Connect with us

Entertainment

Madi Diaz on Her Wrenching New Album & Collaborating With Stars From Harry Styles to Maren Morris

Published

on

When Madi Diaz received her first Grammy nominations last year – for her sixth album, Weird Faith (best folk album), and its Kacey Musgraves collaboration, “Don’t Do Me Good” (best American performance) – she breathed a sigh of relief.

By this time, the singer-songwriter was already “about midway down the road” on what would become her next album, Fatal Optimism, and “one of my first thoughts, after the nomination, was, ‘Well, thank god I already know how the next thing sounds,'” she says. “I definitely could see how that could have gotten into my head otherwise.”

Diaz’s records are littered with wrenching stories of love and loss, and the harrowing seeds of Fatal Optimism, out today, were sown during a particularly gnarly breakup in 2023, well before she received her plaudits from the Recording Academy. The relationship’s dissolution coincided with a the end of a particularly busy touring streak where Diaz opened tours by Harry Styles, Kacey Musgraves and Waxahatchee, and she wanted to strike while the emotional iron was hot.

“When something is so beautifully dense, you have to write it down when it happens, or else you’re gonna lose yourself in the plot, and the narrative kind of shifts,” says Diaz, 39. “It was like, ‘If I get it down now, it’s the most distilled version of this heartache that I’m feeling, this really empty, lonely, confused, swimming-back-to-myself kind of feeling.'”

In a sense, Fatal Optimism is the most distilled version of Diaz herself. While she initially recorded it with a full band, those sessions didn’t convey the material’s loneliness – so she scrapped them and linked with producer Gabe Wax (Zach Bryan, Soccer Mommy), who helped steer largely solo renditions of the songs. The final arrangements channel the uneasy specificity of gutting tunes like “If Time Does What It’s Supposed To” and “Why’d You Have to Bring Me Flowers.”

But there’s another way Fatal Optimist is quintessentially Diaz: The musician, who was raised in rural Pennsylvania and attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music before becoming a Nashville songwriting fixture, wrote nearly every song on the album with Music City peers, including Tenille Townes, Morgan Nagler (Phoebe Bridgers), and Steph Jones (Sabrina Carpenter).

“At the heart of my heart, I am a songwriter, storyteller person, and I’ve been so fortunate to always have had the most incredible collaborators,” Diaz says. “These friends of mine are constantly pushing themselves, and pushing me to just get better and better.”

Diaz has plenty of experience on the other side of the equation. Concurrent with her rise as an artist, she’s also become an in-demand songwriter, collaborating with artists including Maren Morris and Kesha. “I can be a really good collaborator for other projects,” she says, “because I can see it going in so many different directions – and I like to have someone aim me and say, ‘This is the bullseye. If we can nail this, we’re f–king nailing it.'”

Here, Diaz discusses her winning collaborative moments, from singing backup for Miranda Lambert to bonding on tour with Harry Styles to pitching stars like Morris and Musgraves on her songs.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entertainment

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Smashes Multiple U.K. Chart Records, Earns Biggest Opening Week Since 2017

Published

on

By

Taylor Swift’s record-breaking week continues as she bags No. 1 spots on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart and Official Singles Chart following a gargantuan debut for The Life of a Showgirl (Oct. 10).

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’: All 12 Tracks Ranked

No Doubt pose on the Coachella Stage during the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at Empire Polo Club on April 13, 2024 in Indio, California.

No Doubt Sets Las Vegas Sphere Residency

Luka Doncic on "Hot Ones"

NBA Star Luka Doncic Reveals the Britney Spears Song that Gets Him 'Hyped' on His Pre-Game Playlist

Her 12th studio album nets Swift her 14th No. 1 in the U.K. overall, while lead single “The Fate of Ophelia” earns the superstar her fifth U.K. No. 1 single.

The Life of a Showgirl gives Swift her biggest opening week ever in the U.K. with 423,00 units across physicals, streaming and downloads, surpassing 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department. The Official Charts Company reports that The Life of a Showgirl is the biggest opening week for any artist since Ed Sheeran’s 2017 album Divide (672,000) and is the largest opening week for an international album in the U.K. this century.

The LP is also named the U.K.’s fastest-selling album on vinyl this century, and the biggest one-week vinyl sale since modern Official Chart records began in 1994. On streaming, The Life of a Showgirl has notched up the most U.K. album streams over a course of a week ever. Streaming contributed 84,000 stream-equivalent sales to her total this week, eclipsing both Ed Sheeran’s Divide and her own previous studio album The Tortured Poets Department, both of which managed 79,000.

She also extends her lead with the most No. 1s on the U.K. Albums Charts for an international artist, and now ties for second overall with The Rolling Stones (14). The top spot is also currently a tie between The Beatles and Robbie Williams who both have 15 apiece; the latter playfully blamed Swift for the delay of his upcoming album Britpop, which was due to be released this week.

“The Fate of Ophelia” tops the U.K. Singles Charts, with “Elizabeth Taylor” (No. 2) and “Opalite” (No. 3) following closely behind. Swift adds to her existing four U.K. chart-toppers throughout her career: “Look What You Made Me Do” (2017), “Anti-Hero” (2022), “Is It Over Now?” (2023) and “Fortnight” (2024).

Olivia Dean loses her top spot on both charts after The Art of Loving and its single “Man I Need” earned the British star her maiden No. 1s on either chart. The LP falls two places to No. 3, while “Man I Need” closes at No. 4.

Oasis’ (What’s The Story) Morning Glory ends the week at No. 2 on the Albums Chart, and is joined by Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend (No. 4) and James Morrison’s Fight Another Day (No. 5).

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Kevin Jonas’ Wife Danielle Reveals ‘Traumatic’ Battle With Lyme Disease & Hair Loss: ‘I Just Wanted to Feel Like Myself’

Published

on

By

Danielle Jonas, who is married to Kevin Jonas, has been dealing with some difficult health challenges behind the scenes.

PinkPantheress

PinkPantheress Recruits Zara Larsson, SEVENTEEN, & More for 'Fancy Some More' Mixtape: Stream It Now

Justin Timberlake attends the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 10, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California.

Musicians Who’ve Been Diagnosed With Lyme Disease: Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber & More

Kevin Jonas on 'The School of Greatness.'

Kevin Jonas Recalls ‘Losing Almost All’ of His Money After the Jonas Brothers Broke Up

The TV personality revealed in an interview with Parents published on Thursday (Oct. 9) that she has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, a conclusion she says only came after her doctors originally downplayed what she was going through. “They tried to tell me it was anxiety,” Danielle told the publication.

“Finally, I had a biopsy that showed I actually had Lyme disease,” she continued. “I also had eczema on my scalp, which was likely from the inflammation [caused by Lyme disease]. The hair loss was very traumatic.”

According to Mayo Clinic, Lyme disease is caused by borrelia bacteria, which humans typically contract after a carrier tick bites them. Longterm symptoms include body pains, skin conditions and immune-system issues.

In Danielle’s case, the hair loss caused by her illness was so severe, she got extensions — but they only irritated the eczema on her scalp more. Eczema, or atopic dermatitis, is a skin condition that causes dryness, itchiness and inflammation, according to Mayo.

“I had to go out and do things with Kevin,” Danielle recalled. “I just wanted to feel like myself.”

The Married to Jonas star and Kevin got married in 2009. They share two daughters — 11-year-old Alena, 11 and 8-year-old Valentina.

“They saw everything I went through,” Danielle said of her children, who she says also have eczema. “The main thing I tell them [when their eczema flares up] is, ‘This is going to pass.'”

Lyme disease is quite common in the United States. The CDC estimates that 476,000 people are diagnosed with it each year. Danielle is just one of many public figures who have opened up about their struggles with the illness, including Avril Lavigne, Justin Bieber and Shania Twain.

Earlier this year, Justin Timberlake shared that he’d also been diagnosed with Lyme. “If you’ve experienced this disease or know someone who has — then you’re aware: living with this can be relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure. But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.”

Danielle’s revelation comes as her husband and his brothers/bandmates, Joe and Nick Jonas, are touring in support of their new Jonas Brothers album, Greetings From Your Hometown, which debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. In late September, the band added 18 new dates to the trek, which wraps in December in Brooklyn, N.Y.


Billboard VIP Pass

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Fat Joe Recalls Bruno Mars Snapping on Him Over Question About Puerto Rican Roots: ‘Broke My Heart’

Published

on

By

Fat Joe was excited to meet Bruno Mars at an award show, but he claims their interaction went left when he asked the Grammy-winning artist about his Puerto Rican roots.

During a recent episode of Joe & Jada featuring Hit-Boy and The Alchemist, Fat Joe took the spotlight for a few minutes while recalling the time when Mars allegedly snapped on him.

Joe says he’s a big-time fan of Bruno’s work and he’d been waiting over a decade to meet the “24K Magic” hitmaker. “The guy next to me said, ‘You might not want to do it. He’s a fuck n—a,'” The Bronx native remembered being warned about Mars.

Still, Joey Crack went over to greet Mars, who was with his Silk Sonic collaborator Anderson .Paak.

“I said, ‘Yo, Bruno, what’s up, man?’ ‘Yo, what’s up, Joe?’ [he replied]. He’s with Anderson.Paak. I’m like, ‘Yo, you Puerto Rican?’ He got up,” Joe described, saying Mars appeared to take offense to the comment before things got hostile. “‘The f—k you mean? I’m a real Puerto Rican from Bushwick, Brooklyn! Don’t ever ask me that s–t in your life,'” Joe said Mars told him.

According to PEOPLE, Bruno Mars’ father, Peter Hernandez, is from Brooklyn and is of Jewish and Puerto Rican descent.

Fat Joe said that a frustrated Bruno removed himself from the conversation and went to sit on the other side of the venue at the unspecified awards show.

“Man, broke my heart. I wasn’t challenging him. Like, ‘tell me something. Who’s your father?’ [I asked in] the nicest way… Man, screamed on me. Went to the other room and was mad,” Joe added about the singer/producer he’s never worked professionally with. “Bruno, if you don’t remember it, I forgive you. But you did that, brother.”

Billboard reached out to Bruno Mars’ reps for comment but did not hear back at press time. Watch the full clip of Fat Joe recalling the interaction with Bruno Mars here.

Continue Reading

Trending