Starsplash Music News

Chari XCX continues her recent musical supremacy by topping the list of nominees at the UK’s prestigious BRIT Awards. Charli received a total of five nominations overall, getting nods for Artist of the Year, Best Pop Act, Best Dance Act, Album of the Year for Brat, and Song of the Year for “Guess,” her collaboration with Billie Eilish, who is nominated for International Artist of the Year alongside Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, Kendrick Lamar, and Sabrina Carpenter. Dua Lipa, the Last Dinner Party, and Ezra Collective received four nominations each, while goth rock legends the Cure scored their first BRIT nominations since 1993, receiving three nods for Album of the Year, Group of the Year, and Best Alternative/Rock Act. Coldplay got two nominations, bringing their all-time tally to 30. The 2025 BRIT Awards are set to take place on Saturday, March 1, at The O2 Arena in London, with comedian Jack Whitehall hosting the ceremony. (Billboard) 

On Thursday (January 22), the first trailer arrived for the new documentary, Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music, ahead of its premiere on NBC on January 27. The three-hour film, directed by Academy Award-winner Questlove, captures the memorable musical performances on Saturday Night Live over the past 50 years, from Billie Eilish, Adele, Prince, Kendrick Lamar, Bob Dylan, Charli XCX, Nirvana, and more. Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Mick Jagger, and Jack White are among the artists interviewed about their experiences performing on the legendary sketch comedy show. “You don’t know what’s going to happen until 11:30 p.m.,” reflects Lipa, while Cyrus adds: “It’s the tightrope walk. They want to see you dangle. They don’t want to see you fall.” The documentary touches on the groundbreaking performances as well as the controversial music moments that took place on the show, including Ashlee Simpson’s lip-synching debacle and Sinéad O'Connor defiantly ripping up a picture of the pope. 50 Years of SNL Music airs on NBC at 7 p.m. on January 27, and streams on Peacock the next day. (Rolling Stone)

On Thursday (January 22), Kid Cudi shared a personal statement on his Instagram Story and X about a bizarre break-in that took place at the rapper’s Los Angeles home earlier this month. Cudi heard that people were making jokes about the incident, so he took to social media to set the record straight. “The person that broke into my house was a crazed fan that has been stalking me for years without me knowing,” Cudi wrote. “There is nothing funny about this. My privacy was violated, and now I have to protect myself. I don't feel safe now.” The Grammy-winning musician described the intruder as “an unhinged 34 year old man” who “rummaged through personal things, my fiance's stuff, took a shower and ate” after invading his home, with Cudi vowing, “I'm gonna take some serious security measures to make sure this doesn't happen again.” (Billboard)

A realtor for Adele’s former West Sussex mansion is having a hard time selling the property due to the singer’s past claims that the home is haunted. The current owner of the English estate, Nicholas Sutton, said that Adele’s comments "negatively impacted future marketing efforts and continues to affect the property’s reputation to this day.” According to Sutton, the 16-time Grammy-winner rented the 10-bedroom mansion for six months back in 2012. Adele told Anderson Cooper in an interview that her time at the estate – known as the Lock House – was "all quite scary, really," and she hired a female bodyguard to stay in the home after hearing unexplained noises. Sutton only had one serious offer on the property in the 14 years it has been on the market, but it was rescinded "after learning about the property’s supposed haunted status, which was publicly mentioned by Adele during her tenancy." (People)

On Thursday (January 23), the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the 2025 Oscars won’t feature the standard live performances of the Best Original Songs nominees. A statement from Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang said the ceremony will instead “honor Los Angeles as a city of dreams, showcasing its beauty and resilience” following the devastating wildfires that have ravaged the city, “while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism” of Hollywood. The Oscar nominated songwriters will still be recognized during the ceremony through “personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life,” with the statement assuring that “all of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.” This marks the first Oscars since 2012 – and only the fourth ceremony overall – where there won’t be live performances of the Best Original Songs nominees. The Oscars are scheduled for March 2nd, with Conan O’Brien serving as host. (Consequence of Sound)

On Tuesday (January 21), Record Store Day event organizers announced that Post Malone is the official 2025 Record Store Day Ambassador. Posty’s Billboard No. 1 album, F-1 Trillion, was a big seller in record stores since it was released back in August, with the breakout country star also making a guest appearance on “Fortnight,” the lead single from the best-selling album of 2024, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department. Malone hasn’t announced a special release for this year’s Record Store Day – which is set to take place on April 12th – but in the past he has released limited edition RSD versions of his compilation, The Diamond Collection, and singles like “White Iverson” and “Circles.” “What an honor, I can’t believe I was chosen to be Record Store Day’s Ambassador for 2025,” Posty said in a statement. “Record Store Day is so important, and I really hope to do my part to keep it alive. We love hitting local shops when we’re on the road. The whole energy in a record store is just super inspiring. I feel at home.” (Consequence of Sound)

On Wednesday (January 22), the Songwriters Hall of Fame revealed their inductee class of 2025. This year’s distinguished inductees feature the leader of Parliament/Funkadelic, George Clinton; award-winning country music songwriter, Ashley Gorley; Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga collaborator, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins; Beach Boys vocalist and songwriter, Mike Love; nine time Ivor Novello Award-winning British songwriter, Tony Macaulay; and three members of the beloved rock and soul band, the Doobie Brothers – Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, and Patrick Simmons. In order to receive a nomination for the SHOF, a songwriter with a catalog of notable hits qualifies for induction 20 years after their first significant commercial release of a song. Notably, this is the first Songwriters Hall of Fame class to not include any women inductees since 2017. Four women were included in this year’s list of nominees – Franne Golde, Sheryl Crow, Janet Jackson, and Alanis Morissette – but none received enough votes to be inducted. The Songwriters Hall of Fame 2025 Induction and Awards Gala will take place on Thursday, June 12 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. (Billboard)

Seventeen has teamed up with Pharrell Williams on their new collaborative track, “Bad Influence.” The vibrant tune initially made its premiere on Tuesday (January 21) during the Paris runway show for Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, where Williams serves as creative director. Williams wrote and produced “Bad Influence,” which features vocals by Seventeen members S.Coups, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, The8, DK, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino. “We are happy and honored to collaborate with Pharrell Williams, whom we have deeply admired for a long time,” Seventeen said in a joint statement. “We truly enjoyed the creative process which showcases a new side of ourselves. We hope to connect with more listeners worldwide through this collaboration.” In addition to “Bad Influence,” Williams’ soundtrack for Louis Vuitton’s fashion show also included Don Toliver and J-Hope’s “LV Bag,” and the Weeknd featuring Playboi Carti’s “Timeless.” (Rolling Stone)

Jennie from Blackpink has revealed that she will release her first solo album, Ruby, on March 7. The record is being released by Jennie’s own record label Odd Atelier and Columbia Records. Ruby features a series of high-profile collaborations with music superstars like Dua Lipa, Childish Gambino, Doechii, Dominic Fike, FKJ, and Kali Uchis. The 15-track collection will also feature Jennie’s recent Billboard Global No. 3 hit single, “Mantra,” which was released back in October. In a recent interview with Billboard, Jennie revealed that she has been plotting her solo album since 2023. “While I was on my last Blackpink tour, I couldn’t stop myself from starting to plan ahead,” she said. “I’m just like that. I listed out the things that I want in my life and started pinpointing, or prioritizing, what’s my very next step. And instantly, I was like, ‘I still haven’t accomplished the dream of releasing a solo album.’ I wanted to satisfy myself by achieving that goal.” (Rolling Stone)

Bruno Mars took to Instagram on Tuesday (January 20) to celebrate his hit collaboration with Lady Gaga, “Die With a Smile,” spending its third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The achievement clearly had Mars in a party mood, as the 15-time Grammy-winning musician playfully captioned a post featuring a screenshot of the current singles chart: “THANK YOU ALL! 🥂 I’m headed to the studio right now to make a strip club anthem so I can celebrate and properly act up this weekend. Someone please help me get in touch with Sexyy Red!!🙏“ “Die With A Smile” is Mars’ fifth Hot 100 chart-topper to reign for three or more weeks, joining his smash hit collaboration with Mark Ronson, “Uptown Funk!” (14 weeks at No. 1 in 2015) and his own singles, “Locked Out of Heaven” (six weeks at No. 1 in 2012-13), “Grenade” (four, 2011) and “Just the Way You Are” (four, 2010). (Billboard)

On Tuesday (January 21), Ed Sheeran posted an Instagram Story to discredit an inflammatory article from The Sun that falsely claimed that the singer attended a New Year's Eve party at J.K. Rowling's Scottish home. In Sheeran’s post, he shared a screenshot from X by British journalist India Willoughby, where she wrote, "Ed Sheeran reportedly went to JK Rowling's New Year's Eve party, too," over the top of a previous headline about the singer. "Respectfully, India Willoughby, and any other journalist who has reported both these stories, neither are true," Sheeran wrote. "I spent new year with my family and friends." For her part, Willoughby was relieved to hear the clarification, writing a retraction on X, “Hi @edsheeran - this is great to hear 👍. I note the Daily Express has now removed their made-up story. Delighted I can still be an @edsheeran fan 😊✌️❤️🏳️‍⚧️” (People)

In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday (January 21) in Los Angeles Superior Court, Chris Brown is suing Warner Bros. Discovery for $500 million. The musician accuses the company and its producers of making defamatory and libelous claims against him in the recent documentary, Chris Brown: A History of Violence. The film, which was released in October, examines the numerous assault accusations against Brown throughout his career, including a lawsuit filed by Jane Doe against the R&B singer, alleging that he drugged and assaulted her during a 2020 yacht party hosted by disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Brown’s suit accuses Warner Bros. Discovery and the production company Ample Entertainment of “promoting and publishing false information in their pursuit of likes, clicks, downloads and dollars and to the detriment” of Brown, despite “knowing that it was full of lies and deception and violating basic journalistic principles.” “To put it simply, this case is about the media putting their own profits over the truth,” the suit claims. (Variety)

In a new interview with Variety during the recent Girls Just Wanna Weekend annual music festival outside of Cancun, Shania Twain and Brandi Carlile opened up about how important it is for women to support women in the music industry and everywhere else. The 6th annual iGirls Just Wanna Weekend took place from January 16-20, featuring multiple sets from the Grammy-winning Carlile, as well as performances from Twain, Maren Morris, Muna, Brandy Clark, Lucius, Brittney Spencer, Jensen McRae, and other talented women musicians. “Everybody is united here and it’s very peaceful,” Twain said of the festival. “Girls Just Wanna is one of those places that you can feel really free and good and fun.” Carlile was appreciative of Twain’s involvement in her festival. “I’m not sure I could really overstate how much you’ve changed the course of the festival by being here,” she said to Shania. “That kind of validation for these people was just huge for us.” (Variety)

On Monday (January 20), Travis Scott performed a live debut of his new song, “4x4,” from atop Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium during the halftime show of the College Football Playoff National Championship game. The new track represents Scott’s first solo release since 2023’s Billboard No. 1 album, Utopia, giving fans a taste of what is on the way from the chart-topping rapper in the new year. “4x4” is officially set to be released on Friday (January 24), and the project will also feature a fundraising initiative to benefit victims of the L.A. wildfires. Scott revealed that he will be donating 100% of the net proceeds from the sales of a special line of merchandise – including a shirt and hoodie honoring Los Angeles’ first responders – to benefit Direct Relief’s California Wildfire Response Fund. Sales of an exclusive CD single for “4×4” will also contribute to the same cause. You can order the merch and music directly at shop.travisscott.com. (Billboard)

Over the weekend, Lady Gaga added a tantalizing countdown clock on her website that is ticking down to Monday, January  27. The move has caused anticipation to build that the pop superstar is finally ready to announce details of the long-awaited new album that Gaga and her Little Monsters have taken to calling ‘LG7.’ It’s been five years since Gaga released her chart-topping last studio album, Chromatica, and she has teased the progress of her forthcoming record for months now. On January 27, the long wait should finally be over, with a source disclosing to Rolling Stone that Gaga is planning to reveal details about the highly-anticipated new project at the end of the countdown, not actually release the LP. 2025 is shaping up to be a big year for Gaga, with the 13-time Grammy winner set to headline both weekends of Coachella in April in addition to releasing a new album. (Rolling Stone)

On Tuesday (January 21), FireAid organizers took to Instagram to share complete details about its upcoming benefit concerts on January 30. FireAid disclosed the full music lineups for their two host venues – Inglewood, California’s Intuit Dome and neighboring Kia Forum – while also revealing that they are waiving all ticket fees in order to ensure that all proceeds go directly to those affected by the recent L.A. wildfires. Kia Forum will feature performances by a reunited No Doubt, Pink, Alanis Morissette, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews & John Mayer, Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell, and more, with showtime beginning at 6 p.m. Intuit Dome will host performances by Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Olivia Rodrigo, Gracie Abrams, Katy Perry, Peso Pluma, Sting, Lil Baby, Stevie Wonder, and others, with the concert beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the benefit concerts go on sale starting Wednesday (January 22) at noon PT via Ticketmaster, and the shows will be broadcast live worldwide on a variety of media outlets and streaming services. (Rolling Stone)

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” scores its third consecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. This marks Gaga’s second longest chart-topping reign of her career, tying the three-week run at No. 1 of her 2009 debut hit “Just Dance,” featuring Colby O’Donis, which sits behind the six-week rule of her 2011 smash, “Born This Way.” Bad Bunny’s Billboard No. 1 album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, places three songs in this week's Hot 100 Top 10, as “DtMF”  surges 36 spots to claim No. 2, “BAILE INoLVIDABLE” jumps 25 places to No. 3, and “NUEVAYoL” vaults 19 slots to No. 8. Bad Bunny’s total career Top 10 hits now rises to 15, the most all-time among Latin music artists. Elsewhere in the Hot 100 Top 10, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” drops two spots to No. 4, ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.” holds at No. 5, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s “Luther” jumps up a spot to No. 6, Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” falls four slots to No. 7, Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” slides three spots to No. 9, and Gracie Abrams’ “That’s So True” drops two places to No. 10. (Billboard)    

The Recording Academy announced on Instagram on Tuesday (January 21) that Trevor Noah will once again serve as host of the 67th annual Grammy Awards on February 2. This will be the fifth consecutive year that the Emmy Award-winner will be master of ceremonies at the Grammys, becoming the first comedian to host the music awards show five times. In addition to his hosting duties, Noah will serve as a producer on the show, and is also nominated for a Grammy for Best Comedy Album for Where Was I. “Trevor Noah will lead a special GRAMMY telecast, a night that will not only celebrate the year in music, but raise additional funds to support wildfire relief efforts, pay tribute to the bravery and dedication of first responders, and honor the resilient spirit of Los Angeles,” the Recording Academy wrote. The Grammys will be broadcast live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on CBS beginning at 8 p.m ET, and will stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. (Variety)

Busta Rhymes was arrested in Brooklyn last week, and charged with assault in the third degree. The 52-year-old rapper was detained after police responded to a 911 call where a 50-year-old male victim claimed he was being harrassed, which included multiple punches from the assailant. According to police reports, the victim had severe swelling on the left side of his face and was transported to the hospital, where he is in stable condition. The New York Post is reporting that Rhymes' victim was apparently his assistant, and the rapper was allegedly berating him for using his cell phone while working. The unnamed victim supposedly declined to provide details of the incident during a discussion with the Post, apparently telling the outlet, "An article in the paper as opposed to a six or seven-million-dollar settlement? I’m not risking it, sorry." (Entertainment Weekly)

According to reporting by The Sun, an unnamed “insider” revealed that the 1975’s new album is possibly titled, God Has Entered My Body, and features a title track containing lyrics that allude to frontman Matty Healy’s public relationship and messy breakup with Taylor Swift. The article shares the possible lyrics, “Keep your head up, princess, your tiara is falling,” which could be Healy referring to Swift. The insider claims, “Matty will never publicly comment on his relationships, but he lets his deepest feelings out in his songs and gets everything off his chest.” Healy hasn’t publicly responded to the claims, but his verified Reddit account reacted to a fan sharing The Sun article in the 1975-subreddit by quipping, "Huge if true.” In a 2021 Instagram post, Healy captioned it, “Keep your head up princess, your tiara is falling 💫🌸👑,” while the singer captioned a studio photo from two months ago, “GHEMB,” which could be an acronym for “God Has Entered My Body.” (Billboard)