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Day in Pop Report for 02/12/2015


Taylor Swift Offers Comfort To Heartbroken Fan
Taylor Swift continues to surprise fans with random acts of kindness. This time Swift responded to a Tumblr post from a fan who shared about a tough breakup.

A teenage fan named Kasey tagged Taylor Swift in a post where she wrote, "I hope you see this but we've been together for 4 months, he just texted me and told me he was done with me.

"Gave me no reason and kept trying to get me to do irrational things to get him back. Now he's calling me names and I just feel crumbled. I don't know what to do."

Taylor did see it and responded "Heartbreak is awful enough. The fact that you have to endure this kind of emotional abuse is so wrong. I know it's hard but I think it's time for you to utilize the 'block' feature on your phone. This is just damaging�Protect yourself, please. I'm so sorry this happened."

Swift then went on to share the following breakup playlist with Kasey: "Stay Away" by Charli XCX, "Not Around" by Montgomery, "Wings" by HAERTS, "Coffins" by Misterwives, "Sleep" by Azure Ray and "Begin Again" by Measure.

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John Legend Shares His View Of Kanye West's Grammy Controversy
John Legend posted a statement online where he clarifies his reaction to Kanye West's actions during the Grammy Awards where he made a move towards the stage while Beck was receiving his Album of the Year Grammy.

Legend initially said in an interview that he saw West's actions at the actual awards as "funny" but in light of the controversial comments West went on to make after the ceremony, Legend is now sharing more of his views with fans.

He writes on Intagram, "I want to clarify my thoughts on Kanye's actions at the Grammys on Sunday. First of all, Kanye is my friend. He believed in me years ago when very few did, and I wouldn't be here without his support. That doesn't mean we'll agree on everything, but it does mean that I am grateful to him. And I also believe he is one of the most gifted people I've had the privilege of working with.

"In my comments to US Weekly, I said that when Kanye walked up on stage, mimicking his interruption of Taylor Swift's VMA acceptance speech, then turned around as if he was just playing, most of the room including me saw this as funny, as a way of taking the piss out of himself for his infamous behavior several years ago.

"When I said that was funny and people should lighten up about it, that's what I meant. I wasn't referring to Kanye's comments after the show which I have now seen and heard. I disagree with those comments. Beck is indeed a true artist's artist. He's a multi-instrumentalist, a creative and unique singer-songwriter whose music I have bought and enjoyed over the years. While his win may have been a surprise to many, it's not because he's not a great artist deserving of recognition. All of the other nominated artists, including Beyonce, are incredible in their own right, and arguments could be made for any of them deserving to win. This is not an objective process. It's completely subjective, in fact. We can all debate who we thought should have won. But even if you didn't vote for him, plenty of our colleagues in the music business did. These voters are all creators who love music and have dedicated their lives to it, and the plurality of them chose Beck as the Album of the Year. I respect their decision and congratulate Beck on this outstanding accomplishment." See the post here.

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Miley Cyrus Short Will Not Be Screened At Porn Film Festival
A day after Miley Cyrus made headlines with news that her short film was to be screened at the NY Porn Film Festival the young star's representatives have asked the event's organizer remove it from the lineup.

The 3-minute short film, "Tongue Tied," was used on the pop star's Bangerz tour and was advertised on the film festivals website as part of the upcoming festival, according to the New York Post.

Soon after the new broke that the film was going to be part of the festival, Miley's representatives moved to have it removed from the lineup and all mentions of it removed from their website.

Miley's rep tells The Post, "Miley was proud to make a film with acclaimed filmmaker Quentin Jones. She did not instigate this festival submission and is not participating in any way."

The festival organizer Simon Leahy also spoke with the Post about the situation and told them, "Basically they didn't do their due diligence. We asked to show it at the festival. Because the word porn is involved, basically the media has just sensationalized it and turned it into a click bait story."

The Post also detailed some of the back story about how the film was submitted to the festival and more. Read the report here.

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Azealia Banks Poses Nude For Playboy Magazine
(Radio.com) Azealia Banks has made plenty of headlines recently--now she's making the front page. Banks will grace the front pages of Playboy, baring it all in the magazine's grand tradition.

She will appear both on the cover and in a nude shoot inside, for the April 2015 Music Issue of Playboy. The magazine promises a 'frisky pictorial that's sure to break the Internet."

And for those who only read Playboy for the articles, they're promising an equally revealing 'no-holds-barred" interview. Banks released one photo from the shoot, shot by the photographer Ellen Von Unwerth, who's shot the likes of Beyonce, and Rihanna.

The photo depicts Azealia with purple hair and a mask with cat ears, peering out from behind a leopard print wall. See the photo and read more here.

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Bobby Shmurda Lawyer Thinks Criminal Charges Are 'Trumped Up'
(Radio.com) Bobby Shmurda remains in jail, unable to come up with the $2 million bail set by the court. Meanwhile, his lawyer Kenneth Montgomery has given an interview to Complex where he lays out in detail the charges against Shmurda.

Montgomery explains why he believes the charges are "trumped up": "I have never seen a gang enforcer in his situation not enforce anything: he hasn't shot anyone, there's no victims in his situation."

He goes on to address the bail. "It's mind-boggling to me that the bail is $2 million, but I know what this is about," he said. "This is a show. The cops give a perp walk, the NYPD along with some other people issue pressers to everyone concerning this case, this is a show. It's unfortunate cause this young man's life is on the line.

"I've never had a client with these types of charges have $2 million bail set, I think it's excessive, I think it's unfair, and I think it's ridiculous," he added. Read more here.

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Morrissey Slams Awards Shows, Madonna and Taylor Swift
(Radio.com) Is it "Feelings Week" and no one told us? First, Bob Dylan put everyone from Merle Haggard to Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller on blast during his speech at the GRAMMYs MusiCares Person of the Year Awards on Friday night. Then, Kanye West announced to the world that Beck should hand over his Album of the Year GRAMMY to Beyonce, to, like, respect "real artists" or "inspiration" or something.

And now the Master (of putting people on) Blaster, Morrissey, is venting. He's got some thoughts about the upcoming BRIT Awards, it seems. True To You, a fan site that Moz has used to communicate with the world, posted a Morrissey-penned essay yesterday titled "Music awards are none of your business."

In it, he railed against the BRITs, England's big music awards ceremony. He objects to pretty much everything about it, starting with the name: "Now, we are trammeled once again by what is termed the British Phonographic Industry Awards, insultingly termed The Brit Awards in much the same way that The Yank Awards might describe an American music extravaganza."

He doesn't buy into the premise of the BRITs, either. "The object of the Brit Awards is to create the impression of national consensus as they award pop artists of untested stature or value with bogus awards that, it is slyly implied, have been dictated by you, the objective listener. The Brit Awards do not ask the public who they would like to see receive awards--for that would be to risk too much, yet the fierce insistence is that artists are rewarded for their prominence in the previous twelve months because, after all, 'it's what everybody wants.'"

He takes exception to some of the artists performing at the show, particularly the non-British ones. Target No. 1: Madonna. "Thus, for 2015, we have MacDonna [sic], who had a quiet 2014 (but who is quite usefully about to release her new album!), yet here she is again promoting her frightening career on the Brit Awards even though her music has not ever said anything at all about British life," he wrote. "Just as the Brits launch party highlighted a song that reached no higher than number 62 on the UK chart, it really is your own fault if you believe that this Awards show has any connection to anything other than the junk propaganda of the strongest labels gathering to share out awards for their own artists whom they plan to heavily promote in 2015."

Target No. 2: Taylor Swift. "Taylor Swift has nothing to do with Coventry or Wrexham," Morrissey said. "To pull off rank fraud in tellyland is not a difficult undertaking, especially if you have the entire population of Peru dancing around you as you mime your song," which is maybe a reference to her 'Shake It Off' video? Read more here.

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MTV Tap Lil Wayne's Daughter For 'My Super Sweet 16'
(Radio.com) When you're the daughter of a household name rapper, lavish events are a near-everyday experience. Which means that birthday parties are an especially big deal.

Enter My Super Sweet 16, an MTV show whose entire existence is devoting to cataloging birthday parties of the rich and famous. The show's latest subject? Lil Wayne's daughter Reginae Carter.

Carter's birthday party actually took place back in November, but footage from the spectacle will finally air next week on MTV. In a preview, you can see how epic Carter's party truly was. With Wayne as a dad, as you can imagine, the guest list was stacked. Artists like Nicki Minaj, Rae Sremmurd and, of course, Wayne, all make appearances. Read more here.

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Calvin Harris and Haim Release 'Pray To God' Video
(Radio.com) For the video to his latest single, "Pray to God," Calvin Harris taps into the witchy woman side of the HAIM sisters. Our opening shot finds the three standing, MacBeth style, in a trifecta and wearing all black while giving dead stares straight to the camera.

The green screen behind them goes from an eerie sunset to a landscape of snow-capped mountains. The hugeness of the vista and the amount of screen the sisters take up is meant to imply something about their control over nature. It's all very Wiccan.

And that's when the animals come in. We get a wolf. We get a rabbit. A brown bear lumbers in, roaring and throwing its weight around as its movements replicate those of Danielle Haim. A lion, an eagle and a stallion follow in the parade of power animals. The medieval witchy woman vibe is strong, even though there are no cats, the supposed favored familiar.

In the end, there is no resolution. No action either. The video is compiled of sense-memory type flashes where we get impressions of these women. The non-narrative actually gives them strength, because they face no foes. It also opens a quick path to a sequel, for the next Calvin Harris/HAIM collabo. Watch it here.

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Kenny Chesney Releases 'Wild Child' Video
(Radio.com) Kenny Chesney is paying tribute to all the free spirited women in his new music video for "Wild Child." The nearly four-minute clip follows Chesney's friend, songwriter Gretchen Rhodes, in Hawaii as she explores the land.

Set in Hawaii, we see Rhodes skateboarding down a hill, surfing at the beach and wandering throughout a field in Hawaii with wild horses. The video was premiered via USA Today.

'[Director] Shaun [Silva] really captured everything that makes Robin-and every woman just like her-and I know people get their music in so many different places," Chesney said in a press release. 'I wanted to give the clip several opportunities to be seen beyond the traditional country outlets, because I think no matter what kind of music you love, this woman is someone everyone should celebrate.

"It is a song about any woman so hungry to engage life, she spends her days trying to taste it all�. You don't have to be a gypsy to be a free spirit, but just someone so in love with life, you will never get enough. To see a woman like that is a pretty amazing thing."

In an interview last year with Radio.com, Chesney expanded on how "Wild Child" is different than the other songs on country radio about women.

'In the last several years, a lot of the songs about women have been written in kind of an objectifying way," he told Radio.com. 'If you didn't wear cut-off jeans or a bikini top, or sit on a tailgate and drink, then you really weren't worthy, you didn't really add up. But 'Wild Child' isn't about that. 'Wild Child' is telling some girl out there that's got dreams, that's a free spirit, who's smart and interesting, that she has a chance, that she is worthy."

Read more and watch the video here.

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Jessie Ware Goes Old School For 'Champagne Kisses' Video
(Radio.com) Jessie Ware's atmospheric pop songs are ideal candidates for music videos, with their evocative and universal lyrics. Particularly songs on her latest album Tough Love, they seem like they could go a number of directions when given a cinematic treatment.

For her "Champagne Kisses" video, Ware goes retro, getting '70s furniture, costumes, and ephemera (like a Rubik's cube), while she waits patiently in a waiting room for her number to be called.

Fold in some trippy visuals of people joined at the hair, Ware's disembodied head, and a vintage eye exam, and you get one of the more visually pleasing music experiences of recent memory.

Check out the clip for Jessie Ware's "Champagne Kisses" here.

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Moe Bandy Leads All-Star Tribute To Whitey Shafer
Moe Bandy will be hosting an all-star tribute show for Songwriter Hall Of Famer Whitey Shafer that will be taking place at The Nashville Palace on February 18th.

Bandy had this to say, "This is going to be the biggest traditional country music show Nashville has seen in a long time. Our lineup is just unbelievable!"

The lineup also includes Joe Stampley, Becky Hobbs, T. Graham Brown, Gene Watson, Johnny Lee, Jeannie Seely, Rhonda Vincent, David Frizzell, Dallas Frazier, Eddy Raven, Jett Williams, Mark Wills, John Conlee, Jimmy Fortune, Leona Williams, Lane Brody, William Michael Morgan, James Carothers, Moore & Moore, Teea Goans, the Rhodes Family Singers and more still to be announced.

Visit the venue's website for more information and tickets here.

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Kendrick Lamar, Sam Smith, Alt-J, Modest Mouse Lead WayHome Lineup
Kendrick Lamar, Sam Smith, Alt-J, Modest Mouse and Hozier will be the headliners of the very first WayHome Music and Arts festival that will be taking place in July.

The inaugural festival, organized by Republic Live and AC Entertainment, is scheduled for July 24th-26th at Burl's Creek Event Grounds, which is 10 minutes north of Barrie, ONT, Canada.

The festival will also feature performances from Bassnectar, The Decemberists, Passion Pit, St. Vincent, Girl Talk, Vance Joy, Future Islands, The Sheepdogs, Odesza, The Gaslight Anthem, Walk The Moon, Run The Jewels, Kaytranada, Hey Rosetta!, G-Eazy, Sylvan Esso, Danny Brown, Cold War Kids, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Big K.R.I.T, July Talk, F***ed Up, Timber Timbre, Thousand Foot Krutch, METZ, Alvvays, Yukon Blonde, Courtney Barnett, Sloan, Delta Spirit, Broods, How to Dress Well, SZA, Viet Cong, Com Truise, Bear Mountain, Evening Hymns, Lowell, The Highest Order, Dear Rouge, Chris Stapleton, For Esme, and Saxsyndrum with many more still to come.

Republic Live Executive Director Shannon McNevan had this to say, "We couldn't be more excited to finally launch the name of our new festival as the WayHome Music and Arts and announce this inspiring line-up.

"Sam Smith is one of the hottest and most exciting new artists in the world right now, so it's awesome to see acts like him join Kendrick Lamar and Alt-J on our inaugural bill as Canada's international destination music festival.

"It's a testament to how great of an entertainment market southern Ontario is. A huge differentiator for any festival we do is the on-site experience and amazingly deep sense of community that people feel there.

"To that end, we're including tent camping or parking with our ticket offerings to encourage people to camp out with their pals and really immerse themselves in the experience."

See the event's website for more details and ticket information here.

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Glen Campbell 'Healthy, Content And Jovial' Says His Wife
(Radio.com) On Sunday (Feb. 8), Glen Campbell celebrated a Grammys win for Best Country Song for his song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You." Campbell was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2011 and the song was the final recording he will release.

In a recent interview with People Country, Campbell's wife updated the magazine on his illness and said that the singer is "healthy, content and jovial."

"Cognitively, he's declined quite a bit," Kim Wooden told People Country. "More and more every day. We just take each day at a time and make the best out of it. It's a sad illness."

Wooden added that Campbell's music and laughter helps him and his family get through the difficulty of his disease every day. Read more here.

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The Ting Tings Expand North American Tour
The Ting Tings have expanded their upcoming North American tour that they will be launching this spring in support of their latest album, "Super Critical."

The pop duo will be kicking off the tour with a special showcase performance at this year's SXSW music festival which will be taking place this March in Austin, Tx.

The band will begin the regular headline tour on March 23rd in San Diego, Ca at the House of Blues and conclude the trek on April 24th in Dallas, TX at the Granada Theater. See the tour dates here.

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Big & Rich To Premiere The Gravity Quadrilogy On Valentine's Day
Country music stars Big & Rich have a very special Valentine's Day gift for fans. They will be premiering their new 15-minute video, The Gravity Quadrilogy, on CMT.

The Gravity Quadrilogy is a love story set in Las Vegas that was created by director Trey Fanjoy, and features a guest acting appearance from country music star Tim McGraw.

The special extended music video includes the songs "Look At You," "Lovin' Lately," "Brand New Buzz" and "Gravity" which all come from Big & Rich's latest album, Gravity.

CMT will premiere the video this Saturday, February 14, at 6 a.m. ET/PT and will air the video again two hours later at 8 a.m. ET/PT. They will also broadcast the video the next day at 6 and 8 a.m. ET/PT.

They have put together a preview trailer for the video which features the group's new single "Run Away With You." You can watch the preview here.

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Mystikal Joins Mark Ronson and The Roots On The Tonight Show
(Radio.com) Dressed in a silver suit jacket, Mystikal stopped by The Tonight Show to play "Feel Right" with Mark Ronson and The Roots and definitely showed us what he's working with. And it's a lot. So much that the tiny stage could barely contain him.

Showing off that signature growl, Mystikal let everyone know that he "gon' rock this mother for ya," but perhaps with lines like "I eat flames up and crap fire out!/ Don't make me light my butt" wasn't turning on the ladies this close to Valentine's Day.

Ronson told Radio.com in a recent interview that he had never actually been able to woo a woman with a song. "I have lots of lovely, special songs that have significance for my wife and I. Whatever songs she's played me, or songs I played her for the first time," he said. "But no, I wouldn't say I've wooed anyone with a song."

Watch Ronson's "Feel Right" here.

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Sam Smith and Tove Lo Added to Hangout Fest Lineup
(Radio.com) Days after bringing home a bunch of GRAMMY Awards, including Song and Record of the Year and Best New Artist, Sam Smith has been added to the Hangout Festival lineup.

As previously reported, the event is already packed with big names, including the Foo Fighters, Zac Brown Band and the guy who beat out Smith for Album of the Year, Beck.

Hangout beefed up their lineup with a number of other additions to they already-announced lineup: Tove Lo, Joey Bada$$, Sylvan Esso, Deap Vally, Jeff The Brotherhood, and more.

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Missy Elliott and Timbaland Reunite In The Studio
(Radio.com) Missy Elliott took the world by storm all over again at her half-time performance at the Super Bowl, leading a generation of tweens to believe she was a new artist catching her big break.

Now she seems to be taking her comeback full circle, working with Timbaland on her first new music since the two collaborated on two songs--"9th Inning" and "Triple Threat"--back in 2012.

Elliott tweeted out a picture of her and Timbaland standing by the mixing board in the studio. She added a caption: 'Me & @Timbaland bk 2 the drawing board studio dirty beats!" Read more and see the photo here.

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