From the Weird Al biopic to the most ambitious emo festival ever, we have gathered the biggest stories in music this week.
2022 is barely underway, and the music industry is moving at lightning speed. We have a hard time keeping track of everything happening throughout our business, and we have a good feeling you do as well. After all, who has the time? Between ambitious goal-setting and endless tasks, most professionals barely have time to clear out their inbox, let alone read the latest industry headlines.
We cannot ease your workload or give you more hours in the day, but we can help you stay informed. That is why we are thrilled to introduce This Week In Music, a brand new weekly column highlighting the best and most talked-about stories throughout the music industry. Each Friday, we will post links to various need-to-know articles and information.
But let’s be honest. There is no way we can hope to cover everything that happens. If you see a headline we missed that people need to know, please do not hesitate to send james@haulix.com an email. We’ll include your links in the next update.
The Biggest Stories of the Week:
REST IN PEACE: Meat Loaf (1947-2022)
Friday morning started out rough with the news that rock vocalist Meat Loaf has died at the age of 74. The singer’s manager, Michael Greene, confirmed Meat Loaf died Thursday night. Sources with knowledge tell TMZ he was supposed to attend a business dinner earlier this week for a show he’s working on—”I’d Do Anything for Love”—but the dinner was canceled because he became seriously ill with COVID. Sources tell the outlet that condition quickly became critical.
Daniel Radcliffe to play ‘Weird Al’ ‘ankovic ‘n biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has signed on to play ‘Weird Al’ ‘Yankovic in a biopic written by the famous parody master. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story will enter production later this year with plans for an exclusive Roku release soon. “When my last movie UHF came out in 1989, I made a solemn vow to my fans that I would release a major motion picture every 33 years, like clockwork. I’m very happy to say we’re on schedule,” Yankovic said in a statement. “And I am absolutely thrilled that Daniel Radcliffe will be portraying me in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that this is the role future generations will remember him for.”
Paramore, My Chemical Romance to headline massive When We Were Young Festival in October
The aptly titled When We Were Young festival released its official lineup on Tuesday (January 18), bringing every 2000s emo-pop band to Las Vegas, Nevada, on October 22, 2022. The single-day festival will feature more than 60 bands performing across multiple stages. Emo veterans My Chemical Romance and Paramore will headline. Other nostalgic bands set to take the stage are Bright Eyes, AFI, The Used, Bring Me The Horizon, Boys Like Girls, Avril Lavigne, Taking Back Sunday, Dashboard Confessional, We the Kings, Alkaline Trio, Manchester Orchestra, Dance Gavin Dance, the All-American Rejects, Anberlin, 3OH!3, Atreyu, the Ready Set, Jimmy Eat World, La Dispute, the Wonder Years, Hawthorne Heights, Car Seat Headrest, Wolf Alice and many more.
Bono says he doesn’t like the name of his band U2 and gets ’embarrassed’ listening to their music
During an interview on the Awards Chatter podcast, legendary rock icon and 61-year-old singer Bono said he finds many of U2’s songs cringeworthy, and he now struggles to listen to his vocals. “I’ve been in the car when one of our songs has come on the radio, and I’ve been the color of, as we say in Dublin, scarlet. I’m just so embarrassed,” Bono told the podcast. Later, in the same conversation, he mentioned the band’s early-2000s hit “Vertigo” as one of the few songs in U2’s catalog he enjoys.
GRAMMYS move to April 3, will now take place in Las Vegas
COVID is messing with awards season. The latest victim of Omicron’s continuing havoc is the GRAMMY awards, which were originally scheduled to take place on January 31 in Los Angeles. The awards celebration will now take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, the Recording Academy has confirmed. The CMT Awards, originally scheduled to air live that night on CBS, will be moved to later. Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show, will host the event.
The Weeknd’s ‘Dawn FM’ Breaks Billboard Global 200 Record
Don’t let those “blinding lights” fool you. The Weeknd may not have the GRAMMY nominations he rightfully deserves, but he does have the biggest album of 2022. Dawn FM has been out less than a month, but the eclectic record is already outperforming its competition. The album continues to be at the top of the charts across the globe, including The Weeknd’s home country Canada, U.K. Australia, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland. The album debuted at No. 1 on Apple Music U.S. and in 125 countries and is also No. 1 on Spotify U.S. and Globally. The Dawn FM tracks positioned in the Global 200 list include “Sacrifice” which holds the No. 2 spot, “Take My Breath,” “Gasoline,” “Out of Time,” “Is There Someone Else?” and “How Do I Make You Love Me?.” The “Save Your Tears” remix assisted by Ariana Grande from his 2020 album After Hours is also on the list. According to Billboard, only one other artist has ever had more Global 200 entries in a single week, making The Weeknd just behind the country-pop artist, Taylor Swift. Kanye West trails The Weeknd with 23, followed by fellow Torontonian Drake at 22 and 21 songs on Global 200.
TikTok is falling in love with one of Celine Dion’s biggest hits
There is nothing TikTok users love more than a sound with endless possibilities. The insanely popular video-sharing platform has made a habit of resurrecting forgotten radio hits to amuse young audiences, and the latest trend is no different. As you can see below, people are using the bridge to “It’s All Coming Back To Me” to live out their wildest performance fantasies. While Celine gives the track her all, TikTok users return the energy with wildly creative lip-syncing efforts. Check it out:
The biggest game of the year is right around the corner, and it boasts one of the most exciting Halftime shows in recent memory. The program itself remains a mystery, but fans can expect to hear some of the biggest pop songs in history performed on the world’s largest stage. This year, taking the mic will be none other than Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, and Mary J. Blige. We doubt you need another reason to watch, but if you do, check this out:
Song of the week: Undeath – “Rise From The Grave”
Our friends at Prosthetic Records know how to find the best cutting-edge metal bands on the planet. Their decision to sign Undeath a few years back signaled the start of a death metal revolution in the U.S. We can think of no other heavy band that has undergone the growth or sonic evolution that Undeath has experienced in the last two years. “Rise From The Grave,” the lead single off the group’s upcoming second album, showcases how far they’ve come with brutal instrumentation and guttural vocals. If you like what you hear, please consider preordering the record.
