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21 Jul 2023

Kenzie Opens Up About How Her Vulnerable ‘Anatomy’ Single Allowed for the Ultimate Inner Child Healing: ‘I Got to Let Everything Out’

If you took one look at 19-year-old Kenzie‘s Instagram, you’d see a smiling girl who loves spending time with her friends, playing with her sense of style and cuddling with her boyfriend.

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But, as we all know, social media isn’t always what it seems. “I feel like everyone thinks that all of these people on social media are perfect and don’t go through struggles. We all do,” the singer and dancer tells Billboard.

That’s why Kenzie decided on Friday (July 21) to release “Anatomy,” a heart wrenching ballad about her strained relationship with her father. “It’s just anatomy, you’re only half of me / But still you don’t know me at all / You’ve been my missing piece, so why aren’t you missing me?” she sings in the chorus, her voice nearly trembling in the way it usually does when being so deeply vulnerable for the first time.

The song, which acts as a musical therapy session, started out fittingly as a suggestion from her therapist. “When I turned 18, I started therapy and it was a big moment for me, because I just never trusted anyone to listen to my emotions,” she explains. “It just felt like a weird concept to me, you know, talking to a stranger. As I started doing therapy, she kept telling me write a letter to my dad and I felt that was so weird. So, I ended up just writing a song about it. I sent it to her and I was like, ‘Here’s my letter to my dad. Here’s everything.’”

She continues, “I ended up really loving the song and I hit the realization that there are people who will relate to this and I feel like it could help a lot of people in some way. It also gives people a chance to get to know me better.”

The track arrived along with an equally goosebump-inducing music video, in which the Dance Moms alum dances in an empty studio with the younger version of herself. “I’m healing my inner child for sure,” she says of the clip. “It was really important to me to add a younger version of myself in the video because when I was younger, I didn’t think about all of these issues. I think the second I turned 18, it all literally just came crashing down. I always used to make jokes about it. I’d just be like, “Yeah, well, that’s my life.” You know how kids are. But it’s a real life struggle that people go through and it really didn’t hit me until I was 18. Every time I watch the video, it just makes me cry because she’s so amazing in it.”

Before releasing the track, she showed it to her mother and sister — fellow dancer Maddie Ziegler — and, while she was “nervous,” the result was everything she hoped for. “I sent it to my sister and she just FaceTimed me and didn’t say anything and had tears coming down her face,” Kenzie recalls. “I also played it for my mom which I was a little nervous for because it’s a touchy subject. She’s just so supportive and she obviously cried as well. She just looked at me and was like, ‘that’s the most beautiful song I’ve ever heard.’”

In fact, Maddie ended up choreographing the music video. “I mean, she loves it so much because, of course, it’s her childhood too,” Kenzie explains. “It was so special having her there with me because it is a big moment in my life to be talking about this. Just having her be a part of it made me feel at home and comforted.”

As for how she perceives her relationship with her father now, Kenzie says “Anatomy” (and therapy) has helped her immensely in coming to terms with it. “I was really hesitant to release the song, because I have so much love for my dad no matter what because he is my family. I love very deeply and I don’t hold grudges,” she says. “But it definitely was healing because I just feel so content and I feel so happy with myself. I honestly don’t have these struggles anymore and I think it’s because I was so vulnerable and got to let everything out.”

Moving forward, Kenzie wants to continue being vulnerable in her music — not only to help herself heal, but also to help others. “I just feel like it’s just so personal and I really look up to people that are honest and share their story to other people. It helps other people in many ways,” she shares. “Bottling it up and acting like it doesn’t exist is not always the healthiest way. I think it’s important to talk freely about what you’re going through, and not be afraid to share your feelings. It’s also not embarrassing! That’s how I felt for a long time with my friends that had a mom and dad, and I just felt really embarrassed and left out. I learned that it made me a strong person and it’s made me who I am.”

Watch Kenzie’s “Anatomy” music video below.

21 Jul 2023

Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Surges in Sales and Streams Following Controversy

Sales and streams of Jason Aldean‘s single “Try That in a Small Town” have surged, following controversy that erupted this week surrounding the song and its corresponding music video.

After selling around 1,000 copies of the song each day from July 14 through July 17, according to preliminary reports from Luminate, sales rose after Billboard’s July 18 exclusive that CMT had pulled the video. The song earned 12,000 in sales on July 18, before surging to 108,000 in sales on July 19 and 103,000 in sales on July 20. The latest sales total for the week (July 14-20) is 227,000, according to the preliminary reports.

U.S. official on-demand daily streams of “Try That in a Small Town” also exploded over the past week.

After earning 204,000 official U.S. on-demand streams on July 14, and then dipping to 194,000 on July 15 and 174,000 on July 16, streams rose 24.3% to 216,000 on July 17, then surged 178% on July 18 to 600,000. On July 19, U.S. official on-demand streams of “Try That in a Small Town” skyrocketed to 3.2 million, a 440.2% increase.

The sales and streaming spikes come the same week social media commenters began questioning the song’s lyrics and the video’s imagery — with many calling it racist and anti-protest. “Try That in a Small Town” was written by songwriters Kelley Lovelace, Kurt Allison, Tully Kennedy and Neil Thrasher. The video features Aldean performing in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tenn. — the same location where a lynch mob murdered a Black man, Henry Choate, in 1927 — with an American flag hanging from the entrance. The performance is interspersed with footage of a flag burning, protesters screaming and attacking police in various scenarios as well as looting and robbing a convenience store.

Artists including Sheryl Crow and Margo Price have spoken out against Aldean and/or the song and video, while others, including Aldean’s labelmate Blanco Brown, have defended the singer.

Aldean issued a statement on July 18 that read in part, “In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to a comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage- and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far.”

In the week since it was released, the official music video for “Try That in a Small Town” has now been viewed more than 9 million times on YouTube. On the morning of July 18, before the controversy broke, it had been viewed around 350,000 times.

In terms of radio airplay, on last week’s Country Airplay chart (dated July 15), “Try That in a Small Town” rose one spot from 26-25, though it declined 2% in audience impressions for the week. On this week’s Country Airplay chart (dated July 22), the song holds at No. 25 but gained 16% to 6.5 million audience impressions in its ninth week on the chart.

21 Jul 2023

10 Times Fans Crossed the Line With Musicians: Phone Throwing, Stage Crashing & More

In the world of modern music, you have your fans. You have your Stans. And then, beyond even that, you have people who are pretty much just one misstep away from a restraining order.

Horror stories about stalkers, trespassers and aggressive admirers are sadly nothing new in the history of music. But in the past few years, oddball behavior from fans seems to have reached a completely new level of nope, with the boundaries between artist and listener blurring more than ever before.

For instance, in the span of just a few months in 2023, artists like Drake, P!nk, Bebe Rexha and Kelsea Ballerini were either hit with items thrown at them — one of them sustaining moderate injuries as a result — or were gifted items that were way, way too personal. And before that, performers like Taylor Swift, Adam Levine and Billie Eilish were unexpectedly grabbed, tackled or kissed (absolutely not, folks!) by unruly fans right in the middle of a concert.

There are plenty of theories as to why these incidents have increased in recent years, with some arguing that in the social media age, constant access and visibility has encouraged inappropriate behavior. It’s also been said that two years (give or take) of isolation in the COVID-19 pandemic made people forget how to act when face-to face with their faves.

But whatever the reason, there’s absolutely no excuse for fans to turn celebrities into targets for airborne objects, unauthorized physical contact or unplanned stage sharing. For a list of what not to do when in the same space as a musician, see 10 examples of times people definitely crossed the line with artists below.

21 Jul 2023

Travis Scott, Bad Bunny x The Weeknd, Britney Spears x Will.i.am & More: What’s Your Favorite Music Release of the Week? Vote!

This week’s new music Friday features a mega collaboration across genres with Travis Scott, The Weeknd and Bad Bunny teaming up for a track, as well as the return of former One Direction member ZAYN and Britney Spears — with help from Will.i.am — for new singles.

Scott, The Weeknd and Bad Bunny’s new single “K-Pop” has none of the trappings from the genre of the same name. Instead, the track opts for Afrobeats for instrumentation as Scott and Benito carry the first half of the song. The Weeknd gets listeners moving toward the end of the track, and ultimately reveals the drug that the title of the track is in reference to.

Spears dips a toe into her Blackout era lyricism with Will.i.am collab “Mind Your Business.” On the single, the pop star sings, “Paparazzi shot me, I am the economy/ Follow me, follow me, follow me,” recalling the hectic swarm of media attention she received in the early aughts as well as the 2020s. Much like their previous collab “Scream & Shout,” “Mind Your Business” is an electro-pop ear worm that has potential to inch its way onto the charts.

Zayn returned on Friday with “Love Like This,” his first offering since releasing his third studio album, Nobody Is Listening, in 2021. Re-energized from a switch to a new label (Mercury Records), the former boy bander tries new sounds through use of U.K. garage instrumentation. The choice is a wise one that allows his vocals to sensually float above the thumping beats, as he sings of giving himself up to a new and enticing romance.

There’s also new material from Ice Spice, Diplo and Chris Stapleton, and the Barbie The Album on Friday. It’s a lot to choose from, but what was your favorite new release of the week? Vote in the poll below.

21 Jul 2023

Lucy Dacus Calls Barack Obama a ‘War Criminal’ After Boygenius Made His Playlist

Barack Obama unveiled his annual summer playlist on Thursday afternoon (July 20), sharing his eclectic mix of music recommendations.

Upon seeing that Boygenius’ “Not Strong Enough” made the list, the group’s guitarist Lucy Dacus was not thrilled. She took to Twitter to retweet the playlist, writing, “war criminal :(.”

While its not entirely clear what incident Dacus is referring to in her response, the former POTUS came under fire during his presidency for his approval of drone warfare and authorizing the use of strikes in Pakistan and Yemen, which ended up killing hundreds of civilians.

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The 44th commander-in-chief has been known over the past few years to treat followers with at least two playlists — one in the summer and one at the end of each year — every year.

Among the other songs featured on Obama’s 2023 summer playlist included SZA’s “Snooze,” J Hus and Drake’s “Who Told You,” Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro’s “Vampiros,” Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana” and Janelle Monáe’s “Only Have Eyes 42.” Classics from Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding and Ella Fitzgerald also made the cut.

 “Like I do every year, here are some songs I’ve been listening to this summer — a mix of old and new,” Obama tweeted. “Look forward to hearing what I’ve missed.”

21 Jul 2023

Ice Spice Gives a Tour of the Bronx, Talks Drake, Nicki Minaj & Taylor Swift | Billboard News

Ice Spice gives a tour of the Bronx, talks about Drake being a “mentor,” her reaction to meeting Nicki Minaj, how Taylor Swift makes her laugh and more in an interview.

Tetris Kelly:
Ice Spice gave fans a tour of her neighborhood and talks Nicki Minaj, Drake and Taylor Swift.

Ice Spice took Apple Music to the Bronx to reflect on where she’s from and how far she’s come. And she sat down with Zane Lowe to talk about her whirlwind career, like collaborating with Taylor Swift.

While Taylor is making her laugh, she said Nicki made her cry. Ice said when she met Nicki Minaj, it felt like a full circle moment. She held it together when Nicki hugged her, but lost it when she walked away. She told Zane Lowe she considers Drake to be a mentor. She asked him questions about his come-up, he gives her career advice and they constantly crack each other up. She said he gives coach vibes. We love to see it. Now hopefully they collab soon.

21 Jul 2023

Whose Money?: NYC To Shell Out $13M For 2020 NYPD Arrest Settlements

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New York City has agreed to pay out over $13 million in a settlement with protesters over their treatment during arrests by police in 2020.

On Wednesday (July 19th), the settlement amount of $13.7 million was agreed to by city officials. The settlement is in response to a civil lawsuit filed on behalf of 1,300 individuals who were arrested and/or beaten by members of the New York Police Department during protests over the killing of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Once approved by a judge, the settlement would rank among the most expensive ever recorded. Other cities are in the process of negotiating their own settlements with those who filled streets across the country in outrage.

“Today’s settlement is historic, and I’m very proud that it will bring some sense of justice to nearly 1,400 people who took to the streets and put their bodies on the line against police brutality,” attorney Wylie Stecklow said with other attorneys from the National Lawyers Guild representing the plaintiffs in a press conference at Foley Square in lower Manhattan afterward. Plaintiffs described their treatment in testimony during the two years of litigation to the press, including “kettling” or forcibly boxing people into a tight space and having zip ties placed on them until their hands turned purple as described by Adam Sow. “It was so disorganized but so intentional,” they said. “They seemed set on traumatizing everyone.”

If approved, each plaintiff in the suit would be slated to receive $9,950. There is another class action settlement that was announced in March which would award over $21,000 to those who were arrested by the NYPD at one protest in the Bronx. Over 600 other people have filed suits against the city, costing over $12 million to date. The city has denied any unconstitutional practices. “There is no history — or present or future — of unconstitutional policing,” Georgia Pestana, an attorney for the city, wrote in a legal filing. “There is no frequent deprivation of constitutional rights.” The Law Department of the city released a statement saying, “The NYPD has improved numerous practices to address the challenges it faced at protests during the pandemic. This settlement was in the best interests of all parties.”

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21 Jul 2023

Tainy, Carin Leon, GALE & More: What’s Your Favorite Latin Album of 2023 So Far? Vote!

Billboard unveiled its 23 Best Latin Albums of 2023 So Far list, as recommended by the Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors. The mid-year list includes wide-ranging albums spanning different genres, from corridos to punk rock and reggaetón.

Named in alphabetical order from artist name, the list kicks off with Alex Anwandter’s El Diablo en el Cuerpo. The critically acclaimed set spans Latin American ballads, synth pop and many more sounds, while the Chilean iconoclast immerses himself in agony, ecstasy and burning desire, writes Billboard Español‘s Isabela Raygoza. The Chilean singer-songwriter’s album includes collabs with Puerto Rico indie-pop duo Buscabulla, Javiera Mena and Julieta Venegas, to name a few.

Don Omar‘s highly anticipated new album, Forever King, was worth the wait. The set thrives on the reggaetón that made the him a pioneering leader in the genre, but also highlights an artist taking risks with different tropical beats, Billboard‘s Leila Cobo points out.  

Tainy‘s DATA, Karol G‘s Mañana Será Bonito and Peso Pluma‘s Génesis — all albums that fared well on the Billboard 200 chart — are also highlighted in the list. With DATA, the Puerto Rican hitmaker scored his second entry on the tally. The set peaked at No. 11 on the July 15-dated chart. Karol’s record-shattering set Mañana Será Bonito made history as the first all Spanish-language album by a female artist to land a No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200. Meanwhile, Peso’s Génesis earned a No. 3 debut, the highest ranking for a música mexicana album on that chart.

Which is your favorite Latin album of the year so far? See the full list and vote below!

21 Jul 2023

Fourth Gear: Luke Combs’ ‘Fast Car’ Breaks Record Among Remakes Atop Country Airplay Chart

Luke Combs’ version of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 “Fast Car” rules Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated July 29) for a fourth week. It drew 34.8 million in audience, up less than 1%, July 14-20, according to Luminate.

The cover now solely boasts the longest Country Airplay domination among remakes of pop hits. It passes two three-week leaders: Brooks & Dunn’s cover of “My Maria,” the duo’s ninth of 20 chart-toppers, led for three weeks in May 1996. The song was originally a No. 9 Hot 100 hit for B.W. Stevenson in 1973. Plus, Alan Jackson’s interpretation of Eddie Cochran’s early rock anthem “Summertime Blues” topped Country Airplay for three frames starting in July 1994. Cochran’s original reached No. 8 on the Hot 100 in 1958.

After Chapman provided Billboard with a statement revealing how “honored” she was to have a No. 1 on the chart (July 6), Combs replied in kind. “Oh man, ‘Fast Car’ has surprised me more than you can imagine. Tracy Chapman wrote this perfect song that that I first heard with my dad and it has stayed with me since,” Combs told Billboard. “I have played it in my live show now for six-plus years and everyone – I mean everyone – across all these stadiums relates to this song and sings along. That’s the gift of a supernatural songwriter. The success of my cover is unreal, and I think it’s so cool that Tracy is getting recognized and has reached new milestones. I love that she is out there feeling all the love and that she gave me a shout-out! Thank you, Tracy!”

“I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” Chapman told Billboard. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’ ”

Meanwhile, Combs’ official concert video for his cover premiered July 18.

‘Wings’ Flies

Elsewhere, Thomas Rhett banks his 22nd Country Airplay top 10 as “Angels Don’t Always Have Wings” rises from No. 11 to No. 10. In the July 14-20 tracking week, the song increased by 1% to 17.7 million impressions.

The Valdosta, Ga., native co-penned the track with Julian Bunetta, Teddy Swims and Josh Thompson. It’s the third single from Rhett’s LP Where We Started, which began at its No. 2 Top Country Albums high in April 2022, becoming his sixth top 10.

The song follows Rhett’s “Half of Me” (featuring Riley Green), which became his 18th Country Airplay No. 1 last November. Before that, “Slow Down Summer,” the lead single from Where We Started, peaked at No. 2 in May 2022.

Rhett’s third of his 29 entries, “It Goes Like This,” became his first Country Airplay top 10 and first leader. It reigned for three weeks starting in October 2013.

21 Jul 2023

The Dan Snyder Nightmare Is Over: Fans Celebrate The NFL Approving $6 Billion Sale of Washington Commanders

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Washington Commanders Finally Sold For $6 Billion, Fans React

Source: The Washington Post / Getty / Washington Commanders

Washington Commanders fans can finally celebrate. The Dan Snyder nightmare is over.

Spotted on The New York Times, the NFL has approved the $6 billion sale of the Washington Commanders to a group led by Josh Harrison, a private equity billionaire. That group also includes real estate mogul Mitchell Rales and Magic Johnson, who is already part of other ownership groups for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, and Los Angeles Football Club.

Harrison will pay the Commanders’ now former scandal-plagued owner Dan Snyder, $6.05 billion, which is now the richest sale of any American sports team, surpassing the $4.65 billion sale of the Denver Broncos, to a group led by the Walmart heir Rob Walton. The sale should be finalized by Friday.

The $6.05 billion sale is a significant come-up for Snyder, who bought the team for $800 million in 1999.

“Josh will be a great addition to the NFL., “Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement announcing the vote, adding, “I know he has a commitment to winning on the field, but also to running an organization that everyone will be proud of — and to making positive contributions in the community.”

“This franchise is part of who I am and who I am a person,” Harrison said, revealing he grew up rooting for the franchise. “A new era of Washington football is here.”

In an interview with The Today Show’s Craig Melvin, Johnson got emotional while speaking about being an African American in an NFL owner’s box, which is still sadly rare in a league featuring predominately Black players.

“I’m going to excel not only for myself and my family but for all African Americans, making sure we can see ourselves in these seats,” Johnson said while getting emotional.

Washington Commanders Fans Are Lighting Up The Dan Snyder Pack

As expected, the fans of the Washington Commanders were happy to see Snyder go. The once-prestigious organization has not sniffed a Super Bowl title since the 80s and 90s, and under Snyder’s tumultuous 24-year run as owner, saw the postseason six times and only won two playoff games.

With new ownership, fans hope to get a brand-new stadium and a return to glory.

You can see more reactions to the Washington Commanders finally being sold in the gallery below.

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Photo: The Washington Post / Getty

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