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Avery Anna is ready to write a whole new chapter

NEED TO KNOW

• The rising country star is about to headline her Girl of Constant Sorrow Tour

• But first, she's releasing a new duet with Sam Barber

Avery Annahas built a career on turning her fans' heartbreak into songs. But now, on the cusp of aheadlining tourand a new duet with frequent collaboratorSam Barber, the country breakout star is ready to write a whole new chapter.

And this time, she's telling her own story.

"I'm ready to show everybody who I actually am," Anna, 21, tells PEOPLE ahead of the release of her and Barber's new duet, "Fear in God." She adds, laughing, "This new tour is going to be both emotional and catastrophic. That's my new descriptive word of the year."

Certainly, "catastrophic" is a bold word for a singer whose soft voice has long carried the heavy stories of others. In fact, it was those fans who helped form the backbone of her 2025 albumLet Go Letters. However, the music she's working on now might sound a whole lot different.

"The music that I'm doing this year is very Arizona inspired," says Anna, whose recent cover of the classic western song "My Rifle, My Pony and Me" points to the country roots she grew up on. "It's rooted in my family history. There's lots of different sounds and it's definitely more rocking than usual, which is super fun."

Indeed, Anna's cover of theOzzy Osbourneclassic "No More Tears" back in December 2025 raised eyebrows, with many having no clue that the talented artist could go and crush some of the driving song's highest notes.

"Everyone was surprised," admits Anna with a laugh. "This five foot four blonde girl was ripping some Ozzy Osbourne! I am my father's son sometimes. What can I say?"

It's a cover the young vocal powerhouse plans to rock out on during her upcoming Girl of Constant Sorrow Tour — named after Anna's emotional spin last year on the song "Girl of Constant Sorrow."

"Doing that cover lit a fire under me," says Anna, who is set to kick off the much-anticipated headlining tour in Cincinnati on March 12. "It showed me that I can really do whatever I want."

It also showed Anna that she had reached a point in her career — one that began with her viral hit "Narcissist" — where that she could take a chance and name her tour after a song that has played a "big part" in her life.

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"It was a really good way to describe what I've been going through in the past couple of years," says Anna. "Everyone feels sad at some point. Sorrow does not discriminate."

But Anna seems to be happier than ever these days — something that's apparent when she talks about her work with music collaborator Sam Barber.

"Me and Sam are so close," says Anna, who reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart with her "best friend" Barber with their 2025 platinum-certified viral duet "Indigo." "He's one of the closest people in my life. He knows everything about my life, and we've been super good friends for a long time."

Chances are high Barber, 22, will join her for a few special tour dates as well.

"I don't really have to convince him," Anna tells PEOPLE of the "Straight and Narrow" hitmaker. "He's pretty supportive, so he'll be there."

Courtesy Warner Records Nashville

In fact, Anna admits that the two have even had some conversations about becoming a country music duo somewhere down the line.

"We definitely have (talked about that)," Anna says. "It works so well and it's so natural for me and him to write together and just to connect and click. We've written so many songs — I lose track of them. Hopefully in the future there'll be more to come."

And if she needs him, he will be there.

"He cares deeply for people," says Anna of Barber. "He definitely is always there for me."

Read the original article onPeople

Megan Thee Stallion/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

• Megan Thee Stallion says she didn't expect to be in "super comfortable" in her relationship with Klay Thompson

• The rapper credits therapy and self-growth for opening her up to love

• She's balancing romance, fitness and business ventures with a "disciplined" 2026 focus

Megan Thee Stalliondidn't plan on entering her "Lover Girl" era — it found her.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE tied to a new partnership with Dunkin', the three-time Grammy winner, 30, reflected on her relationship with Dallas Mavericks playerKlay Thompson, 36, and admitted she didn't see it coming.

"Well, I don't never want to tell [anybody] to just jump in a relationship just because everybody else got one, and I'm not going to tell you to just jump in a relationship because you have to," says the "HISS" rapper, who' made herred carpet debutwith Thompson on her arm in July 2025. "I didn't even know I was going to be in my relationship, to be honest."

Megan Thee Stallion/Instagram

Instead, Megan explains that love arrived after on time: when she shifted her focus inward and on her self-love and mental health.

"I think that because finally I started being in a better mind space about myself and my life, and I had already been doing a lot of work to heal me," she recalls. "I had been going to therapy, I had a bunch of activities that I started doing for myself; maybe God just opened up that space for me to have somebody that loved me right."

Now, she says, she's experiencing a new kind of ease.

"This is one of the first times that I've ever been just overly comfortable," Megan shares with her signature giggle: "I'm comfy, babe!"

The award-winning rapper-turned-entrepreneur and four-time NBA champion welcomed the world to their relationship at her Inaugural Pete & Thomas Foundation Gala in New York City. When asked about Thompson at the event, Megan spoke to PEOPLE at the time and called him the "nicest person I've ever met in my life."

Megan Thee Stallion/Instagram

Along with letting the hotties into her beautifully fllourishing relationship with Thompson, Megan has been vocal about her wellness journey, which also led to her partnership with Dunkin' for the launch of its new Protein Milk and Protein Refreshers, including her customMango Protein Refresher.

"To be honest, when I started my health and fitness journey, I just dove in," she says. "I didn't really know too much about the health side of working out, the nutrition side of it. So once I started figuring out, okay, girl, if you really want to see some results, some differences in your body when you're trying to get toned and all that good stuff, you need to be eating and drinking some protein."

View this post on Instagram

That mindset made teaming up with Dunkin' feel natural. She went on to say that once she started incorporating protein into daily fitness routine, she felt more confident to "tell the people a little bit about protein," calling the partnership "an easy layup."

Protein, she says, has been essential to staying energized for long days in both the studio and the gym — something she and Thompson reportedly bond over. The couple have been spotted working out together, and Megan has embraced what she calls her "gym and the studio" routine.

"I'll be in the gym and the studio, the gym and the studio," she says of her 2026 focus.

Still, Megan is clear that, unlike her many business ventures, including opening aPopeyes location in Miamiand lauching a tequila brand,Chicas Divertidas, love shouldn't be chased.

"I think people got to stop trying to be in love and trying to chase love," muses the star. "They just got to let it come to them. When it's meant for you, it's going to happen. God does not give you nothing that is not meant for you."

As she balances romance, business deals and new music on the way — "I'm definitely completing act three and the music is dropping this year," she teases, following her 2024 self-titled album and 2025'sHISS— Megan is entering 2026 with a simple mantra: "Disciplined."

Read the original article onPeople

Don't you sweat it Swifties,Taylor Swifthas released two extended versions of her "Opalite" music video.

Each clip runs just over 9 minutes and is available exclusively on Apple Music, Spotify Premium, Tidal and Amazon Music — but not YouTube, echoing her original rollout strategy when thevideo debutedon paid platforms Feb. 6 before arriving on YouTube two days later.

Both extended clips start with the full '90s-riddled video before unfolding into different behind-the-scenes cuts that reveal how the concept was born and how meticulously it was executed.

All the clues we found:Taylor Swift packs 'Opalite' with Easter eggs.

The music video is a 1993 throwback that reunited Swift's full couch lineup from "The Graham Norton Show": Domhnall Gleeson, Cillian Murphy, Jodie Turner-Smith, Greta Lee, Lewis Capaldi and Norton himself.

Swift posted to Xthat she released the two videos because she "never wants to forget a single detail of this hysterical shoot."

'Opalite' extended version 1

In the first behind-the-scenes version, Swift says, "For like a year, I was like what would I do for the 'Opalite' video?" Then in a montage of sound bites, it's revealed the idea was spawned when Gleeson said he hoped to be in aTaylor Swiftmusic video.

Within a week, she emailed the actors a full script casting them as various roles. On set, Swift used a video camera to capture footage. She blows a kiss to the camera before heading into a rehearsal with choreographer Mandy Moore, who came up with the dance moves for the Eras Tour and also Swift's"The Fate of Ophelia"music video.

Swift admits she didn't tell Gleeson about the disco dance competition in advance, saving it for an "in person" conversation.

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When Gleeson asks whether their characters end as friends, Swift clarifies: "No, I definitely think we're in love but we're best friends in love."

'Opalite' extended version 2

The second extended cut opens with Swift describing a day filming at the mall with Capaldi, who jokes about being "destined" to be behind the camera. Highlights include: Turner-Smith's aerobics sequence, Norton praising how closely the shoot followed Swift's detailed treatment, Swift explaining she wrote the shot list and chose every frame, Greta Lee performing as an indie rocker, and Swift clapping after a take and excitedly saying, "That's the one."

Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto reflects on his evolving creative partnership with Swift, praising the superstar's ideas and precision. Swift hides a camera inside a bag, calling it the "fanny pack angle," while next to Rodrigo. As she emphatically says, "Hi, Rodrigo," he smiles and she says, "He's so sick of my s***."

Four 'Opalite' remixes released

The video extensions aren't the only Swift move to come Feb. 13.

The singer-songwriter also released multiple remixes of track 3 from "The Life of a Showgirl" featuring collaborations from Chris Lake, BUNT., Skream and Ely Oaks. Her siteTaylorSwift.comis selling four CD variants for $2.99 each.

It's a familiar strategy in her release playbook: extend the life cycle of a song through staggered drops, alternate versions and collectible physical editions.

Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for thefree, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.

Follow Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West onInstagram,TikTokandX as @BryanWestTV.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean:Taylor Swift 'Opalite' extended video not on YouTube. How to watch

PARIS (AP) — The health of Iran's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi is worsening, in part because of a beating she endured during her arrest two months ago, her husband told The Associated Press on Friday.

Speaking at his home in Paris, Taghi Rahmani said he has not been able to speak with his wife since she wasarrested on Dec. 12during a visit to the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad. She was allowed a single brief phone call to her brother and has only spoken to her lawyer once — after she was handed a new prison sentence earlier this week, he said.

Mohammadi was arrested several weeks before nationwide protests began to spread around Iran, culminating in marches by hundreds of thousands on Jan. 8 to Jan. 9, until they were crushed by a heavy government crackdown. Rights groups have so far countedmore than 7,000 deadand say the true number is likely far higher; the government has put the toll at more than 3,100 dead.

The 53-year-oldMohammadistarted a hunger strike in prison on Feb. 2, and several days later a court sentenced her tomore than seven additional years in prison, her lawyer in Iran posted on X over the weekend. Authorities did not immediately acknowledge the sentence. She was already serving a sentence of 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Iran's government, but had been released onfurlough since late 2024 over medical concerns.

It was not clear if Mohammadi has ended her hunger strike since her sentencing, her husband said.

Rahmani, who has lived in exile since 2012, said he last spoke to his wife, who lives in Tehran, the night before she left for Mashhad. She was attending a memorial there for a human rights lawyer who had died the previous week under unclear circumstances. At the memorial, plainclothes members of the security forces began to assault Mohammadi before she had finished her speech, according to her husband.

He said multiple men hit and kicked her in her side, head and neck.

Details of her deteriorating condition have come from released detainees who had been held alongside Mohammadi in Mashhad, Rahmani said.

"Collectively this information shows her physical condition is very severe because of the hits she got, her bruised body," he said, adding that her heart condition had worsened.

Mohammadi suffered multiple heart attacks while imprisoned before undergoing emergency surgery in 2022, her supporters say. Her lawyer in late 2024 revealed doctors found a bone lesion they feared could be cancerous, which later was removed.

"Our main concern about Narges is her illnesses," Rahmani said. He said three of her four coronary arteries are constricted and she has pulmonary problems. "These illnesses she has gotten from being in prison. When she is in prison it isn't possible to take care of her health," he said.

The Nobel committee condemned the "ongoing life-threatening mistreatment" of Mohammadi, in a statement issued Wednesday.

Sentenced without a lawyer

Mohammadi, a human rights activist, has been imprisoned multiple times over her vocal criticisms of Iran's theocratic rule. She was awarded the Nobel in 2023 while in prison. Even during her medical furlough, she kept up her activism with public protests and international media appearances, including demonstrating in front of Tehran's notorious Evin prison, where she had been held.

Mohammadi's new sentence was handed down Saturday by a Revolutionary Court in Mashhad, her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, said on X. Such courts typically issue verdicts with little or no opportunity for defendants to contest their charges.

Nili was not allowed to attend the court sentencing, but Mohammadi was able to contact him afterward — her first contact with her lawyer since her arrest, Rahmani said.

"In the court, she didn't defend herself because she has the belief that the Islamic Republic's court has made its ruling already, from before, and 100% this verdict will be confirmed," he said.

"We want Narges' release," he said. "A human rights activist – a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize – whom they have arrested has no permission for access to a lawyer."

"A flagrant crime"

A writer, Rahmani was a political prisoner in Iran multiple times himself, for a total of more than 14 years. Abuses during his imprisonment caused him to lose much of his hearing.

Rahmani said conditions for political prisoners in Iran have continued to deteriorate amid the suppression of the latest protests. The crackdown is the deadliest since the Islamic Republic was created in 1979. The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has put the number of arrests at more than 50,000. The AP has been unable to verify that figure.

"In these 47 years, the Islamic Republic hadn't killed people to this extent. This is a flagrant crime. People very clearly want to put the Islamic Republic behind them," Rahmani said. "They want a republic, they want democracy."

U.S. President Donald Trump has moved an aircraft carrier andother military assetsto the Persian Gulf and suggested the U.S. could attack Iranover the killing of peaceful demonstratorsor if Tehran launches mass executions over the protests. Asecond American aircraft carrieris on its way to the Mideast. Trump has also opened negotiations with Iran.

Rahmani said he opposed any attack by an outside country on Iran and said he doesn't believe Trump wants to help protesters.

"Donald Trump won't bring democracy for us. Donald Trump is after a series of issues he wants to get to — like the nuclear issue, like the missile issue, and then Israel," he said. Israel and the U.S. both struck Iran heavily during last year's 12-day war.

"For this reason, in my opinion, they are not credible as far as democracy for Iran goes," he said.

He said he believed any political transition to democracy must come from within the country.

"We want Iran to be a free country, with a democracy, and that we can ourselves return to our own country. Every person loves the land where he or she was born, and tries to help it blossom," he said.

Radjy reported from Cairo.

The Pentagon is sending a second aircraft carrier group – theUSS Gerald Ford– to the Middle East, according to a senior administration official and three sources familiar with the matter, a move that puts pressure on Iran even as President Donald Trump has said talks with Tehran will continue.

Trump told reporters Friday he's dispatching the second carrier group in case he is unable to reach a diplomatic agreement.

"In case we don't make a deal, we'll need it," he said, later adding the ships would depart if diplomacy is successful.

The Ford carrier strike group – the US' most advanced – has been positioned in the Caribbean Sea for several months amid Trump's campaign in Venezuela, which has included strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and culminated in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

It will now join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East region, expanding Trump's options for a potential strike on Iran. The move was first reported by theNew York Times.

The change comes even as Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a White House visit on Wednesday heintendsto keep pursuing a deal with Iran.

"They want to make a deal, as they should want to make a deal," Trump said last week. "They know the consequences if they don't. If they don't make a deal, the consequences are very steep. So we'll see what happens."

Trump said Thursday that he hopes to get a deal with Iran "over the next month."

But the president has not ruled out ordering new strikes and has ordered a buildup of assets that would allow for a major US air campaign against Iran's nuclear and missile assets. Aside from the USS Abraham Lincoln, several US warships have been positioned in the region, comprising what Trump has referred to as a "flotilla."

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The USS Abraham Lincolnarrived in the Indian Oceanlast month, putting it closer to assist in any potential US operations targeting Iran.

Days later, the Lincoln carrier was transiting the Arabian Sea about 500 miles from Iran's southern coast when itshot down an Iranian drone.

Meanwhile, delegations from the US and Iranmet earlier this monthin Oman for the first round of negotiations since the US and Israel struck Iran last summer. The talks came after Trumpheld off on strikesagainst Iran after seriously considering military action in response to the country's brutal crackdown on protesters.

After completing talks, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushnervisited the Lincoln carrier.

A spokesperson for US Southern Command, which oversees the military's operations in the Western Hemisphere, told CNN the change in force posture won't diminish the US' capabilities in the Caribbean.

"While force posture evolves, our operational capability does not. SOUTHCOM forces remain fully ready to project power, defend themselves, and protect U.S. interests in the region. At the direction of the President and the Secretary of War, we continue mission-focused operations to counter illicit activities and malign actors in the Western Hemisphere."

CNN has also reached out to the US Central Command, whose purview includes military operations in the Middle East.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

CNN's Natasha Bertrand, Zachary Cohen and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.

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