Aaron Dessner: Celebs Rumors

Taylor Swift gave a live debut to ‘Midnights’ track ‘Question…?’ last night (May 20) as the ‘Eras’ tour hit Massachusetts.The singer is set to play multiple dates at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, and played the second show at the venue on Saturday night.During the ‘surprise’ section of the set each night, Swift plays a different track each show, often giving songs live debuts or dusting off rarities.At the second Foxborough gig, she gave ‘Question…?’ its live debut, which you can see footage of below.For other gigs on the tour, the ‘surprise’ section, Swift has previously paid tribute to The National by playing ‘coney island’, on which they guested, for the first time, and welcomed Aaron Dessner to the stage to duet on ‘The Great War’ (a track he produced for the ‘3am Edition’ of ‘Midnights’) and ‘Mad Woman’ from her ‘Folklore’ album.Swift will play a third and final gig in Foxborough tonight (May 21).Elsewhere in recent days on the ‘Eras’ tour, Swift appeared to defend a fan from a security guard during her Philadelphia show last weekend.During Swift’s performance of her 2014 hit ‘Bad Blood’ the singer paused mid-song to address a security guard.“She’s fine! She wasn’t doing anything!” she said, before yelling “Hey, stop!” two more times while simultaneously continuing to sing the lyrics.Elsewhere, thousands of Swift fans who couldn’t get tickets flocked outside the stadium on Saturday where many sang and danced along to her hits.Meanwhile at an earlier ‘Eras’ tour show in Nashville, a Taylor Swift fan who failed to get a ticket for her show has revealed he became a security guard to get into one of her concerts.Footage of Davis Perrigo stood behind the stage barrier singing along to her 2015 single ‘Style’ at one

The National in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, has announced the line-up for its 2023 edition.The two-day event returns to Smale Park on September 15 and 16 and will, as ever, be headlined by the band themselves, who will play two unique headline sets. It will also play host to the likes of Patti Smith, Pavement and The Walkmen.Weyes Blood, Snail Mail, Bartees Strange, Arooj Aftab, Julia Jacklin, The Drin, Leo Pastel, Carriers, and Ballard all complete the line-up.“When we launched Homecoming in 2018, we were overwhelmed by the response from the community and by our renewed sense of connection to our hometown,” The National said in a statement [via Consequence of Sound].

Ed Sheeran‘s album ‘Subtract’ has become the fastest-selling album of 2023, meaning it may mark a sixth consecutive Number One album for the singer-songwriter.According to the Official Charts Company, ‘Subtract’ has already collected over 56,000 chart units, which is more than any other album that was released this year. Lana Del Rey’s ‘Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.’ previously held the record with 41,000 chart units during its first week.The LP, produced by The National’s Aaron Dessner (Taylor Swift, Gracie Abrams), is also set to claim the Number One spot in the Official Albums Chart.

Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner debuted ‘Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve’ live in Nashville last night (May 8).Bringing out The National’s Dessner, who she described as a “kind, wonderful, genius”, they suprised fans by playing the ‘Midnights‘ track for the first time live.You can check out some fan footage of the moment here:

Ed Sheeran is ready to perform!

Ed Sheeran’s – (Subtract) is already the UK’s fastest-selling album of 2023 so far on its journey to become the pop superstar’s sixth consecutive Number 1 album, the Official Charts Company can confirm. 

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Taylor Swift’s recent song “Midnight Rain” lived up to its name when it was performed Sunday night at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, except that it was actually after 1 a.m. local time when it finally came up in the set list. The finale of her hometown three-night stand was pushed back hours from its scheduled start time due to lightning strikes near the downtown area; once it did finally get underway after 10 p.m., the second half of the three-and-a-half-hour set was marked by a steady downpour, hitting Swift as hard as it did the audience in the roofless venue, before the show finally wrapped up just after 1:35 a.m. The general crowd mood, at that drenched wee hour: delirious. (Except for the small minority of fans who gave up and went home before the show got started.)

Ed Sheeran has opened up on his long-standing friendship with fellow hit-maker Taylor Swift. Describing the I Knew You Were Trouble singer as one of the "only people that actually truly understands" him and where he's currently at in his career, Ed, 32, added that speaking to Taylor, 33, is like "therapy".

The National, and claimed that he wishes he “could be Matt Berninger”.He made the comments in a new YouTube video this week (May 3), which saw him share his views on the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame class with longtime colleagues Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay.While sharing his thoughts on this year’s inductees — which include George Michael, Rage Against The Machine and Kate Bush — Letterman also expressed his “disappointment” at singer-songwriter Warren Zevon being snubbed.It was here that the conversation shifted to the former television host’s fondness for Matt Berninger-fronted band, The National. “Oh, I love the National,” he explained, going on to label them as “your saddest friend’s favourite band.”He also expressed his admiration for one of their songs, which wasn’t featured on their latest LP, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’: “They had this song called ‘Weird Goodbyes,’ which is not on the new album,” he said, going on to recite some of the song’s lyrics.

Ed Sheeran has revealed in a new interview that he confides in Taylor Swift, with the two artists finding common ground and understanding each other more than people realise.Speaking to Apple Music 1‘s Zane Lowe to promote his newly launched album ‘-‘ (pronounced ‘subtract’), Sheeran revealed that he confides in Taylor Swift, saying: “I have long, long, long conversations with Taylor about stuff just because I feel like she’s one of the only people that actually truly understands where I’m at”.“I had an hour-20 conversation with her yesterday and we were just — everything that was on our minds we talked about. I mean that in itself is kind of therapy as well, because you’re actually talking to someone that genuinely gets it,” he continued.

Every Thursday, we here at Official Charts round up the biggest New Releases coming your way across music and home entertainment. 

Taylor Swift debuted yet another song live for the first time at the ‘Eras’ tour this weekend (April 29) – watch her play ‘High Infidelity’ in Atlanta below.During the ‘surprise’ section of the set each night, Swift plays a different track each show, often giving songs live debuts or dusting off rarities.At the second of three shows at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday night, Swift gave a live debut to ‘High Infidelity’ from the ‘3am Edition’ of 2022 album ‘Midnights’, owing to its lyric: “Do you really wanna know where I was April 29th?”Watch footage below.The previous night (April 28), Swift paid tribute to The National by playing ‘coney island’, on which they guested, for the first time.The song, taken from her 2020 album ‘evermore’ was played along with ‘The Other Side Of The Door’ from ‘Fearless’ as part of the surprise segment of the show.Before playing the song, Swift took a moment to shout out the Aaron Dessner-fronted band on the day that their new album, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, was released.“This band has influenced me beyond my ability to verbalize how much they’ve influenced me — just lyrically, their ability to set a scene, their ability to tell a story,” Swift said. “And obviously, Aaron Dessner is in the National and he has completely changed my life.”She continued: “I was lucky enough to be able to write a song with them for their new album.

The National have shared their ninth studio LP, First Two Pages of Frankenstein. At the center of the 11-track project is a cut featuring twin band members Aaron and Bryce Dessner’s frequent collaborator, Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift paid tribute to The National by playing ‘coney island’, on which they guested, for the first time on the latest stop of her ‘Eras’ tour.The song, taken from her 2020 album ‘evermore’ was played along with ‘The Other Side Of The Door’ from ‘Fearless’ as part of the “surprise song” segment of the show, which made a stop last night (April 28) in Atlanta, Georgia. Swift is set to play two further shows there tonight and tomorrow (April 29-30).Before playing the song, Swift took a moment to shout out the Aaron Dessner-fronted band on the day that their new album, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, was released.“This band has influenced me beyond my ability to verbalize how much they’ve influenced me — just lyrically, their ability to set a scene, their ability to tell a story,” Swift said.

The National’s Aaron Dessner has defended working with Ed Sheeran on his upcoming album ‘–’, saying he’s “tired of the ‘what’s cool?’ debate.”Dessner co-wrote and co-produced Sheeran’s ‘-’ (‘Subtract’), which is due out May 5.“For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life,” Sheeran said when he announced his sixth album. It was written when the musician was “spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety”.In a new interview with The Guardian, Dessner said that he wanted to bring out “the vulnerability and emotion in [Sheeran] to make music that would not normally be his inclination”.“I didn’t feel the need to try to make pop music,” Dessner added.The pair worked on 32 songs together in a studio in Kent, with 14 of them making it onto the album.

The race for next week's Official Albums Chart Number 1 hasn't even started yet, and already the battle lines are being drawn! 

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor Ed Sheeran has announced details for the “- Tour” (pronounced “Subtract Tour”), a special run of dates set to take place in theaters and auditoriums in 14 cities across North America. The shows, mostly with singer-songwriter Ben Kweller in support, will take place in between dates on his massive stadium tour — titled  “+ – = ÷ x Tour” (pronounced “Mathematics Tour”) — which was announced last fall. Sheeran is using Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan technology for the theater dates. Registration opens on Friday, April 28 at 10 a.m. ET and closes on Sunday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m. ET. The Verified Fan onsale is set to begin on Tuesday, May 2 at 10 a.m. local venue time.

The perfect partnership. Taylor Swift teamed up with The National on their latest album — and fans are already dissecting the heartbreaking duet following her split from Joe Alwyn.

The National have shared a lyric video for their new song with Taylor Swift, ‘The Alcott’.READ MORE: The National on pulling back from the brink: “It’s felt fragile before, but this time was different”The single is taken from their newly-debuted album, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, which was released today (April 28), and sees the indie five-piece team up with pop icon Taylor Swift.Now, the band have shared an official lyric video for the emotional track, which also features in-studio footage of the band and Swift. Check it out below.Ahead of the release of their ninth studio album, The National spoke to NME about the inspiration behind the LP, and their long-running relationship with the ‘Anti-Hero’ singer — which first formed over a decade ago.According to the members, Aaron Dessner sent Swift the song shortly after it was written, and she responded within half an hour, making it into the track it is today.

There’s new Taylor Swift music out now!

Taylor Swift has addressed concerns about a potential on-stage injury during the Houston show of her ongoing Eras Tour, after she was spotted bleeding from her hand.The cut seemingly took place in the “era” costume change between 2020’s ‘evermore’ (which closes on ‘tolerate it’) and 2017’s ‘reputation’ (which opens on ‘…Ready For It?’), according to The Independent.The injury was then given a band-aid during the next costume change of the show, where Swift changes into a different dress to perform ‘Enchanted’ from 2010’s ‘Speak Now’.Taking to Twitter, Swift has assured fans that she was “totally fine” and the circumstances that lead to her hand being cut during the show were completely accidental.“For those asking how I cut my hand, I’m totally fine and it was my fault completely – tripped on my dress hem and fell in the dark backstage while running to a quick change,” she explained. “[I] braced my fall with my palm.

The National‘s Aaron Dessner has praised Taylor Swift‘s ‘Eras Tour’, calling it “the greatest show I’ve ever seen”.Dessner co-wrote and co-produced Swift’s surprise 2020 albums ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’ alongside Jack Antonoff. He went on to work with the singer on the 2021 re-recorded versions of ‘Fearless’ and ‘Red’.Earlier this month, Dessner joined Swift onstage in Tampa, Florida to perform collaborative renditions of ‘The Great War’ (a track he produced for the ‘3am Edition’ of ‘Midnights’) and ‘Mad Woman’ from ‘Folklore’.During a new interview with NME, Dessner opened up about reuniting with Swift on The National’s ninth studio album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, which is released this Friday (April 28).The pop star will feature on ‘The Alcott’, a song NME‘s Thomas Smith described as a “subtle duet” and “a back-and-forth conversation between frontman [Matt] Berninger and [Swift]”.After praising the singer’s work ethic and creative process, Dessner spoke about her current ‘Eras Tour’ in North America.“It’s just kind of… the greatest show I’ve ever seen,” the musician told NME.

Taylor Swift’s songs were originally intended to be released by The National.The news was revealed by The National’s own Aaron Dessner and Matt Berninger in a new interview yesterday (April 20). According to the members, the Taylor Swift songs ‘Willow’ and ‘Cardigan’ were handed over to the pop star after they struggled to make them come together.The first track, ‘Willow’, was released on Swift’s ninth studio album, ‘Evermore’, whereas the second, ‘Cardigan’ was released on 2020 LP, ‘Folklore’.“I’d taken a swing at [‘Cardigan’] and ‘Willow’ and a couple of others, and I wasn’t having a lot of luck, so Aaron sent them to Taylor,” Berninger recalled to The Telegraph.He also explained that the opposite has happened in the past, where the band have released tracks that were initially intended for Swift.

Taylor Swift welcomed special guest Aaron Dessner to the ‘Eras’ tour in Florida last night (April 14) – watch them give a live debut to ‘The Great War’ below.Dessner, who produced Swift’s lockdown albums ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’, joined Swift for a song in the ‘surprise’ section of the set, where Swift plays a different track each night, often giving songs live debuts or dusting off rarities.On Thursday night in Tampa, Dessner joined her to play ‘The Great War’, a track he produced from the ‘3am Edition’ of Swift’s 2022 album ‘Midnights’.For the second surprise song, Swift gave another live debut to a track from ‘Midnights’, ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’.See footage of both performances below.Taylor Swift com Aaron Dessner cantando "The Great War", bônus track do "Midnights"

The National have shared a new single featuring Phoebe Bridgers – listen to ‘Your Mind Is Not Your Friend’ below.The melancholic piano-led song serves as the fourth and final preview of the band’s ninth album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, which is due for release on April 28 (pre-order here).“Don’t you understand?/ Your mind is not your friend again/ It takes you by the hand/ And leaves you nowhere,” frontman Matt Berninger croons as Bridgers delivers a haunting backing vocal in unison.Per a press release, the single “confronts the entanglements of the habitual mind and the overwhelming nature of scrutiny”, and emerged during a period of writer’s block for Berninger.‘Your Mind Is Not Your Friend’ is accompanied by a nostalgic official video, which was directed by Bridgers’ brother Jackson. Filmed in Los Angeles, the clip stars Berninger’s brother Tom – tune in above.Recently, Matt Berninger opened up about how the single’s title and lyrics had been inspired by the advice his wife Carin Besser had given him as he battled depression.

Ed Sheeran has debuted at Number 1 on the Official Trending Chart with his brand new single, Eyes Closed.

Aaron Dessner has taken to social media to pay tribute to Sharon Van Etten’s iconic album, ‘Tramp’, which he claims is the first record he ever produced. An anniversary edition of the album and a previously unreleased song have also been launched.The producer took to Facebook yesterday to celebrate 11-years since the release of Sharon Van Etten’s ‘Tramp’ album.Alongside sharing two images, Dessner also wrote a moving caption, explaining how the album impacted his career and stating that it still “remains so special” to him.“Tramp was the first record I produced,” he said.

Aaron Dessner of The National has announced a “special” New York show with Ed Sheeran.The pair will be playing at the King’s Theatre in Brooklyn on April 10 alongside a live band. They are set to perform Sheeran’s forthcoming album ‘-‘ in full, meaning the audience at that show will be the first to hear the unreleased songs on the record.

Ed Sheeran has released his latest single ‘Eyes Closed’ along with its official music video, which serves as a metaphor for the themes of loss and grief contained in the song’s lyrics.Directed by Mia Barnes, the video shows Sheeran being followed by a blue monster, symbolising grief, which grows bigger and bigger as the song progresses.Originally written several years ago as a break up song, the track took on new meaning following the death of two of Sheeran’s friends – SBTV founder Jamal Edwards in February last year, and cricketer Shane Warne a month later.“This song is about losing someone, feeling like every time you go out and you expect to just bump into them, and everything just reminds you of them and the things you did together”, says Sheeran. “You sorta have to take yourself out of reality sometimes to numb the pain of loss, but certain things just bring you right back into it”.On the video, he adds: “When I was thinking of concepts for the ‘Eyes Closed’ music video, I wanted to make a video inspired by movies like [1950 film] ‘Harvey’, where the main character has an imaginary friend who’s a giant rabbit that no one can see”.“There’s also a book I read my daughters where sadness is encapsulated by an imaginary creature”, he continues.

Ed Sheeran has a very nice problem for his upcoming album, - (Subtract)...he thinks the critics might actually like this one.

Ed Sheeran has shared a preview of an upcoming new track, ‘Eyes Closed’ – check out the posts below.The song will appear on the singer-songwriter’s fifth studio album ‘-‘ (‘Subtract’), which is due for release on May 5 via Asylum/Atlantic (pre-order/pre-save here).Taking to TikTok this week, Sheeran posted a series of videos of himself performing an as-yet-unheard piece of music. The first upload saw the star play two repeated guitar parts in a split screen format.“Wanna hear the lyrics to this as well?” he wrote as the caption along with the hashtag #NewMusic.

Naman Ramachandran British musician Ed Sheeran has previewed his new single “Eyes Closed” exclusively on TikTok. Live now, the single is from Sheeran’s final album in the mathematical album era, “Subtract.” The six-day TikTok preview features Sheeran performing an acoustic performance of “Eyes Closed.” The single will drop March 24. The album, which will release on May 5, was produced and written with Aaron Dessner of the National and follows his latest release “F64,” which dropped Jan. 19 and memorialized his friend and SBTV founder Jamal Edwards, who died last year at 31. “Subtract” was written against a backdrop of grief and hope. “As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life. This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life,” Sheeran said in a message about the album.

The National took to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform their new single ‘Tropic Morning News’ late last night (March 3) – check out the footage below.Earlier this year, The National confirmed details of their ninth studio album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’.Set for release April 28, the album will feature collaborations with Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens.Alongside the album announce, the band also shared lead single ‘Tropic Morning News’ which they performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night. Check it out below:Co-written with frontman Matt Berninger’s wife Carin Besser, the track takes its title from a phrase Besser invented to describe the regrettably routine practice of doomscrolling.“The idea of referring to the darkness of the news in such a light way unlocked something in me,” said Berninger.

Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift have done one another a bunch of favours over the years.

Aaron Dessner has opened up about his experience of working with Ed Sheeran on the latter’s upcoming fifth album, ‘-‘ (‘Subtract’).Sheeran announced the 14-track record earlier this week, saying that it reflects his “deepest darkest thoughts” against a backdrop of personal turmoil.“It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul,” the singer-songwriter explained. “For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.”The National’s Dessner teamed up with Sheeran on writing and production for the LP.

NME have announced the full line-up for the C23 Live showcase at SXSW Festival.The event will take place at Inn Cahoots in Austin, Texas on March 16 to celebrate the release of C23 and feature artists from the mixtape. The full ‘Bose x NME: C23’ mixtape will be released the day prior (March 15).The mixtape features exclusive tracks by 15 of the world’s most exciting and innovative emerging artists, creating an unmissable collection that will offer a definitive audio showcase of the future of music.