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16 Jan 2025

Meet the Shy ‘Hopecore’ Artist Kai Cenat Calls ‘A GOAT’

When Evan Lo walked onto an in-progress livestream by Kai Cenat, the Twitch juggernaut with some 15.8 million followers, and his influencer pal Fanum on Nov. 16, 2024, they received the guitar-wielding stranger with a friendly, split-second greeting. But when he began strumming the vibey opening chords of his viral track “Swimming,” the streamers halted. A look of starstruck bliss crossed Fanum’s face, while Cenat — after a quick online search to confirm his guest’s identity — began screaming: “Oh, my gosh! It’s him! Yo, you a GOAT!”

Flawed Mangoes photographed December 5, 2024 in New York.

Flawed Mangoes photographed December 5, 2024 in New York.

Justin J Wee

The GOAT in question is better known as Flawed Mangoes, a Boston-based musician whose gently expressive guitar work and mesmerizing, ambient loops have soundtracked a slew of content creators’ motivational speeches and uplifting memes. Dubbed “hopecore,” this positivity-focused music has gained traction as a tonic to social media’s often toxic offerings — and based on his comment sections, Flawed Mangoes has helped many a bro tap into their sensitive side. Sure enough, before Lo left the livestream, he played that comfort-food instrumental while another guest, the Chicago rapper G Herbo, gave an inspirational speech — and Herbo’s young son was left wiping away tears.

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“It was so chaotic,” Lo says, chuckling. “Like, ‘Am I overwhelming this kid right now?’ But watching the video [later], it was a wholesome thing … It’s very surreal to think that people are actually having significant moments [with my music].”

Flawed Mangoes photographed December 5, 2024 in New York.

Flawed Mangoes photographed December 5, 2024 in New York.

Justin J Wee

Flawed Mangoes photographed December 5, 2024 in New York.

Justin J Wee

This digital cover story is part of Billboard’s Genre Now package, highlighting the artists pushing their musical genres forward — and even creating their own new ones.

Despite being a naturally “introverted, shy person,” the thoughtful, easy-going Lo is quietly embracing his status as hopecore’s de facto poster boy. “In my head, it was never ‘I want this to be motivational and inspiring,’ ” he says. “[My music is] toeing the line between melancholy and happy in that bittersweet sort of way. I guess a lot of people identified with both sides.” In his estimation, a Flawed Mangoes fan is someone looking to “slow down and take time” for personal wellness: “I think people who can relate to needing that sort of energy in their life tend to gravitate toward my music.”

After signing with APG Music in April and releasing EP The Unwavering Hand in September, the 27-year-old is getting more comfortable showing his face to the world. He’s even preparing to spotlight his own vocals on an upcoming album in 2025, though he’s quick to manage expectations. “What inspires me the most is hearing singers who clearly aren’t very good at singing but do it anyway and really commit. Their lack of formal singing training becomes a character of the music itself. That’s really inspiring to me as someone who’s a very mid singer,” he adds with a sheepish smile.

This story appears in the Jan. 11, 2025, issue of Billboard.

16 Jan 2025

Flawed Mangoes: Evoking Emotions Through Hopecore Music | Billboard Cover

Billboard cover star and the ‘Future of Hopecore’ artist, Flawed Mangoes, is bringing out the emotions through his music. He sits down and shares his thoughts on “Killswitch Lullaby” going viral on TikTok, meeting with Kai Cenat, his creative solo process and more!

Flawed Mangoes:

You know what it says? Yes, I know what this is. I was kind of just posting these guitar riff videos, and then people started messaging me, being like, oh, did you know that there’s this movement called hopecore that’s, like, really closely associated with your music. Like all these posts are using your music in the background. Hopecore is a funny thing to me. It’s just this content that’s like, really trying to focus on, like, the motivational, inspirational type of message and spread positivity through, you know, motivational speeches or, like, inspiring videos and things like that. It kind of blurs the line for me between, like, you know, music genre and like, sort of just like a like, an ethos. I’ve had a lot of people express to me that it’s interesting how many emotions I can convey without actually using words in music. And I think I’ve always been someone who, like, was always really keyed in on melodies, and didn’t always pay attention to words that much. And so I’ve always kind of been used to, like, extracting emotions from just the music itself. That kind of made it a good canvas for people to, you know, put quotes or speeches over. So that definitely helps. I feel like all of my like, sort of, I consider them peers, on TikTok who are kind of, you know, creating instrumental music in similar spaces, like it’s funny because a lot of their content tends to lean more towards the sort of melancholy side. 

Keep watching for more!

16 Jan 2025

Here We Go: Fivio Foreign Says Queens Has The Best Women in NY

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Fivio Foreign recently stirred up some chatter during an appearance on Justin Laboy’s podcast when he declared that Queens has the most beautiful women in New York. The Brooklyn rapper, known for his drill music and larger-than-life personality, explained his reasoning, saying, “I think Queens does. I feel like the Queens girls are a little more put together, don’t be mad at me ladies but they come from a different texture.” He went on to mention that women from Queens often have their family and a house, which, according to him, makes them stand out compared to women from other boroughs.

Fivio’s comments quickly became a hot topic, but not for the reasons he may have hoped. While his views on Queen’s women reflect a certain appreciation, they also sparked a mix of admiration and critique, with some questioning his generalizations.

Fivio Foreign is from Brooklyn, born and raised in Fort Greene and East Flatbush. Growing up in these neighborhoods shaped his sound and hustle. Making a name in the rap game didn’t come easy, close friend and drill legend, Pop Smoke was the first to blow from their friend group showing Fivi that it was possible. Once we lost Pop in 2020, Fivio kept his name alive and made himself a name brand in the game.

Adding to the recent string of eyebrow-raising moments, the rapper also went viral for his “impeccable spelling skills.” He posted on Instagram saying, “the world is demonic,” but accidentally typed “demonique” instead. Whether trolling or genuinely misspelling, fans couldn’t help but laugh — and some even suggested Apple should refund him for spellcheck.

16 Jan 2025

Conan O’Brien to Receive 2025 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Score one for Team Coco. Conan O’Brien has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He’ll receive the award on March 23, less than three weeks after he hosts the Oscars for the first time. The Oscars are set for March 3.

O’Brien, 61, will be the second former host of The Tonight Show to receive the Twain Prize. Jay Leno, who was both O’Brien’s predecessor and successor as host of that legendary late-night comedy franchise, received the honor in 2014. David Letterman, who was passed over for the job in favor of Leno when Johnny Carson retired in 1993, received the honor in 2017. Jon Stewart, whose The Daily Show in its heyday was often buzzier than The Tonight Show, received the honor in 2022. (Carson, who hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years and is widely regarded as the GOAT of late-night talk-show hosts, never received the honor. He died in 2005, seven years after the award originated.)

“For four decades, Conan O’Brien has brought his unique blend of the smart, silly, insightful, and hilarious into our homes,” Deborah F. Rutter, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, said in a statement. “From Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons —including the unbelievably funny monorail episode — to late night, podcasts, and all things Team Coco, Conan is a master of invention and reinvention, consistently pushing the envelope in search of new comedic heights.”

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“I am honored to be the first winner of the Mark Twain Prize recognized not for humor, but for my work as a riverboat pilot,” wisecracked O’Brien.

The presentation will take place in Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The program will stream on Netflix, date to be announced. Last year’s presentation to Kevin Hart marked the beginning of a long-term relationship with the streamer.

The 26th Mark Twain Prize will be produced by David Jammy and the creative team at Done+Dusted, the Kennedy Center’s producing partner for the Mark Twain Prize since 2018.

The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor recognizes individuals who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to novelist and essayist Samuel Clemens, colloquially known as Mark Twain. “As a social commentator, satirist, and creator of characters, Clemens was a fearless observer of society who delighted and informed onlookers with his uncompromising perspective on social injustice and personal folly,” the statement said.

Previous recipients are Richard Pryor (1998), Jonathan Winters (1999), Carl Reiner (2000), Whoopi Goldberg (2001), Bob Newhart (2002), Lily Tomlin (2003), Lorne Michaels (2004), Steve Martin (2005), Neil Simon (2006), Billy Crystal (2007), George Carlin (2008), Bill Cosby (2009; rescinded in 2018), Tina Fey (2010), Will Ferrell (2011), Ellen DeGeneres (2012), Carol Burnett (2013), Jay Leno (2014), Eddie Murphy (2015), Bill Murray (2016), David Letterman (2017), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (2018), Dave Chappelle (2019), Jon Stewart (2022), Adam Sandler (2023), and Kevin Hart (2024).

The event was created by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Bob Kaminsky, Peter Kaminsky, Mark Krantz, and John Schreiber.

16 Jan 2025

Justin Bieber Posts Close-Up Pic Of Baby Jack Blues, Takes Boxer Shorts & Boots Cold Plunge on Aspen Family Vacay

Justin Bieber and wife model Hailey Bieber have been judicious about the glimpses they’ve posted of their four-month-old baby Jack Blues. And the trend continued on Wednesday (Jan. 15) when Justin dumped a roll of pics from his recent family vacation in Aspen, CO.

The roll opened with an image of a dark shadow in the foreground and the snowy, tree-dotted mountains in the background. The second slide appeared to zoom in on a blurry pic of the couple’s first child dressed in a warm winter snowsuit with a hood, with little Jack’s face obscured.

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In other snaps, Justin and Hailey are seen chilling in a chalet while looking at their phones, Justin sitting outside in his snow gear, various pics of their dogs, a moon shot and a snap of the singer in just his boots, boxer shorts and a hat hopping out of an ice-caked river post-polar plunge.

In one of the sweetest imagwa, Bieber appears to be snuggling Jack, his eyes closed as he presses his lips to the back of the baby’s head. That one also doesn’t show Jack’s face, but it’s clear from the wispy hair that Justin is spending some quality time with the little one.

An earlier photo dump from the trip opened with the couple throwing up double middle fingers, with more images of Justin in the cold wilderness, rocking some Kurt Cobain-like oversized yellow shades and a furry hunting cap while sticking his tongue out and ghost riding his SUV.

In what appeared to be an update on his next music project, Bieber posted a video on his Instagram Story on Wednesday in which it he played what fans think is a new song. In a 24-second clip, a raspy-voiced Bieber can be heard lines that sound like, “You’re takin’ bait/ I’m shakin’ it/ You’re shakin’ it/ Shakin’ off the hate/ Okay, okay, okay,” over spare acoustic guitar in what sounds like a rough demo. In the clip Justin and Hailey appear to be holding hands in the car while listening to the snippet as he bobs his head.

At press time no other information was available on the song.

Bieber’s most recent album was 2021’s Justice and to date he has not announced an official release date for his next project. The singer launched a tour in support of that album in February 2022, though in June of that year he revealed that he’d been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which caused “full paralysis” on one side of his face, leading to the postponement of some dates. He ended up cancelling the rest of the tour to focus on his health and has been mostly off the music radar since.

In October, Bieber made a surprise appearance on stage with Don Toliver at L.A.’s Crypto.com arena, jumping out during “Private Landing,” the pair’s 2023 track that also featured Future; he didn’t sing, but showed up to act as hype man. Earlier, he surprised fans with pics from what appeared to be studio sessions in which he was seen at the keyboard and microphone, presumably working on new music.

Just before that, Mk.gee told the New York Times that he’s been in the studio with Bieber, revealing, “He’s searching. Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music. You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”

16 Jan 2025

All of Bad Bunny’s Albums, Ranked (Staff Picks)

From his debut album to DtMF, see our Billboard editors’ rankings.

Bad Bunny

Bad Bunny performs onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 5, 2023 in Los Angeles.

Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy


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From joining a church choir at five years old to uploading his songs on SoundCloud to signing with Rimas Entertainment, Bad Bunny has authentically and unapolagetically skyrocketed from a local trap artist to a global sensation in the last decade. 

His debut album X 100Pre, which arrived in December 2018 with certified bangers such as “Estamos Bien,” “La Romana” with El Alfa, and “MIA” with Drake, debuted at No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart, where it reigned for 46 weeks. The set also won best urban music album at the 20th annual Latin Grammys. 

Since, the Puerto Rican artist (real name: Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio) has been a force to be reckoned with. All of his albums, including Oasis, the eight-track joint EP with J Balvin, have peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. YHLQMDLG is to this day, his longest-leading title on the Top Latin Albums chart, spending 70 weeks at No. 1. Meanwhile, El Ultimo Tour del Mundo made history as the first all-Spanish language album to reach No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200. 

The summer-friendly, beach-ready Un Verano Sin Tí is just as emblematic as it not only topped the Latin chart for 60 weeks, but also spent 13 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the top Billboard 200 album of 2022. The blockbuster album also made Grammys history that year when it was nominated for album of the year, becoming the first Spanish-language set to receive a nod in that category.

Now, with his reggaetón laced with tropical album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS making the rounds, Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors have ranked all of Bad Bunny’s albums. See the list below.

16 Jan 2025

Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Luke Combs, Lil Wayne & Roots Headlining 2025 New Orleans Jazz Fest

Lil Wayne won’t be playing the Super Bowl halftime show at this year’s game in his hometown, but Weezy will be one of the headliners (with the Roots) of the 2025 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The iconic event that will host more than 5,000 acts on 14 stages from April 24-May 4 on the Fair Grounds Race Course announced this year’s lineup on Wednesday (Jan. 15), which will also feature headliners Pearl Jam, the Dave Matthews Band, Luke Combs, Lenny Kravitz and Kacey Musgraves.

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Other acts booked for this year’s predictably eclectic edition include: Santana, John Fogerty, Burna Boy, HAIM, Cage the Elephant, Laufey, Bryson Tiller, Harry Connick, Jr., Patti LaBelle, Trombone Shorty, My Morning Jacket, Gladys Knight, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Cheap Trick, Babyface, Diana Krall, Goose, The Revivalists, Big Freedia and many more.

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Louisiana residents have the chance to snag lower prices for weekend passes and single-day tickets now, with non-resident weekend passes and VIP packages already available already and single-day tickets slated to go on sale at a later date; fans need to set up an account with AXS.com to purchase tickets, with more information available here.

Among the other acts slated to take the stage this year are: Banda MS, Irma Thomas, Tank and the Bangas, Branford Marsalis, Kamasi Washington, The Wailers with Julian Marley, Ledisi Sings Nina, PJ Morton, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Maze Honoring Frankie Beverly, James Bay, Margo Price, Rickie Lee Jones, Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, Morris Day and the Time and others.

Check out the full lineup below.

16 Jan 2025

Kenny Chesney Set to Kick Off Sphere Residency in May

Kenny Chesney will become the first country artist to have a residency at Sphere when he brings his show to the Las Vegas venue starting May 22 for a 12-date run. Chesney announced the news on Today this morning.

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“I’m always looking for ways to deepen the way No Shoes Nation experiences this music,” said Chesney in a statement. “Over the years, they have shown me through their own response to these songs how passionate they are about what they mean, how these songs are part of their lives. When people give you that much heart, I want to give them even more.

The 17,600-seat Sphere’s one-of-a-kind immersive experience played into Chesney’s decision. “When we started talking about all of the possibilities playing Sphere offered, I was all in. Just the idea of 4D technology and the impossibly dialed in sound raises the experience for No Shoes Nation, literally immersing them in music, visuals, sound and being together. To me, this is going to be a whole new way of rocking the fans, and I can’t wait.”

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Kenny Chesney Live At The Sphere

Kenny Chesney Live At The Sphere

Courtesy Photo

Chesney, whose Sphere run will be promoted by his long-time promoter The Messina Group, is the only country artist to hit $1 billion in grosses reported to Boxscore. His 2022 Here and Now Tour, which brought in $135 million, landed at No. 9 on Billboard’s all-genre 2022 Year-End Top 40 tours chart, making Chesney the first country artist to reach the Top 10. Last year, his tour grossed $159.5 million, according to Billboard’s 2024 year-end chart. He’s come quite a long way since his first-ever Billboard Boxscore report entry, for a Sept. 23, 1995 concert at Mid-South Coliseum in Memphis, which brought in $135,000.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday (Jan. 31) starting at 10 a.m. PT via KennyChesney.com. The run is presented by Chesney’s Blue Chair Bay Rum.

Since opening in September 2023 with a 40-show run by U2, Sphere has hosted a number of acts, including Phish, Dead & Co. and Anyma. The Eagles are currently in a residency that started in September.

Chesney will appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon tonight.

16 Jan 2025

Travis Kelce Says He and Taylor Swift ‘Are Happy’ and Their Relationship Is Helping Him Enjoy ‘All Aspects of Life’

With his team’s first playoff game looming this weekend, Travis Kelce seems calm and confident, and his life off the field might have something to do with that. During an appearance on the Stephen A. Smith Show on Wednesday (Jan. 15), the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was asked how things are in his personal life, since, as the host put it, “you livin’ a little bit better than most.”

“I’m enjoying all aspects of life, that’s for damn sure, man,” Kelce, 35, laughed, giving Smith the answer he was subtly digging around for about the status of the baller’s high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift. “Me and Taylor are happy and I couldn’t be happier to have that confidence and that comfort off the field and all the support I could ever ask for stadium.”

Veteran sports talker Smith then made a confession: he’d never listened to Swift’s music before, but he went to one of the Eras Tour shows and said it was “the greatest concert” he’s ever been to in his life. “It’s off the chain,” Kelce confirmed of the record-setting outing that wrapped up on Dec. 8 in Vancouver.

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Smith said his daughters “hoodwinked” him into taking 10 of their friends to a show at $2,000 a ticket (a price Kelce diplomatically noted was the “re-sale” value of the tickets), with the host joking, “I ain’t got your money, Travis! I damn sure ain’t got her money! I said, ‘this better be worth it!’ And I gotta confess, it was so damn good I went back twice.”

He then got serious again, asking if all the hoopla and attention to the couple’s now year-and-a-half long romance has “added” to Kelce’s football talents, comparing it to a struggling prize fighter used to grinding who suddenly hits the “jackpot with everything that you’re doing.”

“I think personally, that’s the beauty of being in a very strong relationship is that you get that support to be able to come in and focus on your craft,” Kelce said. “Focus on being the best version of you. That’s why I wanted to be at the concerts supporting her, being there for her and making sure she feels comfortable and supported in everything she’s doing in life.”

Kelce said he’s as focused as he’s ever been on his job, mostly because he doesn’t have to worry about things off the field. But when Smith recalled that some commenters said Kelce did not seem to be in his best shape at the beginning of the season, not necessarily blaming Swift for being a distraction, but speculating that all the travel Travis was doing to support Swift on her tour was “taking away” from his training, the 10-time Pro Bowler had a very simple answer.

“You have to be true to yourself,” he said of the criticism. “People are saying things [and] you’ve got to be able to reflect and look at yourself and see, ‘Why are they saying these things?’ I was still playing at a high level knowing all that. We were winning football games, which is all I ever care about and, on top of that, this building knew how hard I worked and how much focus I have on football throughout the year.”

All that said, the three-time Super Bowl-winner is gearing up to get back on the field and focus on his day job. So when Smith asked if the team is feeling confident going into their first playoff game this weekend against the Texans on Saturday — after earning a bye last week due to their divisional top spot — Kelce sounded positive about their path to a potentially unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat.

“Setting ourselves up with the No. 1 seed, having everybody have to come through Arrowhead [Stadium]… I think this year it was such a different team, such a different feel,” Kelce said. “We were barely winning football game at the end of the game, so there is always that feeling of ‘we gotta be better, we gotta be better, we gotta be better.’ And right now we’re playing our best football, man, and I’m definitely feeling confident.”

The Chiefs play the Texans at 4:30 on Saturday.

Check out Kelce’s interview with Smith below.

16 Jan 2025

Pete Parada Details Controversial Exit from The Offspring

Pete Parada, the former drummer of The Offspring, has detailed the controversial circumstances surrounding his dismissal from the band in 2021.

Speaking on the Try That In A Small Town podcast, Parada recounted the events that led to his exit, citing medical advice and a turbulent interaction with the band’s management as key factors. Parada, who joined The Offspring in 2007, shared that his decision not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 was based on medical guidance.

Claiming he previously suffered from Guillain-Barré syndrome—a rare neurological disorder—his doctor advised against the vaccine due to potential risks. Despite presenting this exemption, Parada claimed it was dismissed outright by the band’s newly appointed manager.

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“He was new with the band. He’d only been with them since Covid hit. So I didn’t have a lot of history with this guy,” Parada said. “He chose to come at me like a flamethrower. I’ve gotten crappy phone calls before, this was the most abusive and threatening call I’ve ever had in my entire career.”

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“He made it clear that I was either to get vaccinated or I’d be replaced,” he added. “The phone call was so shocking.” 

Parada revealed that he reached out to his long-time bandmates to voice concerns about the manager’s behavior, but his attempts were met with indifference.

“I tried to talk to them about him and I said, ‘You might fire me over this but you should know, this guy is not representing you well and if he’s treating me like this, he’s treating your crew even worse’”, he claimed. “I was told, ‘That’s not the concern right now, he’s not the concern, your refusal to do this is the concern.’”

Communication broke down soon after, Parada claimed, adding that he realized he had been replaced when his flight to a rehearsal was unexpectedly canceled. “That’s how I found out,” he said.

At the time, The Offspring was gearing up to promote their tenth studio album, Let the Bad Times Roll, released in April 2021, which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Albums Chart and No. 27 on the Billboard 200.

The band has yet to publicly address Parada’s recent comments, and they are currently preparing for their Supercharged Worldwide in ’25 tour in support of their 11th studio album, Supercharged., released in October. The album reached No.1 on the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, while the lead single “Make It All Right” reached No. 1. reached No. 1 on both the Alternative Airplay and Active Rock charts. The band have since released “Light It Up”, as well as “Come To Brazil”.

The Offspring: Supercharged Worldwide in ’25 Australian tour will kick off on Sunday, May 4 in Adelaide, heading onto Melbourne and Sydney, and closing out on Wednesday, May 14 in Brisbane.

In a statement before its release, Dexter Holland revealed that Supercharged was recorded in Maui, Vancouver and the group’s home studio in Huntington Beach with legendary producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Bon Jovi). “I feel like this is the best we have ever sounded! We’ve been rocking out and headbanging to it for months! And we can’t wait for you guys to hear it!” he said.