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08 Aug 2023

Warner Music Rebounds in Q3, Beating Expectations With 9% Revenue Jump

Warner Music Group reported quarterly revenue was up 9% as of mid-year, as the third-largest U.S.-based music company beat Wall Street estimates for revenue and profit on big album releases by Ed Sheeran, Melanie Martinez others.

WMG reported revenue for its fiscal third quarter ending June 30 rose to $1.56 billion — analysts had expected $1.47 billion — driven by strong releases and a 15.5% uptick in music publishing revenue of $283 million. Streaming revenue rose by 9.5% overall and digital revenue was up 8.8% to $1.03 billion compared to the year ago quarter. Net profit edged slightly lower to $124 million from $125 million a year ago but still beat analysts’ expectations.

“We had a great release slate with lots of momentum and success, but at the same time our catalog has also delivered,” WMG Chief Executive Robert Kyncl said on a call with analysts. “We are firing on both engines.”

WMG’s stock was up 8% by mid-day trading in New York.

Executives said the current quarter is off to a good start with major releases from Lil Uzi Vert, Dua Lipa and the Barbie movie soundtrack, and upcoming releases from Zach Bryan and Charlie Puth.

“Our results show we’re gaining real traction,” Kyncl said, adding that as price increases from Spotify, YouTube and others filter in to WMG’s financials this quarter, the company can expect continued strength.

“We see these initial price increases as an encouraging start,” Kyncl said. “There’s no evidence that the services are experiencing elevated levels of customer churn.   We believe the market will bear further price increases in the future, and we’re expecting that they’ll arrive on a more regular cadence than in the past. “

The growth in music publishing revenues was driven by a 26.4% uptick in digital revenue and 27.1% increase in streaming revenue, reflecting the impact of digital deal renewals and a revenue true-up of $9 million from the CRB. Mechanical revenue spike about 45% primarily due to a higher share of physical sales in the quarter.

Recorded revenue rose 7.8%, bolstered by a 5.6% increase in digital revenue and a 6.3% increase in streaming revenue on the stronger release schedule and growth in ad-supported revenue.

WMG prefers to use operating income before depreciation and amortization (OIBDA) as a metric to assess its overal business health, and OIBDA increased 18% to $275 million in the quarter compaired to $233 million a year ago. Adjusted OIBDA rose 16% to $297 million from $255 million a year ago.

Key WMG financial highlights:

  • Total revenue rose 9% to $1.56 billion for the second quarter 2023, from $1.43 billion in the same quarter 2022.
  • Net profit, or net income, was flat at $124 million this quarter compared to $125 million in the year ago quarter.
  • Digital revenue rose 8.8% to $1.03 billion from $944 million in in the year ago quarter.
  • Streaming revenue rose 9.5%
  • Recorded music revenue rose 8% to $1.28 billion from $1.19 billion in the year ago quarter.
  • Music publishing revenue rose 16% to $283 million from $245 million in the year ago quarter.
  • Operating income was up 29% to $189 million from $146 million in the year ago quarter.
  • OIBDA was up 18% to $275 million compared to $233 million in the year ago quarter, with OIBIDA margin of 17.6%, up from 16.3%.

08 Aug 2023

Snubs and Surprises in the 2023 MTV Video Music Award Nominations

Taylor Swift, who last year became the first three-time winner of the VMAs’ marquee award, video of the year, is nominated in that category again this year for “Anti-Hero.” Could she possibly win that award again when the VMAs are presented at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. on Sept. 12?

Of course she could. “Anti-Hero” received seven nods, more than any other video this year. SZA’s “Kill Bill,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” and the Sam Smith/Kim Petras collab “Unholy” each received five.

This is Swift’s sixth nomination for video of the year, which puts her in a tie for third place with Drake. Eminem leads with eight nominations in the category, followed by Beyoncé with seven.

If “Anti-Hero” wins, Swift would become the first artist to win back-to-back awards for video of the year. She won last year for “All Too Well: The Short Film.” Her first two wins in the category were for “Bad Blood,” a collab with Kendrick Lamar (2015) and “You Need to Calm Down” (2019).

Swift is nominated in eight categories. She’s the year’s only artist to be nominated for all three of the highest-profile awards – video of the year, artist of the year and song of the year. MTV has yet to announce who will receive this year’s Video Vanguard award. If Swift takes that prize too, that could further boost her tally.

The VMA nominations were announced on Tuesday (Aug. 8). Here’s the full nominations list. And here are some noteworthy snubs and surprises in this year’s nominations:

08 Aug 2023

Watch Billie Eilish Bring out Armani White at Osheaga Festival to Perform His Hit, ‘Billie Eilish’

It’s only fitting that when you share a bill with an artist who has written a viral hit with your name in the title that you invite said person up to do their thing for you. At least that’s what happened on Saturday when Billie Eilish and “Billie Eilish” rapper Armani White played different stages at Montreal’s Osheaga Festival and turned his meme-able hit into a meme-able moment.

“You know that song that’s like, ‘Glock tucked, big t-shirt, Billie Eilish’?,” Eilish asked the crowd during her headlining set according to fan videos of the moment when she appeared to be having a bit of fun with the song from the Def Jam rapper that debuted at No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September.

Then, the instrumental of White’s song bubbled up before White himself appeared on stage to deafening shouts of approval as the Philadelphia MC bounded around and performed his hit TikTok-boosted track while its namesake, in one of her signature oversized jerseys, jumped and danced with glee while tossing in a few ad libs.

To be fair, even White couldn’t believe his ears, tweeting hours afterwards, “BILLIE EILISH JUST BROUGHT ME OUT!!! Ohmyf–kingod, adding on Sunday, “I have never heard that many people scream in my fucking life hahaha Billie Eilish has an army!!” While Eilish had made nods to Armani’s song in the past, Saturday was the first time she was in the same spot as the rapper when he performed the track — which samples N.O.R.E.’s 2002 Neptunes-produced hit “Nothin’” — that blew up after a 16-second clip was uploaded to Instagram and TikTok in Feb. 2022.

Check out video of the sweet moment below.

08 Aug 2023

Ciara Reveals She’s Pregnant With Baby No. 4, Her Third Child With Russell Wilson: See Her Bump

Ciara is officially a soon-to-be mom of four. The 37-year-old vocalist revealed Tuesday (Aug. 8) that she’s expecting her third baby with husband Russell Wilson, and her fourth child altogether.

The news comes as a sneaky Instagram video, in which Ciara stands beside an indoor pool, backlit so that only her silhouette is visible. It’s only when she turns to the side that her baby bump becomes visible, confirming that the star is pregnant.

“’You look at me like that again, we make another kid…,” she captioned the post, quoting lyrics from her new song “How We Roll” with Chris Brown. “You my heart I’m your rib’ ??❤️”

The “One, Two Step” singer is already mom to three kids, including 9-year-old son Future Zahir Wilburn, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Future. After marrying Wilson in 2016, she and the Denver Broncos quarterback welcomed daughter Sienna Princess in 2017 followed by son Win Harrison in 2020.

The pregnancy news means that Wilson is getting exactly what he wanted, having asked Ciara on daytime television for more babies in 2022. While Ciara was filling in for Ellen DeGeneres on The Ellen DeGeneres Show last year, the NFL star appeared as a guest and, getting down on one knee, asked, “I have a question for you. A serious question. Can we have more babies? It will be perfect. Just give me one more at least, you know what I mean?”

The announcement also comes just four days after “How We Roll” dropped, meaning she shot the accompanying music video with Brown while pregnant. The song follows previous 2023 singles from Ciara “Da Girls,” “Slow” with Jackson Wang and “Get Loose” with AGNEZ MO.

“How We Roll” marks the lead single off Ciara’s upcoming EP CiCi, which she spoke about in an interview with Billboard earlier this week. She also reflected on the 20-year anniversary of her debut album Goodies, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and spawned three consecutive smash hits on the Billboard Hot 100: the Missy Elliott-assisted “1, 2 Step” (No. 2), the Ludacris-featuring “Oh” (No. 2), and the No. 1-peaking “Goodies” (with Petey Pablo).

“I feel blessed. I feel like I’m just getting started at the same time,” she told Billboard. “To know that it was 20 years ago that I was just really, really ambitious… dreaming big, I envisioned that I’d be sitting somewhere like this 20 years later.”

See Ciara’s pregnancy announcement below:

08 Aug 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Dave Chappelle Charts Thanks to Travis Scott Feature on ‘Parasail’

Dave Chappelle is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist, as his featured credit on Travis Scott’s “Parasail” — also featuring Yung Lean — debuts on the ranking (dated Aug. 12) at No. 53.

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“Parasail,” released July 28 via Cactus Jack/Epic Records on Scott’s new studio album Utopia, opens with 10.5 million U.S. streams earned in its first week of release (July 28-Aug. 3), according to Luminate. Chappelle provides a spoken word intro and closing bridge on the track.

Chappelle has appeared on Billboard’s charts twice before. His Sticks & Stones comedy LP reached No. 4 on the Comedy Albums chart in 2019, and his performance 8:46 reached No. 6 on Comedy Albums and No. 87 on Top Current Album Sales in 2021.

Chappelle has won five Primetime Emmy Awards, four Grammy Awards and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. All four of his Grammys were for best comedy album – in 2018 (Dave Chappelle: The Age of Spin), 2019 (Dave Chappelle: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation), 2020 (Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones) and this year (Dave Chappelle: The Closer).

Scott’s Utopia debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 496,000 equivalent album units earned – the largest week for any R&B/hip-hop or rap release this year. Scott scores his third leader, after 2016’s Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight and 2018’s ASTROWORLD. It’s also just the second rap album to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2023, after Lil Uzi Vert’s Pink Tape last month. Pink Tape ended a rare seven-month drought for the genre.

08 Aug 2023

Rylo Rodriguez Signs to Lil Baby’s Glass Window Entertainment, Partners With Motown/Capitol

Shortly after notching his first Billboard 200 top ten album with Been One, Rylo Rodriguez became the first artist signed to Lil Baby’s Glass Window Entertainment through a partnership deal with Motown Records and Capitol Music Group. According to sources, the signing of Rodriguez is believed to be a multi-million deal.

“I’m overly excited for Rylo and his fans and the world to really get to see him on a larger platform,” Baby tells Billboard. “It’s been a long time coming with Rylo, and even longer to go! We got work to do and money to get! Thank you to Motown/Capitol Music Group and Universal Music Group for trusting my process, and I’m looking forward to a wonderful partnership.”

“We are excited to welcome Dominique, Rylo, and the Glass Window Entertainment team to Capitol Music Group/Motown Records,” says Michelle Jubelirer, chair & CEO, of Capitol Music Group, in a press release. “Glass Window and Virgin Records have done a phenomenal job introducing Rylo. We’re thrilled to support this remarkable artist and upcoming Glass Window releases.”

Over the last few years, Baby and Rodriguez have proven to be a formidable team, showcased on records such as “Forget That,” “Cost to Be Alive,” and their recent collaboration “Real Type.” As for Rodriguez, his album Been One dropped last month and includes features from Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Est Gee, Fridayy, and more. Anchored by “Taylor Port Junkie,” and his Hot 100 entry “Equal Dirt,” Rodriguez’s penchant for love-drunk ballads and seamless R&B flips are resonating with fans, as his album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard rap charts. 

“Most of the people that I sign come from my walk of life,” Baby told Billboard in his 2021 cover story. “I got to feel your vibe because I ain’t on no ‘studio rapper’ s–t.”

08 Aug 2023

Taylor Swift Is Top Nominee for 2023 MTV Video Music Awards (Complete List)

Taylor Swift is the top nominee for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards with eight nods, followed by SZA (six); Doja Cat, Kim Petras, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj, Olivia Rodrigo and Sam Smith (five each); and BLACKPINK, Diddy and Shakira (four each).

Women account for six of the seven nominees for video of the year – Doja’s “Attention,” Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl,” Rodrigo’s “vampire,” SZA’s “Kill Bill” and Swift’s “Anti-Hero.” The seventh nod is for a history-making collab – Smith & Petras’ “Unholy,” which made Smith and Petras the first openly non-binary and openly transgender solo artists, respectively, to have a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100.

For the first time since the VMAs introduced the artist of the year category in 2017, all of the nominees are women – Beyoncé, Doja, Karol G, Minaj, Shakira and Swift. This is also the first time that two of the nominees have come from the world of Latin music. The first Latin artist to be nominated in this category was Bad Bunny, who won last year.

In addition to her nod for artist of the year, Swift is up for seven awards for her megahit “Anti-Hero”– video of the year, song of the year, best pop, best direction, best cinematography, best visual effects and best editing.

Swift and Kendrick Lamar are both nominated for best direction. Lamar is nominated for “Count Me Out,” which he co-directed with Dave Free. Both Swift and Lamar have won twice in this category for videos they directed or co-directed. Swift won for directing “The Man” (2020) and “All Too Well (The Short Film)” (2022). Lamar won for co-directing “Alright” (2015) and “Humble.” (2017).

Despite tallying six nods, SZA was not nominated for artist of the year. Her smash “Kill Bill” is up for five awards – video of the year, song of the year, best direction, best art direction and best editing. “Kill Bill” was not nominated in a genre category; SZA’s “Shirt” is up for best R&B instead.

This year boasts a record 35 first-time VMAs nominees, including Petras (five); Metro Boomin and Rema (three each); and Ayra Starr, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma, Reneé Rapp and Yung Miami (two each).

Other artists receiving first-time nods include Aespa, boygenius, Burna Boy, Davido, Eslabon Armado, Fletcher, Fifty Fifty, JVKE, Lauren Spencer Smith, Musa Keys, PinkPantheress, Saucy Santana, Stephen Sanchez and Toosii.

Double nominees GloRilla, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma and Reneé Rapp are nominated for best new artist, along with Kaliii and PinkPantheress.

The VMAs added a category this year – best Afrobeats. This is the third genre-specific category that the VMAs have added in this century, following Latin (2006) and K-pop (2019). The VMAs’ five other genre-specific categories were all introduced in the last century — rock (1989), alternative (1991), R&B (1993), and pop and hip-hop (both 1999).

The 2023 VMAs will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT live from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.. The host has not yet been announced.  Jack Harlow, LL Cool J and Nicki Minaj hosted last year’s show, which was held in the same venue.

Beginning Tuesday (Aug. 8), fans can vote for their favorites across 15 gender-neutral categories by visiting vote.mtv.com through Friday, Sept. 1. Voting for best new artist will remain active into the live show. Nominations for social categories including group of the year and song of summer will be announced at a later date.

Bruce Gillmer and Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic are executive producers of the 2023 VMAs. Barb Bialkowski is co-executive producer. Alicia Portugal and Jackie Barba serve as executives in charge of production. Wendy Plaut is executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella is music talent executive.

Here’s the complete list of nominations for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards:

Video of the year

Doja Cat – “Attention” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records

Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Republic Records

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records

SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records

Artist of the year

Beyoncé – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia Records

Doja Cat – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records

Karol G – Interscope Records

Nicki Minaj – Republic Records

Shakira – Sony Music US Latin

Taylor Swift – Republic Records

Song of the year

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records

Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records

Steve Lacy – “Bad Habit” – L-M Records / RCA Records

SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records Records

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records

Best new artist

GloRilla – CMG / Interscope Records

Ice Spice – 10K Projects / Capitol Records

Kaliii – Atlantic Records

Peso Pluma – Double P Records

PinkPantheress – 300 Entertainment

Reneé Rapp – Interscope Records

Best collaboration

David Guetta & Bebe Rexha – “I’m Good (Blue)” – Warner Records

Post Malone, Doja Cat – “I Like You (aHappier Song)” – Mercury Records / Republic Records

Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On” – Motown Records

Karol G, Shakira – “TQG” – Universal Music Latino

Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)” – Boominati / Republic Records

Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records

Best pop

Demi Lovato – “Swine” – Island Records

Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)” – Atlantic Records

Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed” – Atlantic Records

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records

P!nk – “Trustfall” – RCA Records

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records

Best hip-hop

Diddy ft. Bryson Tiller, Ashanti, Yung Miami – “Gotta Move On” – Motown Records

DJ Khaled ft. Drake & Lil Baby – “Staying Alive” – We the Best / Epic Records

GloRilla & Cardi B – “Tomorrow 2” – CMG / Interscope Records

Lil Uzi Vert – “Just Wanna Rock” – Atlantic Records / Generation Now

Lil Wayne ft. Swizz Beatz & DMX – “Kant Nobody” – Young Money Records

Metro Boomin ft Future – “Superhero (Heroes and Villains)” – Boominati / Republic Records

Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Republic Records

Best R&B

Alicia Keys ft. Lucky Daye – “Stay” – RCA Records

Chlöe ft. Chris Brown – “How Does It Feel” – Parkwood Entertainment / Columbia

Metro Boomin with The Weeknd, 21 Savage, and Diddy – “Creepin’ (Remix)” – Boominati / Republic Records

SZA – “Shirt” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records

Toosii – “Favorite Song” – South Coast Music Group / Capitol Records

Yung Bleu & Nicki Minaj – “Love in the Way” – Empire Distribution

Best alternative

blink-182 – “Edging” – Columbia Records

boygenius – “the film” – Interscope Records

Fall Out Boy – “Hold Me Like a Grudge” – Fueled By Ramen                                                                        

Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace” – Interscope Records

Paramore – “This Is Why” – Atlantic Records

Thirty Seconds to Mars – “Stuck” – Concord Records

Best rock

Foo Fighters – “The Teacher” – RCA Records

Linkin Park – “Lost (Original Version)” – Warner Records

Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Tippa My Tongue” – Warner Records

Måneskin – “The Loneliest” – Arista Records

Metallica – “Lux Æterna” – Blackened Recordings

Muse – “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween” – Warner Records

Best Latin

Anitta – “Funk Rave” – Republic Records

Bad Bunny – “Where She Goes” – Rimas Entertainment

Eslabon Armado, Peso Pluma – “Ella Baila Sola” – DEL Records, Inc. / Prajin Parlay, Inc. Grupo Frontera Bad Bunny – “un x100to” – Rimas Entertainment

Karol G, Shakira – “TQG” – Universal Music Latino

Rosalia – “Despecha,” – Columbia Records

Shakira – “Acróstico” – Sony Music US Latin

Best K-pop

aespa – “Girls” – SM ENTERTAINMENT Co., Ltd.

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records

Fifty Fifty – “Cupid” – ATTRAKT / Warner Records

Seventeen – “Super” – HYBE / Geffen Records

Stray Kids – “S-Class” – JYP / Republic

TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Sugar Rush Ride” – BIGHIT MUSIC / Republic Records

Best Afrobeats

Ayra Starr – “Rush” – Mavin Global Holdings

Burna Boy – “It’s Plenty” – Atlantic Records / Spaceship Entertainment Ltd

Davido ft. Musa Keys – “Unavailable” – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records

Fireboy DML & Asake – ”Bandana” – Empire Distribution

Libianca – “People” – Sony Music U.K. / RCA Records

Rema & Selena Gomez – “Calm Down” – Mavin Global Holdings Ltd / Jonzing World Entertainment / SMG Music / Interscope Records

Wizkid ft Ayra Starr– “2 Sugar” – Starboy / RCA Records

Video for good

Alicia Keys – “If I Ain’t Got You (Orchestral)” – Netflix

Bad Bunny – “El Apagón – Aquí Vive Gente” – Rimas Entertainment

Demi Lovato – “Swine” – Island Records

Dove Cameron – “Breakfast” – Columbia Records

Imagine Dragons – “Crushed” – KIDinaKORNER / Interscope Records

Maluma – “La Reina” – Sony Music US Latin

Push performance of the year

August 2022: Saucy Santana – “Booty” – Arena Records / RCA Records

September 2022: Stephen Sanchez – “Until I Found You” – Mercury Records / Republic Records

October 2022: JVKE – “golden hour” – AWAL

November 2022: Flo Milli – “Conceited” – ’94 Sounds / RCA Records

December 2022: Reneé Rapp – “Colorado” – Interscope Records

January 2023: Sam Ryder – “All the Way Over” – Elektra Entertainment

February 2023: Armani White – “Goated” – Def Jam

March 2023: Fletcher – “Becky’s So Hot” – Capitol Records

April 2023: TOMORROW X TOGETHER – “Sugar Rush Ride” – BIGHIT MUSIC / Republic Records

May 2023: Ice Spice – “Princess Diana” – Heavy on It / 10K Projects / Capitol Records

June 2023: FLO – “Losing You” – Uptown/Republic Records

July 2023: Lauren Spencer Smith – “That Part” – Island Records

Best direction

Doja Cat – “Attention” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records – Directed by Tanu Muiño

Drake – “Falling Back” – OVO/Republic Records – Director X (Julien Christian Lutz)

Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Directed by Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar

Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – 300 Entertainment – Directed by Colin Tilley

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records – Directed by Floria Sigismondi

SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records – Directed by Christian Breslauer

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Directed by Taylor Swift

Best cinematography

Adele – “I Drink Wine” – Columbia Records – Cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra

Ed Sheeran – “Eyes Closed” – Atlantic Records – Cinematography by Natasha Baier

Janelle Monae – “Lipstick Lover” – Atlantic Records – Cinematography by Allison Anderson

Kendrick Lamar – “Count Me Out” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records 0 Cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra

Miley Cyrus – “Flowers” – Columbia Records – Cinematography by Marcell Rev

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records – Cinematography by Russ Fraser

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Cinematography by Rina Yang

Best visual effects

Fall Out Boy – “Love From the Other Side” – Fueled By Ramen – Visual Effects by Thomas Bailey and Josh Shaffner

Harry Styles – “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” – Columbia Records – Visual Effects by Chelsea Delfino and Black Kite Studios

Melanie Martinez – “VOID” – Atlantic Records – Visual Effects by Carbon

Nicki Minaj – “Super Freaky Girl” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Max Colt and Sergio Mashevskyi

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records – Visual Effects by Max Colt / FRENDER

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Visual Effects by Parliament

Best choreography

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records – Choreography by Kiel Tutin, Sienna Lalau, Lee Jung (YGX), Taryn Cheng (YGX)

Dua Lipa – “Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)” – Atlantic Records – Choreography by Charm LaDonna

Jonas Brothers – “Waffle House” – Republic Records – Choreography by Jerry Reece

Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – 300 Entertainment – Choreography by Sean Bankhead

Panic! At The Disco – “Middle of a Breakup” – Fueled By Ramen – Choreography by Monika Felice Smith

Sam Smith, Kim Petras – “Unholy” – Capitol Records – Choreography by (LA)HORDE – Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer, Arthur Harel

Best art direction

boygenius – “the film” – Interscope Records – Art Direction by Jen Dunlap

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records – Art Direction by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)

Doja Cat – “Attention” – Kemosabe Records / RCA Records – Art Direction by Spencer Graves

Lana Del Rey ft. Jon Batiste – “Candy Necklace” – Interscope Records – Art Direction by Brandon Mendez

Megan Thee Stallion – “Her” – 300 Entertainment – Art Direction by Niko Philipides

SZA – “Shirt” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records – Art Direction by Kate Bunch

Best editing

BLACKPINK – “Pink Venom” – YG Entertainment / Interscope Records – Editing by Seo Hyun Seung (GIGANT)

Kendrick Lamar – “Rich Spirit” – pgLang / Top Dawg Entertainment / Aftermath / Interscope Records – Edited by Grason Caldwell

Miley Cyrus – “River” – Columbia Records – Edited by Brandan Walter

Olivia Rodrigo – “vampire” – Geffen Records – Edited by Sofia Kerpan and David Checel

SZA – “Kill Bill” – Top Dawg Entertainment / RCA Records – Edited by Luis Caraza Peimbert

Taylor Swift – “Anti-Hero” – Republic Records – Edited by Chancler Haynes

08 Aug 2023

Deadmau5 Announces the Final Days of His Beloved Cat Meowingtons: ‘He Touched So Many Lives’

Anyone familiar with the world of deadmau5 is well-aware of the producer’s cat, Meowingtons.

The artist has announced he’s saying goodbye to the 16-year-old feline, due to, he wrote, “some cat medical bulls–t.” In a statement posted to Instagram Monday (Aug. 7), deadmau5 shared that “yeah meowingtons is just a f—en cat, but I’ll just say to me, he’s one of my best friends.”

“i don’t say that casually,” the statement continues. “16 years. he was my peace and quiet from the beginning of this bats— crazy rollercoaster career… the entire ride. no matter how frustrated, exhausted, depressed, stressed the f— out ive been, there he is. being the first person i see when i get home from some crazy flight and lugging my bags to the front door… watching his little floor duster wobble while he comes to welcome me home… the first person i see in the morning, and the last one i see at night when i’m ready to f—en clock out on the bed.”

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“well due to some cat medical bulls–t, tomorrow I have to help him cross the rainbow bridge. my heart is broken… it’s really a personal issue and normally i keep things to myself and I can kinda work through it on my own, but professor meowingtons phd is so special to all of us, i felt like i should let you know because he’s touched so many lives in stupid ways.”

The statement goes on to note that the producer, born Joel Zimmerman, will be taking “a small break” while he navigates the loss. The next scheduled deadmau5 show is Aug. 13 at Montreal’s ÎleSoniq Music Festival.

The artist provided a brief update on Tuesday (Aug. 8). In an Instagram post showing socked feet with chips crumbled around, deadmau5 wrote that he was spending some quality time at home with his beloved cat before saying goodbye. “he is very happy and lucid and isn’t suffering at all… we’re having a good time,” Zimmerman captioned the post. “He destroyed half a bag of doritos, so he’s in a good spot.”

Meowingtons is indeed well known to deadmau5 fans. In 2011, the Canadian artist launched the Meowingtons Hax Tour, naming the compilation LP made for this tour the Meowingtons Hax Tour Trax. Meowingtons’ image also graced the cover of the 2012 deadmau5 classic >album title goes here<.

The name Meowingtons was also involved in a trademark dispute in 2017, when Deadmau5 filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office seeking to cancel a Florida woman’s “Meowingtons” trademark after his own application was rejected. This woman was running an online cat-centric retail story called meowingtons.com, which Zimmerman stated in the petition that he suspected was capitalizing off the popularity of his own Meowingtons content.

The woman then sued Zimmerman in a trademark fight over “Meowingtons” and “Prof. Meowingtons.” Zimmerman countersued for trademark infringement, cybersquatting and unfair competition over her site’s name. 

In 2021, Meowingtons became the first animal with an OnlyFans account, with the channel offering “a closer look into the personal life of his famous owner and promises a highly-interactive experience with exclusive tracks, behind the scenes footage of deadmau5 in his studio, around his house,” along with “ongoing engagement with Meowingtons, who plans to regularly DM and will create exclusive content for fans upon request.”

Zimmerman adopted Meowingtons from the Toronto Humane Society in 2009.

See his posts below:

08 Aug 2023

Ne-Yo Rescinds His Apology for Anti-Trans Comments: ‘I Will Not Be Bullied’

Ne-Yo may have issued a public apology on Sunday (Aug. 6) for making “insensitive and offensive” comments about the trans community, but the singer is taking that apology back.

In a video shared to his Instagram on Monday (Aug. 7), the “So Sick” singer said that he won’t “apologize for having an opinion.” Claiming that the original apology came from his “publicist’s computer” instead of from himself, Ne-Yo said that he wanted his fans to know how he actually felt.

“My intention is never to offend anybody,” he said. “However, I’m entitled to feel how I feel, the same way you are entitled to feel how you feel. I ain’t ask nobody to follow me, I ain’t ask nobody to agree with me; I was asked a question and I answered the d–n question.”

Ne-Yo went on to further dig his heels in on the topic of gender-affirming care for minors. While he said he has “no beef” with queer and trans folks, he will “never be OK with allowing a child to make a decision that detrimental to their life,” referring to medical treatment for trans youth. “I will definitely be educating myself a little bit more on this matter,” he said. “However, I doubt that there is any book anywhere or any opinion that somebody’s gonna tell me that’s gonna make me OK with letting a child make a decision like that.”

Closing out his video, the singer said that he’s not concerned about backlash to his comments anymore. “If I get canceled for this, then you know what, maybe this is a world where they don’t need a Ne-Yo no more,” he said. “Live how you wanna live, love how you wanna love, but your opinion is yours.”

Billboard has reached out to Ne-Yo’s representatives for further comment.

In the caption for the clip, Ne-Yo wrote that he “WILL NOT BE BULLIED INTO APOLOGIZING FOR HAVING AN OPINION,” and offered up a hypothetical scenario to demonstrate his point. “If one of my 7 kids were to decide that he or she wanted to be something other than what they were born as, once they’re old enough and mature enough to make that decision…so be it,” he wrote. “Not gonna love em’ any less. Daddy is still Daddy and he loves you regardless. But this isn’t even a discussion until they are MENTALLY MATURE ENOUGH to have such a discussion.”

The controversy started on Saturday (Aug. 5), when Ne-Yo sat for an interview with Gloria Velez of VladTV and spoke at length about gender-affirming care for kids. “If your little boy comes to you and says, ‘Daddy, I want to be a girl.’ And you just let him rock with that? He’s 5 … If you let this 5-year-old boy decide to eat candy all day, he’s gonna do that,” he said. “When did it become a good idea to let a 5-year-old, let a 6-year-old, let a 12-year-old make a life-changing decision for themself? When did that happen?”

The rapper’s statements mirror claims made by anti-trans legislators, claiming that children shouldn’t have access to the “irreversible” treatments of gender-affirming care by outlawing it across multiple states. However, experts say that most medical interventions for trans minors — including puberty blockers, speech therapy, gender-affirming hormone treatment and more — are not permanent.

Additionally, medical research groups including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pedatrics and the American Psychological Association have all developed guidelines for practitioners on how to best administer gender-affirming care. Each organization agrees that gender-affirming care is not only safe for minors, but in many cases it is vital for their health and well-being.

A day after his interview, an apology was published on Ne-Yo’s X account (formerly known as Twitter), stating that he has “always been an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBTQI+ community,” and underscoring that “my comments could’ve been interpreted as insensitive and offensive.” The post ended by saying that the “Miss Independent” singer would “better educate myself on the topic, so I can approach future conversations with more empathy.”

Check out Ne-Yo’s full Instagram video below:

08 Aug 2023

Watch Steph Curry Join Paramore Onstage for Slam Dunk Performance of ‘Misery Business’

Even though San Francisco’s Chase Center is Steph Curry’s home turf, he was the guest of honor at Paramore‘s Monday (Aug. 7) show.

Staying true to the band’s on-tour tradition of bringing out one fan every night to assist frontwoman Hayley Williams in singing “Misery Business,” Paramore this time invited none other than the Golden State Warriors point guard to join them. But it wasn’t just any routine public appearance for Curry, as evidenced by numerous videos from the moment. Just like every other fan in the audience, this was clearly, as the song goes, one of his “wildest dreams come true.”

Curry nailed every single lyric to the “Misery Business” bridge, his unabashed passion recovering any points he may have lost for his technical singing abilities. “I watched his wildest dreams come true/ Not one of them involving you,” he yelled into the microphone after a count-in from Williams, joining the thousands of fans in the crowd in jumping up in down once the final chorus hit.

The band’s stop at the Chase Center kicks off the final week of shows in Paramore’s This Is Why Tour, which began in October in support of the trio’s sixth studio album, This Is Why. Next year, Williams and bandmates Taylor York and Zac Farro will once again join Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, serving as support for the trek’s 2024 European leg more than a year after opening for Swift’s kickoff shows in Glendale, Ariz.

The This Is Why Tour hasn’t quite gone without a hitch. Paramore postponed a handful of July dates after Williams suffered a lung infection, a decision she had to defend online after swarms of haters — or “weird incels,” as she called them — pointed out that older rock heroes such as Dave Grohl have persevered through shows with broken legs.

“internet bros have been pressed by my proximity to rock music and all its subgenres since 2005,” she wrote in an Instagram Story last week. “I have a lung infection you soft s—! Not a broken limb… One you can sing with for 2 hours, another you cant. But worry not! The shows weren’t canceled, merely postponed a week. Maybe you should come out to one of them… like Dave did.”

Watch Steph Curry sing “Misery Business” with Paramore below: