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Karol G has dropped a new music video for her her first-ever corrido “200 Copas.” The Colombian singer-songwriter teased the video Monday to her nearly 41 million followers on Instagram and promptly dropped the video Tuesday (July 13).
The clip, directed by Cole Santiago, finds Karol at a bonfire with friends reminiscing about past relationships via the song’s raw and honest lyrics about moving on while getting matching tattoos that mark a before and after, swearing off those who’ve broken their hearts.
“200 Copas,” co-written by Ovy on the Drums, Karol and Danny Felix, was included on her chart-topping album KG0516. The heartbreak corrido gives off cantina vibes and kicks off with Karol G saying, “I decided to come to sing at this place where usually people come to eat and not listen to someone, but there’s a special friend who’s listening to this song. Amiga, get over it!”
Karol then goes on to share her best advice to a friend that can’t quite let go. “Friend, leave that clown alone/ If they pay him to make you suffer, he would already be a millionaire/ From now on he becomes an adversary/ And today we go out to drink if necessary,” she chants.
Watch Karol G’s “200 Copas” video below:
Warner Music Group has elected Nancy Dubuc to the company’s board of directors and named her chairperson of the audit committee and a member of the executive committee, effective today.
The company also announced today that Thomas H. Lee will step down from WMG’s board of directors after more than 17 years of service. Lee led the investor group that purchased the company from Time Warner in 2004. In honor of his contributions, he has been awarded the title of director emeritus.
Dubuc currently serves as CEO at VICE Media Group, which she joined in 2018. Prior to that, she was president and CEO at A+E Networks. She also serves on the board of directors of Vice Media and Flutter Entertainment.
“Nancy is an exceptional addition to the board,” said Len Blavatnik, vice chairman of the WMG board and founder and chairman of Access Industries. “Her experience in visual and digital media, combined with her knowledge of youth culture and the entertainment market, make her well suited to help guide WMG’s growth. I would also like to thank Tom for his many years of valuable service on the board, and I’m pleased that we’ll be able to call on his expertise in the future.”
Added Dubuc, “Music now lives in many different forms, across cultures, technologies, and media. Warner’s dynamic, global approach to creativity and commerce, along with the powerful value proposition it offers artists and songwriters, make it a truly progressive and exciting company. I’m looking forward to working with everyone on the board to help chart the years ahead.”
Warner Music Group has “undergone an extraordinary evolution over the past 17 years,” said Lee. “It’s been gratifying to help the company drive its transformation and deliver unprecedented growth. I’m honored that Len and the Board have asked me to continue to serve the company for which I have such admiration.”
Dubuc is just the third woman on WMG’s board of directors; her appointment follows that of Ceci Kurzman, who was appointed last October. Both announcements follow criticism lobbed at the company last year when it was discovered that out of 18 total executives and board members listed in WMG’s initial public offering, zero people of color and just four women were represented.
Ashley Monroe took to Instagram on Tuesday (July 13) to deliver the devastating news that she has been diagnosed with a rare blood cancer.
The Grammy-nominated country singer, who is also part of Pistol Annies with Miranda Lambert and Angaleena Presley, wrote that she had become anemic and her red blood count kept falling. Her doctor ordered a bone marrow biopsy, which revealed the cancer diagnosis of Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia.
Her fellow country artists — including Little Big Town’s Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman, Martina McBride, Lainey Wilson and Tenille Townes — quickly rallied around Monroe, posting words of support and heart emojis on her Instagram.
Monroe starts chemotherapy Wednesday at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “Seems like such a negative thing to say,” she says of the treatment, “until I flip that doom feeling on its head and think, ‘Wow. I’m thankful I have an illness that is VERY live with-able. I’m thankful there is a treatment that actually works to fight what is causing harm to my body.’” She goes on to thank her 3-year old son, Dalton, and asks for prayers, but adds: “I would greatly appreciate it if no one gave me any unsolicited advice or medical opinions.”
Monroe’s most recent solo album was 2018’s Dave Cobb-produced Sparrow, released by Warner Music Nashville. That same year, Pistol Annies released the critically acclaimed Interstate Gospel, which received a Grammy nomination for best country album.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2021: Rhett Akins and Buddy Cannon in the songwriter category; John Scott Sherrill in the veteran songwriter category; Toby Keith in the songwriter/artist category ;and Amy Grant in the veteran songwriter/artist category.
The five will be inducted Nov. 1 at the Music City Center in Nashville. Because the organization’s 50th-anniversary celebration was postponed last year due to COVID-19, this year’s event will honor two classes in a special, supersize event, dubbed the “50/51 Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala.” This year’s honorees will share the spotlight with the class of 2020: Steve Earle, Bobbie Gentry, Kent Blazy, Brett James and Spooner Oldham.
This year’s inductees bring the total number of songwriters in the Hall to 218. Though country songwriters predominate, the body includes “writers from all genres of music,” according to a NaSHOF mission statement. The Nashville Hall dates to 1970 – the same year the Songwriters Hall of Fame launched.
The announcement was made Tuesday (July 13) by Sarah Cates, chair of the organization’s board of directors, and Mark Ford, its executive director.
Four of the five inductees have received Grammy nominations for best country song: Akins in 2018 for co-writing Blake Shelton’s “I Lived It,” Cannon in 2007 for co-writing George Strait’s “Give It Away,” Keith in 2003 for co-writing his own “Beer for My Horses” (a collab with Willie Nelson), and Grant in 2011 for co-writing Vince Gill’s “Threaten Me With Heaven.” In addition, Grant was nominated in the overall song of the year category in 1991 for co-writing her own “Baby Baby,” a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Grant is married to Gill, who was inducted in 2005. They are among the few married couples in the NaSHOF. Boudleaux and Felice Bryant, best known for writing classics for the Everly Brothers, were inducted as a couple in 1972.
Keith was inducted into the New York-based Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015. It’s relatively rare for a songwriter to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame before its Nashville counterpart. This last happened with Will Jennings, who was inducted into the SHOF in 2006 and the NaSHOF in 2013.
Here’s a capsule look at each of this year’s honorees:
Akins’ songwriter credits include his own “That Ain’t My Truck,” as well as “Honey Bee” (Shelton) and “It Goes Like This” (Thomas Rhett). Akins, 51, is the father of red-hot country star Rhett.
Cannon’s résumé includes “Set ’Em Up Joe” (Vern Gosdin) and “I’ve Come to Expect It From You” (Strait). Cannon, 74, was born in Lexington, Tenn.
Sherrill’s hits include “Wild and Blue” (John Anderson), “The Church on Cumberland Road” (Shenandoah) and “How Long Gone” (Brooks & Dunn). Sherrill was born and raised in Chappaqua, N.Y., and in Uganda and Bolivia.
Grant popularized many of her own compositions, including “Baby Baby,” “That’s What Love Is For” and “Tennessee Christmas.” Grant, 60, was raised in Nashville.
Keith likewise popularized many of his compositions, including “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” “How Do You Like Me Now?!” and “As Good As I Once Was.” Keith, an Oklahoma native, is also 60.
Starting in September, select public seating for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame gala may be purchased as available by contacting executive director Mark Ford at mail@nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com.
Operated by the nonprofit Nashville Songwriters Foundation, the Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring Nashville’s rich legacy of songwriting excellence. More information is available here.
Independent venue owners, promoters and talent representatives were given good news Tuesday (July 13) when a Small Business Administration (SBA) representative told stakeholders they would not need to reapply for supplemental funds from the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG).
According to multiple sources who were on an SVOG stakeholders call Tuesday morning, the SBA said any applicants who were approved for grants in the first two tiers — those who lost 70% or more of their revenue in 2020 — would not need to resubmit an application to receive additional funding. As of Monday, $11.8 billion of the more than $16 billion grant funds had been requested by initial applicants, which would leave at least $4 billion in supplemental grants for entertainment businesses.
The Shuttered Venue Operators Grant was passed in December and supplemental grants were worked into the bill language to provide additional funding for entertainment businesses that continued to suffer closures into 2021. More than six months after the bill was passed, following failed launches and missed deadlines, venues are slowly receiving the much-needed initial round of funding, with just over $3 billion disbursed as of Monday.
Information on how the supplemental grants will work continues to be minimal, but the SBA provided stakeholders with additional details this morning. In addition to year-round entities that lost 70% or more of their revenue in 2020, seasonal events such as annual festivals or amphitheaters that lost 70% or more of their revenue in a specific quarter are also expected to be eligible.
The SBA informed stakeholders that it intends to reach out to those approved for the grant in the first and second tiers — those who lost 90% or more or 70% or more of their revenue in 2020, respectively — for supplemental grants of half the amount of their initial grant. For example, if a venue received $1 million for their initial grant, they would receive $500,000 for their supplemental grant.
Applicants can expect to hear from the SBA about supplemental grants 14 days after reconciliation and appeals processes begin. As of Tuesday, more than 3,000 applications have been declined or are queued to be declined. Declined applications that are not suspected of fraud will have that 14-day period to appeal the SBA’s decision. The number of entities that wish to reconcile the amount of money they were awarded by the SBA is pending.
The SBA has not yet clarified when the appeals and reconciliation processes will begin. If a significant number of applicants are declined, it could leave more than the estimated $4 billion for supplemental grants.
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