All posts tagged: performing

Gladys Knight announces she is stepping back from performing ahead of ‘new era’

Gladys Knight announces she is stepping back from performing ahead of ‘new era’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Gladys Knight has revealed she is scaling back her live concerts as she transitions “into the next stage” of her career and life. The 82-year-old singer, who has spent this year on tour, intends to reduce her future performances after a music career that has spanned seven decades. The performer, known for hits like “Midnight Train To Georgia” and “I Heard It Through The Grapevine”, thanked her fans for their support over the years. In a statement, she said: “After much soul searching, I’ve decided that I will be easing into fewer performances while focusing on transitioning into the next stage of my career and life moving forward. “I’ll be spending more time on projects with my husband and visiting with my grandbabies and am looking forward to this new era.” Gladys Knight and her second husband, William McDowell, have been married since …

David Byrne on the joy of performing and the dangers of AI

David Byrne on the joy of performing and the dangers of AI

Published by Sam Flores

BERKELEY — Twelve hours after walking offstage at the Greek Theatre on Tuesday night, David Byrne sits down with a cup of coffee on the patio of a tony hillside hotel and admits that he’s starting to get a little misty. Last night’s concert on the campus of UC Berkeley was one of the remaining few on Byrne’s yearlong world tour after 2025’s “Who Is The Sky?” album. About an hour from now, a bus will pull up to ferry the 74-year-old musician and the dozen or so members of his touring company to the airport for a quick flight to Los Angeles, where they’re set to perform Friday and Saturday nights at the Hollywood Bowl. “There’s a firepit over there,” Byrne says, pointing across the patio, “so after the show we all sat around and told stories. Everyone’s such a joy to work with — we’re all having a really good time.” He sighs. “That’s kind of rare, actually.” “Who Is The Sky?,” which Byrne made with the producer Kid Harpoon, contrasts deep lyrics about art, …

The performing arts can help solve America’s empathy crisis

The performing arts can help solve America’s empathy crisis

Published by Sam Flores

As The New School’s 2026 class of performing arts graduates enters the workforce and we face the beginning of a new school year, we are reminded of what our students will take into the world. Viola Spolin, one of the great acting teachers of the 20th century, put it simply: “being part of the whole generates trust and frees the player for playing, the many then acting as one.”  That lesson — how to genuinely inhabit a shared world with others — has never felt more urgent. Our nation is divided on everything from food safety to our country’s future, and there are numbers to back this schism. Half of Americans report feeling divided from one another; a recent Stanford study gives this fracture a sharper name: the “empathy perception gap.” People have not stopped caring about others, but they believe that no one else does. This misperception carries profound consequences and is currently rippling through our world, eroding trust, deepening isolation and creating a social environment in which empathy is swiftly becoming an atrophied …

Proud Jay-Z breaks silence on performing with daughter Blue Ivy with just 3 words

Proud Jay-Z breaks silence on performing with daughter Blue Ivy with just 3 words

Published by Daniella Wilson

Jay-Z is one very proud dad! The award-winning star was joined on the first night of his New York City residency by his oldest daughter, Blue Ivy, 14, and it’s safe to say he enjoyed every moment.  The talented teen played the piano while Jay-Z sang “Feelin’ It”, just after a montage of videos were played on screen showing Blue at the piano during different stages of her childhood.  When asked by People at the Michael Rubin’s Fantastic Fest luncheon on Friday July 17 about performing with his daughter, he had the sweetest answer. “What was the highlight performing with your daughter at Yankee stadium?” he was asked, to which he replied: “You said it.” He then added, “That ain’t even a question,” confirming the importance of the moment.  © XBlue Ivy Carter played the piano at Jay-Z’s recent anniversary concert at Yankee Stadium Introducing his daughter as her nickname “Azure” which means blue in Spanish, Jay then told the sold-out stadium: “Make some noise for the legendary Blue Ivy Carter.”  Blue’s family have opened …

Who is IShowSpeed? The viral internet personality performing at the 2026 World Cup closing ceremony

Who is IShowSpeed? The viral internet personality performing at the 2026 World Cup closing ceremony

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more The star-studded lineup for the 2026 Fifa World Cup Final’s closing ceremony has been announced, featuring famous performers like Tom Cruise, Nicole Scherzinger and Post Malone — but one name on the list might come as a surprise. IShowSpeed, a 21-year-old influencer from Cincinnati, Ohio, will take the stage ahead of the final match Sunday at the New York New Jersey Stadium alongside Scherzinger, Malone, Robbie Williams and Italian singer Laura Pausini. Jennifer Hudson will perform the U.S. national anthem, while Cruise is slated to make a special appearance. But while the other headliners are known performers with experience in the entertainment industry, Speed is mostly famous for his online presence and viral videos. The contrast raises some questions about the internet personality’s background, …

Taylor Swift’s wedding: When is it, who are the guests and who is performing?

Taylor Swift’s wedding: When is it, who are the guests and who is performing?

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Speculation surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s nuptials has reached a fever pitch ahead of the rumored wedding day. The pop superstar and Kansas City Chiefs tight end, both 36, got engaged in August 2025 after two years of dating. Since then, fans have scrutinized every last detail of the highly anticipated ceremony. While the couple has remained silent about their plans, numerous reports have suggested plausible answers for the date, location, guest list and more. Here’s everything we know about Swift and Kelce’s wedding. When and where is the wedding taking place? Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s high-profile wedding has been dubbed ‘the wedding of the century’ (AP) Early this year, rumors began swirling that the couple had decided to get married over …

Bessent is performing IRS commissioner duties amid Trump IRS tax scrutiny

Bessent is performing IRS commissioner duties amid Trump IRS tax scrutiny

Published by Sam Flores

Scott Bessent, US treasury secretary, during a Senate Finance Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Eric Lee | Bloomberg | Getty Images Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that he is “performing the duties” of Internal Revenue Service commissioner, even as he insisted he is not the agency’s acting commissioner, during a heated Senate exchange over President Donald Trump settlement with the IRS. Bessent, who had been the acting IRS commissioner since August, took over the commissioner duties in a little-noticed move two and a half months ago, the agency said in a post on its website March 13. The IRS said Bessent’s time as acting commissioner had “expired” but that he “retains the authority and responsibility to perform the functions and duties of vacant Treasury offices that are not filled on an acting basis.” The distinction became central during questioning at a Senate Finance Commitee hearing from Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. She pressed Bessent over his current authority at the tax agency and whether hundreds of thousands of …

Vanilla Ice defends performing at Trump’s Freedom 250 after other artists drop out

Vanilla Ice defends performing at Trump’s Freedom 250 after other artists drop out

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Vanilla Ice has expressed his excitement about performing at the Great American State Fair after multiple artists dropped out. The stars-and-stripes-palooza — organized by Freedom 250, a public-private partnership established by President Donald Trump — is part of the nationwide celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. However, shortly after the Washington, D.C., event was announced last week, many singers backed out of their planned performances, including Bret Michaels, Martina McBride, The Commodores, Young MC and Morris Day. Vanilla Ice, on the other hand, is thrilled to take the stage next month. During a Friday interview with TMZ, he said he wasn’t going to get “dragged into” the political controversy about the concert. “I’m here to party with America, man. Music is made to bring people together, and that’s what we are here to do. And we’re just gonna represent …

Phil Collins Would ‘Contemplate’ Performing Live, Shares Health Update

Phil Collins Would ‘Contemplate’ Performing Live, Shares Health Update

Published by Daniella Wilson

Phil Collins said in a new interview with BBC Breakfast that he declined the opportunity to perform at his forthcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but that he would not rule out future live performances while sharing a positive health update. During the Friday interview, the Oscar-winning musician was asked if he’d perform again, to which he replied, “I can’t really see it happening. But I’m healthier now than I have been for quite a while.” Collins has faced several health issues over recent years, including kidney issues and five knee surgeries. After enduring a spinal injury in 2007, the “In the Air Tonight” singer has faced health struggles that have prevented him from performing. The “In the Air Tonight” singer further revealed that he was asked to perform at the 2026 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Collins has already been inducted into the esteemed musical museum with Genesis in 2010, and now joins a rare group of two-time inductees. “They asked me if I would perform and …