Music

British singer James Blunt was 31 years old when his song "You're Beautiful" propelled him to stardom back in 2005. The catchy song became his breakout hit, peaking at #1 on the Billboard chart for a week ... quite the accomplishment, especially back in the early 2000s.

Aside from the "You're Beautiful" music video racking up nearly 700 million views, Blunt continued making music with albums like "All The Lost Souls" and "Some Kind Of Trouble."

The talented singer is still making tunes, and just this month he dropped the song "Can't Forget You", collaborating with the band Ofenbach.

"You're beautiful, you're beautiful, you're beautiful, it's true!"

Backstreet Boys singer AJ McLean says he's using the separation from his wife to work on his own demons and become a better version of himself ... hoping they'll come back stronger than ever.

We caught up with AJ at LAX Monday and he got super candid on why he and his wife, Rochelle DeAnna McLean, decided to hit the pause button on their marriage.

AJ says he talks to Rochelle and the kids multiple times every day, especially when he's on the road ... and that'll never change.

TMZ broke the story ... AJ and Rochelle, who share 2 kids together, decided to temporarily separate ... telling us they wanted to work on themselves and their marriage.

AJ says he's fully committed to his 12-step program and is sober as can be ... something that's clearly essential to him in moving forward.

A$AP Rocky might have thrived as an Olympic runner if his hip hop career didn't pan out.

The A$AP Mob rapper was in Paris Monday to shoot a music video for his upcoming album, "Don't Be Dumb" ... and this scene had him surrounded by a rowdy bunch as they infiltrate the French hoods.

One scene shows Rocky running at full speed down the street ... in a pair of wheat-colored Timberland boots, and he effectively dusts the video extras in a foot race!!!

Athletic activity and Timbs mix as well as oil and water, but as light as the Harlem native was on his feet ... we'd guess he's had experience getting agile in the 6" boots!!!

He also pops a wheelie much to the urging of the video's cast but didn't exactly nail it.

Rocky might be doing double duty in Paris -- he and Rihanna are reportedly house hunting as they anticipate the birth of their second child together.

This year could bring about a comeback season for Rocky. He's slated to headline Rolling Loud Miami this year, in addition to the release of his first album in more than 5 years.

Kanye West and his wife don't seem to be missing a beat with each other, and their latest QT came in the form of a Sunday date in a not-so-fancy spot.

Ye and and Bianca Censori hit up a Cheesecake Factory Sunday inside L.A.'s Topanga Westfield Mall. When it came time for dessert, they passed on the obvious choice -- cheesecake -- and, instead, opted for one bowl, 2 spoons.

The couple shared a big ol' ice cream sundae as they sat in a booth at the popular eatery -- sitting side-by-side like a couple a high school kids.

Despite the delicious dessert choice, it's not clear just how much fun they packed into Sunday funday.

They weren't exactly grinning from ear-to-ear, but, then again, they rarely do ... in public, anyway.

The people who organize Coachella figured out how to work with those late night noise rules -- 'cause the fines they're paying for running long are about half of last week's.

A rep for the City of Indio tells TMZ ... Goldenvoice was fined $51,000 for curfew violations racked up during Weekend 2. That might sound like a lot, but pales in comparison to the $117k they shelled out last week for the lengthy final sets that crept into the wee hours of the morning.

Here's the breakdown ... we're told Friday night's festivities went 2 minutes past the 1 AM curfew -- amounting to a $20,000 fine. Saturday, which also had a 1 AM curfew in place, didn't go over the line at all ... so no ding there. Sunday, however, went well past the slightly earlier 12 AM curfew ... at 16 minutes, and costing Goldenvoice $31k.

You'll recall -- the contract festival organizers have with the City calls for a daily fine of $20k for the first 5 minutes past curfew, with another $1,000 added for every minute thereafter.

Like we said ... $51k is nothing to sneeze at, but considering they got the fines down a significant amount compared to Weekend 1 ($66,000 in savings) -- it's not half bad.

The lineup changed a bit this week ... including the notable replacement of Frank Ocean, who had to bow out after injuring himself. Blink-182 stepped in to handle main stage duties at 9:20 PM, and then Skrillex and other EDM DJs filled the void later at 10:25 PM.

Ice Spice's relationship with Kim Kardashian is leading her into a modeling career, as she's been handpicked to show off a new "Skims" line ... along with a few other artists on the rise!!!

The "Princess Diana" rapper joined her "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2" collaborator PinkPantheress and singers Nessa Barrett and Raye on Monday to model Kim's company's latest offerings ... which drop on April 27.

Ice and PP's song is one of the hottest of the year -- the track reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was a clear favorite of North West, who invited Ice to her home earlier this year to make a TikTok when the song was burning up the charts.

Taylor Swift fans can breathe a sigh of relief after learning their favorite singer is gonna be A-OK after getting a nasty gash on her hand during her Eras tour.

Taylor broke it down on social media Monday, taking 100% of the blame for the injury, saying she tripped on her dress at one of her Houston shows and "fell in the dark backstage while running to a quick change."

She says she braced her fall with her palm -- sort of a blessing and a curse. She goes on to mention she's all good, though ... and thanks Houston again for "3 insane shows."

For those unaware, fans started sharing concerns online after a TikTok went viral Sunday, where she appears to have a chunk out of her hand while performing. The whole thing was wrapped up in medical tape later on in the show.

Many were confused as to how she could end up with the "chunk" missing -- others called her a serious trooper for not canceling the show amid the apparent crisis.

As you know, Taylor's been rocking the stage nonstop during her Eras tour ... starting last month and pushing straight through the summer. She's scheduled for 3 nights in ATL this weekend.

50 Cent is stomping all over Irv Gotti's broken heart in light of the fact Ashanti and Nelly appear to be an item once again!!!

On Monday, 50 reposted Ashanti and Nelly's weekend touchy-feely performance in Vegas but fixed his commentary and jeers on Irv ... with whom the G-Unit rapper has a long-running feud.

Irv told the world last year he had been secretly dating Ashanti way back in the day, but lost his former artist to Nelly years ago ... and embarrassingly found out while watching TV.

Aside from the Sin City performance, Nelly and Ashanti were spotted ringside at the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia fight over the weekend, holding hands at that.

Coi Leray got hit with a stray shot thanks to Latto's new "Put It On Da Floor" track, but it's not gonna lead to all out beef ... as both rappers have reached common ground.

Latto closed her Coachella weekend 2 performance on Sunday with her Nicki Minaj diss "Put It On Da Floor" once again and offered an explanation behind the lyrics that Coi took offense over ... publicly telling the crowd, "Aye, Coi. By the way, I love your body, baby."

Coi was triggered by Latto's bars, "Smokin' on that gas, blunt big as Coi Leray" ... and, in response, insinuated Latto was in no position to give anyone body critiques.

However, after letting things settle, she's accepted Latto's clarification -- which means this crisis is averted!!!

Desiigner is officially facing legal trouble for exposing himself on an airplane ... the feds say he masturbated in front of flight attendants mid-flight, and seemed pretty nonchalant about it.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the rapper's being charged with indecent exposure ... and the paperwork sheds more light on last week's bizarre incident, saying he had his penis out while sitting in first class of the Delta flight and was masturbating while in his seat.

Flight attendants allegedly told him multiple times to stop and he eventually was taken to the back of the plane, where he was monitored by 2 of his friends. The FBI affidavit says a jar of Vaseline dropped into the aisle as he was getting up to switch seats.

After landing in Minneapolis, authorities say they spoke with Desiigner who told them it all happened because he "didn't really get much ... cootie" while in Japan, and was "brick hard" when he got on the plane.

According to the docs, Desiigner said he was aroused by the flight attendant and "kind of showed her, showed her, un, 'the magic stick.' ... thinking it would give her "encouragement."

BTW -- Desiigner claimed he wasn't under the influence, saying he was prescribed meds in Thailand but hadn't been taking them. According to the docs, he didn't appear to be impaired during the interview with the FBI.

TMZ broke the story, we were originally told Desiigner got ill during his international trip and was given meds -- and he believed that's what caused a sort of chemical imbalance.

The rapper also told us he's been struggling mentally for the past few months and was ashamed of what he did in the air ... and said he would be admitting himself to a facility to get some help.

Morgan Wallen fans in Mississippi aren't waking up singing his songs, or his praises ... because he pulled the plug on a concert just minutes before he was set to get onstage.

The country singer was about to jump into night 2 of his shows Sunday night at the University of Mississippi and the crowd was ready to hear some hits before screens around the stadium displayed the last thing they wanted to see.

The message told concert-goers that Morgan's voice was shot and he wouldn't be able to perform, adding they'd get refunded ... but that didn't seem to help, because people obviously were still pissed -- sharing some outrage on social media after they were left high and dry.

Morgan took to Instagram after the last-minute cancelation ... telling fans he spent the day resting up after his voice started to go -- adding "I really thought I'd be able to take the stage and it kills me to deliver this so close to showtime."

That didn't seem to make much difference to upset fans, especially some young kids in the crowd who left in tears.

As we reported, Morgan had some more trouble at his Louisville show Thursday ... taking a hard fall after all the fog onstage made it practically impossible to see where to step. Some people in the audience also said there were technical issues during that show, too.

Clearly, some bad juju surrounding Morgan's concerts in the last week. Maybe a reset's exactly what the doctor ordered!

Meghan Trainor is walking back her comments and issuing an apology ... this, after coming under fire for saying 'f teachers' on her podcast.

The "Mother" singer issued an apology to her fans Sunday via TikTok ... saying "I was fired up because we were talking about how sending your kids to school here in America is so horrific."

She went on to say her frustration came from her own experience, back in the day, and was fueled by her knowledge of other folks' past trauma in the classroom. She continued, "I was bullied by some teachers so in that moment I got angry and said 'f teachers.'"

ICYMI, Meghan made the comment on her 'Workin' On It' podcast during an episode on motherhood. Toward the end of the show, her brother/cohost and their guest Trisha Paytas got on topic of schools ... both MT and TP said they planned to homeschool their kids and Meghan got really candid about her feelings about teachers.

Of course, her words were met with backlash with lots of folks running to the comment section. One user wrote, "We can all agree that the education system is broken and needs reform; however, us teachers, deserve respect and the absolute bare minimum."

Fat Joe's power circle is coming to aid his fight against shady hospital bills -- Busta Rhymes, French Montana, and Rick Ross are all set to perform with the Don this week ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

The function's going down Thursday in Washington, D.C., and will be hosted by Power to the Patients ... the org Joe's been supporting loudly in an effort to force transparency in hospital billing.

He and Power to the Patients have been demanding new legislation to back their cause, and, to that end, we're told Joe's scheduled a meet-up with lawmakers on Capitol Hill ... and a news conference with members of Congress.

The legendary rapper's not messing around ... bringing in A-list pals in rap for support. Thursday's concert will be part of a busy week of events in the nation's capital as the White House Correspondents Dinner goes down Saturday night.

Suge Knight says he has no hard feelings about his ex-protégé, Snoop Dogg, swooping in to buy Death Row Records -- the label he co-founded -- but he's skeptical about the legality of that transaction.

The incarcerated ex-music mogul tells TMZ Hip Hop ... personally, he doesn't feel like it's really Death Row without his name attached. That being said, Suge's also floating a theory --  that his ex-business partner Michael "Harry-O" Harris committed bankruptcy fraud to get the company out from under Suge.

Speaking to us from the CA State Penitentiary -- where he's doing 28 years for voluntary manslaughter -- Suge claims the label was only forfeited after a lawyer failed to attend court. So, he lost it in a 2013 default judgment to MNRK Music Group.

He considers the whole bankruptcy proceeding -- which screwed almost all of Death Row's artists -- a sham and, in his eyes, a direct violation of the law.

One problem with his theory is Snoop had nothing to do with the bankruptcy case, and only purchased Death Row from MNRK in 2022 ... and Harry-O had no involvement, at least publicly, in that transaction.

Per his upcoming TV series on BLK Prime, Suge says all truths will be revealed from his lens ... and also shared his favorite releases from the label, with the "Murder Was the Case" soundtrack ranking exceptionally high in his book.

After seeing the 1994 film "Natural Born Killers," Suge says he was approached by the studio to contribute a song but had to relinquish creative control.

Khalid is not a fan of AI infiltrating the music world ... and while he thinks the tech could be a helpful tool, he draws the line when it comes to mimicking artists.

The R&B hitmaker gave us his 2 cents on AI and the future of his industry, especially now that new AI-generated songs are popping up on the Internet almost daily.

Khalid says AI programming, in general, seems to be inevitable, but he made it clear he's not necessarily hopping on that train. On one hand, he understands how AI software can be a beneficial tool, but he's more concerned it could eliminate the need for human performers, like himself!

As you know, Drake has been experiencing this firsthand. You'll recall, some AI-generated Drizzy tunes -- meaning computer-produced vocals -- went viral and sounded just like Champagne Papi IRL.

And, this happened shortly after an AI song featuring Drake and The Weeknd became an internet sensation ... until Universal Music Group got it removed from music streamers.

Of course, Drake's label and other big artists have made it clear they aren't here for the humanless music, and Khalid agrees. He says he appreciates music as it is, and AI takes away the authenticity of artists.

Nelly and Ashanti were an item once upon a time -- and now, fans think they're going through déjà vu all over again ... based on videos of them together last night.

The two music stars -- who have history dating back to the 2000s, figuratively and literally -- showed up shoulder to shoulder Saturday night to watch the Garcia/Davis boxing match ... where they had ringside seats right next to each other.

People noticed them almost instantly, and the cameras started to roll ... as seeing the two of them out in public like this is a pretty rare sighting -- and certainly could have implications.

It's not like Ashanti or Nelly were trying to hide, but they did seem to be laying low a little bit. Of course, Twitter lost its s*** when another video of them leaving the main floor surfaced ... which shows them holding hands. Nelly, specifically, grabs a hold of Ashanti.

Later, they were spotted in the tunnel with their entourage and were pretty close to one another in this instance as well ... and even got asked some questions on camera.

After they both answer, the two of them appear to head off in the same direction ... again looking to be holding hands. It could just be friendly, with Nelly playing the gentleman and leading Ashanti out of a crowd by taking the lead. But, that's not how a lot of people see it.

Considering they used to be together back in the day -- something that just came to light not too long ago via stories shared by Irv Gotti, etc. -- folks are thinking they're a couple again.

They well may be ... time will tell, we suppose. If we see 'em out in public again, it could be the final nail in the coffin to confirm they're back on all these years later. Their last public reunion appeared to be nothing but a stunt/troll, but now ... this could be the real deal.