Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Recorded New Album as He Battled Alzheimer’s

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBig Hit Entertainment, the South Korean company that brought BTS to the world, and Universal Music Group today announced an expanded strategic partnership that will see the two companies working together to “increase opportunities for artists through innovation and technology, whilst expanding the global reach of K-pop music and culture around the world,” according the announcement.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorReclusive R&B superstar D’Angelo will face off against unnamed “friends” in a Verzuz DJ battle aimed straight at the hearts of the series’ core audience. The battle will take place on Saturday, Feb.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBy following two of the greatest rock albums of the 1960s, the Band’s third album, “Stage Fright,” had the decks stacked against it almost from the jump.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMarisa Lauro-Norris, a 15-year veteran of Def Jam Recordings and its parent company, Universal Music, has been promoted to senior vice president of international marketing, it was announced today by interim chairman/CEO Jeff Harleston.  In her new role, Lauro-Norris will lead all inter­national marketing activities at the Def Jam label.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAfter news broke Wednesday that Bruce Springsteen was arrested in New Jersey on suspicion of drunken driving last November, uproar quickly ensued: Fans were baffled that such a thing would happen to the singer — who is not a teetotaler but has never been known to be a heavy drinker — and Jeep quickly removed the recent Super Bowl ad starring Springsteen from their YouTube page, stating “drinking and driving can never be condoned.”However, unconfirmed details emerged

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorR. Kelly’s New York jury trial has been delayed for a fourth time due to COVID-19 concerns, according to the Chicago Tribune.The singer had been scheduled to go on trial April 7 on racketeering charges — which allege he ran a criminal enterprise designed to recruit women for sexual misconduct — but at a status hearing Tuesday, U.S.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Black Forum label — founded by Berry Gordy and the Motown Corporation in 1971 — will relaunch in 2021, “providing a platform to a new generation of writers, thinkers and poets,” according to the announcement. In addition to newly recorded releases, Black Forum will reissue six of the historic albums that established its legacy, beginning with Dr.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorDarcus Beese, president and CEO of Island Records since David Massey’s departure in 2018, will exit the company, a rep for parent company Universal Music Group has confirmed to Variety.“Darcus informed us of his decision to return to the U.K. for personal reasons and to pursue new career opportunities there,” the statement reads.

“Life is a gift – even with Alzheimer’s,” tweeted Tony Bennett’s official account on Feb. 1, while going public with his diagnosis.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTwo years after he was named co-head of Columbia Records’ Urban Music division, Shawn Holiday will be joining Irving and Jeffrey Azoff to launch a new record label and publishing venture, a rep for Columbia confirmed to Variety.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorTony Bennett has revealed that he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, he announced via an extensive article with AARP magazine on Monday.“Life is a gift – even with Alzheimer’s.Thank you to [his wife] Susan and my family for their support, and AARP,” he wrote on Twitter.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorArlo Parks is the kind of artist who almost could have been created in a test tube for a certain type of music fan. A 20-year-old singer-songwriter raised in London to Nigerian/Chadian-French parents (her real name is Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho).

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorOn Tuesday, which would have been Eddie Van Halen’s 66th birthday, a giant mural of the guitar hero titled “Long Live the King” was unveiled outside the Guitar Center’s flagship store on Sunset Strip in Hollywood.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Coda Collection, a new multi-media company, is launching a channel on Amazon Prime featuring rare concerts and music documentaries, exclusive premieres for films and more. The channel is combined with an editorial destination across Coda’s desktop and mobile sites, providing another perspective on the artists and music featured in the content.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIf Sabrina Carpenter wanted to start off her career at Island Records with a bang, she succeeded: Even before word of her signing with the label had been announced, she’d dropped a headline-grabbing new single called “Skin.“Carpenter praised Island president/CEO Darcus Beese and the Island staff in a statement. “I’m so excited to join the Island Records family,” she says.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRhye is the brainchild of Canadian singer-songwriter Michael Milosh, who is possessed of a high, aching voice that is usually mistaken for a woman’s (the bio tastefully describes it as “gender non-conforming”).

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSinger-songwriter Sabrina Carpenter, newly signed to Island Records, is making a splash with her surprise first release on the label: a song that obviously addresses the drama surrounding her, “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” stars Joshua Bassett and Olivia Rodrigo, and Rodrigo’s smash hit, “Drivers License.”Many fans have speculated that Rodrigo’s song is about the rumored relationship between Bassett and Carpenter.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs promised, Billie Eilish has finally dropped her long-awaited collaboration with Spanish singer Rosalia, “Lo Vas a Olvidar (You Will Forget Her),” is dropping Thursday, Jan. 21, at noon ET / 9 a.m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLate on the day that Lil Wayne officially received his long-rumored pardon from former President Trump, he dropped a new song called “Ain’t Got Time.”While the song’s lyrics don’t specifically address the pardon, he does reference the December 2019 federal weapons charges that were cleared by it.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLady Gaga delivered a rendition of the national anthem at Joe Biden’s inauguration that was both respectful, and very Lady Gaga.Dressed in a tight black long-sleeved shirt embellished a golden dove brooch, and a billowing, bright red dress, Gaga sang into a golden microphone.