Music News

Keith Urban to Host the 2020 ACM Awards. Keith Urban is your host for the 2020 ACM Awards! The star revealed his new gig on Thursday, the same day the list of nominations for the Academy of Country Music's annual award show was released. Urban, who is nominated for Male Artist of the Year, also took the opportunity to drop a new single, "God Whispered Your Name." "As if having a new song out today wasn't enough, I also get to host the ACM Awards in April," Urban said in a statement. "I'll tell you  this year already feels like the most creative and energized year of my life... and there's so much more to come. Incredibly grateful  and ready to roll!" This will mark the first U.S. award show hosted by Urban. The singer hosted the 2018 ARIA Awards in Australia, where he grew up. Earlier this month, he hosted the 2020 All For the Hall Nashville Concert, a Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum benefit show. Urban has won 15 ACM Awards throughout his career, most recently last year, when he was honored with the coveted Entertainer of the Year title. He attended that event, like many award shows, with wife Nicole Kidman. In addition to Urban, this year's nominees include the likes of Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton, Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, and Maren Morris. The show will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 5 on the CBS Television Network and the subscription service CBS All Access at 8 p.m. ET. (Eonline)

Nick Jonas Jokes Being on The Voice is a Lot Like Game of Thrones. When you play The Voice, you win or you... On Wednesday, Nick Jonas couldn't help but gush over his new gig on The Voice during his visit to Late Night with Seth Meyers. After sharing that he's "honored" to be sitting in the iconic red chair as a coach this season, the Jonas Brothers singer joked that the fierce competition between fellow coaches Kelly Clarkson, John Legend and Blake Shelton can feel a lot like Game Of Thrones. Despite only being in the early stages of season 18, Nick assured host Seth Meyers that his confidence levels are pretty high following round one of the Blind Auditions. "I feel very, very good, and I'm not just saying that," he told the Saturday Night Live alum. "The way that things have shaken up -- and it's pretty cool. I feel like the cast of Game of Thrones, perhaps. But with way less blood and lower stakes." Maybe his sister-in-law and GOT alum Sophie Turner, who is married to Joe Jonas, could offer the new coach some pointers! All kidding aside, the "Only Human" rocker is beyond thrilled to be a member of The Voice family. "It's really cool," he said. "I mean, you look to your left and your right, it's John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, Blake, and [it's] kind of a dream to be in that spot. And I feel very honored. I mean, I have a heart full of gratitude, especially since it's now aired." He slyly added, "And my team is awesome." Nick isn't the only Jonas that thinks his new job is a big deal. While on the topic of the hit reality singing competition, he revealed that his wife Priyanka Chopra "flipped" when she heard the news. "Oh, she's a big fan of the show and has been for a long time," Nick said. "And so, she was there with me when I got the call... and she flipped out. And she came to set. She saw the chair." Visiting the set was a real pinch me moment for the "What A Man Gotta Do" singer as well. He continued, "I'll say that when I saw the chair too, there's something that happened. I got a little, sort of, goosebumps moment as I looked at it." Following in the footsteps of Gwen Stefani, it's no secret that the competition is on this season. Speaking with E! News, Nick and Kelly weighed in on everyone's teams and admitted that it's anyone's game this time around. "This is the first season I've been a part of where every team is -- they've got really strong contenders," Kelly told E!'s Will Marfuggi. "Like, usually I can know if it's coming from one or two teams, like, the winner, but I don't know this season." See who Nick and Kelly recruit for their teams next Monday at 8/7c on NBC. (Eonline)

How Taylor Swift Transformed Into "The Man" for Her New Music Video. Taylor Swift, is that you? The 30-year-old singer completely transformed her appearance for "The Man" music video. The 10-time Grammy winner dropped the clip for the hit, which appears on her album Lover, on Thursday. In the video, Swift dressed up as "The Man" and sang about the double standards between men and women. Not only did Swift star in the film but she also wrote and directed it. In fact, the video marked her directorial debut. In addition, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson provided the voice for "The Man" and her father, Scott Swift, made his acting debut as, according to Swift, the "unimpressed umpire." Jayden Bartels, Dominic Toliver and Loren Gray made cameos, as well. Swift's fans noticed quite a few Easter eggs scattered throughout the video, including references to her previous albums and her Miss Americana Netflix documentary. There also seemed to be a subtle nod to her music battle with Scooter Braun. (Eonline)

Some people think Usher's new "Confessions" track has a line about him copping to herpes -- but his pal Jermaine Dupri says they need to listen closely ... cause they got it all wrong. Jermaine cleared the air Wednesday about speculation surrounding "Confessions Part III," which Usher teased during a live gig this week. One particular line in the song has been widely interpreted to be a confirmation about the STD ... which has been the subject of multiple lawsuits against the singer. On the new track, Usher sings, "You said bae let me take you to the ER, I said, 'Nah, Imma be alright / Well the next day I found out from f*cking around that the sickness I had was life." Don't let that sickness lyric fool you, according to JD -- who has teamed up with the singer again to produce a new sequel album to his 2004 smash hit project. Jermaine says, "I see y'all trippin... CONFESSIONS PART 3 is from a females perspective." JD adds, "The song is about a girl cheatin' on him and gettin' pregnant by another man. She is then being stuck with the decision to keep or abort it. Now that he knows, Should he stay or Leave ???" Get it? "The sickness I had was life" refers to a baby ... not to being sick FOR life. In any case, the good news out of all this is ... more 'Confessions,' baby. Fact is, that record was Usher's biggest commercial hit, which has been certified Diamond for selling 10 million copies. It was one of the most successful albums of the 2000s -- which is why he and JD are going back to that well. (TMZ)

Listen To R&B Futurist & UMPG Signee Ayelle's #TBT Mixtape. Welcome to #TBT Mixtape, Billboard's series that showcases artists' very own throwback-themed playlists exclusive to Billboard's Spotify account. The curated set features the artists' favorite tracks from their youth and childhood. This week's edition comes from Ayelle. The Swedish-Iranian singer-songwriter (real name Amanda Lundstedt) has amassed over 35 million streams just two years into her tenure. Tackling themes from self-worth to the status quo, her unique cocktail of minimalist R&B has earned support from Majestic Casual to BBC 1Xtra. The early buzz helped her debut at SXSW, move to New York City via London, and ink a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group US all last year. She also committed to releasing a new single every month in 2019, including standouts like "NBDY," "Mind and Body" "okay" and "Psychopaths," which earned support from the U.K.'s PRS Momentum Fund. This week, Ayelle curated Billboard's #TBT Mixtape to spotlight the songs that inspired her latest material, including not-too-distant bops from BROCKHAMPTON, Sasha Sloan, Anna of the North and Kali Uchis. "Every song on this playlist represent an emotion or specific moment of this past year. I love finding new music but they also have to find me at the right time in order for it to resonate with me," says Ayelle. "When lyrics and the emotional pull of a song synchs up with personal experiences, there is nothing sweeter, nor anything more helpful to process what I'm feeling than finding that one perfect song to capture that moment. I re-live it over and over again whether it's good or bad and that to me is the most beautiful thing about music." (Billboard)

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