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10 Jul 2023

Megan Moroney Plays Fishing for Answers | Billboard Country Live

Megan Moroney plays Fishing for Answers at Billboard’s Country Live event.

Megan Moroney:
What’s up, y’all? I’m Megan Moroney, and I’m going Fishing for Answers with Billboard.

“What’s your secret talent?” I can do the ABCs backwards. Z, Y, X, W, V, U, T, S, R, Q, P, O, N, M, L, K, J, I, H, G, F, E, D, C, B, A. I don’t know when or how I learned how to do that.

“Where’s the craziest place you’ve ever run into a fan?” Probably the bathroom at Chili’s.

“What’s your favorite dance move, and can you show us?” It’s the worm and moonwalk, but I’m not going to do either of those. I’m in a dress.

“Best concert you’ve ever attended?” The Eras Tour. No question.

Oh, God, this one is so hard. “Who’s your style icon and why?” I don’t really have one. I just wear whatever the hell I want.

“Who was your musical inspiration growing up?” Definitely Miranda Lambert and, in high school, Kacey Musgraves.

“Who’s made you the most starstruck?” Meg Thee Stallion. She sat in front of me at the CMT Awards, and I was just in awe. She’s so pretty.

“First celebrity crush?” Probably Zac Efron. I feel like that’s everyone’s first celebrity crush.

Watch the full video above!

10 Jul 2023

Billie Eilish Teases ‘What Was I Made For’ in ‘Barbie’ Film Promo

Billie Eilish revealed just days ago that she’s joined the star-studded list of artists contributing to the Barbie soundtrack, and the 21-year-old superstar teased her emotionally driven track in a short teaser clip posted to Instagram on Monday (July 10).

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In the 30-second promotional video, a voice is heard telling Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, to “take my hand, close your eyes, now, feel.” A soft, melancholy piano melody plays in the background before Eilish is heard singing the title of the track, “What Was I Made For.”

“absolutely over the MOOOOON excited for you to see this,” she captioned the post. See the clip here.

“What Was I Made For” is slated for a July 13 release and features contributions from Eilish’s Grammy-winning older brother, FINNEAS.

Executive produced by Academy Award-winning songwriter and producer Mark Ronson, the Barbie soundtrack is set to feature songs from some of contemporary pop’s biggest and brightest stars, such as Lizzo, Fifty Fifty, Kali, Gayle, Khalid, Haim and Ava Max. A slew of singles have already been released from the soundtrack, including two that have reached the Billboard Hot 100: Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” (No. 31) and Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and AQUA’s “Barbie World” (No. 7).

Barbie hits theaters on July 21.

10 Jul 2023

Here’s When ‘Rap Sh!t’ Season 2 Premieres

Max’s original series Rap Sh!t will premiere its second season on Thursday, Aug. 10, the streaming service announced Monday (July 10).

It was first revealed that Rap Sh!t would be renewed for a second season last September. “We are so excited to continue this journey with Shawna and Mia and the incredibly fun world of Rap Sh!t. With the wonderfully comedic and unique perspectives of Aida Osman, KaMillion, Issa Rae, Syreeta Singleton and the team at Hoorae, season two is sure to bring even more seducing and scheming,” Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at Max, said in a statement at the time.

The first two episodes of season two will premiere on Aug. 10, while the remainder of the eight-episode season will continue releasing episodes weekly. The finale will air on Thursday, Sept. 21.

Season two follows Shawna (played by Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) and their rise to fame as Miami’s hottest new rap duo, but the two “find themselves at a pivotal moment in their rap career as they are forced to decide if they will stay true to themselves or conform to the demands of the music industry,” according to a press release.

Jonica Booth, RJ Cyler and Daniel Augustin are also part of the season two cast.

Rap Sh!t is executive produced by Issa Rae and showrunner Syreeta Singleton, as well as Montrel McKay for Hoorae, Jonathan Berry, and Dave Becky for 3 Arts Entertainment, and Jim Kleverweis. City Girls‘ Yung Miami and JT, Kevin “Coach K” Lee and Pierre “P” Thomas for Quality Control Films and Sara Rastogi and Jax Clark for Hoorae also serve as co-executive producers. Rae’s audio content company Raedio handles music supervision for the series.

Watch the teaser for Rap Sh!t season two below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=tqR76mqILkU&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

10 Jul 2023

DaBaby Dropped From Copyright Lawsuit Against Dua Lipa Over ‘Levitating’

DaBaby has been dropped from a copyright lawsuit accusing him and Dua Lipa of ripping off their smash hit “Levitating” from decades-old songs.

In an order Monday (July 10), a Manhattan federal judge granted a request by lawyers for L. Russell Brown and Sandy Linzer to voluntarily dismiss the rapper from their case, which claims Lipa’s massive hit infringed their 1979 song “Wiggle and Giggle All Night” and their 1980 song “Don Diablo.”

The accusers did not explain why they were dropping their case against DaBaby (real name Jonathan Lyndale Kirk), who featured on a popular remix of Lipa’s song. But they made clear that the case would continue against Lipa herself and music companies involved in the song: “For the avoidance of doubt, plaintiffs maintain and do not hereby dismiss their claims against any other defendant in this matter.”

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An attorney for Brown and Linzer declined to comment on why they had dismissed DaBaby from the case. An attorney for DaBaby did not return a request for comment.

Brown and Linzer’s case, filed in March 2022, was one of two federal copyright lawsuits filed in quick succession over “Levitating” — a massive hit that spent 77 weeks on the Hot 100 and was named the No. 1 Hot 100 song of 2021. The case claimed the melody that starts just a few seconds into “Levitating,” when Lipa sings “If you wanna run away with me,” was a “duplicate” of a similar passage featured in the two earlier songs.

The other “Levitating” case, filed just days earlier by a reggae band named Artikal Sound System, claimed Lipa had lifted her song’s core hook from their little-known 2015 song “Live Your Life.” But the band dropped that lawsuit last month, just days after a federal judge cast serious doubt on whether Artikal could prove that Lipa ever even heard their song.

Though Brown and Linzer’s case will continue against Lipa, they could be facing a similar ruling soon.

Last summer, Lipa’s lawyers made the same arguments as they made in the Artikal case, saying the two accusers could not prove that she had ever had “access” to the earlier songs — a make-or-break requirement for any copyright lawsuit. Brown and Linzer’s attorneys have countered that their songs had millions of listens on internet platforms, giving the “Levitating” writers ample opportunity to hear them.

A ruling on that question is pending.

10 Jul 2023

Jack Harlow’s First Wax Figure Makes Its Debut at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas

Another rapper has been immortalized in wax! On Monday (July 10), Madame Tussauds Las Vegas revealed that Jack Harlow is one of the lastest celebrities to enter its gallery, and the result is so good, the “Whats Poppin” singer could not believe the similarities.

Madame Tussauds shared an Instagram video of the Kentucky native meeting his wax figure for the first time alongside the unveil. Harlow hilariously remarked on the figure’s beauty, and expressed previous doubts that the wax could mimic his appearance so accurately.

“Damn! Wow … he’s just beautiful, Jesus. That is crazy. Is this mine? Everything just looks like he’s about to come to life. It’s good. He’s cut. I just wanna knock his a– over, you know? Way, way exceeded my expectations,” he said in the video. “I was worried I was going to see him and be like, ‘OK, this is funny because it’s an attempt,’ but it looks just like me for real.”

The figure, which took around six months and 20 studio artists to create in the museum’s London location, is dressed in the custom-designed suit by Musika New York from his video for “Churchill Downs (feat. Drake).” As for the accessories, Harlow’s wax figure wears diamond studs, a Rolex and a jewel encrusted Kentucky-shaped pendant that hangs from a chain in its hands. 

“Jack Harlow’s new figure is a perfect addition to our museum,” said Linsey Stiglic, marketing manager for Madame Tussauds Las Vegas, in a press release. “His confidence, humor, and of course, music is admired by all, and we’re so thrilled to welcome him to our Las Vegas attraction.”

See Harlow’s wax figure reveal below.

10 Jul 2023

‘Vampire’ Week: Olivia Rodrigo Soars In Atop Both Billboard Global Charts

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” blasts in at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated July 15).

The song introduces Rodrigo’s sophomore album Guts, due Sept. 8.

Plus, Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” surges from No. 9 to No. 3 on the Global 200 and hits the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, jumping 14-7. The song was originally released on her 2019 album, Lover, and is now being promoted as her newest single.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which started in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

Tale of the Crypt: ‘Vampire’ No. 1 on Global 200

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” launches at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, as it drew 86.3 million streams and sold 13,000 downloads worldwide from its release June 30 through July 6.

The song is Rodrigo’s third Global 200 leader, following “Drivers License” (eight weeks on top) and “Good 4 U” (six) in 2021, both of which also debuted at No. 1.

Rodrigo becomes the first woman with as many as three No. 1s since the Global 200 began in 2020, and overall joins only BTS (seven) and Bad Bunny (three) with at least that high a total. (Justin Bieber, BLACKPINK, Drake and Taylor Swift each boast two No. 1s.)

Rodrigo is also the first woman with three No. 1 debuts on the Global 200. Overall, only BTS (five) has more.

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” descends to No. 2 on the Global 200, after 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning upon its debut in January; Swift’s “Cruel Summer” charges 9-3, up 16% to 44.1 million streams and 4% to 5,000 sold worldwide; Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” dips 3-4, after six weeks at No. 1 starting in April; and Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe” falls to No. 5 from its No. 2 high.

Rodrigo Also New Atop Global Excl. U.S.

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” likewise premieres at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 51.5 million streams and 4,000 sold outside the U.S. June 30-July 6.

The song is Rodrigo’s second Global Excl. U.S. leader, after “Drivers License” dominated for nine weeks in 2021. She ties Swift for the most No. 1s among women since the chart originated in 2020.

YOASOBI’s “Idol” recedes to No. 2 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, following three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in June; Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” slides 2-3, after 13 weeks at No. 1 starting in January (as it tied Harry Styles’ “As It Was” for the chart’s longest command); Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” keeps at No. 4 after two weeks on top beginning in May; and Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe” drops 3-5 after hitting No. 2.

Elsewhere in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, Swift’s “Cruel Summer” flies 14-7, with 29.7 million streams and 1,000 sold (up 19% in both metrics) outside the U.S. Released on Swift’s 2019 album Lover, and now being promoted as her newest single, the song becomes her 11th Global Excl. U.S. top 10, the most among women and tied for second with BTS among all acts, after Bad Bunny’s 14.

“Cruel Summer” has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, as Swift has been performing it on her current Eras Tour, her first in which she’s been able to spotlight songs from Lover, which was released shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each concert on the tour is divided into 10 acts, encompassing nine of her LPs; the Lover era kicks off the show, with “Cruel Summer” performed in the opening set.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated July 15, 2023) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday (July 11). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

10 Jul 2023

Bad Bunny’s ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ Is Now the Most Streamed Album in Spotify History

It’s official: Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti is now the most-streamed album on Spotify.

The streaming platform confirmed to Billboard on Monday (July 10) that the Puerto Rican artist — who was named Spotify’s artist of the year in 2022 for a third consecutive time — that Un Verano Sin Ti has become the most-streamed of all time in Spotify’s history, globally.

Released in May 2022, UVST debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 (dated May 21, 2022), earning 274,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., according to Luminate. And with 356.66 million on-demand official streams for the set’s songs in its first week, the album registered the largest streaming week ever for a Latin music album.

The eclectic set – which spent 13 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 – also placed 22 songs from the set on the same May 21, 2022-dated Billboard Hot 100, the most in a week for a core Latin music artist and the most in a week performed all in Spanish. Moreover, Un Verano Sin Ti became the first non-English album to ever top the Year-End Billboard 200. The LP — which features wide-ranging collabs such as The Marías, Buscabulla and Chencho Corleone — also made history at the Grammys last year becoming the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for album of the year.

Reflecting on the massive success of his album, Bad Bunny told Billboard in December: “I never dreamed I wanted to be the biggest one or No. 1. I simply wanted to make it. Why? Because I love what I do. I’ve been doing rhythms since I was 13 years old, writing, singing songs in my head. … I never said I want to be the biggest or the best or the richest. I did it because I loved it, and my only dream was to be able to make a living out of it.”

10 Jul 2023

Ozzy Osbourne Pulls Out of Power Trip Music Festival

Ozzy Osbourne will no longer be performing at Power Trip Festival in Las Vegas this October.

The rocker shared a statement to Instagram on Monday (July 10), revealing why he decided to pull out of his first performance since announcing that he will no longer tour due to health reasons. “My original plan was to return to the stage in the summer of 2024, and when the offer to do this show came in, I optimistically moved forward,” Osbourne wrote. “Unfortunately, my body is telling me that I’m just not ready yet and I am much too proud to have the first show that I do in nearly five years be half-a–ed.”

The statement continued, “The band that will be replacing me on Power Trip will be announced shortly. They are personal friends of mine and I can promise that you will not be disappointed. Above all, I want to thank my fans, my band, and my crew for their unconditional loyalty and continual support.”

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See Osbourne’s post here.

He was scheduled to take the stage on night two of the jam-packed rock event on Oct. 7 alongside AC/DC. Night one (Oct. 6) will feature performances by Guns N’ Roses and Iron Maiden, while the final night (Oct. 8) pairs Metallica with Tool. Power Trip festival will take place at Coachella Valley in Indio, Calif., with tickets available for purchase here.

In February, Osbourne shared a note to fans on social media, in which he announced that his touring days have come to an end and that his scheduled 2023 European/UK tour dates have been canceled. “Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really f—s me up, more than you will ever know.”

Ozzy previously revealed that while his voice is “fine,” after three operations, stem cell surgeries and other procedures to deal with a spinal injury he suffered four years ago, touring has become increasingly difficult.

10 Jul 2023

All the Musicians at the ‘Barbie’ Premiere

It’s a “Barbie World,” and we’re all just living in it! On Sunday, July 9, Hollywood’s biggest and brightest stars descended upon the pink carpet for the world premiere of Barbie. Directed by Academy Award nominee Greta Gerwig, Barbie features acclaimed performances from Margot Robbie (Barbie), Ryan Gosling (Ken), Issa Rae (President Barbie), Dua Lipa (Mermaid Barbies), Will Ferrell (the CEO of Mattel) and Helen Mirren (the narrator), among others.

Sunday night’s premiere found attendees emulating the hundreds of variations of Barbie and Ken that fill out the doll’s iconic nearly 65-year history. In addition to the film’s stars, the scores of musicians who contributed to the accompanying soundtrack also graced the red carpet. Executive produced by Grammy and Oscar winner Mark Ronson, Barbie The Album features a plethora of music’s biggest stars across eras and genres.

Several songs have already been released from the soundtrack including songs from Charli XCX (“Speed Drive”), Karol G & Aldo Ranks (“Watati”), PinkPantheress (“Angel”), and Kaliii & Fifty Fifty (“Barbie Dreams”). Two of the soundtrack’s radio singles have also become hits on the Billboard Hot 100: Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” (No. 31) and Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice & AQUA’s “Barbie World” (No. 7). The Barbie soundtrack will also feature songs from the likes of Lizzo, Tame Impala, Haim, Ava Max, Gayle, The Kid Laroi and more.

Barbie is set to open in theatres on July 21. Ahead of the film’s debut, check out this gallery of all the musicians that hit the pink carpet in their best Barbie fits.

10 Jul 2023

Dan Smyers & Shay Mooney Reveal Dan+Shay Nearly Broke Up Last Year

Duo Dan+Shay‘s Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney have worked together for over a decade, notching Grammy-winning, chart-topping hits such as “Tequila.” But in 2022, the duo nearly broke up.

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In an Instagram video titled “The Drive,” the duo’s Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney take viewers deep into their interpersonal relationship, as they take a drive and recall a pivotal moment in December 2021 when they were struggling with burnout and dissatisfaction following the conclusion of their (Arena) tour. Even though the duo had won Grammy honors and were headlining a huge tour, the constant pace and career demands led to burnout.

“I was in, like, the lowest low of my entire life,” Smyers says in the video. “Came off the road and I was like, ‘Man, I f–king hate music. I’m ready to quit.’”

Mooney agreed, adding that the frustrations within the duo impacted their respective marriages and personal lives. “I could feel the separation, and I think there was little things between you and I that we never talked about. It was affecting everything. Not just our band. Like, my marriage, everything. I was in a really dark place.” He later added, “Especially at that point, I was drinking a lot. So those highs became really high, and the lows became really, really low.”

Following the tour’s conclusion, the bandmates didn’t speak to each other for four months — until they came together in March 2022 to take a stark look at the duo’s future, including whether they wanted to quit performing together.

The conversation proved to be a moment that “changed it all,” and led the two to determine they wanted to continue recording together as a duo, and that they were committed to healthier communication.

“The thing that filled my cup the most was being in a room with you, making music together,” Smyers tells Mooney in the video clip. “One of the most important things that’s ever happened in my life was Dan + Shay. If we’re gonna keep going forever, let’s get ourselves right. Let’s have a gut check.”

“I can feel the closeness of our relationship and our friendship when I listen back to the music,” Smyers adds. “We are by far, a million times, the closest we’ve ever been. For so many reasons. But because we worked at it. That makes what we’re doing now infinitely sustainable. I could do this the rest of my life with you.”

The duo also revealed they have new music on the way (coming July 14), and recently told fans they will be joining The Voice as a coaching duo next year.