Kelvin Harrison Jr. To Lead Universal Musical From Michel Gondry, Pharrell Williams; Da’Vine Joy Randolph Circling – The Dish

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief TF Entertainment, the company behind Chinese pop sensations TFBoys and Teens in Times (aka TNT), has struck a strategic alliance with Universal Music Greater China. The deal includes global digital distribution for TF Entertainment’s roster of talent and the targeting of markets outside Mainland China. The objective is to leverage parent group Universal Music Group’s global distribution capabilities and marketing network to elevate Chinese pop’s global prominence. TF Entertainment was founded in 2009 and developed a trainee system to cultivate idol groups within Chinese pop.

Pharrell Williams surprised released a new album yesterday (April 6), with fans only able to listen to the album on a new website.The new album, called ‘Black Yacht Rock Vol 1: City of Limitless Access’ is available to listen to here and is not, as the time of publishing, available on any other streaming platforms. Those who visit the website to listen to the album can also sign up to a new mailing list.

Halle Bailey is joining Universal Pictures’ untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry movie!

Halle Bailey (The Color Purple) has been tapped to star alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr. and The Holdovers Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in Universal Pictures‘ untitled coming-of-age pic from director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and producer Pharrell Williams (Hidden Figures), Deadline has learned.

Katcy Stephan Halle Bailey is set to join Universal Pictures’ untitled Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry project. Bailey will co-star opposite Kelvin Harrison Jr. and joins newly-minted Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph in this coming-of-age musical set in the summer of 1977 Virginia Beach inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Williams’ childhood neighborhood.

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who previously formed the songwriting duo The Neptunes, are currently in a legal dispute over the group’s name.The lawsuit comes as Hugo accused Williams of “fraudulently” seeking sole control over the trademarks without consulting him.The Neptunes rose to prominence in the early 2000s, after both Williams and Hugo were friends in their childhood. They produced a run of hit tracks at the turn of the century including Gwen Stefani’s ‘Hollaback Girl’, Snoop Dogg’s ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’, Justin Timberlake’s ‘Rock Your Body’ and Nelly’s ‘Hot in Herre’.They reached the peak of their success before Williams went on to become a solo musician, and they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2022.However, the two have run into legal action following Hugo filing a lawsuit against his songwriting partner last week at a federal tribunal – accusing Williams of attempting to unilaterally register trademarks for the Neptunes name.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music With hits like Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” Kelis’ “Milkshake,” Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl” and dozens of others, Pharrell Williams and longtime collaborator Chad Hugo rode to multiplatinum success as the songwriting/production duo the Neptunes. While Pharrell has become a superstar in his own right over the last two decades, with solo hits like “Happy” and “Freedom,” Hugo has kept a comparatively low profile – but the pair are now in a legal dispute over the group’s name.

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo are battling out.

Prince Harry has reportedly landed a massive inheritance pay-out, but his brother Prince William hasn't been as lucky. Recent revelations suggest that the Duke of Sussex got a bigger slice of the inheritance pie from their great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's estate, after she passed away in 2002. Her estate, thought to be worth around £70 million, included precious assets and property contents left to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.

Beyoncé’s cover of The Beatles classic ‘Blackbird’, included on her new album ‘Cowboy Carter’, has prompted a lot of reactions among fans.‘Cowboy Carter’ was released today (March 29), her eighth studio album and the second in an expected trilogy that began with 2022’s ‘Renaissance’.The second track on the album is a cover of the 1968 Beatles song, which she has renamed ‘Blackbiird’. Given the album’s embrace of country influences – including a cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ and appearances from Willie Nelson and Linda Martell – and its themes concerning race in American music history, the song has been chosen pointedly.Listen to ‘Blackbiird’ here:Paul McCartney wrote ‘Blackbird’ during the civil rights struggle of the 1960s, just weeks after the assassination of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

As its public dispute with TikTok continues, Universal Music Group has set an expanded strategic relationship with Spotify.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Universal Music Group and Spotify — the world’s largest music company and the world’s largest paid music-subscription service — have unveiled an expansion of their “strategic relationship” in an announcement that has very few details but is likely the opening of a new maneuver in UMG’s ongoing battle with TikTok. UMG and the China-based platform, which has been the leading source of music discovery for the past five years, have been in a standoff over multiple issues, primarily the platform’s low royalty payments and AI policies, since their licensing agreement expired earlier this year.

K-pop music purveyors HYBE today announced an expanded long-term agreement with Universal Music Group (UMG), providing them exclusive distribution rights across HYBE music for the next 10 years.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Hybe, the Korean firm behind K-pop’s BTS, has struck an expanded 10-year deal with Universal Music Group (UMG), providing Hybe’s roster of artists and labels access to UMG’s leading global network. UMG will further collaborate with Hybe’s global superfan platform Weverse, bringing more of a direct connection between UMG artists and their fandom. Hybe and UMG will additionally collaborate on artist promotions and marketing activities in North America under the oversight of Scooter Braun – who, in his time as CEO of Hybe America, acquired QC Media Holdings and incorporated SB Projects as well as Big Machine Label Group into the existing roster. Hybe and UMG first teamed up in 2017 on BTS, through a distribution agreement in Japan. In 2021, the companies expanded their relationship with a global strategic agreement which saw collaborations across multiple projects and use of Weverse for fan communication.

Michel Gondry hasn’t worked with a Hollywood studio since the 2011 comedy “The Green Hornet.” But he’ll do so for his follow-up to last year’s “The Book Of Solutions” for what’s arguably the most peculiar project in his filmography. Deadline reports that Gondry heads to Universal to direct an untitled coming-of-age musical set in 1977 Virginia Beach.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music The standoff between Universal Music Groupand TikTok over royalty payments and AI policies has resulted in a near-complete blackout of all music owned, distributed and published by the company on the platform — the videos are still there, but the music is muted. Yet new songs by UMG artists, including Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello and Niall Horan could be found on TikTok at the time of this article’s publication. How and why is that happening? While reps for UMG and TikTok declined comment, and an explanation of the platform’s logistics and process quickly devolves into a mind-melting blizzard of jargon and abbreviations, here’s a vast oversimplification of a couple of possibilities.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music As the vast reorganization of Universal Music Group’s labels continues, as expected, the company’s East Coast operations are uniting under the Republic Corps umbrella. The move reflects the company’s reorganization of its labels under the domains of Republic’s Monte Lipman (East Coast) and Interscope’s John Janick (West Coast).

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Toronto’s Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival, has unveiled the full lineup of films that will screen in its Special Presentations program. The festival runs April 25 to May 5. World premieres include “Red Fever,” which sees Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond travel to the four corners of Turtle Island and across Europe to explore the world’s fascination with Native Americans; “American Cats: The Good, the Bad, and the Cuddly,” in which “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” correspondent Amy Hoggart explores the controversial practice of declawing cats; “The Ride Ahead,” an expansion of co-director Samuel Habib’s short film “My Disability Roadmap” (which got an Honorable Mention in the International Shorts section of Hot Docs in 2022), exploring a typical 21-year-old itching to move out, start a career and find love—all while navigating life with a disability; “Lost in the Shuffle,” which follows world champion magician Shawn Farquhar as he simultaneously devises a new trick and delves into a medieval murder cold case; and “Le Mans 55: The Unauthorized Investigation,” which explores the tragic Le Mans race in 1955 where more than 80 spectators were killed.

Pharrell Williams ended his set at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 15 minutes early due to dangerous crowd activity.Per Music News, the iconic producer and singer addressed the crowd at the Grand Prix 15 – which took place at the Saudi Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday (March 9). He informed them that throwing their light-up wristbands towards the stage was dangerous and unsafe, and quit his set earlier than anticipated after attendees refused to listen to him.“This is the liveliest city right now on the planet but we have also got to be the safest.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Omega was the timepiece of choice at Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony, where star-studded nominees such as Cord Jefferson, Cillian Murphy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and dozens more accessorized their ensembles with different styles of the luxury watch.