Month: May 2025

CBS and Dick Clark Productions announced that five-time Grammy winner Janet Jackson will receive the ICON Award at the 2025 American Music Awards, and will give her first television performance in nearly a decade at the 51st annual AMA’s ceremony, set to take place on on May 26.

Calling Jackson “one of the most influential entertainers of the modern era,” the Icon Award is “bestowed upon an artist whose music has had undeniable cultural and global influence over the music industry,” according to a press release. Jackson, 58, wrote on Instagram: “Thank you so much, AMAs!! It’s an honor. We look forward to being on your stage again. See you in Vegas! ”.  Jackson is also an 11-time American Music Award-winner.

Jennifer Lopez is returning to host the ceremony, and will also perform at the awards show.  The lineup of musical performers for the event includes Jackson and Lopez, as well as Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Reneé Rapp, Benson Boone and Lainey Wilson.

Kendrick Lamar leads the 2025 AMA nominations with 10 nods, with Post Malone earning eight nods, and Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Shaboozey all receiving seven nominations.

The 51st AMAs will will take place from the Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Monday, May 26th, airing live coast to coast at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on the CBS Television Network, and stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.

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Ed Sheeran has shared the official release date for his new album ‘Play’, dropping September 12th; and shared the video for his latest single, ‘Old Phone.’  The song marks the second single to be shared from ‘Play,’ following ‘Azizam’ (which was named after a Persian term of endearment that translates to “my dear” or “my beloved”).

Sheeran shared of the album in an Instagram post: “‘Play’ was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life. Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring. I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative creative days of my life … It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father. Going into this album campaign I said to myself ‘I just want everything I do to be fun and playful’ – so that’s why we are building pubs for folk jams, doing gigs on open top busses and singing in pink cowboy hats on bars. The older I get the more I just want to enjoy things, and savour the moments that are mad and chaotic.” 

‘Old Phone’ was inspired after Sheeran found old phone unused since 2015, and re-discovered old messages from friends and family members.  He teased the track by sharing an archival Instagram account called ‘Teddy’s Old Phone’, which sees him reflect on his life in 2015.  Sheeran said: “It felt like a time capsule, a time of life that I was in, and living at that time in 2015. Turning it on really spun me out, I found myself scrolling messages and conversations with people who are no longer here. I found myself crying at messages to friends who are now dead, who I won’t get to speak to again.  It feels like a song that should’ve been on my debut album, but also a song I couldn’t have written until I experienced real life things happening to me. It makes me emotional to sing, I hope it finds some emotion in you too. Maybe it makes you switch on your old phone and have a look at where you were a decade ago too. Whatever it does, I’m glad I wrote it.”

The “Old Phone” music video, directed by Emil Nava, begins with Sheeran explaining the inspiration behind the song and the idea for building the Old Phone Pub in Ipswich, Massachusetts, as well as showing footage from the Old Phone Pub being built, and Ed interacting with fans (interspersed with Ed looking at text messages and photos from his actual old phone) before culminating with Sheeran performing a gig at the Old Phone Pub. Ed writes on Instagram: “I wanted fans to all come to this special first pop up Old Phone pub gig to all be there for the same reason, and emotionally connected. I wanted everyone in that room to have felt the same feelings of nostalgia, longing, joy and sadness I had felt from going through my old phone. I asked all of them to submit a video, a photo or a message from their old phone that meant a lot to them to get into the gig that night, and we all shared in a night of music, dancing, laughing and tears. It was really magical, maybe my favourite music video I’ve ever made.”

See the video for ‘Old Phone’ – HERE.
To pre-order ‘PLAY’ head HERE.

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John Legend has announced details for his ‘Get Lifted 20th Anniversary World Tour’. Backed by his full band, Legend will perforn a mix of deep cuts, fan favorites, and fresh renditions of his most popular hit songs.

The Get Lifted 20th Anniversary World Tour new tour will visit more than 40 cities across the U.K., Europe and North America, kicking off May 27th at OVO Hydro in Glasgow, UK, and making stops at The O2 in London, Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, Accor Arena in Paris, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and Barclays Center in New York before the tour wraps on Dec. 9 in Oakland, Calif (with additional dates to be announced soon).

Legend wrote on Instagram: “I’m so excited to announce that I’m heading back on the road for the Get Lifted 20th Anniversary Tour! Join me and my band for an unforgettable performance of the entire Get Lifted album—the album that introduced me to the world—plus a few favorites from my career that *all of you* know and love.”

For tickets and additional information, head HERE.

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Singer and actress Cynthia Erivo announced that her sophomore album, I Forgive You, will arrive June 6. The new project features Erivo not just as a performer, but she serves as co-writer on each of the album’s songs.  I Forgive You is the follow-up to Erivo’s first studio album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, which arrived in 2021.

Erivo wrote in an Instagram post: “Over the last 2+ years, between all the flights, the filming, the interviews, and the awards shows, I went to the studio with my dear friend [Will Wells, songwriter and producer on I Forgive You] and created this project for you and me. This album, this collection of songs, is something I’m so proud to share with you. First with ‘Replay,’ and now/today/tonight with ‘Worst of Me.’ I gave you one chapter with the first album, and now I have a couple more for you. Thank you in advance for coming with me on this journey.”

As noted in her Instagram post, the song “Replay” arrived in February, just months after the release of Wicked, in which Erivo earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Elphaba. She will reprise her role as Elphaba in Wicked: For Good, which premieres Nov. 21.

Erivo also dropped another single, “Worst of Me,” from the upcoming album; stream – HERE.

Pre-order I Forgive You– HERE

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Cassie Ventura — the ex-girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs — took the stand on Tuesday at his racketeering and sex trafficking trial in New York. Ventura, who performed under the name Cassie, rose to fame with the single “Me & U” on her self-titled debut album, which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart back in 2006. Ventura and Combs dated on/off from 2007-2018.

Security video of Combs attacking Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 is a key piece of evidence in the trial. The video, obtained and published by CNN last year, shows Combs throwing Ventura onto the floor before kicking and dragging her. Combs is accused of sexually assaulting, trafficking and exploiting women over multiple decades before he was arrested last September.

The prosecution alleging in its opening arguments that Combs “used lies, drugs, threats and violence to threaten and coerce first Cassie” and then another unnamed person “to have sex with him in front of male escorts.”  However, the defense insisted that Ventura and the other alleged victim are both “capable, strong” women who chose to remain with Combs, adding that Ventura was “not coerced to engage in this sex life.”

The 38-year-old Ventura is pregnant with baby No. 3 with husband Alex Fine, to whom she has been married since 2019.  Ventura took the witness stand to testify, marking the first time Ventura and Combs are seeing one another in person since their 2018 split. Ventura testified Combs controlled every aspect of her life, telling jurors she often did things out of fear, since physical abuse was frequent. Ventura alleged violent arguments with Combs that she said “would usually result in some physical abuse … He would bash my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head when I was down.”

She concluded her first day of graphic testimony by recalling the time she says she tried to leave a “freak off” before it was over, referring to the March 2016 incident at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City (which was depicted on video shown to jurors Monday and Tuesday). She said: “There’s an instance in Los Angeles where it got violent and I chose to leave. There was a lot of drinking, a lot of partying. I’m not sure what happened but in the middle of it I got hit by Sean and got a black eye. When I chose to leave, I grabbed what I could and got out and Sean followed me into the hallway by the elevators, grabbed me, tried to drag me back to the room .. That’s me,” Ventura said, referring to the footage, adding that she made it to the elevators when “the next thing I knew I was just thrown to the ground.”

A full recap of the day’s testimony can be found HERE.  Ventura is expected to testify the entire week.

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