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The news of Taylor Swift's split from longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn breaking during a pause in her tour might not be sheer coincidence ... according to marketing guru Brittany Hodak.

Brittany, who's an admitted Swiftee, joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" for a closer look at the timing of Taylor's breakup going public -- and, as an expert on Taylor's marketing brilliance, she suspects the singer is, in a way, manipulating the media.

For starters, Brittany says Taylor has always been meticulous about managing news cycles ... so it's quite interesting for the split to "leak" to the public smack in the middle of a 13-day break in her Eras Tour.

Brittany says the timing of it all suggests Taylor wanted the story to break so she would be back in the news during that break in the action ... shifting attention and momentum back to her tour when she would, otherwise, be off the radar.

As we reported ... Taylor's last-minute song change in her setlist is also getting picked apart. She removed "Invisible String," a song about soulmates, and inserted "The 1," a track reminiscing on a former relationship.

The timing of Taylor and Joe's breakup is unclear, and Brittany speculates the split might have happened weeks or even months ago ... and the song swap could have been intended as a hint to fans.

Don't get it twisted, Brittany isn't suggesting Taylor would time a breakup for a marketing opportunity ... but she thinks there's at least a decent chance she was waiting to see if news of the split came out during the tour.

Young M.A says she's "very much sober" at this point in time --  and, as a result, she's ready to flood the summer with new music.

On Sunday, Young M.A admitted to making plenty of "wrong decisions in her life" ... and she said, for a while, those decisions affected her ability to continue her career.

She didn't specify what bad habit she'd cut out in her sobriety, but assured fans the summer would be lit with new Young M.A music and she would be dropping a documentary that would disclose more details in due time.

The Brooklyn rapper alarmed fans in March by posting a video of herself in a barber chair ... babbling incoherently while her eyes appeared to be a dark yellow complexion.

She celebrated her 31st birthday last week, providing evidence she was in high spirits -- and this update feels like a double down on that notion.

Taylor Swift fans are dissecting her recent public appearances to see if there were clues about her breakup with Joe Alwyn -- and now ... everything's under the microscope.

Swifties are analyzing a TikTok clip from one of her 'Eras' concerts in Arizona -- where some folks think she got emotional during a performance of her track "Champagne Problems." In light of this weekend's news ... a handful believe this must have meant something.

While the song is about an unrequited marriage proposal, it's hard to say if there's anything to this. TS doesn't look any more animated than she does for any other song. There are also those who claim she tears up, but you can't see any active waterworks on her face.

Eye of the beholder, we suppose ... people see what they wanna see.

That's not the only thing being studied in the aftermath of her split. A last-minute song change in her setlist is also getting picked apart as suggesting something bigger -- the swap being between "Invisible String," a track about 2 soulmates, to another song called "The 1" ... which focuses on love lost and reminiscing on a former relationship.

Seeing how "The 1" made the cut, some Swifties think she was telegraphing trouble with Joe. Again, it's possible, but on the flip side ... it could just as easily mean nothing at all.

The big breakup news came over the weekend ... Taylor and JA are reported to have gone their separate ways in recent weeks. The exact timeline isn't clear, nor do we know who broke up with whom. He's said to have been absent from her tour, which makes sense now.

Some KISS memorabilia is hitting the auction block and expected to fetch a pretty penny -- upwards of hundreds of thousands, in fact -- and this stuff isn't even musical, per se.

Instead of music, it's letters ... handwritten by each OG band member, for their fourth album "Alive!" ... and featured in the gatefold of the groundbreaking live album. They're up for grabs through GottaHaveRockandRoll.com, which is expecting these personal notes to reach bids between $50k to $150k.

Like we said, the KISS rockers put pen to paper ahead of the release of "Alive!" ... writing separate pieces of correspondence to their fan base in pretty descriptive and unique terms.

There are notes from Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, respectively.

The content is quite different in each letter -- Gene's talking about punishing/pleasuring listeners, Ace is on another planet, Pete's feelin' feline-ish and Paul's getting into voyeurism. The letters match each rocker's stage persona ... The Demon, The Spaceman, The Catman and The Starchild.

The soon-to-be owner will get the 4 pieces of paper -- inheriting them from a lucky then-15-year-old, who initially copped them in 1976 -- complete with the glue an art department applied way back then as well.

They're all certified legitimate through multiple authentication agencies ... so we're talking one of a kind.

The current highest bid is $20k and the auction ends April 14 ... so there's still plenty of time to rock and roll all nite, if you're into it.

Doja Cat says she's ready to prove she's a good rapper, and to do that ... she's shelving her pop style, maybe forever.

The artist -- who's been labeled a lot of things, but never quite fits into any given box -- took to Twitter on Saturday to reveal she's heard the people loud and clear ... namely, that her bars aren't quite up to snuff and that her rap prowess has been, thus far, pretty weak.

It's a consistent criticism Doja's faced since she splashed onto the scene ... especially since most of her biggest hits are straight up bubble-gum pop ones -- where she's singing.

Now, DC says she's gonna show everyone what's what on her next album ... writing, "i also agree with everyone who said the majority of my rap verses are mid and corny. I know they are. I wasnt trying to prove anything I just enjoy making music but I'm getting tired of hearing yall say that i can't so I will." In other words, Doja's gonna flex her stuff in due time.

There's more she addressed in responses to other Twitter users who reacted to this news -- including the fact that she does, in fact, consider herself a rapper ... up there with the likes of Nicki Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, Latto, Cardi B and other major femcees, it seems.

Doja also says pop music simply doesn't excite her anymore ... and wants to pivot toward a different sound and vibe. Lastly, she says she talk her s*** on this new project, "Hellmouth."

It's interesting that she wants to delve into straight up rap considering how much success she's had in her current lane. Doja has trotted out a number of singles that all charted well, including 'Say So,' 'Kiss Me More,' 'You Right,' 'Woman' and 'Best Friend,' among others.

That last one leans more rap, but her pop indulgences have proved to be money-makers ... and award contenders too. She's already won a Grammy, and has racked up tons of other accolades for her pop-centric records. The fact she wants to get away from that is ... risky.

Regardless, she sounds confident she can get it done ... and with her track record, there's no reason to believe she can't. Doja Cat is one of the biggest names in music right now, so we're sure she can whip up a damn good album with stellar production and features.

There've been reports she plans to do this new album solo, without any collabs, but there's no evidence backing that. What she has teased, however, are some title names ... like 'Balut,' 'Wet Vagina' and 'Agora Hills.' Gotta say ... those sound like straight bangers.

Tom Sandoval is moving on from the Scandoval -- and he's doing it by getting back onstage and singing his heart out.

The 'Vanderpump' reality star got under the spotlight this weekend with his band, The Most Extras, for 2 live gigs where the guys apparently played to packed houses. On Friday, Tom performed at a venue called the Canyon in Montclair, CA ... way out near Pomona.

On Saturday, he did it again ... only this time, him and the band went in the other direction -- again playing at a Canyon establishment, but in Agoura Hills ... which is near Calabasas.

In both instances, TS lost his shirt ... and handled microphone duties bare-chested. He wasn't shy either ... Tom was up there belting out songs like there was no tomorrow, and it sounds like the crowds were rockin' with him for the most part. All in all, pretty good vibes.

Of course, the question some might ask is ... too soon? Clearly not -- the guy was booked, so he has every right to perform ... and it doesn't sound like the cheating hurt sales either.

He's already gone to the reunion and gotten chewed out by everyone under the sun -- both on and off set -- and he's apologized for betraying Ariana Madix. At this point, though ... this saga's been going on a month-plus and there's nothing more to really say. It's over.

AM's reportedly already lined up her next act -- apparently, she's set to appear on 'DWTS' -- and Tom seems set to do the same ... playing his music and running his businesses.

Brad Fischetti, the last living member of LFO, says he's not scared by the fact death seems to come early to those involved with the band ... he's alive and well, and touring in their honor.

Brad tells TMZ ... he was shocked and dumbfounded at the end of March, when original LFO member Brian "Brizz" Gillis suddenly died, leaving Brad as the last surviving member.

Lots of folks didn't even know Brian was in LFO ... and some thought it was really Brad who passed. Brian was LFO's third member when the band started, but he left before Devin Lima joined the group in 1999, the same year "Summer Girls" became a huge hit.

Remember ... Devin was only 41 when he died back in November 2018, and Rich Cronin was just 36 when he died in September 2010 ... with cancer taking both their lives. Brian's cause of death is still unclear.

Brad says it's not just LFO band members who have died young ... he says their OG record label head, keyboard player, choreographer and a producer they worked with are all dead too.

Still, Brad says he hopes there's not a death curse on LFO. He hopes he lives a long life and tells us he's got no plans to stop touring, viewing it as a way to carry on LFO's legacy.

Drake had a lot of people wondering if he'd accomplished the nearly impossible -- to get Kim Kardashian to pose in a promo photo with him -- and while the woman with him definitely raised some Kim comparisons, we've figured out her true identity.

Drake dropped "Search & Rescue" Friday, his latest in a whole army of singles with art that showed him and a mystery woman wearing helmets complete with face guards.

Fans were quick to notice a similarity between the woman's features and Kim Kardashian's. While it seemed like a stretch for Kim K to be in the pics, Drake also sampled Kim's voice in the song ... so people thought it was possible.

However, we've learned the mystery woman is Lilah, an artist who has gotten major props from OVO in the past.

Monica put a damper on her "Goonica" nickname, and a few fans' chances of landing more punches during a fight that erupted at her show.

The star singer was recently in D.C. for the R&B Experience Tour, and was bringing the house down with her hit ballad, "Why I Love You So Much" ... when she noticed the brawl breaking out in the stands right in front of her.

A confused Monica wondered what about her quiet storm classic could prompt people to fight and demanded they stop ... even offering to buy them a drink to cool them off.

“I ain’t singing 'Knuck If You Buck' baby, calm that s*** down,” she told the rowdy bunch, referencing Crime Mob's 2004 fight-starting record.

The bribe didn't seem to work and Monica suggested they take the scuffle outside ... and cleverly dropped her fan-favorite song "So Gone" to celebrate the fans' exit from the venue.

Monica has long been accused of having a thug side ... and did her best to explain the nickname to Stacey Abrams and Ciara last year during election season.

Paul Cattermole, one of the members of the hugely popular S Club 7 music group has died ... the group announced.

In a shocking statement Friday, the band announced, "We are truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul. There are no words to describe the deep sadness and loss we all feel. We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have."

They continue, "He will be so deeply missed by each and every one of us. We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and of the band at this time."

At this time, Paul's cause of death is unclear, though local reports state there were "no suspicious circumstances" surrounding his death. Paul was just photographed earlier this week on a walk, where he looked to be in relatively good health.

S Club 7 was an English pop group created by Simon Fuller back in 1998 with Cattermole, Jon Lee, Tina Barrett, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara, Hannah Spearritt and Rachel Stevens.

The group had four UK #1 singles -- including "S Club Party" and "Bring It All Back" ... their song "Never Had a Dream Come True" made it to the Top 10 in the U.S.

Kelsea Ballerini doesn't regret her groundbreaking performance alongside drag queens on national television, and it definitely wasn't a surprise to showrunners ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the backlash Kelsea's getting for Sunday's CMT Music Awards moment -- having four "RuPaul’s Drag Race" queens come on stage during one of her performances -- is falling on deaf ears ... 'cause she doesn't regret it one bit.

We're told Kelsea fully stands by her decision to feature the drag queens ... which some folks in conservative circles have gone ballistic over -- accusing CMT of going woke.

FWIW, the drag queens' appearance was fully planned. Production sources tell TMZ ... both CMT and CBS were extremely supportive of the cameo and knew about it from the get-go ... we're also told they'd been part of rehearsals since Friday.

One of the drag queens, Manila Luzon, says it was actually Kelsea's idea to involve them -- and she did so cause she's an ally. Manila says the drag queens were super happy with how things went and appreciate the network heads for giving them a platform in front of a new type of audience.

ML adds ... country music is moving forward with the rest of the world. The performance was a celebration of love and a celebration of artistry.

Kaya Stewart, the daughter of Eurythmics star Dave Stewart, is off "American Idol" -- despite her Rock HOF lineage ... she made a shocking and tearful exit from the competition's Hollywood Week.

Kaya was supposed to perform a duet on Monday night's episode with 22-year-old Fire -- but she stunned just about everyone when she said she was quitting the show because she'd been ill all week.

She broke down as she told the judges -- Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan -- she'd been unable to fully recover, so she wouldn't be continuing on the show.

Her surprise exit had poor Fire tearing up, but she powered through to sing ... with help from another contestant.

Jayna Elise had been sitting in the audience, and volunteered to duet with Fire ... and they crushed Adam Lambert's hit, "What Do You Want From Me." Fire did most of the vocals and had the judges on their feet, crying for her performance.

As they say ... the show must go on, and Fire did that and then some.

Kaya had been a controversial pick by the judges. Not that she wasn't a good singer, but she auditioned with her superstar father -- who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame alongside Lionel -- playing guitar for her.

It sparked the ol' nepotism, or "nepo baby," conversation again. Haters say her dad's celeb status got her a spot on the show that could have gone to someone else.

Kid Rock is all fired up amid Bud Light's decision to partner up with a transgender activist -- and we mean that literally -- 'cause he's out firing bullets over the whole thing.

The singer/rapper posted a video to his social media Monday, which was uncaptioned ... but was also self-explanatory in what was shown. Namely, it's him grabbing an AR-style rifle of some sort and firing a ton of bullets at a few cases of Bud Light off in the distance.

He starts his video by saying, "grandpa's feeling a little frisky today," and then proceeds to shoot up the beer ... which he had teed up for him on a table near a lake.

Finally, he hits his point home by once again talking to the camera ... this time saying, "F*** Bud Light and f*** Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day."

Now, if you're wondering why KR is all pissy about Bud Light ... it's no secret if you've been following the news lately. Dylan Mulvaney -- who's a transgender woman and a social media influencer who's been documenting her transition journey online -- has partnered with BL.

She did a promo for Bud Light a couple days ago ... flashing a bunch of their signature blue cans and plugging some sort of sweepstakes they were running. Dylan also posted a photo of a custom Bud Light can with her face on it ... something sent over by Anheuser.

There was swift backlash from people who apparently didn't like their fave brew company teaming with DM ... including a lot of conservatives, like Kid Rock. Anheuser-Busch has since spoken out and defended its partnership with Dylan, advocating for a diverse consumer base ... while also noting her custom can is not available to the public. It was just a gift.

Mod Sun says he needed serious support during his very public split from his now-ex-fiancee Avril Lavigne ... and he's thanking his fans for literally saving his life.

The singer got emotional Sunday night as he wrapped up his tour in Los Angeles, telling the crowd at the Fonda Theater they "f***ing saved my G**damn life" during the past 6 weeks on the road.

Mod Sun was super emotional as he thanked the crowd ... noting how much his life has changed as a result of the breakup.

TMZ broke the story ... Avril called off her engagement to Mod Sun in February, just a few days after he kicked off his tour ... and it didn't take long for her to start a new romance with Tyga.

Remember, Mod Sun told us he was totally blindsided to see Avril and Tyga hanging out, first in Malibu and then in Paris ... where he had proposed to her about a year ago.

Xscape's Tamika Scott has heard and accepted her sister LaTocha's recent apology regarding all the drama that came after she allegedly stole money -- and admits she's even open to building things back to how they once were.

We got Tamika in NYC Monday, and she tells us she still hasn't had a heart-to-heart with her sis since she publicly apologized for all the backlash ... adding she even changed her number in the midst of everything.

Despite all that, Tamika tells us she's open to squashing the beef going on between them -- and she tells us why she's always open to forgiving.

TMZ broke the story, LaTocha made the call to step back from Xscape last year -- but it wasn't a breakup, despite fans speculating otherwise.

The group later revealed the cause of all the drama in their reality show, "SWV & Xscape: The Queens of R&B" -- with Tamika claiming LaTocha snatched 30K from her, and provided receipts to allegedly back it up.

LaTocha went on to apologize for all the noise ... although she never admitted to stealing anything from her sister. She also didn't apologize to Kandi Burruss for their recent back-and-forth spat online -- but at least it sounds like there's some room for improvement from Tamika.

Kourtney Kardashian has apparently chosen a side in the Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez feud ... at least that's what fans believe after a new promo video for KK's latest product.

Kourtney's wellness brand, Lemme, just released a line of liquid drops, and Selena's song "The Heart Wants What It Wants" is used in a new TikTok from the brand showing off the product.

Whether or not the use of the song is purely a coincidence remains unknown, but fans think it means Kourtney has chosen to be on Team Selena in the feud with Kylie Jenner and Hailey.

As we reported, Selena fans were outraged when they thought Kylie and Hailey were taking jabs at Selena, who dated Justin Bieber years before marrying HB.

The whole thing started after Selena posted a vid saying she accidentally laminated her eyebrows too much. Hours later, Kylie posted a FaceTime screenshot with Hailey, focusing on their brows -- with the caption "this was an accident?????" over her own eyebrows.

The eyebrows were only the beginning -- the drama between Hailey and Selena went on for weeks with fans comparing their relationship to JB and some accusing Hailey of stealing him.

Eventually, the Internet hate toward Hailey got so bad -- with death threats -- SG released a message telling everyone to calm down.

One more note, Kourtney's daughter, Penelope, is best friends with Selena's little sister, Gracie ... further driving fans to believe Kourtney's supporting the singer.