Selena Gomez Donates Autographed Collection of Rare Beauty Products for ASCAP Foundation Silent Auction

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Selena Gomez is helping raise money to help develop music’s next superstar….

The 30-year-old Mexican American musician is taking part in the second annual ASCAP Foundation Silent Auction, launched Thursday, December 1, with donations supporting music education and talent development programs throughout the country.

Gomez has donated an autographed collection of her Rare Beauty products.

Meanwhile, Ashanti is offering up a special one-on-one…

The 42-year-old half-Afro-Dominican singer/actress is auctioning off a private dinner with her.

Other silent auction items include an autographed vinyl copy of Olivia Rodrigo‘s album Sour, a personalized video from The Chainsmokers, an autographed Fender guitar from Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, a bottle of bourbon signed by Chris Stapleton, a hat signed by Alan Jackson, VIP tickets to a show by DJ Steve Aoki in Las Vegas, and more.

The auction, located at charitybuzz.com, will run through December 16.

“For nearly five decades, The ASCAP Foundation has fulfilled ASCAP’s mission to support aspiring music creators at the most fundamental level, by funding music education and talent development programs in schools and communities across the U.S.,” said Nicole George-Middleton, The ASCAP Foundation Executive Director, via a statement. “We are thrilled to host our silent auction for a second year and hope that music lovers everywhere will join in to support The Foundation and land some one-of-a-kind holiday gifts for their family and friends.”

Other donors include Broadway legend Stephen Schwartz, Shawn Mendes, songwriter and writer advocate Paul Williams, country artists Carly Pearce, Old Dominion and Kelsea Ballerini, actress-author Diane Keaton, NBA champion Kevin Durant, Universal Studios, Nightbird Studios and legendary musician-writer-producer Quincy Jones.

The ASCAP Foundation launched in 1975 and is dedicated to supporting American music creators, through encouraging development via music education, talent development and other programs such as songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, and community outreach programs.

Rachel Zegler to Perform at This Year’s Grammy Awards

Posted on March 24, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Rachel Zegler will be getting her Grammy moment…

The Recording Academy has announced more performers for the 64th Grammy Awards program, with the 20-year-old half-Colombian American actress/singer among those set to take the stage.

Zegler, who will be a presenter at this weekend’s Academy Awards show, and Ben Platt will perform during a special In Memoriam segment, featuring songs of Stephen Sondheim.

In addition to Zegler and Platt, recently confirmed performers include Jon Batiste, Foo Fighters, H.E.R, Nas and Chris Stapleton. Additionally, Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo and current nominee Leslie Odom Jr. will perform.

The join previously announced Olivia Rodrigo, Brothers Osborne, BTS, Brandi Carlile, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow. Additionally, Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo, current nominees Leslie Odom Jr.

Hosted by Trevor Noah live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the 64th Annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast Sunday, April 3 on CBS at 8:00 pm ET/ 5:00 pm PT and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Adrian Quesada & His Black Pumas to Perform at Milwaukee’s Summerfest

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Adrian Quesada has some big summer plans…

The Grammy Award-winning producer and guitarist and his Black Pumas will be performing at one of summer’s staple events, Milwaukee’s Summerfest.

The festival is back this year with a packed lineup after taking 2020 off due to the global coronavirus pandemic. After canceling for the first time in its 53-year history, organizers announced the star-studded roster of acts slated to perform over three weekends: September 2-4, 9-11 and 16-18.

In addition to Quesada’s Black Pumas taking the stage, the nation’s biggest music festival will feature headline sets in the 23,000-capacity American Family Insurance Amphitheater from Miley Cyrus, Luke Bryan, Chance the Rapper, the Jonas Brothers, Chris Stapleton, and Dave Matthews Band, as well as performances from Sheryl Crow, the Zac Brown Band, Gabby Barrett and 24kGoldn.

Others on tap to play are 311, Run the Jewels, Brett Eldredge, G-Eazy, Wilco, Diplo, Charlie Wilson, Pixies, ZZ Top, Rise Against, Fitz and the Tantrums, Dirty Heads, Jake Owen, Bleachers, Flo Rida, Lindsey Stirling, Goo Goo Dolls, T-Pain, Ludacris, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, The Struts, Nelly, Cam, Blanco Brown, Sugarhill Gang, Psychedelic Furs, Maddie & Tae, Liz Phair, Claud and many more.

“We could not be more excited to unveil the lineup for Summerfest,” Milwaukee World Festival Inc. President/CEO Don Smiley said in a statement. “From first-timers, including Chance the Rapper, Miley Cyrus, and Run the Jewels, to Fest favorites including Dave Matthews Band, T-Pain, Styx and Chris Stapleton, our lineup continues to be one of the most diverse and unique in the industry.”

Summerfest has traditionally run from late June to early July over an 11-day stretch, but this year organizers have pushed it back to the fall as the nationwide COVID-19 vaccine roll-out continues and the nation attempts to reach herd immunity.

Bruno Mars Charts First-Ever Single on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs Chart

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

He may be more of an R&B/funk singer, but Bruno Marsis making his mark in the rock world…

The 33-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer’s rockin’ collaboration with Ed Sheeran and Chris Stapleton “Blow” debuts at No. 3 on Billboard‘s Hot Rock Songs chart dated July 20.

It’s Mars’ first-ever appearance on the rock chart.

The closing track from Sheeran’s album No.6 Collaborations Project, released on July 12, opens with 7.5 million U.S. streams, 1.5 million in radio reach and 26,000 downloads sold, according to Nielsen Music.

The sales sum also sparks the cut’s No. 1 debut on the Rock Digital Song Sales chart, marking each artist’s first leader. Sheeran is the only member of the trio with a prior history on the tally, having reached a previous No. 3 best with “Lego House” in 2013.

“Blow” also bows at No. 40 on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, a first for Sheeran and Mars.

On the all-format, streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Billboard Hot 100 (the same formula employed by Hot Rock Songs), “Blow” begins at No. 60.

Bruno Mars Directs Music Video for “Blow,” His Collaboration with Ed Sheeran & Chris Stapleton

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Marshas found his female doppelganger…

Ed Sheeranhas released the official music video for “Blow,” his collaboration with the 33-year-old Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer and Chris Stapleton.

The tongue-in-cheek music video for the unexpectedly hard-rocking track was directed by Mars and doesn’t feature any of the performers, whose roles are played by glammed up female doppelgangers.

Cementing its rock vibe, the clip was shot at The Viper Roomin Los Angeles.

The all-girl band, fronted by America’s Next Top Model’s Cherish Waters(Sheeran), model Jordan Kelly DeBarge(Bruno Mars), and actress Cheyenne Haynes (Stapleton) lip-syncs and rocks along to the song on-stage.

“Blow” is the latest track released from Sheeran’s forthcoming No. 6 Collaborations Projectalbum, which comes out Friday.

Bruno Mars Joins Voices with Ed Sheeran & Chris Stapleton on New Single “Blow”

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Bruno Mars is Sheeran the spotlight on a new jam…

The 33-year-old part-Puerto Rican Grammy-winning singer/songwriter has joined voices with Ed Sheeran on a new track for the English artist’s upcoming album.

Mars, who most recently collaborated with rap sensation Cardi Bon “Please Me,” which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, appears on the just-released single “Blow” alongside Sheeran and Chris Stapleton.

“Blow,” produced by Mars, was released with an accompanying lyric video.

The track will appear on Sheeran’s forthcoming album, No. 6 Collaborations Project, due out Friday, July 12.

Maldonado & Her Pentatonix Bandmates’ Christmas Album Reaches No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Tom Castaneda

Kirstie Maldonado is a woman on top… of the charts…

The 24-year-old half-Mexican, part Spanish-American singer and her fellow Pentatonix members have scored their second No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart.

The vocal group’s Pentatonix Christmas rises 2-1 on the latest list, earning 206,000 equivalent album units in the week ending December 22 (up 32 percent), according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 185,000 were in traditional album sales (up 33 percent).

It’s the first holiday album at No. 1 in five years, since Michael Buble’s Christmas ruled the tally for five consecutive weeks on the charts dated December 10, 2011, through January 7, 2012.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

Pentatonix previously led the list with its self-titled album, which debuted atop the list in 2015.

A Pentatonix Christmas was released through RCA Records on October 21. It debuted at No. 3 on the November 12-dated chart, and has never ranked lower than No. 6 on the list in its nine weeks on the chart.

The album benefits from not only holiday-fueled purchases, as well as a sale price in the iTunes Store (for just $7.99), but also a number of television appearances from the group during the tracking week. The act’s December 7 performance on ABC‘s Jimmy Kimmel Live! repeated on Dec. 16; NBC‘s A Pentatonix Christmas Special (which premiered on December 14) received an encore airing on December 17; they sang on NBC’s America’s Got Talent Holiday Spectacular on December 19; and they performed on Fox News’ Fox & Friends on December 21 and the syndicated Rachael Ray Show on December 22.

A Pentatonix Christmas is the group’s sixth top 10 album overall, and third holiday effort to reach the region, following 2014’s No. 2-peaking That’s Christmas to Me, and the 2013 PTXmas EP, which climbed to No. 7.

Pentatonix’s latest No. 1 also earns the largest sales week for a holiday album in two years, since Pentatonix’s previous holiday set, That’s Christmas to Me, sold 203,000 copies in the week ending December 21, 2014. In fact, the last acts that weren’t Pentatonix to sell more in a single week with a holiday album were Michael Buble and Justin Bieber during the week ending December 25, 2011. That week, Buble sold 467,000 copies of Christmas, while Bieber moved 225,000 copies of his Under the Mistletoe.

Further, A Pentatonix Christmas is the first album to earn its first week at No. 1 by climbing there — as opposed to debuting or re-entering at No. 1–since Rihanna’s Anti vaulted from No. 27 to No. 1 in its second chart week, on the February 20-dated list.

Also notable, since A Pentatonix Christmas reaches No. 1 in its ninth week on the list, it logs the slowest continuous climb to No. 1 (thus excepting re-entries at No. 1 from Prince’s The Very Best of Prince and Chris Stapleton’s Traveller) since the March 16, 2013-dated list, when Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox reached No. 1 in its 12^th week.

Ortega Releases Her Fourth Album “Faded Gloryville”

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Tom Castaneda

Lindi Ortega is ready to make her mark in Nashville…

The 35-year-old half-Mexican Canadian country singer has released her fourth album, Faded Gloryville, via Last Gang Records/The Grand Tour.

Kicking off her release week with a series of events in both The Big Apple and Nashville, Ortega is excited to be presenting her fans with new music.

To get a glimpse into the making of the album, Billboard has exclusive behind-the-scenes footage documenting the making of Faded Gloryville, which was recorded in Muscle Shoals and Nashville with producers like John Paul White (The Civil Wars), Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton), Colin Linden (T-Bone Burnett), and Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes).

Ortega has been working on Faded Gloryville for a long while — in fact, the album “has been finished since December or January, so I feel like I’ve been carrying a baby around for nine months – so now it gets to be born,” she explains.

The singer recorded three of the songs in Muscle Shoals with White and Tanner producing. Cutting those tracks in the Alabama musical landmark was a thrill. “I had never recorded there before. I had done some co-writing with John Paul White before, and I realized that he had a studio down there. I told my managers about it, and they called him and asked if he was recording people,” Ortega explains. “Muscle Shoals has this incredible history with the music, and it’s so ingrained in the culture. It really comes through in all the musicians. I feel that it’s in their heart and in their blood. They hired a bunch of musicians that they really seemed to have a good relationship and rapport with. We did some wonderful recordings while we were there.”

Though the music on Faded Gloryville definitely took on a soulful style, Ortega explains that happened organically. “It wasn’t a concept album, by any means. I just named the record after a song that I really liked. It’s always hard when you’re trying to pick the title for a record, and trying to come up with something interesting and unique. I felt the song was a good name for the record,” she says. “I was listening to a lot of soul music at the time, and I’ve found that whatever I’m listening to seems to come out in the songs that I like. When I was allotting songs to the producers, I felt that with the whole Muscle Shoals vibe, Ben and John Paul would be perfect for the songs that had more of a soulful vibe.”

When it comes to writing music, Ortega draws from her own experience, like on the song “Tell It Like It Is.” “It was a song that I wrote about an experience I had where I was being a little strung along, with a cat-and-mouse game romance-wise,” she says. “I was getting tired of it, and I had been there a few times, and thought it was ridiculous. I don’t understand how people can be that way. I would much rather just be straight up. It saves yourself a lot of time and heartache. It was basically a plea to tell people that play those games to stop doing that.”

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