The bad news first, Olivia Rodrigo won’t be visiting Australia later this week. The good, she’ll be back next year.
The U.S. pop phenomenon has canceled her trip Down Under at short notice, citing “unforeseen circumstances.”
The “Vampire” singer was scheduled to visit Sydney for a fan Q&A event this Friday, Sept. 22, a session that was to include “an exclusive once-in-a-lifetime Q&A,” along with chances to win a meet and greet with the artist. “I can’t wait to get down to Australia,” she enthused in a statement issued Sept. 1, announcing the promo excursion. “I’ve never been and I’m so excited to meet everyone. I’ll see you soon Livies”.
Those plans are now scrapped.
“We regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances Olivia Rodrigo’s trip to Australia has been cancelled,” reads a statement from Universal Music Australia. “Unfortunately the fan Q&A event on Friday 22nd September will no longer be going ahead.”
The message contains a caveat. “Olivia is devastated that she won’t be able to make it,” the note continues, “however she’s so excited to see her Australian Livies in 2024.”
That hint at things to come is bound to keep fans on their toes. Just last week, Rodrigo announced two separate waves of dates for her Guts World Tour, which includes stops across North America, the U.K. and Continental Europe, but nothing in Australia.
Rodrigo’s popularity right now in Australia is, like elsewhere, sky-high. Her sophomore album Guts is the current No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and all 12 tracks from it impact the national singles chart. Guts is the followup to Sour, Rodrigo’s 2021 debut which logged eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 in Australia. All told, three of her singles have led the official ARIA Chart: “Vampire,” “Drivers Licence” and “Good 4 U.”
Proceeds from each ticket for the Guts World Tour will benefit her new Fund 4 Good initiate, which will support community non-profits that work toward girls’ education, reproductive rights and prevent gender-based violence.
Jet will soar into the ARIA Hall of Fame later this year.
The rockers cap a reunion, and the 20th anniversary of their debut album, with elevation into the Australian recorded music industry’s Hall of Fame, which will take place during the 2023 ARIA Awards, set for Nov. 15 in Sydney.
“We’re all quite chuffed and honored to be in such esteemed company,” comments frontman Nic Cester in a statement issued by ARIA. “We are humbled to receive this recognition.”
Formed in Melbourne and led by Nic Cester (vocals/guitar) and his brother Chris Cester (vocals/drums), along with Cameron Muncey (vocals/guitar) and Mark Wilson (bass), Jet roared out the blocks with Get Born, their debut LP which dropped in 2003 — 20 years ago.
Packing a sound that fell somewhere between the steady, thump and grind of Iggy and the Stooges and the bombast of Oasis, Jet got away with the Get Born single “Are You Gonna Be My Girl,” which enjoyed global exposure in an early Apple iPod campaign, and cracked the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart (peaking at No. 29).
Get Born also contained the singles “Look What You’ve Done,” “Rollover DJ “and “Get Me Outta Here.” At the 2004 ARIA Awards, the LP won six categories and it’s certified nine-times platinum in Australia, making it one of the top five highest-selling Australian rock albums of all time, the trade body reports.
Follow-up albums include Shine On (2006) and Shaka Rock (2009), all of which cracked the top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Jet was finally grounded in 2012, before briefly reforming in 2017 to play with Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band on their sold-out Australian tour of that year. A handful of dates followed, including a slot at Fuji Rock festival in Japan. Then, the act announced earlier this year a reunion tour.
Those dates are slated to kick off this Friday, Sept. 22 at Melbourne’s Forum Theatre, though Chris Cester won’t be on the road due to “family reasons,” according to a statement from the band.
“Throughout their career,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd, “Jet has achieved numerous accolades and milestones including seven ARIA Awards, chart-topping albums, and sold-out tours around the world. They changed the face of Australian rock music with a culture shifting album and have been a huge influence for other musicians over their career and that truly deserves our highest honor.”
Jet ends a years-long Hall of Fame drought. Organizers had shelved the segment, arguably the most important spot in the record industry’s flagship event, when the pandemic ruined the live experience. Those barriers are no longer a concern. The last artist elevated into the ARIA Hall of Fame was the late Indigenous artist Archie Roach, in 2020.
Herd adds, “We couldn’t be happier to welcome them to the ARIA Hall of Fame as the first inductees since 2020.”
As previously reported, the 2023 ARIA Awards will take place at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
ARIAs will premiere live on Stan for the first time (from 5pm local time). That live stream will be followed by a free-to-air feed from commercial TV broadcaster the Nine Network (from 7.30pm local time) with performances and moments available on-demand on the @ARIA.official YouTube channel.
The 2023 edition of the ARIAs marks the fifth year in partnership with streaming giant YouTube. Nominations will be presented 10am local time on Sept. 21, and streamed live on the ARIA Awards website.
The British pop punk act leads the midweek U.K. chart with Greatest Hits 2.0, a 20th anniversary collection of the trio’s works which includes a “Guest Features Edition,” with cuts reworked by the likes of Jonas Brothers, All Time Low, Simple Plan, Dashboard Confessional, Hanson and You Me At Six.
With Greatest Hits 2.0, Busted, comprising Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis and James Bourne, should nab a fourth U.K. top 10 appearance, a list that includes three No. 2 peaks (Busted from 2002, A Present for Everyone from 2003 and Half Way There from 2019). The band has landed four U.K. No. 1 singles, but, until now, never topped the albums survey.
Rodrigo’s Guts powered to No. 1 last Friday, Sept. 15 with the year’s healthiest first-week numbers, for her second leader. Guts dips to No. 2 on the chart blast.
Mitski is on track for a career-best chart spot with The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, the American singer and songwriter’s seventh studio album. It’s set to drop in at No. 3, for what would be Mitski’s second top 10 appearance, after 2022’s Laurel Hell peaked at No. 6.
Meanwhile, Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor could bag his first solo U.K. top 10 with CMF2, new at No. 4 on the chart blast. It’s the followup to 2020’s CMFT, which reached No. 11. As a member of Slipknot, Taylor has three No. 1 albums: 2001’s Iowa, 2019’s We Are Not Your Kind and 2022’s The End So Far.
Jared Leto’s Thirty Seconds to Mars is flying to a third U.K. top 10 with It’s the End of the World, the U.S. alternative rock band’s sixth studio release. It’s new at No. 5 on the Official Chart Update, and could equal or better 2013’s Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams (No. 5 peak) and 2018’s America (No. 4).
Rock And Roll Hall of Fame-inducted group the Pretenders should scoop a seventh U.K. top 10 album with Relentless, new at No. 7 on the chart blast. If it stays on target, it’ll give Chrissie Hynde and Co. their highest-charting album since 1994’s Last of the Independents, which peaked at No. 8.
Also eyeing a top 10 berth is Ash, the Northern Irish independent band whose eighth studio album Race the Night is set to start at No. 8. Race The Night could become the rockers’ sixth U.K. top 10 collection and highest-charting LP since 2004’s Meltdown went to No. 5.
Steve Hackett’s Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights: Live in Brighton could become the guitar hero’s best U.K. chart appearance in more than 40 years. It’s on course for a top 10 debut, at No. 10, for what would be Hackett’s first top tier solo effort since 1980’s Defector peaked at No. 9.
Also impacting the midweek U.K. top 40 are LPs by Madison Beer (Silence Between Songs at No. 12), Demi Lovato (Revamped at No. 20), Sleepy Hallow (Boy Meets World at No. 29), The Bites (Squeeze at No. 30) and Sugababes (The Lost Tapes at No. 39).
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, Sept. 22.
Luminaries from Nashville’s country music industry celebrated more than a dozen honorees as part of the 16th annual Academy of Country Music Honors, which airs Monday evening (Sept. 18) at 8 p.m. ET on Fox (and streams the following day on Hulu).
The evening celebrated not only many of country music’s hitmaking artists, but many throughout the music business who have made an indelible mark on the industry, and pushed the genre forward in many ways — including songwriters, musicians and industry executives.
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Four-time ACM Award winner Carly Pearce returned as host for a third consecutive year. Reigning ACM new female artist of the year Hailey Whitters offered up a jovial, sassy rendering of her hit “Everything She Ain’t” and honored many of the studio winners during the evening.
Early in the evening, Breland was honored with the inaugural ACM Lift Every Voice Award, the newest ACM Honors accolade. Keith Urban, who called Breland “a superb songwriter and the real deal…he’s got a great heart,” joined Breland for a rendition of “Throw It Back.”
Breland offered perhaps one of the most insightful, stirring acceptance speeches of the evening.
“I just want to say winning this award is truly the highest honor that I’ve received in my career,” he said, going on to name several influential Black musicians such as Rufus “Tee Tot” Payne, who taught Hank Williams, as well as the railroad workers who influenced Jimmie Rodgers and the Grand Ole Opry’s first Black country star, DeFord Bailey. Breland also recognized Mickey Guyton, Darius Rucker and The War and Treaty for their music and their work in progressing diversity within country music.
A trio of superb singer-songwriters — Clint Black, Mary Chapin Carpenter (two members of country music’s illustrious “Class of ‘89”) and the late K.T. Oslin — were each honored with the ACM Poet’s Award.
Lady A honored Black by performing his 1993 hit duet with Wynonna “A Bad Goodbye,” while Trisha Yearwood performed “This Shirt” from Carpenter’s 1989 album State of the Heart.
Black said, “This only happens because so many people come together and get behind a guy or girl and make things happen for them.”
One songwriter honored another as Brandy Clark performed a heart-tugging, tender rendition of the late Oslin’s “’80s Ladies.” Meanwhile, acclaimed journalist/author Robert K. Oermann gave a touching acceptance speech honoring his dear friend Oslin, who died in 2020.
Pearce joined songwriter Emily Shackelton to perform Pearce’s “What He Didn’t Do,” to honor their co-writer on the song, this year’s ACM songwriter of the year recipient Ashley Gorley.
Meanwhile, HARDY was feted with the ACM artist-songwriter of the year honor.
The crowd began cheering as Bailey Zimmerman took the stage to sing HARDY’s “Signed Sober You.” Zimmerman told HARDY, “You’ve been an inspiration because you’ve always been you and done things your way. You’ve taught us we can do what we want and still be successful.” Dennis Matkosky, co-founder of Relative Music Group (HARDY was named partner in the company a couple of years ago), presented HARDY with the artist-songwriter of the year honor.
Longtime music industry members were also honored for their career contributions to the genre. Two country radio titans, Bill Mayne and Charlie Cook, were each honored with the ACM service award. Cook serves as vp of country music, programming operations manager for Cumulus Nashville’s five-station cluster, and program director for WSM-FM and WKDF-FM. Throughout his career, Mayne worked at both record labels and in radio; he also held the executive director role at Country Radio Broadcasters from 2011 until his retirement in 2019.
Chris Janson presented Cook with his honor, saying, “Without country radio I wouldn’t be standing here…thank you for believing in me,” before performing his hit “Good Vibes.”
Country Thunder Festival executive producer Troy Vollhoffer was named the recipient of the ACM Lifting Lives Award, given to an artist, duo/group or industry professional who has devoted themselves to improving lives through the power of music. Vollhoffer’s Premier Global Production company has been one of the foremost staging and lighting companies for decades. Meanwhile, Vollhoffer has served on the board of ACM Lifting Lives, rising to officer positions including vice president, president and ultimately chair of the board in 2022. He has also served on advisory boards for the T.J. Martell Foundation and Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital.
Storme Warren honored the late Charlie Daniels with the ACM spirit award, while Billy Ray Cyrus, Firerose and Travis Denning celebrated the legendary singer-songwriter-guitarist-fiddler in song with a rendition of Daniels’ “Long Haired Country Boy.” A recipient of the 1997 ACM Pioneer Award, Daniels was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016 and died in 2020.
Other performers during the evening included Sara Evans offering a rendition of her hit “Born to Fly,’ while Dennis Quaid performed “Fallen.”
Tim McGraw and now-retired Universal Music Group Nashville chairman/CEO Mike Dungan were the recipients of this year’s ACM Icon Award, which honors an artist, duo/group or industry leader who has advanced the popularity of the genre through their contributions in various sectors of the industry.
During his decades in the industry, Dungan has championed artists including Brooks & Dunn, Pam Tillis, Brad Paisley, Brothers Osborne, Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Kacey Musgraves, Jordan Davis and Parker McCollum.
“He took so many artists under his wing,” Davis told Dungan from the stage. “What you’ve done in country music will last a lifetime and this genre is better because you are part of it.” Davis was then joined by contemporary Christian music hitmaker (and now UMG Nashville-aligned artist) Anne Wilson for a rendition of Davis’ No. 1 hit “Buy Dirt” (the original featured Luke Bryan). Meanwhile, Priscilla Block offered up what she called “the song that brought us together in the first place,” her breakthrough hit “Just About Over You.”
McGraw earned his first ACM honors back in 1994, picking up top new male vocalist and album of the year (for Not a Moment Too Soon). In 1997, he earned single, song, vocal event and video of the year honors for his enduring duet with his wife Faith Hill, “It’s Your Love.” Those are just a few of the 21 ACM Awards honor McGraw has picked up during his nearly four-decade career.
Brett Young honored McGraw with an especially soulful rendering of “Don’t Take the Girl,” while Nelly performed his genre-blending McGraw collaboration from 2004, “Over and Over,” noting that he and McGraw recorded the song not because either necessarily was in need of a hit, but out of pure respect for each other’s artistry.
“He believed in what I was trying to do; it’s an honor to call him a friend,” Nelly said, stepping down from the stage to hug McGraw, who was seated front row in the Ryman Auditorium, alongside Hill and their children.
Country Music Hall of Famer Randy Travis and his wife Mary honored Kane Brown with the ACM international award, while Lee Brice performed Brown’s recent No. 1 hit “Like I Love Country Music.” Brown recently notched his 10th No. 1 Country Airplay hit with “Bury Me in Georgia” and has crisscrossed the globe on his international Drunk or Dreaming tour, visiting Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the U.K. and Europe.
“Country music let me into the family and now I get to travel the world and be different, which is what I’ve always wanted to be and what I always have been,” Brown said in accepting his honor.
Closing out the evening was a celebration for ACM Triple Crown winner Chris Stapleton. The ACM Triple Crown honor is given to artists who have previously earned ACM new male or female artist of the year, ACM male or female artist of the year and ACM entertainer of the year trophies during their career. The ACM triple crown honor has been awarded to only eight other artists, including Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Merle Haggard and Barbara Mandrell.
“Every now and then someone comes through who levels the walls and moves things forward,” said singer-songwriter-musician and country music historian Marty Stuart, in honoring Stapleton with the ACM triple crown honor.
Husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty brought the audience to its collective feet with their otherworldly, showstopping offering of Stapleton’s “Cold,” their unparalleled voices melting over the song’s soulful angst.
Stapleton was humble in accepting his ACM Triple Crown honor, thanking his family and his team and saying, “I was just out here playing songs, seeing if something could happen. Still kind of feel that way sometimes…I’m so grateful…It’s a wonderful and rare thing to get to do something you love so much.”
No doubt, many in the room that evening would agree with Stapleton’s simple, heartfelt sentiment.
The Jennifer Hudson Show, originally slated to premiere Monday (Sept. 18), has officially been put on pause due to the ongoing Hollywood writers’ strike, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
Hudson’s show — which was slated to kick off its second season and feature guests across music and television, from Usher and DJ Khaled to Vice President Kamala Harris and more — is among the recent string of daytime programs like The Drew Barrymore Show and CBS’ The Talk that have paused their return amid the writers’ strike. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hudson “advocated for the postponement.”
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The announcement of The Jennifer Hudson Show‘s renewal for a second season occurred earlier this year, in January; the Writers Guild of America, which represents more than 11,500 screenwriters protesting against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), did not go on strike until May, after Hudson’s show renewal was already announced.
“Working on this show alongside my incredible team and our amazing partners has been one of the greatest joys of my career,” Hudson said in a statement about receiving a second season for her show. “We have been on this journey together from day one and I am so thrilled to take it to the next level. I could not be more grateful to audiences across America for letting me into their homes everyday as we empower and inspire one another. I can’t wait to show you what we have up our sleeves in season two!”
Hudson is the youngest female EGOT winner ever, after taking home a Tony in 2022 as one of the producers of best musical winner A Strange Loop. She also won the Oscar for best supporting actress (for 2006’s Dreamgirls), two Grammy awards (best R&B album for 2009’s Jennifer Hudson and best musical theater album for 2017’s The Color Purple), and a Daytime Emmy for 2021’s Baba Yaga.
The Writers Guild is set to continue its negotiations with AMPTP on Wednesday.
Kelsea Ballerini celebrated Chase Stokes’ 31st birthday this past weekend on Saturday with a special tribute post shared to her Instagram — which included a screenshot of exactly how she slid into his DMs before they started dating.
The DMs show Ballerini sending the Outer Banks star an introductory message at 1:07 a.m. that read “hiii chase stokes.” Two hours later, the actor responded, “hey there how u doin.” Ballerini shared her nickname — and a blushing-face emoji — and wrote, “I’m kels, nice to meet you.” Stokes gave the message a red-heart reaction, and the rest was history.
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“Happy birthday, my sweet virgo. @hichasestokes,” the “Mountain With a View” singer captioned the post, which featured several intimate snaps the two have taken together since they started dating.
Fans in the comments section of Ballerini’s post couldn’t help but admire her courage for starting up the conversation. “It’s you shootin your shot at 1:07am for me,” one fans wrote, with another adding, “it’s the for real ‘how it started versus how it’s going.’” A third fan said that sliding into the DMs can be worth it sometimes — “Moral of the story, shoot your shot girlies.”
Ballerini spoke about her relationship with Stokes in August during her visit to Today. “I’m so happy. He’s here too. It’s nice to feel so supported and seen,” she told the show hosts, sweetly adding that the actor is “such a wonderful human being.” The two recently appeared alongside each other at the 2023 VMAs on Sept. 12.
Congratulations are in order for Billy Corgan and Chloe Mendel, who tied the knot on Saturday (Sept. 16) after more than a decade together.
The Smashing Pumpkins frontman revealed the exciting news to Chicago’s WGN TV at the band’s pop-up celebration for the 30th anniversary of their seminal 1993 album Siamese Dream at Madame Zuzu’s in Highland Park, Illinois. Corgan and Mendel co-own the restaurant and performance space.
Corgan, who was previously married to Chris Fabian from 1993 to 1995, has been with Mendel since 2012. The duo got engaged in September 2022 on Mendel’s 30th birthday, which she sweetly documented on Instagram. “The day finished with a wedding proposal. Of course I said yes,” she captioned the post.
The couple shares two children: seven-year-old son Augustus and five-year-old daughter Philomena.
The Smashing Pumpkins recently wrapped a 26-date Live Nation-produced outing, dubbed The World is a Vampire Tour — a reference to a line from 1995’s “Bullet with Butterfly Wings.” The trek comes following the release of the band’s 33-track rock opera album, ATUM, in the spring. ATUM (pronounced “Autumn”) serves as a sequel to 1995’s iconic Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness and 2000’s experimental Machina/The Machines of God.
V has started performing tracks from his debut solo album Layover, and he put his live vocals to the test for the Monday installment (Sept. 18) of Japanese YouTube series The First Take.
The BTS vocalist appeared on set in a cream-colored pullover sweater and blue jeans. Before launching into the track, V tells the camera crew in Japanese, “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
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“It’s about time we get it straight/ Gimme a minute if it ain’t too late/ It sounds about right/ This can’t be forced, babe/ Hurts too much already/ Stay with me ’til the end of the day,” V sings before launching into the track’s catchy chorus. “Maybe we/ Could be/ Slow dancing/ Until the morning/ We could be romancing/ The night away.”
V concluded the performance with a hushed “thank you” in Japanese to those watching from behind the screen, before stepping away from the mic.
Layover arrived Sept. 8. In addition to “Slow Dancing,” “For Us,” “Blue,” “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days” also appear on the LP. This week’s Billboard Global 200 chart sees “Slow Dancing” at No. 4, which marks V’s first solo top 10 track. “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days” peaked on the global tally at Nos. 12 and 16, respectively. Layover, meanwhile, debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart behind Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts.
Watch V’s performance of “Slow Dancing” in the video above.
