Olivia Rodrigo splits with manager just weeks before kicking off her debut tour
OLIVIA Rodrigo is among the biggest acts on the planet right now having seemingly shot to fame overnight.
But the dream has turned slightly sour for the former Disney star.
I can reveal the good 4 u singer has split with her manager Kristen Smith just weeks before kicking off her debut tour.
Her decision means she faces the possibility of having to embark on an international schedule without a full-time team behind her.
A music source told me: “Kristen helped make Olivia an international superstar.
But in such a high-pressure environment cracks started to emerge.
“It’s never a good time to switch up management but for it to happen so close to a tour is a particular headache.
“Olivia has been super-professional, though, and is focused on recording new music and her upcoming rehearsals.
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“The team at her label Interscope are making sure things stay on track.
“She’s now actively looking for new management and is weighing up all her options.”
Olivia is due to kick off her debut tour on April 5 in is playing a number of shows across the UK, including two sold-out shows at London’s Hammersmith Apollo in July.
Before setting off, insiders tell me she will release a Deluxe Edition of her No1 album Sour.
A second insider said: “No exact date has been set for the release except that it will be before she hits the road.
“There will be a number of new tracks, including at least one collaboration.”
At just 18, Olivia has shattered countless records.
Her hit Drivers License has been streamed 17million times in a single day on Spotify alone.
The track also became the biggest-selling debut No1 in half a decade.
Insisting she never thought the single would make such an impact, Olivia previously said: “It’s quite insane. Drivers License is my first single. I didn’t really expect it to chart or do anything. I was just so happy with it.
“So the fact that it was No1 in the world is absolutely mind-blowing. I can’t believe any of it.”
Tomorrow, she has the chance to add another accolade to her name after being nominated for International Artist at this year’s Brit Awards.
She is up against Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat and her idol Taylor Swift.
I have no doubt with such an impressive track record so early into her career, Olivia is set for a bumper 12 months — regardless of who ends up managing her behind the scenes.
Nicki frilled to be back
NICKI Minaj is celebrating a return to the charts by bringing back some of her kooky outfits.
The rapper, who released new single Do We Have a Problem? with Lil Baby, mixed high boots with a see-through mini dress.
Living up to her Barbie nickname, Nicki, in cool shades, completed the look by rocking a statement frilly pink layered coat.
But she told James Corden on The Late Late Show that her mansion has now been taken over by her one-year-old son’s toys.
Nicki said: “I had a beautiful, peaceful, fly, elegant master bedroom. Now on the side of my bedroom there are like, I don’t know, it’s like he has his own apartment in my bedroom. He does what he wants and gets on everybody’s nerves all day, all night.
“He doesn’t let us sleep and just walks around bossing us around all day. That’s the vibe of my house.”
Take it from me Nicki, if you think it’s bad now, wait until he’s old enough to answer back and wants money – then you really will have a problem.
Hots spot for Gaga return
LADY Gaga is planning her biggest-ever UK show after four years away.
I can reveal that the US superstar is due to arrive this summer for a huge gig at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London, as one of the first acts to perform at the venue, which opened in 2019.
She is gearing up to announce the concert in the coming days.
Demand is expected to be so high that her team are already considering adding a second night at the venue.
With a capacity of 62,850, it is more than three times the size of the O2 Arena.
A source said: “Lady Gaga hasn’t performed in the UK for ages, so it will be huge for her fans to see her on British soil again. She was supposed to headline the venue in 2020 but it was axed due to Covid, so everyone will be pleased to hear it is finally happening.
“It has been such an incredible few years for Gaga’s career that a second date is on the cards too.”
She has had critical acclaim for her 2018 film A Star Is Born and last year’s House Of Gucci, for which she received a Bafta nomination last week for the Leading Actress award.
Gaga also topped the charts in 2020 with her album Chromatica.
Her last headline tour arrived in the UK in 2018 but she only managed two dates in Birmingham before having to cancel the remainder due to “severe pain”.
In fact, she hasn’t played a solo headline show in London since way back in 2014.
With live music finally happening again, this summer is shaping up to be a great one.
Savage hit
DARREN Hayes has sold more than 30million albums during his career – but ruled out making songs again after 2011’s Secret Codes And Battleships.
The former Savage Garden singer said he became jaded by the industry and fled London for a quieter life in LA, before deciding to return a decade later.
Darren, who released comeback track Let’s Try Being In Love last month, told me: “The industry was changing so much and I think I was in danger of becoming cynical.
“When I went to LA thinking I wasn’t going to make music any more, I felt I would just quietly disappear.
“I studied improv, comedy, engineering and I wrote a musical. I did all these other things that fed my soul and my return to music was doing things I’ve never done.
“This is the first era where I have written, produced, programmed, arranged, directed and styled everything. There’s no other reason to come back other than to be challenged and to say things my way.”
Adele of a profit
IT appears Adele wanted to share the love with staff after raking in a profit of more than £81million from her world tour in 2016 and 2017.
Newly released figures from her now-closed Remedy Touring LLP company reveal she forked out £50,000 as a bonus to staff who worked on the hugely lucrative run of gigs.
But while the amount may seem generous, it’s believed around 100 people worked on the concerts in Europe, America and Australia – meaning each got around just £500.
A source said: “Given Adele made millions from her world tour, giving the staff such a small amount as a bonus seems a bit tight.”
Back with a bite
are back with their first album in six years.
Anthony Kiedis, John Frusciante, Chad Smith and Flea will release the band’s 12th record, Unlimited Love, on April 1.
Their last, The Getaway, peaked at No2 in the UK in 2016.
The group said in a statement: “Our only goal is to get lost in the music.
"We spent thousands of hours, collectively and individually, honing our craft and showing up for one another, to make the best album we could.
"Our antennae attuned to the divine cosmos, we were just so damn grateful for the opportunity to be in a room together, and, once again, try to get better.
“We work, focus, and prepare, so that when the biggest wave comes, we are ready to ride it.”
Madonna wears the trousers
WORKING on a number of projects all at once meant Madonna needed to take a minute and sit down.
She sprawled herself on a velvet sofa after a long day at work – in bold Louis Vuitton trousers of course.
Madge is currently juggling her time between writing a long-awaited biopic and producing a remix album.
Over the past few weeks she has been teasing fans with clips from the studio, insisting new tracks are on the way.
The singer is keen to reinvent her most famous songs after 1998 single Frozen went viral on TikTok last year thanks to a remix by little-known DJ Sidekick.
Meanwhile, Madonna is thought to still be on the hunt for someone to play her in the film about her life, which she insists must be called a “visual autobiography”.
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She recently uploaded a pic of herself with what appeared to be the completed script while on the toilet.
After this wait, let’s hope it doesn’t end up down the pan.