Music News

Swift-approved! Cynthia Erivo revealed that Taylor Swift has not only heard her cover of "I Did Something Bad," but she is a fan of it. "Taylor saw it!" Erivo, 33, told Us Weekly exclusively in January at the Recording Academy and Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala in Los Angeles. "Taylor and I have spoken before and she loved it." The Broadway star teamed up with Shoshana Bean in 2017 to release their own dramatic and elegant version of Swift's hit song off of her Reputation album, which included a simple music video focused on the two artists and supported by a violinist and cellist. "Shoshana and I did not know that it was going to do that," the Bad Times at the El Royale actress told Us about the video, which has been viewed over 1 million times. "We had maybe two hours to do it. I had no clothes to wear so I wore -- I'm sitting in sports clothes. That's what I have! I have a turtleneck and sports clothes." The British actress admitted she doesn't think she was even wearing shoes in the video, but it didn't matter. "It looks like it's more fabulous [than] it is," she explained. "It's just simple. We are just so pleased that it did that, you know? You know simple things can make big impressions." The Outsider star also opened up to Us about her two Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Song for Harriet and how she plans to celebrate throughout the 2020 Academy Awards on Sunday, February 9. "I will celebrate win or lose, because even being here is beyond a dream," she said. "I'm just gonna have a good time. Whatever the parties are, I'm gonna be there. I'm gonna be dancing all night." The Genius star is set to perform "Stand Up" at the 92nd Academy Awards. "Being nominated as an actress was one big dream, but being nominated for the music I make and perform is one of the ultimates," Erivo wrote via Instagram on January 23, announcing her live performance. "Ever since I could remember I've wanted to sing on the @theacademy #oscars stage. I get to do it with my song. Goodness!! See you on the 9th." Erivo has been a big style star throughout the 2020 awards season. She kicked off the new year at the 2020 Golden Globes wearing $3 million worth of Bulgari diamonds and a custom sequined black-and-white Thom Browne gown, which took over 33 days in total to complete, according to stylist Jason Bolden. (US Weekly)

Lil Wayne's 'Funeral' Aiming for No. 1 Debut on Billboard 200 Albums Chart Lil Wayne is on course to land his fifth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart with his new release, Funeral. According to industry forecasters, the set could enter atop the tally with over 115,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Feb. 6. The album was released on Jan. 31 via Young Money/Republic Records and follows Lil Wayne's chart-topping Tha Carter V, which was released in 2018. The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). The top 10 of the Feb. 15-dated Billboard 200 chart (where Funeral is heading for No. 1) is scheduled to be revealed on Billboard's websites on Sunday, Feb. 9. Lil Wayne has previously topped the Billboard 200 with Tha Carter V (2018), Tha Carter IV (2011), I Am Not a Human Being (2010) and Tha Carter III (2008). If Funeral starts at No. 1, it will not only secure Lil Wayne his fifth leader, but also his 12th top 10 effort. Lil Wayne first hit the Billboard 200 way back on the list dated Nov. 20, 1999, when Tha Block Is Hot debuted and peaked at No. 3. The most likely challenger to Funeral's No. 1 arrival is the current leader, Roddy Ricch's Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial. The album earned 95,000 equivalent album units in the week ending Jan. 30 (down 8%). Other albums aiming for significant debuts on next week's Billboard 200 chart -- likely in the top 15 -- include Russ' Shake the Snow Globe, Kesha's High Road and Louis Tomlinson's Walls. All three albums, like Funeral, will benefit from sales generated by concert ticket/album sale redemption offers, as well as merchandise/album bundles sold through each act's respective official website. (Billboard)

System of a Down, Korn, Faith No More, Helmet & Russian Circles Announce One-Off Supershow. After teasing fans with the same cryptic space-themed image last week, System of a Down, Korn, Faith No More, Helmet and Russian Circles finally spilled the beans on Monday (Feb. 3) about their upcoming megashow. The "night of galactic proportions" will take place on May 22 at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles. SOAD will headline the show, with tickets slated to go on sale on Friday (Feb. 7) here. The general public onsale begins at 10 a.m. PST on Friday, with the Platinum presale kicking off on Wednesday (Feb. 5) at 10 a.m. PST until Thursday (Feb. 6) at 10 p.m. PST and a Live Nation Presale launching at 10 a.m. PST on Thursday and lasting through 10 p.m. that night. (Billboard)

Chris Cornell's former bandmates are taking a stand against his widow ... insisting she's got the wrong idea about who owns a bunch of unreleased Soundgarden tunes. Soundgarden is responding to Vicky Cornell's lawsuit, filed last year ... claiming ownership of 7 tracks she says she found on Chris' laptop after his death -- but the band says ... not so fast! In new docs, they acknowledge there are unreleased songs but say they -- as a band -- had been working on them as far back as 2014. As evidence, they point to a February 2017 article where Chris himself spoke to Music Radar about Soundgarden's new material. He said, "We have a lot of interesting songs." The operative word there being, "We" ... according to the band. According to the docs, Soundgarden got together in the studio in April 2017 to do more work on the songs. They acknowledge they took a break from polishing the songs later that month ... to go on tour. It was during that tour, in May 2017, that Chris killed himself by hanging in a Detroit hotel. Further, Soundgarden say they've corresponded with Vicky about the songs, and she's admitted they were the band's property ... not just Chris' solo work. They also think she's filed her lawsuit in the wrong court -- a federal court in Florida -- because the band is based in Seattle. Therefore, they're asking a judge to dismiss Vicky's lawsuit or, at least, force her to refile in the proper district. (TMZ)

Fans Upset Over Jennifer Lopez and Shakira's Quick Tribute to Kobe Bryant During Super Bowl 2020 Halftime Show. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment during their Super Bowl LIV halftime performance on Sunday, February 2, leaving some viewers confused. The two Latin powerhouses took the stage during the 2020 Super Bowl to shake things up and get fans in Miami on their feet, but their energetic performance only featured a quick tribute to Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash in L.A. a week prior. During an overhead shot of the NFL field, there was a cross lit up in purple and yellow, the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers. Days earlier, the entertainers teased that they had a tribute in the works. "We'll all be remembering Kobe on Sunday and celebrating life and diversity in this country," Shakira said at a Super Bowl press conference on Thursday, January 30. "I'm sure he'd be very proud to see the message we are trying to convey on stage that day." After the performance, however, one Twitter user expressed outrage, writing, "So Jennifer Lopez and Shakira used that they were doing a tribute to Kobe Bryant as an excuse to get their views up during the halftime show not only [but then] proceeded to do NO Kobe Bryant tribute like they said they would... but are we surprised?" "Stop lying... where is my Kobe tribute?" another Twitter fan wrote. Players and fans honored Bryant and the eight others who died in a moment of silence before the game started, with the teams lining up on the 24-yard line in tribute to the Lakers player, who wore a No. 24 jersey for a lot of his career. Lopez and her fiance, Alex Rodriguez, previously honored the late Lakers star via social media after news broke about his helicopter crash, which occurred on January 26 in Calabasas, California. The accident killed Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people on board. "I am sending all of my love and praying for you [Vanessa], your children and the other families involved in today's tragic turn of events," the Hustlers star wrote via Instagram at the time. "The most unfair thing in life is to lose a child and husband on the same day. Vanessa, I pray for your strength and that God guides you each step of the way through this unimaginable heartbreak. To the other families who are suffering from this unthinkable tragedy, may God be with you all." The "Jenny From the Block" singer added: "Kobe you meant so much to so many and we will miss you forever. Thank you for your work ethic, your inspiration and your heart. #hero #legend #husband #father." Rodriquez, 44, also shared kind words about the legendary basketball player on January 26. "My heart hurts so much right now," the former MLB star wrote. "I still can't wrap my head around this. How can it be?" He went on to talk about how much he learned from the late star, whom he met as a teenager, including his "impeccable" work ethic and his desire for "excellence." "People don't know this, but he was my secret coach," the former Yankees player explained. "He pushed me and motivated me, especially toward the end of my career when I needed him most. He was always there. Even after our playing days, he was there for me. I will remember his greatness. I will remember his guidance. I will remember his friendship. I will remember that he made me a better person." As Us Weekly previously reported, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, along with his daughter, Gianna, and seven others died when a helicopter they were traveling in crashed into the hillside in Calabasas, California. The group was headed to the Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, from Orange County, California, when the crash occurred. Bryant and his daughter Gianna are survived by the former athlete's wife, Vanessa Bryant, and the couple's other daughters, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and Capri, 7 months. (People)

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