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29 Aug 2023

Garth Brooks Launches Music & Sports Station Tailgate Radio With TuneIn

Garth Brooks, who launched his own Sevens Radio Network through streaming platform TuneIn in June, announced the second station under his umbrella today: Tailgate Radio, which will blend music and sports.

Hosted by sports commentator and producer Maria Taylor, Tailgate Radio’s launch is timed to the start of the 2023 college football season. While the station will not air the games — TuneIn provides access to live play-by-play from more than 100 Division 1 colleges and universities on other channels — Tailgate Radio will provide pre- and post-game entertainment for sports fans. 

“This is one of those ideas someone says, ‘Why didn’t we do this a long time ago?’” Brooks said in a statement. “This combines everyone’s passion for sports and music. It also allows you to enjoy your tailgate, barbeque or poolside party without doing the work. There’s so much music on this channel, Tailgate Radio will be everyone’s favorite.”

Tailgate Radio, which will air 24/7, is kicking off with specific programming including Tailgate Top 20 with Maria, a weekly countdown hosted by Taylor that will highlight the 20 biggest songs across all genres from a specific year as well as tying them in with the biggest sports stories from that year. Elsewhere, Block Party will be a Saturday night four-hour mixshow featuring contemporary music from artists ranging from Luke Combs to Beyonce to Eminem. And Tailgate Takeover will feature celebrities, artists and athletes as guest hosts, allowing them to talk about the music and playlists that help them set their favorite vibe; Brooks will host the first edition. 

Tailgate Radio

Courtesy Photo

Taylor and Brooks previously partnered on her middle school mentoring program for girls, PowHER, which linked with his foundation, Teammates for Kids. “Working closely with Garth and his foundation as we created the PowHER program has been nothing short of amazing,” Taylor said in a statement. “And now, we are embarking on Garth’s extraordinary vision to connect sports and music fans with Tailgate.  It’s such an honor to be chosen by greatness to be a partner in the radio space.”

In June, Brooks bowed Sevens Radio with country music channel The Big 615. At the time, he noted that Sevens Radio would, appropriately enough, eventually offer a suite of seven stations. At the press conference for The Big 615, Brooks also stressed the appeal of TuneIn’s international aspect, saying the global reach was his “favorite thing” because it allowed the station to present undiluted country music: “If we go across the water, they ask you immediately to take the [pedal] steel and fiddles off your country music. Ain’t going to happen here.”

TuneIn claims more than 75 million monthly listeners across more than 100,000 stations. Its sports partners include the NFL International, MLB, NHL, NASCAR (Motor Racing Network & Performance Racing Network), Formula 1, IndyCar Radio, US Open, talkSPORT, ESPN Radio and college sports partners (Westwood One, Learfield, Playfly Sports, JMI Sports, Van Wagner and Clemson Athletic Properties).

29 Aug 2023

Darius Rucker Expands Fanatics Collaboration Into MLB & College Football: ‘I Love It’

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.

Darius Rucker doesn’t just want fans singing his latest single “Have a Good Time” this summer, he’s also sharing his love of sports in the form of an expanded collaboration with Fanatics and BCL Entertainment. Except this time, instead of solely focusing on NFL merchandise, they’ve dipped into MLB and select NCAA team merch. And yes, this collection also includes teams besides the 57-year-old singer’s personal favorites.

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Starting Tuesday (Aug. 29), you can show off your favorite MLB team and love for the “Wagon Wheel” singer just in time to watch the latest baseball games. This also marks the third year that Rucker has teamed up with Fanatics to create an exclusive collaboration that combines music and sports, which, for the singer, has felt like a major achievement.

“To do it for a third year and expanding into other things besides the NFL — college and baseball and all that stuff — I love it,” Rucker tells Billboard. “I got my own clothing line — that’s unbelievable.”

What can fans expect this time around? The collection includes everything from T-shirts, jerseys, flannel and more that are available in all MLB teams and select NCAA teams. To check out the full collection, click here, or check out the MLB collaboration here, and get ready to show up to your next baseball game in style.

Billboard chatted with Rucker to learn more about what to expect from the collaboration, as well as his upcoming album Carolyn’s Boy (due out Oct. 6) and more.

Billboard: Is there anything you thought should absolutely be in the MLB and NCAA line?

Rucker: The warmer stuff for the fall and the winter I thought was really important because that’s where you wear them. You wear them to the football games and in the class, so I thought the warmer stuff was really important for football and then the other way for baseball. Baseball is usually in the summer, so you need the short sleeves and stuff like that.

Darius Rucker x Fanatics

Darius Rucker x Fanatics

Cindy Ros

What’s it like expanding into college football?

I went to the University of South Carolina and I’m a huge supporter of South Carolina. Getting into colleges is just amazing because there’s so many great universities out there. The fans are rabid about them and getting into that market, I think is just awesome and I can’t wait to have Darius Rucker shirts for UCLA and all that stuff — it’s going to be really cool.

Is there a specific piece from the line you’re most looking forward to?

The thing that I always wear a lot of is the hoodies — they make such cool hoodies. Like, last year, we had this great zip-up hoodie that I still wear. I never take off the stuff that they’ve been sending me. The hoodies are great, the sweatshirts are great — I wear pretty much everything we put out.

Outside of the collaboration, how do you feel about your upcoming album?

I’m ready for this record. It’s been five or six years since I’ve had a record out in country music, so I’m really excited to get Carolyn’s Boy out. Putting records out is always exciting because you work so hard on them and they’re such a big part of your life, and all you want to do is get it out to the people.

Is there a particular song you’re excited for people to hear?

There’s a song called “Never Been Over” that’s a little different than anything I’ve ever done that I’m really looking forward to people hear. But for me, that’s why I don’t pick singles — I love every song on the record. I’m ready for everybody to hear all of it.

And you’re also getting ready for a second year of the Riverfront Festival. How does that feel?

Oh, very excited. I’ve been wanting to bring a festival to Charleston for years, and finally we did it last year and it was a big success. We’re doing it again this year and have got some really great acts. Lainey Wilson and Turnpike Troubadours are just great bands, and so I’m really excited. Charleston seems to be excited, ticket sales are awesome and I’m looking forward to this big time.

What’s it like bringing something like this to your hometown?

Oh, great. Anytime I do something like this with Charleston, it just feels awesome because I’m bringing great things to the city I was born in and still live in. And to see everybody excited about it makes it even better.

What’s the best part about running your own festival?

Just going to see the bands. I love going there and just watching everybody play because usually you don’t get to see these bands because they’re traveling and you’re traveling in different places. But at a festival like that, you get to see everybody one right after the other and that’s great.

And looking at your tour so far, what’s been your favorite memory?

Meeting Bono with Willie Nelson in Dublin, that was just surreal. The fact that I actually could actually say that happened is surreal. Meeting Paul McCartney, meeting Al Green — those are moments that I’ll just never forget. I mean, those are the guys that made me want to be a musician, and here I am friends with them. That’s pretty unbelievable.

29 Aug 2023

Grimes Leads First Featured Speakers Lineup for SXSW 2024

Grimes is among the first wave of featured speakers for the 2024 South by Southwest (SXSW) conference, an event which promises to lean into AI-focused programming.

Announced today (Aug. 29), the multidisciplinary artist will join a session dubbed “AI and the Independent Artist,” which will explore how artificial intelligence is changing the way artists create and market their music, engage with their fans, and, of course, the challenges and responsibilities for the music industry that come with it.

The Canadian artist is known for pushing boundaries in the creative space. She enhanced that reputation by unveiling her Elf.Tech project earlier in the year, an open-source software program which encourages fans to make music (and money) with replications of her voice.  

TuneCore CEO Andreea Gleeson and CreateSafe CEO Daouda Leonard are also confirmed for the panel, on which they will “present principles for companies to consider” and share results and lessons learned from early AI pilot programs, according to a SXSW statement.

The conversation on AI is only getting started. Just last week, streaming giant YouTube and Universal Music Group, the world’s biggest music company, announced a new initiative with artists and producers for an “AI Music Incubator,” and YT unveiled its own set of principals as it promised to “embrace” AI “responsibly together” with its music partners.

Other SXSW daytime discussions will drill into “AI and Humanity’s Co-evolution,”” with speakers venture partner at SignalFire Josh Constine and OpenAI’s VP of consumer product and head of ChatGPT Peter Deng; “Building the Next Era of the Internet” with author, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, and founder/managing partner at a16z crypto Chris Dixon; and a conversation with creator, host, and executive producer of the podcast Call Her Daddy Alex Cooper and founder and CEO of ACE Entertainment Matt Kaplan.

Also slated for the conference schedule, CEO of the Future Today Institute and professor at NYU Stern School of Business Amy Webb will launch the 2024 Emerging Tech Trend Report.

SXSW 2024 will take place March 8–16 in Austin, TX.

Established in 1987, SXSW celebrates the convergence of tech, film and television, music, education, and culture and is recognized as an important destination for professionals who play in those spaces.

SXSW 2024 is sponsored by Porsche, C4 Energy, and The Austin Chronicle.

Visit sxsw.com for more.

29 Aug 2023

‘I’m Just Ken,’ ‘Peaches’ and More Front-Runners for 2024 Oscar Nods for Best Original Song

When the Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 23, 2024, we could see two humorous songs in the running for best original song – “I’m Just Ken,” which provides one of Ryan Gosling’s funniest scenes in Barbie, and “Peaches,” which Jack Black sings in The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Amusing songs are nominated occasionally in this category. Relatively recent examples include “Husavik” from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020), “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018), “Everything Is Awesome” from The Lego Movie (2014) and“Blame Canada”from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999).

Here are 10 early front-runners for nominations for best original song at the 96th annual Academy Awards. The awards will be presented on March 10, 2024.

Two veteran songwriters, Alan Menken and Diane Warren, are each hoping to collect their 15th nominations for best original song, a benchmark that has been reached by only five songwriters in Oscar history. Menken’s strongest contender is “For the First Time” from The Little Mermaid; Warren has two songs vying for a nod – “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot and “Gonna Be You” from 80 for Brady. If one is nominated, she will tie the late lyricist Marilyn Bergman as the woman with the most best original song nominations.

And two songwriters, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt, are vying to become EGOT winners. Miranda is competing with the aforementioned “For the First Time” from The Little Mermaid; Platt with songs from Theater Camp.

We’re showing two songs from Barbie – “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For?” Current Oscar rules state: “No more than two songs from any one film, regardless of writers, may be nominated for the original song award.” Four films in Oscar history have spawned three nominated songs – Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Dreamgirls and Enchanted. None of the songs from the latter two films won the award, which demonstrated the very real risk of a film splitting its votes. In response, a new rule was instated in June 2008 that a film could have no more than two songs nominated.

As a result, the Dua Lipa hit “Dance the Night” and the Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice collaboration “Barbie” (with Aqua) may be squeezed out. “Dance the Night” is a trifle, but it has proven to be a most engaging one — and Lipa is at the level of fame that many previous pop stars were at when Oscar took notice. “Barbie,” which is built around a sample from Aqua’s 1997 hit “Barbie Girl,” may be ruled ineligible. Last year, the Academy did not consider Doja Cat’s “Vegas” from Elvis, which was built around a sample from “Hound Dog.”

A little more than four months remains in the eligibility year. Songs from a few upcoming films – Trolls Band Together, Wonka and The Color Purple – could also be contenders. Trolls Band Together, due Nov. 17, is the third installment in the Trolls franchise. Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” from the first Trolls was nominated in this category seven years ago.

Wonka is due Dec. 15. Neil Hannon, lead singer of The Divine Comedy, contributed original songs for the film. The first Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) did not spawn a best song nominee, though “The Candy Man” became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 for Sammy Davis Jr. and “Pure Imagination” was covered by several artists, including Lou Rawls.

A remake of The Color Purple is due on Christmas Day. Siedah Garrett, a two-time Oscar nominee for best original song (for “Love You I Do from Dreamgirls and “Real in Rio” from Rio), teamed with Stephen Bray and Brenda Russell to write the songs for the film. If one of them is nominated, Garrett will become the third Black songwriter, following Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie, to land three best original song nominations. Jones and Richie collaborated with the late Rod Temperton on “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)” from the original 1985 film, which was nominated in this category.

Here are 10 early front-runners for best original song nominations.

29 Aug 2023

Lil Wayne Pens New Theme Song ‘Good Morning’ for Skip Bayless’ Sports Show ‘Undisputed’

As sports journalist Skip Bayless assembled his new all-star cast for his revamped Undisputed show — which premiered on Fox Sports 1 on Monday (Aug. 28) — he called on his friend Lil Wayne to complete the comeback with a new theme song. 

Titled “Good Morning,” Wayne — who was the cover star of Billboard‘s Hip-Hop 50 issue — barrels his way through the track with vigor, spewing a bevy of sports metaphors. “If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t poppin, I ain’t tryin to hate/ Let’s have a Jordan and Lebron debate, I got time of day/ Drippin’ on the chain, my diamonds say what they gotta say/ If you think it’s a game, I commentate, I ain’t got to play.”

Along with debuting the show’s new theme song, Wayne will serve as a guest analyst every Friday alongside Bayless. 

“I try to make everything I do better than the last thing I did,” Wayne said during Monday’s episode. “Just to impress you just because I know how much you love ‘No Mercy.’ Just to capitalize on what you’ve done. It’s not complicated. It’s not hard. I love the challenge of it anyway. I attacked it like an SAT exam — like, if I don’t pass this, I can’t get in.”

Earlier this month, Bayless showered Wayne with praise about his sports knowledge while filming his podcast The Skip Bayless Show. “Brother Wayne is as into our relaunch as I am,” Skip said. “He is the heart and soul into the relaunch and by the way, bigger picture, Wayne has agreed every Friday going forward to doing a segment with me live. He might not always be in the studio, depending on his schedule, but he is going to join me every Friday for a segment.”

Bayless’s new lineup will include former ESPN analysts Keyshawn Johnson and Michael Irvin, along with Seattle’s great Richard Sherman, who will be his co-host.  

Listen to “Good Morning” below.

29 Aug 2023

Warner Music Employees to Return to Office Four Days a Week, Get Flexible Time Off

As the world continues to adjust to different types of “new normal” following the generational disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic of the past few years, Warner Music Group CEO Robert Kyncl outlined a new policy for the major label requiring employees to return to the office four times a week, while expanding free lunches and offering more flexible time off in a memo to staff today (Aug. 29) obtained by Billboard.

The change will go into effect on Oct. 1, the start of WMG’s next fiscal year. Accordingly, the company will expand access to its employees’ Sharebite — a food ordering company that allows corporate employees to order a meal, then donates a meal to the local community — to four times per week.

Probably most significantly for employees, WMG is also moving from a fixed vacation day time off policy to a flexible time off policy, which allows employees to take time off when they need it regardless of whether it’s sick leave, vacation time or any other reason. That policy will go into effect Jan. 1, 2024.

“We are a creative company and we’re here for our artists and songwriters,” Kyncl wrote in a memo to staff. “That’s our heritage and DNA — which needs to be preserved and nourished.”

Kyncl then outlined three reasons for the change to the four-day work week, emphasizing employee collaboration and how it drives creativity; corporate talent development, and how that contributes to a stronger team; and the relationships among staffers, which he says helped Warner get through COVID successfully, and is an essential element of a company based on shared experiences.

“I am very impressed by the hustle, scrappiness and inventiveness of our team,” Kyncl wrote. “We don’t copy, we chart our own path. Our momentum through the summer is a great example of that. Leaning into that energy, creating more of it and driving excellence together, is an exciting prospect for our path forward. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to meet more of you in person as we are all in the office more.”

29 Aug 2023

Here’s Why Dolly Parton Turned Down Tea With Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton may be the Princess of Wales, but the Queen of Country runs on her own schedule. In an interview with BBC Radio 2‘s Claudia Winkleman, Dolly Parton revealed that she was recently invited to have tea with the royal, though she had to turn it down for album promotion reasons.

“This time, Lordy, I even got invited to have tea with Kate,” Parton told BBC Radio 2 after she was asked whether she planned on exploring London while in the city for her promotion cycle. “And I felt so bad … I couldn’t even go! [My team] had all this stuff set up.”

“But I thought that was very sweet and nice of her to invite me to tea,” the “Jolene” singer continued. “And one of these days I’m going to get to do that … That would be great!”

Parton, who’s currently gearing up for the November release her album Rockstar, went on to joke that the future queen “wasn’t going to promote my rock album, so I had to say no.” She added, “I hope she hears it though!”

Be that as it may, there are some English members of rock ‘n’ roll helping out with Parton’s new record. The Beatles’ Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Fleetwood Mac founder Mick Fleetwood, are featured on Parton’s cover of “Let It Be,” which she dropped on Aug. 18. Debuting at No. 2 on Rock Digital Song Sales, No. 15 on Country Digital Song Sales and No. 22 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart, the song marked the first featuring McCartney and Starr — or any of the four Beatles, including the late George Harrison and John Lennon — to be credited together on an entry on a Billboard songs chart outside the Beatles.

A handful of new original songs will be included on Parton’s first ever rock album, but much of it will be made up of covers featuring dozens of rock stars who’ve dominated the charts through the ages. Sting, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, Elton John and Debbie Harry are all on the billing, as are Miley Cyrus, Pink, Lizzo and Brandi Carlisle.

29 Aug 2023

5 Best Moments of The Equality Ball, Hosted by Human Rights Campaign & Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD

“We love y’all watching Pose and Legendary, but we also want y’all to come outside and support!” proclaimed Stephanie “Packrat” Whitfield, one of the executive producers of Sunday night’s powerful Equality Ball (Aug. 27).

The urgency of her words was the guiding principle of the night, as some of the most iconic names in ballroom convened for an unforgettable night — one that paid tribute to the progress of LGBTQIA+ rights and highlighted the many avenues through which people continue to push for queer liberation across American politics. Hosted by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest LGBTQIA+ civil rights organization, in association with Beeline Productions and the Shady Gang, with support from BeyGOOD Foundation, the Equality Ball brought authentic ballroom culture to KAOS Nightclub in Las Vegas, Nevada.

With Carlos Irizarry of the House of Basquiat, one of the choreographers and dancers on Beyoncé’s record-breaking Renaissance World Tour, as one of the figures spearheading this event, which was seven years in the making, Queen Bey’s influence loomed large over the night. For the night’s final category, the aptly titled “OTA Performance — Bring It Like Beyoncé,” participants recreated some of the singer’s instantly iconic tour ensembles and crafted custom pieces inspired by Renaissance tracks. From the “Cozy” robot arms to several renditions of her sparkly gold Loewe bodysuit, Beyoncé was omnipresent. Not to mention, several key Renaissance Tour figures were in attendance, including Honey Balenciaga, Les Twins, and some of the tour’s film crew.

Nevertheless, the Equality Ball was never dominated by Queen Bey. In fact, the ball was arguably a pitch-perfect example of how allies can assist marginalized groups in achieving their visions, while still allowing them to take center stage. From Kevin Jz Prodigy and Shannon Balenciaga to Dashaun Wesley and Precious Basquiat, the Equality Ball was spearheaded by pillars of the culture, people who live and breathe the freedom, catharsis, and resistance of ballroom.

In the wake of the harrowing, unjust murder of O’Shae Sibley, the Equality Ball stood not only as a celebration of the vitality of LGBTQIA+ life and culture, but also as a staunch reminder that this community will not be silenced or erased. “Ballroom culture is synonymous with the Black queer community — it creates a safe space for LGBTQ+ people at a time when being your authentic self was dangerous. But, let’s not get confused, it’s still dangerous for us — Black and Brown trans women are facing an epidemic of fatal violence,” says Human Rights Campaign President, Kelley Robinson. “The Equality Ball serves as another space for those who feel overlooked to take center stage and let the
world know that — as Beyoncé sings — you won’t break our souls.”

The Human Rights Campaign offered countless educational resources at the Equality Ball, including HIV testing, voter registration, and direct access to information about local LGBTQ+ programs and initiatives.

Here are the five best moments from the Equality Ball on Sunday:

29 Aug 2023

ASCAP Appears to Reply to BMI Sale News With Social Media Campaign

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has launched a new social media campaign that appears to be in response to a recent Billboard exclusive that revealed that ASCAP’s main competitor, Broadcast Music Inc (BMI), may sell itself to a private equity firm. Sources say the potential deal has an estimated price tag of $1.7 billion.

Just two days after the Billboard story was published on last Wednesday (Aug 23), ASCAP — which, along with BMI, is one of the largest U.S.-based performing rights organizations — posted a graphic on Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter) that read: “ASCAP. Creators first. Not for profit. Not for sale.” In the caption of the post, ASCAP continued to point out that it is the “only U.S. PRO that operates as a not-for-profit” and that it is the “only one founded and governed by songwriters, composers and music publishers.”

In the last three days, the organization has posted seven other similar posts on its socials, seemingly highlighting their distinctions from BMI. The posts include quotes like: “Private equity never wrote an iconic love song,” “ASCAP. Growth without greed,” and “ASCAP writers. Who owns us? Who gets paid? You. And you.”

ASCAP CEO, Elizabeth Matthews, provided a statement about the social campaign to Billboard, saying “it’s important for everyone to understand what makes ASCAP different. We are a membership association, founded and run by songwriters, composers and music publishers. We are the only US PRO that operates as a not-for-profit, and our distribution policy is set by a board of writers and publishers, who are elected by our members. ASCAP’s governing articles require us to put creators first, which puts us in a category of one. And we’ve been overwhelmed by the positive response from our members.”

“Our focus is not on how our competitors position themselves,” replied a representative of BMI when asked to comment on ASCAP’s latest social posts. “Relying on the past never sustained a business for the future. Our goal is to stay ahead of the changing industry and invest in our business to grow the value of our affiliates’ music. Any path forward would prioritize the best interests of our songwriters, composers and publishers, including their financial success. Our focus is on delivering for our affiliates.”

BMI first began experimenting with its business model in March 2022 when it hired Goldman Sachs as an outside advisor to explore new strategic opportunities for growth. This was believed to include a possible sale to an outside firm, but by August 2022, Bloomberg announced that BMI had ditched its exploration of such a sale. A few days later, Billboard found that the PRO laid off about 30 staffers from its workforce, citing “uncertain” economic conditions.

By October 2022, BMI announced that it would be switching from its 80-plus year status as a non-profit organization to a for-profit company. In an interview with Billboard at the time, the company’s CEO and president, Mike O’Neill, explained that the company made this switch because “growth requires investment, not just maintenance… This new [commercial] model will grow at a faster rate.”

This summer, reports surfaced that BMI was once again considering a sale. O’Neill explained to his staff in a memo that the company’s new for-profit model and recent investments into improving its operations “has only intensified outside interest” in purchasing the PRO.

Amid growing concern about the future of BMI, songwriter groups — including Songwriters of North America, Black Music Artists Coalition, Music Artists Coalition, Artists Rights Alliance, and SAG-AFTRA — provided Billboard with an open letter to BMI on Aug. 18. Outlining three areas of concern, the songwriter groups question how they will be impacted by BMI’s increased profits; the proceeds from any potential BMI sale; and what may happen operationally at BMI in the event that the organization is sold. “Songwriters have a right to understand these decisions and how it impacts us,” the letter read.

Days after, Billboard reported that multiple sources say BMI is considering an offer to sell to New Mountain Capital, a private equity firm that has been quietly shopping for music assets over the last few years, according to sources. The deal has yet to be signed, as New Mountain Capital has entered an exclusive window to scrutinize the deal. Sources suggest that the deal, if it takes place, will be worth around $1.7 billion.

In response to that exclusive, the same songwriter groups provided Billboard with another open letter to BMI on Aug. 28, expressing that they were “extremely disappointed and upset” to hear the news of a possible sale. The coalition asked for BMI’s chief executive to respond to songwriters with more information “prior to taking any other action” towards the possible sale to New Mountain.

29 Aug 2023

Miguel Posts Bloody T-Shirt Pic After Concert Body Suspension Stunt: ‘What Is Your Relationship to Pain?’

Miguel previewed songs from his upcoming fifth studio album, Viscera, on Friday in Los Angeles during an event dubbed the “Viscera Experience,” in which the singer warned the small crowd that the performance would include “boundary-pushing artistry including body manipulation [and] skin piercing.”

According to a description of the show posted by Vibe, after taking the stage at Sony Studios in a white tank, baggy black pants and black rubber boots, the “Sky Walker” singer was joined by two men who pushed metal hooks through the skin on his back, then attached them to wires that lifted him off the ground by the hooks. He then hung for nearly five minutes while singing an unreleased song — featuring the apropos lyrics “I’m hanging onto nothing/ I’m hanging from the ceiling” –before being lowered and having the hooks removed.

On Monday (Aug. 29), Miguel posted a series of pics on Instagram showing the aftermath of the S&M stunt, including the series of holes in his back as well as the white tank top, streaked and spotted with his blood alongside the caption, “What is your relationship to pain? What is your relationship to change?”

The type of suspension Miguel used in the performance is typically referred to as a “suicide suspension” and Miguel isn’t he only one who has employed it as type of body modification that dates back at least 5,000 years to India as part of a spiritual piercing rituals during Hindu festivals. Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro waxed poetic about the therapeutic aspects of putting large-gauge hooks through the skin of your back in a 2013 Guardian interview, saying, “To be honest, at first I just wanted to try it because it was interesting; I didn’t know that there was going to be an experience attached to it. I saw it as just a mind-over-matter thing until I got off the ground the first time. Then a lightbulb went off.”

He said while some people are horrified by the act — admitting that there is definitely pain, and blood, involved — he found it to be “a very intensely gratifying emotional release. Sometimes it’s just fun, but it can also be very meditative.”

Last month, Miguel pushed boundaries as part of Sony’s “For the Music” campaign, scaling a massive skyscraper and breaking through a glass window in a one minute visual that director Liam McRae said symbolized the singer’s next era and Sony’s commitment to supporting artists like him breaking through “creative barriers” and connecting directly with their fans.

Viscera, which does not yet have an official release date, is the follow-up to 2017’s War & Leisure; he released the single “Give It to Me” in April.

See Miguel’s posts below.