9 arrested in student protest at U of M
Learfield Wire Service
April 24 was declared New Kids on the Block Day by then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis back in 1989, and the group and the fans still celebrate it. This year, the 35th anniversary of NKOTB Day, the group has released a new song to mark the occasion.
The song, "A Love Like This," is now available on all streaming platforms. It'll also appear on the guys' new album, Still Kids, due out May 17. In a statement, Donnie Wahlberg says the track is "truly a love letter to our fans." He adds, "We’ve written and recorded a song that speaks to the enduring, evolving and magical relationship that we’ve shared over the past 35 years.”
“There is no us without them, and certainly would be no NKOTB Day without their unconditional love and support," he adds. "This is our special way of giving back to them.”
NKOTB Day also brings an opportunity to get a special deal on four tickets to the group's upcoming Magic Summer 2024 tour at certain venues: it'll cost you $89 plus fees. You can get the Magic Pack of tickets at livenation.com.
The tour, featuring special guests Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff, launches June 14 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. It's scheduled to wrap up August 25 in Noblesville, Indiana.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreNew Kids on the Block release new song to celebrate NKOTB Day, offer ticket deal
Lauv's first new song and video of 2024, "Potential," shows him coming to terms with his sexuality.
Ahead of the release of the song, Lauv wrote on Instagram, "it’s genuinely a big deal to me, i’ve been writing songs for so long and have always seen myself as someone who was only allowed to be into girls. and then i started opening that up and now i feel just so so so much. and this song is the first one im gonna put out about a boy. so yeah, hope u love."
In the video, Lauv is pulled this way and that by both male and female dancers, until finally he and a male dancer end up embracing.
Lauv says in an official statement, "'Potential’ is about realizing you have feelings for someone and dreaming about the potential of what it could be. It’s the beginning of my next, most authentic chapter, and I can’t wait to share this and everything that’s coming next.”
In March 2024, Lauv posted on Instagram, "i finally, around age 29 have reopened the door to the part of myself that feels…well…into men. and i don’t know where its gonna go but i think it’s important to talk about because i literally spent A LIFETIME blaming my anxiety & eventual really bad OCD for all my thoughts that had to do with being into men, always shoving it back down."
He added, "But here i am, a few kisses and some fun in, a lot of songs in, and confused as ever but at least so much happier and more comfortable and less anxious because i’ve started to embrace a part of myself that i ran away from for so long."
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreLauv releases new song and video for "Potential," his first song "about a boy"
In 2023, Nick Jonas' movie The Good Half premiered at the Tribeca Festival. Now it's finally hitting theaters.
The drama will have nationwide sneak preview screenings on July 23 and July 25 in over 900 theaters. Each screening will come with a virtual conversation between Nick and director Robert Schwartzman, moderated by Kiernan Shipka. You can sign up at FathomEvents.com to be notified when tickets become available.
The movie stars Nick as a struggling writer named Renn, who finally has to face his issues when he goes back home to Cleveland to attend the funeral of his mother, played in flashbacks by Elisabeth Shue.
On the plane trip home, he starts a new relationship with a fellow passenger, played by Alexandra Shipp. But once he arrives, he has to interact with the family he's been avoiding for years: his dad, played by Matt Walsh; his sister, played by Brittany Snow; and his stepdad, played by David Arquette.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreNick Jonas' new movie, 'The Good Half,' to get nationwide sneak preview screenings this summer
It's hard to keep up with all the records that Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department album keeps breaking.
On April 22, the album became the most streamed in a single week in Spotify history; but as of April 24, it is the first album in Spotify history to hit 1 billion streams in a single week. It actually accomplished that in less than a week: the album's only been out for five days.
A few of the other records the album has broken include being the first in Spotify history to rack up 300 million streams in a single day and the most-streamed album in a single day. Meanwhile, Taylor is now the most-streamed artist in a single day.
Over on the Billboard side of things, The Tortured Poets Department now ranks #5 on the list of the biggest sales weeks for any album in the modern era, which Billboard dates back to 1991, the advent of electronic sales tracking.
Adele still holds the record, with 3.378 million copies in one week for 25, followed by *NSYNC's No Strings Attached with 2.416 million, *NSYNC's Celebrity with 1.878 million and Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP with 1.76 million. Taylor's album has now sold 1.6 million, but the week isn't over yet.
In addition, Billboard reports that the album's 31 tracks have racked up a combined 602.3 million streams, setting the record for highest single-week streams for an album by a female artist. The only other albums that have scored more streams in a week are both by Drake: 2018's Scorpion and 2021's Certified Lover Boy.
But Billboard notes that Taylor could still surpass Drake, who called her the "biggest gangster in the music game right now" on his new song “Taylor Made Freestyle.”
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreTaylor Swift's 'TTPD' is now first album to hit 1 billion Spotify streams in one week
Nick Carter's little brother Aaron died in November 22 at the age of 34, and in recent years, Nick has been dogged by accusations of sexual assault. Now, both brothers' troubles are being examined in a new four-part docuseries on Investigation Discovery called Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter.
The main focus of the docuseries concerns the accusations against Nick, Aaron's struggles with substance abuse and what happened between the brothers when Aaron decided to publicly support Nick's accusers. The series includes interviews with Melissa Schuman, Ashley Repp and Shay Ruth, the three women who've made accusations against Nick, which he has denied. Among other things, they discuss the backlash they've faced from Nick's fans since they decided to come forward.
Also interviewed is Nick's former girlfriend Kaya Jones, Aaron's former fiancée, Melanie Martin, and members of the Carter family.
Fallen Idols: Nick and Aaron Carter premieres Monday, May 27, and Tuesday, May 28, from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT on Investigation Discovery; it'll also stream on Max.
If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreNick & Aaron Carter's troubled lives inspire Investigation Discovery docuseries 'Fallen Idols'
Katy Perry hasn't given a lot of detail about the new music she's been teasing, but at least we now know who one of her collaborators is.
Lu Kala, a Canadian-Congolese singer, posted to Instagram a video of herself hanging out with Katy. In the video, she embraces Lu and says, "She helped me write one of my biggest songs that has yet to come out but it's coming out! Don't say anything! Lu Kala, everyone, Lu Kala! I love you!"
In the caption, Lu wrote, "I was not expecting any of this, wow Thank you @katyperry for letting me be the tiniest part of what you have coming. I can’t wait for the world to hear it."
In another post featuring photos of her and Katy, Lu noted, "To know me is to know that I’ve been a Katy fan FOREVER!! You can’t spell Pop without @katyperry and as a Pop gurlll, this means the WORLD TO ME!!!! brb, still crying."
In the comments, Lu added, "I’m still in disbelief y’all, if we talking POP MOTHER, it’s HER!!!!?"
As previously reported, Katy recently told Access Hollywood that her upcoming album is "very bright and joyful, like pure joy and fun and playful and celebratory and a party.”
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreKaty Perry teases "one of my biggest songs" is "coming out"
In January, Miley Cyrus was announced as one of the participants in Everyone’s Getting Involved: A Tribute to the Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense, featuring artists of different genres singing songs by Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Talking Heads. At the time, the song that Miley had covered wasn't announced, but now it's official.
Miley has recorded one of Talking Heads' signature songs, 1977's "Psycho Killer." On her Instagram Story, she's posted a snippet of her cover, revealing that she's turned the quirky, new wave tune — written from the perspective of, yes, a psycho killer — into an upbeat dance banger.
Fans suspected that "Psycho Killer" was the song Miley had recorded because in March, a video posted on social media showed her singing the song at Chateau Marmont, complete with new lyrics: "I love you psycho killer/ I’m gonna love you forever/ You know I’ll never run away."
The tribute album, due out May 17, celebrates the 40th anniversary of the release of Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense, Talking Heads' legendary 1984 concert film, which is often considered one of the best concert films ever made. In addition to Miley, other artists participating include Paramore, Lorde and the rock band The National, which includes Taylor Swift collaborator Aaron Dessner.
Miley's involvement with the Talking Heads project isn't a surprise since she's friendly with the band's frontman, David Byrne. He guest-starred in her 2023 New Year's Eve special on NBC, joining her for several songs, including a cover of David Bowie's "Let's Dance."
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreHear a snippet of Miley Cyrus' dance banger take on classic Talking Heads song
Ahead of their upcoming Summer Road Trip 2024 tour, Train has released an upbeat new single.
Of "Long Yellow Dress," Train frontman Pat Monahan says, "Have you ever had a dream more real than reality? Me too. There she was in a long yellow dress. Do I know her? It’s obvious that I’m supposed to find her so I can’t stop looking. She’s out there somewhere."
The band plans to give the song its live debut at their upcoming performance at London's Royal Albert Hall on April 30. The show, part of Train's first U.K. tour in seven years, will be recorded and released as Train Live at Royal Albert Hall this summer.
After touring the U.K. and Europe, Train returns to the U.S. for the Summer Road Trip 2024 tour, a co-headlining trek with REO Speedwagon that starts July 8 in Somerset, Wisconsin. It's currently scheduled through a September 11 show in Phoenix, Arizona.
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreTrain releases new song, "Long Yellow Dress," announces live album
Billie Eilish's upcoming album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is her third album, but she says it's a throwback to her first one.
“I feel like this album is me,” she tells Rolling Stone. “It’s not a character. It feels like the When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? version of me. It feels like my youth and who I was as a kid.”
“It was the best time of my life," Billie says of her debut album.
“This whole process has felt like I’m coming back to the girl that I was," she adds of making HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. "I’ve been grieving her. I’ve been looking for her in everything, and it’s almost like she got drowned by the world and the media. I don’t remember when she went away.”
The album's also meant to be experienced as a whole, FINNEAS says, so Billie isn't releasing any singles.
"Every single time an artist I love puts out a single without the context of the album, I’m just already prone to hating on it," she says. "I really don’t like when things are out of context. This album is like a family: I don’t want one little kid to be in the middle of the room alone.”
Rolling Stone notes that one track sure to inspire questions is "Lunch," described as a "bass-heavy banger" about Billie crushing on a girl.
Regarding her sexuality, which became a headline in 2023, Billie tells Rolling Stone, "That song was actually part of what helped me become who I am, to be real. I wrote some of it before even doing anything with a girl, and then wrote the rest after. I’ve been in love with girls for my whole life, but I just didn’t understand, until last year..."
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreBillie Eilish says her new album is like "coming back to the girl that I was"