Category: News

We’re now a few years removed from the latest Justin Bieber album, as Justice dropped in early 2021. Fans, naturally, have been craving a new LP since then, and the good news is that he’s been working on music lately. In March, he was spotted in a studio with Fred Again.. and Sekou. Well, he’s still at it: Earlier this week, Bieber took to Instagram to share some photos of himself recording at a picturesque studio.

Some wondered exactly where Bieber was. The photos don’t say explicitly where he was laying down tracks, but he did include an emoji of Iceland’s flag in the post’s caption. Furthermore, a comment from Flóki Studios reads, “We loved having you at Flóki Studios.”

Coincidentally, this news comes not long after Uproxx’s Philip Cosores visited Flóki Studios and its associated hotel Deplar Farm. Both are located in the Troll Peninsula in Northern Iceland.

Flóki Studios Director Wade Koeman told Uproxx, “I think some people, some artists, really excel and get into this place of creativity when all the distractions are gone. And that’s the idea of Flóki — you’re in the middle of nowhere in a place where, most of the time, you’ve never been. You’re just in this whole new environment and it’s beautiful and peaceful, yet it can be blizzarding and chaotic. It’s nature.”

He also said, “We want to be able to have it be accessible for the emerging artists that don’t have [a massive] budget,” but it clearly appeals to big-time acts like Bieber, too.

Read Uproxx’s feature on Flóki Studios and Deplar Farm here.

Karol G’s road to global pop stardom has not been a smooth ride. In fact, the “Contigo” singer allows fans to witness some of those hiccups in her new Netflix documentary, Tomorrow Was Beautiful.

With the triumphant look at her career now available on the streaming platform, Karol G is basking in gratitude, To express that, Karol G released the visual’s original track “Milagros” co-produced by Edgar Barrera and Lexus.

Just as the song’s title implies, Karol G uses the record to express deep gratitude for all she’s accomplished with. “Every time I wake up I realize how blessed / I am I go through the world doing my thing / Paving the way and healing wounds / Leaving seeds on the shores / Of every heart that’s listening to me,” she sang.

Prior to Tomorrow Was Beautiful hitting Netflix, Karol G took to Instagram to gush about the documentary. “I can feel in the bottom of my heart that my life in general has a new beginning and that I’m about to let you see the most beautiful version of me,” she wrote.

Listen to Karol G’s new song “Milagros” above.

Karol G’s original Netflix documentary Tomorrow Was Beautiful is out now. Find more information here.

Okay, I’ll admit it: I was a bit skeptical of Sailorr at first. Music journalists get dozens of press emails about “rising R&B stars” all the time, and they rarely pan out, even if they have viral tracks’ like “Pookie’s Requiem,” “Down Bad,” and “Cut Up.”

But then I saw the cover of Sailorr’s newly released mixtape, From Florida’s Finest, and her video for the focus track “Bitches Brew,” and I gotta say: I’m sold. From the cheeky reimagining of an Animorphs cover to the visual references to the iconic Renaissance painting The Birth Of Venus in the “Bitches Brew” video, and even the title “Bitches Brew” — a nod to jazz legend Miles Davis’ psychedelic, genre-redefining 1970 album — Sailorr has won me over as a self-aware future star, in the vein of a Summer Walker or a SZA.

It all starts here, with a video filmed on the Florida beaches that were the Vietnamese-American talent’s old stomping grounds. They remain so, as she struts the sand in monster boots and a pink bikini, roasting Barbie dolls on the barbecue, lounging with her homegirls in a giant inflatable clamshell, and even bringing out a treadmill to ensure she gets in her steps on something a bit more solid. It’s a wild, surreal visual that could only have come to life in Florida, and only come from an imagination that welcomes inspiration from influences both highbrow and low — the perfect recipe for a heady brew that will almost certainly lead to the growth of an already hardcore fanbase.

Watch Sailorr’s “Bitches Brew” video above.

From Florida’s Finest is out now via BuVision. You can find more info here.

The Dare is playing seven sold-out shows, each with a surprise opener, at Brooklyn venue Baby’s All Right next week. Ahead of the residency, the dance-punk artist has released a new song, a cover of “I Can’t Escape Myself” by post-punk band The Sound, from the upcoming deluxe edition of his 2024 album What’s Wrong With New York? titled What’s Wrong With New York?: Afters.

The Dare previously shared “LCA,” which he described as “when the party gets too seedy, too self-destructive, and too excessive. When people get so drunk they start playing Benny Benassi through speakers already blown. Tomorrow seems very far away.”

“I just like the play and the freedom that music and performance allows you,” The Dare (real name: Harrison Patrick Smith) told Rolling Stone last year. “I just kind of crank it up to ten and say whatever I want.”

He continued, “I have no allergy to success or ambition. I want to make the most interesting, beautiful music on the largest scale possible. If that happens, that will be wonderful… I’m just happy that people like it.” The Dare would be even happier if his fans knew how to crowdsurf.

What’s Wrong With New York?: Afters is out 6/20 via Republic Records. Find more information here.

As with James Bond, another spy-thriller frontman, Jack Ryan, has changed faces several times, too. Harrison Ford, Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, and even Ben Affleck have slipped into the shoes of Tom Clancy’s CIA analyst and ex-U.S. Marine. Then Prime Video/Amazon ran with four seasons of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan starring John Krasinski, who is now pushing into a new cinematic gear. And sure, there are already several existing Jack Ryan movies (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, The Sum of All Fears, Clear and Present Danger, The Hunt for Red October, and Patriot Games), but why not have another with Krasinski?

That’s the spirit. Amazon MGM, Paramount Pictures, and Skydance came together with that agreement, through which Krasinski’s CIA operative will spring into action again, not too long after the TV series concluded in June 2023. Let’s talk about what intrigue awaits in the upcoming Jack Ryan movie.

Plot

The good news (especially for Dads) is that filming has gone swimmingly and is nearly complete. Amazon MGM recently unveiled some BTS photos, and back in February, Krasinski Instagrammed from Dubai, where he declared, “So. Good. To be. Back! #JackRyanMovie is off and running!!! HUGE thank you to all the inCREDible folks here in Dubai for letting us kickoff in epic fashion in your beautiful city!” From there, production moved to London and NYC. As Just Jared points out, Krasinski and Wendell Pierce (as James Greer) were accompanied by Craig “Radio Man” Castaldo, and by late May, Krasinski will begin an off-Broadway run in Angry Alan, so a Jack Ryan wrap is imminent.

According to Variety has reported that this film will be “the next stage in the evolution of the Tom Clancy franchise starring John Krasinski.” Andrew Bernstein is directing, fourth-season writer Aaron Rabin penned the script, and yep, there’s a ton of secrecy on the plot, but “evolution” suggests that Krasinski could be passing the baton… where, exactly?

This is where we will get speculative. It’s possible that a Mike November spin off is being set up since Michael Kelly is reprising his TV role, but there’s another candidate who cannot be entirely ignored, although Amazon would have to be keeping Michael Peña’s Domingo “Ding” Chavez under tight wraps if that was the case. Is it possible, though? Anything is.

To travel back in time a few years: ahead of Peña’s debut in the fourth season, Deadline reported that Ding was a candidate for a Rainbow Six spin off series Collider then broached the subject with Peña, who seemed receptive while admitting, “I don’t know. It’s up to the fans and up to Amazon … we leave it in their hands.”

Still, there’s been zero evidence that Peña has been spotted on the Jack Ryan movie set, but ya know, Ding has surfaced in 20 Jack Ryan Universe books including seven core Jack Ryan novels, so it would be strange if the character didn’t resurface in this franchise somehow, someday.

This chatter is also not to be confused with a 2023 report about Michael B. Jordan reprising his John Clark character from Without Remorse in a Rainbow Six movie directed by (the incredibly busy) Chad Stahelski. And don’t count on that happening for awhile since Stahelski’s got more John Wick coming and is also developing a Highlander reboot.

Cast

Krasinski will keep rocking those espionage vibes with returning cast members Wendall Pierce (as James Greer) and Michael Kelly (as Mike November). New additions include Sienna Miller in a mystery role along with Max Beesley, Betty Gabriel, JJ Feild, Douglas Hodge.

Release Date

Filming will soon complete, which makes it completely possible for a late 2025 release on streaming. Early 2026 would happen as well, although Amazon MGM hasn’t disclosed whether this will also be a theatrical release, which would obviously modify plans.

Trailer

Since no trailer exists yet, we can just roll with more Ding Chavez. Then maybe it’s time to let him go… or not?

Lord Huron‘s song with Kristen Stewart is one of the 12 tracks that make up the group’s new album, The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1, which was announced today (May 9).

The title is a reference to the mysterious device in the woods on the album cover, as seen below. Singer Ben Schneider expands, “What if you could choose your fate like choosing a song on a jukebox? What if your finger slipped and you got the B-side instead? What if you misunderstood the meaning of the dang song to begin with?”

Lord Huron have also shared “Looking Back,” the eerie opening track from The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1. “The weight of your past can distort your present and future, the way massive celestial objects warp the fabric of the universe. Like a bowling ball on a trampoline,” Schneider said. “This song wonders if it’s possible to let go, or if looking back is a fundamental law of existence.”

You can listen to “Looking Back” above, and check out The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 artwork and tracklist below.

Lord Huron’s The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 Album Cover Artwork

Lord Huron’s The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 Tracklist

1. “Looking Back”
2. “Bag Of Bones”
3. “Nothing I Need”
4. “Is There Anybody Out There”
5. “Who Laughs Last” Feat. Kristen Stewart
6. “The Comedian”
7. “Watch Me Go”
8. “Fire Eternal” Feat. Kazu Makino
9. “It All Comes Back”
10. “Used To Know”
11. “Digging Up The Past”
12. “Life Is Strange”

The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1 is out 7/18 via Mercury Records. Find more information here.

With her latest album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran, picking up a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album, Shakira remains one of the most successful artists in global music. But, the “Soltera” singer’s career could’ve looked a lot different if label executives ignored a massive request from her.

Yesterday (May 8), Shakira revealed during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that her smash hit “Hips Don’t Lie” with Wyclef Jean almost didn’t get released. As she reflected on the track’s 20th anniversary, she confessed that it was an unplanned, last-minute addition to her 2005 album Oral Fixation Vol. 2.

“I remember my album was already distributed,” she said. “Then this idea came up and Wyclef and I met. We started working on this track.”

She continued: “The funniest thing is that I had a dream — the most random dream about Wyclef. Then I woke up, and my manager called me and said, ‘You know what? Wyclef wants to work with you.’ And I’m like, ‘No, no. It can’t be. I had a dream about Wyclef last night. Why would I dream about Wyclef?’”

Ultimately, the pair knocked out “Hips Don’t Lie.” However, Shakira’s album was already in stores. So, Shakira called in a rather expensive favor with her record label to have the album pulled and replaced with a version containing “Hips Don’t Lie.”

“You’ve got to believe me,” Shakira says she explained to her label on the frazzled phone call. “You’ve got to trust me. You do that, we have a hit. [They] did it, we repackaged the albums, and it changed my story.”

Shakira’s gut instinct and the label’s trust in her paid off in the end. Since its release, it has become a two-time RIAA certified platinum single with over 2 billion streams to date on Spotify alone.

Watch Shakira’s full appearance on The Tonight Show above.

It’s been quite the week for Evanescence’s Amy Lee.

“Bring Me To Life” played a crucial role in the latest episode of Nathan Fielder’s brilliant HBO series The Rehearsal, and now she has a new song out with Halsey. The angsty “Hand That Feeds” is part of the soundtrack for the John Wick spin-off movie From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina, and it’s a fine showcase for both of their soaring voices.

“Hand That Feeds” is dream come true for Halsey, a huge Evanescence fan since childhood. When promoting 2024’s The Great Impersonator, the “Safeword” singer dressed up as 18 of their favorite music icons, including “my OG dark rock queen” Lee on the Fallen album cover. Before “Hand That Feeds” came out, Halsey admitted that they were “freaking out about it.”

Here’s more on From The World Of John Wick: Ballerina (out June 6), which stars Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, the late Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves:

“Taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the film follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who is beginning her training in the assassin traditions of the Ruska Roma.”

You can listen to “Hand That Feeds” above.

Over the past year-plus, Usher and Sabrina Carpenter have been the king and queen when it comes to spicy on-stage antics: Usher seductively serenades people at his Las Vegas residency, while Carpenter strikes risqué poses while performing “Juno.” These two forces had to meet eventually, and they did at the Met Gala, where Usher suggestively fed Carpenter a cherry.

Carpenter’s father had some feelings about the situation: Carpenter shared an image dump on Instagram and one of them was a screenshot of a text from him, sharing a photo of the fateful feeding and writing, “? Weird.” Usher himself took to the comments to apologize, writing, “Apologies Mr Carpenter [laughing emoji][cherry emoji].”

Meanwhile, Carpenter explained why she opted to go with a no-pants look for her Met Gala outfit, saying in a blue-carpet interview, “This is Louis Vuitton, and I’m such a massive fan of Pharrell’s and have been to the show. And I was just like, ‘If I could go this year with him, that would be my dream,’ and it came true. And he was like, ‘You’re quite short, so no pants for you.’ So here we are! Here we are!” She was also completely unbothered by critics of the fit.

Tyla might have a rap song on the way someday. Well, that day is not today (May 9), but she did some through with a smooth, fresh track, “Bliss.”

Tyla has found something good as she sings, “Take me out my mind / Take me out my mind / You take me to bliss / Never felt a love like this / Never found it, never found it.”

She also recently debuted a ($22) Erewhon smoothie named after the song. The product page describes, “Bliss by Tyla is a signature smoothie from Erewhon’s Tonic Bar, crafted with MALK Organic Coconut Milk and Vita Coco Farmer’s Organic Coconut Water. This vibrant blend includes organic hibiscus tea, mango, and pineapple, enhanced with vanilla collagen and dragonfruit coconut cream. Certified organic ingredients ensure purity and quality.”

In a recent interview, Tyla said of her music, “I’m excited to show people that I’m more diverse than they think. I want to take my time with my artistry and give whatever feels right for that moment. […] Every day I can be in the studio, I’m there. I’m working on the new project currently. I’m super excited because even though I love my debut album, I feel like a totally different person. Everything that has happened forced me to grow very fast. I’m also the type of person that gets bored very easily. So I’m excited to see this new version of me and hear what it sounds like and just have fun with it — just bring back fun in music.”

Listen to “Bliss” above.