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24 Apr 2023

What’s Next For BTS and BLACKPINK

This story is part of Billboard‘s K-Pop Issue.

For the multitude of K-pop acts amplifying South Korean culture on the global stage, it’s fair to say BTS and BLACKPINK have set the bar, with BTS in particular achieving many records. Now as both bands open new chapters with their members’ solo careers, they’re establishing more precedents.

Ten years ago, solo debuts from within such groups might have signaled trouble: perhaps an imminent disbanding, or one member being considered more successful than the others. But for BTS and BLACKPINK, solo projects are additive, supplementing the groups’ journeys while highlighting new artistic dimensions. For BTS, solo ventures have given the members room to experiment sonically, visually and lyrically (including expletives largely avoided in group releases). And in 2018, BLACKPINK’s Jennie upended the norm for when a band’s first solo act might break out when she released her debut single, “Solo” — two years before BLACKPINK dropped its first studio album.

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The path to solo stardom hasn’t necessarily replicated the levels of success the bands have achieved. No member of BLACKPINK has cracked the Billboard Hot 100 above No. 70. And when BTS’ Jimin recently debuted at No. 1 on the chart with “Like Crazy,” it was a first for a solo member of the group. But as these artists explore their individual identities, single releases are far from the only metric defining them. Here, a look at both bands and their recent solo endeavors.

It cemented its stake in the K-pop zeitgeist with viral hits like “DDU-DU DDU-DU” and “BOOMBAYAH,” but BLACKPINK didn’t release its first studio album until 2020, four years after debuting. Album track “Ice Cream” (with Selena Gomez) became the group’s highest-charting U.S. single, peaking at No. 13 on the Hot 100. After making history in 2019 as the first K-pop group to perform at Coachella, BLACKPINK just became the first such act to headline the festival.

Jisoo

Although she was BLACKPINK’s first member to try acting (with a role on JTBC series Snowdrop in 2021), Jisoo was the last to make her official solo debut, following Jennie (2018), Rosé and Lisa (both in 2021). Released in March, ME is a two-track set featuring “(FLOWER),” blending pop and trap with traditional Korean melodies, and the upbeat “All Eyes on Me.” “(FLOWER)” debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts.

Jennie

Jennie’s solo journey broke the traditional K-pop model: Her debut single, “Solo,” was released in November 2018 — before BLACKPINK’s own debut studio set, The Album, arrived. “Solo” topped Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart for one week, and less than a year later, Jennie became the first Korean solo artist to perform at Coachella. Her follow-up, “You & Me,” was first heard in October 2022, when she performed it during BLACKPINK’s Born Pink World Tour; it has yet to be officially released. Next, she’ll make a foray into acting on HBO’s The Idol.

Lisa

The charismatic rapper-singer released her debut two-track project, LALISA, in September 2021. The eponymous lead single entered the Billboard Global 200 at No. 2 and the Hot 100 at No. 84; B-side “Money” received some radio airplay but peaked at No. 90 on the Hot 100. In 2022, Lisa became the first solo K-pop winner at the MTV Video Music Awards and the first female soloist to win the best K-pop artist category.

Rosé

The second member of BLACKPINK to release solo material, Rosé put out the two-track R in March 2021. “On the Ground” debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, staying there for one week. (It peaked at No. 70 on the Hot 100.) “Gone” reached No. 17 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 29 on Global 200.

BTS

BTS

Courtesy of BIGHIT

During the last decade, BTS released nine albums and over 230 songs (many of which it co-wrote or produced), making history along the way as the first Korean group to hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 (“Dynamite”) and the act with the most No. 1 hits on the Hot 100 this decade. Proof, BTS’ most recent album, was its sixth to debut atop the Billboard 200.

Jin

When late 2021’s “SUPER TUNA,” an unofficial gag gift for fans, went viral, Jin was so embarrassed that he asked listeners to stop dancing to it. Days after BigHit Music announced BTS would fulfill its military service — starting with Jin — the song (along with “Tonight” and “Abyss”) was officially released. The week his single “The Astronaut” debuted, Jin topped Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart for the first time, the sixth BTS member to do so; co-written by Jin and Coldplay, the song peaked at No. 51 on the Hot 100 and debuted at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart.

V

V has yet to announce an album and released one single, “Christmas Tree,” for K-drama Our Beloved Summer’s original soundtrack; it peaked at No. 79 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on Digital Song Sales in January 2022. Recently, he joined famed Korean actors Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik, Lee Seo-jin and Jung Yu-mi to film tvN reality show Jinny’s Kitchen, in which they open a pop-up Korean restaurant in a small Mexico town.

SUGA

The only member to go solo under an alternate name, Agust D — a portmanteau of “D-Town” (his hometown of Daegu) and “Agus” (SUGA backward, and an abbreviation of “shooting guard,” his favored basketball position). The prolific producer-songwriter has penned tracks for popular Korean artists like IU and PSY. His mixtape, D-2, was a runaway hit with fans, though it was only released digitally. His full-length debut, D-DAY, just came out with an accompanying documentary, SUGA: Road to D-DAY. SUGA is the first BTS member to embark on a solo tour; his nine-city trek across the United States and Asia begins April 26 in New York.

Jung Kook

He hasn’t released a solo album yet, but Jung Kook has been busy. His “Stay Alive,” produced by SUGA, was released as the theme for Korean webtoon series 7Fates: Chakho. (It peaked at No. 95 on the Hot 100.) In summer 2022, he featured on Charlie Puth’s “Left and Right,” which reached No. 22 on the Hot 100. At the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony, he sang “Dreamers,” part of the tournament’s official soundtrack, and since then has been highly visible on billboards worldwide as a global brand ambassador for Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein Underwear.

RM

On his solo endeavors (including features with Balming Tiger and So!YoON!), RM has made a concerted effort to showcase the diversity of Korea’s non-mainstream artists. His debut, Indigo, featuring collaborators ranging from Erykah Badu to Epik High’s Tablo, arrived on digital and streaming on Dec. 2, 2022, two weeks before a physical version was released. Fans worried its chart prospects would suffer, but Indigo still peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 — setting a record for the highest album charting position for a K-pop artist at the time — and at No. 1 on the World Albums chart.

Jimin

In April, Jimin became the first Korean soloist to top the Hot 100 with “Like Crazy,” the lead single from his March debut album, FACE, which explores loneliness and finding freedom. He co-wrote all five tracks on FACE, which entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2, making it the highest-charting album by a K-pop solo artist. (Previously, RM held the record.)

j-hope

The first Korean artist to headline Lollapalooza, j-hope dropped his debut album, Jack in the Box, in July 2022 as a digital-only release. Fans claimed the lack of a physical version put him at a charting disadvantage; nonetheless, the album peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and No. 4 on Top Rap Albums. Tracks “Arson” and “= (Equal Sign)” peaked at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, on World Digital Song Sales. He recently released “on the street” (with J. Cole), a role model of his, and has confirmed he will be BTS’ next member to enlist for military service.

This story originally appeared in the April 22, 2023, issue of Billboard.

24 Apr 2023

Why K-Pop’s Success Transcends Hit Singles

This story is part of Billboard‘s K-Pop Issue.

In March, HYBE founder/chairman Bang Si-hyuk issued a dire warning: “K-pop,” he concluded, “is in crisis.” HYBE is the music company behind BTS, the group that spearheaded K-pop’s dramatic international growth in recent years, but Bang sounded alarmed about the genre’s health. K-pop’s momentum was faltering, he said, claiming fewer tracks from the genre charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2022 than in 2021. The following month, BTS’ Jimin released his solo debut album, and the single “Like Crazy” arrived at No. 1 on the Hot 100. Still, his comments dovetailed with general industry anxiety about the dearth of new acts breaking into the mainstream and the challenge of maintaining growth in a ferociously competitive landscape, where around 100,000 new songs hit streaming services daily.

Within K-pop, some executives are concerned about the extent to which the genre can continue to produce massive international hits without BTS’ firepower while the group is on hiatus. “Although I wouldn’t go so far as calling it a ‘crisis,’ I do share [Bang’s] underlying sense of urgency that the Korean music industry is very much at an important crossroads,” says Bernie Cho, president of DFSB Kollective, a Seoul-based artist and label services agency.

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K-pop’s ascent to global prominence was, Cho says, “inextricably linked [with] and heavily reliant on the singular artistic visions” of executives at a few key companies — notably SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. “It has become an open source of debate these days, from boardrooms to chat rooms, that steadfastly sticking to this single-lane approach may no longer be the right direction” if the industry hopes to “futureproof” K-pop.

Executives who work in and around the genre are quick to pinpoint one big reason for the recent lack of K-pop in the upper reaches of the Hot 100: In June 2022, BTS — which has topped the chart four times on its own and twice more as a collaborator with Western artists — announced its potentially yearslong hiatus. “Their vacancy is definitely going to put a bit of a hole in the market,” says Eddie Nam, CEO of EN Management (Eric Nam, Epik High).

But there’s disagreement on whether hit singles in the United States are the best gauge of the genre’s health in the first place. On the Billboard 200, K-pop albums continue to hit No. 1 thanks to robust physical sales of CD variants; last year, K-pop groups topped the chart four times — Stray Kids twice and BTS and BLACKPINK once each — setting a new high-water mark for K-pop. “Most K-pop groups are built on a strong fan base, and their loyalty and support for their artists is much more organized than in the past,” says YG Entertainment USA’s former president Joojong Joe. “These fandoms know that Billboard chart positioning is important to their artists, and they organize album purchases and promotion within their fandom in the first week of an album’s release in order to get it to the top of the charts.”

But recently, K-pop acts haven’t scaled the same heights on the Hot 100. The biggest recent non-BTS K-pop hit was BLACKPINK’s “Pink Venom” last year, which peaked at No. 22. In the United States, the genre’s singles often perform phenomenally on the downloads chart — mirroring their dominance in physical sales — but less well on the streaming and radio rankings. “Like Crazy,” for example, sold 254,000 downloads, easily topping Digital Song Sales, but clocked in at No. 35 on the Streaming Songs chart. BTS’ previous No. 1, the Coldplay collaboration “My Universe,” also topped Digital Song Sales in its first week but landed at No. 21 on Streaming Songs.

Getting airplay in the United States remains K-pop’s biggest challenge: BTS has spent 17 cumulative weeks atop the Hot 100 but hasn’t made it past No. 5 on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, and BLACKPINK hasn’t even cracked the top 20 on Pop Airplay. The airplay audience for “Like Crazy” is the lowest for a Hot 100 No. 1 this decade. “I don’t think we’ve seen Korean music take over U.S. radio in any way,” Nam says. This remains true even as most of the biggest K-pop acts now work with American major labels, which have long-standing radio promo teams.

As Joe points out, K-pop artists aren’t necessarily so different from others outside the United States when it comes to that airplay disadvantage. “You’re in the country for promotion for only a short amount of time,” he explains. “You have to prioritize — you have a late-night show on TV; you have a concert; you have a photo shoot. It takes a lot of time to build relationships at radio, and it has not been easy for Korean artists to do that in the short amount of time they have here.”

In addition, many K-pop singles are only partially in English, which may make them a tougher sell at radio — a medium not known for taking risks. (Bad Bunny is one of the biggest artists in the world, but he has never made it past No. 19 at pop radio as a lead artist.) Three of BTS’ biggest hits were entirely in English; two others were collaborations with prominent Western acts singing in English.

Others, like Michael Martin, senior vp of programming for Audacy, the second-largest radio company in the United States, dismiss the idea that language might be limiting K-pop’s airplay. Representatives for two other prominent radio conglomerates, iHeartRadio and Cumulus, declined to comment on K-pop airplay, though iHeart has been supporting rising acts like NewJeans, especially in cities on the West Coast, and had some of the few stations that played “Like Crazy” during its debut week.

However, there’s also an argument that in an increasingly global music marketplace, hits are no longer the most important indicator of a genre’s health — and that K-pop’s difficulty getting U.S. radio play ultimately doesn’t matter to its momentum. “I don’t think K-pop groups must have hit singles in the U.S. to succeed globally,” says Inkyu Kang, an associate professor at Penn State and the author of K-Pop: The International Rise of the Korean Music Industry. “K-pop had already been enjoyed by people around the world with diverse backgrounds before it reached the U.S.”

Those listeners continue to seek out music from the genre: K-pop groups accounted for four of the top 10 albums in the world last year, according to the most recent report from IFPI, up from two in 2020. Looking just at sales rather than overall consumption, K-pop acts have a whopping eight out of the top 10, up from four in 2020. “Last year, the K-pop industry had the highest album sales overseas in history,” though growth in album sales slowed significantly, says Stephanie Choi of SUNY Buffalo’s Asia Research Institute, who is working on a book on K-pop. Japan, China and the United States were the three biggest importers of K-pop albums.

“You have to look at the whole pie,” says Lucas Keller, who manages Jenna Andrews, co-writer of BTS’ runaway hit “Butter.” “K-pop has one of the most committed fan bases in the history of music. You have to look at the touring, the merchandise and the audience, not just the charts.”

“When I speak to folks in the industry,” Keller adds, “we all believe that Korean pop acts have a real seat at the table now — including a shot at Western success in a way that was more difficult in past years.”

This story originally appeared in the April 22, 2023, issue of Billboard.

24 Apr 2023

Can Radio Agree on New Ways to Keep Country Airplay Fresh?

Both country labels and broadcasters want to speed the advance of singles on the Country Airplay chart, though figuring out how to do that is a slow process.

A volunteer panel, spurred by a 2022 Country Radio Seminar session, reported on its progress during an April 20 CRS 360 webinar, concluding that stations need to generate 150 spins on most singles to gain reliable research about the song’s connectivity. Stations that limit a new single to overnights and play it only six times a week require 25 weeks to hit that plateau, one of several factors that slow the hit-development process.

Songs ranked No. 11-20 on the chart have the toughest time advancing, according to the panel’s research, in part because of the plethora of approaches by programmers. Reporting stations that commit early to a new single are sometimes ready to move on from particular titles just as slower-evolving stations are beginning to boost rotations. 

One partial suggestion, sure to meet pushback, was to use a smaller playlist, expose new singles more quickly in daytime rotations and make a decision at that 150-spin mark. 

The issue is more intense in country than any other format, in part because artists and their representatives have a stronger personal relationship with broadcasters and are more invested in succeeding on that platform — and in controlling the outcome.

“It’s the only format I’ve ever been in,” said McVay Media president Mike McVay, “where people call and yell at me for playing a song or beg me not to drop a song.”

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24 Apr 2023

Drake Adds a Dozen Dates to 2023 ‘It’s All a Blur’ Tour

Drake announced a dozen new dates for his upcoming It’s All a Blur tour with 21 Savage on Monday morning (April 24). The Live Nation-produced outing has added fourth shows in Inglewood and Brooklyn and second gigs in Glendale and Nashville.

The rapper also announced new dates in Columbus, Memphis, Denver, Austin and Charlotte, as well as announcing a new pair of back-to-back shows in his hometown of Toronto to close out the now 54-date tour at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 5 and 7.

In the meantime, some dates have also shifted around. The New Orleans, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta dates — which were originally slated to take place between June 16 and July 2 will be rescheduled to take place between Sept. 14 and Oct. 2.

The All a Blur tour is Drake’s first headline run since the 2018 Aubrey & the Three Migos tour. Tickets for the new dates will go on sale beginning with Cash App Card and Sprite presales beginning Wednesday (April 26) at 12 p.m. local time through 10 p.m. local time on Thursday (April 27) for Cash App and Thursday at 10 a.m. local time for the Sprite presale, which runs through 10 p.m. that day; click here for more presale information. Tickets for rescheduled dates will not be included in either presale or the general onsale.

See the full list of Drake It’s All a Blur 2023 tour dates below:

June 29 – Memphis, TN @ FedExForum

July 1 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center

July 5 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

July 6 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

July 8 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

July 9 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

July 11 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden

July 12 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden

July 14 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *

July 15 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre *

July 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center

July 18 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center

July 20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center

July 21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center

July 23 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

July 25 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

July 26 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

July 28 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena

July 29 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena

July 31 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center

August 1 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center

August 3 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum

August 12 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum

August 13 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum

August 15 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum

August 16 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum

August 18 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center

August 19 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center

August 21 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

August 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

August 25 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

August 26 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

August 28 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *

August 29 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena *

Sept. 1 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena

Sept. 2 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena

Sept. 5 – Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena

Sept. 6 – Glendale, AZ @ Desert Diamond Arena

Sept. 8 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena

Sept. 11 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center

Sept. 14 – Dallas, TX  @ American Airlines Center +

Sept. 15 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center +

Sept. 17 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center +

Sept. 18 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center +

Sept. 20 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center +

Sept. 22 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center

Sept. 25 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena +

Sept. 26 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena +

Sept. 28 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center +

Sept. 29 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center +

Oct. 1 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena

Oct. 2 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena +

Oct. 5 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena *

Oct. 7 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena *

* 21 Savage not on this date.

+ Rescheduled dates.

New dates are bolded.

24 Apr 2023

Drake Adds 12 New Dates To ‘It’s All A Blur’ Tour with 21 Savage

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Drake It's All A Blur Tour Art

Source: Live Nation / Live Nation

Drake’s highly-anticipating new It’s All A Blur tour due this summer just got bigger. On Monday, April 24, Live Nation announced that the 6 God added 12 new dates to his tour with 21 Savage.

Citing high demand, the It’s All A Blur tour, which is presented by Cash App, Visa and Sprite, will kick off a couple of weeks later than originally planned. The Toronto rapper has added fourth shows in both Inglewood and Brooklyn while Glendale and Nashville will be getting second shows. Columbus, Memphis, Denver, Austin, and Charlotte have all been added as new dates.

The original New Orleans, Nashville, Houston, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta dates have all been pushed to the tail end of tour and are now between between September 14, 2023 and October 2, 2023. The tour will now start on Thursday, June 29 at the FedExForum in Memphis. The tour will run for for several months before concluding with a couple of dates at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto in early October.

If you’re looking for tickets, which already had fans feeling a way…:

TICKETS:  Tickets for the new dates will be available starting with Cash App Card and Sprite presales (details below) beginning Wednesday, April 26. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, April 28 starting at 12pm local time at drakerelated.com. Onsale start times vary by market, check your local listings for more information.

CASH APP CARD PRESALE: Tickets for the new U.S. dates are available for Cash App Card customers via an exclusive ticket presale presented by Cash App and Visa.

    • Beginning Wednesday, April 26 starting at 12pm local time through Thursday, April 27 at 10pm local time, Cash App Card holders can unlock the earliest access to ‘It’s All A Blur’ tickets by using the first 9 digits of their Cash App Card to access the presale and then completing the purchase using their Cash App Card.
    • Presale start times vary by market, check your local listings at drakerelated.com for more information. For more information on the Cash App Card presale, please visit cash.app/drake-presale.

SPRITE PRESALE: Sprite is the official beverage sponsor for the ‘It’s All A Blur Tour,’ his first in North America since 2018. This marks a natural progression of their partnership since Sprite executed his first worldwide brand deal in 2010.

    • The Sprite presale will take place on Thursday, April 27 starting at 10am local time until 10pm local time at sprite.com. Presale start times vary by market, check your local listings at drakerelated.com for more information.

Check out the full tour schedule below:

DRAKE: ‘IT’S ALL A BLUR’ 2023 TOUR DATES:

Thu Jun 29 – Memphis, TN – FedExForum

Sat Jul 01 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center

Wed Jul 05 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Thu Jul 06 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Sat Jul 08 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

Sun Jul 09 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

Tue Jul 11 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

Wed Jul 12 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

Fri Jul 14 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre *

Sat Jul 15 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre *

Mon Jul 17 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Tue Jul 18 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Thu Jul 20 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Fri Jul 21 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Sun Jul 23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Tue Jul 25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Wed Jul 26 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden

Fri Jul 28 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Sat Jul 29 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Mon Jul 31 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

Tue Aug 01 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

Thu Aug 03 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum

Sat Aug 12 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum

Sun Aug 13 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum

Tue Aug 15 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum

Wed Aug 16 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum

Fri Aug 18 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center

Sat Aug 19 – San Francisco, CA – Chase Center

Mon Aug 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena

Tue Aug 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena

Fri Aug 25 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Sat Aug 26 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena

Mon Aug 28 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena *

Tue Aug 29 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena *

Fri Sep 01 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena

Sat Sep 02 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena

Tue Sep 05 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena

Wed Sep 06 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena

Fri Sep 08 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

Mon Sep 11 – Austin, TX – Moody Center

Thu Sep 14 – Dallas, TX  – American Airlines Center +

Fri Sep 15 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center +

Sun Sep 17 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center +

Mon Sep 18 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center +

Wed Sep 20 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center +

Fri Sep 22 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center

Mon Sep 25 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena +

Tue Sep 26 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena +

Thu Sep 28 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center +

Fri Sep 29 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center +

Sun Oct 01 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena

Mon Oct 02 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena +

Thu Oct 05 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena *

Sun Oct 07 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena *

* 21 Savage not on this date.

+ Rescheduled dates.

New dates are bolded.

24 Apr 2023

Skrillex, Four Tet & Fred again.. Deliver Historic Dance Music Moment With Mainstage Closing Set At 2023 Coachella

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d walk along [that runway.] I saw Ariana Grande walk along there, and now it’s going to be me. We have to do that.”

So declared Four Tet in a video posted to Fred again..’s Instagram Sunday afternoon (April 23), hours before the pair — along with their frequent companion Skrillex – closed out Coachella 2023 with a mainstage performance as thrilling as it was both improbable and historic.  

The trio secured the Sunday night slot only after weekend one’s Sunday night headliner, Frank Ocean, dropped out of weekend two following a leg injury and a controversial weekend one performance that, for many in the audience, fell flat. Ocean left behind not only an open set time, but an absurdly unlikely remnant – an ice-skating rink/satellite stage built for his weekend one performance that was never used, but connected to the main stage via the aforementioned runway.

It was there that Four Tet got his pop star moment, as he Skrillex and Fred again.. walked down it to the satellite stage in a side-by-side formation similar to Destiny’s Child’s segment from Beyoncé’s 2018 headlining show. The level of frenzy in the crowd as the guys made their way to the stage (which was circular, and sans ice) had a very frantic pop hysteria vibe, with people screaming for the trio of electronic music producers as if they were Kelly, Michelle and Bey, or the Backstreet Boys, or Grande herself.

It was the culmination of not only a wild week for the trio – whose addition to the Coachella lineup was first reported this past Thursday night — but also a pretty remarkable four months. The three producers representing different sounds and generations of electronic music are widely recognized to be among the best artists of their respective realm of dance music and are now also frequent collaborators and seemingly BFFS. They played their first show together at a club in London this past January, sold out Madison Square Garden in February and have now closed out Coachella, marking a landmark moment not only for them personally, but for dance music at the festival.

Upon their arrival to the satellite stage — where they played the entirety of their set — a beam of white light composed of roughly 20 lasers organized around the circle stretched far into the sky, as a siren sound blasted through the speakers, leading to peak anticipation. The hour and 15-minute set then launched with Skrillex’s “Leave Me Like This” from his February LP, Quest For Fire, which was blended with “Baby Again,” the latest in a list of cross-collaborations from the trio, and punctuated with the iconic “OH MY GOD” from Skrillex’s 2010 “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.”

Coachella’s hierarchical structure is one the festival’s most pronounced elements, with those in possession of VIP and artist wristbands typically getting the best real estate in front of the mainstage. Not so with this show! Instead, the guys played to the GA section surrounding their circular stage, while their faces were projected on the main stage big screens behind them. The main stage itself was populated by a bank of bright white lights, giving the whole scene a cinematic glow.

The set list took equally from each of the producer’s catalogs – including Four Tet’s “Baby,” Fred and Skrillex’s collaborative “Rumble,” Fred’s “Strong,” “Billie (Loving Arms),” Four Tet’s simply undeniable remix of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story,” the intro riff of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” melded with dubstep and long stretches of straightforward drum & bass, riddim and garage. It altogether formed what was arguably the weirdest, hardest, purest and most EDM-antithetical dance music played on the Coachella main stage since the festival’s early days, when acts like Chemical Brothers and Underworld topped the bill.

As it was with their MSG show in New York, the guys were clearly having a ball, also intermittently appearing sort of gobsmacked by the size of the audience before them – with this show certainly being among the largest any of them have ever played. Skrillex and Fred, dressed in black and white t-shirts, respectively, expressed their excitement about it all with a sort of boyish delight while dancing around on the decks. Meanwhile, Four Tet gave more satisfied dad energy while just walking around the stage in his green t-shirt and cargo shorts with a stunned look on his face.

And who could blame him? If you had said last year — or even last weekend — that Four Tet would close the Coachella mainstage, many people, maybe even Four Tet himself (born Kieran Hebden) — would have said it was impossible. The IDM pioneer, or “the grandmaster Four Tet” as Fred called him during the show, is one of the most well-respected electronic music producers of the last two-plus decades. But he has long been contained to Coachella’s smaller stages.

Last year it also would have been hard to predict a headlining set for Skrillex, who’s played Coachella Outdoor and Sahara Stages multiple times, but who up until this past February hadn’t released a new solo album in nine years. And while Fred’s breakout moment at Coachella 2022 basically functioned as a rocket launcher for his star-making last 12 months, few would have pinned him as a 2023 headliner.

But there they were, playing for the tens of thousands of people in the flesh and countless more watching around the world via livestream. The show felt like an exclamation point on this current moment of dance music, which feels ripe and rich with fresh energy, artists, sounds and fans.

During the EDM heyday, a headlining spot at Coachella was basically the gold standard of crossover success. Over the last few years dance music on the festival’s main stage has relied on stars of the EDM era, with Swedish House Mafia headlining last year and Calvin Harris closing the main stage on Saturday night (April 22). While Skrillex is certainly a peer of the latter two acts, what he’s doing with Fred and Four Tet feels more like the future of the genre than any sort of homage to past eras or hits as the lines between underground and commercial become blurrier and popular dance music becomes increasingly less reliant on pop structures. (And to be clear, we love those past hits, too.)

The last 20 minutes of the set were its best, with Skrilex winding up the crowd by starting, then stopping, then restarting, his recent Missy Elliot collaboration “RATATA” four or five times before letting it just play out as everyone danced — like really, truly raved. The guys then played Fisher’s new classic “Losin’ It,” subbing its tech house drop for bass music so heavy it could be felt rippling through the nervous system.

“We have three more” Fred said as the clock got closer to Coachella’s 12 a.m. sound curfew, and – incredibly, blissully unpretentiously – one of the songs they decided to close the show with was Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the U.S.A.” Fred then got on the mic to say the next song would be one he learned to play on the drums as a kid, then playing an edit of “Miss You,” by Blink-182, an homage to the band who’d played the main stage before the three producers took it over. The whole thing ended with a mix of  Skrillex’s 2011 “Cinema” remix and Four Tet’s “Teenage Birdsong,” – which got the full Coachella climactic fireworks treatment.

Then it was over. Onstage the guys hugged each other a few times, Four Tet grabbed his tote bag, Fred put his backpack on, and they trio walked back down the runway — a bit like actual pop stars, but more like three dance music stars who deserved to be there as much as anyone else.

24 Apr 2023

Shakira Is Billboard’s First-Ever ‘Latin Woman of the Year’

Global superstar Shakira will be honored as Billboard’s Woman of the Year at the first-ever Mujeres Latinas en la Música, or Latin Women in Music, gala. The two-hour music special, hosted by Ivy Queen and Jacqueline Bracamontes and honoring Latin women in music, will be taped at the Watsco Center in Miami on May 6 and will air exclusively on Telemundo May 7 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.

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A first of its kind for Latin music, Mujeres Latinas en la Música celebrates Latin female artists, executives and creatives who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion and gender parity in the music industry. Superstars Ana Gabriel, Emilia, Evaluna, Goyo and Thalia will also receive special awards at the inaugural event presented by Billboard with Telemundo.

Shakira’s honor comes in the wake of an extraordinary year that has seen the superstar break records with the biggest Spanish-language debut of 2022 (“Monotonía” featuring Ozuna). Then, in January 2023, her “Shakira: BZRP Music Sessions #53” debuted at No. 9 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, making her the first woman to reach the Top 10 on the chart with a song in Spanish. “Sessions” also made history as the most-streamed Latin track in 24 hours in Spotify history and the most-viewed Latin track on YouTube in 24 hours with over 63 million views, and it broke 14 Guinness World Records.

“Shakira is the ultimate Woman in Music. Thanks to her, Latin women all over the world have been empowered to write and perform deeply personal music. She created a movement all on her own, and continues to be more relevant than ever today, with grace, a deep tradition of giving back, and enormous talent. She is the definition of a Woman in Music,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin/Español.

“Shakira has been pivotal in shaping the vibrant and diverse landscape of Latin music and music in general throughout her career. Her passion, talent and creativity have broken barriers and empowered generations to embrace our identity through music, and we are incredibly proud to recognize her as Woman of the Year in the industry,” said Ronald Day, president of entertainment and content strategy for Telemundo.

Shakira has sold more than 95 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the top-selling female Latin artist of all time. Her global success as a crossover artist opened doors for other Latin artists to enter international markets. She is the most-viewed Latin female artist, and one of the top 10 artists overall of all time on YouTube with over 20 billion cumulative views, and the most-streamed female Latin artist of all time on Spotify.

Aside from her stellar industry accolades, at the age of 18, Shakira created the Pies Descalzos Foundation, who have built and adapted nine public schools in Cartagena, Barranquilla, Guajira and Quibdó, with six in construction. The foundation has raised over 40 million dollars since inception and impacted more than 150,000 children and nearly 900,000 families.

The inaugural Latin Women in Music event was announced earlier this year as an expansion of Billboard’s Women in Music franchise. Billboard and Telemundo aim to further elevate Latin music globally and celebrate the women who have made a concrete impact on Latin music through their artistic achievements, or through tangible, noteworthy actions that have brought measurable recognition and opportunity to women, effecting positive change to the industry as a whole.

Shakira will join the previously announced lineup of powerhouse women shaping the music industry. Honorees include Ana Gabriel, who will receive the Living Legend Award; Emilia, who will receive the Rising Star Award; Evaluna, who will receive the Tradition and Future Award; Goyo, who will receive the Agent of Change Award, and Thalia, who will receive the Global Powerhouse Award. Additional information about Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música, including performers and presenters, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets to attend Billboard Mujeres Latinas en la Música live in Miami on May 6 are on-sale now. For more information and to purchase, visit BillboardMujeresEnLaMusica.com. For the latest news, visit BillboardMujeresEnLaMusica.com, or follow Billboard on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @billboard. Join the conversation using #BBMujeresLatinas and visit BBMujeresLatinas.com for more information.

24 Apr 2023

Len Goodman, ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Judge Dies at 78

Len Goodman, a long-serving judge on Dancing with the Stars and Strictly Come Dancing who helped revive interest in ballroom dancing on both sides of the Atlantic, has died, his agent said Monday (April 24). He was 78.

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Agent Jackie Gill said Goodman “passed away peacefully.” He had been diagnosed with bone cancer.

A former professional ballroom dancer and British champion, Goodman was head judge on Strictly Come Dancing for 12 years from its launch on the BBC in 2004. The dance competition, which pairs celebrities with professional dance partners, was a surprise hit and has become one of the network’s most popular shows.

Goodman’s pithy observations, delivered in a Cockney accent, endeared him to viewers. “You floated across that floor like butter on a crumpet,” he remarked after one foxtrot. He praised a salsa-dancing couple as “like two sizzling sausages on a barbecue.”

Goodman was head judge on the U.S. version of the show, ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, for 15 years until his retirement in November. For several years he judged the British and American shows simultaneously each autumn, criss-crossing the Atlantic weekly.

British broadcaster Esther Rantzen said Goodman had been “astonished and delighted” by his late-life fame.

“One of the reasons he succeeded so well in the States is that he was quintessentially British,” she said. “He was firm but fair, funny but a gentleman and I hope the nation will adopt his favorite expostulation of ‘pickle me walnuts.’”

Goodman also presented BBC radio programs and made TV documentaries, including a 2012 program about the sinking of the Titanic. As a young man, Goodman had worked as a shipyard welder for the company that built the doomed ship.

BBC director-general Tim Davie said Goodman was “a wonderful, warm entertainer who was adored by millions. He appealed to all ages and felt like a member of everyone’s family. Len was at the very heart of Strictly’s success. He will be hugely missed by the public and his many friends and family.”

Goodman was also a recipient of the Carl Alan Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to dance, and owned the Goodman Academy dance school in southern England.

24 Apr 2023

Morgan Wallen Cancels Mississippi Show After Losing Voice

Morgan Wallen fans had already entered Vaught Hemingway Stadium on Sunday night (April 23) when they were unexpectedly informed that the country singer would not be able to perform. According to WTVA, video boards inside the Ole Miss football stadium displayed a message informing attendees that Wallen had lost his voice and would be unable to play his show.

WLBT reported that the message on screens read: “Ladies and gentlemen, unfortunately, Morgan has lost his voice and is unable to perform tonight. Therefore, tonight’s show has been canceled. Please make your way safely to the stadium exits. Refunds for tonight’s event will be available at point of purchase.” The news came after a number of fans had already entered the stadium, including a number who posted pictures in which they eagerly awaited Wallen taking the stage.

The surprise cancellation came one night after Wallen played a show at the same stadium on Saturday night, the first major concert in the venue’s history. It reportedly also left some attendees who sat through the opening acts feeling aggrieved, with a number venting their anger on social media. “Completely disappointed in @MorganWallen!!” wrote one. “Been sitting in this stadium for 3 hrs and he just announced the show is cancelled!!! COMPLETE BULLS–T!!!”

At press time it did not appear that Wallen had posted about the cancellation of the show on his social media accounts. The scotched gig came just days after Wallen laughed off an onstage tumble during his Thursday night gig in Louisville, KY, when fog effects clouded his view and caused him to trip and fall.

The singer made history last week when he became the first artist with three songs in the Country Airplay top 10 when “Last Night” jumped to No. 8, right in between “Though You Should Know” at No. 7 and “One Thing at a Time” at No. 9.

24 Apr 2023

Seventeen’s ‘FML’ Mini-Album Has Arrived: Stream It Now

SEVENTEEN‘s new mini-album FML is here. The K-pop boy band released the new set on April 24.

Six tracks appear on FML: “F*ck My Life,” “Super,” “Fire,” “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U,” “Dust” and “April Shower.” The project arrives via PLEDIS Entertainment.

FML arrives almost nine months after SEVENTEEN’s most recent full-length project, SECTOR 17, which earned the act a career high on the Billboard 200 by peaking at No. 4. 

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The group previously posted teasers and shared a trailer for FML titled “F*ck My Life: Life in a Minute” on April 13. All 13 members were featured in the clip, which had a narrator asking, “How do you define the world that surrounds you? In the middle of this f—ing world. You’re not allowed to feel happy. But you deserve to be happy. So fight. Fight for your life.”

SEVENTEEN recently stopped by to play a game with Billboard News, revealing the most unexpected places they’ve run into one of their fans, known as CARATs. Joshua recounted meeting a fan in Disneyland, which he was enjoying with his parents, and at an Apple Store; Hoshi said, “I met a CARAT on the Ferris wheel in Seattle,” and Mingyu stated that he “actually run[s] into them quite often.”

Stream SEVENTEEN’s FML below.