GoneTrending

India.Arie is the latest in a flurry of artists who are taking their music down from Spotify following the lead of Neil Young. While Young cited the ongoing vaccine misinformation being purveyed by Joe Rogan on Spotify’s popular The Joe Rogan Podcast as to why he’s removing his catalog from the platform, Arie finds Rogan problematic for more than his views on the COVID vaccine. Namely his language on race.

Arie is not only removing her solo recordings from the platform but also her podcast Songversation from the platform. She joins Young, Joni Mitchell, and Graham Nash in actively taking a stand with regards to their Spotify presence. Arie issued a scathing statement on her Instagram feed and wrote the following:

“I have decided to pull my music and podcast from Spotify,” Arie said in an Instagram post. “Neil Young opened a door that I must walk through. I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons other than his Covid interviews. For me, it’s also his language around race. What I am talking about is RESPECT – who gets it and who doesn’t. Paying musicians a Fraction of a penny? and HIM $100M? This shows the company that they are and the company that they keep. I’m tired.”

It’s an impressive statement from Arie, a four-time Grammy winner and multi-platinum selling artist. The dominoes seem to keep tipping for Spotify, whose new “content advisory” warnings, are clearly not enough of a move to satisfy the valid concern of a growing number of artists.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

As one of today’s biggest stars, Taylor Swift’s decade-and-a-half-long career has had an undeniable impact on the country music genre. As someone who started her career in the genre, Swift’s country success story will be on full display at the Country Music Hall Of Fame’s new exhibit, which also highlights contemporary songwriters like Luke Combs, Mickey Guyton, and Brandi Carlile.

“American Currents” is a reoccurring exhibit that’s returning to the downtown Nashville museum. Opening to the public March 4, country music fans will peruse an array of artifacts, photographs, and footage giving insight into the current state of the music genre. Part of the exhibit, titled “Unbroken Circle,” draws connections between contemporary country hitmakers and their predecessors. It shows how artists like Reba McEntire paved the way for breakout stars like Brittney Spencer.

The Country Music Hall Of Fame also has a number of digital features fans can browse from home. Their current online exhibits Dylan, Cash, And The Nashville Cats: A New Music City and Suiting The Sound: The Rodeo Tailors Who Made Country Stars Shine Brighter include in-depth storytelling and curated clips made specifically for digital viewers.

Check out the Country Music Hall Of Fame’s exhibits here.

Some of the artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The internet has finally found something to agree on: hatred for Che Diaz.

The And Just Like That… podcast host, who has one of the “worst sex scenes in the history of television” with Miranda, has been called “TV’s most hated character,” “the worst character on TV,” and a “real nightmare”. But Michael Patrick King, who created Sex and the City and the HBO Max spin-off, has a different take on Che.

“I said in the writing room, ‘Uh, get ready. Because what’s coming is outrage about Miranda calling out her marriage.’ Whoever is in the activating of that will be an issue. But the real issue is — and I say this with love — 90 percent of long-term relationships are watching television, sharing dessert, and talking about kids,” he told Variety.

King blames the Che Diaz backlash on people looking for a “villain.”

“Che is, in my estimation, honest, dangerous, sexy, funny, and warm. What everybody else is projecting on that character has a lot to do with what they want to have happen to Miranda in the story. It has so little to do with Che.”

And Just Like That… viewers might disagree:

For better or worse, there’s only one more chance to hate Che Diaz: the And Just Like That… season (series?) finale premieres on February 3.

(Via Variety)

Tegan And Sara have let nostalgia drive their recent endeavors. They’re currently turning their memoir into a TV series and their 2019 album Hey, I’m Just Like You consists of songs they initially wrote in high school. Now, they’re at it again: They’ve announced Still Jealous, a reimagining of their 2004 album So Jealous, and it’s set for release on February 11.

The hook of this project is that either Tegan sings an acoustic version of a song that Sara wrote, or vice verse. The idea was first imagined in 2020 ahead of a Tegan And Sara Foundation fundraiser, when Sara recorded an acoustic version of the Tegan-penned So Jealous song “You Wouldn’t Like Me.”

Sara says of the project, “When I was done, it was clear to us both that the project was more than background music for the fundraiser. Over the next few months, we let our interpretations of each other’s original songs become more experimental and fluid. It was comforting to live inside of familiar music during such a destabilizing time. Performing each other’s songs became a salve during the longest period that either of us has gone without an audience to sing for.”

The aforementioned sort-of-cover was shared on YouTube last summer, but now, to mark the album announcement, they’ve released it onto digital platforms, so check it out above.

Still Jealous is out 2/11 via Sire Records. Pre-order it here.

Tegan And Sara is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Just minutes after the comeback lineup for the 2022 edition of the DMV area’s Broccoli City festival was announced, one of the biggest names on the flyer and hometown hero, Wale, announced he was no longer performing at the festival. Wale, once of the area’s most popular artists and a mainstay of the Washington DC rap scene for years, quote-tweeted a fan’s post about how good the lineup is, responding “I’m pullin out this show.”

Although Wale has yet to explain the decision, fans have gravitated toward the theory that the rapper — who could arguably be considered one of the first major rappers to put the DC scene on the map, paving the way for future stars like IDK, Shy Glizzy, and fellow Broccoli City performers Rico Nasty and Masego — felt slighted by the fact that 21 Savage, a native of Atlanta, was billed as the headliner instead opposite Ari Lennox, another DMV local hero.

Reactions ranged from fans empathizing with his supposed position to others criticizing Wale’s perceived sensitivity, for which he’s drawn fire in the past. However, whenever Wale has seemed upset about things on Twitter before, he usually shakes it off within a few days. Perhaps that’ll be the case here — after all, the organizers have until May 7 to sort things out.

For the first time ever in the festival’s history, Coachella is selling lifetime guest passes to the event, and it’s happening via an NFT called the Coachella Keys Collection. Ten tokens will be auctioned off that includes passes to the fest every April and VIP experiences in 2022 — which features headliners Billie Eilish, Kanye West, and Harry Styles — like front row views at the Coachella Stage, on-stage access at the Sahara Tent, and a celebrity chef dinner in the Rose Garden.

“We’ve all seen how NFTs enable true ownership of art and media on the internet,” Sam Schoonover, Innovation Lead for Coachella, said in a statement. “We wanted to take it one step further and use NFTs to enable ownership of experiences in the real world, too.”

In addition to the Coachella Keys Auction, which starts this Friday, Coachella is also offering two NFT collections that feature digital collectibles and physical posters and photo books, all through the FTX crypto exchange. There are 10,000 each of the Sights & Sounds Collection ($60), which features 10 digital festival images and a physical print of one of the ten. There are also 10,000 NFTs in the Desert Reflection Collection ($180), which includes 1 of 10 digital renditions of a Coachella poster by Emek and a copy of the photo book, Coachella | The Photographs 1999-2019.

FTX US’s President Brett Harrison added, “Not only are we excited to partner with a progressive forward-thinking music festival in Coachella, but also working together to make the world a better place.”

Lofty goals aside, it’ll be interesting to see how much the 10 Coachella keys NFT’s fetch at an auction. The sales go live online on Friday, February 4 at 10 a.m. PT through Friday, February 11 at 5 p.m. PT at nft.coachella.com.

Despite apologizing three times for her remarks about the Holocaust, including live on the air during Tuesday’s episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg is reportedly still in trouble with ABC brass. The embattled co-host kicked up a whirlwind of controversy when she argued that the Holocaust “isn’t about race,” but instead, about “man’s inhumanity to man.” She has since walked back her comments several times and apologized to the Jewish people, but a new report claims that the situation isn’t simply going to blow over. Via Page Six:

“ABC staffers and Disney Network execs are saying Whoopi went way too far. And board members are not happy with her apology and want a fuller retraction. The word is that Whoopi is in ‘deep s–t,’” one ABC insider told us.

“Why does Whoopi seemingly get a pass when others don’t? Perhaps this time she won’t. Many at the network — including her fellow hosts — believe Whoopi is too controversial now for the show.”

The anonymous insider also claims that co-host Joy Behar was particularly taken aback by Goldberg’s “dead wrong” remarks. “Joy found this particularly troubling and couldn’t believe Whoopi wouldn’t stand corrected until she was forced,” the source said.

Of course, gossip about backstage drama at The View is nothing new. During Meghan McCain‘s time on the panel, there were numerous rumors about her allegedly diva-like antics putting her at risk of being fired, and yet she remained on the show for years. Speaking of McCain, somebody couldn’t help but highlight the scandal at her old workplace.

(Via Page Six)

On Monday, Rihanna confirmed what many fans had been suspecting for weeks: She’s going to have a baby with ASAP Rocky! The two cozied up together in their adorable pregnancy announcement photos, which made it clear they’ll be some very cool parents. Rihanna and ASAP fans everywhere were completely overjoyed with the news, and Rihanna’s father is in the same boat.

Ronald Fenty, Rihanna’s dad, chatted with TMZ about the news, sharing his excitement and hopes for the future. “When I got the news, I was so excited and ecstatic,” he said. “And I’m just hoping it will have ten fingers and ten toes.” Fenty will be excited about his new grandchild either way, but really hopes it’s a girl. “I’m looking for a girl. I already have two grandsons, so I’m looking for a daughter now,” he noted.

As for Rihanna’s future with ASAP, he has no doubt the two will make great parents. “I’ve met ASAP a few times already. He’s a very cool person, I like him,” he said. “I think he’s going to be a great dad and I know she’s going to be a great mom. She loves kids and I can see that as well. She’s over the moon about it, she’s so happy. She was always talking about having a child.” Fenty added that he isn’t sure if the two will officially tie the knot, but he sure hopes they do. “I don’t know if she’s going to have a wedding, but I would like her to have a wedding, make it official.”

While Fenty is happy for his daughter, their relationship hasn’t been exactly smooth sailing. In 2019, the pop star hit her father with a lawsuit, claiming he had used her name to benefit his own company and tried to book a tour for her over seas. She dropped the lawsuit last September after seemingly settling the case out of court.

If you aren’t caught up on all the Barbie drama lately, don’t worry, here’s a quick recap.

In 2021’s classic Netflix feature film, Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams, Malibu teen Barbie Roberts heads to New York for a summer arts program and discovers another girl named…Barbie Roberts. Sure! In order to differentiate the two, they nickname each other after their homes: Brooklyn and Malibu, and become BFFs. There, you’re caught up.

The duo are returning to Netflix in their own TV show, Barbie: It Takes Two, since, obviously, there are two Barbies. Mattel announced the series will premiere later this year. The show picks up right where Big City, Big Dreams takes place, with the duo following their musical dreams, while dealing with everyday teen problems, like family and friend drama.

This marks Barbie’s return to TV since Dreamhouse Adventures which aired from 2018 to 2020. Fred Soulie, senior vp and general manager at Mattel Television, said the following in a statement,

Mattel’s commitment to creating compelling content as we continue to expand the Barbie universe to represent our audiences across the globe. We look forward to our audiences enjoying Barbie’s return to the series format as we share a new perspective that heightens the sense of adventure, fun and friendship we all associate with Barbie Roberts.”

There is no release date for It Takes Two yet, but feel free to catch up on the animated masterpiece Barbie: Big City, Big Dreams now on Netflix. Companion dolls for the TV show were released last year.

Rachel Maddow surprised, well, pretty much everyone on Monday night when she announced that she will be taking a brief hiatus from her nightly MSNBC news show. But what was even more surprising was the reason she gave for her break in filming: She’s making a movie with Ben Stiller and Lorne Michaels.

As Deadline reports, Maddow—who was hosting her show from home after having been exposed to someone who had tested positive for COVID and was symptomatic (though Maddow herself had tested negative)—will begin her break following Thursday’s broadcast. She’ll be working on a movie adaptation of her podcast, Bag Man, which she’ll be executive producing with Stiller set to direct and Michaels producing it.

“This has been in the works for a while now,” Maddow explained, “but now it looks like it’s going to happen.” Maddow said that she’d be back on MSNBC in April, but did preface that by noting that there “may eventually be another hiatus again sometime in my future, but for now we’re just taking it one step at a time.”

Bag Man, which focuses on the bribery scandal that led to the resignation of Spiro Agnew, Richard Nixon’s VP, in 1973, had also been adapted into a book. “As you can tell I’m nervous about all this,” Maddow said. “It’s a change in my life, but it’s all for the good.”

(Via Deadline)