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03 Nov 2022

Drake Talks Love, Dating and Adult Films In New David Stern Interview

Drake didn’t just find himself at the top of hip-hop. He’s chipped away, weaponizing his addiction to work, success, progress… and porn.

The Canadian rap star gave David Stern a little more than he bargained for when he and 21 Savage sat for a chat with the shock jock. In a snippet posted on Drizzy’s Instagram, the back-and-forth covers love, life and adult films.

What type of online action does he consume? “Top, the highest tier of top givers,” he explains in the clip, now live on Drake’s IG. “That’s what I what I consistently, on a daily, tune into. Those are like the real superstars,” he adds, muffling giggles with his fellow guest.

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Though he’s now a dad, sharing a son Adonis Graham with French artist Sophie Brussaux, Drake hasn’t settled down.

Could he put a ring on it one day? “I’m sure I could, you know,” he tells Stern. “I think that eventually once all this is said and done for us, that addiction of work and success and forward movement is over, I feel we’re all going to need something real. Hopefully it’s not too late.”

At 36, Drake isn’t exactly over the hill. And with 11th No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart, most recently with June’s Honestly, Nevermind, earning Drake entry to a club of just five members to land more than 10 No. 1 albums on the chart, he’s surely a catch for some fine person.

Currently, he admits, he habitually dates four or five women. “I don’t know, hopefully I’ll find somebody,” he continues. “The biggest thing is I need to be inspired.”

Drake and 21 Savage are much more than talk-show guests. The pair are frequent collaborators and have teamed up on Her Loss, a joint-album release set to drop Friday (Nov. 4). The set was delayed by several weeks when producer Noah “40” Shebib contracted COVID.

Previously, the pair joined forces on “Knife Talk” from Drizzy’s 2021 effort Certified Lover Boy, “Mr. Right Now” from 21 Savage’s Savage Mode II collab album with Metro Boomin in 2020, Drake’s stand-alone release “Sneakin’” in 2016 and more.

Watch the clip from the Howard Stern Show below.

03 Nov 2022

Elton John Presses the Button on a Virtual World In Roblox

The Rocket Man is getting his game on.

As he winds down his epic touring career, Elton John enters the Roblox universe with his very own space, Elton John Presents: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road.

Once inside, gamers can have the full virtual experience of Elton’s music and career, with a digital stroll through the legendary pop star’s fashion, photographs and more. Also, fans can jump into interactive challenges set to his hits, daily scavenger hunts and trivia quizzes.

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Beyond the Yellow Brick Road was created by the Rock And Roll Hall of Famer along with his management firm, Rocket Entertainment, designed with more than 20 Roblox creators, and with support from Universal Music Group (UMG).

“In the decades we’ve worked together, my commitment to Elton has been to build the largest global audience for his creative genius, spanning his recorded music, songwriting, fashion and performances,” comments Lucian Grainge, chairman & CEO of Universal Music Group.

“As Elton wraps up his monumental final tour, we are extremely excited to help bring ‘Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’ to life so that new generations of fans, now and for years to come, will continue to be entertained and inspired by his songs and music.”

The virtual space is live from today (Nov. 3), and, for fans who want their avatars to look sharp, a virtual shop will stock complete Elton outfits or mix-and-match items. Currently, Roblox boasts more than 52 million active daily users.

The virtual chapter opens as the touring side of John’s career comes to an end. Elton is calling time on his sparkling live performances with his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour which, when it wraps next summer, will extend beyond 350 shows.

Billed as his final, years-long global trek, Elton hit the road in 2018. Based on figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour has grossed $661.3 million and sold 4.5 million tickets across 257 shows through Oct. 9.

At this stage, his goodbye run is just the third tour in Boxscore history to pass the $600 million threshold, following U2’s 360 Tour ($736.4 million), and Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour ($776.4 million).

Elton’s north American finale is set for Nov. 20, with the third of a three-night stand at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The end proper is scheduled for July 8, 2023 at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden.

“As Elton says farewell to touring at Dodger Stadium, we’re excited for the opportunities that spaces like Roblox offer to ensure Elton’s music and legacy may continue to bring joy to the world,” says David Furnish, CEO of Rocket Entertainment.

In a statement, Elton admits his family has well-and-truly roadtested Roblox. “I’ve seen the joy that Roblox has bought to my boys and the possibility it creates by the ability to interact with fans in such an exciting, and forward looking way has been mind- blowing to me,” he explains.

“I’ve always been myself and used my image, eyewear, and music to express myself, and Roblox really encourages that self-expression. Now my fans can do the same, and that’s really exciting.”

Since the earliest days of his career, Elton admits he’s “always wanted to push forward and look to the future, and ‘Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’ is the next step on that journey as I prepare to step away from live touring after 50 years on the road. It’s genuinely thrilling, and I can’t wait to see the response from my fans and the Roblox community.”

As Dodger Stadium stands to Elton’s music for the last time, Beyond the Yellow Brick Road will host a “special performance” experience start on Nov. 17, with updating performances each hour through Nov. 20.

Visit roblox.com/eltonjohn for more.

03 Nov 2022

Selena Gomez Introduces Fans to ‘My Mind & Me’ Documentary at Heartfelt Los Angeles Premiere

Selena Gomez introduced the world to the complexities of her mind and mental health through her new, aptly titled AppleTV+ documentary, My Mind & Me, which held its premiere at AFI Festival in Los Angeles, Calif., on Wednesday night (Nov. 2).

“I was going to release this documentary multiple times and it never really felt right,” the star told Billboard on the red carpet at the event. “Then the pandemic hit and a lot of people started having conversations around mental health, the isolation, people feeling depressed or anxious — never feeling those feelings before but have now. I just hope that this will carry on to something like a conversation that people will use to help later on.”

The theme of connection and starting a conversation rang true throughout the film, as Gomez sought healing from her bipolar disorder and lupus diagnoses as well as her 2017 kidney transplant through spending time with others — whether that be her best friend Raquelle Stevens, her childhood neighbors in Grand Prairie, Texas, or the children of Kenya during a 2019 philanthropic visit.

The Alek Keshishian-helmed film is a raw look at mental health, pulling back the curtain of fame to reveal a young woman who is actively working on her complicated relationship with loving and accepting herself. It’s rare to see a high-profile star show the more uncomfortable versions of herself to a global audience, allowing a camera crew to film her as she cries over her insecurities, undergoes a medical IV therapy for lupus and speaks at length about what it’s like to have a psychological disorder.

At one point in the documentary, Gomez likens learning about her bipolar disorder to reading about thunder and lightning as a child to help subside her fear of storms — which is a lesson she told Billboard she still uses to this day. “Knowledge eliminates fear in my opinion, because then you start having a relationship with your mental health, so I would suggest to learn as much as you can,” she shared as her advice to those going through similar struggles that she has gone through.

At an onstage Q&A following the premiere, Gomez elaborated on that same thought. “It’s OK to feel not good enough and to feel like you’re complicated and complex. It’s just about having a healthy relationship with how you talk to yourself, how you seek help, how you talk to other people,” she said of what she hopes people will take from the film. “I hope this starts a chain reaction of people saying, ‘Hey, I want to say something about my mental health. I want to talk about it and seek help.’ That’s one of the bravest things someone can do. Even if just one person is impacted by this film, I would consider myself the luckiest girl.”

Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me is out on Apple TV+ starting Friday (Nov. 4).

03 Nov 2022

The Veronicas Ready to Make a Big Noise With New Label Deal

With a new recording deal, and a months-long move from their homeland, Australia, the Veronicas are primed for another U.S. adventure.

The Brisbane pop duo, identical twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso, is the latest signing to Big Noise, a specialist in alt-pop and rock, with a roster including the Used, the Wrecks, Escape the Fate, and Goldfinger, whose singer and guitarist John Feldmann is the label’s co-founder and A&R.

Speaking with Billboard following a special rooftop concert in Melbourne, part of the Always Live program, Jess says they’re “excited to be the first female fronted signing to the label,” adding, “we felt they’re an amazing find for the Veronicas.”

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Feldmann is the facilitator in the new arrangement, which should tentatively see new Veronicas music drop in March of 2023, followed by a full collection of fresh recordings.

The multiple ARIA Award-winning pair has previously worked with Feldmann, and recently teased studio time with the U.S. music man and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker.

“We’ve been creating music with John this year, and he was telling us he’d love to release this music through his label,” explains Lisa. “It felt like the perfect thing for what we wanted to be in the States.”

Next up, a relocation to the U.S., where the sisters feel very much at home. They’re partnered-up with Americans, and they’ve already enjoyed breakthroughs Stateside, none punchier than “Untouched” (via EngineRoom/Sire), which cruised into the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 following its release in 2007.

“We started off career in the U.S.” recounts Jess. “We really love being over there, love creating, love the music scene, we’re just so excited to go back.”

All five Veronicas studio albums have impacted the ARIA top 10, and a string of singles have led the Australian chart, including 2007’s “Hook Me Up,” 2014’s “You Ruin Me,” and 2016’s “In My Blood.” Combined streams from across their 17-year career are north of 900 million, say reps.

“The Veronicas have been at the forefront of unapologetic female pop punk their entire career, and we’re excited to represent their music and vision into 2023,” comments Jon Cohen, president of Big Noise Music Group.

For the months ahead, the pair intend to split time between Los Angeles and Nashville, and continue work on those new recordings. Live dates will follow in support, including their first shows on U.S. soil in seven years. They’ll make their way to the Hollywood Bowl Nov. 19 for a date headlined by Smashing Pumpkins, they’re booked for the When We Were Young festival next October, and a full-scale U.S. tour is in the planning stages. The singers will also return home, at some point, for another national trek.

Being the “first female fronted signing for the label is exciting,” Lisa tells Billboard. “With emo, pop and rock making a massive resurgence worldwide, we can’t wait to be a part of it and show the world what Australian women are made of.”

03 Nov 2022

2023 CMT Music Awards to Air Live From Austin, Texas

The 2023 CMT Music Awards are headed to the Lone Star State.

CMT and CBS have revealed that the 2023 CMT Music Awards will air Sunday, April 2, 2023, live from Austin, Texas’ Moody Center, via CBS. The Paramount Global country music tentpole event returns for its global premiere exclusively via the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Kelsea Ballerini, who recently released her album Subject to Change, will return for a third consecutive year as co-host of the CMT Music Awards. Ballerini surprised Carrie Underwood during her Wednbesday (Nov. 2) stop at Moody Center on her The Denim & Rhinestones Tour, where they revealed Underwood as the first performer for the 2023 CMT Music Awards. Underwood has won the most honors of any artist at the CMT Music Awards, with 25 trophies to date.

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“Both Austin and Nashville are two of the world’s greatest music cities and we couldn’t be more excited to announce the return of the CMT Music Awards on CBS than with co-host Kelsea Ballerini surprising Carrie Underwood, our most awarded artist, in the middle of her incredible live performance at Moody Center – the exact venue where we’ll all be back exactly five months from today!” shared Margaret Comeaux, John Hamlin, Leslie Fram and Jason Owen, executive producers of the CMT Music Awards, via a statement. “Our fans are in for an unforgettable night of music with plenty of surprises, as the Live Music Capital meets Music City for the first time ever on a national stage in what will be a true country music extravaganza.”

“The programming team at Oak View Group and Moody Center has spent the past two years cultivating this relationship and working to endear CMT, CBS and Paramount to Austin and our new, world-class arena. CMT’s commitment to Austin reflects those efforts and we couldn’t be more grateful and excited to host them next year,” added Michael Owens, vp, programming, Moody Center.   

“We are beyond thrilled to welcome the CMT Music Awards to Moody Center in 2023! This event will have not only a huge financial impact on Austin and its tourism industry, but it will also showcase two of the top music brands globally, Austin as The Live Music Capital of the World and Country Music Television,” added Tom Noonan, president/CEO, Austin CVB. 

This year marked the CMT Music Awards’ debut on CBS, where the show garnered 5.89 million viewers, a 529% increase from June 2021, while also earning 2.7 billion impressions on social platforms.

02 Nov 2022

Tim McGraw Spotted Wearing Dad Tug McGraw’s Phillies Jersey at World Series Game

Country singer Tim McGraw wore his late father’s Phillies jersey at game 3 of the World Series on Tuesday night.

McGraw’s late dad, Tug McGraw, was a left-handed pitcher and a major figure during the 1980 World Series, winning a ring with the Phillies.

While Tim McGraw was enthusiastic about showing off his father’s jersey, the singer had a complicated relationship with Tug. 

“I didn’t know he was my dad,” Tim said in a 2013 interview with Larry King. “I was 11 years old, and I was rummaging around in mom’s closet and found a birth certificate. I was growing up in Louisiana, and my mom was divorced, and we were barely getting by.”

The singer then met his father for the first time that year, but would not be reunited with the busy athlete again for another seven years. Despite their physical distance, McGraw says he still felt close to his father and was elated to find out he was his son. “When I found out Tug McGraw was my dad, it gave me something in my little town in Louisiana, something that I would have never reached for,” he said in an interview with Esquire. “How could I ever be angry?”

The motivation from his award-winning father surely was effective for McGraw, who’s experienced extensive success in the world of country music, including 26 No. 1 hits on Billboard‘s Hot Country Songs chart.

02 Nov 2022

Imagine Dragons & The Strokes to Headline Inaugural Edition of Lollapalooza India

MUMBAI – Rock bands Imagine Dragons and The Strokes will headline the first Indian edition of Lollapalooza in January 2023, it was announced Wednesday (Nov. 2).

The festival, which will take place at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse on Jan. 28-29, is promoted and co-produced by Indian ticketing platform and entertainment company BookMyShow, along with global producers Perry Farrell and C3 Presents, which is owned by Live Nation. The Mumbai leg will mark the Asia debut of Lollapalooza, which expanded to Santiago, São Paulo and Buenos Aires in South America, and Berlin, Paris and Stockholm in Europe over the past decade.

Other international names in the lineup for Lollapalooza India — several of whom will be staging their first concert appearances in the country — include rock bands Greta Van Fleet and The Wombats; singer and Got7 member Jackson Wang; pop artists Alec Benjamin, Chelsea Cutler, Japanese Breakfast and Raveena; dream-pop group Cigarettes After Sex; and electronic music producers Apashe, Diplo, Imanbek, Kasablanca, Madeon and Zhu. Though it isn’t part of the official announcement, Farrell’s Kind Heaven Orchestra will also play the event, he told Forbes in September.

Among the Indian acts on the bill are Indo-Canadian rapper AP Dhillon, who is among the most streamed artists on Spotify and Apple Music in India; and homegrown heavyweights rapper Divine and Prateek Kuhad, rock band The Yellow Diary and metal group Bloodywood, whose album Rakshak hit the top 100 of the Billboard Top Album Sales chart in March on the back of an international fan campaign.

Around 40 acts will perform to a cumulative audience of approximately 60,000 people at Lollapalooza India, early bird tickets for which sold out within 36 hours, a representative for BookMyShow told Billboard. Tickets are on sale from lollaindia.com.

Check out the Lollapalooza India lineup below:

Lollapalooza India

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02 Nov 2022

Kelly Clarkson Delivers Smooth Cover of Z.Z. Hill’s ‘Someone Else Is Steppin‘ In’

Kelly Clarkson once more proved that she can truly sing any genre when she dipped into R&B and soul for her latest Kellyoke cover.

On Wednesday’s (Nov. 2) episode of her popular daytime talk show, the superstar delivered a buttery smooth rendition of Z.Z. Hill’s 1982 hit, “Someone Else Is Steppin’ In.” Dressed in a flirty periwinkle dress, she delivered every high and low note flawlessly, backed by a full horn section and her band.

The song was originally featured on Z.Z. Hill’s 1982 album, The Rhythm & the Blues, released just two years before the singer’s death.

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Later in the episode, Selena Gomez stopped by, and dished on what it was like to work with Steve Martin and Martin Short on their popular Hulu comedic drama series, Only Murders in the Building.

In September, the beloved American Idol winner kicked off season four of her Emmy-winning Kelly Clarkson Show. In the three seasons that the daytime talk show had been on the air before that, Clarkson has won an impressive five Daytime Emmys. Clarkson won outstanding entertainment talk show host all three seasons her show has been on the air. 

Other recent Kellyoke picks by Clarkson for her daytime show have included Monica’s “Angel of Mine,” Faith Hill’s “Breathe,” Solomon Burke’s “Cry to Me,” Joni Mitchell’s Christmastime classic “River,” John Legend’s “In My Mind,” “Heartbreak Anthem” by David Guetta, Galantis and Little Mix and more.

Check out Kelly Clarkson cover of Z.Z. Hill’s “Someone Else Is Steppin’ In” below.

02 Nov 2022

OneRepublic’s ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Hit ‘I Ain’t Worried’ Flies to No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay Chart

OneRepublic‘s “I Ain’t Worried,” from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack, ascends to No. 1 on Billboard‘s Adult Pop Airplay chart (dated Nov. 5).

The song marks the Ryan Tedder-fronted group’s fourth leader on the list and first since “Counting Stars” spent seven weeks at No. 1 in 2013-14. Before that, the act reigned with “Good Life,” for four weeks in 2011, and as featured on its first entry, Timbaland’s “Apologize,” which ruled for six weeks in 2008.

In August, “I Ain’t Worried” became OneRepublic’s 12th Adult Pop Airplay top 10. In between the song and “Counting Stars,” the group reached the top 10 with “Lose Somebody,” with Kygo (No. 8, 2020); “Connection” (No. 9, 2018); “I Lived” (No. 10, 2015); and “Love Runs Out” (No. 4, 2014).

Meanwhile, Tedder adds his 11th Adult Pop Airplay No. 1 as a co-writer. In addition to OneRepublic’s four leaders, he’s topped the chart as a co-author of: Lil Nas X’s “Thats What I Want” (2022); Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker” (2019); Maroon 5’s “Maps” (2014) and “Love Somebody” (2013); Gavin DeGraw’s “Not Over You” (2012); Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” (2009-10); and Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love” (2008).

On the all-genre, multi-metric Billboard Hot 100, “I Ain’t Worried” has so far reached No. 6, marking OneRepublic’s fourth top 10 and first since “Counting Stars” in 2014.

“I Ain’t Worried” is the second hit from the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack. The set’s “Hold My Hand” by Lady Gaga rose to No. 12 on Adult Pop Airplay in July.

02 Nov 2022

Tyler Perry Shares Stories of Jewish Allyship to Black Community Amid Kanye West’s Antisemitism

Tyler Perry fought back against Kanye West‘s recent barrage of antisemitic commentary by sharing his family’s personal connection to the Jewish community during his childhood.

“This first photo is of my mother with these adorable children she worked with at a Jewish community center,” the filmmaker wrote, captioning a post on Instagram depicting his mother’s class of 3-year-olds at the Jewish Community Center Nursery School. “I remember her coming home from work one day devastated because there was a bomb threat and my mother was horrified that there were people who wanted to blow up a building full of children because they were Jewish.

“I blurred their faces but think about that. It brought her back to that pain of having to live through the bombing of a church in Alabama where three little black girls died,” he continued, tying the moment emotionally to his mom’s experience during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Perry then went on to explain that his mom “made sure that I knew the commonality of what black people and Jewish people have endured” and made a moving argument about the crucial role allies can play in helping marginalized people regardless of race, ethnicity or creed.

“She not only taught me about slavery but she also taught me about the Holocaust,” he wrote. “But in teaching me about all our common pains she also taught me about the allies that Jewish people have been for black people. Case in point, look at the founding members of the NAACP – it took allies to get us to a better place in this country and those allies didn’t look like us.”

In another slide, Perry shares photos of Andrew Goodman, James Earl Chaney and Michael Henry Schwerner, three civil rights activists from New York who were abducted and killed in what were called the Mississippi Burning Murders. The trio had been working to register Black voters in Mississippi at the time.

“It was Jewish allies that were murdered in Mississippi trying to help us get the right to vote,” Perry continued. “I can fill this post with so many examples including my own allies that I work with today who have helped me grow a business that has allowed me to hire more black people than most businesses in Hollywood. No one makes it alone. Refuse hate!!”

While Perry didn’t refer to directly to Ye in the post, the rapper has created his own downward spiral in recent weeks by making increasingly disturbing antisemitic claims in the press, prompting multiple brands, from Balenciaga and Adidas to Gap and Foot Locker, to cut ties with him.

Read Perry’s powerful post about allyship below.