Blog Posts by Grace Stanisci

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Later this year, Riverside, Calif., rapper/singer/songwriter T. Mills will make his major label debut with Columbia Records. Now more than ever, the musician says that he is intent on making the “best songs” he can.

“I feel like [in the past] I was writing songs just to see if I could write a song and try to put it out,” Mills told Yahoo! Canada Music. “Now, I want to write the best song that I can and I want it to be able to reach as many people as possible.”

Mills (whose real name is Travis Tatum Mills) has been working on his upcoming record with producers like James Fauntleroy and Malay, who worked with Frank Ocean on his Grammy Award-winning album “Channel Orange.” In March, Mills premiered his latest single “Loud,” which at press time boasts over 71,450 plays on SoundCloud and has more than 364,000 views on YouTube.

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Late on May 1, Chris Kelly (also known as Kris Kross’s “Mac Daddy”) was pronounced dead at the Atlanta Medical Center after suffering what authorities believe to be “a possible drug overdose” at the age of 34.

Kelly recently reunited with his rapping counterpart Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith at So So Def Recordings’ 20th anniversary concert in Atlanta on Feb. 23. Together, the two performed tunes like “Warm It Up," “Live and Die for Hip Hop," and their 1992 smash hit “Jump.”

In a January interview with Yahoo! Music's Billy Johnson, Jr., the rapper revealed that since his Kris Kross days, he’s gone to school for music engineering, continues to wear his pants backwards, and is a fan of LL Cool J.

“That’s one of my favourite rappers of all time,” he said. “That should explain it right there.”

After hearing of Kelly’s passing, LL Cool J reached out on Twitter, extending his condolences and dedicating the song “Jump On It” off his new

The Band Perry members Neil, Kimberly, and Reid Perry. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

In April, Country music trio The Band Perry debuted at No. 1 with their second record “Pioneer,” and they recently revealed to Yahoo! Canada Music that in 2014, they plan to head to the Great White North to share the album with us.

The band (consisting of siblings Kimberly, Reid and Neil Perry) said that while this year they are joining Rascal Flatts on their “Live & Loud” tour, we can expect them to come visit us next year when they embark on their headlining tour.

“We’re already in the planning phases for 2014 because that year, we’re going to begin headlining,” Kimberly explained. “Actually, Canada is one of the first stops on the tour. So, we’re going to do a handful of dates up there and get everything broken in. [We] cannot wait to come up and spend some time with you guys.”

“Canadian fans are very exciting to play for,” Neil added. “They sing along, they dance, they clap and they are a really energetic crowd.”

Iconic country music singer/songwriter Willie Nelson celebrated his 80th birthday this week (although, on which day exactly is still a mystery) and showcased his acting skills by “auditioning” for the role of Gandalf the wizard in “The Hobbit 2.”

The audition reel was orchestrated by the team at TBS's “Conan” and features some of Gandalf’s most memorable lines, which were tweaked to reflect certain aspects of the Nelson's persona.

Instead of saying the phrase “You shall not pass” (which Gandalf declares during a pivotal scene in 2001’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”), Nelson says in the clip, “You shall not pass an unlit joint, man. That's just not cool."

Later in the

Lights/Instagram

On April 30, Canadian electronic artist Lights releases her latest album “Siberia Acoustic.” Creating a new experience for the listener, the album features 10 stripped-down versions of tracks off her 2011 certified gold record “Siberia.”

To celebrate the album's debut, the singer/songwriter revealed to Yahoo! Canada Music a few song secrets found on the album and what she’s planning for her upcoming tour.

“If you don’t like electronic, you might like this,” Lights said of the acoustic album. “It’s going to reach a person it may not have reached before. My goal, when I was a kid and started to make music, was I just wanted to reach lots of people with my songs. So, it’s just another way to put it out there for people to absorb and it changes it and changes its face.”

The Juno Award-winner says that most of “Siberia Acoustic” was recorded while she was relaxed, sitting on the floor, leaning up against a wall and exhausted from touring. However, it’s times like these that Lights believes the magic happened.

The adorable duo of Sophia Grace and Rosie appeared on the April 29 episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and treated the audience to a surprise cover of Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ No. 1 hit “Thrift Shop.”

The performance was full of the pair’s signature “princess swagger” and featured verses written by Sophia Grace’s father Dominic Brownlee, which sounded much more child-friendly than the original’s lyrics.

Last week, Mitch Winehouse (father of the late English singer Amy Winehouse who died in 2011 from accidental alcohol poisoning) revealed that he wasn’t fond of Beyoncé and André 3000’s rendition of his daughter’s song “Back to Black.”

“I don’t think she brings anything to it,” he told the Daily Mail. “They have got to pay for the privilege, which is what they are doing. I can’t tell you how much it is but it’s a lot of money.”

He also tweeted on April 27:

Mark Ronson, who produced and co-wrote the original version of “Back to Black” and premiered the cover on April 26 on his EastVillageRadio show, had only nice things to say about it.

"It’s a wonderful sort of take on our song," he told the magazine. "I’m flattered and honoured. I know Amy would be too."

However, it looks like fans are agreeing with Winehouse's father. Twitter has erupted with

Canadian pop/punk princess Avril Lavigne treated 250 fans to a surprise show at L.A.'s Viper Room on April 25, and the singer waxed nostalgic before performing a new song titled “17.”

“I’m getting flashbacks,” 28-year-old Lavigne said on stage. “I remember playing this stage when I was 17 and wearing a necktie.” She then set up the new track by saying, “I wrote this song about, duh, being 17. That’s pretty much it … and I hope I remember all the words.”