Welcome to your Daily Lowdown podcast from HELLO!. Today, we're talking about The Weeknd responding to the controversy surrounding his upcoming new show, The Idol.
We also talk about Ed Sheeran sharing more exciting news after he announced his new album, Subtract, and Rihanna's new Fenty collab with Puma. Take a listen to today's episode below...
The Weeknd has responded to claims that his upcoming HBO show, The Idol, has faced a number of setbacks. It was previously reported in Rolling Stone that the drama, which sees the grammy-winning artist star alongside Lily Rose Depp in the leading roles, had gone "off the trails" in production due to an alleged poor working environment, last-minute script changes, and budget issues.
Now, the singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, took to Twitter to share a scene from the upcoming series, in which his character calls out the publication, along with the caption: "Did we upset you?" In a statement, HBO assured that despite making changes, the creative team was committed to creating a safe working environment. The show is due for release in the summer.
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© Photo: Getty ImagesFollowing the recent news of his upcoming album, Subtract, Ed Sheeran has also announced a mini tour and it's kicking off in the UK very soon. The Bad Habits singer will perform a string of shows up and down the country and his first take place in Manchester on 23 March. Ed will then head to cities like London, Glasgow and Dublin, before finishing in Paris in April before his new album drops in May. The singer's announcement comes soon after he candidly revealed Subtract was written during a difficult time for the star which saw him spiral into depression and anxiety following the death of his friend Jamal Edwards and his wife, Cherry Seaborn, being diagnosed with a tumour during her pregnancy in 2022.
Fresh off the back of her Superbowl success and second pregnancy announcement, Rihanna has now announced she's back for another Fenty by Puma line. The singer and entrepreneur has not yet revealed the finer details of the new collaboration, but it's thought that the star will be bringing out a new line of athleisure wear. Rihanna previously worked with the sports brand in 2014 when she joined as creative director. We can't to find out more.
© Photo: Getty ImagesChaka Khan has responded to being ranked below Mariah Carey and Adele on the list of greatest singers of all time. The singer was appearing on The Originals podcast when she was asked her reaction to being number 29 while Adele came in at 22, and Mary J Blige came in at 25. Mariah meanwhile, was listed at number 5 on the controversial list, prompting Chaka to say: "Ok I quit," before saying the reports at rolling stone, who made the list, needed hearing aids. However, the so-called queen of funk was more pleased to hear soul-legend Aretha Franklin was listed as number one, with the late Whitney Houston as runner-up.
And the Eurovision song contest has revealed details on how fans can get their hands on tickets to the live shows taking place in May. The organisation announced on Thursday that tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 7 March and that fans can purchase tickets for any of the nine shows including two live semi-finals and the grand final, which is scheduled for Saturday 13 May. The song contestant is taking place in Liverpool this year at the M&S Bank Arena and will be a showcase of Ukrainian culture to honour the winning country that cannot host due to ongoing conflict.
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