Today’s Music News: Gorillaz are back, and they don’t look a day older
by Staff
February 02, 2015
Jamie Hewlett, the comic artist who co-created Gorillaz with Damon Albarn, posted new artwork on Instagram and confirmed that the virtual band will soon return, as Albarn indicated last fall. Gorillaz' most recent album, The Fall, was released in 2011. (Billboard)
Katy Perry satisfied fans with a Super Bowl halftime performance that included several of her hits. Perry was accompanied by singing sharks, dancing chess pieces, Lenny Kravitz (whose duet part on "I Kissed a Girl" was seen by many as an attempt to soften the song's homoerotic narrative), and an energized Missy Elliott. (New York Times)
After the Super Bowl, Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, John Legend, and Chrissy Teigen went on what Kardashian described as a "double date" at a Waffle House in Phoenix. (Consequence of Sound)
Bobbi Kristina Brown, the 21-year-old daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, is hospitalized and in potentially life-threatening condition after being found unconscious on Saturday at her home in Roswell, Georgia. Further details regarding the circumstances of Brown's hospitalization, and the seriousness of her present condition, remain unknown. Bobby Brown released a statement confirming that his daughter is hospitalized in Atlanta and requesting privacy. (Billboard)
D'Angelo appeared on Saturday Night Live to play two songs from his new album Black Messiah. D'Angelo and his band made pointed references to the deaths of Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner with shirts reading "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe." The appearance showcased D'Angelo's band the Vanguard, which includes guitarist Jesse Johnson of the Time as well as drummer John Blackwell, who has played with Prince. (Rolling Stone)
This weekend, My Morning Jacket returned to the stage for the first time in over a year to play their second annual One Big Holiday music festival in Mexico. The Kentuckians debuted a new original song and covered songs by Bruce Springsteen, Mazzy Star, Chris Isaak, Hall & Oates, and Christopher Cross. (Consequence of Sound)
Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight is jailed on suspicion of murder after a friend was struck and killed—and another injured—by Knight's pickup truck shortly after Knight and the friend were ejected from the shoot of a promotional video for the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton. Knight is due to appear in court on Tuesday in Los Angeles County. (Billboard)
Casey Kasem's daughter Kerri Kasem, along with other family members, held a press conference at which they demanded that Los Angeles authorities arrest Casey Kasem's widow Jean Kasem for elder abuse—alleging that Jean Kasem improperly removed her husband from a hospital last May, accelerating the decline that led to the radio legend's death in June. (Billboard)
Adele, Jennifer Lawrence, and Harry Styles of One Direction seem to be the celebrity universe's newest BFFs. (Gawker)
Record executives tell Rolling Stone that while they welcome the rapid rise of vinyl sales—which saw a rise of over 50% in 2014—they're not counting on vinyl to save their struggling industry. Vinyl still just comprises 6% of total album sales, making it hard for major labels to prioritize the format.
Though Paul McCartney doesn't appear in the music video for his Kanye West collaboration "Only One," he will have a role in the video for "FourFiveSeconds," the song he recorded with Rihanna and Kanye. Below, watch Rihanna discuss similarities between her denim wardrobe and the Beatles—using, heads-up, NSFW language.
At Jack White's sold-out Friday night Madison Square Garden show, indie rap icon Q-Tip joined White for an encore that featured White's "The Black Bat Licorice" and A Tribe Called Quest's "Excursions." (NME)
HAIM have been tapped by Taylor Swift to open several shows on Swift's upcoming tour; Swift's September dates at the Xcel Energy Center are not on the list of HAIM-assisted dates, however. (Rolling Stone)
Justin Timberlake and his wife, Ely native Jessica Biel, are expecting their first child. Rumors of the pregnancy, previously confirmed by 'N SYNC bandmate Joey Fatone, were further confirmed via Timberlake's Instagram of himself kissing Biel's baby bump. (Billboard)
For BBC1's Radio 1 Live Lounge, Hozier covered Ariana Grande's "Problem." (Billboard)