Publishing date: Mar, 18, 2022
If you’re anything like us, we see an interesting headline during our daily scroll—pause to read it—but then keep scrolling without reading the actual story. So at the end of each week, we’re rounding up all the buzziest, news-worthy headlines you might have missed. Think of it like the “saved” feature on Instagram but for news instead of aesthetically pleasing photos. Dolly Parton rejects her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rejects Dolly Parton’s rejection, Jack White’s Third Man Records plans to release Prince’s shelved Camille album, and Olivia Rodrigo is set to debut an unreleased track from Sour in driving home 2 u film set to release March 25—this is what you missed this week.
#1
Dolly Parton Rejects her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nomination
Rhythm & Blues, Country Queen Dolly Parton was nominated by fans for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the 2022 ceremony. Plot twist—Dolly Parton decided to respectfully decline the nomination and asked for it to be revoked, expressing in a tweet that she was “extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated … I don’t feel that I have earned that right.” Dolly Parton, though so humble and modest, is a rock star in her own right and fans are evidently aware of this. Second plot twist—Rock and Roll Hall of Fame respectfully counter-declined to do so, making a point to say that rock-and-roll is “not defined by any one genre, rather a sound that moves youth culture.” To echo this idea of influential sounds on youth culture, are the many other artists on the ballots that do not reflect the traditional idea and sound of rock-and-roll including Eminem, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, and Dionne Warwick. Music and its rippling effect throughout popular culture is nuanced and multi-dimensional, so naturally, discourse around blurring the lines between genres feels like a step in the right direction. Who knows, maybe the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame will eventually be called the Music Hall of Fame, to reflect its values and progressive view of decompartmentalizing genres.
#2
Lil Nas X Returns to Twitter After ‘Maternity Leave’
Lil Nas X suddenly stopped tweeting in December, leaving his very active presence behind, leaving a lot of fans concerned. But not to worry, he is back and making up for lost time! Lil Nas X made his resurgence to Twitter on Wednesday, a pleasant surprise of his millions of followers. He joked, “why are people surprised I’ve been away for so long? have y’all really never heard of maternity leave?” a quick-witted nod to the fact he announced Montero with an opulent pregnancy shoot and staged an album delivery video. In addition to being blessed with his humor on our timelines once again, Lil Nas X teased two unreleased songs, tentatively titled “Late to the Party” and “Down Souf Hoes”. Welcome back, Lil Nas X, you were missed!
#3
Jack White’s Third Man Records Makes Plans to Release Prince’s Shelved ‘Camille’ Album
The White Stripes notorious frontman Jack White is making money moves, seemingly driven by his genuine love for music and the industry. Between being on the precipice of releasing two new albums and telling major labels all about how to press vinyl, he’s managed to find the time and energy to release a scrapped Prince album called Camille from 1986, which has been a fan myth for decades. In 1986, Prince recorded Camille, an album built around one of his alter-egos. He knocked out 10 songs within days, but after wrapping it up and mastering it, he only pressed a small number of copies and abandoned the project. Fast forward to 2016 and a few vinyl copies went up for auction, which were claimed by Questlove. Now, Ben Blackwell, co-founder of Third Man Records with Jack White, obtained a different copy of the album that they intend on releasing. Jack White himself said, “we’re finally going to put it out. Prince’s people agreed.” Cue Prince fans everywhere rejoicing.
#4
Olivia Rodrigo to Debut Unreleased ‘Sour’ Song in ‘driving home 2 u’ Film
Just over a year ago, Olivia Rodrigo released her debut album Sour, triggering an onslaught of well-deserved public recognition and award nominations, seven of those being Grammys. Her upcoming docu-film with Disney + is arriving on March 25 and pulls back the curtain on all the work Olivia Rodrigo has done to get where she is now, including the making of Sour with producer Dan Nigro. In exciting news, a never-before-heard track is going to appear during the end credits of the film and fans everywhere are hoping for a song release post-film release. driving home 2 u also features live performances, behind-the-scenes footage, new song arrangements, and intimate interviews. Olivia Rodrigo says in the new trailer, “I just wanted to tell people what was going on in the back of my head in a way that was proud and not ashamed.” You can watch the trailer here.
#5
First Grammy Performers Revealed: BTS, Billie Eilish, Jack Harlow, & More
The 64th Grammy Awards ceremony had been previously rescheduled to be broadcasted live on Sunday, April 3 hosted by comedian and talk show host Trevor Noah. The show will be taking place from the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, which we consider an acceptable rule break of “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”. The Recording Academy has announced the first grouping of artists set to perform at this year’s show and we’re already crying, screaming, throwing up, etc. Taking the stage on this magical music night will be Grammy nominees and winners alike, including Brothers Osborne, BTS, Brandi Carlile, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, and Olivia Rodrigo. Prepare to be impressed!