Erika Berlin

Morgan Wallen Racial Slur

Erika Berlin

Deputy Editor

Erika Berlin has spent her career covering music, entertainment, and pop culture; history and related trivia; and the marketing and advertising industries. She is a contributing editor at Ad Age and has been a staff editor at Mental Floss, Rolling Stone, and Cosmopolitan. Her work has appeared in Smithsonian, Entertainment Weekly, Refinery29, Us Weekly, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Her forthcoming book, The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge: The Official Guide to All the Books, will be out October 2024.

Latest from this author

Don McLean on His Love of American Music and One of His Lesser-Known Musical Heroes (Hint: It's Not Buddy Holly!)

More than five decades after his masterwork, "American Pie," McLean is eulogizing the "American Boys" who "invented rock and roll" on his new album of the same name.
Listen Now: A Memorial Day Playlist

Whatever your plans are for the weekend, take a moment to thank a veteran or a military family for their service and sacrifice, and honor the memory of those men and women no longer with us.
'Bette Davis Eyes' Gets an EDM-Lite Reboot, Courtesy of Its Original Grammy-Winning Producer

The song "Bette Davis Eyes'' ruled the airwaves and awards circuit in 1981, but the song itself is actually turning 50 this year. And what better time, its original producer thought, than now for a refresh?
Pitbull Loves That His ‘Timeless’ Hit ‘Give Me Everything’ Soundtracked the Infamous ‘Bridgerton’ Carriage Scene

As Netflix's official Instagram account said, "omg lord pitbull is officially part of the ton!!!"
7 Sibling Bands That Kept It All in the Family

If siblings are your first playmates, they might as well be your first bandmates too! If siblings are your first playmates, they might as well be your first bandmates too! Musicians have been creating bands with their siblings for ages, from the swinging Andrews Sisters of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" fame to the original boy band, the Jackson 5.
Billy Idol Once Stole the Unpublished Masters of 'Rebel Yell' and Gave Them to His Heroin Dealer to Bootleg

Billy Idol confirmed a 40-year-old story that not only did he steal the master tapes to his sophomore Rebel Yell album, he also threatened to have them bootlegged if his record label didn't start listening to him.
K-pop Group CIX Thrills American Fans at New York City Performance

Though the band displayed much of the precision and discipline that sets K-pop bands apart in the world of song-and-dance crews, CIX members BX, Seunghun, Bae Jinyoung, Yonghee, and Hyunsuk sweetly showed their human side too.
Tori Kelly Is the First Artist to Contribute an Original Song to 'Bridgerton' Soundtrack

Dearest readers, the esteemed members of the Ton have made quite an exciting announcement: The third season of Bridgerton will debut its first-ever original song.
5 Musical Mamas Whose Children Joined Them On Tour

Being a working mom can be tough, but when your job involves concerts that begin at bedtime and constant traveling for tours, it can be hard to fit in those mother and child reunions.
Kate Hudson Covers 'Voices Carry,' Says She Wants to Play Stevie Nicks in a Biopic While Promoting Debut Album

Kate Hudson stopped by The Howard Stern Show to promote her upcoming debut album, Glorious, which she'll release on May 17.
Dua Lipa's New Album 'Radical Optimism' Plunges Ahead, Slowly Inches Her Off the Dancefloor

It's a small step off the dancefloor -- a toe in the adjacent infinity pool, if you will. Dua Lipa is the kind of pop star who can subtly slip into a new era and a new sound without rolling out a whole new persona.
Listen Now: A Derby Day Playlist for Your Kentucky Derby Watch Party

Our editors have curated a Derby Day Playlist with enough horsepower to keep your watch party poppin' from the starting gate to the finish line.
Cher Makes Another Classic Quip about Men, Says All the Ones Her Age Are 'Dead'

There's a good reason Cher dates younger men, she told Jennifer Hudson. Cher is certainly getting her flowers this year. The megastar received the Icon Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards in April, and it was recently revealed that she will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October.
Vanessa Williams' New Single ‘Legs (Keep Dancing)’ Is an Ageless Bop

Surprise, surprise: The former Miss America looks stunning, and proves she can keep up with a bevy of dancers who are easily half her age.
Zendaya Won’t Rule Out New Music, But At the Moment She's Booked and Busy

"I love music, and it's something that's been special to me," Zendaya told 'The Jennifer Hudson Show' host.
Pearl Jam's Matt Cameron Recalls the Time He Met KISS as a Teen — And The Band Sent Him a Cease-and-Desist Letter

Pearl Jam's Matt Cameron has had an enviable career as a drummer, but his earliest brush with fame wasn't the kind most aspiring musicians dream of.
Matty Healy Finally Reacts to Taylor Swift's 'TTPD' Songs About Him, Their Relationship

A paparazzi caught up with Healy on the street and asked how he would "rate your Taylor diss-track compared to the 30 others."
Beyoncé Surprises Toddler Fan with a Toy and Flowers After He Insists They're Friends in Viral Video

Thanks to the power of global social media, a Filipino 2-year-old can proudly show off his gifts from Queen Bey herself.
Billie Eilish Unveiled as Latest ‘Fortnite’ Festival Artist Skin

Called the "Green Roots Billie Outfit," players can upgrade to a premium reward in order to unlock festival passes and the Billie skin.
6 Spot-On Biopic Casting Choices, And 1 Whose Vibes Were Just Off

Here's a look at some biopic castings that really nailed the vibe of the original artist -- and one that really missed the mark.
Jeezy Talks New Documentary 'Hip-Hop and the White House' at New York Premiere

Hip-hop came out in force on Thursday night for the New York premiere of "Hip-Hop and the White House," a new documentary examining the 50-year relationship between the cultural movement and the office of the president.
Taylor Swift Talks Inspiration and Meaning Behind Her New 'The Tortured Poets Department' Songs, and Unveils Surprise Double Album!

"It's a very fatalistic album," Swift declared at the beginning of the complete album playthrough.
Remembering Designer Roberto Cavalli and His Impact On Tour and Red Carpet Fashion

Cavalli's maximalist, bold style lent itself perfectly to staging and tour costumes, and he was a favorite of artists like Madonna, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift.
O.J. Simpson's Terrible Rap Song and Video 'Get Juiced' Resurfaces After His Death

For nearly any other aging celebrity, "Get Juiced" could have been a fun addendum to a long career in the spotlight. But from Simpson, it felt like another ill-advised and inappropriate play for attention.
'Petty' Pals? Why Taylor Swift's Besties Are Causing Her Stress

Swift's two longtime besties, Selena Gomez and Blake Lively, reportedly refuse to be in the same room together and will skip events to avoid running into each other.
Is Nashville's Lower Broadway the New Sunset Strip?

The Sunset Strip is still synonymous within music lore as a haven for bad behavior. Now, the strip of bars seemingly on its way to getting that level of attention is Nashville's Lower Broadway.
Listen Now: 'A Solar Eclipse of the Heart' Playlist

To fully enjoy this cosmic event, the editors at Music Times have curated a playlist of 48 astronomically appropriate tunes.
Why Isn't the Music Industry Loudly Condemning Sean 'Diddy' Combs?

With all of the headlines following the Homeland Security raid on two of Sean "Diddy" Combs' homes in March, it's not lost on fans that the music industry's response has seemed, well, muted.
What Is Interpolation and How Did Beyoncé Use It Throughout ‘Cowboy Carter’?

Interpolations are a whole different rodeo than sampling, as it were. Beyoncé's highly anticipated Cowboy Carter album is officially here, and while the internet has been abuzz for weeks regarding its various promotions, rumored collaborators, and released visuals.
Shakira Reveals 'Tour of a Lifetime' Plans in Support of New Album

Shakira told "The Latin Times" that plans are still in the works, but that a "tour of a lifetime" will start later this year for her comeback album " Las Mujeres ya no Lloren."

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