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Demi Lovato's Raw Emotion in Her ''Stone Cold'' Music Video Will Give You Chills. We know you're probably sick of hearing people say that things will give you "all the feels," so we apologize for what we're about to say, but Demi Lovato's "Stone Cold" music video will give you ALL THE FEELS. The singer's latest single is a ballad that is already filled with pure emotion, from her intense vocals and widespread range to the lyrics about watching a former flame take on a new lover, it's practically undeniable that you'll shed a tear or two. But pair that with the visual of Lovato evoking frustration and sadness while submerged in a bathtub and trekking up a snowy mountain, and you're donezo. There's something about the stripped down quality of the video that will give you goosebumps. No extra antics. No animation or crazy effects. It's just Demi -- Demi crying in the bathtub or lost in thought while reminiscing about a love that left her heartbroken, or Demi braving the elements, which seem to be far less agonizing than the pain she's feeling from the guy she's singing about. And it's absolutely perfect. (Eonline)

Rihanna canceled her Grammys performance due to "bronchitis," but sources exclusively tell Page Six it was just a ploy to get her out of the awards show at the eleventh hour, because she feared giving a lackluster performance. "She felt like her performance couldn't compare [to some of the other artists'], and she was trying to avoid the embarrassment because she knew it wasn't the right comeback performance," said an insider. "She said, 'I'm not doing this.'" Sources said RiRi rehearsed her tune "Kiss It Better" twice, but then got cold feet after seeing Kendrick Lamar and others rehearse. Another source who saw the pop star's rehearsals told us, "It was underwhelming. The performance was like a throwback to an '80s talk show. James Corden was going to introduce her, and she was supposed to walk over, talk to him, then gyrate on the mike." Our source continued: "People were watching like, 'Oh, is that it?' She was singing parts of the song live, but it had a lot of recorded vocals [in rehearsal]. We were surprised when she rehearsed the ballad [all the way through], because we thought she was going to kill it and come back with [her more upbeat single] 'Work.' It didn't seem like Rihanna." Producers then powwowed with her team. "It was an intense conversation. It didn't seem like they were discussing a doctor's note," we're told. But another source said the singer "looked upset after rehearsals and a doctor came to see her .?.?. after the doctor talked to her and told her the diagnosis, she was forced to pull out." On nights before the Grammys, Rihanna performed in a Lionel Richie tribute and partied at Up&Down in New York with Naomi Campbell for RiRi's Fenty x Puma fashion show. The "Anti" hitmaker also seems to have had a speedy recovery after the awards -- she was back at Up&Down celebrating her 28th birthday days later. And on Monday, she released two videos for "Work," then reportedly partied in London till 5 a.m. with Drake. The duo's expected to perform the song at the Brit Awards on Wednesday. (Page Six)

New York dance duo The Knocks dropped a new track "Love Me Like That" with none other than one of the year's most critically acclaimed pop stars Carly Rae Jepsen. This Jepsen collabo is just one of the many features they have planned for their upcoming album 55, due out March 4 on Neon Gold. Along with Jepsen, they duo produced tracks with Walk the Moon and Fetty Wap. In email correspondence with Elle.com, The Knocks share how they hooked up with Jepsen. "While we were wrapping this album [55], we had an idea for a song that we thought she would sound perfectly on, so we cold called her about collaborating and she was into it. We flew out to LA that week and recorded it together. We are really happy with how it turned out." (Billboard)

Culture Club fans might not have given Kris Jenner the warmest welcome at Saturday's iHeart80s Party in Inglewood, Calif. -- booing the Keeping Up With the Kardashians matriarch so loudly that she couldn't even be heard from the stage -- but frontman Boy George has her back. George took to Twitter on Tuesday night (Feb. 23), responding to a fan's joking message about the incident. "Ha @BoyGeorge/#CultureClub fans do NOT like the Kardashians lol. Glad we agree," the fan wrote -- although she might not have anticipated his response. "My fans should be gracious and kind," he tweeted. "Booing, is just rude. I adore @krisjenner and I don't need anyone's approval." To very loosely paraphrase a Culture Club hit: Do you really want to boo her? (Billboard)

Pittsburgh musician, Joe Gruscheky, joined the band for "Born to Run," at the Ohio Show. Why is Cleveland such a confusing city for rock and roll stars? First, Spinal Tap couldn't find the stage, and now, Bruce Springsteen couldn't tell where he was. The Boss had a bit of a goof-up last Feb. 23 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio when he accidentally shouted out to Pittsburgh on stage. "Party noises Pittsburgh," he exclaimed. "And Cleveland, too!" Perhaps the presence of Pittsburgh musician Joe Gruschecky -- leader of The Houserockers -- caused the slip-up. Longtime Springsteen fans know of the musical friendship between the two artists. Springsteen produced the band's American Babylon record, penning two songs and playing on several tracks. Gruschecky joined the E Street Band to play guitar for the anthem, "Born to Run." All was forgiven, as the E Street Band rewarded the audience with a stellar show, including a blistering version of "Youngstown" that included an intense NilsLofgren guitar solo. Springsteen also gave the rock and roll city a treat---a tour premiere of "Growin' Up." For added fun, Springsteen invited a young guitarist on stage to play guitar on "Dancing in the Dark." So why the confusion? Terrie Carr, programming and music director of 105.5 WDHA in New Jersey, said Springsteen's slip-up is merely a casualty of touring. "I have seen his happen frequently and I completely believe it to be a touring moment... especially on long tours, tours that dates are rescheduled or that are geographically piled on top of one another," she said. "I have heard tons of bands call New Jersey New York, including The Rolling Stones. Guns N' Roses called New Jersey 'Philly', and a few Boston references as well." (Billboard)

Before Randy Goodman officially took over as the chairman/CEO of Sony Music Nashville on July 13, 2015, he sat in on one of the company's meetings. The executives at the table didn't know it, but they were helping him sort out some of the decisions he would ultimately make when he started retooling the artist roster. "What was really obvious to me was an artist would be talked about, and you could see people going for their phones underneath the table and diverting their eyes, or they're leaning back," recalls Goodman. "And then another artist was talked about, and everybody leaned in." It wasn't the only input he used, but the staff's body language influenced how Goodman leaned in many of the roster decisions he made in the ensuing months. A number of acts left, including Sara Evans, The Henningsens, The Swon Brothers, Josh Dorr and, most recently, Jerrod Niemann. Meanwhile, staff excitement has helped as Sony signed three new artists under the new regime, paced by Maren Morris. Her debut single, "My Church," has performed like a song from an established act, reaching the top 10 on Hot Country Songs in a scant six weeks. That creates additional anticipation for the other two new acts, which are just getting out of the gate. LANco, a five-piece band produced by Jay Joyce (Eric Church, Little Big Town), sent its bright, gurgling debut, "Long Live Tonight," to radio on Feb. 11.Kane Brown, who rode digital downloads and streams of "Used to Love You Sober" to a No. 15 peak on the Hot Country Songs chart dated Nov. 14, 2015, signed his deal on Jan. 27 and sent a remixed version of "Sober" to radio on Feb. 16. Redesigning the roster hasn't followed some of the precepts one might expect. Goodman hasn't banked on a specific sound that he believes will follow the recent bro-country and soul-tinged country trends. He also hasn't fallen into the awards-show trap of discounting an act because it might compete with an existing artist on the roster in specific categories. If that had been the driver, Morris never would have been taken seriously, since Sony already had the two most-impactful women in the genre's post-Taylor Swift era -- Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert -- plus Cam, whose "Burning House" was already showing signs of becoming a major hit when Goodman joined the company. "The way I think about it is there are different lanes," says Goodman. "Miranda has got a lane, and it's a different lane than Carrie sits in, and Carrie's got a lane, and it's a very different lane than where Cam is. Maren comes along, and I think she's unique. Each one of them have their own lane, and our responsibility as the label is to help articulate that lane, that brand, that message for them." But Goodman also wanted to send a message to the rest of the country music industry about the new Sony regime with his first signings. Previous division chief Gary Overton was dogged by persistent rumors that he was going to be replaced -- the job was actually offered to Sandbox Entertainment president/CEO Jason Owen, who turned it down -- and Goodman suspected that the company's uncertainties undercut its ability to land new talent. Morris gave him an opportunity to change those perceptions. She was about to sign with another label -- Warner Music Nashville, Billboard Country Update has learned -- but Sony Music Nashville vp A&R Jim Catino wanted Goodman to hear her, just so he would know what musical direction Catino thought the label should follow. Goodman was moved by Morris' music, as was the rest of the staff, and he pulled some strings to get a meeting with her. Before she ever arrived on campus, numerous departments had built marketing plans to show her how they could assist her in upping her presence, which had already been established on Spotify. The proactive approach won her over. "It was a very aggressive offer," says Morris. "They promised a lot of amazing things to us, and luckily everything has pulled through. We've not been shelved or waited for a single release date. Everything has honestly been moved earlier, so I feel like everyone over there has been really great about holding up their end of the bargain." Goodman was similarly aggressive with LANco, making an offer backstage at a showcase that every other label in town had likewise attended. "We've got to be urgent about it," says Goodman. "When we show up, it needs to be, 'Wow, the Sony guys are here tonight. They may sign this act tonight.' So that's what we did. I think I freaked my entire staff out, as well as the band, but for the staff, I wanted them to see that if they tell me they're excited about this, and I'm excited about it, I'm willing to walk backstage and just throw down." Standing up for his staff figured into one of the roster dismissals. ?Goodman had wanted to take his time to assess parts of the roster, but a ?manager for one of the artists became a gadfly. "They weren't being patient, and they weren't being respectful," says ?Goodman. "They kind of decided to take it out on my assistant, and I could hear what was going on. I said, 'Give me the phone,' and I said, 'You know what? You want to know? I'll tell you. [Your artist is] gone. Today. Because of you. Goodbye.' And that was it." That was the only split that ended on a sour note. In fact, Goodman expects some of the same managers whose clients lost deals will have new acts to pitch in the future. And he's hoping Sony's aggressive approach to the roster -- and its quick success with Morris -- will make it an attractive place for managers and publishers to bring young, unique talent as Sony changes its trajectory in preparation for the future. "We've got Carrie and Miranda, who are still young but they've been around for a bit, and Kenny [Chesney] and Brad [Paisley], who've been around a bit, and those acts over time -- like all acts will -- will have some decay," says Goodman. "We haven't been able to break any acts through to help offset that decay. That, to me, is the most urgent thing that needs to be done." (Billboard)

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