Music

Swifties often refer to Taylor Swift as “the music industry.” Monday may be as close to that moniker as she’s ever been. The release of Swift’s Midnights has already been established as one of the biggest opening weeks for an album in recent memory — and now, the pop star …

As midterms approach, more than 54,000 voters are heading to the polls thanks to Harry Styles. Early last month, the pop star partnered with the non-profit voter registration organization HeadCount to boost voter turnout with an incentive that offered fans a chance to attend his costume extravaganza Harryween in Los …

Kanye West is taking full advantage of the “free speech” haven that is Parler by getting to sow (post more antisemitic comments) without really having to reap (face any consequences). The rapper first started using Parler a couple of weeks ago after it was announced that he planned to purchase …

J erry Lee Lewis was rock & roll’s original prodigal son. When he burned brightly, in the mid-to-late 1950s, he was untouchable. Then, when he fell from grace, he was untouchable in a different way, but he was dogged. He kept recording music — much of it unheard — and …

Selena Gomez is using her voice to enact change in Georgia. On Monday, Gomez announced her endorsement of the Democratic candidate for governor Stacey Abrams, stressing the importance of electing a candidate who is passionate about improving mental health access. “Hi, everyone in Georgia. My friend Stacey Abrams is in …

The singer-songwriter Kevin Kaarl spent his life in Meoqui, Chihuahua, a state in Northern Mexico filled with farms and norteños. The town is small (barely 70,000 people, Kaarl tells Rolling Stone), but the region’s quiet calm — and it’s music — rubbed off on him. His home even inspired his …

Patrick Haggerty, the leader of the pioneering queer country-folk musical project Lavender Country, died Monday from complications related to a stroke he had suffered in September. Haggerty’s manager confirmed the singer’s death. He was 78. Born Sept. 27, 1944, Haggerty grew up in a large family in Port Angeles, Washington, …

Saturday Night Live mocked Kanye West’s unsolicited visit to the Skechers headquarters with a new ad where the shoe company championed its hardline stance against anti-Semitism while also celebrating the fact that the rapper even considered Skechers. “Here at Skechers, we pride ourselves on two things: Making stylish, comfortable shoes …

Over the past 131 years, musical luminaries like Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young have all graced the Carnegie Hall stage. And on Saturday evening, “Weird Al” Yankovic finally joined their ranks when his Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour touched down in New …

Luke Bryan defended bringing out “very polarizing” Gov. Ron DeSantis Friday night at the country star’s Jacksonville, Florida concert. During the show, Bryan announced that proceeds from his Sunshine State gigs would go toward the Florida Disaster Fund, which is raising money for those impacted by Hurricane Ian; Bryan’s Florida …