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Billie Eilish might be responsible for crystalizing what you could call "sad girl" pop in this day and age ... an argument that's got fans of Fiona Apple, and others, up in arms.

Here's the deal ... a fan account that chronicles Billie music news tweeted Saturday that the Recording Academy -- which, of course, is responsible for the Grammys -- credited BE with creating the above-mentioned genre ... also employed by Olivia Rodrigo, Tate McRae, etc.

They're referencing an article from the Recording Academy that was written a few days ago, titled ... "The Psychology Of "Sad Girl" Pop: Why Music By Billie Eilish, Gracie Abrams, Olivia Rodrigo & More Is Resonating So Widely."

While the Billie fan account isn't quite accurate in characterizing what the article actually says -- namely, that Billie has more or less popularized "sad girl" pop into its own subgenre, especially for a new generation -- it does sorta capture the spirit ... which seems to be giving artists like Billie and all the other Gen-Zers a bit more credit than they perhaps deserve.

That's where Fiona fans are coming out in force against this narrative ... dive into the "Fiona Apple" trend on Twitter right now and you'll see what we mean. They're sour over this.

A lot of them are pointing out that musicians like Fiona and Alanis Morissette are the actual trailblazers that the Recording Academy thinks Billie, Olivia and other young'ns are -- and there are other names getting thrown in the mix too as pioneers.

There's Lana Del Rey ... who's been in this lane for years. Others who've been mentioned as stalwarts of "sad girl" pop -- Michelle Branch, Taylor Swift, Avril Lavigne, Marina Diamandis, Lorde, Hope Sandoval ... and even older acts like Kate Bush and Joni Mitchell.

Kanye West may have been hit by the supply chain crisis, because his floor-to-ceiling renovation of his Malibu home is far from completion.

Ye paid just a skosh over $57 million for the Malibu beachfront home. He's using a famous architect ... Tadao Ando, but even he can't seem to accelerate the process. Then again, Kanye is famous for coming up with a plan and then changing it until it's exactly to his liking.

The home is 4,000 square feet ... which is huge by Malibu standards for beachfront property ... thus the hefty price tag. BTW, when Kanye bought it it was listed for $75 million.

It's pretty austere ... which is Kanye's thing. The house he designed for his family -- which Kim Kardashian now owns -- is also minimalist.

Britney Spears dropped some news lots of people have been impatiently waiting on -- she's dropping new music, and the first song choice is really interesting.

Britney took to Instagram Friday and did something she hasn't done in a long, long time ... sing. As for what she sang -- the song that made her internationally famous ... "...Baby One More Time." But, this time around, it's got a haunting vibe.

She actually sang it in the middle of doing laundry ... "This is me yesterday doing laundry and separating clothes. I haven't shared my voice in an extremely long time… maybe too long… and here's me playing at my house with a different version of 'Baby."

Then she said it's actually been in the works for years ... at least her hope of re-releasing an updated version ... "Well I have asked for what I wanted for 14 years… a different version of 'Baby' but have the producers actually work for me and put it together… a start… but as the TEAM said NO and serves me with 4 girls, my sister included, doing a 5 minute version of 4 remixed songs to a T not even having to give effort or dance… just shot it beautifully and the sound was NEW!!! They ruined it for me, embarrassed me and made me feel like absolutely nothing!!! The truth is a f****** bitch!!!"

"...Baby One More Time" was released in 1998 ... a song that rose to the top of the charts in 22 countries and won her a Grammy.

William "Poogie" Hart, the Grammy-award-winning lead singer of the R&B band The Delfonics, has died, TMZ has learned.

His son, Hadi, tells TMZ ... William was having trouble breathing so he was recently taken to Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, where he passed away Thursday from complications during surgery.

William and his brother, Wilbert, launched the Philly-based group in the late '60s with Randy Cain, Ritchie Daniels and Thom Bell. The group would have a major impact on the development of the Philadelphia sound, known as T.S.O.P.

William and Thom exclusively wrote all of the songs, including such hits as "La-La (Means I Love You)," "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)," "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)."

In 1971, The Delfonics won a Grammy Award for "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group, Vocal Or Instrumental.

'Didn't I' and 'La-La' were also featured in Quentin Tarantino's film "Jackie Brown." Other movies that have popularized their music were Spike Lee's "Crooklyn" and "The Family Man" with Nicolas Cage.

Their songs "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" and "Funny Feeling" were played in the video game "Grand Theft Auto V" on a fictional radio station The Lowdown 91.1.

The original band split in 1975 after achieving twelve top-20 hits on Billboard's R&B and Soul Single Chart. Former members created splinter groups that continued to perform through the '90s and 2000s.

William was 77.

Travis Barker is fully back after a major health scare ... he jumped on stage with his bud Machine Gun Kelly to perform at a wild concert.

Travis took to the drums Wednesday night at The Forum in Inglewood during MGK's show -- part of Kelly's Mainstream Sellout tour. Trav got roaring cheers as he walked on stage, shirtless of course.

MGK also calls out their online haters before rockin' out, saying "If we would've listened to what the Internet f***ing said about us, we would've never made this album."

Willow and Avril Lavigne also got in the act ... quite the night for fans.

As we reported, Travis has been moving back into business mode ever since he was released from the hospital ... shortly after his release he headed into a Calabasas studio to record some tunes.

Britney Spears was faced with a scary situation as she ran out of gas in the middle of one of L.A.'s busiest freeways ... and cops were called to get her to safety.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they got a call around 10 PM Tuesday for a report of a white Mercedes blocking the third lane southbound on the 101, just north of Balboa Blvd. Officers say when they responded Britney was seated in the backseat of a passerby's vehicle.

We're told Britney informed officers she ran out of gas while driving, and her car quit in the middle of the freeway.

Once the California Highway Patrol got traffic stopped, an officer got in the driver's seat of Britney's Mercedes to steer while she sat in the passenger's seat and the vehicle was pushed to safety.

Prosecutors in New York say they discovered a scheme to sell stolen handwritten lyrics from some of the Eagles' most famous songs ... and now 3 men have been indicted as a result of the investigation.

Here's the deal ... prosecutors say the men were in possession of about 100 pages of Don Henley's handwritten notes and lyrics for the band's "Hotel California" album, with the men allegedly trying to fool auction houses into buying the memorabilia despite them knowing it was stolen.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says the men fabricated stories about the origin of the documents, and their right to possess them, so they could turn a profit ... even allegedly engaging in a years-long campaign to stop Don from recovering the stolen manuscripts, which are valued at over $1 million.

Prosecutors say the manuscripts were originally stolen back in the 1970s by an author hired to write a biography of the band and then sold to rare books dealer Glenn Horowitz, who in turn sold them to Craig Inciardi and Edward Kosinski.

The D.A. says when Don learned Inciardi and Kosinski were allegedly trying to sell portions of the manuscripts, he filed police reports and told the men the materials were stolen, demanding their return.

Prosecutors say Inciardi and Kosinski then worked to fabricate ownership records to try and coerce Don into buying back the stolen property. At the same time, the D.A. says the men were trying to sell the manuscripts through Christie's and Sotheby's auction houses.

The D.A. says their office executed search warrants to recover Don's stolen manuscripts from Kosinski's home and Sotheby's ... and a short while later, prosecutors say Horowitz tried to use the death of Eagles founding member Glenn Frey to prevent criminal prosecution by claiming he got the manuscripts from Frey.

The men are each charged with one count of fourth-degree conspiracy. Inciardi and Kosinski are also charged with first-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Horowitz is also charged with first-degree attempted criminal possession of stolen property, plus two counts of second-degree hindering prosecution.

Don's manager, Irving Azoff, tells TMZ ... "This action exposes the truth about music memorabilia sales of highly personal, stolen items hidden behind a façade of legitimacy. No one has the right to sell illegally obtained property or profit from the outright theft of irreplaceable pieces of musical history."

Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha had a twist of fate during his Windy City performance … the guy messed up his leg, forcing him to rock out while grabbin' a seat.

Zack and his bandmates were 4 songs deep into their set at the United Center in Chicago on Monday night when the singer started hopping on one leg as he ran across the stage during "Bullet in the Head."

The video, obtained by TMZ, shows Zack trying to shake it off, but instead, he has to grab onto nearby equipment to stay standing ... unclear exactly what went down, but a serious ankle injury could be at the root of it.

Clearly, Zack could have used some medical attention, but he had other ideas -- the rock star parked himself on top of sound equipment for the rest of the show, belting out song after song.

At one point, crew members appeared with a walking boot for Zack on the side of the stage, but Zack wasn't having any of it. He just kept on rocking out while poppin' a squat.

Zack's band members came over and hugged him an hour later as the show wrapped up, before being carried off stage by stage personnel.

Johnny Depp's got a lot more to say about Amber Heard, and this time he's doing it in his music ... or so it seems based on some lyrics on his new record with Jeff Beck.

In a clear case of striking while the iron's hot, Johnny and Jeff recorded a full album, "18," and Depp reportedly wrote 2 of the songs on the 13-track collection. It comes out on Friday, but some leaked lyrics include Johnny singing, "I think you've said enough for one motherf***ing night" ... according to The Sunday Times of London.

While Johnny's said little about his ex-wife since defeating her in their defamation trial ... it seems like he's dropping a few references to her on the record. One of the tracks he penned is "Sad Motherf***ing Parade" and in one line he sings, "You're sitting there like a dog with a seven-year itch." Another not-so-subtle lyric ... "If I had a dime, it wouldn't reach your hand."

Doesn't take a genius ... but, it's worth noting Johnny doesn't mention Amber by name in any of the songs, at least according to the report.

As we've reported, Depp and guitar great Beck have been touring around Europe even before the verdict came in the trial. Remember, Johnny wasn't in court when the jury came back because he was playing live shows in the U.K.

Their new album isn't all shots at Amber, in fact, it's mostly cover songs -- including a Velvet Underground track and Brian Wilson's "Caroline, No."

Depp's focused mainly on his music career since the trial, and recently announced his Hollywood Vampires band -- with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry -- would be going back out on tour.

Security guards for Selena Gomez are earning their keep, because some weird stuff's been going down at her house ... including a fan getting on her property early Sunday morning.

LAPD sources tell us officers arrested the guy as he tried to stroll away from her L.A. home, but Selena's security team had already caught him in the act. We're told the suspect jumped a fence around 1 AM, and security called cops.

The guy tried to flee, but we're told responding officers found him wandering around the neighborhood, and he said he just wanted to meet Selena.

That seems low-key compared to an incident a few weeks ago at the "Only Murders in the Building" star's house. Our sources say security also called cops when a man allegedly wrote Selena's name on a mattress, using what appeared to be blood ... and then lit the mattress on fire!

We're told her security says that guy didn't make it onto the property -- it all went down just outside her gate. Selena wasn't home during either incident, but still ... super creepy.

Want to live rock star adjacent? Now's your chance ... the home of Aerosmith legend Steven Tyler's daughter just hit the market.

Mia Tyler's Hollywood Hills home is listed at just under $2 million -- and the pad's got plenty of charm -- with 3 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and plenty of room outside to entertain.

The lucky buyer will enjoy a private outdoor space with a fire pit, secluded hot tub and a guest house.

BTW, the home actually used to be a recording studio! So, ya know, a real rock star lifestyle. Tori Horowitz at Compass is representing Mia in the sale.

Of course, the listing comes as the Tyler family celebrates some other good news. Steven recently completed rehab, after a very successful stay.

Steven and Mia have a special bond, he wrote a song named after her on Aerosmith's album "Night in the Ruts" in 1979.

Britney Spears is again bemoaning the fact that she's been the subject of documentaries and TV specials of late -- saying she considers it grade-A bullying by Corporate America.

The pop star posted lengthy thoughts about this on Saturday, which she's addressed before. She writes, in part ... "I feel like America has done a wonderful job at humiliating me," going on to explain that when she was in the conservatorship ... she'd apparently be forced to walk to her car from the airport, on purpose, so that paps could get a ton of shots of her.

Britney's words here are a bit all over the place, but her gripe seems to be with old paparazzi photos -- some of which she thinks are unflattering -- being resurfaced in docs and specials that have aired in the past couple years ... including on Hulu, Netflix and CNN.

On the issue of so much coverage of her now, she adds ... "I've never felt more bullied in my life in this country it's insane ... and come on seriously is it honestly legal to do that many documentaries about someone without their blessing at all??!"

Then, Britney invokes some celebrity names as examples of people who never get this amount of press and analysis without their permission or participation -- including Will Smith, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez and Halle Berry.

She also says the idea these specials are "helping her" are misguided, suggesting that rehashing this ancient history is embarrassing. BS also appears to believe that most of these docs focus on what led to the conservatorship rather than what she went through while actually in it ... the reality of which she says was far worse than what's been depicted.

The weird thing ... the above-mentioned outlets seem to be the only ones with big docs/specials that have been done about Britney, and the last one came out in fall of last year -- so it's unclear why Brit's talking about this now and what might be triggering her.

What Britney also doesn't seem to understand is this ... her story isn't over, as she and her legal team are continuing to go after her dad, Jamie Spears, and seem dead set on holding him accountable for what they say he put her through during the conservatorship.

Plus, she hasn't done a proper sit-down with anyone yet ... so the intrigue isn't going away anytime soon, especially as she continues to make headlines with her personal life.

Of course, Britney might just be biding her time to fully tell her story in her own words ... probably until she can finish her tell-all book, which she reportedly struck a deal to write to the tune of at least $15 million. In light of that, we're sure she'll speak up eventually.

"Stranger Things" has a way with music -- and this season was no different, especially for Metallica ... whose tunes are in high demand, particularly among guitar hero wannabes.

As you've heard, the band's '80s hit, "Master of Puppets," is featured in a pivotal scene toward the end of the 4th season of the Netflix hit (RIP Eddie Munson) -- and like other songs heavily featured in this year's installment ... Metallica's earworm is surging in real life.

Just like Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" got mad love among new listeners, 'MoP' experienced the same -- with a reported 400% boost in streaming among various platforms.

What's different now ... it seems this renewed interest is seeping into the world of musical instruction, specifically through a company called Yousician -- which teaches noobs the basics of how to play certain instruments, including guitar.

Per Billboard, the online school's site reports a massive spike in a certain online lesson they offer -- upwards of 100%, apparently. You see, they actually teamed up with the real Metallica for a virtual master class for their paying customers ... and learning how to play "Master of Puppets" is indeed one of the songs available in their "Metallica x Yousician' course.

Yousician is also said to be adding the song to another internal tool on their site -- a guitar tuning and songwriting one -- as 'MoP' doesn't currently exist there, but will soon.

Shawn Mendes isn't ready for the road just yet -- he's temporarily pulling the plug on his tour, so he can tend to his mental health.

The singer announced he's postponing the next 3 weeks of shows on his Wonder World Tour which had just begun last week. Shawn said on Friday it breaks his heart to have to delay the shows -- which had already been pushed back due to the pandemic.

As for why he needs the break, he said ... "I felt like I was ready to dive back in, but that decision was premature and unfortunately the toll of the road and the pressure has caught up to me and Ive hit a breaking point."

Shawn also said touring has always been difficult for him since he started doing it when he was just 15 -- but this time he's heeding the advice of doctors.

"After speaking with my team and health professionals, I need to take some time to heal and take care of myself and my mental health, first and foremost. As soon as there are more updates I promise I will let you know love you guys."

He'd hinted at some struggles back in December when posted he was having a "hard time with social media at the moment, just kind of my relationship with it."

However, it sounds like he's dealing with more than just social media right now. Shawn's move to postpone is in line with a movement among many entertainers and athletes ... who've prioritized their mental health.

Last year, Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Olympics and French Open, respectively -- and Justin Bieber famously pulled the plug on his Purpose World Tour back in 2017.

Shawn and Camila Cabello broke up last year after dating for 2 years -- although, it's unclear if that has anything to do with what he's dealing with now.

Carlos Santana is putting himself on the bench for a while ... he's postponing the next 6 stops of his tour on the heels of collapsing on stage in Michigan earlier this week.

As we reported ... Santana was performing Tuesday night at the Pine Knob Music Theater, outside Detroit when he went down, sending stage hands and staffers scrambling to his side.

He was eventually rushed to a hospital for treatment, and his camp said he was suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion.

The health crisis is forcing the guitar great to pump the brakes on his Miraculous Supernatural 2022 Tour from July 8 to July 16, which includes stops in Cincinnati, Milwaukee and Dallas.

Santana's reps said they made the move "out of an abundance of caution for the artist's health." Doctors have also recommended Santana rest so he can fully recuperate.

He's planning to return to the stage July 23 in Paso Robles, CA.

Is it Michael or a Michael imposter? That ongoing debate about 3 of Michael Jackson's posthumously released songs is behind the sudden disappearance of the tracks from major streaming services.

The songs -- "Monster," "Keep Your Head Up" and "Breaking News" -- were all on the "Michael" album, released in 2010 ... the year after Jackson's death. But, ever since they came out some fans, and even Michael's family members, have questioned whether they feature legit MJ vocals.

The songs vanished from Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal streaming services last week, which many fans saw as confirmation that's not really MJ singing on them -- however, a rep for the official MJ website says that's not exactly the case.

The rep confirms the songs "are no longer being made available by Sony Music for purchase or streaming but I should point out that the removal of these three songs has nothing to do with their authenticity. The Estate and Sony Music believe the continuing conversation about the tracks is distracting the fan community and casual Michael Jackson listeners from focusing their attention where it should be -- on Michael’s legendary and deep music catalog."

One fan who probably isn't buying that explanation is Vera Serova, who filed a lawsuit in 2014, accusing Sony Music, the Jackson Estate and the producers of the songs of lying to consumers. She lost the case in 2018, but is now appealing to California's Supreme Court.

The Estate tells TMZ ... taking down the songs was "the simplest and best way to move beyond the conversation associated with these tracks once and for all." Instead, the Estate wants fans to focus on the Tony-winning Broadway production, "MJ: The Musical" and other projects celebrating his catalog. The rep added, "Nothing should be read into this action concerning the authenticity of the tracks."