Bad Bunny is Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2020
The year’s most played artist on Spotify? Globally speaking: Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican superstar is the music platform’s most-streamed artist of the year with 8.3 billion streams globally. The Latin Grammy winner and hitmaker , who released a new album last week, leads a top five list that also...
Westmoreland Ballet films ‘Nutcracker’ at iconic area locations
The Westmoreland Ballet Company takes “The Nutcracker” off the stage and into the community with a new video production of the beloved holiday classic. Filmed at indoor and outdoor locations around the county, the video will debut online at 7 p.m. Friday. It also will stream at 7 p.m. Saturday...
Cher in Pakistan to help ‘world’s loneliest elephant’
ISLAMABAD — Iconic singer and actress Cher is in Pakistan to celebrate the departure of Kaavan, dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant,” who will soon leave a Pakistani zoo for better conditions after years of lobbying by animal rights groups and activists. Because of security concerns, Cher’s schedule was not made...
The Weeknd criticizes Grammys over nominations snub
LOS ANGELES — The Weeknd angrily slammed the Grammy Awards, calling them “corrupt” after the pop star walked away with zero nominations despite having multiple hits this year. The three-time Grammy winner criticized the Recording Academy on Tuesday after he was severely snubbed despite having one of the year’s biggest...
Beyoncé leads Grammy Award nominations with 9
NEW YORK — Beyoncé is bringing her black parade to the Grammys: The pop star’s anthem about Black pride scored multiple nominations Tuesday, making her the leading contender with nine. Beyoncé picked up song and record of the year bids with “Black Parade,” which she released on Juneteenth, the holiday...
Trevor Noah to host 2021 Grammy Awards
“The Daily Show” host and comedian Trevor Noah has been tapped to host the 2021 Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy made the announcement hours before the nominees for the upcoming show are revealed. It would mark Noah’s first time hosting the Grammys, which will be held Jan. 31. Earlier this...
Pittsburgh Symphony cancels Heinz Hall dates amid covid concern
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has canceled all concerts that were scheduled for January through March at Heinz Hall in downtown Pittsburgh. PSO said cancellations are because of ongoing restrictions from public health and government entities related to the coronavirus pandemic, and for its concerns for the health and safety of...
Bad Bunny tests positive for covid-19 after no-show at AMA
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Reggaeton superstar Bad Bunny has tested positive for covid-19, his representative said Monday. The announcement came a day after the musician won favorite male Latin artist and favorite Latin album for “YHLQMDLG” at the American Music Awards. Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Martínez...
Dylan papers, including unpublished lyrics, sell for $495K
BOSTON — A long-lost trove of Bob Dylan documents including the singer-songwriter’s musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics has sold at auction for a total of $495,000. Boston-based R.R. Auction said Friday the collection privately held by the late American blues artist Tony Glover, a longtime Dylan friend and...
Westmoreland Cultural Trust launches ‘Keep the Arts Alive’ campaign, projects $500K in pandemic-related losses
Between The Palace Theatre and the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, more than 350 concerts and events have been canceled since March, lending much more weight to the name of the Westmoreland Cultural Trust’s “Keep the Arts Alive” fundraising campaign. “As an organization whose mission is to bring people together...
Bob Dylan papers, including unpublished lyrics, sell for $495K
BOSTON — A long-lost trove of Bob Dylan documents including the singer-songwriter’s musings about anti-Semitism and unpublished song lyrics has sold at auction for $495,000. Boston-based R.R. Auction said Friday the collection privately held by the late American blues artist Tony Glover, a longtime Dylan friend and confidante, was sold...
James Taylor on how he takes a song and makes it his ownVideo
Something happens when James Taylor covers a song. It gets all James Taylor-y. “People often tell me, ‘It sounds like you wrote that song’ or ‘That sounds like a James Taylor song.’ And that’s because basically it’s been translated into my language,” the singer-songwriter told The Associated Press in an...
Mississippi road signs mark Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash site
GILLSBURG, Miss. — Lynyrd Skynyrd, the rock band famous for “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird,” now has highway signs pointing to the site of the Mississippi plane crash that claimed the lives of some of its members. Fans gathered Sunday as the Mississippi Department of Transportation unveiled exit signs...
‘Jazz Road Tours’ grants support artists hoping to launch short 2021 tours
New York City jazz musician Jon Irabagon was in the process of stringing together dates for an April 2021 tour with a brand-new ensemble when the coronavirus pandemic hit. Luckily for him, as he was setting up potential touring dates, he also heard about the Jazz Road Tours grant program...
Pittsburgh Cultural Trust announces plans for virtual First Night
Ring in 2021 at the place where you’ve spent most of 2020. At home. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust on Monday announced its First Night celebration as: “Highmark First Night Pittsburgh 2021 at Home.” The annual New Year’s Eve celebration on Dec. 31 can be viewed on KDKA-TV. The station’s “Pittsburgh...
PSO’s online Front Row series includes sensory friendly holiday concert
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will take its online audience to Heinz Hall, The Andy Warhol Museum and Fallingwater for the next episode of its fall digital series, “Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience.” “Originators and Disrupters (Part 1)” will premieres at 7:30 p.m. Friday, with guest concertmaster and leader Alexi...
‘All Screwed Up’ aims to untangle the legacy of DJ Screw
NEW YORK — When DJ Screw started trending in August, it wasn’t because of newly discovered music or a coordinated effort by his devoted fans. The chatter surrounded a TikTok video that quickly went viral for all the wrong reasons: a teen attempting to explain a “new” music trend called...
Thomas Solich is the piano man at the Pittsburgh Opera’s saleVideo
Thomas Solich learned to play the piano by reading Braille, a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision. He can’t see the more than 100 stunning instruments in the room as they sit idle, waiting for...
‘A Taffeta Christmas’ bringing holiday cheer to The Lamplighter in Delmont
Four singing sisters take a break from their national tour to return to their hometown of Muncie, Ind., for the holidays. While there, they visit a local television show to perform some ‘50s favorites and holiday classics. That’s the premise of “A Taffeta Christmas,” which the Orchard Performing Arts Company...
Rolling with it, Keith Richards is chilling in the garden
NEW YORK — Keith Richards is so old-school that when he does his interviews — he’ll do so from a landline. The Rolling Stones icon isn’t a fan of technology. Years ago he admitted to not owning an iPod when the device was most popular. He’s one of the few...
Country singer Lee Brice tests positive for covid, will miss CMA Awards
Country singer Lee Brice tested positive for covid-19 and will not perform as scheduled at the CMA Awards on Wednesday. A representative for Brice told The Associated Press on Sunday that he is “in good spirits and not experiencing any symptoms.” Brice was tested ahead of the awards show, which...
3WS airs early preview of Christmas music
Looking for a diversion while waiting on election results? Turn on the radio in Pittsburgh and tune the dial to 94.5 FM and you’ll — or should we say “yule”? — be transported to the holidays. 3WS is giving listeners an advance taste of the Christmas season with some merry...
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh puppet karaoke jam to spotlight homemade videosVideo
What do you get when you combine puppets and karaoke? The BOOM Jam Puppet Slam, of course. The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh invites kids of all ages to tune in to the Nov. 14 celebration of puppets and the ways in which they can inspire us to tell stories and...
Rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine’s kidnapper is sentenced to 24 years
NEW YORK — A man convicted in the kidnapping of rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was sentenced to 24 years in prison Wednesday by a judge who cited his leadership role in a gang active nationwide. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer announced the sentence for Anthony Ellison, 33, who has been...
Drake bests Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder to set Billboard record
Earning his 21st No. 1 hit on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, Drake has bested a record previously held by icons Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later,” featuring rapper Lil Durk, reached the No. 1 spot on the chart this week. Wonder and Franklin, who died in...
