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Chris Young Moves to Red Light for Management

Chris Young has joined the artists roster at Coran Capshaw’s Red Light Management, the company tells Billboard.

At Red Light, Kailyn Finnegan will serve as Young’s manager. Finnegan worked with Young at his previous management home, The AMG. Prior to The AMG, Finnegan worked at Live Nation.

“I’m excited to work with her and everybody at Red Light,” Young tells Billboard. “It’s a really great situation. We’ve known each other for a long time. Kailyn’s a really great, really smart person, very intuitive and knows a lot of different sides to the business. Obviously, with Coran and Red Light being over the top of that, they have so many resources at their disposal. I guess it has just been a season of change. New music, new management, I even decided to move into a new house recently!”

Young’s ninth studio album, Young Love & Saturday Nights, is scheduled for release on Mar. 22 via Sony Music Nashville. Leading the album is the title track, which is currently in the top 40 on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. Since his debut on that chart in 2007, Young has earned 11 No. 1s there. This spring, he will headline his Young Love & Saturday Nights Tour featuring opener Bryan Martin. Young will also be a special guest on some of Kane Brown‘s In The Air Tour dates.

Finnegan told Billboard in a statement, “I first met Chris in 2013 when I was with Live Nation and he was opening for Brad Paisley. I appreciated not only his music and musicianship but also his unparalleled work ethic. I’m thrilled to be continuing to work together in this new role at Red Light Management as his manager and developing and executing on the long-term vision for his career, starting with the new album and tour.”

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Red Light’s other country clients include Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan and Maren Morris.

Singer Cat Janice Dead at 31 After Battle With Cancer

Cat Janice, a singer-songwriter whose “Dance You Outta My Head” went viral on TikTok earlier this year, died on Wednesday (Feb. 28). She was 31 years old.

Janice’s brother posted the news to her Instagram page, writing in the caption, “This morning, from her childhood home and surrounded by her loving family, Catherine peacefully entered the light and love of her heavenly creator.”

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The statement continued, “We are eternally thankful for the outpouring of love that Catherine and our family have received over the past few months. Cat saw her music go places she never expected and rests in the peace of knowing that she will continue to provide for her son through her music. This would not have been possible without all of you.”

According to the statement, new music will be released posthumously. “Per Cat’s request, there is some more art that she wants to share too. All in due time,” the statement concludes.

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Janice was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare cancer that develops in the bones and soft tissues, after noticing a lump in her neck, as she explained on TikTok. She underwent surgery, chemo and radiation before being declared cancer-free on July 22, 2022. 

Earlier this year, Janice shared with her followers that the cancer had returned, and she entered hospice. The singer then transferred all of her songs to her seven-year-old son Loren, so that all proceeds from the tracks would go to him.

In a devastating TikTok shared on Jan. 6, she revealed that the cancer had “won” and that she’d be releasing one more song, “Dance Outta My Head,” for her birthday that month. “I want my last song to bring joy and fun! It’s all I’ve ever wanted through my battle with cancer.”

“Please please share this, I need to leave this with [Loren]. If there is anything you need to know, is that the only opinion of yourself is your opinion. Love yourself and be gentle with others. I hope to make it through this but if not, to all a good night,” she captioned the post.

Since then, “Dance Outta My Head” topped the TikTok Billboard Top 50 dated Feb. 17. “Dance You Outta My Head” concurrently reached the top 10 of Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for the first time, lifting 11-10. It earned 5,000 downloads Feb. 2-8, good enough for its first week at No. 1 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales list, and 1.2 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

Pregnant Bhad Bhabie Claps Back at Critics Who Say She’s Not ‘Ready’ to Be a Mother

Bhad Bhabie is about to be a mother, how ’bout that? In a Wednesday (Feb. 28) interview with People, the 20-year-old rapper had a strong message for fans who think she’s too young or inexperienced to have a baby: She’s got this.

“I even see people saying, ‘Oh, I don’t think she’s ready. I don’t think she’s ready,’” Bhabie, who was born Danielle Bregoli, told the publication. “It’s like, ‘How can you, from your computer screen, determine if I’m ready to be a mother or not?’”

“I don’t even be on [social media], so how can you determine that?” she added. “You know? It’s just kind of off.”

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Bregoli first announced her pregnancy to followers in December. Since then, the “Gucci Flip Flops” artist has confirmed she’s expecting a daughter — whom she plans to name Kali Rose — and that the baby’s father is her boyfriend Le Vaughn.

She attributes much of the public’s apprehension over her becoming a mother to the moment she became famous — when she yelled, “Catch me outside, how ’bout that?” in a viral clip from her 2016 appearance on Dr. Phil. Bregoli said that she feels the brash moment clouds people’s perceptions of her, even seven years later.

“People who are nurses and doctors and therapists and lawyers,” she told People, “Do you think if people went back and looked at them when they were 13 and 14 and judged them off that time that they would have that job and be held so high? They’re kids, they’re teenagers. But mine happened to be broadcasted all over the Internet, all over public television.”

The Florida native added: “I wish more people knew my story and really understood the things that made me who I am, and that they wouldn’t just look at a certain time of my life and expect me to be that person forever, especially when I was so young.”

Since her fated Dr. Phil episode, Bregoli has carved out a successful music career under the name Bhad Bhabie. She reached her Billboard Hot 100 peak in 2017 with “Hi Bich,” which made it to No. 68 on the chart.

However, she hasn’t released a song since 2022’s “Vibe Check” with Olivia Lunny — which, she confessed to People, may be her last musical project ever. “I don’t think that’s my party,” she said of stepping away from the music industry.

“I was never really the type of person to sit and think about, ‘Oh, where will I be in five years?’” Bregoli added. “Really, if I wanted to, I could retire right now and be a mom and never come out the house. But I know that I still have more in me, and I feel like I have more to do. I’m still in the middle of figuring out what that is exactly, but I want to make sure whatever I do this time is definitely something that I’m really into and passionate about.”

The Kyrie Irving ANTA KAI 1 Sneaker To Release Next Week

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ANTA KAI1

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After a very public breakup with Nike in 2022, Dallas Maverick superstar point guard, Kyrie Irving is ready to get back in the sneaker market and unleash his latest ANTA Sports footwear on the masses and truth be told, they’re not that bad.

ANTA KAI1

Source: ANTA / ANTA

According to Sneakernews, Kyrie’s new ANTA KAI 1 “Artist On Court” silhouettes are set to release this coming March 6th and given the way he’s been playing as of late, we totally expect these to be hit with Mavericks fans in Dallas and Kyrie loyalists across the board. Though we’re not sure if his fellow NBA superstar peers will be trading in their Jordan’s, Kobe’s or Adidas’ to wear a pair of these on the court, don’t be surprised if you see the a few rookies or G-Leaguers rocking the KAI 1’s as they may want to land a deal of their own in the near future.

Sneakernews reports:

The newest Kyrie Irving shoes were recently debuted on court when his Dallas Mavericks visited the Brooklyn Nets earlier in February. Now, the brand has officially announced a release date for the debut “Artist On Court” colorway, which features an elegant purple colorway with vibrant hits of punchy pink, regal gold, and cream on the sole.

With a considerable fanbase, the Nike Kyrie line is among the most successful in Nike Basketball history, although it did end in somewhat of a sour note. Kyrie openly criticized his last shoe — the Nike Kyrie 8 — on Instagram, and despite images of the Kyrie 9 being revealed through Nike official images, they were ultimately scrapped. With his Nike days behind him, Kyrie now looks forward as the premier athlete for ANTA basketball, itself boasting an impressive roster of NBA athletes that include Klay Thompson, Donte DiVincenzo, Gordon Hayward, and more.

The ANTA KAI 1’s are set to release on March 6th for the very reasonable price of $125 on their official website. Let us know if you’ll be checking for these come next week in the comments section below.

ANTA KAI1

Source: ANTA / ANTA

Rihanna & A$AP Rocky’s Film, UMG Removes Beyoncé, SZA’s Music From TikTok & More | Billboard News

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are starring in a new short film together for Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty. Artists like Beyoncé, Harry Styles and SZA are having their music removed from TikTok after UMG pulled songs featuring their songwriters. After being publicly encouraged to release new music by her ex Offset, Cardi B is teasing fans with a track that features a Missy Elliott sample. Chlöe shared a teaser of her new track ‘FYS’ out this Friday. Charli XCX announces her sixth album ‘Brat.’ And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Rihanna and A$AP give us beauty in a new short film. More of your favorite songs get removed from TikTok. New bops are coming from Cardi, Chloe and Charli as we prepare to honor Charli XCX at Women in Music.

We made it to hump day. It’s Wednesday, February 28th, and this is Billboard News. Somehow, February is still happening and the news never stops coming this month. So let’s get into it for today.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky drop a short film to show off their Fenty collab.

Narrator:
She was a classy dame, but she had odd ways of showing her affection from leaving me out cold in the dark to stealing my heart.

Tetris Kelly:
Rihanna and her man, A$AP Rocky, are giving old Hollywood glam in ‘Born To Steal: Yours, Mine, Ours.’

Narrator:
Although the female’s choices are endless, because she borrows from the male for her camouflage.

Tetris Kelly:
This short film highlights the couple’s collaborative products.

A$AP Rocky:
She did not steal my blazer. I can’t steal any of her clothes.

Tetris Kelly:
They teased their collab earlier with the cutest interview clip when Complex asked RiRi what would be the perfect collab with A$AP.

Rihanna:
We did that already, twice. We got two bomb a** little boys at home.

Tetris Kelly:
And now we know what the Fenty Skin and Beauty product they were promoting is.

Narrator:
So when I finally solved the case of my missing Lux Bomb, I wasn’t surprised when she surfaced. Not so fast, baby. This one’s mine.

Watch the full video above!

Watch Sydney Sweeney’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ Meet-Cute (Almost) In New Promo

Rom-coms are fun because of their tried-and-true tropes, and in the latest Saturday Night Live promo, actress Sydney Sweeney and SNL cast member Michael Longfellow pay tribute to the old “bump into each other and fall madly in love” shtick.

In a clip uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday (Feb. 28), Longfellow sorts through potential jokes — “Not funny, not funny, too funny” — as he flicks through a stack of pages walking around set. Sweeney, also wandering around set, has her nose stuck between the pages of a book titled Kafka on the Shore, which happens to be a real 2002 novel written by Haruki Murakami. Naturally, the two performers collide, with Longfellow immediately apologizing and Sweeney insisting, “No, it’s my fault, I’m sorry.”

In true rom-com fashion, Longfellow picks up Kafka and claims to recognize the title as “one of my favorite books of all time” in a ploy to ask Sweeney out on a date. “This is crazy, uh, but would you ever maybe want to…” he begins, cutting himself off once he realizes that Sweeney has already walked away while his head was in the clouds. “Oh, she left a while ago. Cool!” he says. “Whatever, I didn’t like this book, anyways.”

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Right on cue, the lighting magically changes to a purple hue (again) and whimsical music resumes, with Longfellow lamenting, “No. It’s… she said no! Didn’t work. Thank you, though.”

The union of Longfellow and Sweeney in the latest promo is an easter egg for avid SNL viewers. Back in 2022, during his debut SNL episode, Longfellow poked fun at Sweeney for allegedly having Trump-supporting family members.

Sweeney is set to host the next episode of Saturday Night Live this weekend. The actress’ star has been on the rise in recent years thanks to standout performances in The Handmaid’s Tale, Reality, Euphoria and The White Lotus, the latter two of which earned her a pair of Primetime Emmy nominations. Most recently, Anyone But You — the blockbuster rom-com in which she starred alongside Glen Powell — just crossed $200 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing romantic comedy in years, per Variety. For Sweeney’s episode, Kacey Musgraves — who is promoting her latest album, Deeper Well — will serve as musical guest.

Check out the latest SNL promo above.

Deezer Subscriptions Boosted by B2B Partnerships

French streaming company Deezer‘s revenue grew 12.1% to 130.7 million euros ($141 million) in the fourth quarter, bringing its full-year revenue to 484.7 million euros ($524 million), up 7.4% year over year, the company announced Wednesday (Feb. 28).

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Full-year adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (ABITDA) was roughly halved to -28.8 million euros (-$31 million) and net loss was cut by almost two-thirds to 59.6 million euros ($64 million).

This year, Deezer expects to achieve a 10% growth in revenue — to roughly 533 million euros ($575 million) — and again halve adjusted ABITDA to -15 million euros (-$16.2 million) behind improved gross margins and cost controls.

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Deezer’s subscriber count grew 11.5% to 10.5 million from 9.4 million at the end of 2022. The entire gain in subscriptions came from business-to-business partnerships, which grew by 1 million to 4.8 million. Last year, Deezer launched new partnerships with home audio company Sonos, media company RTL in Germany and e-commerce company Mercado Libre in Brazil and Mexico to power those companies’ branded music streaming services. It also renewed partnerships with mobile carrier TIM in Brazil, retailer Fnac Darty in France and mobile carrier Orange in France.

Average revenue per user (ARPU) from B2B subscribers rose from 2.6 euros ($2.81) to 2.8 euros ($3.03) per month. “Our partnership strategy is bearing fruit, driving our overall growth and helping us win market share outside France,” CEO Jeronimo Folgueira said in a statement.

Deezer’s direct subscribers remained flat at 5.6 million but those user’s ARPU increased from 4.7 euros ($5.09) to 4.9 ($5.31) euros per month. Last year, the company raised monthly subscription fees in France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands from 10.99 euros to 11.99 euros with “minimal churn” on its subscriber case, according to the earnings release.

The company also announced Wednesday that Folgueira is stepping down “to pursue personal projects.” Folgueira joined Deezer as CEO in 2021. During his tenure, Deezer went public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, I2PO, in 2022, and forged a partnership with Universal Music Group in 2023 to introduce an artist-centric model for royalty calculations.

Shares of Deezer rose 0.5% to 2.18 euros ($2.36) Wednesday before the company released earnings results. The stock has almost doubled its 52-week low of 1.19 euros ($1.29) on April, 2023, 13 but is well below its 52-week high of 3.19 euros ($3.46) set on Nov. 2, 2023.

This $25 Lavalier Microphone Is Perfect for Vlogging — And ‘Worth Every Penny,’ According to Shoppers

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.

Ready to start vlogging? Amazon has an affordable solution for hands-free vlogging, podcasting and livestreaming on TikTok, YouTube and other platforms.

The Maybesta Professional Wireless Lavalier Microphone retails for $25.99, and it’s “worth every penny,” according to shoppers.

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Amazon

No Bluetooth necessary, Maybesta’s omnidirectional microphone plugs directly into your iPhone or iPad (lightning port only, no USB).

The compact microphone is No. 1 on Amazon’s best-sellers list in musical instruments and accessories, making it useful for musicians and music teachers. It’s compatible with iOS 9 and above (sorry, iPhone 15 users) and equipped with 360-degree sound reception, plus noise reduction technology for crisp sound quality. The signal stretches up to 50 miles.

Maybesta’s wireless microphone offers up to 4.5 hours of use before the battery (65MAH) needs to be recharged, and it only takes two hours to juice it back up.

Available in black, white and pink, the microphone clips directly onto your shirt or lapel, but you can also hold it in hand to conduct interviews, livestream and more.

And shoppers are loving it: The microphone nabbed 4.4 out of 5 stars from 7,407 customer ratings.

The set includes two microphones, three back clips, a receiver to charge the device, a USB A to Type C charging cable and user manual.

Prime members get free, same-day delivery on Maybesta’s wireless microphone and millions of other items. Not a member? Launch your 30-day free trial here.

Watch Rihanna Steal A$AP Rocky’s Lip Balm in New Film-Noir Fenty Skin Ad

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are one of the most glamorous couples of the 2020s, but they just proved that their love is timeless with a new Fenty Skin ad set in the 1940s.

In the black-and-white commercial, posted to Fenty’s YouTube channel Wednesday (Feb. 28), the “Umbrella” singer looks stunning in pin curls and a dark lip as she slyly steals a blazer from Rocky’s closet. Both stars are dressed in vintage outfits that look like they came straight from an old Hollywood film-noir set.

At the end of the two-minute clip, Rih and Rocky eat a picture-perfect pancake breakfast at a retro kitchen table. As he reads the newspaper, the “F–kin’ Problems” rapper realizes that the woman in front of him is the one stealing his things — but if there’s one item he won’t part with, it’s his Fenty Lux lip balm. Luckily, both he and the “Rude Boy” star have their own tubes.

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“Keep your lover close but your Lux Balm even closer,” reads the video’s description. “‘Born to Steal: Yours, Mine, Ours’ starring Rihanna and A$AP ROCKY transports us back to an era full of glitz N’ glam where lips speak louder than words.”

This isn’t the first time Rocky has joined Rih in advertising her Fenty empire: He previously plugged the company’s skincare products in his “Riot” music video, and in January, he starred in and contributed bars to a video promoting the Lux Balm.

The couple also recently celebrated Valentine’s Day together at a restaurant in Paris, where Rih and Rocky — who are parents to young sons RZA and Riot Rose — also attended fashion week last month. While in the city of love, Rocky ran into fans with questions about his partner’s long awaited next album — about which he said, “She’s working on it!”

Watch Rihanna and A$AP Rocky star in Born to Steal above.

Bethenny Frankel Responds to Travis Kelce’s Dad Calling Her a ‘Troll’

The unlikely beef between Bethenny Frankel and Ed Kelce continues.

It all started last month, when the TV personality likened Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to a “peacock” in his pursuit of girlfriend Taylor Swift, comparing him to one of her ex-boyfriends by saying the athlete “loves to be the center of attention.”

When Ed caught wind of Frankel’s comments about his son, he took to Facebook to ask, “Who TF is this troll?,” according to Newsweek.

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Frankel has now responded in the Feb. 26 episode of her podcast, Just B with Bethenny Frankel. “Travis Kelce’s dad called me a troll. So, I do actually understand and admire a parent coming to their child’s defense, particularly when asked about it,” the former Real Housewives of New York City star said. “I just wish he would have expressed an opinion versus just a verbal insult because, you know, as we teach our kids, it’s better to express yourself than to just criticize.”

Frankel added that Ed “used an insult instead of his intellect,” comparing it to an incident at the 2024 Super Bowl, in which Travis pushed and yelled at Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid. “I did not mention him pushing his coach, which is a physical expression versus using your words and having a conversation, which is kind of like what his dad did,” she said.

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Lastly, Frankel added that “the Swifties can come for me, but I’m going to defend myself,” before noting that she “wasn’t even criticizing their relationship.” 

She explained, “I mean, they’re on top of the world. They’re both very successful. I’ve said that I literally think he’s a peacock, and there are two peacocks in this relationship, and it usually doesn’t work.”