The 5 biggest music news stories of this week

From Solange’s new role in academia to the untimely loss of an icon, this is what The FADER editors are talking about.

The shock of losing D’angelo

On Wednesday it was announced that D’Angelo had passed away at 51. The visionary R&B and soul singer had cancer, his family shared in a statement confirming the sad news in which they paid tribute to his legacy and asked fans to celebrate “the gift of song that he has left for the world.”

More tributes soon followed including one from Beyoncé, who spoke of D’Angelo as being “the pioneer of neo-soul and that changed and transformed rhythm & blues forever.” Lauryn Hill, meanwhile, thanked him for “being a beacon of light to a generation and beyond who had no remembrance of the legacy that preceded us.”

Revisit The FADER’s 2000 D’Angelo cover story and see unreleased photos from the cover shoot now.

Britney Spears responding to outlandish claims by her ex-husband

Britney Spears used Instagram this week to refute claims made by Kevin Federline, to whom she was married between 2004-2006, that she was a danger to herself and others. In her statement, Spears claimed Federline was motivated by money and drumming up sales for his new book, You Thought You Knew. “Trust me, those white lies in that book, they are going straight to the bank and I am the only one who genuinely gets hurt here,” said Spears.

Solange announcing a new and unexpected job

The University of California announced news this week of its latest addition to the faculty and it was a special one. Solange Knowles will take up her position as the Thornton School of Music’s first scholar in residence, a three year position that will see her teach a course, host student workshops, and help develop program offerings in music curation. Solange will teach her course, titled Records of Discovery: Methodologies for Music and Cultural Curatorial Practices, in collaboration with her creative agency, Saint Heron.

Taylor Swift confirming the last gasp of the Eras tour

The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift’s $2 billion grossing world tour, technically came to an end in 2024. However, it was confirmed this week that Swifties will be able to relive the whole thing in the form of a six-part docuseries and accompanying live film. The End of an Era will be available on Disney+ in December with a recording of the final date of the Eras tour at at BC Place in Vancouver also arriving on the platform on the same day.

Spotify moving further into the A.I. business

Spotify revealed on Thursday that that it has made “significant investments in A.I. research and product development.” These will include a “generative A.I. research lab” and “artist-first A.I. music products” made in partnership with all three major label groups. Spotify did not reveal specifics of the new A.I. ventures but claimed they “will put artists and songwriters first” and allow musicians to choose whether or not they want to participate.