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25 Jul 2023

Tay Lautner Posed With the Famous Cleaning Cart at the Eras Tour & Taylor Lautner Had the Funniest Response

Tay Lautner proved once again that she’s the ultimate Swiftie by referencing a fan theory-turned-fact on Instagram.

In the last slide of the photo dump shared to Instagram on Monday (July 24), Tay is seen posing with a thumbs up in front of a cleaning cart. The cleaning cart has become a joke among fans during The Eras tour, as it was once a theory that Taylor Swift travels to the stage undercover in the cart before the show starts.

However, one concertgoer in attendance at the trio of Eras Tour shows in Arlington, Texas, proved the theory to be correct via a TikTok that shows the superstar apparently hiding in the fake cleaning cart as two crew members roll her to her starting spot underneath the stage. At the end of the video, a door on the side of the cart opens and Swift — immediately recognizable with her sparkly outfit and blonde hair — appears to stride out.

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In response to Tay’s Instagram selfie with the cart, her husband and actor Taylor Lautner (yes, they’re both named Taylor Lautner) took to the comment section to hilariously ask, “So you just left her in the cart?”

Earlier this month, Swift debuted the first music video from her Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) album at the first Eras Tour stop in Kansas City, Missouri. The Twilight actor, Joey King and Presley Cash, who all starred in the video, also joined the singer onstage to celebrate the video’s premiere.

Swift and Taylor also dated back in 2009, and it is rumored that her hit song “Back to December” is about their breakup.

See Tay’s post and Taylor’s comment via a fan Reddit post below

25 Jul 2023

DJ John Summit Apologizes To Resolve ‘Off The Grid’ Name Dispute: ‘I Def Learned My Lesson’

DJ John Summit publicly apologized Tuesday (July 25) for “all the drama” that he “stirred up” last week in a legal dispute with a smaller company over the name of his Off the Grid record label, vowing to change his company’s name to resolve the disagreement.

Early last week, Summit took to Twitter to blast the organizers of a rival “Off the Grid” music event, claiming they had “sued” him and were demanding “7+ figures” over their identical names. Summit, an electronic music A-lister who’s worked with Kaskade, Diplo and others, said at the time that it “f—ing sucks when ppl want to screw u over.”

But after deleting those tweets and going silent over the weekend, Summit made an about-face on Tuesday. In a new tweet, he said he had “acted out of emotion” in last week’s rant and wanted to “truly apologize” to the rival Off The Grid group.

“I’ve been talking w the OTG campout team and apologized to them directly but i also wanted to do so publicly,” Summit wrote. “They’ve agreed to stop pursuing legal action & my team and i are working on a rebrand. in the meantime, to all my fans, please stop sending negative messages to OTG campout. i was wrong in condoning that behavior in any way.”

Summit announced the launch of Off The Grid in March 2022, tweeting that he was “so stoked” to announce his own imprint where there would be “nothing off limits.” The label has since released music by artists including Mau P, Danny Avila and Summit himself, and has hosted live events, including a camping event in Tennessee this past April.

Just one problem: A music promoter named Mikey Made Cromie had already been using the name Off The Grid since 2015 for his own dance music events, including a flagship three-day “campout” that draws as many as 1,000 fans.

In June, attorneys for Cromie sent a cease and desist letter to Summit over the name of his new label. They warned that Cromie claimed Off The Grid as an exclusive trademark and that Summit’s use of an identical name for a company that sells the exact same genre of music would clearly infringe it.

It was that letter that prompted Summit’s outburst on social media last week. “Getting sued for trademark over my ‘off the grid’ label name by a small promoter even tho it’s a common phrase and i built up this brand 100% myself,” Summit wrote at the time. “i REFUSE to get threatened for 7+ figures over a LABEL NAME.”

Cromie, meanwhile, denied that a lawsuit had been filed and said he had never made a demand for seven figures, but confirmed that he had sent the cease and desist letter and wanted Summit to stop using the name. In an email to Billboard last week, Cromie said that Summit’s team “knew about us the whole time and thought we were so small of a company that they could use the name without any recourse.”

In Tuesday’s new tweet, Summit suggested that some kind of formal settlement had been reached, saying he would be changing his name and Cromie’s company would stop pursuing any legal action. But he offered no additional details, like when the name would be changed or whether any money had changed hands.

“All we want now is for both our communities to come together and be able to dance as one,” Summit wrote in his tweet. “i def learned my lesson from this and from here on out, i’m going to focus my attention in a positive light so we can get back to releasing music and throwing fun parties.”

Cromie did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Billboard on Tuesday. But he seemed to confirm the settlement on his Facebook page: Above a giant image of a peace sign, he wrote simply: “Peace is always the answer!”

25 Jul 2023

Bonjour Suzuki & RinRin Doll Share Their Message to the World Through Lolita Fashion: Interview

Bonjour Suzuki is a singer-songwriter who has sung and produced music for anime, video games, movies and more, demonstrating her wide-spread talent. RinRin Doll is a Japanese lolita fashion model and YouTuber active worldwide. Together, they form the unit “Bonjour Suzuki & RinRin Doll.”

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On June 30, the duo released their debut song “Carnival Dolls,” showcasing Bonjour Suzuki’s music production and RinRin Doll’s lyrics and direction, putting the unit into high gear. Both have separately enjoyed tremendous popularity within Japan and overseas in Japanese pop culture, and now they’ve combined their areas of music and fashion, opening a new door to the world. What message do the two have to share?

What led to you two deciding to form this unit?

Bonjour Suzuki: When I  had performed at an Angelic Pretty fashion show (a popular lolita brand), I found myself drawn to this cute model with a curious allure.  When I got a closer look, I realized that it was RinRin, who models for several magazines and brands, so  I was too nervous to talk to her.  But I had another chance to know her through friends and we grew close.  I had known she could dance and perform, but when I heard her sing, her voice was so cute and so charming,  I immediately said, “Hey! Let’s do something together!” It was only natural for us to create the unit.

Could you talk a bit about your roots and what you do?

Suzuki:  I started learning classical piano when I was three. I’ve also studied the koto, shamisen, harp, and viola, among many instruments. My mother had sung jazz, so I grew up listening to soul music, jazz, Bossa Nova, and motown.  I also have relatives in France so I listened to a lot of French music as well while growing up.  I ended up studying French through music, movies, and anime, then went abroad to study language and music in southern France.  There, I had a vocal teacher who inspired me so much with her words that I still, to this day, reflect on her advice.  Following that, I started listening to even more songs from Iceland, France, and the like and discovered new vocal styles that have now reflected in my current style.

You do everything, right — not just the vocals, but also writing the lyrics and the music, performing the music, and mixing?

Suzuki: I sometimes ask other people to handle a part of it, but I usually do it all myself. I’m a big fan of French artist Emilie Simon, so I wanted to do everything myself, too, and I started studying how to do it.

RinRin, when did you get into music?

RinRin: Since I was a little kid I learned to play the piano and the guzheng (a Chinese zither). I also loved listening to all kinds of music  and studied music theory in school as well.

Did you start modeling and posting on YouTube after coming to Japan?

RinRin: Yes. I started modeling for a well-known lolita fashion brand called “Angelic Pretty” in 2009 for their catalogs and fashion shows. I also became a dokusha-model (an influencer for print media) modeling lolita and street fashion in iconic subculture magazines like KERA and Gothic Lolita Bible, among others.  Starting around 2013, the popularity for the style grew overseas and I was often invited as a guest to lolita fashion events and anime conventions all around the world like The Netherlands, France, Germany, Mexico, Canada, the US, Chile, Korea, China, Australia, and so on. I noticed I often get asked a lot of questions all about Lolita fashion and beauty, so I started a YouTube channel to answer commonly asked questions and post content I hope people will enjoy.

What kind of reactions have you two had from overseas audiences?

Suzuki: I sang, composed, arranged, and wrote the lyrics to the opening theme for the anime “Yurikuma Arashi” directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, who’s famous for creating Sailor Moon R: The Movie, and he has countless fans around the world who listened to the song. People from countries like Germany, Russia, Spain, China, and Indonesia, even covered the song in their own languages!  I’d been making rap and electro songs with friends overseas, but when I started working as a soloist, I wanted to make songs that fused Japan’s unique kawaii culture with a more mysterious aesthetic to create a distinctive feel. I was looking for a female artist who I could create this music with, so it was fate that I met RinRin. I want the two of us to make a lot more songs that could be used to create a cute ambiance for events  like lolita tea parties.

RinRin: I get a lot of comments online asking about how to get into lolita fashion, what it’s like to work in Japan, what’s the current trends in beauty and fashion in Harajuku.  I find a lot of people are interested in Japanese fashion and culture, only not knowing how to get closer to it and participate.  I hope I can inspire more people who want to try kawaii subculture fashion to be able to be comfortable in expressing themselves.  When I do lolita fashion tea parties (where everyone wears lolita fashion and has tea) overseas in person, I have a chance to talk to everyone directly and learn that usually everyone has an open and positive reaction.    I also always request to play Bon-chan’s music at these tea parties.  It really fits the vibe and everyone falls in love with it.

What’s the atmosphere like in these tea parties?

RinRin: Depending on the event, it can be anything like doing a fashion show or talk show, but I also request to go from table to table to chat directly with people about themselves and lolita fashion. No matter what country, the people who come to the tea parties see lolita fashion as a way of expressing themselves. They say that no matter what kind of difficulties they might find themselves up against, when they put on Lolita clothing, it makes them feel strong. Everyone’s happy to have this opportunity to wear cute clothes in an accepting space at lolita fashion tea parties, and there’s a tight-knit community every place I go. It makes me want to create even more opportunities and safe spaces like this and support people who  enjoy cute styles.  Through our unit, I’d like to connect Japan and the rest of the world and show everyone how much confidence Lolita fashion provides.

What was the idea behind your debut song, “Carnival Dolls?”

RinRin: When I first heard part of the track that  Bon-chan had come up with, it immediately reminded me of faerie rings of European folklore. The story goes that if a human sees a ring of fairies dancing they would get enticed into the ring to dance with the faeries and before they know it, two decades would go by. I feel like there’s a connection between this story and current social media, where everyone looks like they’re having fun so the viewer would be drawn into it and lose track of time. However, I also felt there’s an ephemeral quality of staying in the moment and feeling like “while we’re all together, let’s just have fun and dance!”  

For the music video, we knew exactly who we needed to bring on to produce the music video.  Our friend, SAKUnoTORIDORI, who is an art director, set producer, photographer, and brand creator,  is perfect for the image we were going for.  She has a fairy-tale-like vision with all her works and we were so happy to come together as a trio to bring this vision to light.

Suzuki: In writing the music, I was inspired by RinRin’s faerie-like, intriguing aura. When she told me about the faerie rings, I reworked the track to include that faerie ring image.  The song starts with the opening of J.S. Bach’s Fugue in G minor, layering baroque classical instruments. I brought my harp to the studio to play on the track, and violinist Asuka Mochizuki played violin and viola, which we layered on top of the programmed tracks. We used our instruments to depict this image of RinRin dancing, faerie-like, in the forest, and arranged the song like a sonic representation of the faerie ring feeling that the song had given her.

The lyrics are in several different languages, right?

RinRin: Yes, since we wrote the lyrics together, we used our experiences and languages we know.  We hope people in parts of the world have that “Oh hey!” moment when words they understand suddenly pop out.

Suzuki: French has a mysterious sound to it that creates a wonderful atmosphere, so we sprinkled it throughout. Even a single word is enough to create a vivid image. Just like how I learned French from listening to songs, I looked up words from RinRin’s English lyrics to use in my own daily life, and I think it would be wonderful if people in English-speaking countries were able to learn some new Japanese words from the song.

What kind of activities are you planning for the unit?

RinRin: I plan to continue doing lolita fashion tea parties, fashion shows, concerts, and other events within Japan and overseas,  with the hope that our music can create safe spaces where we can enjoy community together. I also hope to work hard to serve as a bridge between Japan and overseas; and that more people can come to know about lolita fashion and kawaii culture.

Suzuki: I want to go with RinRin and perform shows at overseas events. I’m also going to do my best so that one day our music will be used in anime or games.

—This interview by Takayuki Okamoto firs appeared on Billboard Japan

25 Jul 2023

Malaysian Fest Organizers May Sue The 1975 After Matty Healy’s LGBTQ Comments

Organizers of the Good Vibes Festival in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, tell Billboard that the controversy surrounding The 1975’s performance at the festival, during which lead singer Matty Healy insulted the government and kissed a bandmate on stage, has left the festival in financial ruin and could limit future concerts in the country for years to come.

The claim is the latest in the fallout from Healy’s protest and the heavy-handed decision by the country’s communications and digital ministry to cancel the remainder of the festival while also banning Healy from playing in the country in the future. Malaysia places very restrictive rules on foreign artists performing in the country, and Healy’s manager “had acknowledged in writing that Matt Healy would adhere to all local guidelines and regulations” prior to his performance Friday, says Wan Alman, whose company, Future Sound Asia, has promoted the festival for more than 10 years. Alman adds that “artists are briefed on the guidelines before the event.”

Alman confirmed that Future Sound Asia is considering pursuing legal action against the band, as the cancellation led to heavy losses for the promoter. The company likely already paid out artist deposits for the entire festival and might soon be required to issue refunds to fans, depending on an outcome of an investigation by the Malaysian government. Festival organizers might be able to make a legal claim against the band, explained Tim Epstein, a leading attorney for independent festivals in North America, depending on the language of the contract between the band and the promoter.

Specifically, Epstein said he would look to see how the contract deals with potential instances of unlawful behavior and what, if any, language dealt with local guidelines and regulations around speech. He said he would also want to confirm where the talent agreement designated that legal disputes be heard; most contracts defer disputes to U.S. courts. Finally, Epstein said the festival’s event cancellation policy could offset any damages, depending on the language in the policy. While government intervention is typically covered under a policy’s “force majeure” language, the Good Vibes Festival’s specific policy might include other provisions that make collecting difficult.

The 1975 incident has cast a negative light on Malaysia — and documents obtained by Billboard show that foreign artists playing in the country must agree to guidelines that include a ban on men wearing shorts on stage, prohibitions on women “wearing clothes that expose the chest area or that are too high above the knees” and strict rules prohibiting “entertaining or mingling with the audience at any time.”

In order to invite foreign artists into the country, promoters must complete the Communication and Digital Ministry’s Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign Artistes — a 40-page document outlining how artists are allowed to dress on stage and what they aren’t allowed to say about the government.

According to Amnesty International, in Malaysia it is illegal to protest the government, dress in drag or possess films or movies deemed to have LGBTQ+ elements. Much of the country’s criminal code is enforced through imprisonment with access to a court hearing, public flogging and, up until last year, the death penalty, which is currently banned under moratorium.

Neither The 1975’s agent, Matt Baum with Primary Talent — which represents the band in Asia — nor its manager, Jamie Osborne, would comment for this article.

An agent familiar with international bookings who did not want to speak on the record tells Billboard that the number of countries run by repressive regimes that host concerts is still relatively small, and it’s typically the promoter’s job to explain the rules to the band booked for a show.

That can be a double-edged sword, the agent explains, noting that the festival promoter “also may not want to be overly open about it for fear of discouraging people from playing.”

In many cases, the promoter does their best to balance the artist’s own right to expression while also being careful not to anger the host government.

“The 1975 shouldn’t have played there if they feel so strongly but I understand how they got to where they are,” the agent said.

Since opening the country to concerts by foreign artists in 2000, the Malaysian government has required visitors to adhere to a fairly restrictive code of conduct. Among other things, it requires modest attire and a ban on “provocative acts” like kissing a member of the opposite sex in front of a live audience.

The rules were updated in March by Malaysia’s communications and digital minister, Fahmi Fadzil, to include bans on cross-dressing on stage and “criticizing any government agency charged with upholding the law.”

Also banned under the guidelines are women’s clothes with “high slits, and clothes that are too tight or figure-hugging,” as well as a general ban on “performing in a wild manner, provocatively and displaying actions that are contrary to the performance code of ethics.” Other no-nos include “performing actions or making utterances that may be deemed as seditious” and “entertaining or mingling with the audience at any time.”

While some LGBTQ+ activists accused Healy of cynically protesting homophobia in the country for attention, others said it’s the government’s heavy-handed decision to cancel the festival over a same-sex kiss that deserves condemnation.

The controversy over LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of expression in Malaysia won’t likely go away any time soon. Coldplay is set to perform at the country’s Bukit Jalil National Stadium in November for a show promoted by Live Nation, which is also expected to produce a concert for the group Lany in the country in August.

25 Jul 2023

Kenshi Yonezu Talks New ‘Final Fantasy XVI’ Theme Song ‘Tsuki Wo Miteita – Moongazing’: Interview

Kenshi Yonezu’s new single “Tsuki Wo Miteita – Moongazing” is featured as the theme of Final Fantasy XVI, the latest installment in the hugely popular video game series. The J-pop hitmaker says the franchise has held a special place in his heart since childhood and that it has greatly influenced him as an artist.

In writing the song for the new game, Yonezu and game producer Naoki Yoshida held in-depth discussions to create a song that would deeply resonate with the story when heard in the context of the gameplay.

Music writer Tomonori Shiba caught up with the multi-hyphenate, who shared the process of the song’s production, his love for the Final Fantasy game franchise, how he feels about the expansion of his reach outside of his home country and more in this interview for Billboard Japan.

What was your first thought when you were tapped to write the theme for Final Fantasy XVI?

Kenshi Yonezu: I never thought I’d be able to work on the theme song for a game series that I’ve been playing since I was a kid. I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot lately, but it was simply an honor. It really felt like a unique opportunity.

What did the producers of the game discuss with you off the bat?

First, Mr. Yoshida spoke super passionately about the outline of the story and his thoughts that went into it. After that, I received a text-based script for the entire game and brief character descriptions. I was asked to create the music to be played during a particular scene in the game, so I think they were willing to let me do what I wanted with that to a certain extent, to create music based on what I felt.

Did you communicate with Mr. Yoshida while you were producing the song?

Yes, we did. Quite often. He’d come by regularly and show me visuals of how far the game development has been proceeding or how the battle system looks like at the moment. I could see how passionate he was about what he does. He spoke with great enthusiasm about what he was working on and what the game was like, while also taking pride in what he was doing. Of course it’s only natural, but I could sense that they took this project very seriously, and felt that I couldn’t take it on half-heartedly.

You’ve always mentioned Final Fantasy as one of your favorite games. How did you first come across it?

My family got a PlayStation when I was in first grade, and while I don’t remember what game I got first, I noticed one day that we had a copy of Final Fantasy VII. I don’t know if someone had bought it or if it’d been given to us, but there it was so I decided to give it a try. That’s how I started playing it.

What was that experience like for you?

Now that I think back on it, it feels like this work had a lot to do with my current tastes and preferences. The story is serious and the cityscape has a steampunk feel to it, and I still get excited when I see things like that. Looking back, I think it had a great influence on the development of my personality.

How would you say that those influences from the series appear in your own works as a musician and artist?

I’ve loved fantasy since I was a kid. I’ve been into it since I was in kindergarten or elementary school. Fantasy is a simple word to describe the concept, which is about things that could never really exist in our everyday lives, being there like they were commonplace. I spent my childhood yearning for such imaginary spaces. Looking back now, I think it’s been one of the main pillars shaping my life.

From there I got into drawing and making music, and even now that I do those things professionally, a lot of the music I make and pictures I draw still come from that fantastical, imaginary point of view. I always really liked playing alone, so I spent my childhood reading books and playing games at home, having fun letting my imagination run free and conjuring up fantastical things in my mind, rather than getting pleasure from communicating with others. That continues to this day and I think I learned a lot from it.

It’s called fantasy, but there’s quite a bit that mirrors reality. Reality is always reflected in fantasy and the two are inseparable, like the two sides of a coin. So I think there’s certainly a kind of true nature of reality that can only be acquired through fantasy, through a fantastical story. Fantasy is filled with a shape of reality that can only be expressed in that way.

What was the starting point of the idea for the song?

I thought a lot about what a theme song for a game is all about. After all, compared to movies, anime and TV drama series, a video game takes much longer to get through, as in dozens of hours. Plus, you become the player through the controller, immersing yourself in the game and experiencing the world for yourself. So I think your attachment to that world is much deeper than other media. When I was asked to write the music for this project, I felt it shouldn’t be something that evokes a kind of squalid everyday life.

So while you’re the one writing the song, the original concept was to write something that wouldn’t drag players back to reality when they heard it in the game.

Right. I’ve been asked to write many theme songs in the past and have worked with various stories, but I think I placed more emphasis on the game itself than ever before for this one. Since I make pop music, I have to create music that’s appropriate for each story while also reaching people who aren’t involved in that story, who are unfamiliar with it. Whenever I work on a theme song, I always try to find the right balance between the two, but this time the balance is quite off and the music leans heavily toward the game.

How did that change the way you wrote the song?

It became more of a selfless dedication. I had all kinds of distracting thoughts going through my mind when I was writing it. Stuff like, “Maybe I should do certain things to make it easier for people who haven’t played the game to understand” or “Maybe if I added certain sounds, it would make it better as a pop song.” Such distracting thoughts would swirl around and I tried to be aware of doing away with them this time. So it was selfless in that sense. I simply made music for the sake of the story. I really went in that direction more than ever before for this song.

So the concept of this song was different from your previous experiences writing themes for anime and drama series.

The theme song for a drama series on TV is played in every episode, and the scenes and situations where the song is heard will be different. That means the song has to be abstract in some ways. The task is to find where the root of all 10 episodes of the series lies. For example, I’d try to come up with three important elements of the story and work though various incidental details to get to what remains at the end. Then I embellish that in my own way. For a song like this one that would be played at a particular scene in a video game, I didn’t think such an approach would be appropriate.

The way the song is written, when you hear it after playing the game, you realize what it’s about and leads to a better understanding.

I mean, it’s not too much to say that I wrote it just for that purpose. When you finish playing the game and hear the song, the pieces all fit together for the first time. That’s the way it had to be done. Considering the numerous video games I’ve played in my life, I felt that if I did it any other way, I wouldn’t be sincere to who I am. I guess on a certain level it’s not sincere as a piece of pop music, but in this case, I had a feeling it was the right thing to do.

Could you share what resonated with you after you finished playing Final Fantasy XVI?

FF16 is a very serious game, and as you identify yourself with the harsh reality of the protagonist through the controller, your desire for them to be happy grows and grows. The protagonist is born under oppressive conditions and is forced to fight grinding battles all the way from there. When you think about how unfortunate that is, you begin to feel strongly about wanting them to find redemption. I thought about such things when I wrote the music. But I also had to include the scars he left behind in the song. I felt it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t, so I tried to write a song that would give a feeling of redemption while also encompassing a kind of grudge that will never completely go away.

I’d like to ask you about the international expansion of your reach. Last year you released “Kick Back,” the opener for the anime Chainsaw Man, and the track gained popularity in many countries and regions outside of Japan, among people who speak many different languages. How do you feel about that?

I’m grateful. As someone who makes popular music, I want many people to listen to what I put out. In that sense, I’m grateful to Chainsaw Man for giving me the opportunity to write that song.

And “Tsuki Wo Miteita – Moongazing” is featured in Final Fantasy, a series with ardent fans of all ages not only in Japan but also in many other countries and regions, also among people who speak various languages. What are your thoughts on that?

The song is in Japanese and I’m not sure how people will feel about this Japanese song. I feel nervous about how people interpret it, and right now I’m just hoping that the game hasn’t been ruined because of the song’s inclusion in it.

I think emotions expressed in music transcend borders and languages, and kind of imagine you want that to be the case, too.

Yes. The song is basically in Japanese, so what’s being sung won’t come across (to speakers of other languages). But I’ve experienced moments where I’m moved by something even though I’m far removed from its meaning linguistically. I’ve certainly had experiences where I’m strongly drawn to a voice or the music from foreign countries, in foreign languages I’m not familiar with. I hope this song will be taken in that way.

One last question. Aside from Final Fantasy XVI, are there any other video games that you’re into or curious about?

I’ve been playing Minesweeper all the time lately. I’ve talked about it a lot at my concerts, and I’ve been feeling firsthand how addictive it is because of its simplicity.

—This interview by Tomonori Shiba first appeared in Billboard Japan

25 Jul 2023

Looking for a Lionel Messi Jersey? Where to Buy Authentic MLS Gear Before It Sells Out

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.

It’s only been about a week since Lionel Messi played his first game with Inter Miami CF, but Messi Mania is in full effect.

The Argentinian soccer star led Inter Miami to a 2-0 victory against Cruz Azul after scoring a game-winning goal in front of a packed crowd at the DRV PNK Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. last week.

A good number of fans were wearing Messi’s newly released Inter Miami jersey to the game. Now that Messi has officially landed in Miami, demand for the jerseys is expected to be in even higher.

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Messi is scheduled to play his second game with Inter Miami on Friday (July 25). The match will stream live MLS Season Pass, Apple’s standalone soccer streaming service, which is also available on Apple TV+.

Last week, Adidas welcomed Messi to Miami with a fleet of branded cars, boats and even helicopters covered in Inter Miami’s signature pink. The welcome party included a huge cargo ship packed with Messi jerseys and soccer balls that Adidas gave away to fans. 

Where can you buy a Messi jersey? Adidas‘ Lionel Messi jersey ($160) is available for pre-order in true pink and black via the Adidas app. But that’s not the only way to get your hands on a coveted jersey.

Soccer fans can shop the Lionel Messi collection, which includes soccer jerseys and T-shirts, at the MLSStore.com. Messi’s Inter Miami jerseys are also available at Fanatics and Dick’s Sporting Goods.

The Adidas Inter Miami Jersey will be released on Oct. 17 at the MLS store, but given their popularity, it’s probably best to pre-order one now — even if you have to wait a few months until it gets delivered. On a positive note, the store is offering 15% off all orders with code: 15GOAL. The limited promo ends tonight (July 25).

Pre-order Messi’s Inter Miami gear below.

MLS Store

Men’s Inter Miami CF Lionel Messi Adidas Pink 2023 La Noche Replica Jersey

$124.99

This Inter Miami CF Lionel Messi Adidas jersey is available in pink or black (pictured below) in men’s sizes S-3XL. The shirt has a tagless collar, backneck taping and three embroidered logos on the chest including, an Adidas logo, sponsor logo and team crest across and Messi’s name on the back.

MLS Store

Men’s Inter Miami CF Lionel Messi Adidas Black 2023 La Noche Replica Jersey

$124.99

The black men’s jersey is another popular item in the MLS Store. The black version features the same logo and design as the pink men’s shirt.

MLS Store

Women’s Inter Miami CF Lionel Messi Adidas Black 2023 La Noche Replica Jersey

$124.99

Cheer Messi on in this Inter Miami CF women’s jersey. Like the men’s option, this jersey also comes in pink in sizes S-3XL and youth sizes S-XL ($104.99).

Men’s Messi x Adidas Black Sunny Goat T-Shirt

$29.99

Act fast! This Adidas goat T-shirt is almost sold out. The cotton tee comes in sizes S-3XL and will ship no later than Friday (July 28).

25 Jul 2023

How Did Jung Kook Beat Out Jason Aldean on the Hot 100 — And Which Song Might Stick Around?

It was an eventful week on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated July 29), as the continued reign of Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (14 weeks so far) was interrupted by two chart debuts: BTS alum Jung Kook‘s “Seven,” featuring rap hitmaker Latto, and veteran country star Jason Aldean‘s “Try That in a Small Town.”

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The high debut of “Seven” was more foreseeable, given the longtime success of BTS and its members on the Hot 100 and the song’s strong start in both streaming and sales upon its Friday (July 14) release. But the conservative anthem “Try That in a Small Town” came from close to out of nowhere, zooming up the sales and streams charts after its controversial music video (featuring images from the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020) led to it being banned on CMT last week.

How did the two songs make such rapid impacts? And which of the two is more likely to stick around the top of the charts from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. Jung Kook has scored a handful of Hot 100 entries before, most notably as a guest on Charlie Puth’s No. 22 hit “Left and Right,” but never really threatened the top spot before. What’s the biggest reason to you that “Seven” has launched him into a new chart stratosphere as a solo artist?

Katie Atkinson: Just like they did with Jimin’s “Like Crazy” back in April, the BTS ARMY clearly rallied around Jung Kook’s debut solo single. The streaming and sales numbers are absolutely massive, and that’s thanks to this tireless fan group. And thankfully, Jung Kook came through for them with an upbeat sing-along of a song that recalls my very favorite Craig David hit “7 Days” for a new generation of pop fans.

Eric Renner Brown: I’m not familiar with the personal fanbases for each BTS member, so my answer is more macro: As a group, BTS was so prolific for so long, and then in 2022 and even early in 2023, we were seeing a healthy flow of solo releases from its members; that flow now seems to have slowed to a drip, and I think fans are simply hungry for more BTS. And while some BTS releases – both group and solo – have featured Western artists, many haven’t, which makes me think Latto’s inclusion might’ve extended this track’s release to another base of listeners.

Jason Lipshutz: Casual chart watchers would probably chalk up the Hot 100-topping success of Jung Kook’s “Seven,” and Jimin’s “Like Crazy” before it, as the results of the BTS Army rallying behind any of the group members’ solo efforts. That’s partially true, but also, both “Like Crazy” and “Seven” are catchy, compelling pop singles that make sense sonically and stylistically atop the chart. The rhythmic, sexually suggestive “Seven” showcases more personality and a stronger hook than “Left and Right,” while Latto slots in nicely as a guest rapper with pop prowess; the single certainly received a boost from the fandom around Jung Kook, but the building blocks of “Seven” compose a successful whole.

Joe Lynch: The devotion and persistence of ARMY is certainly a factor here (regarding “Left and Right,” it’s only natural that Stans are gonna push harder for a song where their fave is the main credited artist and not the featured one). This sales total — 153,000 combined digital and CD singles — is a big part of this No. 1 debut, certainly. But compare it to the No. 1 debut for BTS bandmate Jimin’s “Like Crazy”: that one had a bigger sales total (254,000) but a smaller streaming total – 10 million as compared to the whopping 21.9 million streams for “Seven.” Part of that is the Latto boost, but to my ears, a lot of it has to do with the kind of song “Seven” is — it’s akin to the radio gold Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran have struck with similar mixtures of sweet acoustic guitars and swinging hip-hop beats. 

Andrew Unterberger: It helps that “Seven” is a really good song — and given its explicit chorus, a particularly ear-catching one. That may sound like a superficial explanation, but given how much better the song has streamed than most BTS-related songs (especially globally), it’s pretty clear it’s not just ARMY soldiers flocking to this one. You have to catch a decent amount of non-superfan interest to put up those kinds of numbers, and you do that by releasing undeniable pop singles.



2. It’s also the first No. 1 for Latto, who came two spots away in early 2022 with her “Big Energy” and also scored a big hit this year along side Cardi B with “Put It on Da Floor Again.” Do you think this achievement is particularly notable for her career?

Katie Atkinson: It’s funny: When BTS first started making English-language songs, they often enlisted more established artists (Nicki Minaj, Halsey, Charli XCX) for features to boost their profile in America. But now, it’s often the opposite, with BTS and all its members boosting another artist’s profile via features. Latto is reaping the benefits of the ARMY putting their weight behind Jung Kook’s new song, and it can only help her in the long run to have the good will of this fierce fanbase behind her moving forward.

Eric Renner Brown: I don’t think the achievement is too notable, other than her ability to now say she’s topped the Hot 100 (which isn’t nothing!). No shade to Latto, but this chart success feels mostly predicated on its BTS affiliation; it’s easy to imagine this track going No. 1 with another American rapper on it.

Jason Lipshutz: The timing is certainly notable: Latto’s first Hot 100 No. 1 comes as the featured artist on a pop single, one month after she re-established herself as a ferocious rapper on “Put It on Da Floor Again.” Cardi B’s appearance on the remix helped the song reach the top 10, but Latto also sounded reinvigorated on the track after a few singles that had failed to take off. The success of “Put It on Da Floor Again,” followed by the even bigger win that “Seven” represents, secures Latto’s standing as a mainstream star, transcending the pop-rap success of “Big Energy” in 2022 by splitting those two sounds in half this summer.

Joe Lynch: It’s huge for Latto. Her follow-up singles to the undying radio smash “Big Energy” whiffed on the Hot 100, so even when she returned to the top 20 this year alongside Cardi, it’s fair to say she needed to keep the momentum going. And a No. 1 debut for a song she prominently features on is definitely a huge win that bodes well for the rest of her year.  

Andrew Unterberger: It’s another nice win during a particularly successful few months for Latto. I doubt it will change her career arc dramatically, but it may win her some new fans — and a pretty nice one-week financial windfall, given all the consumption.

3. Underneath “Seven,” Jason Aldean’s “Try That in a Small Town” debuts at No. 2, largely thanks to a late-chart-week push after its video (and its subsequent CMT banning) resulted in an explosion of controversy. We’ve seen plenty of songs with implicit or explicit conservative leanings debut on the Hot 100 over the past couple weeks — by artists like Aaron Lewis, Tom MacDonald and Bryson Gray — but none quite with this velocity. What do you think the biggest reason is that “Try That” is speeding to new heights so quickly?

Katie Atkinson: The way the uproar unraveled, whether you agree or disagree with Jason Aldean’s political leanings, you wanted to watch the video to see what all the fuss was about. On top of that, it’s clear from the sales numbers that people who wanted to show their support for his musical message purchased the song in droves. We’ve seen the way Morgan Wallen’s sales and streams erupted following his own controversy when he was caught on camera saying the N-word in 2021, but this scenario is different, because the controversy was around a specific song and centered on a country star with an already-established fanbase after nearly two decades of Nashville stardom. It was a perfect storm for a political powder keg to explode.

Eric Renner Brown: “Who are Aaron Lewis, Tom MacDonald, and Bryson Gray?” That’s the biggest reason I think this track has blown up so quickly. Conservatives are eager to boost right-wing tracks, but those other three artists are relative no-names — Staind’s frontman and a pair of artists who had virtually no profile until they made MAGA-bait songs. Aldean, on the other hand, is an established, Grammy-nominated star who headlines arenas and is heavily decorated by the country-specific awards shows. It’s not surprising to me that his conservative dog-whistle track has outpaced similar songs by less-known performers; likewise, if an even bigger star than Aldean released this type of song, I bet they’d shoot up the chart quicker and stay there longer.

Jason Lipshutz: The commercial explosion of “Try That in a Small Town” rests in the coded messaging of the song and video: As Aldean pointed out, there are no explicit calls to violence or racist lyrics, but by implying that vigilante justice is justified as a pro-gun rights tactic in the song and depicting protesting as violent crime in the video, Aldean has created a conservative anthem with a degree of plausible deniability. Other hard-right songs in recent years haven’t climbed as high on the Hot 100, because they’ve been so straightforward with their agendas that they haven’t been able to court a wide amount of controversy. With “Try That in a Small Town,” however, left-leaning country fans became outraged by the obvious dog whistles, right-leaning country fans became outraged by their outrage, CMT banned the video, conservatives supported the song on iTunes in response, and Aldean rode the discourse all the way to the No. 2 spot on the Hot 100.

Joe Lynch: Those other artists aren’t exactly household names, so Aldean’s profile is the big difference here. He has 10 No. 1 hits on the Hot Country Songs chart. Plenty of people have a warm association with him already, so they’re likely to get more emotional and worked up when they hear he’s being criticized, and therefore more likely to engage with the song by streaming it, sharing it with others, buying it, etc. I could see this happening with another country artist of Aldean’s caliber in the next year — as long as conservative media picks up on it as a culture war cause célèbre.  

Andrew Unterberger: It’s a combination of Aldean’s existing stardom and sorta built-in credibility with country audiences, and the fact that pundits on one of the country’s most watched (and most influential) TV channels are actively calling on viewers to stream the thing on repeat to send a political message. It’s also just good timing, with the news story gradually building to a fever pitch over the course of the Friday to Thursday chart week.



4. Both “Seven” and “Try That” achieve their top two positions largely on the back of sales, which usually (but not always) drop significantly from week to week. Do you think either of these songs will still be in the hunt for No. 1 next week?

Katie Atkinson: I think they both could be in contention for No. 1 next week, but I’d say Aldean has the better shot as this controversy continues to smolder. A quick search of social media shows that Aldean’s supporters are not letting this high-profile musical moment die down anytime soon, so it could have a real shot to climb to the top next week – especially if some like-minded radio programmers give it extra play.

Eric Renner Brown: I doubt either will remain in the hunt next week. Conservative outrage cycles pass quickly, and with both artists, there’s probably a ceiling of how many people will buy the songs to support them – a ceiling that both Jung Kook and Aldean are likely approaching already. And for the week after, if we’re getting a new Travis Scott album this Friday after all…

Jason Lipshutz: I could actually see both challenging for No. 1 either next week or in the coming weeks. “Seven” sounds like a slam-dunk radio hit, and as sales dip following its first-week explosion, I’d guess that top 40 programmers help Jung Kook and Latto make up some of the difference in Hot 100 points. Meanwhile, something tells me that we’re just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the “Try That in a Small Town” controversy — Jason Aldean will continue drawing attention to the song, conservatives will continue downloading it, country radio will continue wading into the interest around it, and next week we might be seeing it atop the chart.

Joe Lynch: Definitely Aldean. The furor isn’t tapering here, as folks on various sides are chiming in with their hot takes, and it will likely last long enough to keep “Try That” in contention for reaching No. 1. Which would never have been imaginable if CMT hadn’t pulled the video in the first place (after all, this song came out months ago).  

Andrew Unterberger: Aldean certainly has the inside track, especially because while consumption of “Seven” was strongest on its Friday release date (as is the case with most new songs) at the beginning of the tracking week, the furor of the “Try That” backlash-to-the-backlash was only beginning to crest at the end of last tracking week, and was still very high at the beginning of this one. Plus, having already gotten their No. 1, “Seven” fans are likely less ravenous about keeping it there than “Try That” boosters are about pushing their anthem over the top. (I do hope “Seven” gets back in the mix soon, though, just as a result of the radio play it deserves to build.)

5. They’re hardly the only ones, but K-pop fans and conservative-leaning music listeners are two groups of consumers who have, over the past few years, shown a steadfast willingness to continue buying digital songs as a way to express support for songs and artists, even as song sales on the whole have continued to slide annually. Is there another group of music fans who you could see adopting (or who have already adopted) this strategy to support their favs?

Katie Atkinson: Not that she needs the extra help, but an artist like Taylor Swift has figured out how to deliver release-week digital extras that give her insatiable fans more ways to support her – I’m thinking especially of lead Evermore single “Willow” in late 2020 and its successive “Dancing Witch,” “Lonely Witch” and “Moonlit Witch” remixes that helped propel the ballad to No. 1 on the Hot 100. In that case, the artist is pulling out all the stops, but the fans are all too eager to collect ’em all.

Eric Renner Brown: I truly have no idea. Whenever I hear about these things, my first reaction is, “Wait, people still buy digital songs?” And my second reaction is, “Wait, people buy digital songs to prove a point, and not because that’s the only way to hear the music?” I’m a huge Deadhead, and I buy their CD-only archival releases, but that’s because there’s no other way to hear them. I can’t imagine buying the CDs as a form of virtue-signaling or to help ensure their chart success – but I also can’t imagine buying a case of Bud Light just so I can destroy it to protest something Anheuser-Busch did, or buying multiple versions of the same vinyl release for collectible reasons.

Jason Lipshutz: I’d expect this to become standard procedure for superstar acts around their biggest releases — which has already happened to some degree, but has not come to define every major pop rollout quite yet. Plenty of dedicated fan bases want to support their favorite A-lister, and digital downloads have become something of a fast track for that support. In the coming months and years, it wouldn’t be a shock to see digital sales ploys become further engrained into all types of big pop arrivals.

Joe Lynch: The LGBTQ community is already pretty good at doing this to support their faves, but to my mind, it’s hard to imagine this trend still being a thing in a decade as everything digital moves into the cloud. As for physical copies, even as tactile music makes an industry comeback, I can’t imagine CD singles (famous last words, perhaps) enjoying the same comeback staying power that full-length albums on CD and vinyl have.   

Andrew Unterberger: I’m a little surprised that influencers on TikTok and IG looking to get into music haven’t yet totally utilized the digital sales route via their rabid fanbases — though their audiences may be too young to properly motivate to actually spend money on digital music, many likely for the first time in their lives.

25 Jul 2023

Snoop Dogg Cancels Hollywood Bowl Shows In Solidarity With WGA & SAG-AFTRA Strikes

Doggystyle, Snoop Dogg’s landmark debut album, celebrates its 30th anniversary in just four months, but the Grammy-nominated West Coast rap legend will no longer be marking the occasion with his two previously announced Hollywood Bowl shows.

On Tuesday (July 25), the rapper and actor took to Instagram to share a statement regarding the status of the Doggystyle anniversary shows. “We regret to inform you that due to the ongoing strike and the uncertainty of when this will be over, we need to cancel the Hollywood Bowl show,” he wrote.

“We continue to stand in solidarity with all of our brothers and sisters in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA during this difficult time and remain hopeful that the AMPTP will come back to the negotiating table with a REAL proposal and we can all get back to work.” On June 2, Snoop announced that the Hollywood Bowl shows would be postponed from June 27-28 to October 20-21.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) officially went on strike at 11:59 p.m. on May 1 after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed, resulting in the largest walkout of its kind in 15 years; the writers immediately took to the picket lines on May 2. Earlier this month, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) also called a strike after contract negotiations with the AMPTP broke down, marking the first “double strike” in over 60 years.

Members of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are demanding a larger share of streaming residuals, increased job security for writers, larger writers’ rooms and a limit on the use of AI in screenwriting and background acting among other points.

With acting roles dating back to 1998’s Half Baked, Snoop Dogg has been prolific not only in the music world, but also across film and television. In 2019, he starred in the award-winning comedy biopic Dolemite Is My Name.

Check out Snoop Dogg’s full statement here:

25 Jul 2023

After ‘Mind Your Business,’ What Do Britney Spears’ Fans Want From the Pop Star?

Since the end of the 13-year conservatorship that controlled her personal and professional lives, Britney Spears has released two new songs: her “Hold Me Closer” duet with Elton John last year and, on Friday, “Mind Your Business” with will.i.am.

On the latest Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about the new (or at least newly released) song and what Britney’s fans are expecting from the pop star now that she’s calling the shots.

Listen to the new episode below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how BTS’ Jung Kook debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Seven,” featuring Latto — scoring both acts their first No. 1s — while Jason Aldean notches his biggest Hot 100 hit ever, as the much-talked about “Try That in a Small Town” debuts at No. 2 following the controversy around its new music video. Plus, over on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) holds firm at No. 1 in its second week of release — the first of Swift’s re-recorded albums to spend its first two weeks at No. 1.

We’re also remembering the career and legacy of Tony Bennett, who died last week at age 96 after seven decades of recorded music.

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

25 Jul 2023

Beyonce’s Renaissance Photographer Gives a Behind the Scenes Look at the Tour’s ‘Magic’ 

Beyond hearing some of Beyoncé’s biggest hits live, the superstar’s massive Renaissance tour has left fans awestruck due to its ethereal, captivating visuals and outfits.

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In a new feature for British Vogue published on Tuesday (July 25), photographer Rafael Pavarotti went behind-the-scenes of Bey’s London performances at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The stunning snaps paint a picture of the attention to detail that goes into every aspect of the tour. “The live energy is incomparable,” Pavarotti told the publication. “It literally was something unique that I’ve never seen or felt before.”

With the help of Beyoncé’s official photographer Mason Poole, who “already understood all the spots, her movements and timings,” Pavarotti was able to capture all of the show’s most breathtaking moments. “It was really beautiful to see all the magic happening so close,” he said. “This was the first time I had this kind of experience in my life, it was mezmerising and a lot of fun.”

As for the outfits, Pavarotti noted that it “was always a surprise for me when she came out of the dressing room, looking extremely marvelous.”

It’s been a wildly successful tour so far, as Bey posted career-high numbers when she wrapped the European leg of the tour in Warsaw in late June. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Beyoncé grossed $154.4 million and sold 1 million tickets across 21 shows, marking the biggest gross and attendance of any of Beyoncé’s previous European legs.

See the full series of photos here and here.