Monthly Archives: February 2021

The Weeknd stuns with Super Bowl half-time show – Music News

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The Weeknd wowed at the Super Bowl as he took over the stands for the Pepsi half-time show, backed by a massive choir.

The pop star performed Starboy and The Hills surrounded by neon signs, before heading beneath the stand to sing I Can’t Feel My Face in a golden mirror maze, surrounded by look-a-likes all wearing his signature face bandages.

He returned to the stage and the choir was replaced by an orchestra as he performed Save Your Tears and Earned It, before ending his blistering 13 minute-plus set on the field at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida with Blinding Lights, surrounded by an army of bandage-faced dancers, who took over the turf.

The Weeknd, who spent $7 million (£5 million) of his own money on the production, was the first Canadian star to headline solo at the event.

Before the big game, Miley Cyrus performed for health care workers at the first ever TikTok tailgate, Alicia Keys performed Lift Every Voice & Sing at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, country star Eric Church teamed up with Jazmine Sullivan for the U.S. National Anthem, and H.E.R. sang America The Beautiful, while presidential inauguration poet Amanda Gorman delivered a new piece dedicated to U.S. Marine veteran James Martin, educator Tramaine Davis, and ICU nurse Suzie Dorner – the civilian captains of the 2021 Super Bowl.

Tom Brady led Tampa Bay Buccaneers to claim victory against Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.



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The Weeknd honoured with his own day in Toronto ahead of Super Bowl performance – Music News

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Toronto officials are so proud of native son The Weeknd they’ve given the Canadian his own day hours before he headlines the Super Bowl half-time show.

City Mayor John Tory has declared 7 February The Weeknd Day to honour the singer, who took the stage during the big game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“Torontonians are cheering on proudly as he takes the stage at the #HalfTimeShow,” Tory wrote on Twitter.

The Mayor also posted a proclamation, which read: “The Weeknd is a multiple Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and record producer, hailing from Toronto, who has quickly become one of the world’s most popular musicians with over 75 million records sold world-wide and the #1 and #2 R&B streaming albums in history.”

He explained: “This Sunday – on Super Bowl Sunday – we celebrate The Weeknd as he becomes the first Canadian to headline a solo halftime show and only the third Canadian ever to perform live at one of the world’s most-watched events.”

Tory also noted: “Millions of people will be watching him and cheering him on but we know Scarborough, a community he continues to support, will be cheering the loudest!”

He added: “Toronto is proud that one of its own, The Weeknd, has achieved such enormous popularity both here at home and on the world stage.”



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Evan Rachel Wood exposes Marilyn Manson’s wife over alleged photo leak threat – Music News

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Evan Rachel Wood has turned on her ex-fiance Marilyn Manson’s wife, accusing her of threatening to release compromising photos of the actress that were taken when she was a teenager.

Almost a week after Wood named Manson, aka Brian Warner, as her abuser in a damning Instagram post, the Westworld star has returned to her Instagram Story to reveal she filed a police report against her ex’s wife, Lindsay Usich, in December, after she was allegedly alerted to threats about the release of the shocking snaps.

“On Dec. 19, I had to file a police report after I was alerted to threats made by @leslee_lane and @lindsayusichofficial for conspiring to release photos of me when I was UNDERAGE, after being given large amounts of drugs and alcohol after Brian performed on Halloween in Las Vegas to ‘ruin my career’ and ‘shut me up’,” Wood wrote.

The actress shared one of the photos in question, in which she wore a military-style hat and a drawn-on moustache, adding: “Here’s one of the photos. I am wearing Brian’s hat, which has long been a part of his stage show and photographed on many people in his camp. This is a part of the humiliation and blackmail.”

She alluded to the drama in her original allegations, which stated: “The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson. He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years. I was brainwashed and manipulated into submission.”

The 33-year-old has also released a screengrab of the police report she filed in December, with personal details blacked out.

Four other women have also spoken out against Mansion, sharing similar stories of physical and psychological abuse.

Manson has released a statement via Instagram, writing: “Obviously, my art and my life have long been magnets for controversy, but these recent claims about me are horrible distortions of reality. My intimate relationship has always been entirely consensual with like-minded partners.”

He maintained: “regardless of how – and why – others are now choosing to misrepresent the past, that is the truth.”



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Wolf Alice star: ‘Marilyn Manson filmed up my dress at festival’ – Music News

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Marilyn Manson has been accused by Wolf Alice star Ellie Rowsell of filming up her skirt without permission.

The Rock is Dead singer has been dumped by his record label and longtime manager following accusations of abuse from his ex-fiancee, Evan Rachel Wood, and other women that emerged last week.

Now Rowsell has weighed in, tweeting: “Solidarity to Evan Rachel Wood and those calling out Marilyn Manson. It’s sad to see people defending him, just because he put his depravity in plain sight doesn’t give him a free pass to abuse women.”

The British singer went on to allege Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, aimed a camera up her skirt at a festival.

“I met Marilyn backstage at a festival a few years ago,” she shared.

“After his compliments towards my band became more and more hyperbolic I became suspicious of his behaviour,” she went on.

Detailing: “I was shocked to look down and see he was filming up my skirt with a gopro (camera). There were no repercussions for his behaviour,”

Rowsell fumed: “If he does this kind of thing all the time why on earth has he been headlining festivals for so many years?”

She then questioned: “when will we stop enabling misogynists on the account of their success?” stating: “women must feel safe in the male dominated world that is the music industry.”

The Wolf Alice star admitted she thought twice before posting, but Manson’s response to Wood’s abuse claims, during which he insisted all sex acts between them were consensual, made her realise she should go public.

“I wasn’t sure whether to bring any of this up but Manson claims in his recent statement that his relationships were ‘entirely consensual’ – I don’t think he knows the meaning of consent if he goes around up-skirting young women at festivals,” she wrote, adding: “Thank you for your courage Evan.”



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Bruce Springsteen stars in hopeful Super Bowl Jeep ad – Music News

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Bruce Springsteen has teamed up with Jeep bosses for his first Super Bowl commercial.

The rocker’s new two-minute ad, titled The Middle, debuted on the vehicle brand’s social media platforms just after midnight on Sunday and aired during the big game on Sunday evening.

In it, the Boss pays tribute to those living in the heart of America, stating: “there’s a chapel in Kansas standing on the exact centre of the lower 48 (states). It never closes. All are more than welcome to come and meet here in The Middle.”

He went on: “it’s no secret the middle has been a hard place to get to lately… between our freedom and our fear.”

Talking about Springsteen’s role in the Jeep ad, dedicated to “the reunited United States”, the rock star’s manager Jon Landau said: “Olivier Francois (the global chief marketing officer for Jeep parent Stellantis) and I have been discussing ideas for the last 10 years and when he showed us the outline for The Middle, our immediate reaction was, ‘Let’s do it’.”

He explained: “our goal was to do something surprising, relevant, immediate and artful. I believe that’s just what Bruce has done with The Middle.”

The ad features images of Bruce and places in the heartland of America, including the Kansas chapel.

Springsteen is one of many stars who appeared in Super Bowl ads: Cardi B has joined Wayne’s World stars Mike Myers and Dana Carvey for a Postmates commercial, Hollywood couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis teamed up with Shaggy for a Cheetos promo, and Winona Ryder revisited her Edward Scissorhands role of Kim in a new Cadillac clip, featuring Timothee Chalamet as her sharp-fingered son, Edgar Scissorhands.



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Queen are considering releasing a recording of one of their first gigs – Music News

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Guitarist Brian May recently heard a tape of the band performing at Imperial College London, a recording he didn’t know existed, and he thinks its something they should be proud of.

He said: “We’re debating what to do with it. A few years ago we’d have felt very protective and thought, ‘Nobody should hear this because we’re very rough.’

“But now, in the position that we are in our lives, we feel forgiving. We’re not ashamed of where we were at that time. It was us against the world.”

However, Brian admitted he’s reluctant because he feels protective over late frontman Freddie Mercury and the fact the singer’s voice wasn’t as powerful as it was in his prime.

He said: “Freddie had all the will and charisma and passion but he didn’t have the opportunity to harness that voice yet.

“Which makes me hesitate a little bit, because I’m not sure Freddie would be that happy hearing himself at this stage.

“But strangely, if he were alive and sitting here at this moment, he’d probably be the same as me, ‘Oh darling, we were kids.’ “

2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the band – which also included bassist John Deacon, who is now retired – but Brian insisted it wasn’t something that he and bandmate Roger Taylor wanted to celebrate.

He said: “Everybody else can celebrate it if they want. We’d rather just celebrate being here and being alive.”
Roger added: “We didn’t want to draw attention to how f****** ancient we are.”

Meanwhile, Roger revealed fans could also hear some new music from the group, who perform live with Adam Lambert.

He said: “We did record a song which we haven’t actually finished. It’s very good… I can’t remember what it’s called. I think we were still discussing what we should call it.”

Asked if he’d like to make a new Queen album, he told Classic Rock magazine: “It would be nice to do some stuff. I wouldn’t rule it out.

“Adam has said, ‘Any time you want me to sing on something…’ If the other two decide ‘Let’s do something’, I’d be there.”



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Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Drivers License’ set to hold for a fifth week at Number 1 – Music News

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The Official Chart: First Look, which airs on BBC Radio 1 today between 6pm – 7pm, offers a first glance of the Top 20 ahead of Friday’s Official Singles Chart Top 100. The chart is based on preliminary sales and early streaming reports.

Olivia Rodrigo is heading for a fifth week at Number 1 with Drivers License as she holds comfortably at the top of the Official Chart: First Look. With 9,900 chart sales after 48 hours, she is in a strong position at this early point of the chart race.

The Business by Tiesto jumps six on the First Look to land at Number 5, potentially landing the producer his third Top 5 hit.

A huge leap after 48 hours comes from Riton & Nightcrawlers with Friday ft. Mufasa & Hypeman, which rockets 16 places into the Top 10 at Number 8.

Further down, West London rappers Digga D & AJ Tracey could claim this week’s highest new entry at Number 16 with their collab Bringing it Back – currently the most streamed new entry of the week – though it stands only a handful of chart sales ahead of Cardi B’s new anthem Up at 17, her first release since the chart-dominating WAP in summer 2020.

Finally, the debut single from A1 x J1, Latest Trends, lands at Number 18 on the Official Chart: First Look following its official release. The track was previewed on TikTok in 2020 and proved popular with users, increasing visibility of the official single release.



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Ice Cube planning culture chat with President Joe Biden – Music News

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Rapper and actor Ice Cube has set up a meeting with President Joe Biden to discuss the new leader’s policies regarding Black people in America.

The It Was a Good Day hitmaker sparked controversy last year after meeting with Donald Trump to chat about diversity and inclusion issues following the summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, and now he’s planning to return to the White House for a summit with Biden.

In an interview with Ryan Cameron’s Uncensored radio show on MAJIC 107.9, Ice Cube revealed he wants to talk to the newly-elected President about his 2020 election topic, the Contract With Black America, and revealed the Biden administration reached out to him on Tuesday to arrange a sit down.

He disclosed a possible meeting could be in the works for sometime later this month.

“We haven’t talked yet,” he said. “We’re just starting to figure out when we can have this meeting and how we’re gonna have it. I believe it’ll go down sometime this month.”



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Olly Sykes moved by new show It’s A Sin impact as HIV testing increases – Music News

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Olly Alexander fought back tears after learning his new TV drama It’s A Sin has led to an increase in HIV testing.

The Years and Years singer and the cast of his hit show reunited for a Zoom call on BBC Breakfast on Friday and discussed the impact the series has had on viewers.

“I’ve been blown away by how much it’s touched people,” he said. “But we were so touched when we read it! I’m still processing it.

“I’ve had really young gay people message me, saying they had no idea this happened and they can’t believe it. This is a recognisable past, it’s not that long ago. It’s not hard for people to imagine what it was like – and they’re seeing this treatment of gay people and they’re just shocked. Of course you’d be shocked. How is this happening?”

Castmate Omari Douglas added, “Just seeing the viewing figures is absolutely insane,” while co-star David Carlyle called the show’s success “like a tidal wave!”

When the castmates were informed the popularity of It’s A Sin has led to an increase in HIV testing across Britain, Olly teared up and said, “I’m trying not to cry! It’s incredible to see a real time response to the show from the audience. I’m just really moved by it.”

Omari added, “The fact that a piece of television has had such a cultural impact, but also the public heat impact is just crazy. It’s so rare that telly has that effect.”

Multi-BAFTA Award-winning writer Russell T. Davies’ series follows a group of friends dealing with the outbreak of AIDS in the 1980s.



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T.I.’s reality show shut down amid abuse scandal – Music News

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Production on rapper and actor T.I.’s reality TV hit has been put on hold amid a sexual abuse investigation.

T.I. and his wife, Tameka ‘Tiny’ Harris, who star in T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle, have denied “appalling allegations” of abuse and trafficking, threatening possible legal action against the accuser, but VH-1 bosses aren’t waiting for a legal decision before shutting down the set.

The show was in the middle of its fourth season when the cameras stopped rolling this week.

“We are aware of the allegations, and while they are not connected to our show, we have reached out to T.I. and Tameka Harris, as well as local and state officials,” an MTV Entertainment spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline.

“Given the serious nature of the allegations, we have decided to suspend production in order to gather more information.”

Last month, Sabrina Peterson took to Instagram to claim that the rapper had put a gun to her head during an altercation, prompting T.I.’s wife to jump to his defence.

Since then, more women have come out to accuse the rapper and his wife of confiscating their phones and preventing from leaving as the couple sexually assaulted them at their home.

Peterson has stated that more women have reached out to her to share stories of their own experiences, and the couple were forced to issue a statement denying the claims.

“They emphatically deny in the strongest way possible the egregiously appalling allegations being made against them,” it read.



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