Spain’s Primavera Sound 2021 Music Festival Canceled

Memphis rapper Key Glock has had a hand in some of his city's most successful rap releases of the past few years. Projects like the Dum and Dummer series with his mentor, the dearly missed Young Dolph, were standouts in the years they were dropped.

Ariana DeBose, at first, didn’t have any words to say about her Oscar nomination because she was so shocked.

Setting the record straight. Armie Hammer and his estranged wife, Elizabeth Chambers, have not reconciled their romance despite rumors to the contrary.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorVisionary visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull, who died Monday, contributed his groundbreaking inventions and techniques to classics including “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and “Blade Runner.”Among his many honors were three visual effects Oscar nominations (“Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and “Blade Runner”); the Academy’s Scientific and Engineering Award for creating the Showscan Camera System; and the Visual Effects Society’s Georges Méliès Award, honoring those who have made significant, pioneering contributions to the effects business, in 2012.A generation of visual effects artists and filmmakers were influenced by his work, including Weta FX senior VFX supervisor Joe Letteri, who said, “Doug stands out as an iconic figure in visual effects, one of the early pioneers who blended a deep knowledge of cinematography and mechanics to develop techniques that we still use today. An early evangelist of high frame rate processes, Doug’s vision for where we can take cinema is just now coming to fruition.” Here’s a look at a five iconic moments Trumbull helped create.Trumbull was Oscar nominated for visual effects for Spielberg’s “Close Encounters,” and one of his significant contributions was the motion control photography used in the scenes featuring the alien’s massive mother ship.

Mark Sutherland If last year’s Brit Awards went out with something of a COVID-restricted whimper, this year’s ceremony came in with a bang.Several bangs in fact, as an unexpected mash-up between emo-metal hybrid Bring Me The Horizon and Ed Sheeran on the latter’s “Bad Habits” launched the show to, no doubt, the bewilderment of mums and dads tuning in at home and expecting the nice, ginger-next-door they usually see at events like this. The arena, however, was ablaze — quite literally, as the unlikely collaborators became the first of several performers to torch the stage.Held at The O2 Arena in south London, this year’s Brits — unlike last year’s event — took place in a country that is largely free of COVID restrictions.

Everyone needs a good cry every now and then. For Will Arnett, it happened on the side of the road. To be fair, the BoJack Horseman actor had recently split with Amy Poehler after nine years of marriage. This made his experience filming the Arrested Development revival “almost excruciating,” as he told The Guardian. “Just brutal, brutal, brutal,” he continued. “I was driving to the set one day and I pulled over to the side of the road and cried for an hour.”

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorNeedless to say, the 2021 Grammy Week will not be like ones we’ve known in the past. While it’s ordinarily a week of socializing, celebrating, parties, concerts and (most of all) networking, this year we’re going to have to do all of it from home, like we’ve had to do virtually everything else for the past year.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWhen it comes to Zoom backgrounds, Grammy Awards executive producer Ben Winston has one that’s tough to beat. Along with the requisite photos and tchotchkes, there’s a piece of a bridge from David Letterman’s old set, an autographed album cover with a (sadly illegible) inscription by his former roommate, Harry Styles, and … is that actually a puppet of himself? Six of Winston’s top team members, who are also on the call, immediately chime in with laughter and jovial mocking in a cacophony of American and British accents.“Yes, I have a muppet of myself,” Winston confesses.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBad Bunny, Black Pumas, Cardi B, BTS, Brandi Carlile, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Mickey Guyton, Haim, Brittany Howard, Miranda Lambert, Lil Baby, Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, John Mayer, Megan Thee Stallion, Maren Morris, Post Malone, Roddy Ricch, Harry Styles, and Taylor Swift will perform at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, March 14, the Recording Academy has announced.Nearly all of the artists are nominees, and several — including Styles, Megan Thee Stallion, Bad Bunny, DaBaby, Doja Cat and Guyton — will be making their debut as Grammy performers.The ceremony takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, under strict COVID protocol.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSteve Greenberg, founder of S-Curve Records, is leaving the company, which he founded two decades ago and sold to BMG in 2015, he confirmed to Variety.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, who announced last week that they’ve come together as a project called Silk Sonic, have released the first song from their forthcoming album, and it’s a glorious blast of vintage R&B called “Leave the Door Open” that could be a Best R&B Song Grammy winner from 1974.Even though the classic R&B sound the pair evokes is a decade older than they are, both the song and the arrangement are pitch-perfect, with swooning strings, honeyed backing vocals and even a glockenspiel — think Delfonics, the Chi-Lites and basically everything on the Philadelphia International label.The duo announced the Silk Sonic project last week. “We made an album!!” enthused .Paak on Instagram.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSinger Miley Cyrus has signed with Columbia Records after seven years and four albums on RCA. A source close to the situation tells Variety that even though both Columbia and RCA are Sony-owned labels, there’s no animosity and the deal stems from Miley and her co-managers Adam Leber and Tish Cyrus’ long and positive relationship with Columbia chief Ron Perry, who signed Miley directly.Miley’s sister Noah is signed with Columbia-distributed RECORDS label, and Lil Nas X, who is managed by Leber, is also signed to the label.Her most recent album with RCA, “Plastic Hearts,” was released in November and received largely positive reviews.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSt. Vincent has announced that her sixth album, “Daddy’s Home,” will be released on May 14.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUTA has announced the acquisition of U.K.-based Echo Location Talent Agency. The firm was founded and led by Obi Asika (pictured above), who will serve as Co-Head of UTA’s UK office alongside Neil Warnock.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorFollowing its acquisition of select Beach Boys assets last month, Irving Azoff’s new Iconic Artist Group has made another move into the lucrative catalog acquisition marketplace by partnering with Rock and Roll Hall of Famer David Crosby. Iconic has acquired Crosby’s catalog, which according to the announcement includes his publishing and recorded music rights, including his solo work, as well as his work with the Byrds; Crosby & Nash; Crosby, Stills & Nash; and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSony Music Publishing has partnered with Silence the Shame to launch “The Soundtrack of Mental Health,” a global multi-year program which will offer songwriters, employees, and the greater music community educational trainings and support around mental health.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBunny Wailer, a founding member of Bob Marley’s Wailers and a legendary reggae singer whose career reached across seven decades, died early Tuesday, his manager confirmed to the Jamaica Observer. He was 73.“He died about 8:00 this morning.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn what may be the first move of its kind in the music-streaming world, SoundCloud has introduced what it describes as “fan-powered royalties, a more equitable and transparent way for emerging and independent artists to earn money on SoundCloud.” In other words, each listener’s subscription or advertising revenue is distributed among the artists that they listen to, rather than their plays being piled into a collective pool.“Many in the industry have wanted this for years. We are excited to be the ones to bring this to market to better support independent artists.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorUniversal Music Publishing has signed rising British singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone, whose debut EP received a rave review in Variety last fall, to an exclusive, global publishing agreement. The 21-year-old singer was voted No.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRepublic Records has hired Ben Facey as executive vice president of global marketing & digital strategy, EVP and General Manager Jim Roppo announced Monday morning.  He is based in the Republic’s New York headquarters.According to the announcement, in this newly established post, Facey will architect, implement, and shepherd international marketing campaigns and digital initiatives for the label’s entire roster.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorJason Derulo has signed with Atlantic Records, the company announced Monday morning. The signing also continues a partnership between Atlantic and Derulo’s Future History label, which recently released “Lifestyle,” the singer’s latest single featuring Maroon 5’s Adam Levine.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSwedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson has signed with Sony Music Publishing, the company announced Monday morning. The singer, whose new album “Poster Girl” will be released on Friday, has enjoyed a solid run of hits over the past few years, including “Ruin My Life,” “All The Time,” “Lush Life,” and “Never Forget You,” as well as collaborations like “A Brand New Day” with BTS and “Like It Is” with Kygo and Tyga.Recently, Larsson released the single “Look What You’ve Done” in advance of “Poster Girl.” The 12-track album will feature her 2020 hits “Wow,” “Love Me Land,” and “Talk About Love” (featuring Young Thug).

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorWith her 2015 debut “Sprained Ankle” — an album she’s said she made for her college friends — Julien Baker unexpectedly made a deep and instant impact with her stark songs, which combine beautiful melodies and her soaring voice with harrowing and often disturbing lyrics. Critics expended reams of verbiage on the Memphis-spawned Baker’s background (religious upbringing, substance abuse), but from the beginning her songs and singing transcended any backstory.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorLive Nation has taken a timeline provided by the British government as an all-clear for the summer festival season, selling some 170,000 tickets this week to three major U.K. summer festivals that were put on sale this week  — and according to comments made around the company’s grim 2020 earnings report on Thursday, it is optimistic that North America can be on a similar pace.On Monday, the British government set a timeline that states large music events in the U.K.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorRina Sawayama’s self-titled debut album is indisputably one of the most innovative pop records of recent years, a head-spinning fusion of nu-metal, Lady Gaga-style pop and ballads that is catnip for critics, fans of daring music (such as her big fan Elton John) and prestigious awards like the Brits and Mercury Prize.So there was no small outcry when Sawayama, 30, who was born in Japan and is not a British citizen but has lived in the U.K.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorIn its pursuit of carbon neutrality, BMG has committed to offsetting all of its global site and employee-related greenhouse gas emissions, the company announced. In defining a long-term strategy to avoid, reduce, and offset CO2 emissions, BMG revealed it had offset over 3,000 tons of CO2 produced in 2019 by investing in Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) certified climate protection projects.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd has signed with CAA in all areas worldwide, the company announced Wednesday. He was previously represented by WME.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSouth by Southwest Conference and Festivals has announced that Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg; author and host of the New York Times podcast “Together Apart” Priya Parker in conversation with Anand Giridharadas; and writer and author Charles Yu as Keynote Speakers, along with a new round of Featured Speakers for SXSW Online.The virtual event takes place from March 16-20, 2021.Buttigieg, Parker, and Yu join the Keynote lineup that includes previously-announced sessions from entrepreneur, political leader and author Stacey Abrams in a Keynote conversation with author N.K.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorBillie Eilish revealed that she’s recorded a new album in lockdown during an interview with Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” Tuesday night. It’s the result of her first prolonged period of not touring since her career began in earnest in 2016.“I don’t think I would’ve made the same album, or even the album at all, if it weren’t for Covid,” she tells Colbert.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Black Music Collective (BMC), a newly launched initiative by the Recording Academy, will host its inaugural Grammy Week event in celebration of Black creators’ and professionals’ contributions to the music industry.The event will feature performances by H.E.R., Yolanda Adams, PJ Morton and rapper and producer duo Freddie Gibbs & Alchemist.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe Weeknd is one of the great serial collaborators of this era, and he is generous with his praise about the artists he’s worked with, who range from Ariana Grande and Lana Del Rey to Travis Scott and SZA. But when asked about Daft Punk — who announced their breakup on Monday, and with whom he collaborated on two songs in 2016 for his “Starboy” album — during interviews for his Variety cover story last year, his voice took on tones of awe.“Oh my God — that’s different,” he said.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorThe annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala, which has taken place the night before the Grammy ceremony since 1975, has been postponed for several weeks, as Davis has been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, a serious but temporary condition that causes sudden weakness in facial muscles, among other symptoms.A rep for Davis tells Variety that the executive is in good spirits, is being treated with antibiotics and steroids and is expected to make a full recovery in six to eight weeks, and the party is expected to be rescheduled for May.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorGrammy Week 2021 will kick off with a new event titled “Women in the Mix,” which aims to highlight and amplify the voices of female producers, engineers, artists and executives in the music industry. The event clearly seems intended to address an issue that has long been a sore point not only for the Recording Academy but especially the music industry at large.The virtual event will take place Monday, March 8, 2021
at 8 p.m.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorSydney’s The Kid LAROI has signed a worldwide deal with Sony Music Publishing. The artist, songwriter, and producer, whose real name is Charlton Kenneth Jeffrey Howard, is currently riding the success of his song “Without You” and 2020 debut mixtape, “Fuck Love.”In his native Australia, The Kid LAROI, who is signed to Columbia Records, is the youngest solo artist to reach No.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorAs part of a long presentation called “Stream On,” Spotify announced that it will be introducing a hi-fi option later this year, among other benefits for fans and creators.