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28 Nov 2022

P!nk Thanks Pastor for Calling Out Evangelical Silence After Colorado Shooting at Gay Club

P!nk is letting her opinions regarding Evangelical Christians’ response — or rather, the lack thereof — to the recent shooting at Colorado’s gay Club Q be known. On Sunday (Nov. 27), the “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” singer reshared a TikTok video that her pal Leslie Jones posted to Twitter. In the clip, Pastor Bob Lerien of the Redeemer Lutheran Church (in Lancaster, Penn.) condemned people of the cloth who have been silent on the tragedy.

“It’s time to be very clear about something. All of you Evangelical and fundamentalist clergy who claim to be pastors and shepherds of God’s flock who step into your pulpits and preach hate and bigotry and transphobia and homophobia, you are blasphemers and you are false prophets,” Lerien started. “If you are proclaiming anything but the acceptance and love of God’s beautiful and beloved LGBTQIA+ children, you are blaspheming against the image of God in which they were created, and you will be judged for the blood on your hands because you are enabling the hate the kills God’s beautiful children.”

The pastor continued, “For all you Evangelical and fundamentalist lay people who fill the pews and offering plates in those churches, you have blood on your hands because your offerings are financing the hate. Your offerings are paying to stoke the fires that lead to people commuting these despicable acts of violence against the innocent. And for all my fellow mainline protestant progressive Christian clergy and especially bishops and other judicatory executives who are not speaking out – how dare you. If you are not condemning homophobia and transphobia explicitly from your pulpit, then you are enabling it implicitly in the streets. If you are not condemning it, you are complicit in it. Your silence is violence and the time for neutrality is long over, so suit up and speak up or sit down and shut up.”

In response to the video, P!nk wrote a simple “Thank you” to the pastor for getting his point across. The singer’s tweet makes her one of many celebrities who have spoken up about the Colorado Springs gay club shooting in which five people were killed and at least 18 injured; musicians who have expressed their anger and condolences include Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, Hayley Kiyoko and more.

See P!nk’s tweet below.

28 Nov 2022

Metallica Announce Upcoming ‘72 Seasons’ Album, 2023-2024 World Tour

Metallica will come roaring back in 2023 with a new album and a the launch of a massive world tour. The veteran metal band’s 12th studio album, 72 Seasons, is due out on April 14 via the band’s Blackened Recordings imprint.

The first full-length from the band since 2016’s Hardwired… To Self-Destruct, was produced by Greg Fidelman along with Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich. At more than 77 minutes, the 12-track collection can be previewed now via the thundering, breakneck first single, “Lux Æterna” (watch the video below).

“72 seasons. The first 18 years of our lives that form our true or false selves,” Hetfield said in a statement announcing the album. “The concept that we were told ‘who we are’ by our parents. A possible pigeonholing around what kind of personality we are. I think the most interesting part of this is the continued study of those core beliefs and how it affects our perception of the world today. Much of our adult experience is reenactment or reaction to these childhood experiences. Prisoners of childhood or breaking free of those bondages we carry.”

The band also announced a massive 2023-2024 Live Nation-promoted tour on Monday (Nov. 28), during which they will play two nights in every city they visit, with each No Repeat Weekend featuring two completely different setlists and support acts. The M72 world tour will feature an in-the-round stage set-up that will move the signature up-close Metallica Snake Pit section to center stage. The tour will also feature discounted tickets for fans 16 and under.

The world trek is currently slated to kick off on April 27 with a pair of shows at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, followed by two-night stands in Paris, Hamburg (Germany) and Gothenburg (Sweden) before hitting U.S. shores on Aug. 4 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. for a series of North American gigs currently slated to run through a Nov. 12 show at Ford Field in Detroit. The outing will pick up again on May 24, 2024 with another European swing before returning to North America in August 2024.

Among the rotating group of opening acts slated to join them are: Architects, Mammoth WVH, Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, Volbeat, Pantera and Greta Van Fleet.

Watch the “Lux Æterna” video and check out the 72 Seasons track list and 2023-2024 tour dates below.

72 Seasons track list:

“72 Seasons”

“Shadows Follow”

“Screaming Suicide”

“Sleepwalk My Life Away”

“You Must Burn!”

“Lux Æterna”

“Crown of Barbed Wire”

“Chasing Light”

“If Darkness Had a Son”

“Too Far Gone?”

“Room of Mirrors”

“Inamorata”

M72 2023-2024 tour dates

April 27 – Amsterdam NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena

April 29 – Amsterdam NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena

May 17 – Paris FR @ Stade de France*

May 19 – Paris FR @ Stade de France

May 26 – Hamburg DE @ Volksparkstadion

May 28 – Hamburg DE @ Volksparkstadion

June 16 – Gothenburg SE @ Ullevi Stadium**

June 18 – Gothenburg SE @ Ullevi Stadium

August 4 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium

August 6 – East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium

August 11 – Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique

August 13 – Montreal, QC @ Stade Olympique

August 18 – Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium

August 20 – Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium

August 25 – Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium

August 27 – Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium

Sept. 1 – Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium

Sept. 3 – Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium

Nov. 3 – St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center

Nov. 5 – St. Louis, MO @ The Dome at America’s Center

Nov. 10 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field

Nov. 12 – Detroit, MI @ Ford Field

May 24, 2024 – Munich DE @ Olympiastadion

May 26, 2024 – Munich DE @ Olympiastadion

June 7, 2024 – Helsinki FI @ Olympic Stadium

June 9, 2024 – Helsinki FI @ Olympic Stadium

June 14, 2024 – Copenhagen DK @ Parken Stadium

June 16, 2024 – Copenhagen DK @ Parken Stadium

July 5, 2024 – Warsaw PL @ PGE Narodowy

July 7, 2024 – Warsaw PL @ PGE Narodowy

July 12, 2024 – Madrid ES @ Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano

July 14, 2024 – Madrid ES @ Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano

August 2, 2024 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium

August 4, 2024 – Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium

August 9, 2024 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field

August 11, 2024 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field

August 16, 2024 – Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium

August 18, 2024 – Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Stadium

August 23, 2024 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium

August 25, 2024 – Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium

August 30, 2024 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field

Sept. 1, 2024 – Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field

Sept. 20, 2024 – Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol***

Sept. 22, 2024 – Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol

Sept. 27, 2024 – Mexico City MX @ Foro Sol***

Sept. 29, 2024 – Mexico City MX – Foro Sol

Show 1 Support Europe: Architects & Mammoth WVH**
Show 2 Support Europe: Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills
*Five Finger Death Punch/Ice Nine Kills play show 1 in Paris, Architects & Mammoth WVH play show 2 in Paris 
**Volbeat replaces Architects on show 1 in Gothenburg

Show 1 Support North America: Pantera & Mammoth WVH***
Show 2 Support North America: Five Finger Death Punch & Ice Nine Kills
***Greta Van Fleet replaces Pantera on show 1 both weekends in Mexico City

28 Nov 2022

Why Nashville’s Top Hitmakers Have Taken a Shine to Corporate Gigs

They’re the keys to a solid business plan: a sound product, an understanding of the target customer, focused marketing and country music.

That’s right — country music. Nashville songwriters have over the last decade amplified a secondary source of revenue by giving more in-the-round performances beyond Music City’s club circuit, particularly for America’s corporate movers and shakers. Sometimes it’s a hometown gig at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe or The Listening Room for 50-75 staffers with a company enjoying an entertainment break during a conference. In other instances, the composers may travel out of town to perform for a dozen senior members of different companies that are engaged in a leadership exercise. 

Regardless of a company’s purpose, it gives songwriters — who create their material in small rooms — a chance to see their songs at work in front of an audience and to get paid for the privilege.

“A lot of songwriters are doing it because they’re not making money on getting cuts anymore,” says songwriter Hillary Lindsey (“Blue Ain’t Your Color,” “Jesus, Take the Wheel”). “Even if you get the album cut, if you don’t have a single, you’re not making money. So a lot of people are hustling and getting a lot of these gigs. If you do enough, I think you can make some money.”

The development was not born in a songwriting room. Instead, it came indirectly from the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., which is tasked with marketing Music City as a destination for both vacation and business travel. Songwriters are “a secret weapon of Nashville,” says NCVC CEO Butch Spyridon. Roughly 20 years ago, he rounded up three writers — Brett James (“I Hold On,” “Blessed”), Rivers Rutherford (“Ain’t Nothing ’Bout You,” “Real Good Man”) and Tim Nichols(“Live Like You Were Dying,” “Heads Carolina, Tails California”) — and hit a handful of other markets, attempting to entice convention bookers to plot their events in Middle Tennessee.

“The irony was it was so good, so cool and so special,” Spyridon says. “The client base responded better than if they were seeing the artists. It resonated out of the gate, and so then we just never stopped.”

Around 10 years ago, some of the executives who experienced those songwriter-in-the-round performances started booking them for their own corporate events. The price was much less than booking, say, Tim McGraw, and the event proved more personal and intimate, as attendees heard familiar songs in the vocal-and-guitar format in which they were originally conceived. While prices vary, the typical writer might get $5,000, so a company could conceivably book a four-person event for $20,000 and minimal production costs, far cheaper than a corporate McGraw gig.

“Not only that, you can get the writers that wrote most of the Tim McGraw hits,” says songwriter Rob Hatch (“I Don’t Dance,” “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”), who co-founded a songwriter booking agency, Entersong, with Jerrod Niemann and Indiana-based entrepreneur Steve Stewart this year. The company has over 50 writers on its roster, and bookings can range from appearances at established venues to informal dates at backyard barbecues or house parties.

“COVID-19 created a situation where people couldn’t go out and go to concerts,” Hatch says. “A lot of the private concerts popped up more because they couldn’t go anywhere else.”

Like any other performer, songwriters determine the workload that suits them. Ashley Gorley (“You Proof,” “You Should Probably Leave”) takes out-of-town dates only if they’re with fellow writers who are already friends and/or it’s in a location where he and his wife would like to vacation. Chris DeStefano (“At the End of a Bar,” “Something in the Water”) is more aggressive.

“I try to do as much of it as possible,” he says. “It’s a great way of reaching fans and [a chance to] do some traveling, too, which I go do a lot of times. I get to bring my wife, and that’s always great. It’s working vacations, but also, it’s a way of really communicating directly with fans. And any opportunity I get to do that is some of the best parts of what I do.”

But a number of writers have also found that the shows can become too much of a good thing, as they start eating into their family time or damaging their creativity in the writing room.

“They are good for a songwriter to get some hard cash because our money is so delayed, the way we get paid,” says Jessi Alexander (“Never Say Never,” “I Drive Your Truck”). “If you’re going to pay me to come sing five songs with my friends, I’m going to do it, but I found that it was really starting to disrupt my writing — go play a gig, get home late at night, start all over again.”

Some of the gigs are ideal — Corey Crowder (“Famous Friends,” “Minimum Wage”) did one for Waldorf Astoria Hotels in Hawaii — and others have ranged from a trucking tire company that employed Track45 to a winery that booked Hunter Phelps (“wait in the truck,” “Thinking ’Bout You”). Another songwriter booking agency, Mike Severson’s Songwriter City, lists a bundle of clients — including Morgan Stanley, AT&T and Amazon — on its website.

In the end, the trend is one that takes advantage of the most unique feature of Music City’s creative class, providing an extra income stream to songwriters and setting the community apart in the business world.

“This kind of shows who we are,” Spyridon says. “You clear away all the clutter, and there’s a heart and soul, and it comes from the songwriter.” 

Subscribe to Billboard Country Update, the industry’s must-have source for news, charts, analysis and features. Sign up for free delivery every Monday.

28 Nov 2022

Billie Eilish, Finneas, Chloe x Halle, Annie Lennox and Ellie Goulding to Perform at 2022 Earthshot Prize Ceremony

This year’s Earthshot Prize awards ceremony will be taped in Boston on Friday (Dec. 2) and feature performances from Billie Eilish and her brother/producer, Finneas, as well as Chloe x Halle, new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Annie Lennox and Ellie Goulding.

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The ceremony celebrating the environmental organization founded by England’s Prince William — who will attend alongside wife Princess Kate Middleton — will be co-hosted by TV presenter Clara Amfo and actor/director Daniel Dae Kim. The five winners will be announced by presenters including the Princess of Wales, as well as Oscar-winner Rami Malek, comedian/screenwriter Catherine O’Hara and actor/advocate Shaileen Woodley.

According to a release, the Prince of Wales will deliver remarks at the end of the ceremony, which will also feature comments from natural historian and Earthshot Prize Council member Sir David Attenborough. “I am a big supporter of the Prince of Wales’ passion for the environment and share in The Earthshot Prize’s mission to protect and restore our planet,” said Goulding in a statement. “I am particularly excited for viewers around the world to learn about the innovative solutions presented by this year’s cohort of Finalists.”

Lennox added, “The urgent need to protect and restore our Earth’s damaged environmental systems is essential for future survival. The objective of The Earthshot Prize is powerful in terms of building a ‘Waste-Free World’ and ‘Reviving Our Oceans.’ I’m therefore honored to lend my voice in support of this ambitious mission.”

Co-host Dae Kim also weighed in on participating in the event that offers up an ambitious prize aimed at finding the best solutions to help repair the planet within the remaining decade. “I’m honored to be co-hosting this year’s Earthshot Prize,” Dae Kim said. “The ground-breaking, innovative work of the 2022 Finalists leaves me inspired and hopeful that we can solve the significant challenges facing us today. Whether it’s taking care of our planet or healing our communities, each of us can and must step up to do our part. Thank you to this year’s Finalists for leading the way.”

The Prize’s five “Earthshot” goals are: protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world and fix our climate. Prince William recently announced the 15 finalists for the $1.2 million award whose widely ranging efforts aim to protect orangutans in Malaysia, build cleaner-burning stoves in Kenya, intercept plastics before they reach oceans and create leather out of floral waste, among other innovations. The ceremony will stream in the U.S. on Dec. 5 at beginning at 2 p.m. ET on PBS.org and the PBS app and at 8 p.m. ET on the PBS YouTube channel.

28 Nov 2022

Miley Cyrus Is All Smiles at Her 30th Birthday Party: ‘Thankful For All the Love’

Miley Cyrus was all smiles at her 30th birthday party. The singer, who turned 30 last week, posted a pic from her celebration on Sunday (Nov. 27), cheesing it up while posing in front of a cake topped with candy bars and white frosting. “30. Thankful for all the love and kind birthday wishes,” she wrote alongside the snap.

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Some of her celebrity pals offered up some wishes as well, with Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee commenting, “Happy f—ing Bday dude!!!! and Lisa Rinna writing, “Happy birthday Gorgeous!!!” Miley’s actual birthday was on Nov. 23, and that’s when her godmother, country superstar and brand new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Dolly Parton commented, posting a pair of pics of the two in glittering gowns surrounded by golden balloons.

“Happy birthday @MileyCyrus!,” Parton wrote. “I can’t wait to celebrate with you and ring in the new year!!” The kind note from Parton came just days after the two stars announced that they’d be co-anchoring NBC’s annual New Year’s Eve special.

NBC also shared a fun promotional video of Cyrus and Parton on the network’s official Instagram page, in which the former states, “Miley’s New Year’s Eve party is about getting glamorous and dressing your best.”

“Well, we do that every day — don’t we, Miley?” Parton chimes in, to which her goddaughter replies, “You taught me well” before their duet version of “Jolene” kicks in. Set to air Dec. 31 live from Miami, the sophomore outing of Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party will mark the second straight year Cyrus has lorded over NBC’s year-end festivities. Last year, she co-hosted the special alongside Pete Davidson with performances by Anitta, Billie Joe Armstrong, Jack Harlow, Brandi Carlile, Saweetie, 24kGoldn and more.

Check out Miley’s bday post below.

28 Nov 2022

Australia Music Biz Teams With Ad Industry on ‘Our Soundtrack’ Campaign, New ARIA Award

BRISBANE, Australia — With the 2022 ARIA Awards now done and dusted, organizers are looking ahead to next year’s edition — and a brand-new category.

The Australian recorded music industry’s 37th annual ceremony will debut an award that celebrates the best use of Australian music in the creative and advertising space.

The new trophy coincides with the launch of Our Soundtrack Our Ads, a call-out to the Australian advertising industry to invest their music budgets into homegrown artists to soundtrack their work.

Spearheaded by ARIA Award-nominated recording artist Holly Rankin, the singer, songwriter and entrepreneur otherwise known as Jack River, Our Soundtrack Our Ads is the platform through which brands and creatives can gain eligibility for the new award.

It’s “an exciting opportunity for brands, creatives and the music industry to unite with a common goal of championing local music and local storytelling,” comments Rankin, whose debut full-length album Sugar Mountain opened at No. 11 on the ARIA Album Chart in 2018, and earned three ARIA Award nominations.

“We have such amazing talent here in our backyard, so getting to hear new and upcoming voices across more commercials, social media campaigns and creative content is exciting for the next generation of artists, brands and music lovers alike.”

Rankin got the ball rolling when, during the Olympic Games in July 2021, she noticed so many of the Aussie triumphs in Tokyo were beamed back home to the soundtrack of popular tunes from abroad.

So she took a stand.

Local businesses and media should do more to champion Australian music through its outlets and on commercials, she wrote in a PSA. “We need you more than ever. We wanna be your soundtrack,” read a post on her socials.

The essay went viral, commitments were made, and Our Soundtrack Our Stories was launched, to promote the use of Australian music across local businesses and media.

“We’ve been workshopping for the last 12 months, just feeling out how this would work, and making sure it would be super-authentic to both industries. And a true partnership,” explains Saynaree Oudomvilay, PR & Communications Senior Account Director at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, a partner in the new initiative.

Our Soundtrack our Ads is “really an extension of the legacy Holly has created,” she continues.

The ARIA Award should create some healthy competition. “We wanted to make (the campaign) super-accessible, and not just put out a lofty claim but back it with something tangible. The award does that,” Oudomvilay tells Billboard. “It’s also good to hold everyone accountable and make sure everyone puts their money where their mouth is in making those campaigns and engaging artists and supporting local.”

Early next year, partners in the campaign expect to share more details on what the initiative looks like, how brands can get involved, and more. In the meantime, brands, creatives and agencies can view the “pledge” and sign up for more information at the official ARIA website.

“Advertising has such an important role in impacting change across society. It creates ideas and tells stories that leave an important mark on culture. Music is no different,” comments ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd.

“I’m thrilled to celebrate talent and creativity across the two industries with this first-of-its-kind award in 2023.”

With the support and influence of Australia’s ad industry, she continues, “we can continue to create opportunities for Australian music to be heard in all its forms, by all who create it.”

28 Nov 2022

Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ Leads U.K. Chart Race Following ‘Acoustic’ Release

First, the album version, then the cut featuring Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers. Now, Taylor Swift’s acoustic cut of “Anti-Hero” is keeping the pop superstar’s Midnights hit on high rotation.

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Swift dropped “Anti-Hero (Acoustic Version)” last week, when Americans were tucking into their Thanksgiving turkey.

The impact can be felt across the Atlantic where, in the U.K., “Anti-Hero,” is on track for a sixth week at No. 1.

“Anti-Hero” completed a fifth week atop the Official Chart, published last Friday (Nov. 25), and it remains in pole position on the U.K.’s First Look chart, which ranks singles based on sales and streams from the first 48 hours.

“Anti-Hero” has led the chart every week since its release Oct. 21. A fresh version, featuring Bleachers, dropped on Nov. 7.

Meanwhile, Meghan Trainor’s “Made You Look” is showing strength and stamina in the U.K., where its challenging “Anti-Hero” for the chart crown.

Trainor’s doo-wop number is inching closer and lifts 3-2 on the chart blast, for what would be a chart peak.

If “Made You Look” unseats “Anti-Hero,” it would be Trainor’s third leader and first in seven years; her last was 2015’s Charlie Puth collaboration “Marvin Gaye.”

With England getting their World Cup campaign away to winning start, Baddiel, Skinner & The Lightning Seeds’ “Three Lions” looks set to kick another goal. The former chart leader is rolling towards the top 10, up 20-12 on the chart blast, and should enjoy a lift in the leadup to England’s final Group B fixture against Wales on Tuesday (Nov. 29).

A holiday-themed version of the track, “Three Lions (It’s Coming Home For Christmas),” could keep the song in the chart for the weeks ahead.

“Three Lions” would have company, with several Christmas classics making their annual march up the chart. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (up 18-8 on the chart blast) and Wham’s “Last Christmas” (23-10) are set to return to the top 10. Not far behind is Ed Sheeran & Elton John’s “Merry Christmas,” which hit No. 1 last December and lifts 40-16 on the chart blast. 

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published Friday (Dec. 2).

28 Nov 2022

Dermot Kennedy’s ‘Sonder’ Starts at No. 1 In U.K.

Dermot Kennedy makes it two-from-two as Sonder (via Island) debuts at No. 1 on the U.K. albums survey.

The Irishman bows at the summit of the Official Albums Chart, published Nov. 25, and shifts a market-leading volume on vinyl.

Sonder equals the peak position of his 2019 debut, Without Fear, which saw the Dublin-born singer and songwriter became the first Irish act to top the U.K. chart with their debut album in over 20 years, the OCC reports.

The Christmas chimes are ringing in the top 5, as André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra enter at No. 4 with Silver Bells (Decca), a Christmas classics collection. It’s the Dutch classical crossover artist’s 13th U.K. top 10 album entry.

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Meanwhile, Queen enjoys a miracle return to the top 10. The legendary rock act’s 1989 LP The Miracle (Virgin) blasts to No. 6 on the latest list, thanks to an eight-disc reissue featuring previously-unreleased cuts, some with the late Freddie Mercury’s vocals. The Miracle led the U.K. chart following its original release in 1989.

Nickelback roll into the top 10 with Get Rollin’ (BMG), the Canadian rockers’ tenth studio album. It’s the band’s seventh top 10 appearance and first since 2017’s Feed The Machine went to No. 3.

Manchester rapper Meekz lands a career-best with his mixtape Respect The Come Up (Neighbourhood Recordings), new at No. 12, while U.S. heavy metal veterans Disturbed earn a fifth top 40 appearance with Divisive (Reprise), new at No. 17.

The late master David Bowie lands a 68th U.K. top 40 with the Moonage Dream OST, the companion to Brett Morgen’s feature length documentary film of the same name. The posthumous recording is new at No. 20.

Christmas is less that one month away, and that mean another burst of energy for Michael Bublé’s festive collection. The multi-platinum Christmas (Reprise) set soars 50-26, and will likely continue in that trajectory for the weeks ahead.

27 Nov 2022

Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ Remains Unbeaten on U.K. Chart

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” (via EMI) continues to beat-up the opposition in the U.K., where it enters its fifth week at No. 1.

“Anti-Hero,” the first track from Swift’s chart-topping tenth studio album, Midnights, dominates the latest Official U.K. Singles Chart, published Nov. 25, with a market-leading 5.2 million streams, the OCC reports.

It becomes the longest-reigning song by a solo female artist since Olivia Rodrigo spent five weeks at No. 1 in 2021 with “Good 4 U,” and it’s among the biggest No. 1 hits of 2022.

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Just three songs have enjoyed longest stints at the U.K. summit this year: Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” (seven weeks), LF SYSTEM’s “Afraid To Feel” (eight weeks) and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” (10 weeks). 

Meanwhile, Meghan Trainor continues to climb on the latest tally with “Made You Look” (Epic), which makes its peak position of No. 3, up one position.

The highest new entry this week belongs to London rapper Clavish with “Rocket Science” (Polydor) featuring D-Block Europe. “Rocket Science” lifts off for a No. 9 debut, Clavish’s first appearance on the U.K. top 40, and D-Block Europe’s 27th appearance (including two top 10s).

The Christmas tunes are coming. Just one week removed from its earliest-ever return to the top 40, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” (Columbia) is getting a move on, up 36-18. Good enough for the OCC’s “biggest gainer” honors.

Close behind are two holiday-themed chart-toppers in Wham’s “Last Christmas” (RCA), up 42-23, and Ed Sheeran and Elton John’s “Merry Christmas” (Atlantic), which reennters at No. 40.

Christmas isn’t the only major event on British minds right now.

The World Cup of soccer is in full swing, with England and Wales both active in the early rounds. Following England’s first-up demolition job on Iran, 6-2, David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds’ “Three Lions” reenters the chart, at No. 20. The unofficial England football anthem and former leader gets a boost from a new cut, “Three Lions (It’s Coming Home For Christmas).”

Finally, British singer and songwriter Raye lands her 10th top 40 single with “Escapism” (Human Re Sources), a collaboration with U.S. electronic artist 070 Shake, new at No. 31; while another collaboration, Meekz and Dave’s “Fresh Out The Bank” (Neighbourhood Recordings), cracks the top 40 on debut, at No. 35.  

27 Nov 2022

Kim Kardashian ‘Disgusted and Outraged’ by Balenciaga Holiday Campaign

Balenciaga brand ambassador Kim Kardashian has called out the luxury fashion house for its recent holiday ad campaigns that featured children holding teddy bear bags dressed in what seemed like bondage gear. The campaign has since been taken down from all of the brand’s accounts.

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“I have been quiet for the past few days, not because I haven’t been disgusted and outraged by the recent Balenciaga campaigns, but because I wanted an opportunity to speak to their team to understand for myself how this could have happened,” the reality star tweeted on Sunday (Nov. 27).

She continued, “As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period.”

Kardashian went on to explain that she appreciated Balenciaga’s removal of the campaigns and apology and believes the brand understands “the seriousness of the issue” and will ensure it never happens again.

“As for my future with Balenciaga, I am currently re-evaluating my relationship with the brand, basing it off their willingness to accept accountability for something that should have never happened to begin with — & the actions I am expecting to see them take to protect children,” she concluded.

On Tuesday, the luxury fashion house took down the ad campaigns after receiving pushback on social media for the photos which included images of the children with their teddy bear bags.

“We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused,” Balenciaga said in a statement to its Instagram account. “Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign.”

In another statement a few hours later, the brand also addressed a separate campaign that displayed “unsettling documents” that referred to a Supreme Court case relating to child pornography laws, CNN reported.

“We apologize for displaying unsettling documents in our campaign,” Balenciaga wrote. “We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our Spring 23 campaign photoshoot. We strongly condemn abuse of children in any form. We stand for children safety and well-being.”

This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.