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04 Feb 2023

John Lydon Fails in Bid to Play Eurovision Song Contest

Punk icon John Lydon has failed in his attempt to become Ireland’s entry for the pop music competition the Eurovision Song Contest.

The former Sex Pistols frontman entered the song “Hawaii” with his post-punk band Public Image Ltd. in the national runoff for May’s continent-wide contest.

Jurors and viewers of a televised final on Friday (Feb. 3) chose the song “We Are One” by the band Wild Youth to represent Ireland at the contest in May. “Hawaii” came fourth of six finalists.

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The ex-punk firebrand once known as Johnny Rotten was born in London to Irish parents. He said “Hawaii” was a tribute to his wife, Nora, who is living with Alzheimer’s disease.

Founded in 1956 to help unite a continent scarred by World War II, Eurovision sees more than 40 countries compete for the continent’s pop music crown.

The 2023 contest will be staged in the English city of Liverpool after Britain was asked to hold the event on behalf of Ukraine.

Ukraine won the right to host the pop extravaganza when its entry, folk-rap ensemble Kalush Orchestra, won the 2022 contest. Britain’s Sam Ryder came second.

British organizers say the event will be a celebration of Ukrainian culture and creativity as well as Liverpool’s musical heritage.

04 Feb 2023

Bebe Rexha Talks ‘I’m Good (Blue),’ Beyoncé, Grammy Nomination & More

Bebe Rexha recently sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to celebrate her third Grammy nomination. This year, the superstar is up for best dance/electronic recording for her David Guetta collaboration, “I’m Good (Blue).”

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“In the same category as Beyoncé, that’s incredible,” Rexha gushed, noting that Queen Bey is also nominated for her Renaissance hit, “Break My Soul.” “I was thinking the other day, I was like, ‘I wonder if she read through the nominees and she saw my name.’ Maybe Beyoncé knows my name.”

Rexha’s nomination is particularly special, as her Guetta collaboration was made back in 2017, but wasn’t released until 2022, when a clip of the track began blowing up on TikTok. “I was in London,” the singer shared of making the song nearly six years ago. “I think I saw that David was in London through Instagram or I was texting him. He was like, ‘I’m in the studio, come through.’ We went to the studio and he played me this remix track of [Eiffel 65’s ‘Blue’]. We didn’t think anything of it. We weren’t trying to be serious, like we had to write this insane song. We were just having a good time.”

She continued, “Finally, it started going viral on TikTok and I texted him and I was like, ‘We have to put this out.’ There was no thought process into it. Sometimes you don’t always need to overthink things. You just go with the flow.”

Rexha was previously nominated in 2019 for best new artist and country duo/group performance for her Florida Georgia Line collaboration, “Meant to Be.” On her ability to seamlessly genre blend, the star noted that she likes “to try different things” over the course of her 13-year career. “Imagine if you ate pizza — I mean, pizza is amazing. But if you had it every day for the rest of your life, you get really bored of it,” she explained. “If you had it every day for the rest of your life, you get bored of it. You want to try pasta or tacos. So, for me, I don’t want to be stuck in one category.”

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Bebe Rexha above.

04 Feb 2023

Gary Glitter Freed From UK Prison After Serving Half of His Sexual Abuse Sentence

Former pop star Gary Glitter was released from prison in England on Friday (Feb. 3) after serving half of a 16-year prison sentence for sexually abusing three young girls in the 1970s.

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The 79-year-old singer, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was freed from a prison in Dorset, in southwest England. It is common for offenders in the U.K. to be freed halfway through their sentences and then be placed on probation.

“Sex offenders like Paul Gadd are closely monitored by the police and Probation Service and face some of the strictest license conditions, including being fitted with a GPS tag,” the Ministry of Justice said in a statement. “If the offender breaches these conditions at any point, they can go back behind bars.”

The singer was found guilty of one count of attempted rape, four counts of indecent assault and one count of sexual intercourse with a girl under the age of 13.

Glitter was arrested in October 2012 under Operation Yewtree, the national investigation launched in the wake of the child abuse scandal surrounding the late BBC entertainer Jimmy Savile.

Glitter is best known for the hit “Rock & Roll (Part 2),” released in 1972, but he fell into disgrace after being convicted on child abuse charges in Vietnam.

04 Feb 2023

Maluma on What Winning His First Grammy Would Mean: ‘That’s the Biggest Goal’

Maluma‘s The Love & Sex Tape is up for best música urbana album at the 65th annual Grammy Awards, set to take place on Sunday (Feb. 5). The Colombian star is up against fellow hitmakers Rauw Alejandro (TRAP CAKE, VOL. 2), Bad Bunny (Un Verano Sin Ti), Daddy Yankee (LEGENDADDY) and Farruko (La 167).

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It marks his first nomination ever in this category. Overall, it’s his second nomination. He was previously nominated in the best Latin pop album category for his 2019 set, 11:11.

If he wins his first Grammy, “I would feel very proud to take that to Colombia, that would be so amazing.” Maluma tells Billboard ahead of the awards ceremony, that will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. “That’s the biggest goal, to take the Grammy to my hometown and show it to my mom, to my dad and my friends.”

The Love & Sex Tape dropped in June and it showcased a darker, naughtier side of the “Pretty Boy.” In the eight-track album — produced by The Rude Boyz — Maluma stays true to his urbano essence singing about love, lust and heartbreak, but does so with slightly more raunchier lyrics. It peaked at No. 16 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums chart (dated June 25).

About his fellow nominees, Maluma shares that it’s “nice” to be part of that group of artists. “We represent our culture and being nominated with these huge stars is great.” Check out the entire one-on-one interview with Maluma above.

And below, stream his Grammy-nominated set The Love & Sex Tape.

04 Feb 2023

Serena Williams Comments On The Will Smith Slap For The First Time

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2019 French Open - Day Two

Source: NurPhoto / Getty

The slap heard around the world is a forever moment. For the first time Serena Williams has commented on when Will Smith put hands on Chris Rock. 

As per The Huffington Post the tennis legend recently paid a visit to CBS Mornings. While the sports icon discussed a variety of topics surrounding her career, host Gayle King referred to the infamous Oscars incident. “King Richard had that moment at the Oscars, what did you feel about that?” she asked. The Compton, California native kept things classy and spoke to two huge moments were eclipsed by the slap.

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“I thought it was such an incredible film, and I feel that there was an incredible film after that with Questlove that kind of was overshadowed,” she responded, referring to Summer of Soul. “But, I also feel that I’ve been in a position where I’ve been under a lot of pressure and I’ve made a tremendous amount of mistakes,” she added. “And I’m the kind of person that’s like ― ‘I’ve been there. I’ve made a mistake. It’s not the end of the world.’” She also went to admit that reminded everyone that love is the message. “We’re all imperfect and we’re all human, and let’s just be kind to each other” she said.

Four months after the slap Will made an apology via his YouTube channel saying he is “deeply remorseful” for his actions. Since the incident Smith has been formally banned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. You can Serena discuss life after tennis below.



Photo: Vaughn Ridley

04 Feb 2023

Omega Psi Phi Ditches Officers Who Beat Tyre Nichols

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2019 Martin Luther King, Jr. Annual Commemorative Service & Parade

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Three of the five Black Memphis police officers charged with second-degree murder in the death of Tyre Nichols have been given the boot by the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

“A few days ago, on behalf of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, we joined with all other caring, thoughtful, decent, and fair-minded people in America and around the world in extending our deepest sympathy to the family of Tyre Nichols,” the fraternity wrote in a statement dated January 31. “We have since learned that three of the former Memphis police officers involved in the horrific incident were members of our organization. That is devastating! Effective immediately, the Fraternity has revoked the membership of the three former Memphis police officers and all related privileges they may have enjoyed as members of our Fraternity.”

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Omega Psi Phi also referenced a statement posted to its website two days prior to its most recent announcement in which the fraternity called Nichols’ violent treatment “unacceptable,” declared that its members “expect law enforcement officers to protect life and serve our communities with the highest regard for safety and humanity,” and characterized the behavior of the Memphis officers as “the complete opposite.”

The statement released Tuesday doesn’t specifically identify the three former officers who are no longer welcome members of the fraternity, but one should expect that all five ex-cops will find themselves unwanted around all Black frats, cookouts, house parties or any other events reserved for skinfolk who are still largely recognized as kinfolk.

Basically, the Black community isn’t interested in seeing any of them unless they’re behind bars wearing a convicted prison inmate jumpsuit.

04 Feb 2023

OVO Launches NFL Capsule Collection, Lil Wayne Stars In Campaign

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OVO X NFL CAPSULE COLLECTION

Source: OVO / OVO

Drake and his team are coming with a new project just in time for Super Bowl Sunday. They have announced an OVO x NFL capsule collection.

As spotted on High Snobiety the Canada based brand has unveiled some new pieces as part of a football forward drop. On Thursday, February 2 released what seems to be their most extensive capsule yet with officially licensed product bearing the likeness of some of the National Football League’s most popular clubs including Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, and Las Vegas Raiders.

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Included in this team inspired collection are varsity jackets, t-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, mock neck sweaters, long sleeve shirts, crewneck sweaters, sweat pants, and neck gaiters. Additionally, we also get a collectible in the form of a Riddell mini helmet that is housed in a plastic case. As expected we get co-branding throughout every product with OVO logo and the respective team’s marks.

For the launch of the capsule Drake and company tapped into some of his favorite collaborators including Lil Wayne and Benny The Butcher. Naturally, Weezy is outfitted in all Green Bay Packers pieces while Benny is sporting all Buffalo Bills merch. The OVO x NFL capsule collection is available now and can be shopped here. 

OVO X NFL CAPSULE COLLECTION

Source: OVO / OVO

04 Feb 2023

5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (February 4)

From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

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“She Said Yes!”

Erika Ender, one of the songwriters behind Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” is officially engaged. This week, the 48-year-old Panamanian hitmaker shared the exciting news on Instagram, where she shared photos with her handsome fiancé, flaunting her big rock. “And this happened today… I said yes,” she captioned the reel, which has Bruno Mars’ “Marry You” as the background song. On her social media, Ender has previously shared sweet photos and videos with her partner, and once penned a heartfelt letter on how she found someone who respects her liberty and individuality.

Banda MS Meets Hip-Hop…Again!

In celebration of their 20-year career, Banda MS announced their next international collaboration will be with famed rapper Ice Cube. The Regional Mexican group and manager Sergio Lizárraga made the announcement via a short video where they simply said “we want to do something special for our 20th anniversary” and then tapped Cube on the shoulder saying “come join us, ready Cube?” to which the Hip-Hop star said “Listo! I’m ready!” The upcoming track will follow the group’s second banda-meets-rap collaboration following their Snoop Dogg-assisted “Que Maldición,” which debuted at No. 4 on the Hot Latin Songs chart in May 2020.

Birthday Love for Shakira

On February 2nd, Shakira turned 46 years old, and while she’s still enjoying the massive success of her No. 1 Hot Latin Songs hit “BZRP Music Session, Vol. 53” with Argentine hitmaker Bizarrap, many fellow stars are celebrating her. Artists such as Carlos Vives and Alejandro Sanz each posted throwback memories with the Colombian artist. The former shared a heartfelt video call he had with Shakira, stating “Happy birthday Currambera. We love you. May life bring happiness to you and yours.” The latter shared a video of the time they performed “La Tortura” on Saturday Night Live. “Shaki, the years go by and here we continue, orbiting in this very cosmic friendship that life gave us. I congratulate you, I celebrate you and I love you,” Sanz posted.

23 for 2023

Ryan Castro, Majo Aguilar, Lasso.

Ryan Castro, Majo Aguilar, Lasso.

Illustration by Lyanne Natividad; Photos: David Bernal; Fonovisa; Courtesy of Universal Music Mexico

This week, Billboard unleashed its annual “Latin & Spanish Artists To Watch” list, consisting of 23 promising artists who have already made an impact—be it in the charts, media, streaming platforms, or public consciousness—and who we believe will make significant strides in their careers in the coming year. Spotlighting a mix of acts that cover a broad variety of Latin music genres, from pop to reggaetón to R&B, música Mexicana, and rock, artists such as Venezuela’s Lasso, Mexico’s Grupo Frontera, Spain’s Quevedo, Puerto Rico’s Young Miko, and Brazil’s Ludmilla made the list.

Read the full article here

A History-Making Power 100

Bad Bunny and Noah Assad

Bad Bunny and Noah Assad at the Billboard Power 100 Event held at Goya Studios on Feb. 1, 2023 in Los Angeles.

Christopher Polk/PMC

In other exciting Billboard news, Bad Bunny presented his longtime manager, Noah Assad, with the Executive of the Year award at Billboard‘s 2023 Power 100 event in Los Angeles. “This award means a lot to me, the same way that my own awards mean a lot for him,” the Puerto Rican artist said of his manager after being introduced by Leila Cobo, Billboard‘s Chief Content Officer Latin/Español. “It’s because this award is the proof that I’m not working alone, that dreams come true, but it’s never only by yourself. It’s always about teamwork.”

Assad, who’s the first Latin executive to receive the award, thanked Billboard for always covering Latin music. “They never undervalue us in any way,” he said. “They treat us as equal as the global American market. We have to be very grateful for that. At the end of the day, me and Bunny are products of thousands of people who work very hard on our island. All those walls they had to break down. There are a lot more stories to be told. This is only chapter one.”