NEW YORK — Thirty-nine years ago, the biggest music stars in the world crammed into a recording studio in Los Angeles for an all-night session that they hoped might alter music history. “We Are the World” was a 1985 charity single for African famine relief that included the voices of Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Bob … Read more
MEXICO CITY — Regional Mexican music — a catchall term that encompasses mariachi, banda, corridos, norteño, sierreño and other genres — has become a global phenomenon, topping music charts and reaching new audiences as it crosses borders. While it has been around the U.S. for decades, with the late Selena Quintanilla weaving pop, disco and … Read more
NEW YORK — For almost two decades, the 2002 killing of Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay stood as one of the hip-hop world’s most infamous and elusive crimes, one of three long-unsolved slayings of major rap stars. Now Jay’s case is the first of those killings to go to trial. Opening statements are set for Monday … Read more
LOS ANGELES — Women lead the major categories at the Grammys this year – names like SZA, Taylor Swift, Victoria Monét, Phoebe Bridgers, Olivia Rodrigo and Brandy Clark top the list. But who will take home music’s most coveted trophies on Feb. 4? Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman and Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. … Read more
Taylor Swift has proven herself capable of many things, including toppling monopolies and making mass transit cool again, but her latest endeavor—taking on artificial intelligence—is perhaps her most ambitious yet. Sexually explicit AI-generated images of Swift have been circulating on social media this week, with one X post attracting more than 45 million views. While … Read more
Microsoft has to “move fast” on combatting non-consensual sexually explicit deepfake images after AI-generated fake nude pictures of Taylor Swift went viral this week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said Friday. In an exclusive interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt, Nadella commented on the “alarming and terrible” deepfake images of Swift posted on X that by … Read more
Seventies singer-songwriter Melanie Safka, professionally known simply as Melanie, has died at 76. The singer behind songs such as Brand New Key, Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) and Alexander Beetle died peacefully at home, her family confirmed in a statement. A cause of death for the singer, whose breakthrough came at the famous 1969 … Read more
Singer Melanie Safka, who turned a 1969 performance at Woodstock into a hit song and a five-decade career, died Tuesday at the age of 76. Safka’s death was announced on her Facebook page with a letter from her three children, Leilah, Jeordie, and Beau Jarred: Dear Ones, This is the hardest post for us to … Read more
LOS ANGELES — The often-nominated Diane Warren and past winners Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell are among the nominees for music awards at the 2024 Oscars. The hyper-competitive original song and original score categories include nominees from the films “Barbie” to ”Oppenheimer” and beyond. Warren is vying for original song with … Read more
A music festival set to be held at a popular venue in Geelong, Victoria has been cancelled just four weeks out from the event. Tent Pole: A Musical Jamboree was slated for Saturday, February 17 at Mt Duneed Estate. On Monday, those who had bought tickets were informed the one-day event had been cancelled due … Read more
