Elton John is preparing to release his new collaborative album with Brandi Carlile next week, but a new interview has seen the prolific artist reveal the upcoming record left him confronting his mortality.

John and Carlile’s new record, Who Believes in Angels?, is set to release on April 4, with singles such as its title track and “Swing for the Fences” arriving in the lead-up. While announcing the record, John explained it hit hard on both sides of the spectrum, describeing it as equally “one of the toughest I’ve ever made” and “one of the greatest musical experiences of my life.”

In a new episode of the Smartless podcast which was released to subscribers on Tuesday, March 25 – John’s 78th birthday – the musician revealed that the album’s closing track hit closer to home than previous songs due to its rather pertinent themes.

“I wrote a song at the end of the album and I just get the lyrics, Bernie Taupin’s lyrics,” John explained “I’m writing the verse, like, ‘Oh, this is really pretty.’ And then I get to the chorus and of course it’s about my death.

“When you get to my age, which is near 100, you think, ‘How much time have I got left?’” he continued, before his thoughts turned to husband David Furnish and sons Zachary and Elijah. “You’ve got children, you’ve got a wonderful husband, you just think about mortality. And so when I got to the chorus, I just broke down for 45 minutes – and it’s all on film.”

The sessions were recorded as part of the film Elton John: Never Too Late, which was released in October to widespread acclaim. The titular “Never Too Late” will also be released on Who Believes in Angels? and was recently up for best original song at the Academy Awards.

“I want everybody to see it because it’s really human, like deeply flawed and embarrassing,” Carlile added. And the kind of shit that you do when you forget that there is a camera on is what’s really interesting.”

The forthcoming episode of the Smartless podcast, which officially releases to all listeners on March 31, also sees John reflecting on his earliest days as a solo musician. “I never imagined myself as a solo artist,” he explained. “When I was in my group, Bluesology, I took the big risk of going up to Liberty Records saying, ‘I want to write songs, I’m so fed up with playing in a band that doesn’t want to go anywhere, and I can sing too.’”

English art pop musician FKA Twigs has announced the cancellation of her upcoming North American tour dates after her production team failed to obtain the necessary visas..

FKA Twigs (whose real name is Tahliah Barnett) shared the news via social media on Tuesday (March 25), explaining that while previous shows on her current Eusexua Tour have been “absolutely incredible,” she conceded the experience “has been challenging with production and the more practical side of putting this tour together.” 

One of those challenges has now been the news that her upcoming North American tour dates have been cancelled days before they were supposed to take place. The affected dates include a March 26 date in Chicago, two dates in Toronto from March 30-31, and a pair of shows in New York City from April 3-4.

“Today I was informed that production did not fill out the correct paperwork in a timely manner for us to have our visas to come to the USA and perform,” the singer explained. “So that means by no choice of my own I will have to pull out of my New York, Chicago, and Toronto shows.”

“For those of you who are wondering why I have to pull out of Toronto because it’s not part of the United States, it’s because of routing and just the complex beast that touring is,” she added. “I don’t take this lightly. I’m completely devastated, to be honest with you. Completely heartbroken. All I want to do is be there with you and bring Eusexua to you.”

She continued by noting she was “looking into how and why this happened,” and promised that information regarding rescheduled dates would be announced shortly.

FKA Twigs has been touring off the back of her long-awaited third album, Eusexua, which was released on Jan. 24 and reached a career peak of No. 24 on the Billboard 200. The record itself followed on from her 2022 mixtape Caprisongs, though it was her first full-length album since 2019’s Magdalene.

The current tour was scheduled to launch on March 8 with a show in Prague, but this and its follow-up date in Berlin were both cancelled with “shipping issues” cited as the reason. FKA Twigs is currently scheduled to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California next month, along with an additional date in San Francisco on April 19, though no updates have been given as to whether these shows may be affected by her current visa issues.

Lynyrd Skynyrd signed a label deal with Frontiers Music Srl, which will release the iconic rock band’s live album and DVD, Celebrating 50 Years – Live At The Ryman, taped at its 50th anniversary concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in 2022. The show featured the final performance of founding member Gary Rossington. The band is managed by Vector Management.

Downtown Neighboring Rights will manage and represent Jason Mraz‘s neighboring rights. Mraz’s catalog includes such hits as “I’m Yours,” “Lucky” featuring Colbie Caillat, “I Won’t Give Up” and “I Feel Like Dancing,” the lead single from his latest album, Mystical Magical Rhythmical Radical Ride.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sydney Rose (“Turning Page,” “We Hug Now”) signed to Mercury Records and will release her new EP, I Know What I Want, on the label on April 4. “We Hug Now” went viral on TikTok earlier this year. Rose is booked by CAA.

Thelma & James (“Happy Ever After You”), a duo composed of married Nashville-based singer-songwriters MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge, signed with Big Loud Records. The label released the duo’s new song, “First Love,” on March 14. Thelma & James is currently in the studio working on new music.

R&B singer JayDon signed a label deal with Usher and L.A. Reid‘s mega. The label released his single “I’ll Be Good” — which samples Usher’s “How Do I Say” — on March 14 ahead of his forthcoming EP Me, My Songs and I, which is set for release this spring. Under the name JD McCrary, JayDon is known for voicing Young Simba in 2019’s The Lion King and starring in films and TV shows including The Paynes and Little. He also appeared on Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack.

Country singer-songwriter Cole Phillips signed with WME for global representation. The Oklahoma native will release his EP Steel Toes and Texacos on April 11 on RECORDS Nashville. The EP will feature five songs he co-wrote, including “West Tx.” Phillips is repped by WHY&HOW for management. – Jessica Nicolson

Singer-songwriter Alexandra Savior signed with RCA Records and released a new single, “Unforgivable.” Savior previously released two albums, Belladonna of Sadness and The Archer, on Columbia and 30th Century Records, respectively.

Concord and Pulse Music Group’s Pulse Records signed Nashville-based singer-songwriter Elizabeth Nichols, who released her debut single, “I Got a New One,” on Dec. 6. Pulse released her latest single, “Bad Taste,” on Friday (March 21). Nichols is managed by Dylan Bourne and James Martin at Bourne Creatives and booked by Meredith Jones Long and Cheryl Paglierani at CAA.

Third Man Records signed Austin, Texas, rock band Die Spitz. The quartet, which has previously supported Amyl and the Sniffers, Sleater-Kinney and OFF! on the road, is slated to embark on a world headlining tour starting May 28, including slots at The Governors Ball and Bonnaroo.

Mexican pop group ALMAS — composed of Alegría, Dae, Dany and Steph — has signed to Universal Music Latino. “Being welcomed to the Universal Music Latino family is more than just a milestone for us — it’s a celebration of our journey, our voices, and the strength of women in music,” the band said in a statement. “We are excited to share our story with the world and continue to push innovative boundaries while staying true to who we are.” – Griselda Flores

Also signing with Universal Music Latino was emerging Colombian artist Annasofia. Based out of Miami, Annasofia is also a musician and producer, and the signing marks “the next step” in her career, according to a press release. The 24-year-old is a graduate of Art House Academy under the mentorship of renowned producer Julio Reyes Copello. – Griselda Flores

Billy Ray Cyrus and Scott Adkins (who manages Cyrus) signed Native American guitarist, songwriter and producer Micki Free as the flagship client of the duo’s newly-formed Roam Man Management. Free, who recently released an EP, Dreamcatcher, won a Grammy for his contribution to the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.

Americana artist Connor Daly signed with Burning Ground Entertainment for management. Daly released his debut album, Colors Fade, in July. Daly, who counts Jason Isbell, Zach Bryan and Ed Sheeran as inspirations, recently released a new single, “Curtains Never Close.” Burning Ground Entertainment also represents artists including Mic Drop, The Pretty Wild, and Tayiha. – Jessica Nicholson

Interscope Records rules the top of the latest Billboard 200 albums chart, as the company holds the top three titles on the list dated March 29. It’s the first time Interscope has held the top three concurrently in over 20 years. Further, Interscope is one of only two labels to have claimed the top three on the chart in the last 30 years.

On the March 29-dated chart, Playboi Carti’s MUSIC (released via AWGE/Interscope) debuts at No. 1, while Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM (Streamline/Interscope) falls to No. 2 and Kendrick Lamar’s former leader GNX (pgLang/Interscope) dips 2-3.

All three titles are from the Interscope Capitol labels group family, which was announced a little over a year ago. It’s the first time it has held the top three.

Interscope last claimed the top three on the May 31, 2003-dated chart, when Nos. 1-3 were Marilyn Manson’s The Golden Age of Grotesque (Nothing/Interscope), 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope) and Cold’s Year of the Spider (Flip/Geffen/Interscope).

Interscope captured the top three-plus two other times in the last 30 years. On the Dec. 7, 1996, chart, the label had the top four with Bush’s Razorblade Suitcase (Trauma/Interscope), Snoop Dogg’s Tha Doggfather (Death Row/Interscope), Makaveli’s The Don Killuminati (Death Row/Interscope) and No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom (Trauma/Interscope). On the Nov. 30, 1996, chart, Interscope also had the top three, with Tha Doggfather, The Don Killuminati and Tragic Kingdom at Nos. 1-3.

The only other label to capture the top three in the same week in the last 30 years is Republic, which first claimed the feat in 2018 and has done it a number of times since.

Private equity firm Silver Lake has completed its acquisition of 100% of the stock of sports and entertainment giant Endeavor to take the company private in a deal that values it at $25 billion, the firm announced on Monday (March 24).

As part of the deal, Endeavor stockholders will receive $27.50 in cash per share, which represents a 55% premium to the company’s closing price of $17.72 on Oct. 25, 2023 — the day before Endeavor announced Silver Lake’s plans to take the company private.

Endeavor, which owns the talent agency WME, marketing agency 160over90, brand licensing agency IMG Licensing and more, will be renamed WME Group. Endeavor is the largest company in the media and entertainment sector ever to be taken private by a private equity sponsor, Silver Lake said in a press release.

Silver Lake co-CEO Egon Durban said his firm has never sold a share in Endeavor since its first investment in the company in 2012, and over that time, Endeavor’s “revenue has grown by twentyfold.”

“Silver Lake has previously invested on six separate occasions to support Endeavor and now, with this latest investment, it is the single largest position in our global portfolio,” Durban added.

Endeavor founder and former CEO Ari Emmanuel will move into the role of executive chairman of WME Group. On Monday, Emmanuel cashed out a portion of his ownership stake in the company for $173.8 million, per a regulatory filing first reported by Variety. Patrick Whitesell, who was previously executive chairman of Endeavor/WME received a $100 million payout, Variety reported.

Following the deal Endeavor will hold on to its majority stake in TKO Group Holdings, a separately traded sports and entertainment company whose assets include wrestling promotor WWE and Ultimate Fighting Championship. The valuation of $25 billion includes TKO’s assets.

In addition to WME, 160over90 and IMG, Endeavor’s portfolio includes Pantheon Media Group, live event hospitality firm On Location and sports betting data firm OpenBet.

Led by co-CEOs Durban and Greg Mondre, Silver Lake has $104 billion in combined assets under management, and its portfolio includes stakes in companies including Oak View Group, Fanatics, TEG, Waymo, Stripe, Plaid, SoFi and Madison Square Garden Sports.