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Day in Pop Report for 09/09/2014


Ariana Grande Reportedly Flips Out and Walks Out Of Photo Shoot
(Radio.com) In an era where band's tour riders are of high interest and their social media presence reveals both flattering and unflattering sides of them, the idea of controlling which side of your face you let the public see almost seems cartoonish.

But that is what Ariana Grande is reported to have flipped out about in Australia on her current press tour. The rising pop singer reportedly has a list of demands for interviews and photo sessions, and not photographing her from the left is just one of them.

According to News.com.au, Grande left a photo shoot and didn't return after being photographed from the wrong side. Though she was originally thought to be changing her outfit, she didn't come back at all - and the website reports a member of Grande's security team approached the mX photographer who took the picture and attempted to prevent him from closing the tailgate on his car that stowed his photography equipment - this coming after a representative reportedly asked that the photos be deleted.

Find some of the other don'ts for interview questions, here.

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Avicii Cancels Tour Dates For Health Reasons
(Radio.com) Avicii is in need of some major downtime. With rumors swirling around the internet that the Swedish EDM superstar was cancelling the rest of his 2014 commitments to focus on his health, his publicist has issued an official confirmation to Radio.com from his team At Night Management.

The statement in full: "At Night Management has tabled all touring and promotional activities for Avicii, aka Tim Bergling, until further notice so that he can fully recuperate from lingering health issues related to surgeries that removed his gall bladder and appendix earlier this year.

"The international superstar, who is the #1 Most Influential Artist Under 25 according to Spotify, is taking a break at home in Stockholm so he can regain his strength and physical well-being before the release of a new album project next year."

As mentioned in the statement, Avicii has faced a series of health issues this year. More here.

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Garth Brooks Offering His Music Catalog For Under $30
(Gibson) Country superstar Garth Brooks has previously said that he would finally make his albums available digitally for a very reasonable price, and it seems he's staying true to his word.

Fans can now pick up all eight of his studio albums, a double live CD/DVD, his upcoming Fall 2014 album and another new album in 2015 for a mere $29.99.

Brooks is using the Ghosttunes service to sell his albums. They're available separately or via the new digital bundle. Fans will get an instant download of the new single "People Loving People" and bonus track "Send 'Em On Down The Road" as well as other song downloads from the new album as they become available prior to release date.

Brooks fans who would prefer the physical albums will be able to order them from the site from September 16. More here.

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G.R.L.'s Simone Battle Reportedly Commits Suicide
(Radio.com) A member of girl group G.R.L. died over the weekend in what has been called a suicide. Simone Battle, one of five members of G.R.L. and a former X-Factor USA contestant, died Friday, Sept. 5. She was 25.

According to CBC, the death of Battle, who was found by her father in her West Hollywood home, was ruled a suicide by hanging by the Los Angeles County Coroner's Department on Sunday.

Battle was discovered as part of the first season of the U.S. version of X-Factor, managing to make it to the live show portion of the program but being eliminated shortly after.

She was later revealed as a new member of the Pussycat Dolls, which in its new iteration became the group G.R.L. Former Pussycat Doll Lauren Bennett, who most prominently was featured as a featured artist on LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," was also part of the group.

More details here.

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Glen Campbell Releasing Final Song
(Radio.com) The last song Glen Campbell ever recorded will see the light of day later this month. "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," written by Campbell and Julian Raymond, was recorded specifically for Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me, a new documentary that will debut in New York next month.

The song, recorded in Los Angeles, references Campbell's struggle with Alzheimer's, according to a press release. The disease has contributed to the end of Campbell's music career, with his final album, See You There, coming out last year. His touring career ended in 2012.

Campbell has since been admitted to an Alzheimer's care facility earlier this year. "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" will be serviced to digital retailers on Sept. 30 and will be part of a five-song EP. More details here.

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Meek Mill Album Delayed While Rapper Remains In Jail
(Radio.com) Meek Mill fans were supposed to getting ready to dive into the Philadelphia rapper's second studio album, Dreams Worth More Than Money, originally scheduled for release today (Sept. 9).

But due to Mill's recent incarceration on a probation violation, his Maybach Music Group label boss, fellow rapper Rick Ross, has officially announced that the album is being held back indefinitely.

Ross released the statement regarding the status of Mill's album via MTV News. The statement says, "MMG and Meek Mill have decided to release Dreams Worth More Than Money at a future date. In true MMG fashion, Meek has dedicated himself to perfecting his sophomore project and it is only right that it should be rolled out exceptionally well. MMG also wants his fans to know that Meek is doing great and he wants to hear from you "

Find the address and more here.

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Justin Bieber Facing One Less Criminal Charge
(Radio.com) An assault charge against Justin Bieber has been dropped in Toronto court. The Toronto Sun reports that the charge against the pop singer, which stemmed from an alleged altercation between Bieber and a Toronto limousine driver, has been withdrawn as of Monday, Sept. 8.

According to Brian Greenspan, Bieber's lawyer, the singer was "obviously relieved" by the dropping of the case, with the prosecution's attorney noting that it opted to withdraw the charge due to "no reasonable prospect of conviction" after reviewing the case.

The original charge came in January, when the limo driver claimed that the pop star had struck him in the back of the head while inside his limo after he picked up Bieber and an entourage outside a Toronto nightclub early in the morning of Dec. 30.

More here.

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Kelly Clarkson and Her Daughter Join Trisha Yearwood Onstage
(Radio.com) Trisha Yearwood and Kelly Clarkson's new duet "PrizeFighter" got a big live debut Friday night at Garth Brooks' Chicago concert. "So you've got this cool new song that's coming out and I've heard it," Brooks told wife Yearwood this past Friday (Sept. 5) at his show in Chicago. "It's with you and Kelly Clarkson. I'm going to be Kelly Clarkson tonight. I can sing better than Kelly Clarkson."

With that, Clarkson came onto the stage to screams for first major appearance since the birth of her daughter, River Rose, in June. "Look who's here," Yearwood said.

Yearwood and Clarkson then performed the passionate track, exchanging verses and sharing the chorus. Meanwhile, Clarkson's daughter looked on with blinged out headphones of her own. Not a bad first concert.

The title track from Yearwood's forthcoming album features Clarkson and will impact at country radio on Sept. 15. "I love how 'PrizeFighter' makes me feel� like even when the odds are against me, I can do anything," Yearwood said in a press release. "It's a message we all need to hear, and the track just plain rocks! I can't wait for folks to hear it."

Watch it here.

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One Direction Releasing New Album This Fall
British boyband One Direction revealed on Monday that they will be releasing their appropriately titled fourth studio album, "Four", on November 17th.

"Four" follows the release of the group's first three chart topping album, "Midnight Memories," "Up All Night" and "Take Me Home," what landed them a Guinness World Records honor of being the first group to debut at No. 1 with their first three albums.

Very few details about the album have been revealed but the group gave fans an early taste of the effort on Monday by releasing a free download of the track "Fireproof" on their website.

The track was written by Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne, along with John Ryan, Jamie Scott and Julian Bunetta, according to Syco/Columbia Records.

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Alicia Keys Delivers We Are Here Video
(Radio.com) Alicia Keys is the newest artist to embrace the model of premiering a video through Facebook. The R&B artist has unleashed a video for her new song "We Are Here" through a post on her Facebook.

The stripped-down, piano driven track provides her with ample excuses to put her famous pipes through their paces. The song also has a social message, which Keys explains in a post accompanying the video:

"The day I wrote this song, I was sitting in a circle of people of all ages and we were asked, "Why are you here." Why am I here?? This really hit me on a deep level. I realized no one had ever asked me that question before."

She continues, "As I prepare to give birth to a new child, I can't help and think about the world I'm bringing my baby into. No matter where we come from, when we see the state of the world today, we can all feel the growing frustration and desire to make a difference. And we all have a voice - we just need to know how to make it heard.

I have a vision that I believe is more than a dream, that I know can be our reality. I believe in an empowered world community built on the true meaning of equality - where we are all considered one people, regardless of race, religion, gender, zip code, belief system or sexual orientation."

Watch the video here.

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The Flaming Lips Reveal Sgt. Pepper's Details
(Radio.com) The Flaming Lips have been teasing their Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band tribute album for what feels like an eternity - since March, to be exact. But today it becomes even more official with a tracklist and artwork.

As reported back in the spring, Miley Cyrus appears on With a Little Help from My Fwends twice. The singer shows up (along with Moby) on "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," which Cyrus and frontman Wayne Coyne have already teased, and "Day in the Life," which also features New Fumes.

Other notable artists on the tracklist include Tool's Maynard James Keenan, Tegan and Sara, J. Mascis, Phantogram, My Morning Jacket, Julianna Barwick, Foxygen, Grace Potter, and Dr. Dog, among others.

The album is out Oct. 28. Check out the track details here.

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Pink Debuts First Song From You + Me Project
(Radio.com) On her 35th birthday, Pink has announced she's got a new music project. Under her give name, Alecia Moore, she has teamed up with City and Colour singer Dallas Green to form You + Me, a country & folk-flavored side project.

The duo also released a lyric video for their eponymous debut single, "You and Me." There's very little information available at press time, but the group's website says their debut album, rose ave., will be released on Oct. 14.

It is available for pre-sale starting today, September 9th , and will be made up of 10 brand new songs. It will also be available as a limited edition vinyl album. Check out the debut song and tracklisting here.

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Ronnie Milsap Releasing Massive Box Set
(Radio.com) Country legend Ronnie Milsap will be celebrated in several ways this year. Yesterday (Sept. 8), he was recognized in Nashville by the Academy of Country Music, who will honor him with a Career Achievement Award during the ACM Honors ceremony at the historic Ryman Auditorium.

The festivities don't stop there, though. In October, Milsap will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. And on Nov. 4, Legacy Recordings will release The RCA Albums Collection, which includes each of the 21 studio albums he released on the label.

According to Billboard, Milsap has amassed 49 top 10 singles for the label, with 35 hitting the chart summit, including "Pure Love," "It Was Almost Like A Song" and "Lost In The Fifties Tonight."

More details here.

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Eric Church Announces Benefit Concert
(Radio.com) In addition to his upcoming world tour, Eric Church will perform a benefit concert for the Grammy Foundation at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, Wis., next month.

The show, held Oct. 8, will benefit the foundation, which was established in 1988 to celebrate the contributions of music to American culture. Tickets for the show, appropriately titled An Evening with Eric Church, will go on sale Sept. 12, with general admission tickets running for $67.

The benefit concert will be smacked in the middle of his world tour supporting his latest release The Outsiders, which begins this week. It kicks off Sept. 11 in Bossier City, La., and will include special guest Dwight Yoakam on all dates, as well as Brandy Clark, Brothers Osborne and Halestorm throughout select dates.

More details here.

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Rihanna Debuts Look From Alexander Wang
(Radio.com) New York Fashion Week is in full swing - and Rihanna is in on the action. She's been spotted around town, attending shows for Versus Versace, sitting front row at Edun, Altuzarra and, of course, Alexander Wang.

Her influence is being felt beyond the runway, as Wang's Instagram account also unveiled the first look at the design house's much anticipated collaboration with H&M as modeled by Rihanna.

The singer reveals a two-toned, all grey look; crop top paired with leggings, both emblazoned with AWs, with the word WANG running down the legs and across the pelvis. She appears to be out on a New York City sidewalk.

In addition to pairing up with Wang, Rihanna has also released the first look of her latest collaboration with MAC Viva Glam for Fall 2014. Via her Twitter account, fans get a glimpse of her collection's new lipstick, also available as a gloss. It's a mauve hue called Rihanna 2. More details here.

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Kid Ink Releases New Song Featuring Usher and Tinashe
(Radio.com) Kid Ink has been responsible for a series of hit records over the last year, but he has yet to make much of an inroad with mainstream audiences - his new song, however, could change all that.

On Sunday, Kid Ink teased a snippet of a new song on his Instagram, and now the final version is here - "Body Language" could be the song that makes him a household name.

Featuring Usher and Tinashe, it's a bouncy club anthem that slides in just in time to catch the last rays of summer. The beat, produced by Stargate and man of the moment Cashmere Cat, mixes rubbery DJ Mustard-esque bassline with xylophone plinks and a bunch other small elements.

The producers mix the three artists voices into smooth, melodic blend. They are almost interchangeable, with Usher's clean pipes intermingling with Tinashe's honeyed croon. here.

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Wale Gets A Jerry Seinfeld Assist On The Album About Nothing Trailer
(Radio.com) The last year hasn't been the kindest to Wale. That's relatively speaking, considering that Wale is a multi-platinum selling rapper signed to MMG. Still, he's clearly struggled with the fame, if this three-minute trailer for his upcoming The Album About Nothing is any indication.

Wale addresses his recent mild-to-medium controversies, like his angry phone call to Complex (after he was left off their best of the year list), his beef with Meek Mill and the time he punched a guy in the face at a WWE event.

What conclusions has he drawn? "I've been doing a good amount of soul searching and I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster these days," he says. "And honestly, y'all, sometimes I feel like I've lost it all. Where did I lose myself? Where did I lose them? Was it the money? Was it the women? Was it the fast life?"

These questions don't have an easy answer, but if there's anyone who can help him find one it's Jerry Seinfeld, master of turning quotidian struggles into existential art. The two appear in the studio together at the end of the clip. We can't wait to see what those sessions produce. Watch the trailer here.

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Young Thug, Rich Homie Quan Team Up for 'Pull Up'
(Radio.com) Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan are the yin and the yang of Atlanta's Auto Tune-augmented neo-soul gangsta-singer movement, Thugger the unhinged yawper and Quan the smooth, sensitive playboy.

"Pull Up" is just one in a long line of joint releases from the two, including "I Got It" and current smash "Lifestyle." They have long hinted at the release of a joint mixtape - might this be the first cut off it? Whatever it is, it's definitely as good an excuse to ride around the block playing music loud as you're likely to get on this fine Monday.

Thugger continues to make music journalists search for new adjectives for his voice while spitting captivating near-nonsense like "Got more loud than a parade / no copy but her face I paste."

Quan is an adept foil, melodically eulogizing their life of luxury. If this is any indication, Atlanta isn't giving up its claim to the throne any time soon. Have a listen here.

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Kenny Chesney Picked Passion Over Partying On The Big Revival
(Radio.com) "There's this perception that I only sing about partying and getting drunk," says Kenny Chesney with a big laugh. "If people saw how hard I work, and how much thought went into every move we make, they would be astounded."

In defense of those not fully paying attention, it's true that Chesney's long list of hits includes titles like "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem," "Beer in Mexico," and "Keg in the Closet." And on the strength of that image, he has built one of the most successful careers in country music history, with over 30 million albums sold and more than 30 Top Ten country singles. With the support of his dedicated fans, known as the "No Shoes Nation," he was named Entertainer of the Year four times by both the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music. His tours fill stadiums from coast to coast.

Yet for his new album The Big Revival, Chesney made a tough decision. He chose not to go out on the road this year, but instead to allow himself more time in the studio to craft an ambitious set of songs, with the power and emotion that he feels is lacking in too much of today's country music - a condition the great Merle Haggard recently referred to as "too much boogie-boogie wham-bam and not enough substance."

"This album ain't about a party," Chesney says. "It's about living with passion, about confidence, about walking into a room full of people and smiling and meaning it. Having the courage to hear this voice in your head and follow it, maybe for the first time in your life. It's about taking your life and living it to the fullest."

Dressed in a V-neck t-shirt, chinos, and a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, Chesney, age 46, sat down at Nashville's Acme Feed & Seed - a new restaurant and music venue in a renovated former feed supply warehouse at the end of downtown's Lower Broadway strip - to talk about his vision for the album and his goals at this stage of a two-decade-long ride at the top.

"It would have been very easy for us to make this record on a conveyor belt, because I've been guilty of that before," he says, using the first-person plural construction often heard from Nashville stars. "But I felt like I was at a place in my life, along with the deep relationship we have with the fans, where I deserve more and they deserve more. It was worth really digging into what I wanted the record to be and to see how I was going to take my audience to a place that maybe collectively we haven't been before. And that's hard to do - it's hard to take time off the road because it's a business, and for us it's really big business."

That's a bit of an understatement. Ticket sales to Chesney's 2013 tour topped $90 million for 44 shows, his tenth consecutive tour with over a million tickets sold. But after the final concert at Boston's Gillette Stadium on August 24, he made it clear to his band and his crew - the "us" that keeps his engine running - that he would be staying home for a while.

"It was the best decision I've ever made - for myself as an individual, my relationships, my friendships," he said. "I'm a lot easier to be around now. There was also a little bit of exhaustion in there, honestly, but I knew that this record had to be different, and I knew it was going to take some time."

Chesney chuckles, amused by the idea that after fifteen albums, he isn't content to keep a well-oiled machine running. "Being a creative person is a constant annoyance," he says. "It just is! Because you're never happy and you're always thinking-just when you think you have nothing to do, you think 'I'm not going to write a song today,' there's this thing�and I shouldn't say annoyance, but it is. Sometimes you want to go 'Shut up, leave me alone.'

"But this time, I really wanted to push myself as a writer, an entertainer, an artist, a musician and not just rest on what we've accomplished and the success that we've had. That was the target."

Which is, in some ways, a relatively easy thing to say. After all, Chesney's last album was the introspective, singer-songwriter-oriented Life on a Rock, on which he broke Nashville convention and wrote most of the material himself, exploring his experiences on the island of St. John, his regular Caribbean retreat. Since attaining A-List stardom, he has often switched up his style between such blockbusters as When the Sun Goes Down and Hemingway's Whiskey and more left-field albums like Be Who You Are (Songs from an Old Blue Chair) or Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates, and collaborations with such unexpected artists as Dave Matthews, the Wailers, and Grace Potter.

"A lot of things come with success - jealousy, negativity, stuff," concedes Chesney, "but with success also comes the ability to make a record every now and then like those." But now he was looking for something that could serve both purposes, something that would be personal and meaningful, yet also hit his fans hard and serve as a real anchor for the next tour.

A lot more here.

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Nicki Minaj Teaches Models How to Do Her 'Anaconda' Dance
(Radio.com) Nicki Minaj makes it quite clear that her new song "Anaconda" is for those with a little junk in the trunk, but that doesn't mean she won't help a few skinny ladies learn how to shake what their momma gave them. Even if their momma only gave them a little bit.

This past weekend Minaj went backstage at New York Fashion Week to teach a few rather slender models-Irina Kravchenko, Ewa Wladymiruk, Valery Kaufman, and Aleah Morgan-how to move their butt.

Thanks to Vogue, we can all see how Minaj's tutorial with models from Alexander Wang's 2015 spring fashion show. After witnessing the ladies trying to work it on their own, Minaj makes an emergency announcement, "Wait, we've got an 'Anaconda' problem."

Minaj then shows these fashionable ladies the dance from her "Anaconda" video. And the ladies still have a ways to go, but they're starting to get it. Watch for yourself here.

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Jennifer Hudson Explains Decision To Cut Off Her Hair
(Radio.com) When asked about the three things that describe herself, Jennifer Hudson does not hesitate. "I'm a singer, but first I'm a mom," she said. "And most importantly, I'm human."

She's making the rest of us humans look good, because she's the kind of human who's won an Oscar, a GRAMMY and a Golden Globe for her supreme talents. And with her new album, JHud, she reveals a new look.

"I was on the plane, like, 'I wanna cut my hair," Hudson says of her now-shorn locks. "I'm tired of the long hair with the bang in the middle and the part in the middle and the curls on the side. Ugh! I was like, 'I need something new, let's just cut off my hair.'"

It's the kind of spur-of-the-moment decision that can be life changing, for better (Mia Farrow) or worse (Keri Russell). Hudson seems pleased with her decision, though, saying it helps her get into the tomboy look she's come to embrace with JHud.

"There's a big chance it might not have worked out," Hudson says. "But I think that's the daring part of it. Not caring and just going for it."

More with Jennifer here.

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Singled Out: Caleb Hawley's Bada Boom, Bada Bling
Today American soul star Caleb Hawley tells us about "Bada Boom, Bada Bling" from his brand new EP "Side 2," which was released today. Here is the story:

About three years ago I was watching Beyonce on the VMAs perform some incredible rendition of her song "Run the World". The lighting design was all the buzz afterwards, but I had been paying far more attention to the lyrics. "Girls, we run this motha! Who runs the world? Girls!" proclaimed the Queen Bey repeatedly.

For a moment I thought, damn that kind of hurts. Until I quickly realized the true reality of what she was saying, and thought about how the tables were turning more and more every day. And that's okay. I mean, what if I could find a sugar mama? How sweet would it be to just sit back and play my guitar and not have to worry about paying for my next pickleloaf sandwich? I'm all in, Ms. Fierce. Sign me up!

And that's where the idea of "Bada-Boom! Bada-Bling! She can buy herself a diamond ring" came from.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the EP right here!

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