening up on The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour, Playboi Carti has announced a headlining trek of his own, with the Antagonist Tour slated for later this year. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Carti and the Opium crew will invade North American arenas this fall, as the long-awaited Antagonist Tour will kick off in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3. The rest of the trek will hit Seattle, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Brooklyn, Chicago, Detroit, Philly, Nashville, and more before wrapping up with a hometown show at Atlanta’s State Farm Arena on Dec. 1. Artist pre-sale tickets will be available on Tuesday (Aug. 26) and the general public can get their shot on Friday (Aug. 29) at 10 a.m. local time. Various VIP packages and ticketing options will also be on sale. It’s an Opium party, as Destroy Lonely, Ken Carson, Homixide Gang and Apollo Red are set to bring the rage while serving as openers on the tour, branded as the 2.0 version of the Antagonist Tour. Carti was originally supposed to hit the road with the Opium family in 2023 as part of the Antagonist Tour, but the trek was postponed to 2024 and eventually canceled. 2025’s been a comeback year for Playboi Carti, who opened for The Weeknd on his North American stadium tour, which has grossed over $600 million, according to Billboard Boxscore. The Atlanta rapper also released his anticipated MUSIC album in March, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and launched all 30 songs as Billboard Hot 100 entries. Find all of the Antagonist Tour dates below. Playboy Carti Antagonist Tour Courtesy Photo Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

The soundtrack to Netflix’s empowering, action-packed and heartwarming KPop Demon Hunters hauls in a fourth Hot 100 top 10, as HUNTR/X’s “How It’s Done,” the act’s second top 10, after “Golden,” bounds 14-10. “How It’s Done” was driven by 17.2 million streams (up 2%) in the tracking week. HUNTR/X and KPop Demon Hunters adversaries Saja Boys come to a draw, each with two Hot 100 top 10s: the latter’s “Your Idol” keeps at its No. 4 high and “Soda Pop” leaps 10-5. The former boasts a gain of nearly 1% to 20.4 million streams and the latter, a 4% lift to 18.4 million. (“It is annoyingly catchy,” HUNTR/X’s Rumi concedes of “Soda Pop” in the film.) Despite their on-screen combat, HUNTR/X and Saja Boys — whose music is voiced by Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Danny Chung, Kevin Woo and samUIL Lee — combine to make KPop Demon Hunters the first soundtrack ever to generate four simultaneous Hot 100 top 10s. It’s also the first soundtrack with at least four Hot 100 top 10s overall since Waiting To Exhale reeled off a record five in 1995-96. The only other soundtracks with four top 10s each: Saturday Night Fever (in 1977-78), Grease (1978) and Prince and the Revolution’s Purple Rain (1984-85). Meanwhile, the last time a soundtrack sent three songs to the Hot 100’s top five simultaneously, as KPop Demon Hunters has now done via “Golden,” “Your Idol” and “Soda Pop”? April 15, 1978, when three Saturday Night Fever songs strutted in the tier: Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” (No. 1) and “Stayin’ Alive” (No. 2) and Yvonne Eliiman’s “If I Can’t Have You” (also written by the trio; No. 5). “It’s so thrilling that people are hearing the songs in two ways,” KPop Demon Hunters executive music producer Ian Eisendrath recently told Billboard. “Some are loving the film, and the film is making the songs hits … and then some people are just encountering the songs, and the songs are making the film a hit.” The movie’s profile will be further enhanced thanks to sing-along theater screenings held Aug. 23-24, with any related boost in its songs to be reflected on next week’s Billboard charts, dated Sept. 6 and encompassing streaming, airplay and sales Aug. 22-28. Source link

After a wildly successful breakthrough last year, Xavi is set to take his meteoric rise one step further with the announcement of his upcoming X Tour. The U.S. trek kicks off on Nov. 8 in his native Phoenix as part of Belicofest, and will span 19 dates across major cities, including stops in California, Texas, New York and more. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Promoted by Live Nation, the tour will showcase Xavi’s Billboard No. 1 hits such as “La Diabla,” “En Privado” and “Flores” on some of the nation’s most buzzed-about stages. And fans can look forward to even more excitement because Fabio Capri, Xavi’s brother and frequent collaborator, will join as a special guest, ensuring the performances feature a family-driven celebration of música mexicana. Adding to the momentum, Xavi will release a new cumbia single, “No Capea,” in collaboration with Grupo Frontera ahead of the tour. Additionally, Xavi — who won Artist of the Year (New) at last year’s Billboard Latin Music Awards — is set to make an appearance at this year’s Billboard Latin Music Week. The event is set to place Oct. 20-24 at the Fillmore Miami Beach. Registration is now open. Tickets for the X Tour go on sale Aug. 29, at 10 a.m. (local time) via LiveNation.com. See the complete list of dates below: Nov. 8 — Phoenix — Belicofest @ Wild Horse Pass Festival Grounds Nov. 20 — El Paso, Texas — El Paso County Coliseum Nov. 22 — San Diego — Gallagher Square at Petco Park Nov. 26 — Inglewood, Calif. — YouTube Theater Nov. 28 — Chicago — Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom Nov. 29 — Indianapolis — Murat Theater at Old National Centre Dec. 02 — Sugar Land, Texas — Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land Dec. 03 — Irving, Texas — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory Dec 05 — Hidalgo, Texas — Payne Arena Dec. 06 — San Antonio — Freeman Coliseum Dec. 10 — Atlanta — Coca-Cola Roxy Dec. 12 — New York — United Palace Dec. 14 — Fairfax, Va. — EagleBank Arena Jan. 14 — San José, Calif. — San Jose Civic  Jan. 16 — Salt Lake City — Delta Center Jan. 18 — Denver — Fillmore Auditorium  Jan. 22 — Seattle – Paramount Theatre Jan. 24 — Wheatland, Calif. — Hard Rock Live Jan. 30 — Las Vegas — Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

The members of Kneecap have canceled all of their upcoming tour dates in the United States due to scheduling conflicts that have arisen as a result of their ongoing alleged terror offense legal saga. In a message posted to Instagram on Monday (Aug. 25), bandmates Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí explained that they had “bad news” to share with American fans who had been looking forward to seeing them play a run of sold-out stateside shows this fall. “Due to the proximity of our next court hearing in London to the first date of the tour, as the British government continues [its] witch-hunt, we will have to cancel all 15 U.S. tour dates in October,” the trio wrote. “But once we win our court case, which we will, we promise to embark on an even bigger tour to all you great heads,” Kneecap continued. “We also have some good news. We will be sharing something very special for U.S. fans next week so that we can still ink in with you all in October. It’s top secret for now, but all will be revealed next week — stay tuned.” Noting that refunds for the American shows will be available at people’s respective points of purchase, the band ended its statement with a strong message. “‘The revolution will be no re-run, brothers,’” it read. “‘The revolution will live.’ FREE PALESTINE!” The cancelations mark just the latest development in Kneecap’s legal battle with the British police, who in May charged frontman Mo Chara with allegedly showing support for terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah at a November 2024 concert in London. The band members — who have been outspoken in their support for Palestinian people amid the war in Gaza, notably accusing Israel of “genocide” during their Coachella set in April — quickly responded to the charge, calling it a “carnival of distraction” in a statement on Instagram. Kneecap has also denied ever supporting Hamas or Hezbollah. Legal proceedings involving Chara will resume on Sept. 26, at which time a judge will decide whether he will be required to stand trial. In the meantime, his legal team is working to have the case thrown out. Read Kneecap’s full statement below. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link

This week’s crop of new tunes features Lainey Wilson offering up an encouraging life anthem and plea for more uplifting things in life, while a Steve Martin and Alison Brown duet, plus a viral track from The Creekers, offers up a double-shot of bluegrass. Adam Mac, Ava Hall and Joshua Ray Walker all turn in powerful new songs as well. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of some of the best country, bluegrass and/or Americana songs of the week below. Lainey Wilson, “Peace, Love, and Cowboys” This fiddle-drenched ballad from Wilson’s Whirlwind deluxe album, finds her earnestly and soulfully issuing a straightforward, hopeful anthem, built around an idyllic list of the people, things and mindsets that would make the world a more positive place, ranging from horses and hippies to cowboys. “Riding together/ Life would be better,” she sings, as tender fiddle, piano and later, a chorus of vocals, bolster her message of unity and community. The Creekers, “Tennessee” This viral hit has brought Kentucky bluegrass band The Creekers’ music to a wider audience. The group’s sound feels at moments akin to the early, Chris Stapleton-fronted iteration of the SteelDrivers, though with a bit less of a bluesy vibe. The Creekers features burly-voiced Allen Hacker, joined by Tanner Horton, Jagger Bowling, Ashton Bowling, Scott Sutton, and Anna Blanton. Together, they infuse soul, and at times shades of pop into their hard-driving sound. But their viral hit is a sturdy blend of bluegrass and country, on this tale of a road-weary musician who is missing his lover back in The Volunteer State. Ava Hall, “What About Yours” This Michigan native with a dusky, aching twang in her voice declares a determined devotion to her lover, while questioning whether said lover shares the same commitment of the heart. “Mine would go to hell and back again and never ask you why,” she sings over tender acoustic guitar, her voice crescendoing into a passionate plea. Written by Hall, Johnny Clawson and Clara Park, this new song is an immense outing from this promising newcomer. Alison Brown & Steve Martin, “Dear Time” (feat. Jackson Browne & Jeff Hanna) Written by Martin, “Dear Time” is an elegantly crafted and deeply grateful meditation—an ode to time itself, honoring its gift of memory and the quiet privilege of reflection. It also embraces both the joyful and painful memories with equal grace. “Thank you for the extra heartbeats/ I’m not so sure I earned them,” Browne sings tenderly, delivering the lead vocals with charm. Hanna’s tender harmonies, Stuart Duncan’s delicate fiddle, and the shimmering stringwork from Martin and Brown enrich the track with texture, and emotional depth. “Dear Time” offers a heartfelt preview of Martin and Brown’s forthcoming collaborative debut, Safe, Sensible and Sane, out Oct. 17. Joshua Ray Walker, “Stuff” Walker just released the country- and beach-inspired Tropicana in June, but his latest project takes a different turn. The title track, “Stuff,” embraces an acoustic indie-folk style, veering slightly from his established honky-tonk sound. The track leads his upcoming concept album, out October 17, which explores each song from the perspective of a different object at an estate sale. Co-written with John Pedigo, “Stuff” sets the tone with Walker’s vulnerable, stirring vocals, conveying a message that worn and dusty doesn’t mean worthless. “We’re all more than where we’ve been/ It just takes some adjusting,” he sings. Previously, Walker released a trilogy of albums chronicling the lives of patrons in a fictional honky-tonk. With Stuff, the second installment in a new trilogy, he pushes toward an even more creatively ambitious vision. Adam Mac, “All Dollars, No Sense” Queer country artist Adam Mac delivers a bold, dancefloor-ready fusion of country and pop on his latest single, “All Dollars, No Sense.” Co-written with Jessica Cayne and Chris Rafetto, the track takes aim at materialism and the pressure to maintain appearances, even at the cost of one’s financial and mental well-being. “You’re so cool cashin’ in on your fancy fake friends/ Keeping up with Joneses ‘stead of payin’ your rent,” Mac sings, using sharp wit to call out the emptiness of social climbing. With its infectious groove, sizzling guitar, timely message, and Mac’s effortlessly smooth vocals, the song becomes a memorable anthem. Source link

When Big Loud released “A Song to Sing” to country radio on July 10, the email featured a gold, heart-shaped mirror ball with the names of Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton blasting from the background in a groovy retro font. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The image fit. “A Song to Sing” uses musical elements that exist in the same sonic pocket as the Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton classic “Islands in the Stream.” That single was produced by Barry Gibb, whose band The Bee Gees played a key role in the late-1970s disco era. The Brothers Gibb’s most iconic songs from that period – “Islands,” “Night Fever,” “Jive Talkin’,” “Stayin’ Alive” – invariably featured sticky melodies, bittersweet harmonies, dogged optimism and sometimes-abstract lyrics over compellingly light dance beats. “A Song to Sing,” like “Islands in the Stream,” has all of those characteristics. “It’s, like, all the stuff that I’ve always loved,” Lambert says. “I’ve just never explored it as an artist.” The bones of “A Song to Sing” were grounded in the supporting parts. In 2023, songwriter Jesse Frasure (“Park,” “Dirt on My Boots”) reached out to fiddler Jenee Fleenor, a five-time winner of the Country Music Association’s musician of the year award, about creating some musical beds that he could present during writing sessions. “It’s actually something I’d always wanted to do,” she says, “but I didn’t know who to approach.” They met a couple times and created 8-10 musical tracks in a variety of styles, with Fleenor playing riffs on her fiddle over chord progressions that Frasure supplied. One began with a major-seventh chord – used frequently in ‘70s pop songs – and Fleenor gave it an arching, nine-note melody in the intro and at the end of the prospective choruses. It came to its full fruition during a writing appointment Lambert booked at Frasure’s studio in Nashville’s Crieve Hall neighborhood. They reached out to Stapleton on short notice, not knowing if he was even in town, and he agreed to meet them. Neither artist was at work on a specific album, so the crew had plenty of freedom to pursue whatever struck them. “He pulled up, he was driving a Corvette — like a rust, ‘70s-looking, brown Corvette that day — so it was kind of fitting,” Frasure remembers. “We had wrote another song that probably sounds more like what you would expect Miranda and Chris to do, and then right before he was leaving, I just kind of played him that [‘70s-sounding track].” Stapleton stayed. This track was too inspiring to quit, and they spent the next hour turning it into a full-fledged song. “There was certainly some mention of Dolly and Kenny vibes,” Stapleton says. “It had that vibe out of the gate.” The opening major-seventh chord set the tone. Someone – no one remembers who, for certain – started a melody that played on its key feature, vacillating between the tonic note and the dissonant seventh (akin to alternating between “ti” and “do” in “Do-Re-Mi,” the Sound of Music song about musical scales). They came up with hazy lyrics that drew on the commitment required to maintain a relationship with their traveling lifestyles. The two singers traded lead parts, slipped in harmonies, and built to an ascendent chorus that compared romance to writing a song. “A Song to Sing” showed itself as the title, though it was positioned, unconventionally, in the middle of the chorus. Instead of following that chorus with a second verse, Stapleton segued into a new, rising melody along with a lyric about overcoming “everything heavy on our shoulders.” “We talked about it in the room,” Lambert recalls. “’Do we need a bridge? Do we not?’ And then just hearing Chris go, ‘And when this world…,’ it’s like, ‘Okay, we need a bridge if that’s what it’s going to sound like.’” Lambert sat in a blue velvet chair and Stapleton stood in a corner as they dashed off vocals for the demo before they wrapped. Fleenor had picked up her engraved CMA award that same day and announced the debut EP for her bluegrass group Wood Box Heroes. She was stunned to receive a text from Frasure announcing that Lambert and Stapleton had just written a song based on their track. “There was no second verse when they sent me the demo,” she says. “I dug it, but I remember Jesse and I having this conversation because the song was so short, and I think Jesse encouraged them to write a second verse.” Frasure got Lambert and Stapleton back together a few weeks later to knock it out. “I just wanted to hear that [opening] chord – maybe it’s the major seventh there – but I wanted to hear that first melody again,” Frasure says. Sometime in 2024, Lambert and Stapleton went to Savannah, Ga., to record “A Song To Sing” with Stapleton’s band and producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, John Prine) in leisurely fashion at the Georgia Mae Studio. “It’s on the intercoastal waterways, so it’s kind of like an escapism house that we started making records in,” Cobb says. “We just got out there and, Gilligan Island it, and stayed in kind of a little private setting on the water, which is really beautiful and calming.” Bassist J.T. Cure and drummer Derek Mixon locked into a steady, deep groove. “J.T. has so much soul and feel,” Cobb says. “He’s kind of [like Motown’s] James Jamerson and all these great players, where he’s really making a bass part, and not just towing the line. He’s really individualistic with it. And Derek just has such a beautiful swagger and pocket. I think that’s what you hear with the combination of people, just turning off the math of it all, and just feeling the heart of it.” They revised Fleenor’s fiddle riff as a combination of sounds – Lambert and Stapleton singing along with a guitar and keyboard, though no one can recall which parts they kept in

On Legacy: The Creedence Clearwater Revival Years, John Fogerty revisits some of the seminal classic rock hits the legendary musician wrote and recorded more than 50 years ago. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Just as the original songs were a family affair — Fogerty’s late brother Tom was also in CCR — Fogerty has recreated 20 iconic tunes including “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son” and “Bad Moon Rising,” but this time with his sons Shane and Tyler. His wife/manager Julie serves as executive producer. Over Zoom, Fogerty can’t hide his pride when he talks about recording with his sons, who have been in his touring band for several years now, and about how his wife’s business acumen and vision led him to remake the renowned tunes. The impetus for Legacy, which came out Aug. 22 on Concord, was Fogerty regaining control over his songs after a half-century fight, as well as turning 80. In 2023, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer gained majority control of his CCR publishing rights after one of the most bitter, longest battles in rock & roll. It made him view the songs with a new sense of ownership and pride. The Legacy songs are tagged “John’s Version” in a fun nod to Taylor Swift and the superstar dubbing her album re-recordings as “Taylor’s Version.” Fogerty jokes, “I wanted them to call [the re-recordings] Taylor’s Version. I lobbied for that: ‘You want this to sell? Call it “Taylor’s.”‘” Though they are decades apart, Swift and Fogerty’s ultimately successful fights to own their material —for Swift, her masters, and for Fogerty, his publishing — are not dissimilar, and he declares, “I was so happy to see her solution to her predicament… I was applauding her doing [the re-recordings]. I’m convinced that her re-recording those in many ways reset the condition, so that she was able to purchase the originals. She was strong enough and powerful enough a force that she rearranged the playing field.” By intent, the new versions on Legacy so closely mirror the originals that even Fogerty can’t always tell the difference. “I was driving with Julie, and we were listening to a national radio station and they were playing ‘Up Around the Bend.’ Of course, our goal is to have them play the new versions, and I’m looking at her and going, ‘Oh, man, they’re playing the old original.’ The [song’s] going along and [I realized] ‘Hey! They are playing the new one!’ I mean, it actually fooled me. That made me feel so cool. I can’t even tell you how great that was, because that’s Shane playing [the lead].” In an expansive interview, a gregarious Fogerty talks about what it meant to revisit some of America’s most beloved rock songs, spending time in the studio with his family, his friendship with Bruce Springsteen and — though he doesn’t mention him by name — his dismay at some of the activities of the current occupant of the White House. How did this album come about? Julie years ago murmured about maybe me re-recording some of the songs from back in the day. I wasn’t jumping up and down. One of the things she said — I’m paraphrasing her intent — she had had a vision that was full of joy, and part of that vision was re-recording my songs. I was in a different mindset. Then we got the publishing back, which is such a wonderful thing. I can’t even describe all the different dimensions — one of which is relief, just something that you felt should have been and had finally coming to pass. And that’s sort of put me at ease about a lot of things. I’m sure turning 80 is another facet of that. It started to look more like something I could be engaged to do, especially if I was doing it with Shane and Tyler and Julie and the rest of my family. And so, I sort of tenuously agreed to start. What was it like being in the studio? These tracks sound so vital and joyous. Thank you for noticing. That’s actually how we are. I don’t think you can manufacture or plan that that’s going to be there. I had no idea about what sort of commitment and artistic involvement [it would take]. This process has reacquainted me with that person that’s in my soul that is relentless. I just can’t consider it finished until it’s really, really good. When did you feel it clicked in the studio? When it got to the part where I’m interacting with Shane and Tyler and Julie as the people who are actually performing the musical parts, I think that’s where the engagement really got strong. I was interacting with my kids. We’re making something together. It wasn’t easy. It’d be like you’re in a football game. It’s getting late and you’re down a couple of touchdowns, but you know you should be winning. And I think that’s kind of what happened. Then you hear it back and realize that it’s succeeding. There is great joy and excitement in that, because what I got to do is watch this new band feel what I felt 50-something years ago with the guys in Creedence. The old days had ups and downs, and the tail end of it didn’t end so well. I have lingering memories of all of that. And so, delving into that and watching a new set of people become close and committed, I think that’s what you’re hearing. These are so faithful to the originals. Do you pull out any of the original recordings to make sure you were getting it right? One of the songs was “Born on the Bayou.” I was playing it pretty much how I have done it live for about 30 years. It didn’t have the same character [as the recording]. It’s like traveling on a road in your car, and there’s landmarks: over there, there’s a group of rocks, there’s a stop sign, and down

Relationship experts have endlessly parsed the body language and non-verbal cues between Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce during the singer’s album release appearance on the Kansas City Chief’s tight end’s New Heights podcast two weeks ago. Kelce’s broad smile and longing looks at his girlfriend of two years said it all. But if you really want to know how the three-time Super Bowl champ feels about Swift, just ask his dad. At Sunday night’s (Aug. 24) premiere of the new six-part ESPN series The Kingdom about the Chiefs’ pursuit of a Super Bowl three-peat, People magazine caught up with Travis’ dad, Ed Kelce, to ask him about how his youngest son’s joy steams from his relationship with the pop superstar. “Taylor,” Ed Kelce said when asked to pinpoint the source of Travis’ happiness. “There’s no question about it.” Ed could see it when he tuned in to the two-hour New Heights pod, dubbing the appearance “so good… I think it was awesome. It was great to see them go back-and-forth. They’re two people obviously very much in love.” People also caught up with family matriarch Donna Kelce at Sunday’s premiere, where she had high praise for the New Heights appearance as well. Donna said she also tuned in and she dubbed the record-breaking Aug. 13 appearance “really, really eventuful… It was authentic. It was just something I think everybody was thrilled to see, and it was a very loving podcast.” Swift and Kelce went official with their romance in Oct. 2023 and have since made a habit of showing up for each other at important events, with Travis flying out for a number of Eras Tour shows and Taylor posting up in the family box at more than a dozen Chiefs games. Swift broke the internet when she went on New Heights to reveal the details of her upcoming 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox Sign Up Source link