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Day in Pop Report for 03/29/2016


Today's Top Stories


Did Lady Gaga Get Married For Her Birthday?

(Radio.com) Over the weekend, Lady Gaga celebrated her 30th birthday with millions of birthday wishes from her little monsters and a star-studded event at the No Name in club in Hollywood that she attended with fiance, Taylor Kinney.

With friends like Taylor Swift, Nick Jonas, Kate Hudson, Lorde, Pharrell Williams, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen in attendance, you'd think that Gaga's guest list would be the topic of conversation this morning. But just like at her shin dig, the attention is still fully focused on the birthday girl this morning.

Normally, Lady Gaga wears her engagement ring on her left ring finger, which she accepted from Kinney last February. But on Saturday night, she was spotted wearing a gold band on the finger. Read more here.

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Steven Tyler Tests His Rock 'N' Roller Coaster In Disney World

(Radio.com) Steven Tyler had an eventful weekend at Walt Disney World testing out his roller coaster and meeting fans along the way. Dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, Tyler walked off the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster ride at the Orlando theme park declaring it "still the best ride in the place" on Twitter.

When people waiting in line to ride the roller coaster noticed he was coming off the ride, he began high-fiving each person and taking a photo with kids throughout the park.

A nearly two-minute video on his website showcases some star struck amusement park visitors asking for photos as he walks passed them. Watch the video here.

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Stitches Reworks Adele's 'Hello' in New Video

(Radio.com) If the underlying melody in Stitches' new song "One Million Dimes" sounds really, really familiar that's because he decided to borrow from one of the biggest songstresses out there: Adele.

Stitches isn't concerned with a former lover, though. He flips the chorus to apologize for his life in drugs. In heavy autotune on the chorus, he sings, "I must have sold a million dimes / I was selling drugs all the time / And I'm sorry mama, for the pain you went through / I'm sorry, I promise what I did was for you."

The rapper posted the video to YouTube, which shows him driving around Miami and rapping on the beach, promising to defend his way of life when push comes to shove, but still attempting to apologize to his mother for the choices he's made.

"You my mama forever/ I'm your son forever/ You got my heart forever/ I'm gon love you forever/ I got your back, you got mine/ And that's a fact, mama/ And Imma tell you again, I'm sorry for the drama," he raps. Watch the video here.

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Blake Shelton, Charles Kelley & Little Big Town Added to ACM Awards

(Radio.com) The list of performers at the 2016 ACM Awards continues to grow. After news last week that Dolly Parton and Katy Perry would duet together at the ceremony, the Association of Country Music announced today, March 28th, that four new names were being added to the already packed roster.

Charles Kelley, Blake Shelton, Little Big Town and Old Dominion will all perform during the live broadcast. Old Dominion is fresh off a win for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.

The ceremony's other performers include Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Cam, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Brett Eldredge, Sam Hunt, Tim McGraw, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and more. Read more here.

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Big K.R.I.T. Streams New Song 'So Bad'

(Radio.com) Mississippi rapper/producer Big K.R.I.T. has finally released his first song of 2016 on Monday. The soulful jam is called "So Bad" and recalls the days he was a starving artist with dreams of making it big.

Though the song is signature K.R.I.T., it does have a little J. Cole Friday Night Lights flavor. Krizzle details the following lines in the song's closing verse "All I ever wanted was a million dollars till I heard ain't enough/Couples houses, different states, cars, different ways you could f*** a million up

"Now is just the time that I spend chilling with my girl, kicking with my friends/Overseas car keys for the freak/Did enough shows, will be back again

"Wanna save the world on the go/Grandma in a grave, rest her soul/Wish she lived to be a hundred so she could see her boy getting old". Check out the track here.

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs To Open Charter School In Harlem

(Radio.com) Puff Daddy, aka Sean "Diddy" Combs, has always been a big advocate for education, now he's putting his money where his mouth is. On Monday (March 28), it was announced via press release the hip-hop mogul partnered with Capital Preparatory Schools to open a new charter school in Harlem.

Although the move comes as a surprise, Diddy has been preparing for this for several years. He's been in secret meetings with education experts and leaders for five years. The school named Capital Preparatory Harlem Charter School will open in the fall of 2016. It will be overseen by Dr. Steve Perry, Capital Prep's founder. Perry has selected Danita Jones as principal.

"I'm inspired by Sean Combs' belief that educating our young people is the key to opening up a world of opportunity for them. Sean and I have spent many long hours over the last five years talking about education and how best to meet the needs of the young people of Harlem, and I couldn't be more pleased to continue this journey through the opening of the school," Dr. Perry stated. Read more here.

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Kesha Says 'Ain't Nobody Got Time' For Body Shamers

(Radio.com) Kesha is comfortable with her body even if you aren't. The pop singer posted a bikini-clad photo of herself laying in a pool while on vacation in Palm Springs, California over the weekend with a caption taking a preemptive strike against body shamers.

The caption read, "not a slave to perfection right now. f- it. ***body shamers please f- off ain't nobody got time for it." This isn't the first time Ke$ha has come out against body shaming.

She wrote an essay for Elle UK in 2013 about it, where she said the music industry, as a whole, made feel insecure about her looks to the point she checked herself into rehab for an eating disorder.

"I started becoming overly critical of my own body because of that. I felt like people were always lurking, trying to take pictures of me with the intention of putting them up opine or printing them in magazines and making me look terrible." See her photo here.

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Why Miranda Lambert Should Win ACM Entertainer of the Year

(Radio.com) Miranda Lambert had a year of extreme highs and lows in 2015. She took home the Female Vocalist of the Year title at the ACM Awards for the sixth consecutive time and saw her tune "Little Red Wagon" hit the Top 5 and be certified gold by the RIAA for sales exceeding 500,000 units. And then, there's the elephant in the room: as everyone knows, she also went through a very public divorce from Blake Shelton.

As a result of her personal life, Lambert seemed to pull back from the spotlight around the announcement of the end of her marriage. However, she didn't pull away from entertaining her fans. Instead of walking red carpets, she held intimate charity shows. For instance, in July she held a writer's round with some of Nashville's biggest tunesmiths and donated the proceeds to a scholarship fund. The Miranda Lambert Women Creators Fund granted $40,000 in awards to female students at Music City's Belmont University who are majoring in music business, songwriting or entertainment industry studies.

Lambert also channeled her emotions into her music. Without giving up her privacy, she was able to share the pain she was going through with her fans through performances. While performing at the Grand Ole Opry she covered Jessi Colter and Waylon Jennings's duet "Storms Never Last." She also shared a new original tune, "Scars," during a live event. While the songs aren't open confessions, they gave fans a glimpse at what she must be going through privately. Read more here.

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Britney Spears Shares Hawaii Vacation Photo and Video

(Radio.com) Britney Spears took a break from her Las Vegas residency to dart off to Hawaii with her two sons, Jayden and Sean. The pop star has been flaunting a ripped bikini body on social media, and Hawaii provided an ideal setting to once again share her hard work with followers.

Spears posted two photos and one video on Instagram, each of which details brief snippets of her Hawaii vacation. On Sunday, March 27th, Spears posted a video from an airplane that said "Aloha Hawaii," and another photo mashup later that day showing her swimming in the hotel pool with her boys.

A video followed not long after showing the three playing in the ocean, as Jayden and Sean tell their mom to watch out for an impending wave. All three scream in delight as it finally hits the shore. Check out the posts here.

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Alessia Cara, Fifth Harmony Lead CBS Radio's SPF 2016 Lineup

(Radio.com) CBS Radio today announced the return of the SUN. POOL. FUN. (SPF) concert celebration featuring Iggy Azalea, Alessia Cara, Lukas Graham, Fifth Harmony, Kygo and Mike Posner at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Sunday, May 15.

The event will highlight the season's hottest hits from today's biggest artists - all taking place at an epic bash at the hotel's Boulevard Pool on the iconic Las Vegas Strip.

Alessia Cara spoke to 98.5 KLUC's Chet Buchanan & The Morning Zoo in Las Vegas to make the announcement on-air earlier today. Fans can visit the official hub of the event at Radio.com/SPF, where they can also find details on Radio.com's VIP sweepstakes, pre-sale ticket code information, performing artist news and exclusive coverage of the show. Read more here.

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Gwen Stefani Hopes Her Story 'Saves Some Other Lives'

(Radio.com) Gwen Stefani has gone through a roller coaster of a year following her divorce to Gavin Rossdale in 2015 after 13 years of marriage. In a new interview, she discusses her divorce and her new album.

"It's so therapeutic to talk about it," she says. "And I hope it saves some other lives. I really, really truly do hope that. That's the message I wanna give."

Stefani credits Justin Tranter of Semi-Precious Weapons on helping her regain her confidence in the recording of her new album This Is What the Truth Feels Like.

"He was so supportive of me and so confident in me, and I had lost a lot of my confidence, so he really brought that out of me," she explains. "I felt so comfortable around him from the moment that I met him. So, he was a huge support in making this record and a good friend - an instant friend, weirdly, because I didn't know him at all. But now I feel like he's one of my closest friends." Read more here.

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Taylor Swift Shares Easter Eggs Battle Video

(Radio.com) What did you do for Easter? Taylor Swift and her brother Austin had an epic egg battle. The other Swift sibling, who doesn't hesitate to stand up for Taylor when critics come after her, seemed less inclined to stand his ground when the pair sparred with hard-boiled eggs. She quickly called him out when she noticed foul play.

"That's against the rules! GROUND YOURSELF," the irritated older sister barked at her little bro. The clip is evidence that family silliness is one of the things that keeps Taylor herself as grounded as possible.

The Swift residence was decked out in holiday swag like a giant stuffed bunny. Stars--they're just like us (but with better Easter decorations). For what it's worth, Taylor lost. Watch the Swift family Easter merriment here.

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Kanye West Released 'Ultralight Prayer' On Easter Sunday

(Radio.com) If you loved the guest contributions on The Life of Pablo, a reworked track Kanye West released on Easter Sunday is just for you. "Ultralight Prayer" is a pared-down extension of "Ultralight Beam," TLOP's rousing opener featuring Kelly Price and gospel singer Kirk Franklin.

Price's vocals and Franklin's spoken word sermonizing are backed up by a choral arrangement but no other instrumentation, giving the retooled "Prayer" a hymnic affect.

The lyrics delve into Biblical themes befitting its Easter release: "Let them know that's why you took the nail / So we could have eternal life / If all God's children would get down on their knees and pray / And give up all of those things that pull our hearts away / You will forgive all of our wrong and make us brand new again." Listen here.

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Singled Out: Brian Dunne's I'm Gonna Die Down Here

Americana star Brian Dunne tells us the story behind his song "I'm Gonna Die Down Here" which comes from his brand new album "Songs From The Hive". Here is the story:

Hi there. I'm gonna talk for a second about a song I wrote called "I'm Gonna Die Down Here". I wrote "I'm Gonna Die Down Here" while I was thinking about a few things; the first one- that most any listener could tell just by checking out the first verse-- is Dylan's "The Basement Tapes". I won't get into details of my deep love of everything Dylan, but I will say my initial goal with this tune was to write a song that embodied everything I love about that era of his work; the looseness, the absurdism, the sarcasm, the underlying sense of bitterness. There's a tip of the cap with my references to "the easy chair" and the chord structure, so I start by saying, thank you Bob. I will continue to steal everything from you. Let me know if you want co-writing credit on anything.

More personally speaking; around the time I was working on this song, I was feeling the weight of my failing music career more heavily than usual. I had become relatively convinced that because my father had been a laborer, and his father a laborer, and so on, that I was fighting against natural evolution and that was why things weren't working out for me at that particular moment (I got over that; I'm onto new theories). But being a stubborn person, I knew I'd never hang it up, so I felt a bit like I was volunteering for my own death. And that was the genesis behind the "I'm Gonna Die Down Here" idea.

The rest came to me as a conversation that I wished I'd had with a few people I knew in New York; one of those fantasies you have of telling someone off that you never got to tell off. It felt good. It's definitely my crankiest song, but I had a lot of fun with it. It's a little bit political, but not in a way that necessarily feels hackneyed or even intentionally (though I suppose that's up to you to decide). But I really was feeling that way; "there are haves and there are have-nots and that's ok with me-- but don't get us two confused." That's sorta the fulcrum of the song.

I read somewhere once that in order to write about something you're feeling bad about, you have to feel good about feeling bad. It's a tricky idea, but that's what I was going for here. Something that captured the humor of being at the end of your rope. And that's what I was thinking about.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the album right here!

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