By Wonderwall.com Editors
8:27am PDT, Mar 27, 2020
Nine Inch Nails Surprise-Release Album Sequels to 'Ghosts' Series
Nine Inch Nails is still giving the fans what they want! On March 26, the band surprise-released a pair of sequels to their 2008 instrumental series Ghosts: Ghosts V: Together and Ghosts VI: Locusts. All are available for download on their website. The band said, "Music — whether listening to it, thinking about it or creating it — has always been the thing that helped us get through anything — good or bad. With that in mind, we decided to burn the midnight oil and complete these new Ghosts records as a means of staying somewhat sane." These new releases come 12 years after the previous albums. The albums officially arrived on streaming platforms late March 26.
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Taylor Swift Gives Back to a Few Lucky Fans Amid Coronavirus Crisis
Taylor Swift is proving she has mad love for her fans by giving them money to deal with the coronavirus fallout. On March 25, the singer reached out to several fans who are dealing with financial hardships during this time. One fan, a freelance photographer in New York City posted saying, "There are only two things that have consistently provided me with the will to live, two things that have been the reason why I get out of bed in the morning for ten years: freelance photography and living in New York. And both of those things are about to be stripped from me." After posting a link to her Venmo, she woke up to receive a $3,000 donation from Swift herself. Taylor wrote "Holly, You've always been there for me. I want to be there for you right now. I hope this helps. Love, Taylor." We love to see it!
RELATED: The business of being Taylor Swift
ACM Sets Lineup for 'Our Country' Special, With Plans for a Kenny Rogers Salute
On March 26, ACM announced the lineup for the "ACM Presents: Our Country" special. The mega-watt list includes Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Lady Antebellum, John Legend, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Darius Rucker and more. A tribute to the late Kenny Rogers will feature Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, and Darius Rucker— but probably not together, as the awards will be virtual in order to practice social distancing. The "Our Country" special will take place on April 5 beginning at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and is being described as a mixture of home acoustic performances and clips from past Academy of Country Music Awards.
RELATED: Stars we lost in 2020
Bill Rieflin, Drummer for King Crimson, Ministry, R.E.M., Dies at 59
Sad news for rock fans! On March 24, remarkably versatile drummer Bill Bieflin passed away from cancer at the age of 59. The drummer, whose career stretched 30 years, was famous for his work with bands like Ministry, R.E.M., Swans, Nine Inch Nails and King Crimson. Bill was famous for the fact that he rarely joined any of the bands he worked with, rather operating as a long-term hired gun. Several of the top rock musicians in the world posted on social to say goodbye to the rock rebel.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jackson Browne, 71, tests positive for the coronavirus
Rock and Roll hall of fame Jackson Browne announced on March 25 that he has tested positive for the coronavirus. The rocker, 71, told Rolling Stone that he got tested for COVID-19 after feeling ill and experiencing a "small cough and a temperature." Browne's positive test results confirmed his suspicions. Jackson said, "I quarantined immediately upon knowing. My symptoms are really pretty mild, so I don't require any kind of medication and certainly not hospitalization or anything like that." Jackson and his manager believe he picked up the illness while attending the Love Rocks NYC benefit on March 12. "It turns out that several people who were at that show have tested positive," the musician told Rolling Stone. Despite the fear, Browne remains positive saying, "I guess I've got a really strong immune system. There's so much we don't know. The one thing you can do is not go anywhere, not show up anywhere."
Lady Gaga Delays 'Chromatica,' Reveals She'd Planned a Secret Coachella Set
Bad news for you Little Monsters out there. On March 24, Lady Gaga announced that she will be postponing the April 10 release of her new album "Chromatica" indefinitely due to the coronavirus. While announcing the delay, Gaga also revealed that she had planned a surprise set at this years Coachella, which has also been postponed. "I wanted to tell you, that after a lot of deliberation, I've made the incredibly tough decision to postpone the release of 'Chromatica.' I will announce a new 2020 release date soon." While these have all been placed on pause, Gaga hopes that her upcoming shows in late May will be able to move forward as planned. "This is such a hectic and scary time for all of us, and while I believe art is one of the strongest things we have to provide joy and healing to each other during times like this, it just doesn't feel right to me to release this album with all that is going on during this global pandemic. Instead I prefer that we spend this time focusing on finding solutions. It's important to me that the attention is on getting essential medical equipment to healthcare professionals, making sure ids who depend on public schools for meals get the assistance they need, and that we help those who will be financially impacted by this pandemic." She concluded by asking fans to take social distancing seriously and sent love to her fans around the world.
Katy Perry Wins Appeal in 'Dark Horse' Copyright Infringement Case
Congrats are in order for Katy Perry! The pop superstar scored a major win in her copyright infringement case regarding her 2014 smash hit "Dark Horse." A Christian rapper by the name of Marcus Gray sued Katy for $2.8 million, claiming she stole an eight-note section of his song "Joyful Noise." After the initial decision, Katy was ordered to pay $500,000 of the judgement herself, but her lawyer appealed. On March 18, judge Christina Snyder nixed the jury's verdict and ruled that the section Gray claimed is stolen was "not a particularly unique or rare combination" in music. Gray reportedly plans to appeal the decision with his lawyer saying: "When the jurors returned a unanimous verdict of infringement, I cautioned my clients that we had only finished Round 11 of a 15-round match and that the next round would take place in the court of appeals. We believe the jury was right and will do our best to restore their verdict on appeal."
Maren Morris gives birth to her first child
Congrats to Maren Morris and her hubby Ryan Hurd. The country crooner and her husband welcomed a baby boy on March 23. The couple named their son Hayes Andrew Hurd. Congrats to the new parents!
