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Daily Music News Report for 07/11/2016


Calvin Harris' Alleged Taylor Swift Diss Track Streaming Online

(Radio.com) Calvin Harris and John Newman have released, "Ole," a song that is widely believed to be a diss on Harris' old girlfriend Taylor Swift. That track is now streaming online.

The song, which was written by Harris addresses the collapse of a relationship and the infidelity that finally ends it. Many believe the track is targeted at Swift and her new beau Tom Hiddleston, judging from the angry and passionate lyrics:

"My heart speaks/I ain't seen you or been with you for weeks/But I see online that you've begun to be/A good girl and take trips with your boyfriend/Being attentive, continue to pretend/ But no, cos' there's no telling how far you can go/ You've hidden my name on your phone so you can call me to tell me you've been going through hell, left him alone and you've booked in a hotel." Stream the song here.

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Florida Georgia Line Recruit Tim McGraw, Backstreet Boys, Ziggy Marley

Country music duo Florida Georgia Line have revealed the track details for their forthcoming album "Dig Your Roots", which is set to hit stores on August 26th.

Three highlights of the forthcoming album will be the duo's collaborations from Tim McGraw, The Backstreet Boys and Ziggy Marley. Tyler Hubbard says, "these three artists were huge influences on both of us musically; BK's first concert was The Backstreet Boys and they were my first album!"

"Collaborating with Tim McGraw, The Backstreet Boys or Ziggy Marley alone is already super surreal for us, but to have them all on this album is pretty mind-blowing," adds Brian Kelley. Check out the tracklisting here.

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Wyclef Jean All For Fugees Reunion If Lauren Hill Is

(Radio.com) Fugees fans have been hoping for a proper reunion since the group split up in the '90s. Although the group reunited in 2004, it didn't last and the group deteriorated before a proper album or U.S. tour.

Wyclef Jean stopped by Play.It's Rap Radar podcast last week to discuss a number of topics; among them, the future of his former band. He said that if the Fugees do get back together, it can't be motivated by money--although there's lots of money to be made.

"If you're telling me you want to put the Fugees back [together]' we did The Score. The Score is monumental," he said. "When an exec tells us 'I need ya'll to do a show, I'll give you a hundred million,' then you question yourself. If you follow the Fugees' career, you know that the Fugees can't be bought by nobody. Money do not come first in what we do. We could do an album and do a tour, [if] properly marketed, it would generate $600 or $700 million dollars. That's a fact. But think about it: the money never came before the art. It will never come before the art."

A big reason to not reunite, he says, is because they don't want to tarnish their legacy (the reunion-era single, "Take It Easy," didn't hold up to that legacy). "In our minds, if it's not with the art and with the culture, [fans will say] 'Man, y'all should have just left us with The Score.' Unless we feel that we can do something that's in harmony with the three [of us], we'll never do it."

But how are his relationships with his bandmates, Pras Michael and Lauryn Hill? "I don't have no bad blood with anybody," he stresses. "It's all love. I'm all harmony, man. All I'm trying to do is like, change the world. I've negotiated some pretty big things in my life. In politics, even in gangland, putting people together. So, I don't see a problem putting the Fugees back together. It's not a problem for me. But Lauryn is the nucleus, and at the end of the day, she has to be centered and want to do it. If she's centered and wants to do something, I'm in. Because I know my part." Listen to the entire podcast here.

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AWOLNATION Release 'Run (Beautiful Things)' Video

(Radio.com) AWOLNATION released an alternative music video for their single "Run" off their 2015 album by the same name. The new single is called "Run (Beautiful Things)."

The song's lyrics change from "I am a human being/ Capable of doing terrible things" to "I am a human being/ Capable of doing beautiful things" for the new version

Lead singer Aaron Bruno said in a press release, "I think that everyone can relate to negative feelings and that realization of the dark side to humanity, which unfortunately we see too much of around us at times. But then there's the other side we find in beauty, positivity and love that is ultimately more powerful. I started to change the lyric during our live shows and it was natural to want to record this new version of the song."

The cinematic video takes place on the beach where dark images, like a crow and an eerie mermaid, mix with more hopeful images, like a cross between a robot and a spaceman holding a purple light orb. Check out the video here.

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Kenny Chesney Changes New Album Title To 'Cosmic Hallelujah'

(Radio.com) Kenny Chesney's new album has a new name. The country singer announced that his next release will be titled Cosmic Hallelujah. Last week, Chesney revealed that he was pushing the release of the album to October 28th to accommodate a duet with Pink titled "Setting The World On Fire."

In a press release Chesney discussed his decision to change album's tittle from Some Town Somewhere. "Some Town Somewhere is a great title, and it's every single one of us. But then there's how the album fits together, and even expands on what the last album did. So, I could go with what was already in place, or I could grab the title that felt the most right," he said.

"In the end, these album titles are around for a very long time. I really try to have titles that give people a sense of what the music is, and what the album is all about," he continued. Read more here.

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Elton John Makes His Return To Music Video With 'A Good Heart'

Elton John has released a new music video for the track "A Good Heart" and the clip, directed by Daniel Kragh-Jacobsen, marks the first time the John has appeared in his own music video in eleven years.

Elton had this to say, "At this time in all our lives, when the world is changing so rapidly and we're all trying to make sense of everything, I think it's important to remember that it's not politicians, it's not money and it's not fame which make the world go round - it's love. It's something that is so easy to forget. I wanted to reflect that in this song and video."

The video features footage of Elton performing the song in a studio in London and the song comes from his latest studio album 'Wonderful Crazy Night'. Watch the video here.

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The 1975 Release 'Somebody Else' Video

(Radio.com) Combine something that looks straight out of French New Wave cinema with a laugh track and what follows is bound to be surreal. That's exactly the feeling The 1975 seem to be going for in their new music video, "Somebody Else," which they have premiered.

At over 8 minutes long, "Something Else" feels closer to a short film than a music video. In the opening 3-minute segment, frontman Matthew Healy, with his face painted up like a clown, returns to a barren room where a young woman sits despondent on the sofa.

Shot entirely in black and white, he proceeds to remove his attire and makeup before sitting on the couch next to the woman and speaking in garbled, warped audio. Although the band claims they were aiming for something along the lines of David Lynch with their latest video, the opening at least feels closer to Francois Truffaut.

When Healy decides to leave the depressing room, the scene transitions into color and the music video officially begins. He wanders the London streets, sticking to marginalized spaces that reveal the city's seedier side. The video's overall surrealism continues as Healy begins to see himself in all the people he encounters, be it a new lover or a diner patron. Read more here.

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Francis And The Lights Recruit Kanye West For 'Friends' Video

(Radio.com) Francis And The Lights' profile has been on the rise since 2010 when the Francis Starlite-fronted band toured with Drake, Kesha, La Roux and MGMT.

In their new video for "Friends," the indie pop band bring more of their famous buddies out of the woodwork: Kanye West and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. The minimalistic video may lack the high concept of West's "Famous," but the ambient pop track is delicious for summer.

There are many dots to connect between the cameos, reports Rolling Stone. "Friends" is sampled on "Summer Friends" from Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book mixtape. Kanye and Chance worked together on "Ultralight Beam" from The Life of Pablo, and Bon Iver has repeatedly collaborated with West on albums like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song was also co-written and produced by Vampire Weekend alumni Rostam Batmanglij, BJ Burton and Aaron Lammer.

Watch Justin and the Lights' video (with a little help from their "Friends") here.

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Jon Bon Jovi Does A Surprise Wedding Performance

(Radio.com) Jon Bon Jovi thrilled guests at a wedding reception in Miami recently when he agreed to get up from his table and step up to the mic to sing "Livin' on a Prayer." The performer for the wedding of a couple only known as Charlie and Jennifer, was jazz singer Lourdes Valentin, and since Valentin knew Bon Jovi was coming she added the song to her setlist in advance.

When Valentin invited him to the stage, he tried to pass, mouthing to the singer, 'You got this." Then, the gracious rocker stood up from his table and finished the song as a duet with Valentin.

"It was great filming this wedding for Jennifer and Charlie, and it was amazing that Jon made such a surprise by coming onto the stage and singing 'Livin' On A Prayer' together with the local Jazz singer Lourdes. Everyone is really happy we got this on video," read a statement from Cool Coconut Studio, which filmed the wedding.

Bon Jovi confirmed earlier this year that they'd completed work on their 14th album This House Is Not For Sale, which is due for release this year via Island/Universal Music Group following the band's split with Mercury after more than 30 years. Watch Bon Jovi tear it up at the Miami wedding here.

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Barns Courtney Talks Inspiration For 'Glitter and Gold'

(Radio.com) Barns Courtney is a singer/songwriter who is just starting to break into the pop mainstream after years of work, thanks to two new songs, "Glitter and Gold" and "Fire."

The former song is about Courtney's experience of being dropped by a record label, after working on an album for years. "'Glitter and Gold' is similar to a lot of the rest of the record. It's just kind of about striving to be successful. After I lost my first deal I was woefully unprepared for the real world. I had no qualifications whatsoever. And I got a job in this computer store directly across from the five star hotel that I used to stay in with my old management."

"So I'd come out on my lunch break and look at this huge monolith to all of my past failings, and I'd hear my manager's new band on the radio, literally, while eating my sandwich, and thinking, 'This sandwich actually equates to about an hour of my time.'"

"And I wasn't sure if I'd ever make music again. Not because I didn't want to, but because I had no contacts or anything, and I had no way to make new music. So, I think it's just about trying to hold on to that passion that you have in your youth and realizing that you're trying to follow in the footsteps of people who have done all these great things. Yeah, and just like defiance of the situation that you're in."

While the experience of being dropped was, of course, a difficult one, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. "Yeah, absolutely," he agrees. "It was impossible to tell at the time, but in retrospect, that's the best thing that could've possibly happened. That gave me something real and honest to write about, and I think the experience made me even hungrier to make music for a living. I think losing the first deal was one of the hardest things I've had to deal with, 'cause I was so used to having everything dealt with [for me], and just making music every day. Came straight out of high school into a record deal."

"And that was my experience of the real world. 'Okay, so I just sit on the piano, and I just write these songs and people just let me do my thing and play Xbox. And then it's like, 'Bam!' I have to go out and get a job; I can't afford to pay rent living on like 5 pounds a day. It was a really intense, quick change. Read more here.

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Garth Brooks Rocks New York 19 Years After Central Park

(Radio.com) "I could do this all night!" Garth Brooks said, warmly, to the audience, about two hours into his first New York concert since his legendary 1997 blow out at Central Park.

Friday night (July 8) the country icon kicked off the first of two nights at New York's Yankee Stadium, reminding everyone that the Big Apple loves country music, and that they love Garth. Towards the end of the show, he mentioned that when he comes to NYC, he sometimes wonders if he's "good enough."

"And then I realize, you love me just as I am!" It was a message of acceptance that surfaced a few times through the night. The show started at about 9:20 pm (there was no opening act) with Brooks' lead guitarist Johnny Garcia, wearing an NYPD baseball cap, playing a Hendrixian "Star Spangled Banner," as the the rest of the band filed on stage. They launched into "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" and the stadium went crazy as Brooks appeared on stage. For the next two hours, it seemed that everyone in the audience knew every word to every song, from every era.

"Rodeo" followed and then 1997's "Two Pina Coladas," a song that seemingly paved the way for Jimmy Buffett-style beach country music that is quite the norm these days (it pre-dated Kenny Chesney's No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem by five years). The party was now in full gear. And the vibe of the audience was very much in that vein: Garth was back in the city, summer has just begun, and people were in a celebratory mood (even when it started raining).

And that mood stuck through most of the show, which featured mainly upbeat classics from Brooks' hit-packed catalog. "That Summer," "The Thunder Rolls," of course "Friends in Low Places." There was also a lovely interlude featuring Brooks' wife, a superstar in her own right, Trisha Yearwood. She appeared on stage a few moments into their duet "In Another's Eyes." Then, Garth took a break, giving the spotlight to Ms. Yearwood, who rocked the crowd with a cover of the Everly Brothers' and Linda Ronstadt's classic, "When Will I Be Loved?" She then leveled the place with her classic ballad "How Do I Live." During a particularly high note towards the end of the song, there was a bit of a funny moment when the audience tried to sing along with her. But some notes are attainable by very few singers, and Yearwood seemed to be the only one in the stadium who could hit it; it was a great reminder that she's one of the great singers in any genre. That was followed by "She's in Love with the Boy," which saw Brooks, in the shadows, playing acoustic rhythm guitar, literally refusing to take the spotlight away from his wife.

He then returned to center stage for his classic cover of Billy Joel's "Shameless," which was the song that likely brought him to the attention of many New Yorkers, a generation ago. Around that time, he began elevating his concerts to arena rock spectacles,and that was certainly true last night - he stage had a huge runway that went around the floor of the stadium, and which he ran around several times throughout the night. But he also reminded everyone that he could entertain without any spectacle. Early in the show, he did a solo acoustic take on "The River," and after the show's final scheduled song, "Standing Outside the Fire," he returned for a few solo numbers, "She's Every Woman," Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love," "Wrapped Up in You," and finally, a second Billy Joel cover, "Piano Man." Read more here.

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Carrie Underwood And Mike Fisher Share Vacation Photos

(Radio.com) Carrie Underwood and her hubby Mike Fisher are making the most of July. The couple are currently on vacation together, and Underwood has been keeping fans in the loop by sharing photos from their time by the water.

Underwood poked fun at herself in her first post, which showed off a stunning view and a warm cup of joe. "Why does vacation coffee always taste so much better? Yes, I just took a picture of my coffee�I'm one of those people," she wrote.

She also took the opportunity to show off her fitness lifestyle apparel brand CALIA by Carrie. In one post, she's wearing one of her bikinis and raved about how much she liked it.

But it wasn't all self-deprecating or promotional moments for Underwood. She snapped a video of Fisher jumping off the side of the boat and turned it into a GIF. It looks like the couple are having a grand time together. Read more here.

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