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08 May 2024

Billie Eilish Radio to Launch on SiriusXM Ahead of ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ Release

The Billie Eilish multi-media blitz in advance of the upcoming release of her third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, will kick off in earnest on Friday (May 10) with the launch of Billie Eilish Radio on SiriusXM. The dedicated streaming channel will debut at noon E.T. with a mix curated by the “What Was I Made For?” singer.

As with other recent channels dedicated to artists including the Beastie Boys, Coldplay, Michael Jackson and Bob Marley, the Eilish channel will be a mix of her music and artists that have inspired her. On the day of the album’s release, May 17, the channel will play the full album beginning at 12 a.m. ET, with additional plays throughout the weekend, according to a release. The opening weekend celebration will also feature exclusive insight and commentary about the LP from the singer and her brother/producer, Finneas.

The channel will be available to North American subscribers on channel 3 from May 10-23, along with an exclusive channel on the SiriusXM app from May 10-June 7.

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In a trailer for the channel, Eilish says, “I love music so much and all I want to do is share music I love all the time with everybody that I love. Listen to it wherever you feel comfortable and safe and good.”

The SiriusXM channel will join a number of other promotional stunts to hype HMHAS, including listening parties on May 15 and 16 in New York City at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Los Angeles’ Kia Forum, as well as HIT ME HARD AND SOFT – A Listening Event Presented by Apple Music, which is coming to Dolby Cinema at AMC Theatres locations across North America on May 16 and 17. A release promised that the screening will give fans “the chance to be one of the first to hear the new album with a visual accompaniment.”

Tickets for the movie’s two-day run will cost $5 each and are available for purchase here here. A portion of the proceeds will go to AMC Cares Charitable Fund, which provides financial aid to qualified nonprofit organizations.

08 May 2024

Which Drake and Kendrick Lamar Diss Tracks Could Make Next Week’s Hot 100?

One of the wildest weeks in hip-hop history is set to make a huge impact on next week’s Billboard charts (dated May 18) as several diss tracks from the ongoing Drake – Kendrick Lamar beef look prime to dot the Billboard Hot 100 and other charts.

The rappers’ feud dates back at least a decade, but the latest campaign ramped up in March with “Like That,” Lamar’s collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin, in which the Pulitzer Prize-winner’s verse contained alleged disses at Drake and J. Cole. Since then, Lamar, Drake, J. Cole and a heavyweight supporting roster – including The Weeknd, Rick Ross, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), A$AP Rocky – have all been involved, either as targets or lobbing disses of their own.

While Cole bowed out and apologized after he released his “7 Minute Drill” rebuttal on April 5, Drake and Lamar have each released multiple tracks in just a few weeks, with personal attacks and serious allegations, including threats of violence and pedophilia within artists camps.

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Given the whirlwind of releases — some of which have been widely released on streaming services, others that were only available on social media and at least one that has been willingly removed from platforms — here’s a guide to how each track could factor onto the Hot 100.

The Ones That Have Already Charted

“Like That” / “7 Minute Drill” / “Push Ups” / “Euphoria”

Four tracks have already appeared on the Hot 100, which includes streaming, radio airplay and sales data for its calculations. In chronological order, they are “Like That” (No. 1 for three weeks, beginning on the chart dated April 6), J. Cole’s “7 Minute Drill” (No. 7, April 20), Drake’s “Push Ups” (No. 17, May 11) and Lamar’s “Euphoria” (No. 11, May 11).

As J. Cole had “7 Minute Drill” pulled from streaming services and digital retailers one week after its release, the song has since fallen off the chart. Unless “7 Minute Drill” is once again made available to consumers, the only avenue for a Hot 100 return would be through radio airplay. But don’t expect it – “7 Minute Drill” has declined in radio play for the last two weeks, according to Luminate, before it was even able to make any Billboard radio chart.

In addition to continued availability on streaming services and digital retailers, “Like That,” “Push Ups” and “Euphoria” all sport an active radio presence. The foremost ranks at No. 4 on the latest R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (dated May 11), the middle track rises 29-28 and while the lattermost does not appear on the chart, its 149,000 audience total, according to Luminate – in just three days of a seven-day, Friday-Thursday tracking week due to its Tuesday drop date – ranks just outside the 50-position cutoff, at 192,000 in audience for the week.

The Ones That Could Chart Next

“Family Matters” / “Meet the Grahams” / “Not Like Us” / “The Heart Part 6”

The heaviest barrage is likely to come on next week’s Hot 100 (dated May 18), with five songs released between Drake and Lamar since May 2, the start of the current Hot 100 tracking week.

Of the five, three – Drake’s “Family Matters” and Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” and “Not Like Us” – are widely available across streaming serves and digital retailers, setting them up for the chance at huge consumption figures that would translate into strong Hot 100 arrivals. All three, though, will have shortened periods in the Friday-Thursday tracking window after they were released mid-week: “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams” both arrived on Saturday, May 3, while “Not Like Us” premiered on Sunday, May 4.

Despite the handicap, however, they seem to be making up ground — quickly. Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” for example, was the No. 1 streamed song in the U.S. on Spotify on Monday, May 6, (6.59 million clicks) and Tuesday, May 7, (6.81 million), clearing each day’s second-place title — his own “Euphoria” on Monday and Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” on Tuesday — by more than 2 million plays.

Returning to the two remaining tracks released during the current tracking week, one — Drake’s “The Heart Part 6,” released on Sunday, May 4 — notably remains available only through YouTube.

As for the final track …

The Outliers

“6:16 in LA” / “Taylor Made Freestyle” / “Buried Alive Interlude, Pt. 2”

Lamar’s “6:16 in LA,” which arrived on Saturday, May 3, was released solely through the Compton rapper’s Instagram page. As it was not made available on streaming services or digital retailers that contribute to Billboard’s charts (and has received no registered radio play), it has no chance of appearing on the Hot 100 without an official release.

But all’s fair. Two more Drake tracks released in the beef — the “Taylor Made Freestyle” and “Buried Alive Interlude, Pt. 2” — were likewise social media exclusives, and, by the same token, would need an official release to streamers and digital stores or substantial radio activity for a Hot 100 debut. The former, notably, is unlikely to gain any traction after its use of artificial intelligence vocals imitating Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg prompted Shakur’s estate to threaten a lawsuit, and the song was removed the next day. The latter, meanwhile, appeared on an Instagram story and looks to only have been a teaser for “Family Matters.”

The top 10 of the Hot 100 dated May 18 is scheduled to be announced on Billboard’s website on Monday, May 13, with the full chart revealed on Tuesday, May 14.

08 May 2024

Jim Jones Won’t Face Charges In Airport Brawl

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Jim Jones was recently involved in an airport brawl with two men in a wild scene that saw the men tumbling down an escalator before the authorities intervened. According to new reports, Jim Jones will not face charges as it was determined he was acting in self-defense.

As reported by TMZ, Jim Jones was traveling first class to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and upon landing attempted to retrieve his bags from an overhead compartment, which angered a fellow passenger. Jones sternly warned the man after he bumped him and reportedly grabbed his arm while another man began yelling at him.

Deputies were called to the plane but the men exited without moving forward with charges while heading to baggage claim. It was there when one of the men physically approached Jones with the other man from the plane incident joining in. Jones picked one man up and slammed him while another kept hitting Jones from behind. Officers quickly swarmed to the scene and broke the fight up with one of the men looking worse for wear.

Surveillance video of the brawl backed the claims Jones made that he didn’t start the brawl. The Harlem rapper and businessman told TMZ Hip Hop, “I was minding my business and defended myself. They got what they were looking for.”

They most certainly did.

Check out the fight footage below.

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Photo: Getty

08 May 2024

Drake’s London OVO Store Dragged Into Kendrick Lamar Beef With ‘They Not Like Us’ Graffiti

From the looks of it, the dust has settled in the lyrical war between Drake and Kendrick Lamar after the general consensus is that the Compton MC emerged victorious after a furious diss track back-and-forth. But the collateral damage from one of the fiercest bar beatdowns in recent history continues to spill out.

On Tuesday, pictures emerged of the vandalized front window of Drizzy’s London OVO store, which an unknown person (or persons) tagged with the line “they not like us” from what, so far, seems to be the final word in the battle from K.Dot’s withering “Not Like Us.”

The glass window at the front of the shop on London’s iconic Carnaby Street was hit with the silver paint jab featuring the phrase that has become a battle cry for Lamar supporters in the days since its release. At press time it did not appear as if anyone had taken credit for the tag and officials had not announced any arrests in the incident.

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Following Saturday’s release of “Not Like Us” — which reportedly broke the Spotify record for the most-streamed rap song in a single day on Tuesday — it seemed like Lamar had settled things before Drake dropped the dismissive “The Heart Pt. 6” on Sunday. The London defacement came on the same day that Toronto Police confirmed that an unnamed security guard working outside Drake’s Toronto mansion was transported to a local with “serious injuries” that were not life-threatening after reports of a shooting by an unknown assailant who fled the scene in a vehicle. Drake was uninjured in the incident and the Associated Press reported that police are attempting to identify the assailant in the drive-by.

Check out a picture of the London store vandalism below.

08 May 2024

Warner Chappell Music Appoints Delia Orjuela Head of Creative Música Mexicana

Warner Chappell Music has announced Delia Orjuela as its new head of creative Mexican music/música mexicana. Based out of Los Angeles, the veteran executive will report to Gustavo Menéndez, WCM’s president, U.S. Latin & Latin America.

In 2021, Orjuela joined Warner Music Latina to lead the label’s Mexican music division where she guided the careers of artists like DannyLux, who is among the new generation of música mexicana hitmakers. Last year, her and Ruben Abraham were appointed co-leaders as the label doubled down on their commitment to música mexicana.

According to a press release, in her new position, Orjuela will continue to “collaborate closely” with the recorded music team and look for cross-collaboration opportunities between the label and publisher.

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“I have spent most of my career advocating and championing songwriters, and they’ve remained my true passion,” Orjuela said in a statement. “Music is incredibly powerful, and I love how a great song with meaningful lyrics can impact people’s lives. I’m so glad to once again be a part of the songwriting process from the beginning, helping to set up collaborations and nurture creative connections. This next step in my career brings everything full circle, and I can’t wait to hit the ground running with Gustavo and the incredible team at WCM.”

Prior to joining Warner, Orjuela was the longtime vp of Latin creative for BMI, where she worked for 22 years. She left in 2019 to start “a new chapter” in her life. That same year, she was appointed president of Latin Songwriters Hall of Fame.

“Delia and I have known each other for years, and what started as professional respect has grown into a deep and genuine friendship,” Menéndez added in a statement. “She’s fiercely passionate about empowering music creators and providing them with the right tools to amplify their voices on a global scale. We’ve already started to pull together exciting plans with [Warner Music Latin America president] Alejandro [Duque], and her natural instinct will drive remarkable success in one of today’s fastest-growing genres.”

In a joint statement, WCM co-chairs Guy Moot (CEO) and Carianne Marshall (COO) expressed: “Delia has supported countless songwriters and established a reputation for energizing teams and elevating music. We see huge potential to create timeless songs in the Mexican music market, and her leadership will help us continue to develop songwriters who shape culture.”

08 May 2024

Cyndi Lauper Biopic ‘Let the Canary Sing’ Gets Paramount+ Debut Date: Watch the Trailer

Cyndi Lauper never considered another option. The flame-haired singer whose colorful sartorial flare and Betty Boop voice had music writers desperately searching for synonyms for “quirky” in the 1980s will tell her life’s story in the upcoming biopic Let the Canary Sing.

The feature-length film that debuted at last year’s Tribeca Festival in New York was directed by Emmy-winning documentarian Alison Ellwood (Laurel Canyon) and will debut on Paramount+ on June 4. “Over the years I’ve been asked to do a documentary about my life and work, but it never felt like the right time,” Lauper, 70, said in a statement about the film. “Until now. When I first met Alison Ellwood, I knew right away I could trust her to tell my story honestly, which was incredibly important to me, and she succeeded in that. I’d like to thank Alison, the producers, and all of the amazing documentary participants who agreed to be interviewed!”

The trailer for the doc dropped on Tuesday and it opens with a scene from the video for Lauper’s 1983 ballad “Time After Time,” in which the singer is seen schlepping her giant duffel as she leaves a trailer park. “Everyone always said, ‘what will you do if you fail?’ And all of a sudden we all heard it,” Lauper says in voiceover over the irresistible strains of her 1983 breakthrough hit, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

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The 90-second trailer takes us all the way back to little Cyndi’s Catholic school days, during which it became apparent, she says, “how stubborn I could be.” Singer/actor Billy Porter weighs in on Lauper’s embrace of queer culture in the sneak peek, noting that at that time, “queer people weren’t allowed to be queer and out. It was our allies having the conversation.”

The trailer also features Culture Club singer Boy George praising Lauper for doing whatever she wanted to and legendary R&B singer Patti LaBelle calling “Time After Time” one of her “favorite songs ever.”

Legacy Recordings will release a career-spanning companion album that takes listeners from the singer’s early days in the group Blue Angel (“I’m Gonna Be Strong”) through the global breakout success of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and other iconic hits such as “True Colors,” “I Drove All Night,” “Money Changes Everything,” “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough,” “She Bop,” “All Through the Night” and more.

Watch the trailer for Let the Canary Sing below.

08 May 2024

Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival Announces 2024 Return Following Last Year’s The 1975 LGBTQ Controversy

A year after pulling the plug on their festival early after The 1975 singer Matty Healy slammed Malaysia‘s anti-LGBTQ laws as “f–king ridiculous” before sharing a long kiss with bassist Ross MacDonald, Kuala Lumpur’s Good Vibes Festival has announced its return.

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The two-day event at Resorts World Awana in Genting Highlands will take place on July 20-21, Joji and Russ headlining the first night, along with a lineup featuring Alec Benjamin, Haven, Peach Pit, Ylona Garcia, Cherry Bomb, Spooky Wet Dreams, Bad Habits and more.

The second day will be topped by J Balvin, who will be joined by Peggy Gou, Bibi, Henry Moodie, Tiger JK & Yoon Mi Rae, Forceparkbois, Talitha, Capt’n Trips and the Kid and more. Tickets for the festival go on sale at 11 a.m. on Friday (May 10) here.

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Future Sound Asia’s director of entertainment, Wan Alman, spoke to the NME about the event’s return, declining to comment on The 1975 due to ongoing legal action against the group while emphasizing that the festival is not banned and will return this year. “To be honest, this year has really been one of the most challenging festivals to plan – and not for the reasons you might think. It’s not really anything to do with what happened last year, but this year has been an especially challenging time for festivals around the world in general,” Alman said, citing the cancellation of Australia’s Splendour in the Grass and what he claimed were lineup backlashes facing other festivals.

“It’s been really tough booking acts for festivals all around the world. Not everyone will get a great line-up like Coachella or Splendour, and when you don’t get a great line-up, people don’t buy tickets,” he added. “I think a major cause of this is that artist fees have skyrocketed. I think it’s going to be unsustainable but it’s just getting higher and higher every year.”

Despite cancelling the second and third days of last year’s event over Healy’s comments, Alman said the Malaysian government was “quite supportive” of this year’s return. “They want to work with us hand-in-hand to make sure that that sort of thing doesn’t happen again and that the live music industry and the festival industry isn’t adversely affected by what happened,” he said. The festival has been working with local authorities to come up with a standard operating procedure to deal with a similar incident in the future.

And though he said the 1975 dust-up did not inform their booking choices this year, Alman stressed that the decade-old festival did more due diligence this time to make sure the acts they slotted were “not controversial.” That said, event organizers do have a “kill switch” they can enact that immediately cuts off audio, video and stage lighting should there be another incident, something Alman called “the very last resort.”

See the full lineup for the 2024 Good Vibes festival below.

08 May 2024

‘The Voice’ Top 9 Is Announced

Nine singers progressed, and three were eliminated Tuesday night (May 7) on NBC‘s The Voice, as the live round once again dished up its share of drama.

Earlier, on Monday night, each of the Top 12 hit the stage and sang for their lives in the competition.
On this occasion, America voted while coaches Reba McEntire, John Legend, Chance the Rapper and newbies Dan + Shay were on hand to give input.

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During Tuesday night’s Top 9 announcement, the four singers with the lowest vote count were returned to the stage. The prize – the “Instant Save,” bringing with it entry into next week’s semi-finals.

For their last chance, Nadège hit “Smooth Operator” by Sade; L. Rodgers performed Elton John’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me,” Zoe Levert covered Kacey Musgraves’ “Slow Burn,” and Tae Lewis’ tackled “The Church on Cumberland Road” by Shenandoah.

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There could be only one. Team Dan + Shay’s Lewis got the nod.

“That was like a finale performance,” Dan Smyers told Lewis. “We are so proud of you, how far you’ve come. I hear it in your voice, I see it in your eyes (and) I feel it in your soul. You want to be here. You deserve to be here.”

The 32-year-old Goldsboro, NC native joins Bryan Olesen (Team Legend), Maddi Jane (Team Chance), Madison Curbelo (Team Dan + Shay), Asher Havon (Team Reba), Karen Waldrup (Team Dan + Shay), Serenity Arce (Team Chance), Josh Sanders (Team Reba) and Nathan Chester (Team Legend) in the semis.

Perhaps it’s beginner’s luck. Perhaps they’ve got the secret sauce. What we do know is that Dan + Shay lead the way, representing three of the final nine contestants.

Watch Tae Lewis’ performance on season 25 of The Voice below.

08 May 2024

SXSW Announces 2025 London Edition

Austin’s South by Southwest conference and festival is heading to the United Kingdom, marking the first time that the world-famous event has been held in Europe.

Due to take place over one week in June 2025, the inaugural edition of SXSW London will follow the same format as its Texas-based forerunner and feature “inspiring and challenging” keynote talks, music performances and showcase leading innovations in tech, gaming and film, organizers said in today’s announcement. Names and details of who will be appearing will be announced in the coming months.

Held annually in the city of Austin since 1987, SXSW has grown to become one of the biggest events in the global music calendar, attracting hundreds of thousands of musicians, creatives, filmmakers, media companies and music industry executives to the state of Texas every March.

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Amy Winehouse, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and Wet Leg are just a few of the music artists who played the festival early in their careers.

Previous guest speakers have included Dave Grohl, U.S. president Barack Obama, Steven Spielberg, Michelle Yeoh and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, while Twitter, Foursquare and Airbnb are among the tech start-ups that SXSW famously helped launch.

Next year’s debut of SXSW London continues the event’s global rollout, which began in 2023 with the launch of an Asia Pacific edition in Sydney, Australia.

The second installment of SXSW Sydney takes place Oct. 14-20 with the main U.S. SXSW festival and conference scheduled for Mar. 7-17 in Austin. The addition of a new London edition makes the event series “an indispensable three-stop tour for the global creative community,” said organizers in a press release.

Although 2025 will be the first time that a SXSW-branded event has taken place in Europe, the organization did team up with Mercedes-Benz to host an annual conference, called the me Convention, between 2017 and 2019 in Germany and Sweden, targeted at the tech, design and creative communities.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring the SXSW experience to London,” said SXSW co-president and chief brand officer Jann Baskett in a statement. He called next year’s planned event “an incredible new opportunity to highlight the elements that make SXSW unique in one of the most vibrant cities in Europe.”

Randel Bryan, managing director of SXSW London, said the festival “will build on Austin’s incredible legacy” by providing “a platform for the next generation of creative talent.”

While detailed plans for SXSW London are yet to be announced, organizers said the event will be held in dozens of venues, art galleries and clubs in the East London district of Shoreditch and will have its own “distinctive personality,” reflecting the U.K. capital city’s “internationally renowned cultural life and creativity.”

Alongside keynote talks and music showcases, the conference will include “boundary pushing” visual arts, design and fashion programming, with exhibitions and interactive and immersive experiences taking place in public spaces across East London. The city’s proximity to other major creative and tech centers in Europe will also shape programming as organizers look to attract creative talent from across the continent.

Commenting on the announcement, London mayor Sadiq Khan called the plans “a historic opportunity” for the city “to once again bring the world’s most exciting talent together.”

In April 2021, it was announced that SXSW had signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.

07 May 2024

Dua Lipa’s ‘Radical Optimism’ Is Racing to U.K. No. 1

Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism will be hard to catch in the U.K. chart race.

Based on midweek sales and streaming data captured by the Official Charts Company, the British pop singer’s third studio album has a healthy lead.

Radical Optimism is outselling the next-best-placed LP, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, by 2 to 1, and should storm home for Lipa’s second leader.

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Assuming it continues on its path, Radical Optimism will become Lipa’s first album to debut at No. 1. Her self-titled 2017 debut Dua Lipa peaked at No. 3 and has logged 354 weeks on the frame, while her sophomore effort from 2020, Future Nostalgia, climbed to No. 1 in its second week. Future Nostalgia logged four weeks at No. 1, and has now clocked 203 weeks on the Official Chart – and counting.

Radical Optimism is already a U.K. hit, yielding three top 10 singles chart entries: “Houdini (No. 2 peak), “Training Season” (No. 4) and “Illusion” (No. 9).

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With Dua Lipa’s latest effort flying high, Swift’s Tortured Poets looks set to dip 1-2 after two weeks at the chart penthouse. It’s TayTay’s 12th U.K. No. 1 album.

Meanwhile, Hampshire, England rock artist Frank Turner is on track for a podium finish with Undefeated. It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and is set to become Turner’s sixth U.K. top 10 appearance.

Kelly Jones, frontman of Welsh indie-rock favorites Stereophonics, could nab his solo career best with Inevitable Incredible, his second LP. Inevitable Incredible is on course for a No. 4 start, well ahead of the No. 8 best for his debut solo effort Don’t Let The Devil Take Another Day from 2020. As a member of Stereophonics, Jones has eight U.K. No. 1s.

Finally, Scottish indie-pop act Camera Obscura is peering in on a first-ever U.K. top 10 appearance with Look To The East, Look To The West, their first studio album in over a decade. It bows at No. 10 on the chart blast, and should give Camera Obscura a third U.K. top 40.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday, May 10.