djfrosty

26 Jun 2024

Green Day, Carrie Underwood & More to Perform on ‘GMA’s 2024 Summer Concert Series: See the Lineup

Wake us up when June ends, because Good Morning America‘s annual Summer Concert Series is returning in July, and the ABC morning show is sharing the lineup exclusively with Billboard first. This year’s genre-spanning lineup includes rockers Green Day celebrating the 30th anniversary of Dookie and the 20th anniversary of “American Idiot,” country star Carrie Underwood, reggaeton singer Nicky Jam and more.

The annual concert series, which is sponsored by Wayfair, kicks off its run of eight shows on July 19 with Kane Brown in New York City’s Central Park, and includes rapper G-Eazy on Aug. 16 at the show’s Times Square studio, and closes Sept. 6 with country band Old Dominion, also at GMA‘s studio. Here’s the full list of GMA‘s Summer Concert Series shows:

  • July 19: Kane Brown, Central Park
  • July 26: Green Day, Central Park
  • Aug. 2: Carrie Underwood, Central Park
  • Aug. 9: Nicky Jam, Central Park
  • Aug. 16: G-Eazy, Times Square studio
  • Aug. 23: Sofi Tukker, Times Square studio
  • Aug. 30: Megan Moroney, Times Square studio
  • Sept. 6: Old Dominion, Times Square studio

The performances set for Central Park will take place at Rumsey Playfield. For those interested in the shows in the park — which will be free and open to the public — information on how to attend is available on Good Morning America‘s website. The concerts held at the Times Square studio will not have a live audience.

Trending on Billboard

All of the performances will air between 7 and 9 a.m. ET during the morning show’s broadcast, though some will air at 1 p.m. ET on GMA3: What You Need to Know, as well as 4 p.m. ET and 6 p.m. ET during ABC News Live. (Don’t have ABC? The network streams on Hulu, which you can sign up for here.)

Last year’s concert series kicked off with BTS superstar Jung Kook in Central Park. Carly Rae Jepson; Fat Joe with Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma and Bia; Tim McGraw and more also performed for the morning show.

26 Jun 2024

Dance Act Brent Street Blow Away the Judges on ‘AGT’: Watch

The bright lights, the big stage, the long haul. None of it fazed Brent Street, the dance group that enjoyed a glittering audition Tuesday night (June 25) on America’s Got Talent.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Hailing from Sydney, the modern troupe’s performance was part-drama, part-magic, and completely mesmerizing.

Performing to “Hope” by rapper NF, the 20-plus dancers, dressed all in white, powered their way through multiple, seamless routines, impressing everyone in the room with a combination of power, finesse, timing and coordination.

At the conclusion, all four judges joined the audience for a standing ovation.

Trending on Billboard

Heidi Klum launched in, describing the dance as exciting, beautiful and “something we haven’t seen before. Really entertaining. Very well done.”

“The beginning was spectacular,” added Sofia Vergara, “and the rest was as good as the beginning. That was for sure the coolest thing I’ve seen today.”

Simon Cowell lauded the creation as a cerebral one. “Apart from what they were doing with their bodies,” he remarked, “it was what they were doing with their brains, because this was such a really well though out creative, original performance.” That is “the kind of audition we love on the show.”

Teenage group leader Zack Degersigny, 17, admitted the performance was months in the making.

Howie Mandel had the last word. “I thought everything you did was amazing. It was a surprise.” Mandel had a surprise of his own; he smacked that Golden Buzzer, and the ceiling rained with glitter.

The team from Brent Street, which describes itself as “Australia’s Home of Performing Arts,” progresses in NBC’s talent quest.

Watch below.

26 Jun 2024

Jelly Roll Talks Incarceration, Luck and His Expanding First Arena Tour

There’s no doubt about it, Jelly Roll is on a roll. The Nashville-raised rising star has made the incredible leap from prison to No. 1, and assembled millions of fans along the way.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Jelly, as he likes to be called, kept matters humming along when he stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday night (June 25) for a glimpse inside his forthcoming Beautifully Broken Tour, his background and how music and family helped turn his life around.

Chatting with Martin Short, who is filling in for Kimmel as guest host, Jelly admitted he’s a lucky guy. “I always say, talent will get you really far but if you don’t have a horseshoe hidden in there somewhere, you could be in a little trouble,” he explained. “Lucky for me, I had a rabbit foot in my butt.”

Trending on Billboard

Lucky, and funny.

There was a time when trouble could have been Jelly’s middle name. Looking relaxed on the Live couch, Jelly recounted how he was incarcerated as a juvenile and ended up in the “rotating door” of the system for a decade.

His songwriting flourished when he was locked up, for crimes ranging from aggravated robbery to drug dealing.

“I had a lot of time,” he admits. “I thought, maybe I should invest this time in something positive.” His time on the inside left an indelible mark; he got his first face tattoo while incarcerated.



Becoming a father changed his outlook and motivated the Billboard cover star, whose music straddles rock, rap and country. His rags to riches moment was the result of “10 years of living in my van and selling mixtapes out of my trunk,” he continued.

On making a break, “I just did it independently forever. I just kept writing songs, putting them out myself, upload them to YouTube, it started to grow and build.”

Jelly last year achieved a first on Billboard’s charts when “Need a Favor” became the first ever song to have hit the top 10 of both Country Airplay and Mainstream Rock Airplay. He has tasted life at the penthouse, with “Dead Man Walking” (Mainstream Rock Airplay) and “Son of a Sinner” (Country Airplay) topping Billboard charts.

Jelly will play those songs and more when he embarks on his Beautifully Broken Tour late August, his first arena trek which has just added 16 shows. Before he hits the road, Jelly warmed up with a world premiere performance of “Burning”.

The Beautifully Broken tour is slated to kick off on August 27 with a gig at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City and include stops in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Antonio, New Orleans, Orlando, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and St. Louis before winding down with an Oct. 27 gig at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Watch his late night performance below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=xq_HHhoTsXg&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

25 Jun 2024

‘Broadway Bares’ Raises Record $2.3 Million for Charity

Once again, the annual Broadway Bares charity burlesque benefit show not only raised temperatures, but also raised a bevy of money for a good cause.

Over two sold-out shows on June 23 at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, more than 200 dancers strutted their stuff and helped generate $2,259,134 for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) – the most a Bares event has raised since the show’s launch in 1992.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The 2024 installment of Broadway Bares had a Las Vegas theme, dubbed Hit the Strip, and showcased 223 dancers and performers from 19 Broadway and off-Broadway shows from this season. More than 600 volunteers and 38 stage managers helped bring the event to life, where 3,000 audience members were in attendance for each of the night’s two shows. The production was directed by Kellen Stancil, and produced by BC/EFA.

Trending on Billboard

Broadway Bares: Hit the Strip cashed in with its Sin City theme, as the show staged numbers with a Vegas flair, including vignettes inspired by the film Showgirls and Vegas icons Elvis Presley and Liberace.

Broadway Bares: Hit the Strip

Broadway Bares: Hit the Strip

Michael Hull

The collected installments of Bares have raised $28.7 million over the years for BC/EFA.

According to BC/EFA, the organization has awarded more than $300 million for essential services for people with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses across the United States. BC/EFA also supports the social services programs at the Entertainment Community Fund, has provided annual grants to more than 450 AIDS and family services organizations in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., and has awarded one-time humanitarian grants to provide emergency aid across the U.S. and around the world.

Aydin Eyikan and Jimin Moon in Broadway Bares: Hit the Strip

Aydin Eyikan and Jimin Moon in Broadway Bares: Hit the Strip

Michael Hull

25 Jun 2024

Blackstone Says Its June 3 Offer for Hipgnosis Songs Fund Is Final

Blackstone doesn’t intend to increase its latest offer to acquire Hipgnosis Songs Fund (HSF), the London-listed investment trust it first launched a takeover bid for on April 20. The private equity firm said in a regulatory filing Tuesday (June 25) that the financial terms of its June 3 offer “are final and will not be increased” unless a higher offer or possible offer materializes.

The announcement appears intended to thwart any attempts by opportunistic investors to extract a higher offer from Blackstone. Analysis of shareholder data by The Financial Times shows that hedge funds known to trade on takeover targets have acquired “well over” 25% of HSF’s shares, raising the possibility that Blackstone’s offer will fail to reach the minimum 75% approval threshold when shareholders vote on the proposal at HSF’s July 8 general meeting.

Blackstone’s latest offer of $1.31 per share values HSF’s share capital at a total of $1.584 billion. After some back-and-forth with Concord, which bid $1.25 per share on April 24 and $1.14 per share on April 14, Blackstone increased its bid to $1.30 per share on April 29 and then to the current $1.31 per share price on June 3.

Trending on Billboard

Securing the acquisition would allow Blackstone to consolidate HSF’s 65,000-song catalog with two entities it currently owns: the private music assets investment fund Hipgnosis Songs Capital and Hipgnosis Song Management, the investment advisor to HSF. The collection of rights held by HSF includes songs by Neil Young, Journey, Lindsey Buckingham, Blondie and more.

A purchase by Blackstone would bring an end to the six-year-old HSF and the turbulence of recent years. Launched as a pure-play investment in the safety of classic music copyrights, HSF was hit by a stagnant share price that hurt its ability to raise cash for additional acquisitions. Financial mishaps — such as an errant royalty accrual that caused the company to cancel its dividend — and accounting issues led shareholders to vote against continuation in October and set the stage for turnover on the board of directors and a plan to attract bidders to satisfy shareholders.  

25 Jun 2024

Paul McCartney! Tom Cruise! Prince William! Taylor Swift’s London Eras Tour Stop Dominates the News Cycle

Did you know Taylor Swift played three shows in London over the weekend?

Chances are good that you did, because you likely heard about one of her A-list audience members (Paul McCartney, Tom Cruise and Hugh Grant, to name a few); her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s onstage Eras Tour debut (in a tuxedo and top hat, no less); her surprise-song collaborators (Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Gracie Abrams); or her royal backstage selfie with Prince William (and two of his three kids).

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about Swift’s buzzy trio of Eras Tour shows — and how she still has five more Wembley Stadium concerts coming in August.

Trending on Billboard

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Sabrina Carpenter captures her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart as “Please, Please, Please” rises 2-1 in its second week on the chart. Plus, how Swift continues to dominate the Billboard 200 albums chart with The Tortured Poets Department for a ninth straight week; will anything stop Taylor’s run at No. 1?

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

25 Jun 2024

From Disney Darling to Trendsetter, Here’s Sabrina Carpenter’s Style Evolution

Sabrina Carpenter is not only one of today’s biggest pop stars, but she’s also quickly turning into a style icon — with her colorful outfits and chic makeup looks having fans compare her to a real-life Polly Pocket or Bratz Doll.

Most recently, Carpenter made her runway debut at the Vogue World 2024: Paris on June 23. Dressed in a red-and-white striped bathing suit with a matching kerchief and sarong by Jacquemus, paired with bright red shoes, the singer gave off perfect, “Espresso”-style beachy vibes as men on either side of her waved billowing blue fabric to mimic ocean waves around her.

The superstar is fresh off her first-ever Hot 100 No. 1 hit as “Please Please Please” tops the tally dated June 29, a week after it debuted at No. 2. The track, along with “Espresso,” which sits at No. 4 on the Hot 100 a week after reaching No. 3, introduces Carpenter’s album Short n’ Sweet, due Aug. 23.

To celebrate, we’ve put together a gallery of Carpenter’s style evolution, from her Disney days to modern times. Check out the photos below.

25 Jun 2024

Gunna “Back In The A,” Tha Dogg Pound “Imma Dogg” & More | Daily Visuals 6.25.24

HipHopWired Featured Video

It’s been a year and change since Gunna was released from jail after taking a plea deal to regain his freedom and while some fans are still split on whether or not to shun him for “snitching,” Gunna still has a strong support system in his day-ones who’ll ride with him till the end.

In his latest visuals to “Back In The A,” it’s more than apparent that Gunna’s still got a lot of love in his hometown (unlike Tekashi 6ix9ine) as he cruises through his city with his people in tow and shows he’s still good in many parts of the ATL.

Back in LA, Tha Dogg Pound keep on churning out new work for the OG’s of the game and in their clip to “Imma Dogg,” Daz Dillinger and Kurupt hit the streets of the city of angels in a lowrider before posting up at a construction site for no apparent reason. Maybe they’re getting ready to bury some bodies in there Jimmy Hoffa style.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from GloRilla, Quincy, and more.

GUNNA – “BACK IN THE A”



THA DOGG POUND – “IMMA DOGG”



QUINCY – “ON YOUR TIME”



GLORILLA – “TGIF”



RICH CAY – “NO FAKING”



BAY SWAG – “WORLDWIDE SNIPER”



ICEWEAR VEZZO & PEEZY – “AIIGHT”



TEE GRIZZLEY – “ROBBERY 7”



ASAKE & CENTRAL CEE – “WAVE”



25 Jun 2024

ARMY Demands Geffen Records to Apologize to Jimin | Billboard News

After the Head of Streaming at Geffen Records made dismissive remarks about Jimin’s much-anticipated “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” release without addressing ARMY’s inquiries for streaming links, fans are now calling for a formal apology from the label. Keep watching for more! 

“Geffen apologize to Jimin” was trending on X and it has something to do with Taylor Swift? What is going on? Let the ARMY and I break it down for you. Jimin is on the way with new music. But the ARMY is having an issue with the labels rollout and promotion of the song. A fan @’ed Geffen on X and said, “Where are the iTunes pre-orders for Jimin’s “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band” out next week June 28?” One of Geffon’s SVP’s and Head of Streaming responded, “Song of the Year” with the link to Gracie Abrams and Taylor Swift’s new song, “Us.”

The people are just trying to buy the song. Unsure of why the SVP responded that way to them asking for the quote “bare minimum of promotion.” “Geffen apologize to Jimin” began trending on Twitter. Jimin’s “Like Crazy” became a historic Hot 100 No. 1 hit in 2023, the first for a South Korean solo. Geffen has posted a link to promote another Jimin track “Who.” Were Geffen’s SVP’s comments inappropriate? Let us know down below. Jim’s new album ‘Muse’ is available July 19.

25 Jun 2024

Steve Cohen’s Point72 Acquires 5.5% Stake in Sphere Entertainment

Billionaire hedge fund titan Steve Cohen‘s Point72 Asset Management has acquired a 5.5% stake in Sphere Entertainment Co, the MSG Entertainment spin-off company that owns the state-of-the-art Las Vegas Sphere venue.

Point72 disclosed in a regulatory filing on Monday (June 24) that it acquired 1.56 million shares of Sphere Entertainment Co in the second quarter, including 582,400 Class A Common Stock shares, which are issuable upon exercise of options. This is the second time Point72 has acquired a chunk of Sphere stock, having previously owned 262,102 shares at the end of 2023, which it sold in the first quarter, the New York Post reported.

The long-awaited Sphere has wowed music fans with residencies by U2, Phish and Grateful Dead and attracted nearly one million guests to some 270 performances in the quarter ending March 31. MSG Entertainment chairman/CEO James Dolan wants to replicate the $2.3 billion project in other cities. In January, the company withdrew its plans to build a Sphere arena in London failed after the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, blocked plans for the 21,500-capacity, 300-foot-tall building, citing the negative impact he believed it would have on the surrounding area, including high energy use and the “significant light intrusion” it would cause local residents.

Trending on Billboard

While better known for its concerts, Sphere is set to host its first televised event this weekend with the National Hockey League draft. Point72’s investment aligns two New York sports teams owners: Cohen, who owns the New York Mets, and Dolan, owner of the New York Knicks and New York Rangers.