Month: March 2023

The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) will appear in his first starring role in a feature film, which he co-wrote and will produce.  According to a report from Deadline, the singer is set to star in a new untitled film alongside ‘Wednesday’ star Jenna Ortega and Oscar-nominated actor Barry Keoghan. The film will be directed by Trey Edward Shults, the filmmaker behind “Waves” and “It Comes at Night,” who is also co-writing and will executive produce.  Deadline reports that Shults and The Weeknd have been secretly working on the film for several months, and the film is shooting in Los Angeles. Otherwise, no details have been shared and the “logline is being kept under wraps.”

The movie will serve as The Weeknd’s feature acting debut in film, but he is also set to star in the HBO series ‘The Idol,’ which he co-created with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. The show has yet to set an official release date, but the trailer for ‘The Idol’ revealed that fans can expect the first episode sometime this year. ‘The Idol’ also stars Lily-Rose Depp, Jennie Kim of BLACKPINK, Dan Levy of Schitt’s Creek, Troye Sivan, and more.

The Weeknd, Jenna Ortega And Barry Keoghan To Star In New Film Based On Original Idea From The Weeknd With Trey Edward Shults Directing

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BTS’ J-Hope will release a new solo single titled “On The Street” on Friday, March 3rd, along with the official music video for the track.  The news comes after it was confirmed that the rapper had started the process of enlisting for his mandatory military service. J-Hope will be the second member of BTS to serve, following singer Jin who entered the service last December.

J-Hope took part in the writing of “On The Street.” In a press release, BTS’ label HYBE described the song as a “lo-fi hip-hop track with easy-listening melody and warm-hearted lyrics … It comes from ‘street dance,’ the genre that represents J-hope’s roots as an artist, and it also symbolizes the path that he will continue to take with his fans around the world.”

“On The Street” is J-Hope’s second solo release since BTS announced it would be focusing on individual projects for the foreseeable future. He was the first member to release his solo project, with the album Jack In The Box dropping in July 2022. He also made history as the first South Korean artist to headline a main stage at a US festival with a performance at Lollapalooza.

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Halsey has shared the solo version of “Die 4 Me,” which she began working on while recording her 2020 album Manic. Halsey’s original verse first appeared alongside Post Malone and Future’s vocals on the 2019 release of “Die for Me.”

Halsey said:“It’s been long known in my fanbase that there’s a demo of ‘Die For Me’ with just me on it. I performed my verse on the tour all summer long and since so many people have asked for it, I decided to put my full version out as ‘Die 4 Me’…Big big thanks to @postmalone @louisbell and @future for having me on the original release and co-signing this version finally seeing daylight.”

Take a listen to “Die 4 Me” – here.

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Miley Cyrus shared the tracklist for her upcoming eighth studio album Endless Summer Vacation, set to drop on March 10th. The 13-song project features collaborations with Brandi Carlie and Sia; and in celebration of the success of her smash hit song “Flowers”, Miley tweeted: “Flowers is #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 for the 6th week in a row. To THANK YOU I’m dropping the Flowers Demo on Friday ”

Endless Summer Vacation is a “love letter to LA,” which sees Cyrus reflecting “the strength she’s found in focusing on both her physical and mental well-being.”  The album is Cyrus’ first project since Plastic Hearts, which was released in 2020 and featured collaborations with Dua Lipa, Billy Idol and Joan Jett.

Endless Summer Vacation will be available globally both digitally and at physical retailers, including CD, limited edition opaque red vinyl, limited edition crystal clear vinyl, black vinyl and a Target exclusive white vinyl.  To pre-order, head here.

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Ed Sheeran has announced his fifth studio album, titled Subtract, will arrive on May 5. The forthcoming record will chronicle the artist’s personal experiences with “fear, depression and anxiety,” and was produced and written in tandem with the National‘s Aaron Dessner.

According to Sheeran, the acoustic “-” — which is already being referred to as Subtract — has been in the works in one form or another for a decade. Subtract is the follow-up to 2021’s “=,” which contained hit singles such as “Bad Habits” and “Shivers,” and also marks the final installment in Sheeran’s mathematical albums, which started more than a decade ago with “+”.

Sheeran shared in a message on social media: “I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be. Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art … Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts … Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety. I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air … 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. This is last February’s diary entry and my way of making sense of it. This is Subtract.”

Subtract is available via Sheeran’s web site in a variety of formats, including a vinyl edition with nine bonus tracks.

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