ABC Music News

Grammy-winning 'American Idol' season 5 star Mandisa dead at 47

Posted today at 9:53am

Fred Lee/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

Singer Mandisa, who reached the top 10 on American Idol season 5 and later became a Grammy-winning Christian artist, has died, ABC Audio has confirmed. She was 47.

“We can confirm that yesterday [April 18] Mandisa was found in her home deceased," her rep said in a statement to ABC Audio. "At this time we do not know the cause of death or any further details. We ask for your prayers for her family and close knit circle of friends during this incredibly difficult time.”

Mandisa finished ninth on the American Idol season that was won by Taylor Hicks and also gave us Katharine McPhee, Chris Daughtry and Kellie Pickler. During her time on the show, Simon Cowell made cruel comments to her about her weight. She told him she forgave him, adding, "If Jesus could die so that all of my wrongs could be forgiven, I can certainly extend that same grace to you." Cowell then apologized to her.

After her time on Idol, Mandisa released her debut album, True Beauty, in 2007. It debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Christian Albums chart and received a Grammy nomination — one of five nods she'd eventually receive. In 2014, her album Overcomer won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album. Her most recent album, Out of the Dark, came out in 2017.

In 2022, she released a memoir, also called Out of the Dark, in which she detailed her past trauma and mental health struggles.

In a statement, David Pierce, the chief media officer of K-Love, a Christian radio network, wrote on social media, "Mandisa struggled, and she was vulnerable enough to share that with us, which helped us talk about our own struggles. Mandisa’s struggles are over, she is with the God she sang about now."

Stevie Nicks writes heartfelt poem for Taylor Swift's new album

Posted today at 9:01am

In one of her new songs, "Clara Bow," Taylor Swift mentions Stevie Nicks, and the two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer has actually penned a poem that's included in Taylor's new album.

The poem is titled, "For T - and me ..." and it's noted that it was written "September 13 at 8:50 p.m." It starts, "He was in love with her / Or at least she thought so / She was broken hearted / Maybe he was too / Neither of them knew."

“She was way too hot to handle / He was way too high to try ... she was on her way to the stars / he didn't say goodbye," she continues.

The middle part of the poem reads, in part, "She brings joy / She brings Shakespeare -- / It's almost a tragedy -- / says she / "Don't endanger me -- (pause) / Don't endanger me."

Later, Stevie writes, "He really can’t answer her / He’s afraid of her / He’s hiding from her / And he knows that he’s hurting her / She tells the truth / She writes about it / She’s an informer / He’s an ex-lover / There's nothing there for her / she's already gone / there's nothing that can stop her."

The poem ends, "She was just flying / through the clouds / When he saw her / She was just making her way / to the stars / When he lost her…”

It's not clear which of Taylor's ex-lovers the poem is about. In her own lengthy prologue to the album, Taylor describes being involved with two men who both let her down in different ways.

Taylor and Stevie performed together in 2010 at the Grammy Awards. In June of 2023, Stevie said that she was grateful to Taylor for her song "You're On Your Own, Kid," which she said helped her come to terms with the death of her Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie.

Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is a surprise double album

Posted today at 7:38am

Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department, is here and it's a double album.

The singer's 11th studio album arrived at midnight on April 19, and it was swiftly followed up two hours later with a drop of 15 additional songs.

"It’s a 2am surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album," the singer said in a social media post. "I’d written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours."

The album features the songs "The Manuscript," "The Bolter," "The Albatross" and "The Black Dog." There are two guests: Post Malone, on the song "Fortnight," and Florence & the Machine, on "Florida!!!" Taylor's co-writers include Post, Florence, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, though two songs were solely written by Taylor.

A music video for "Fortnight" will be released at 8 p.m. ET on April 19. This was hinted in a video posted on Taylor Nation announcing the video: It shows a white board with 14 tally marks on it. "Fortnight" means 14 days.

The intense anticipation for the album, which has been building since Taylor announced it on February 4, is reflected in the fact that the Spotify countdown page became the most presaved page in Spotify history. The page included video snippets of Taylor revealing song lyrics: "As she was leaving it felt like breathing," "Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?" and "One less temptress. One less dagger to sharpen."

Here are the titles of the songs on The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology:

"Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone)
"The Tortured Poets Department"
"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
"Down Bad"
"So Long, London"
"But Daddy I Love Him"
"Fresh Out the Slammer"
"Florida!!!" (featuring Florence & the Machine)
"Guilty as Sin?"
"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"
"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"
"Loml"
"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"
"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
"The Alchemy"
"Clara Bow"
"The Black Dog"
"imgonnagetyouback"
"The Albatross"
"Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus"
"How Did It End?"
"So High School"
"I Hate It Here"
"thanK you aIMee"
"I Look in People's Windows"
"The Prophecy"
"Cassandra"
"Peter"
"The Bolter"
"Robin"
Bonus Track: "The Manuscript"

(This story has been updated from a previous version.)

Board meeting's in session: Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' has arrived

Posted today at 5:00am

The board meeting has begun: Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department has arrived.

A post on the official Taylor Nation Instagram includes the "agenda" for the board meeting: "Department members will stream The Chairman's manuscript ... press play simultaneously so all members can review the evidence together. Relaxed poets, consult your tortured muse before attending."

The agenda lists what you'll need for the meeting, including a "department-issued uniform," "talismans, charms + snacks" and — because it's Taylor — a "dictionary."

The album features 16 songs plus four bonus tracks available on various iterations: "The Manuscript," "The Bolter," "The Albatross" and "The Black Dog." There are two guests: Post Malone, on the song "Fortnight," and Florence & the Machine, on "Florida!!!" Taylor's co-writers include Post, Florence, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, though two songs were solely written by Taylor.

A music video for "Fortnight" will be released at 8 p.m. ET on April 19. This was hinted in a video posted on Taylor Nation announcing the video: It shows a white board with 14 tally marks on it. "Fortnight" means 14 days.

The intense anticipation for the album, which has been building since Taylor announced it on February 4, is reflected in the fact that the Spotify countdown page became the most presaved page in Spotify history. The page includes video snippets of Taylor revealing song lyrics: "As she was leaving it felt like breathing," "Lost the game of chance, what are the chances?" and "One less temptress. One less dagger to sharpen."

Here are the intriguing titles of the songs on The Tortured Poets Department:

"Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone)
"The Tortured Poets Department"
"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"
"Down Bad"
"So Long, London"
"But Daddy I Love Him"
"Fresh Out the Slammer"
"Florida!!!" (featuring Florence & the Machine)
"Guilty as Sin?"
"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?"
"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)"
"Loml"
"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart"
"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived"
"The Alchemy"
"Clara Bow"

Billie Eilish reveals track list for 'HIT ME HARD AND SOFT'

Posted yesterday at 4:36pm

Billie Eilish has released the track list for her new album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, which is coming out May 17.

Billie had already given us a sneak peek of one of the tracks, "CHIHIRO," during an interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music. It's named after the main character in the anime film Spirited Away. Billie also revealed another track name, "LUNCH," during the interview.

There are 10 tracks on the record, Billie's third. One of them is called "L'AMOUR DE MA VIE," which means "the love of my life" in French. Another one is called "BITTERSUITE," with the "SUITE" part spelled like a hotel suite, not a sweet candy.

Here's the track list in full:

"SKINNY"
"LUNCH"
"CHIHIRO"
"BIRDS OF A FEATHER"
"WILDFLOWER"
"THE GREATEST"
"L'AMOUR DE MA VIE"
"THE DINER"
"BITTERSUITE"
"BLUE"

Music notes: Billie Eilish, Kelly Clarkson and more

Posted yesterday at 4:30pm

Billie Eilish has declared her 2024 Coachella experience "the greatest weekend of my life" in an Instagram post. She shared photos and video from the weekend, which included duets with Lana Del Rey of her song "ocean eyes" and Lana's song "Video Games." In her Instagram Story, Billie posted video of Lana singing "ocean eyes" and wrote, "this song wouldn't even exist without her. literally a hallucination."

Kelly Clarkson has confirmed the April 19 release of "From the Jump," a duet with English singer James Arthur. She wrote on Instagram, "I love singing with artists that inspire me and vocalists that I adore! So when @jamesarthur23 sent me this song, I quite literally jumped to be on it (see what I did there). I hope you enjoy this beautiful song." James replied in the comments, "Can't believe this is happening. thanks for blessing this song Kelly!"

Not only has Taylor Swift revealed that the first single from her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, is "Fortnight," she also revealed a mysterious #ForaFortnightChallenge on YouTube Shorts. A fortnight is a period of 14 days, in case you don't know. Oh, and that Taylor Swift Apple Music lyrics search has revealed the sentence, "We hereby conduct this post mortem." But of what? Her relationship? We'll know in a few hours.

A BTS pop-up shop called Monochrome is coming to Los Angeles on May 16 and will stay until May 27. There's also a website called MNCRlogistics.com, where fans can get more info on the pop-up by entering dates and words related to BTS and their fans. According to a Korean newspaper, the theme of the pop-up is "clouds containing memories of the time that BTS and ARMY spent together."

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame celebrating 'The Tortured Poets Department' with Taylor Swift Fan Day

Posted yesterday at 4:00pm

Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Taylor Swift isn't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — yet — but the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland is celebrating the release of her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19 with a day full of activities.

Taylor Swift Fan Day at the museum will include her music playing all day, as well as photo ops for Swifties in front of the giant letters that spell out "Long Live Rock" on the museum's outside plaza.

In addition, fans can check out some of the Taylor memorabilia at the museum, including the cardigan she wore in the music video of the same name and the outfit she wore in the video for "willow."

There will also be friendship bracelet making, music videos being shown in the museum's theater, a trivia contest and a playback of the new album at 2:30 p.m., plus Taylor merch in the on-site store.

By the way, Taylor becomes eligible for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2031.

Harry Styles stalker who sent him 8,000 cards in a month jailed

Posted yesterday at 3:00pm

A woman who allegedly sent Harry Styles 8,000 cards in less than a month has been jailed and forbidden from seeing him perform, The Western Telegraph reports.

Myra Carvalho, 35, was sentenced to 14 weeks in jail after she pleaded guilty April 16 to the charge of "stalking involving serious alarm or distress." She's also under a 10-year restraining order and isn't allowed to attend any live Harry performance.

In addition, she's forbidden from contacting Harry, either "directly or indirectly," and can't go to a particular area of London.

According to the BBC, when Caravalho first appeared in court in London back in February, prosecutors said that she also sent Harry handwritten letters, two of which were delivered to his home. The 8,000 cards, some of which were "wedding cards," were e-cards delivered online.

Caravalho, a Brazilian citizen, had traveled to the U.K. in December 2023; her family did not know she was in the country, prosecutors said.

First single from Taylor Swift's 'The Tortured Poets Department' is "Fortnight," with Post Malone

Posted yesterday at 1:24pm

After much speculation, Taylor Swift has revealed what the first single from her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, will be: "Fortnight," featuring Post Malone.

Taylor posted artwork for the single on Instagram Thursday and wrote, "The first single from The Tortured Poets Department is………… Fortnight featuring @postmalone. I’ve been such a huge fan of Post because of the writer he is, his musical experimentation and those melodies he creates that just stick in your head forever."

"I got to witness that magic come to life firsthand when we worked together on Fortnight," she continued. "Honestly can’t wait for you guys to hear this song at Midnight TONIGHT and see the video at 8pm ET TOMORROW."

Post is one of two special guests on The Tortured Poets Department; the other one is Florence + the Machine, on the song "Florida!!!"

By the end of the year, it's likely that Posty will be able to brag that he appeared on not one but two of the biggest albums of 2024: he's also featured on Beyoncé's new album, Cowboy Carter.

Dua Lipa reveals her worst first date ever: "Never again!"

Posted yesterday at 12:03pm

Dua Lipa has spoken about how some of her new album Radical Optimism was inspired by her dating experiences, including "Training Season." But now, she's revealed her worst-ever first date — potential suitors, take note.

As part of her ELLE cover story, Dua made a video for Starstruck, the magazine's video series where people talk about their star signs with the magazine's resident astrologers, The AstroTwins. Dua tells them that her perfect first date would be going for a walk in the park. She says her worst experience was "f****** indoor skydiving."

"Horrible! My extensions got tangled ... I was not having fun," she adds. "Never again!"

In her cover story, Dua talks about how, at this point her career, she doesn't want to do anything unless it's fun.

"Whether I’m performing or going out, if it’s not fun, I don’t want it,” she says. “You have to make room for joy. The world can be burning down, but god**** … if you didn’t spend any of your life trying to be happy, I don't know what you’ve done.”

She doesn't even mind if people think she's having too much fun. On being dubbed "Vacanza Queen" because of the fabulous vacation pictures she posts on Instagram, Dua says, "I’ve been busy for almost 10 years Every single day, I’ve had some bit of work to do. But people are going to say something anyway."

"People say a lot of mean things about a lot of people ... [and if that's] what I'm getting, then I’ll take it," she adds.

Orlando Bloom on relationship with Katy Perry: "I fell in love with Katheryn"

Posted yesterday at 10:00am

Katy Perry's a global superstar and Orlando Bloom is a world-famous actor, but their relationship, according to Orlando, is all about being down to earth.

Appearing on the podcast What Now? with Trevor Noah, Orlando explains to Trevor that when he was first experiencing fame, Katy's music was "on every radio station, but ... [it] wasn't what I was listening to." So when they met, he didn't see her as some big pop star.

"I fell in love with Katheryn, this girl from Santa Barbara," he notes, referring to Katy's birth name, Katheryn Hudson. "And by the way, [her] parents [were] pastors, living on food stamps -- we're not talking glamorous."

As a result, he says, "We both meet each other with understanding where we came from, what we worked to do, what we had to do to get to where we got to."

Katy "definitely demands that I evolve, and I feel I do the same for her," says Orlando. "And that makes for fireworks, pardon the pun. But it also makes for a lot of fun and a lot of growth."

"I wouldn't change it for anything, even when sometimes it feels like, 'How do we do this?' Because we've got these two giant careers and lives, and hers is even, you know... it's like a universe sometimes," he continues. "But I think I just keep coming back to her and trying to hold her hand and walk her back to the sand pit and be like ... 'We're just gonna build a sandcastle.'"

And Katy, he says, is a "master" of helping him to "keep building those moments."

Katy and Orlando have been together since 2016 and got engaged in 2019. They share daughter Daisy, who arrived in August of 2020.

Rihanna says she already has "hits" waiting in the wings, and material is "so good"

Posted yesterday at 9:24am

At this point, a new Rihanna album is more mythical than the proverbial unicorn, but according to Rih herself, she has at least the makings of new music — and she says, "it's so good."

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight at the launch of her latest Fenty X Puma sneaker, Rih said, “I already got stuff that I feel like I could make hits out of." She added that she and her partner, A$AP Rocky, are "really trying to figure out who’s gonna use what because it’s so good.”

Asked if she and Rocky will try to follow in Beyoncé's footsteps and feature their kids, RZA, 2, and Riot, 8 months, on the album, Rihanna said, "It's up to them." But according to her, their musical tastes right now lean toward that classic banger "The Wheels on the Bus."

When ET mentions that we all want to know when we can expect R9, Rihanna declared, "I wanna know too!"

Adam Levine and wife Behati Prinsloo co-star in steamy new jewelry campaign

Posted yesterday at 5:00am

Adam Levine and his wife Behati Prinsloo have both appeared in ads, but never together -- until now: They've teamed up for a steamy new jewelry campaign.

The campaign is for the new Rebel Heart collection by the brand Jacquie Aiche, and in it, the two embrace and hold hands while Behati shows off plenty of leg and, of course, Adam goes shirtless — though he does wear a denim jacket over his tattooed torso. You can see all the photos on People's website.

In a statement, Aiche says, "Ever since introducing our men’s collection, I’ve dreamt of a his and hers campaign. Behati and Adam just felt like the perfect match — they’re rebellious, free-spirited and irresistibly magnetic."

"[The campaign] was really fun and special," Behati said in a statement. "And because we’ve never done a campaign together, seeing the images was a really beautiful moment for us."

Adam added, "Behati’s worked with Jacquie for years. We both love her jewelry designs, so it was a very quick and easy yes when the opportunity to work with [them] came up."

Aiche says of the collection, "It’s all about sharing your own light with the world. With Adam and Behati, they’re both so positive and so energetic, you could just feel the electricity between them on set."

The Maroon 5 front man and the model have been married since 2014. They have three children together.

Backstreet's Back at the Beach welcomes fans to destination event as group marks 31 years

Posted yesterday at 5:00am

Backstreet Boys are welcoming their fans to their destination weekend event, Backstreet's Back at the Beach, taking place April 18-21 in Cancún, Mexico. The weekend will be filled with concerts, parties and fun activities as the group celebrates their 31st anniversary.

"I think it's the love of music. I think it's the passion of of competing. We want to continue to be better," Brian Littrell tells ABC Audio about the boy band's unusual longevity.

"We want to continue to show people that we can do what we set out to do, and that's to have a career. You know, to have a career in the music business is not an easy thing," he adds. "And I have to attribute it to the fans, too, because they're a big, big reason why ... we're still doing what we're doing."

Over the weekend, those fans can enjoy a variety show hosted by Brian and his wife; a performance by Brian's son Baylee; a Jason Derulo show; and a Backstreet concert with a fan-chosen set list. Plus, Brian says, "You can taste tequila with Howie. You could play volleyball with Nick. Kevin's doing a DJ set ... AJ's doing karaoke with the fans."

But Brian and the guys realize how lucky they are that fans are willing to join them for an event like this.

"They're so loyal and they're loving and they're giving of their money, as well, because it's not easy to travel around the world and see your favorite band anymore," he notes. "It's going to be a lot of fun, but it takes a lot of dedication. ... We're pleased to still have people that love us and wanna come see us."

Music notes: Avicii, Sabrina Carpenter and more

Posted Wednesday afternoon

The 2024 Tribeca Festival just announced its lineup, which will include a documentary about the late DJ/producer Avicii. Avicii - I'm Tim will feature appearances from Coldplay’s Chris Martin and David Guetta. The 2024 Tribeca Festival will take place June 5-16 in New York City. Festival passes are currently on sale, with single tickets available starting April 30. More information can be found at TribecaFilm.com.

Kate Hudson is fully embracing her music career. The actress announced her debut album, Glorious, will arrive on May 17. "I’d say it doesn’t seem real,” she says in a statement. “But the truth is: this is realer to me than anything I’ve done in my entire life. It was always this, I just needed to get to a place where I was ready ... and the songs got to the core of who I am.”

Sabrina Carpenter got a nice streaming bump following her performance at Coachella on Friday, April 12. According to Billboard, Carpenter's recently released single, "Espresso," earned 9.9 million streams following her performance, which the mag says are best streaming numbers for a new song so far. Plus, the rest of her catalog earned 10.4 million streams, an increase of 41% from the previous week.