• Madonna, Janet Jackson vs Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj; Two Women-Dominated Hot 100s 25 Years apart

    This week during 1990 marked a new high for female musicians everywhere, as all five of the top songs on the Hot 100 were performed by women. That sounds impressive but female performers have been getting their due even more so in recent years: During 2014, the Top 5 of the Hot 100 was held down by women for seven consecutive weeks. Music Times figured it'd be fun to compare the hits of yesteryear to today, having the Top 5 from this week during 1990 face off with September of 2014...Madonna, Taylor Swift, Janet Jackson, Nicki Minaj and more.
  • Sinead O'Connor Defends 'Do They Know It's Christmas?," Tells Critics to 'Shut the F--k Up'

    Last week, on Nov. 17, the latest version of Band Aid's classic charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was released online to raise money for the Ebola crisis in West Africa, and though it went straight to the top of the U.K. charts and is supporting an undoubtedly good cause, the song has been the subject of plenty of criticism, particularly for its lyrics.According to two British newspapers, Emeli Sandé, who actually appears on the latest version, said the lyrics need "changing," while Lily Allen called the song "a bit smug" and said she would prefer "donating actual money."One artist who is vigorously defending the song, however, is the famously outspoken Sinead O'Connor, who also appears on the song."I think everyone should shut the f--k up," O'Connor told "Broadsheet," via "Billboard." "If you didn't like the lyrics you shouldn't have agreed to sing the song. I think it's smug of Lily Allen to say it's smug."
  • Sinead O'Connor Promises Memoir on Marriages, Music Career Will Include 'Sexual Dirt'; Fans Turned Off by Subject Matter

    What do you do when you are a popular singer who likes to stir up controversy and fly in the face of established rules? Well, if you are Sinead O'Connor, you decide to channel your energy and candor into a tell-all memoir. Penguin Random House imprint Blue Rider Press announced Tuesday, Oct. 7, that the Irish rocker has inked a book deal that will include "sexual dirt" stemming from four marriages and 25 years in the music industry — and fans are not happy about that.