NEW YORK (AP) ― Stevie Wonder has always blended his musical genius with social activism, and as he launched his new tour, he stayed true to form, advocating gun control, pleading for an end to racism and promoting equality for those with disabilities. “I challenge America, I challenge the world, to let hatred go, to let racism go,” Wonder told the sold-out audience at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night. “That is the only way we will win as a nation and the world.” Wonder’s “Songs in the Ke

Strait’s last concert album a gift to fansGeorge Strait“The Cowboy Rides Away: Live From AT&T Stadium”(MCA Nashville)The 20-song “Cowboy Rides Away: Live From AT&T Stadium” documents what was billed as Country Music Hall of Fame member George Strait’s final concert. Held on June 7 in Arlington, Texas, the event was more celebration than concert -- where the waves of cheers play as big of a role as the voices and musicians. The guest-heavy lineup leans on modern stars such as Jason Aldean, Eric C

NEW YORK (AP) ― Jennifer Lopez wants to share a life lesson with her fans: Learn to love yourself first. “I promise that if you get into it, if you tap into it, it’s gonna make your life better,” she says. The actress, singer and producer sat down for an interview about “True Love,” her new book that was originally intended to be a piece of memorabilia about the 2012 Dance Again World Tour that she embarked on in the wake of her split from husband Marc Anthony. But then it became much more. “It

Acoustic and drum duo 10cm, one of the indie music scene’s most successful acts, will release its latest full-length album titled “3.0” on Nov. 19. According to press agency I-Je Company on Tuesday, the indie hipsters Kwon Jung-yeol and Yoon Cheol-jong are finally ready to release their third album after unveiling their new singles at a special “teaser concert” at the end of August. After the conclusion of the beloved acoustic duo’s sold-out, two-day performances, the members claimed that the tr

The dates have been set, and the early bird announcement for Ultra Music Festival Korea 2015 has revealed that superstar DJ David Guetta will be at the helm of next year’s show, alongside EMD mastermind DJ Hardwell. Organizers of UMF ― one of the world’s largest electronic dance music festivals ― have announced that both Guetta and Hardwell are already slated as headlining acts for next year’s two-day event, which will be held at the Seoul Jamsil Sports Complex on June 12 and 13. Tier 1 and tier

NEW YORK (AP) ― Spotify stopped streaming Taylor Swift’s music at her request Monday, setting up a business struggle between the leading purveyor of a new music distribution system and the industry’s most popular artist. The music streaming service sounded like a spurned boyfriend in a statement announcing the split. It said Swift’s management told it to pull the music late last week and it was done Monday, so all of her songs are no longer available to its 40 million users. “We were both young

NEW YORK (AFP) ― French pop star Patrick Bruel, returning to the New York stage after seven years, embraced U.S. music from hip-hop to Elvis as he also touched gently on politics.The singer told the 3,000-seat Beacon Theater Saturday night he was overjoyed to return to New York, where he first came in 1979 to explore the city’s artistic life before he launched his career at home.Bruel at one point donned a leather jacket to strut with three hip-hop-inspired dancers ― whom, he said, he first met

Operas have distinct differences in approach, style and target audience

NEW YORK (AP) ― One of Usher’s sons studies his dance moves meticulously, while the other has said to the Grammy-winning star: “You’re not a great singer.”Usher says his son Nayvid Ely Raymond, who turns 6 in December, isn’t impressed with the multiplatinum singer.“He doesn’t care about what I do as much. ... He’s like, ‘I’m the star. Who are you? You sing?’” Usher said in a recent interview.“He told me the other day, he says, ‘You’re not a great singer,’” Usher, 36, continued with a laugh. His

Led by influential rap-rocker Fred Durst, platinum-selling nu metal band Limp Bizkit is making its way back to Korea for its first headline show here in five years. The American rockers ― Durst (lead vocals), Wes Borland (guitar), Sam Rivers (bass) and John Otto (drums) ― are widely credited with giving birth to nu metal by combining rap and hardcore rock and are slated to hold a concert at Seoul Olympic Park’s Olympic Hall on Nov. 12.Best known for their abrasive lyrics and thrashing heavy meta

Robin Gibb shines on final albumRobin Gibb“50 St. Catherine’s Drive”(Rhino/Warner)As one third of the Bee Gees, Robin Gibb had a plaintive ache in his trembling, vibrato-filled voice that helped make such Brothers Gibb hits as “Holiday’’ and “I Started a Joke” so memorably distinctive. On “50 St. Catherine’s Drive,” his solo posthumous 17-track set, Gibbs’ searing vocal vulnerability is made all the more poignant given that it is his final album.Named after the address of the house in which Gibb

The family of Shin Hae-chul, a legendary rocker who died on Monday, demanded an autopsy, as friends and fans bid farewell to the ’90’s music icon at a funeral service Friday. “The family decided to demand an autopsy, dropping the plan for a cremation,” said Lee Seung-chul during a press conference at a memorial park where the singer was expected to be cremated following a funeral service earlier in the morning. Family members made the last-minute decision following a plea from Shin’s friends tha

Chung Eun-sook, former chief of the Korea National Opera, has been tapped to become the head of Seongnam Cultural Foundation, which runs Seongnam Arts Center in Bundang, south of Seoul, the foundation said Friday. The foundation’s board of directors chose Chung, 68, as the successor to Shin Sun-hi, whose term expires on Nov. 30, it said in a press release. The appointment is subject to a final approval by Seongnam City’s municipal council.  A soprano herself, Chung led the KNO as artistic direct