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Billie Eilish Will Seriously Freak You Out in ‘Swarm’ Teaser

Billie Eilish has obviously conquered the world of music. But once you see her acting debut in the creepy teaser for Donald Glover’s new Amazon Prime Video series Swarm you’ll be wondering who the “Bad Guy” really is.

The series, which premieres today (March 17) focuses on a character named Dre (Dominique Fishback) who is an obsessive fan of a Beyoncé-like pop star. In the clip Eilish posted on Instagram, she and Dre are seen in extreme close-up discussing something ominous. “I see… milk spilled on the carpet,” Dre says.

“What color was the milk?,” Eilish’s character asks with a sweetly sinister look on her face. “It was red,” Dre replies with a knowing half-smile. “Did you hurt someone?” Eilish whispers before cracking a devilish grin. When Dre says she did, Eilish praises her work as “very good.”

The show also features Paris Jackson, Chloe Bailey, Damson Idris, Rickey Thompson, Rory Culkin, Kiersey Clemons and Byron Bowers. All seven episodes of the show are now available on Prime Video.

In an interview with Billboard, Fishback opened up about portraying Dre in the series. “I really wanted to stretch myself as an actor,” said the 31-year-old actress.

“Presence was really important,” she explained of her approach to the role. “If I tried to map out Dre, I wouldn’t be able to play an authentic character because she isn’t that. It became a thing where I would do something really weird and I would try to get a reaction out of Donald [Glover]. If I could get him to be like, ‘Huh, that was strange,’ then I was doing something.”

Eilish also posted a series of snaps from the Swarm red carpet premiere earlier this week, including ones in which she’s cheesing in baggy black slacks, an oversized white button-down and black tie in a parking garage stairwell, walking the carpet, posing with Fishback and series co-creators Donald Glover and Janine Nabers and with boyfriend Jesse Rutherford.

Check out Eilish in the teaser and walking the red carpet at the show’s premiere below.

BTS’ Jimin Unleashes ‘Intense’ Solo Single ‘Set Me Free Pt.2’

Jimin’s solo career rumbles along with the new release, “Set Me Free Pt.2”.

After teasing it earlier in the week, the BTS star’s fresh song dropped at the stroke of midnight, via HYBE LABELS, marking the first cut lifted from his forthcoming debut solo album FACE.

Loaded with snapping hip-hop beats and Auto-Tuned vocals, “Set Me Free Pt.2” is accompanied with an appropriately flashy music video.

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Helmed by Oui Kim, Jimin is the center of the attention, and at the heart of the action, as dozens of dancers glide their way through gloriously choreographed drama.

“First, we tried to focus on the performance and express the really intense vibe of the song,” explains Jimin in an interview with Consequence on the new song and forthcoming album.

“The key point was freedom — and actually, we were drinking at the time. This is the last track on the album; the last of the emotions. It’s very intense, so I wanted to announce a ‘Jimin solo’ in an impactful way.”

FACE is due out March 24. On the same day, Jimin will also share the music video for second single “Like Crazy,” which was co-written by his BTS bandmate RM.

Most recently, Jimin scored his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 by joining Taeyang for the BIGBANG member’s new single “Vibe.” Earlier this month, the K-pop idol gave ARMY an early present by uploading his solo tracks “Promise” and “Christmas Love” to streaming services for the very first time. (The two songs had previously only been available to stream on the official BTS Soundcloud or YouTube accounts.)

Watch “Set Me Free Pt.2” in full below.

Live Nation Australia Secures Lease to Operate Melbourne’s Festival Hall

MELBOURNE, Australia — Live Nation Australia has secured a multi-year lease to operate Festival Hall, the iconic Melbourne live music and sports venue.

Through the arrangement, confirmed late Friday (March 17), LN is expected to invest in several upgrades on the versatile space, which was built during WW1 and currently boasts a capacity of 5,405.

Festival Hall slots into the concerts giant’s existing portfolio of venues, which includes The Palais Theatre in Melbourne, the Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, the Hindley Street Music Hall in Adelaide, and Anita’s Theatre, a historic venue in Thirroul, a northern seaside suburb of Wollongong, which last year became LN’s first push into regional Australia.

“We are extremely excited to be delivering the next chapter of Festival Hall’s life,” comments Roger Field, president LN APAC, “not only because it will help support the growing demand of shows that are coming down the pipeline across the industry, but also to put the iconic venue firmly back on the global live entertainment map.”

LN’s vision for Festival Hall, Field continues, is to ensure that the venue “remains a cornerstone of the State’s live music scene for artists, industry, and fans alike.”

The launch of this new project will support 200 full-time equivalent jobs on event days, sources say.

Festival Hall has a storied history. The multi-purpose space at 300 Dudley Street, in West Melbourne, was originally built back in 1915 by John Wren, chairman of Stadiums Pty Ltd. Fire ripped through the room in 1955, but a rebuild was completed in time for the 1956 Olympics Games, where hosted gymnastics and wrestling.

Over time, the likes of the Beatles, Bill Haley, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Liberace, Shirley Bassey, Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran and Lorde have played to packed houses at Festival Hall.

In October 2020, the venue was purchased by Hillsong Church with the intention to create a community hub to support live music, entertainment, and other events. At the time Hillsong stated, “it’s a way to give back to Melbourne and continue the venue’s legacy.”

It’s understood the church will continue to use the venue for weekend services and other events.

Miley Cyrus Scores Chart Double In Australia

There’s no end in sight for Miley Cyrus’ chart reign in Australia as the pop star snags a rare chart double.

Cyrus’ “Flowers” (via Columbia/Sony) enters a ninth week at the singles chart summit, published Friday (March 17), and its parent Endless Summer Vacation debuts at No. 1 on the national albums survey.

With Endless Summer Vacation topping the ARIA Chart, Cyrus earns a sixth top five title, and her third No. 1 — her first in a decade.

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Miley previously led the tally with Breakout (2008) and Bangerz (2013), which both spent one week in the top spot, ARIA Reports.

If Endless Summer Vacation hangs around for another week in the penthouse, Miley will equal a family record. Billy Ray Cyrus Some Gave All logged two weeks at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart in 1992, though he hasn’t tasted life at the top ever since.

As “Flowers” extends its unbroken streak, “River,” the second single from her eighth and latest LP, starts at No. 22 on the ARIA Chart and two other tracks from it appear in the Top 100.

“Flowers” leads an unchanged ARIA top four ahead of cuts by PinkPantheress (“Boy’s a liar” via Parlophone/Warner), The Weekend (“Die For You” via Universal) and SZA (“Kill Bill” via RCA/Sony), respectively, while Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” (Republic/Universal), from the U.S. country star’s latest, 36-track set One Thing At a Time, improves 6-5.

With the exception of Miley, no new releases debut on the top 50 of either main chart.

ARIA’s weekly charts are based on wholesale data collected from a combination of physical and digital retailers, and music-streaming services.

Taylor Swift Drops Four New Songs Ahead of ‘The Eras Tour’ Launch: Listen

As if Taylor Swift beginning her long-awaited The Eras Tour wasn’t exciting enough, the superstar added to the hype on Friday (March 17) by releasing four new tracks.

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“In celebration of The Eras Tour I’m releasing 4 previously unreleased songs tonight at midnight,” she revealed on her Instagram Stories a day prior. The four tracks include re-recordings of Swift’s dual contributions to the 2012 soundtrack to The Hunger Games — “Eyes Open” and “Safe & Sound” featuring Joy Williams and John Paul White — as well as “If This Was a Movie (Taylor’s Version)” and never-before-heard song “All of the Girls You Loved Before.”

The Eras Tour is set to begin on Friday (March 17) with back-to-back shows in Glendale, Ariz., which has temporarily been renamed Swift City in honor of Swift’s imminent arrival. Support on the tour will come via a rotating cast of opening acts including Paramore, beabadoobee, Phoebe Bridgers, girl in red, Muna, Haim, Gayle, Gracie Abrams and Owenn.

Since the Reputation tour wrapped in 2018, Swift has released four original studio albums — Lover, 2020’s Folklore and Evermore, and Midnights — as well as two re-recorded albums, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), both in 2021.

Listen to the four new songs below.

The Chemical Brothers Return With First New Track In Two Years: Stream It Now

Two years after the release of their last new music, The Chemical Brothers are back.

The U.K. duo have today (March 17) released their latest single, “No Reason.” Their first song since 2021’s “The Darkness That You Fear,” the new output is classic Chemical Brothers — a textured and inventive (but never fussy) jam built around funk, bass, waves of percussion, and a precisely used voice shouting “whoo!” Jubilant and danceable, the song still maintains the hard edges the pair is known for. Watch the Smith & Lyall-created video for the track below.

The single comes ahead of the U.K.’s duo’s performances next month at Coachella, with The Chemical Brothers also playing shows in Santa Barbara, Calif. and Seattle, WA next month, along with festival sets throughout Europe for the remainder of the summer.

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The pair — Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons, have also been at work on a new album, which will be the followup to 2019’s No Geography. The album hit No. 3 on Dance/Electronic Albums and won the 2020 Grammy for best dance/electronic album. The guys have won seven Grammys in total during their nearly 30 year career, which launched with the 1995 release of their now classic Exit Planet Dust.

No Reason has also been mastered in Dolby ATMOS at Abbey Road Studios by Giles Martin, who has also previously overseen the remastering of The Beatles back catalogue. “No Reason” will also be available on April 28 as a limited edition red vinyl 12 inch with a previously unreleased b-side track, “All Of A Sudden.

Fred Again.., Skrillex & Four Tet Release Collaborative Single: Stream It Now

The first collaborative single from dance music’s new favorite supergroup — Fred again.., Skrillex and Four Tet — is out. Released today (March 17) via Atlantic Records, “Baby, again..” was first heard during Fred again..’s Boiler Room set last July, a performance that has since been streamed 16 million times.

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Indeed, the hype around this one is major, with both Fred and Four Tet appearing on Skrillex’s new album, Quest For Fire, released last month after a week’s worth of buzzy New York pop up shows from the trio that climaxed with a sold out show at Madison Square Garden on February 18. “Baby again..” was, in fact, the song playing during the climactic moment when the house lights at MSG finally went off midway through the five-hour show.

The five-plus minute song heavily samples Lil Baby and Da Baby’s 2019 track “Baby,” accelerating the BPM and adding layers of ravey production in line with the trio’s other recent output, with the track elevating to new plane of dancefloor headiness around the 4:30 mark.

“Baby again..” is already steeped in dance-world mythology, have been created during an impromptu studio session in Pangbourne, England where Fred, Skrillex and Four Tet came together to make music in the remote English countryside. (The backstory has earned the now apparently inseparable trio the nickname Pangbourne House Mafia among fans.) The song has since been a staple of all three artists’ sets. Listen to it below.

Meanwhile, Skrillex’s Quest For Fire (which, naturally, features Four Tet and Fred) is currently at No. 8 on Dance/Electronic albums, where it previously peaked at No. 2. Five Quest For Fire singles (including its lead single “Rumble” featuring Fred) are currently on Dance/Electronic albums, where Fred also currently has a pair of other singles “Mike (Desert Island Duvet)” and “Delilah (Pull Me Out Of This).”

Stream “Baby again…” below.

Childish Gambino & KIRBY Team Up for ‘The Swarm EP’ in Time for New Prime Video Series: Stream It Now

After stepping away from music for the last three years, Childish Gambino — the 5-time Grammy-winning musical alter ego of Golden Globe-, Emmy-winning actor, producer and director Donald Glover — officially returns with The Swarm EP, a joint effort with singer-songwriter KIRBY that was released Friday (March 17) via RCA Records.

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The six-song project is inspired by and arrives on the same day as Glover’s new Prime Video series Swarm, which follows a young woman named Dre (played by Dominique Fishback) who is obsessed with a fictional pop star that’s eerily similar to Beyoncé named Ni’jah, who’s voiced by KIRBY both in the new show and EP. Swarm was created by Glover and Atlanta writer and producer Janine Nabers, who is Swarm‘s showrunner. Chloe Bailey, Damson Idris and more are also starring in Swarm, while Gambino and Michael Uzowuru are executive producers of The Swarm EP, which Fam Udeorji co-produced.

Gambino’s latest project comes three years after 3.15.20, which was named after its release date at the top of the pandemic. The 12-track LP featured collaborations with Ariana Grande as well as 21 Savage, Ink and Kadhja Bonet and peaked at No. 8 on Billboard‘s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 13 on the Billboard 200.

At Billboard‘s Golden Globes After Party 2023, Glover spoke to Billboard about what he was looking forward to in 2023. “I just think it’s going to be a better year…. This year is the year of positivity,” he said. “We deserve happiness.”

Listen to The Swarm EP below.

Diddy Hops on Remix of Metro Boomin, The Weeknd & 21 Savage’s ‘Creepin”: Stream It Now

Diddy comes full circle on the remix of Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage‘s smash “Creepin,’” which was released Friday (March 17) via Boominati Worldwide and Republic Records.

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“Creepin’” is a partial cover of the 2004 Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit “I Don’t Wanna Know” by Mario Winans, featuring Enya and Diddy — who reprises his role as a feature nearly two decades later — which is based on a sample of the Fugees‘ 1996 hit “Ready or Not,” which in and of itself contains a sample of Enya’s 1987 track “Boadicea.”

The original “Creepin’” has spent the last 10 weeks in the top 10 of the Hot 100, peaking at No. 3. “Creepin’” was featured on Metro Boomin’s latest album Heroes & Villains, which was released on December 2, 2022. The project peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.

Diddy and Metro both shared behind-the-scenes shots of the upcoming “Creepin’” music video and a comic book-like graphic of the four artists, respectively, on their Instagram acccounts ahead of the remix’s arrival.

Listen to the “Creepin’” remix below.

The Cure’s Robert Smith Negotiates Refunds From Ticketmaster on ‘Unduly High’ Fees

Robert Smith’s furious tweet spree on Ticketmaster’s fees “debacle” for the Cure‘s forthcoming North American tour has had the desired effect — a “gesture of goodwill” from the ticketing giant and the promise of some money returned.

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Earlier in the week, Smith unloaded on Ticketmaster when the band’s fans complained that fees attached to the Lost World North American tour were most costly than the price of a ticket.

The problems emerged Wednesday (March 15) when tickets were made available to those who had registered for Ticketmaster’s “verified fan” sale.

Smith went on the attack when, in some cases, the added-on service fees, facility charges and order processing fees added up to more than the cost of entry, all despite the band offering reasonably-priced tickets for the trek and ensuring the tickets will be non-transferable to minimize resale and keep prices at face value.

“I AM AS SICKENED AS YOU ALL ARE BY TODAY’S TICKETMASTER ‘FEES’ DEBACLE,” Smith blasted in one all-caps broadside against Live Nation sister company. “TO BE VERY CLEAR: THE ARTIST HAS NO WAY TO LIMIT THEM. I HAVE BEEN ASKING HOW THEY ARE JUSTIFIED. IF I GET ANYTHING COHERENT BY WAY OF AN ANSWER I WILL LET YOU ALL KNOW.”

He got an answer, and he let them know.

“AFTER FURTHER CONVERSATION, TICKETMASTER HAVE AGREED WITH US THAT MANY OF THE FEES BEING CHARGED ARE UNDULY HIGH, AND AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL HAVE OFFERED A $10 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR LOWEST TICKET PRICE (‘LTP’) TRANSACTIONS,” writes Smith in the first of a new batch of tweets.

“AND A $5 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR ALL OTHER TICKET PRICE TRANSACTIONS, FOR ALL CURE SHOWS AT ALL VENUES;” he continues. “IF YOU ALREADY BOUGHT A TICKET YOU WILL GET AN AUTOMATIC REFUND; ALL TICKETS ON SALE TOMORROW WILL INCUR LOWER FEES.”

In a separate tweet, Smith confirmed that “Verified Fan” ticket sales have now ended.

The legendary British goth-rock band’s Shows of a Lost World North American tour will span 30 dates, kicking off May 10 at New Orleans’ Smoothie King Arena.

The Cure took their place in the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, with Trent Reznor on hand to induct the group.

See Smith’s tweets latest below.