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25 Nov 2024

Drake Confirms He’s Touring Australia in 2025

Drake has officially announced his return to Australia for the Anita Max Wynn Tour, marking his first visit to the country in eight years.

The Canadian rap icon casually dropped the news during a livestream with gaming streamer xQc on Sunday night (Nov. 24), revealing that the tour will kick off on Feb. 9 and run through early March.

“February 9th for anybody that’s watching from Australia, I’m coming back to Australia for the first time in eight years. Coming back to Australia on tour,” Drake shared during the livestream. “Melbourne, Sydney, Gold Coast… February 9 ’til like… March something.”

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While specific dates and venues have yet to be confirmed, Drake teased appearances in key cities like Melbourne, Sydney, and the Gold Coast. However, the OVO rapper seemed to rule out visits to “other places.”

The announcement comes as a major moment for Drake’s Australian fans, who last saw him perform live during the Boy Meets World Tour in 2017. “Funny enough, it’s actually called the Anita Max Wynn Tour,” Drake told XQC during the stream.

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The timing of the tour’s launch is particularly noteworthy, as it coincides with Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show performance on the same day. The two artists have been engaged in a well-documented musical feud throughout the year, with the artists slinging diss tracks at one another, like Lamar’s “Not Like Us” and Drake’s “Push Ups”. Lamar recently also surprised-released his latest album, GNX.

Anita Max Wynn is a nod to a viral moment from Drake’s December 2023 livestream on Kick. During the stream, he introduced an “alter ego” with the same name, a pun on the gambling phrase “I need a max win,” which refers to hitting the maximum payout on a slot machine.

The phrase, popularized by streamer Adin Ross, quickly became an internet sensation, inspiring memes, TikTok edits, and exaggerated depictions of Drake’s character. Now, the joke has come full circle, lending its name to Drake’s 2025 Australian tour.

Drake had previously hinted at a turn return to the country earlier this month, posting an old photo of himself in front of Sydney’s Opera House to his Instagram Story, writing, “It’s been like 7 years.”

In addition to the tour announcement, Drake also provided an update on his forthcoming collaborative album with PARTYNEXTDOOR, revealing, “Me and Party’s album is 75 percent done shout out to PX cooking right now. Album sounds incredible…This album is good; it’s the sound that people know and love us for.”

Drake and Party announced their joint album back in August while on stage performing together in Toronto. 

Earlier this month, PND hopped on his Instagram Live as he wrapped up the European leg of his Sorry I’m Outside Tour and revealed his project with Drake is nearing the finish line. “Guys, I have one more show on this tour,” he told his followers. “Then the album is getting finished. That’s all I gotta say.”

24 Nov 2024

Nick Cave Calls Bob Dylan’s Complimentary Tweet ‘A Lovely Pulse of Joy’

Nick Cave has responded to a recent complimentary tweet from Bob Dylan’s newly-active account, labelling the experience “a lovely pulse of joy”.

The initial tweet was shared via Dylan’s account on Tuesday (Nov. 19), and saw him reflecting on the recent performance by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in France just two days earlier, specifcally singling out the song “Joy”, from Cave’s Australian Music Prize-nominated album, Wild God.

“Saw Nick Cave in Paris recently at the Accor Arena and I was really struck by that song Joy where he sings ‘We’ve all had too much sorrow, now it the time for joy’,” Dylan wrote. “I was thinking to myself, yeah that’s about right.”

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The comment apparently made its way to Cave, who is himself a noted Dylan fan (having previously reflected on the musician’s work and having covered numerous tracks from his extensive back catalog). Taking to his sporadically-updated Red Hand Files website, Cave explained that he was unaware of Dylan’s presence, but called the tweet “a lovely pulse of joy that penetrated my exhausted, zombied state”.

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He continued; “I was happy to see Bob on X, just as many on the Left had performed a Twitterectomy and headed for Bluesky. It felt admirably perverse, in a Bob Dylan kind of way. I did indeed feel it was a time for joy rather than sorrow. There had been such an excess of despair and desperation around the election, and one couldn’t help but ask when it was that politics became everything.

“The world had grown thoroughly disenchanted, and its feverish obsession with politics and its leaders had thrown up so many palisades that had prevented us from experiencing the presence of anything remotely like the spirit, the sacred, or the transcendent – that holy place where joy resides. I felt proud to have been touring with The Bad Seeds and offering, in the form of a rock ‘n ’roll show, an antidote to this despair, one that transported people to a place beyond the dreadful drama of the political moment.”

Cave closed by lamenting his ability to express in-person gratitude to Dylan, instead opting to utilize his own site to do so: “I was elated to think Bob Dylan had been in the audience, and since I doubt I’ll get an opportunity to thank him personally, I’ll thank him here. Thank you, Bob!”

Dylan’s Twitter account has become a source of intrigue in recent weeks given its recent resurgence in activity and its apparent shift from promotional messages to actual comments from Dylan himself. Alongside recommendations for New Orleans cuisine and a delayed tribute to late comedian Bob Newheart, Dylan has aso ignited speculation into the identity of a mystery woman named Mary Jo.

24 Nov 2024

SZA Promises New Music ‘Before the Year is Over’

SZA season is upon us, according to the artist herself.

The four-time Grammy Award-winner has confirmed that fans will be hearing new music before the year is out, sharing the news as part of a recent appearance on Kai Cenat’s livestream alongside fellow guest Lizzo.

Letting slip that a “whole new project” was up her sleeves, Cenat pushed for a potential release date before SZA slyly admitted it “will be out before the year is over”.

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If true, it would be the second time that SZA has shared a major release in the final stretch of the year. In 2022, her second album SOS arrived on Dec. 9, and was in swift contention for one of the albums of the year.

The record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 318,000 equivalent album units – the third-highest debut week of 2022 – and shattered the record for the biggest streaming week for an R&B album by a woman, with 404.6 million official on-demand streams for the album’s songs, according to Luminate. It spent 10 total weeks atop the chart, and became the first R&B album by a woman to hit the double-digit mark since Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut posted 11 weeks at No. 1 in 1991.

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SZA’s admission also gels with her recent interview with British Vogue where she revealed that she had two projects ready to arrive, though no release dates were revealed. Per the publication, SZA was readying both a deluxe version of SOS and her third studio album, Lana – the latter of which had initially been announced as the former.

“I think I am making music from a more beautiful place. From a more possible place versus a more angsty place,” she told the publication. “I’m not identifying with my brokenness. It’s not my identity. It’s shit that happened to me. Yeah, I experienced cruelty. I have to put it down at some point. Piece by piece, my music is shifting because of that, the lighter I get.”

24 Nov 2024

Pearl Jam Revisit ‘Hunger Strike’, Dedicate ‘No Surrender’ Cover to Bruce Springsteen at Sydney Show

Seattle grunge icons Pearl Jam have wrapped up their 2024 touring activities with a special show in Sydney.

The final show of their Dark Matter World Tour (and the final date of their first Australian tour in a decade) took place at Sydney’s ENGIE Stadium on Saturday (Nov. 23), and featured a 27-song set full of hits, deep cuts, and the typical cover versions.

One of the more notable covers was the band’s rendition of “Hunger Strike”, originally recorded by Temple of the Dog for their sole self-titled album which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 in 1991. Considered something of a retroactive supergroup due the presence of future Pearl Jam and Soundgarden members, the original version features respective frontmen Eddie Vedder and Chris Cornell sharing co-lead vocal duties on the track.

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It’s become a grunge anthem, and as a result, it’s sporadically been played by Pearl Jam, with its last appearance in the band’s set being at Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit in October 2014. It had previously been a staple of Cornell’s live sets prior to his passing in May 2017.

Pearl Jam’s final Australian show also featured covers of The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing”, with their 11-song encore set opening with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “No Surrender”.

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The first time it had been performed since the band’s appearance in New Jersey in June 2006, this particular performance saw Vedder solo armed with an acoustic guitar as he dedicated the track to its creator. Dubbing Springsteen “a great friend of mine and a brother of mine”, Vedder explained that if he hadn’t been performing the final show of Pearl Jam’s world tour, he would have been watching The Boss wrap up his own world tour in Vancouver.

“Bruce Springsteen is magic and he makes magic, and he works hard to make magic,” Vedder told the crowd. “And then sometimes it’s easy for him to make magic, but he also has songs of strength.

“I know for him, as well as us, it’s been a tricky time in our nation back home,” he continued. “We’re going to be OK. It’s just going to take some time, a bit of a reset. But we will lean on music when words fail us.”

Previously, Vedder had performed “No Surrender” alongside Springsteen at New Jersey’s Continental Airlines Arena in October 2004 as part of the 2004 Vote For Change tour. That same performance also saw Vedder guesting on a rendition of “Darkness on the Edge of Town”.

24 Nov 2024

Fans Choose Wizkid’s ‘Morayo’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music in All-Genre Poll

Wizkid‘s Morayo tops this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Nov. 22) on Billboard, choosing Wizkid’s latest album as their favorite new music release of the past week.

The poll featured competition from various music genres, and Wizkid’s new song collection brought in an impressive 78% of the vote. Voters this week chose Morayo over new music releases from ROSÉ, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow, Quevedo, Miguel and Jelly Roll — and even the soundtrack to the box office hit Wicked, featuring lead vocals from Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

Wizkid’s Morayo, released via Starboy Entertainment and RCA Records, is dedicated to the Nigerian artist’s late mother, Juliana Morayo Balogun. The Yoruba word Morayo translates to “I see joy.”

“It’s very, very personal,” he said of the album’s material, in an interview with Esquire over the summer. “I hope it lifts spirits and spreads positive energy.”

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The 16-song set features collaborations with Jazmine Sullivan, Brent Faiyaz, Asake, Anaïse and Tiakola, and is the follow-up to 2022’s More Love, Less Ego, which peaked at No. 2 on the World Albums chart and No. 59 on the Billboard 200.

Morayo lead single “Piece of My Heart,” featuring Brent Faiyaz, was released ahead of the album in October, reaching No. 4 on the U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and No. 7 on World Digital Song Sales.

Among the new music trailing behind Morayo on this week’s poll is ROSÉ’s solo single “Number One Girl,” which came in second place, and Kendrick Lamar’s surprise album GNX, which came in third.

See the final results of this week’s poll below, or here.


24 Nov 2024

This ‘Inflation-Free’ Thanksgiving Meal Has Everything You Need to Make a Holiday Feast for Under $7 Per Person: How to Order From Walmart

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

The countdown to Thanksgiving starts now. With less than a week until Turkey Day on Thursday (Nov. 28) and food prices at a record high, Walmart is offering shoppers an “inflation-free” holiday meal that serves up to eight people for less than $7 per person.

Walmart’s holiday meal is packed with 29 items, including a 10-pound turkey — and everything you need to whip up Thanksgiving sides such as mashed potatoes, yams, green beans, stuffing and dessert.

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The meal also includes Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce, Great Value Sweet Hawaiian Rolls, Great Value Golden Sweet Whole Kernel Corn, Swanson Chicken Broth, Great Value Brown Gravy Mix, Great Value Frozen Whipped Topping, Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix and Marie Callender’s Southern Pecan Pie.

Need an early-morning delivery? Walmart deliveries start at 6 a.m. and Express Delivery gets it there in as soon as 30 minutes. Additionally, Walmart shoppers can gift a holiday meal directly to loved ones anywhere in the country or donate an entire meal to their local Salvation Army.

Walmart’s holiday meals are available until Dec. 24.

Whether it’s Thanksgiving dinner, holiday gifts, stocking stuffers, wrapping paper, dinnerware, cookware, flatware, drinkware, tableware or holiday décor, Walmart has it in stock.

If you’re not hosting this holiday, you don’t want to show up to dinner empty handed. Shop Walmart’s festive selection of host and hostess gifts, including the Thyme & Table 4-Piece Stainless Steel Gold Bar Tool Set ($19.98), The Pioneer Woman Tree Holiday Bakeware ($29.98), Lego Icon Chrysanthemum Flower Set ($29.95), Holiday Time Toppable Christmas Tree Mugs ($12.06), Better Homes & Garden 1.5G Poinsettia Foliage Bowl and the Holiday Time Poinsettia Elf ($29.99).

Walmart Thanksgiving Meal: Set the Table for Under $7 Per Person

Walmart

Holiday Time Live Poinsettia Plant Decor, 6.5″ Elf Holiday Pot, Air Purifying Houseplant

Walmart Thanksgiving Meal: Set the Table for Under $7 Per Person

Walmart

Holiday Time 14-oz Holiday Tree Glazed Stoneware Ceramic Mug with Lid, 2 Pack, Multicolor

Walmart Thanksgiving Meal: Set the Table for Under $7 Per Person

Walmart

The Pioneer Woman Merry Meadow 12-inch Ceramic Tree Baking Dish with Wood Serving Lid

Walmart shoppers can save up to 70% off during the early access Black Friday sale launching online on Monday (Nov. 25) at 12 p.m. ET for Walmart+ members and 5 p.m. ET. for everyone else. The Black Friday sale launches in stores next Friday, Nov. 29.

Walmart’s Cyber Monday sale will be held on Dec. 2.

24 Nov 2024

So Long, Vegas: Adele Gives a Tearful Goodbye at Final Residency Show, Says She Doesn’t Know What’s Next

Adele bid an emotional farewell to the Las Vegas stage she’s performed on since November 2022, which is when her two-year residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace began. “I don’t know when I’m next going to perform again,” she said to her final “Weekends With Adele” audience on Saturday night (Nov. 23), telling fans, “I will miss it terribly, and I will miss you terribly.”

“I’m not doing anything else,” she added, as seen in a fan-captured clip from the concert. “I’m actually s—ing myself about what I am going to do. I don’t have any f—ing plans.”

During her speech on Saturday, Adele joked, “I chose to do a residency mainly because I f—ing hate touring,” and then with tears in her eyes told the crowd she committed to Vegas to keep a stable schedule for her son: “I chose to do a residency so I could keep his life normal, and I did do that.”

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The “Weekends With Adele” residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace ran from November 2022 to November 2024, with two performances each weekend on her schedule.

“I am emotional, but just so you know, I got closure when Celine Dion came to my show,” she assured the audience, announcing she “cried for a whole week” after the experience. “It was just such a full-circle moment for me. Because that’s the only reason I ever wanted to be in here.”

Dion — who opened The Colosseum with her first residency in 2003 — attended Adele’s Oct. 26 show with her sons. Adele, spotting the pop legend in the crowd, was brought to tears in the middle of “When We Were Young” and later wrote on social media that The Colosseum “was the only venue I wanted to play in Vegas because it was built for her. I have a picture of her right next to the stage that I touch every night before I walk on and she came to the show this weekend and it was a surprise and it was a MOMENT!!”

Previously, the “Easy on Me” singer said she needs rest when her residency’s over — and that she plans to temporarily step away from music. Adele shared that she wants to take “a big break after this, and I think I want to do other creative things, just for a little while.”

24 Nov 2024

All 7 Members of BTS Have Now Hit the Billboard 200’s Top 10 as Soloists

All seven members of BTS have now hit the Billboard 200 album chart’s top 10 as soloists, as Jin’s Happy debuts at No. 4 on the latest ranking (dated Nov. 30). He joins his fellow BTS members J-Hope, Jimin, Jung Kook, RM, Suga and V with individual top 10s.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Nov. 30, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Tuesday, Nov. 26. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

BTS as a group first reached the top 10 with LOVE YOURSELF: Her on the Oct. 7, 2017-dated chart when it debuted and peaked at No. 7. It was the first of seven top 10s for the act, with six of those reaching No. 1.

The first BTS member to reach the top 10 as a soloist was RM, who reached No. 3 on the Dec. 31, 2022-dated chart with Indigo. He’s since visited the top 10 again with Right Place, Wrong Person, which reached No. 5 on the June 8, 2024-dated list.

Here’s a recap of all the top 10s from the individual members of BTS on the Billboard 200, listed chronologically from when each member got their first top 10:

24 Nov 2024

Fans React to Jay-Z Attending the Washington Commanders vs. Dallas Cowboys Game

Jay-Z was in the house to watch the Washington Commanders face off against the Dallas Cowboys.

The 54-year-old music mogul, whose Roc Nation has a partnership with the NFL, attended Sunday’s (Nov. 24) game at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., alongside Fanatics founder/CEO Michael Rubin.

Ahead of the matchup, Jay-Z — dressed in a sleek black sweater, long gray coat, dark pants and a large beanie — was spotted chatting on the sidelines with Commanders general manager Adam Peters.

Before the Commanders were sold in 2023, Jay was reportedly among several high-profile figures, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and media mogul Byron Allen, who expressed interest in purchasing the team, according to Sports Illustrated. Ultimately, the team was sold to investor Josh Harris for a reported $6.05 billion.

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Jay-Z’s presence at the game left many fans on social media curious about his allegiance. “Jay-Z at a Commanders game is random, but I’m not surprised,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Another posted, “Jay-Z at the Commanders vs Cowboys game… wild. I wonder who he’s rooting for?” That sentiment was echoed by another user, who asked on X, “When did Jay-Z become a Commanders fan???”

Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that Jay and the NFL are continuing their partnership. At the NFL owners’ meeting in Atlanta on Oct. 15, Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “It’s been a mutually positive relationship, I’m not sure either one of us really spend much time talking about contracts. Jay is happy. Desiree Perez is happy. I’m happy, so we’re all good.”

According to ESPN, Roc Nation’s previous deal with the NFL, valued at $25 million over five years, has included overseeing the Super Bowl Halftime Show and supporting the league’s social justice initiative, Inspire Change, which has awarded $375 million in grants.

The partnership has sparked its share of controversy since its announcement in the summer of 2019. Jay-Z faced backlash for aligning with a league that had been accused of blackballing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for kneeling during the national anthem in protest of police brutality. More recently, Jay-Z faced criticism from some in the hip-hop community after it was announced that Kendrick Lamar — not Lil Wayne — would headline this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.

Under Jay-Z and Roc Nation’s stewardship, the Super Bowl Halftime Show has featured a string of hip-hop centric acts, including Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, The Weeknd, Dr. Dre and friends, Rihanna and Usher. This year’s show, featuring Lamar, is highly anticipated as he aims to cap off a stellar year with a headline performance.

24 Nov 2024

Tyla Teams With Stanley for Limited-Edition Tumbler Cup: Here’s When & Where to Buy the Tyger Quencher   

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

The cat’s out of the bag: Tyla is releasing a Stanley cup. The “Water” singer teamed with Stanley 1913 on a limited-edition tumbler, announced on Sunday (Nov. 24).

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Stanley teased the collaboration on Sunday with an Instagram post captioned, “A Quencher fit for a queen.”

Offered in a deep brown shade, the Tyla Tyger Quencher features bronze shimmer accents with a glossy finish and Tyla’s signature tiger scratch beneath the Stanley 1913 logo. The 40 oz. Quencher H2.0 FlowState Tumbler “shifts from cool tones to warm,” according to the company’s website.

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Tyla x Stanley

Tyla x Stanley

Stanley

“Our brand is widely known for our innovation, originality and ability to move at the speed of culture; collaborating with Tyla is an authentic extension for Stanley 1913,” Graham Nearn, Stanley 1913’s chief brand officer, said in a statement to Billboard.

Stanley has collaborated with several recording artists, athletes and other brands including Olivia Rodrigo, Lainey Wilson, Lionel Messi, LoveShack Fancy, Wicked, Barbie and e.l.f. cosmetics.

The Tyla Tyger Quencher retails for $82 and will be available for purchase exclusively on Stanley1913.com starting on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 9 a.m. PT. If you’re looking to snag the Tyla x Stanley collab for the holidays, click here to sign up to receive notification as soon as it drops.

In other Tyla news, the South African singer will perform at Coachella next year joining a star-studded lineup which includes Missy Elliott, LISA, JENNIE, FKA Twigs, GloRilla, Charli XCX, Anitta, ENHYPEN, T-Pain Megan Thee Stallion, Rema, Shaboozey and Benson Boone.

Lady Gaga is set to headline alongside co-headliners Green Day, Post Malone and Travis Scott. Tickets to Coachella 2025 are available on sites such as Vivid Seats, StubHub and SeatGeek in addition to Coachella.com.