djfrosty

06 Nov 2024

Steve Angello on ‘Hooligans,’ Scrapped Swedish House Mafia Album, New Music to Come | Billboard News

Steve Angello from Swedish House Mafia discusses the release of his latest single “Hooligans” and the evolution of EDM, reflects on the success of “Don’t You Worry Child,” teases a new album from Swedish House Mafia, recounts his collaboration with The Weeknd, the creation of “One,” shares the vision behind his Size record label, and more!

Meghan Mahar:
We’re here with Grammy-winning dance legend Steve Angello. You may know him from Swedish House Mafia, but he has plenty of solo work and more to come. Your new single “Hooligans” is out now. 

Steve Angello:
I was playing Coachella, and I needed that energy and that old ravy kind of Hoover sound. I’m getting technical, but like the Hoover soundy kind of ravy sound. And then, yeah, it was like, straight made for the show. It was to get an effect. Vocals was chopped up for the light production. So it was like, super Steve Angello show music, you know. And then I decided to put it out.

And that was Coachella in 2022.

Yes.

I was there. Great show. 

It was a good show. It was fun. 

Very fun. And you teamed up with fellow Swedish House Mafia member Sebastian Ingrosso for “Skip.” Would you say those songs have a similar vibe?

Yeah. I mean, it’s like that clubby energy, right? It’s like the ravy clubby, gritty, little darker. It’s that energy.

Why did the two of you link up for “Skip” instead of it being a full Swedish House Mafia track?

I don’t remember the process of it. I think we just, you know, studio one night made a song because we’ve, you know, the history of us. Me and Ax used to do songs back in early 2000s like we’ve always done together and all three and mix and match, you know? 

Keep watching for more!

06 Nov 2024

Van Jones Cooked On X For Emotional Election Day Analysis

HipHopWired Featured Video

CLOSE

Invest Fest 2024

Van Jones was one of several political commentators who took to the airwaves to deliver their thoughts about the results of Election Day, most especially the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. In his analysis, Van Jones was rendered emotional as he explained how a Trump presidency might not bode well for some, sparking some on X to take shots at the pundit.

Van Jones, 56, was on CNN after the results were largely confirmed and declaring Donald Trump the winner of the presidential race. Jones, speaking to the concerns of those who might feel vulnerable under Trump’s leadership, expressed what many Americans might be feeling and got choked up along the way.

“There are going to be people tomorrow who are going to be handing clothes at the dry cleaners to people who don’t have papers. There are going to be people who are going to be cleaning your teeth tomorrow who don’t have papers. And they are terrified tonight,” Jones said.

In regards to Black women, who largely rallied around Vice President Harris, Jones examined their emotional state.

“They thought tomorrow morning they were going to walk out with their shoulders back a little bit, maybe be able to breathe for the first time, and feel like they belong someplace. They did everything that they knew how to do, and it’s going to be harder than it should be tomorrow for them to hold their heads up, and they’re not the only people who are hurting tonight,” Jones continued.

Toward the end of his breakdown of the election, Jones, audibly choked up, said, “It’s people who woke up this morning with a dream and are going to bed with a nightmare.”

On X, Van Jones has become a target of critique over his emotional takes and today is no different. We’ve got those reactions listed below.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

—

Photo: Getty

06 Nov 2024

Cynthia Erivo Says ‘Thank Goodness’ Ariana Grande Was Cast in ‘Wicked’ Over Fellow Glinda Hopefuls

Cynthia Erivo has said that she was definitely changed for the better after working with Ariana Grande on Wicked, and in a new interview, the Tony winner hinted that she wouldn’t have necessarily felt the same if anyone else had gotten the pop star’s role in the films.

When the two costars — who play Elphaba and Glinda in Jon M. Chu’s upcoming film adaptations of the Broadway musical, which was based on Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name — were asked by The New York Times to share their initial reactions to each other’s casting in the project, Erivo was frank.

“Absolutely no surprise whatsoever,” the Harriet star recalled of learning Grande had nabbed the part of Glinda in the joint interview published Wednesday (Nov. 6). “Thank goodness, because it was not the two ladies that I was auditioning with.”

Trending on Billboard

In reaction to Erivo’s subtle shade, the “We Can’t Be Friends” musician replied, “Oh my God!”

Grande also shared her reaction to the “I Might Be in Love With You” artist landing Elphaba in the films, the first of which arrives Nov. 22. “I said, ‘Thank God,’” she revealed.

News that Erivo and the two-time Grammy winner had been cast in Wicked arrived in November 2021. At the time, the duo sent each other congratulatory flowers, with the Pinocchio star writing in a note to Grande, “Congratulations Miss A, The Part Was Made For You, I Look Forward To Sharing This Musical Journey With You.”

The leading ladies went on to work on the duology for two years in London alongside cast members Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang and Marissa Bode. A year after Wicked part one arrives at the end of the month, the second installment will hit theaters in November 2025.

Grande has previously been open about the intensive audition process for Wicked, for which she recently said she had to “erase” her public persona in a recent interview on the Sentimental Men podcast. “People sometimes say to me, ‘You had to audition?’ Of course, are you out of your gourd?” she continued on the Nov. 1 episode. “It’s Wicked! And it requires a totally different skill set than people know me for and have ever seen me do anything like.”

While speaking to NYT, Grande echoed those remarks. “Some members of my team at the time were like, ‘You shouldn’t even have to audition,’ and I was like, ‘You don’t understand, of course I have to. This is something that has to be earned,’” she told the paper. “I have so much to prove, and I threw myself at it in every way that I could.”

06 Nov 2024

Joy Reid Points Out The Obvious, White Women Failed To Show Up… Again, X Was Not Suprised

HipHopWired Featured Video

CLOSE

Joy Reid Calls Out White Women Who Voted For Donald Trump

Source: Arturo Holmes / Getty / Joy Reid

He did it. Orange Mussolini, aka Donald Trump, is going back to the White House, and MSNBC Joy Reid thinks he should be thanking white women for his comeback.

In the early morning of MSNBC’s 2024 election coverage, Joy Reid pointed out the obvious, “white women voters did not” show up for Vice President Kamala Harris.

Reid’s comments came as the state of North Carolina was projected to vote for Donald Trump. She told her colleagues, “We have to be blunt about why.”

“Black voters came through for Kamala Harris,” Reid said. “White women voters did not.”

She continued, “It’s a state where women lost their reproductive rights, where there was a very heavy push to get women to focus on not … putting back into the White House the person who was responsible for taking those rights away. And restoring them. But that message obviously was not enough to get enough white women to vote for Vice President Harris, a fellow woman.”

The longtime MSNBC anchor was referring to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 defeat at the hands of Donald Trump. She made sure to remind folks white women have been consistent in their failure to be on the right side of history, saying, “this will be the second opportunity that white women in this country have to change the way that they interact with the patriarchy.”

Where’s the lie?

“But if people aren’t receptive to it and if people vote more, you know, party line or more on race than on gender, and on protecting their gender, there’s really not much more that you can do but tell people what the risks are and leave it to them to do the right thing,” she ended her statement.

Social Media Agrees With Joy Reid

Once Donald Trump secured the 270 electoral college votes he needed and the breakdown of how the voting went, social media also felt the same way as Reid as the numbers show that white women and men and Latinos helped the twice impeached politician return to the Oval Office.

“As per usual white women vote for Trump while Black women remain the backbone of ethics and justice for this country,” one user on X, formally Twitter, wrote.

Another user wrote, “white women for Harris” the whole time they took their Stanley cups to vote for Trump.” 

Deep negro spiritual sigh.

Well, we applaud Kamala Harris for putting herself out there and wanting to fight to keep Trump from winning a second term and enacting his evil Project 2025 agenda.

Here we go again.

You can see more reactions in the gallery below.

1. Exactly

2. Damn shame

5. Consistent in their foolishness

06 Nov 2024

Olivia Rodrigo and John Summit to Speak at Billboard Live Summit and Awards: Here’s What to Expect and How to Get Tickets

Olivia Rodrigo and John Summit easily had two of the biggest tours in 2024. They will both appear on November 14 at the Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards in partnership with AEG Presents to talk about their experiences on the road and how they’ve grown as touring artists. AEG Presents is a world leader in the music and entertainment industry. From the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to global tour promotion for superstars like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and many more, they are a part of every step of creating a live music experience, which will all be covered at the Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards. There will be panels featuring top agents, leaders in sound design, and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour producer, Louis Messina. 

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Olivia Rodrigo will take part in a superstar Q&A where she will talk about upgrading from theaters to arenas for her GUTS World Tour, selecting opening acts like Gracie Abrams and Chappell Roan, and integrating her Fund 4 Good initiative into her massively successful shows. She will also receive the Touring Artist of the Year award.

John Summit will sit down with his longtime manager Holt Harmon for a conversation moderated by Billboard’s Katie Bain. Inside the Rise of John Summit will explore how he went from playing small bars and clubs to selling out Madison Square Garden. They’ll share insights into his creative process and how he created his chart-topping hits.

Louis Messina will receive the Touring Titan Award and be recognized as the Executive of the Year for his work on Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour. He will also sit down with Billboard’s Melinda Newman for The Power Players Conversation to talk about his past experiences working with artists like Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, and Tim McGraw, and plans for the future, shaping the next generation of touring superstars.

This year’s Billboard Live Music Summit and Awards will also feature the Festival of the Future panel where top executives will discuss how innovations in sound, video, and immersive media are transforming the festival experience. The Agents Power panel will bring together top agents from WME, CAA, UTA, AGI, and Arrival Artists to cover all things related to artist development and representation.

Billboard Live Music Summit 2024 returns on November 14 in Los Angeles. Click here for more information, the programming schedule, and to buy tickets.

06 Nov 2024

Flavor Flav Praises Selena Gomez for ‘Being So Open’ About Her Mental Health

Flavor Flav has no problem uplifting those around him. He’s basically been on a tour giving fellow celebrities he adores their flowers, and now it’s Selena Gomez’s turn.

Flav took to X on Monday (Nov. 4), where he applauded Gomez’s strength and how candid she’s been with her mental health publicly. “I don’t know her personally,,, but Selena Gomez is one of the STRONGEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL people inside and out,” he gushed. “I applaud her for being so open about her health and mental health. And I applaud her even more for clapping back at haterz,,, but she shouldn’t have to.”

The 32-year-old actress has been open about her mental health and lives with lupus, along with being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Gomez’s My Mind and Me documentary gave fans an even deeper look into her health battles, and she also launched the Rare Impact Fund to provide mental health services for the youth in 2020.

Trending on Billboard

People caught up with Gomez in November, and she disclosed some of her best practices when it comes to her mental health. “Try not to isolate,” she said. “I think it’s important to have moments alone. But when you isolate, sometimes those feelings can just stay bottled up.”

She implored people to “find one person to trust and tell your heart to … You can actually trust them with that information. It really does help to share.”

Being the self-proclaimed “King Swiftie,” Flavor Flav was also ecstatic to find out Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift were cool. “Me finding out Taylor and Selena are best friends,” he added on X with a GIF of the pair hanging out together.

06 Nov 2024

Ashley Gorley Donates ‘I Am Not Okay’ Royalties to Launch Mental Health Support for Songwriters

Ten-time ASCAP songwriter of the year Ashley Gorley is donating royalties from the Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping hit “I Am Not Okay,” written by Gorley with co-writers Taylor Phillips and Casey Brown, and recorded by Jelly Roll, to help aid mental health initiatives for those in the songwriting community.

Gorley, who is also known for writing No. 1 hits including the Morgan Wallen/Post Malone 16-week Hot 100 chart-topping “I Had Some Help” and other hits recorded by Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini and more, is commemorating the success of “I Am Not Okay” by supporting the launch of a program by The Onsite Foundation, aimed at helping the creative community. The Creatives Support Network will provide free mentorship, education, resources and mental wellness support specifically created to help members of the songwriting community.

Trending on Billboard

“A song about struggling to get out of bed in the morning is No. 1 and that really speaks to where we are in the world,” Gorley said in a statement. “It was important for us to take this moment to say ‘you’re not the only one,’ and to support a creative network with programming that is tailored to songwriters at any stage of their journey.”

Songwriter-focused intensives are a key part of the program, including two-day immersive, individual or group coaching and therapy sessions designed for creatives. The program also includes mentorship, social impact initiatives and online curriculum and conversation resources complimentary to the creative community, thanks to Gorley giving 80 grants for 80 individuals, in addition to program infrastructure support.

“This song in particular, along with the Jelly Roll Era, is creating a movement and timely conversation regarding the need to equip creatives with necessary tools to optimize their personal and professional pursuits,” Onsite’s Miles Adcox said in a statement. “I’ve been at the intersection of Music and Mental Wellness for the better part of my career and have experienced firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing today’s creatives. Music is medicine, and the comfort, relief, support, and overall impact it provides globally to humanity is immeasurable. Our storytellers are a national treasure we should pour into and protect at all costs. We’re grateful to Ashley, Jelly Roll, and the Tape Room writers for starting this conversation in the songwriting community and for lending their expertise and resources.”

The Jelly Roll hit “I Am Not Okay” offers an honest portrayal of the struggles many face with mental health issues. The song is from Jelly Roll’s recent Billboard 200-topping album Beautifully Broken.

Among Gorley’s recent accolades are ACM songwriter and song of the year for the Cole Swindell hit “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” and ASCAP’s country song of the year with Wallen’s “You Proof.” Gorley was also honored as NSAI’s Songwriter of the Decade for 2010-2019.

In 2011, Gorley, a Belmont University graduate, also formed his own publishing company, Tape Room Music, with a roster that includes his “I Am Not Okay” co-writers Brown and Phillips.

06 Nov 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Registered and Engaged the Most Voters in 2024 Election Through HeadCount

Sabrina Carpenter said “Please Please Please” and voters definitely listened. According to HeadCount.org, the singer got more voters engaged in Tuesday’s (Nov. 5) election than any other artist the organization works with. HeadCount said that Carpenter, 25, helped inspire 35,814 voter registrations and got another 263,087 voters to take other actions outside of registering (including checking their registration status and polling location).

“Through our partnerships with over 100 top music artists — like Sabrina Carpenter, Green Day, Ariana Grande, and so many others — HeadCount had a record-breaking year, registering over 450,000 new voters and engaging over 3 million more people to make sure they vote,” said  the non-profit’s executive director, Lucille Wenegieme, in a statement. “Our model works because musicians and celebrities have a cultural cache and an intimate connection with their fans, especially among young people, whose identity as a fan of a particular artist can be even stronger than other aspects of their identity, including affiliation with a political party or candidate. We are so grateful to our artist partners and their teams for inspiring their fans to take control of their future.”

HeadCount said that it had a presence at more than 3,700 events this year as part of its “Good to Vote” campaign, where they registered nearly half a million new voters, with almost half of them between the ages of 18-24. Carpenter’s impressive numbers on her Short n’ Sweet tour including activating voters through giveaways, in-person activations and video boards and mailers. The partnership also included a sweepstakes offering fans the chance to see the tour by checking their registration status, with winners slated to be flown out to the singer’s Nov. 9 San Francisco show.

Trending on Billboard

In addition, on their globe-hopping stadium Saviors tour, pop-punk legends Green Day broke HeadCount’s all-time record for the most voters engaged on a single tour, registering more than 7,900 new voters and engaging over 61,000 voters through in-person activations on the outing; those figures nearly double the previous record set by Ariana Grande on her 2019 Sweetener world tour.

HeadCount — which works with hundreds of other touring artists including 5 Seconds of Summer, Brandi Carlile, Alicia Keys, Chappell Roan, Ariana Grande, Fall Out Boy, Billie Eilish, DRake, HAIM, Gracie Abrams, Harry Styles and others — has registered more than 1.5 million voters since 2004. This year, the group said it engaged over three million music fans to take action, another all-time record for the organization, with more than 80% of all voters it registered representing Gen Z or millennials.

06 Nov 2024

V of BTS to Release ‘Era-Bridging’ Remix of ‘White Christmas’ With Bing Crosby

More than 80 years after its release, Bing Crosby‘s beloved holiday hit “White Christmas” is getting a Bangtan boost from V of BTS.

As announced Wednesday (Nov. 6), the 28-year-old K-pop star will join the late legend on a remix of his 1942 smash arriving Dec. 6. Released in partnership with the Bing Crosby Estate, Primary Wave Music and Geffen Records, the project is described as an “era-bridging” collaboration and comes 47 years after Crosby’s last cross-generational duet: 1977’s “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” with David Bowie.

“I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be featured in a song with my all-time favorite jazz artist, Bing Crosby,” V said of the track in a statement. “I grew up listening to his song ‘It’s Been a Long, Long Time’ countless times a day, and I feel incredibly fortunate and honored to have sung along on ‘White Christmas’ with the voice of someone I consider an idol.”

“Being a huge fan of his, I sang with the utmost sincerity and admiration for him,” continued the South Korean superstar, who previously covered “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” of which Crosby’s take peaked at No. 30 on the Holiday Streaming Songs, No. 8 on the Holiday Airplay and No. 14 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales charts. “I hope many people enjoy it as much as I enjoyed singing it. Lastly, I wish a lovely holiday season to everyone listening to the song.”

Trending on Billboard

Originally recorded for the 1942 film Holiday Inn and later heavily featured in the 1954 film White Christmas, Crosby’s enduring hit is widely renowned as the bestselling single of all time. It was released a full 16 years before the inception of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958, but premiered on the chart in December that same year and later reached a peak at No. 12 in 1962.

Crosby died in 1977. His daughter Mary Crosby said in a statement about her father’s new posthumous collaboration, “As a family, we are thrilled to have V and Dad singing together on this ultimate Christmas song. Their voices blend beautifully, capturing the holiday spirit in the best possible way.”

The legendary performer’s son Harry added, “We are happy that V will help share the joy of this timeless Christmas song.”

The holiday team-up will arrive about nine months after the release of V’s solo single “FRI(END)S,” which reached No. 65 on the Hot 100. Last December, he teamed up with Umi for a duet titled “Wherever U R.”

V is currently in the midst of his mandatory enlistment period in the South Korean military, as are four of his BTS bandmates: SUGA, RM, Jimin and Jung Kook. Earlier this year, Jin and J-Hope separately finished their service obligations, and full-band activities are expected to resume in 2025.

See the cover art for Bing Crosby and V’s “White Christmas” below.

06 Nov 2024

Pamela Anderson Loved Beyoncé’s ‘Barb Wire’ Halloween Costume: ‘Don’t Call Me Bey’

Queens recognize queens. Pamela Anderson had nothing but love for Beyoncé‘s Halloween tribute to her Barb Wire character. On Tuesday (Nov. 5), Bey dropped the first music video from her Cowboy Carter era with “Bodyguard,” in which the singer channeled a trio of Anderson’s most iconic looks for what she dubbed “Beylloween” in an Instagram post featuring a series of homages to the actress/author.

Anderson reposted a screen shot from the visual on her Instagram Stories, adding a heart emoji and the comment “Don’t call me bey… [kissy face emoji].” In the video, Beyoncé modeled Anderson’s legendarily skin-baring red Baywatch one-piece swimsuit, as well as her plunging neckline black corset dress from Pam’s kitschy 1996 sci-fi/action film Barb Wire. Dropping on election day, the video also featured a scene in which Bey pointed a toy gun at the lens, popping out a “Vote!” message flag to encourage fans to head to the polls in what turned out to be a losing effort by her preferred candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trending on Billboard

A third look also mimicked Anderson’s 1999 MTV VMAs look, which featured a furry pink hat and bedazzled leggings, though instead of the video awards event, Bey renamed it the No Visual Awards — a seeming nod to the long music video drought that stretches back to 2020’s Black Is King musical film. Anderson also posted a clip from the “Bodyguard” video in her Story.

The Raphael Saadiq-produced “Bodyguard” from Beyoncé’s country-leaning 2024 Cowboy Carter album peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Last January, Anderson — who has kept a low profile over the past few years — talked to Howard Stern about her brief marriage to MAGA singer Kid Rock, saying that the four-month 2006 union was a “tremendous f–king mistake” while promoting her Love, Pamela memoir.