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26 Oct 2022

Social Media Star Charli D‘Amelio Debuts New Music Video for Single ’If You Ask Me To‘: ‘Putting This Song Out Is Important to Me’

You may know her for Tik Tok videos, which have accumulated over 148 million followers and over 11 billion likes. Still, Charlie D’Amelio is heading into uncharted territory: The 18-year-old social media maven released her first single and music video, “If You Ask Me To,” on Tuesday (Oct. 25); after the song premiered on the season 2 finale of The D’Amelio Show, a Hulu docu-series following D’Amelio and her family.

The pop song was produced by Greg Keller, who also co-wrote the track with D’Amelio, Austin Saxton, Emi Seacrest and Michael Schiavo. Andrew Sandler, who has visuals for Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, and Machine Gun Kelly, helmed “If You Ask Me To,” which depicts teenage heartbreak and the ups and downs of being in love with someone.

D’Amelio says that the song tells a story with characters rather than a true story about herself. “I wanted to use this as a time in my life where I don’t have to talk about true experiences — so much of my life is so out there,” D’Amelio tells Billboard.

As someone who rose to stardom through her dancing, D’Amelio has always been heavily involved with music. Still, she never really got a chance to experiment with making a song or creating a video from scratch, which led the superstar down this new path. “I fell in love with the process throughout,” D’Amelio says, “Which is why putting this song out is so important to me.”

Just below, the social media star chats with Billboard about her new single, what it was like working with a team to create music, some of her favorite artists and more.

I see you worked with Greg Keller and Austin Saxton. What was that like for you?

For me, it was awesome working with them. They let me kind of put what I wanted into the song, and I got a lot of freedom from this, making it fun for me to experiment with what I liked and what I get to put out with my first song. And I think that that was something that was super fun, that they let me take the front seat. But obviously, they’re the professionals, and they know what they’re talking about. So they were there to guide me the entire time. And you know, we all pitched in to writing the song and figuring out what would be best for the music video and everything. And I was just very thankful that they gave me that freedom within the creative.

How would you describe yourself as an artist?

I think for me, I would like for this journey to be ever-changing and grow with me. You know, I wanna be able to try and experiment within styles and everything, and I feel like that’s the best part — working with the people that I work with. They’re able to give me that freedom to create whatever comes naturally to me and go from there and never have to feel like I’m stuck in a box where I have to make one type of music. And I think that’s something that really means a lot to me.

Who are some of the people you listen to growing up and even now that motivate you in music?

Sam Smith, Adele, my sister (Dixie) obviously, Billie Eilish. Growing up doing a lot of contemporary dance, a lot of those artists were artists that I danced to — that’s the type of music that drew me in, which led me to create “If You Ask Me To,” and kind of tie it all together..I wanna give it to other people, so they’re able to enjoy it as well.

You’re a famous Tik-Toker. What do you want people to know about you outside of TikTok?

I think I want people to see me for me as a person and what my character is, and what I’m made up of rather than my TikTok videos — which aren’t always spot on for who I am all the time. I think with this song and the show that my family and I have, you see a little bit more of kind of the process. I feel like people’s perceptions of me are going to change as I change and grow up, and I’m here to live my life. And however people take that, I just let them because that’s not fully up to me how other people perceive me.

You’ve accomplished a lot for someone very young. What’s next for you?

I think for me, I’m planning on figuring it out as I go. You know, that’s the most amazing part. I wanna see what I’m able to make next and where the vibe goes. And if it comes together to be an album. And if it’s a little venue that I sing at once to see how it is — I mean, I’m ready to kind of try it all, and I’d love to be able to do bigger things within music. But I wanna see what’s next for me, creation-wise.

What is the reaction you’re hoping people get after listening to the song and watching the music video?

I want people to be able to relate their own experiences into music. I think when you listen to it, I hope that you feel something and if it relates to a point in time in your life where, “oh, this is kind of similar,” use it. I love music that makes you feel, music that makes you think.

I think it’s such a powerful thing that you can use in so many ways, and I hope people enjoy it. Whatever it is to them, my connection with the song is going to be different from everyone else’s, and everyone else is just going to differ from each other. So I hope that people take from it what they need and what helps them connect with it.

26 Oct 2022

Kanye West Antisemitism Fall-Out Continues As Aaron Donald, Jaylen Brown Split With Donda Sports

The ongoing fall-out from Kanye West‘s recent spree of antisemitic statements has reached nearly every corner of the former billionaire artist’s once-sprawling empire, with the latest defections coming from his Donda Sports division. In the wake of a series of interviews in which West has doubled- and tripled-down on inflammatory, derogatory hate speech, L.A. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald tweeted on Tuesday (Oct. 25) that he was unable to continue their professional relationship.

“Our family has made the decision to part ways with Donda Sports,” read a statement from Donald and his wife, Erica Donald. “The recent comments and displays of hate and antisemitism are the exact opposite of how we choose to live our lives and raise our children. We find them to be irresponsible and go against everything we believe in as a family.”

They continued, “as parents and members of society, we felt a responsibility to send a clear message that hateful words and actions have consequences and that we must do better as human beings. We do not feel our beliefs, voices and actions belong anywhere near a space that misrepresents and oppresses people of any background, ethnicity or race.”

Boston Celtics shooting guard Brown — who earlier this week said he was sticking with Donda Sports — shifted his position on Tuesday, saying, upon reflection, he could not keep working with West (who now goes by Ye).

“In the past 24 hours, I’ve been able to reflect and better understand how my previous statements lack clarity in expressing my stance against recent insensitive public remarks and actions,” Brown tweeted in a statement. “For that, I apologize. And in this, I seek to be as clear as possible. I have always, and will always, continue to stand strongly against any antisemitism, hate speech, misrepresentation, and oppressive rhetoric of any kind.”

Brown said in light of his reflection he recognized that “there are times when my voice and my position can’t coexist in spaces that don’t correspond with my stance or my values. And, for that reason, I am terminating my association with Donda Sports.” Both men signed with West’s marketing agency Donda Sports in May of this year. And while they cut ties, the company’s president, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown — who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 after taking off his uniform and running off the field during a game — said he was staying put.

“Over the past few weeks the world’s reactionary and selective outrage at comments in the media made by my brother, Ye, have inflamed and sparked rampant conversation and reflection,” Brown tweeted on Tuesday. “I too have been able to reflect on statements that I and others in my circle have made that lack clarity in expressing my stance. The people and brands that have relentlessly profited from Black ideas and Black culture chose to distance themselves at a very specific time: a time that demonstrated their prioritization of certain groups over others.”

Brown said, for those reasons, he is standing by his “dedication to freedom of speech, thought, and opinion.” He added that as president of the company he remains “true to the mission of Donda,” as well as “dedicated to helping clarify statements taken out of proportion by the media.”

West’s recent spate of controversial statements and actions — including wearing and promoting a “White Lives Matter” shirt featuring a slogan adopted by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups as a response to the Black Lives Matter movement and his weeks-long series of interviews in which he has made antisemitic comments — have cost the rapper dearly.

In addition to facing backlash from both fans and celebrities online, he has been dropped by many of his fashion and business partners, including The Gap, Balenciaga, Adidas, as well as getting him dropped by his agents at CAA, and seeing an already-finished documentary from MRC shelved. In addition, Forbes reported this week that the loss of the lucrative Adidas deal — valued at around $1.5 billion — would cost Ye his billionaire status, dropping his net worth to around $400 million.

See Donald, Brown and Brown’s statements below.

26 Oct 2022

Is Rihanna About to Drop New Music For ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’?

Rihanna’s comeback is fast approaching. And, if the clues have been accurately deciphered, new music could arrive before the week is out.

For several days and weeks, the pop superstar has been linked with the forthcoming Black Panther sequel, for which she’s rumored to perform the end-credit song.

The rumor-mill continues to grind away, first with billboards hinting at RiRi’s involvement in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, by way of cryptic promotions on electronic billboards in New York, and now with an official social post.

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A teaser for the forthcoming movie splashes the title, then resets the first “R” in “Forever.” Under it, the date Oct. 28 — this Friday.

The “Umbrella” singer hasn’t released an album since Anti dropped six years ago, and logged two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. She hasn’t performed music live in nearly as long.

Though the Barbados-born superstar has teased new music several times over the years, she still hasn’t come out with any new tunes since 2016, and has mainly focused on running her makeup and skincare brand, Fenty Beauty.

That could change with the latest in the Black Panther franchise. Though at this stage, nothing is confirmed.

If RiRi does make her entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she’ll follow “All The Stars” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, who recorded the track for 2018’s Black Panther. “All The Stars” raked in several Oscar and Grammy Award nominations.

What is certain is that Rihanna’s live drought will over by the time she takes the stage for the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 12, 2023.

A nine-time Grammy winner, Rihanna recently cracked Forbes’ 2022 list of “America’s Richest Self-Made Women,” at No. 21.

She’s the youngest on the tally to have a net worth of more than one billion dollars, the bulk of her wealth generated by her cosmetics line.

In May, Rihanna added “mother” to her long list of accomplishments, giving birth to her first child, a boy, with A$AP Rocky.

26 Oct 2022

Team Camila Singers Enter Battle With Whitney Houston Cover on ‘The Voice’

Peak Whitney Houston was impossible to beat.

Clearly Andrew Igbokidi and Zach Newbould read the memo when they engaged in a Battle Tuesday night (Oct. 25) for NBC’s The Voice.

The Team Camila singers went to work with Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” steering it into different territory. The pair stripped it down, creating a midtempo number with few clues to the shiny ‘80s original.

“Zach your voice really shined,” enthuses Gwen Stefani. “It was like an alternative sounding voice in a pop song. I like the contrast of that.”

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Igbokidi, she comments, had great range and unexpected runs. “And you are very beautiful, it was stunning when you came out.”

John Legend also picked up on Igbokidi knack for “very cool” unexpected vocal flurries. “You have an interesting approach to music.” His rival, however, is “more consistently on point” with “really lovely” tone. “It was really well executed”

Blake Shelton cut to the chase. Nerves got the better of Igbokidi. “Andrew, almost felt like something was holding you back,” he remarks. “I just think you’re better than what happened here today.” Newbould delivered best in this “tall task,” he admits.

Cabello went deeper on Igbokidi’s stumbles. “I think that your hypercriticism of yourself is keeping you from accessing the freedom and the fun to go to that next level. But the talent is there.”

However, Newbould stepped up under the bright lights. And he did it consistently.

Cabello had a decision to make. Her pick, like Igbokidi’s runs, was most unexpected.

Watch below.

26 Oct 2022

Inaugural Black Music Summit Headed to Ibiza in Summer 2023

The inaugural Black Music Summit (BMS) is coming to the island of Ibiza in summer 2023.

Founded by WME agent Jordan Hallpike and Kenny Eshinlokun, founder of creative agency Taboo, the event is described as a “social enterprise invested in the global development and celebration of Black music talent” on both the creative and executive fronts.

In a release announcing the forthcoming event, Eshinlokun further explains that the summit’s goal is “to give the next generation a chance to have more opportunities and a better experience in the music industry than many Black people have had to date. The BMS will offer Black musicians, creators and music industry professionals the opportunity to be seen and heard and, hopefully, reduce the amount of future discriminative challenges many Black people in the industry face. I’m excited about the opportunity to collaborate, celebrate and inspire the next generation, while showcasing so much amazing talent all in one place.”

Adds Hallpike, “Ibiza represents freedom, creativity, expression and beauty. Black culture has laid the foundations for so many genres of music. House and techno were formed by Black culture in Detroit and Chicago. Without the influences of Black pioneers like Frankie Knuckles, Ibiza — the island of dance — would simply not be what it is today. Our aim is to make more Black talent, executives and tourists view this wonderful island as a space they can also occupy, just like any other location in the world.”

Today’s announcement by the BMS Creative Council follows a soft launch in September at two Ibiza locations — Pikes and Hï Ibiza — that included performances from Seth Troxler, JULS, Lava La Rue and No Signal, among others. Leading up to the inaugural event next summer, BMS plans to host a series of events in key locations around the world. The summit itself will feature keynotes, panel discussions, workshops, live performances, various events and club nights.

Members of the BMS Creative Council include: Charisse Beaumont, chief executive of Black Lives in Music; Craig D’Souza, partner/agent at WME; Ebi Sampson, co-founder of August Agency; Jide Adetunji, co-founder of GUAP; Jojo Sonubi, co-founder of Recess/No Signal; Joseph “JP” Patterson, editor-in-chief of Complex UK; Kikelomo Oludemi, senior creator marketing manager at Native Instruments; Lola Oyewole, entertainment creator partnerships at TikTok; Preye Crooks, co-founder of Robots & Humans/Strawberries & Creem Festival; Seni Saraki, co-founder of Native Networks; Sheniece Charway, artist relationships manager at YouTube Music and Whitney Boateng, agent at WME.

Watch the Black Music Summit launch video here. And register for more information from The Black Music Summit here.

26 Oct 2022

Steve Lacy Responds After Smashing a Disposable Camera Onstage: ‘I Don’t Believe I Owe Anyone an Apology’

Steve Lacy has a bad habit, and it’s not destroying other people’s property.

The rising star had a moment on stage Monday night (Oct. 24) in New Orleans when, during a performance of his breakout hit “Bad Habit,” he demolished a spectator’s disposable camera.

In fan-filmed footage doing the rounds on social media, Lacy is hit by a camera, tossed by someone near the front of stage.

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A moment later, an outreached hand passes Lacy a disposable camera — it’s unclear if it’s the same object that hit the singer — which he promptly smashes.

Soon after, Lacy reportedly wrapped his show early at Orpheum Theater.

Social media users have weighed in, some in support of the 24-year-old singer and his dramatic departure, others claiming he overreacted.

Now, Lacy has shared his thoughts. In short, he has nothing to apologize for.

Writing on Instagram, Lacy comments, “My shows been fun as hell! shoutout to the people not throwing disposable cameras at me and just coming to catch a vibe and connect. I had a really good time in nola last night. I hate that the beauty of the connection I have with so many people in the crowd-gets lost when something negative happens.”

He adds, “I don’t believe I owe anyone an apology – maybe I could’ve reacted better? Sure. Always. I’m a student of life. But I’m a real person with real feelings and real reactions.”

Throwing projectiles at performing artists rarely ends well. “I’m not a product or a robot. I am human,” Lacy continues. “I will continue to give my all at these shows. please come with respect for urself and others please thank you love u.”

Lacy was elevated to the big league with “Bad Habit,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart earlier this year.

Lifted from the top 10 album Gemini Rights, “Bad Habit” bagged another milestone by coming the first song ever to simultaneously top Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B Songs, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts. 

26 Oct 2022

Spotify’s Daniel Ek Criticizes Kanye West’s ‘Awful’ Antisemitic Comments, But Music Won’t Be Removed

The growing corporate boycott of Kanye “Ye” West after he made antisemitic remarks in several interviews has increased pressure on music streaming services to pull the rapper-turned-fashion mogul’s albums from their platforms.

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On Tuesday (Oct. 25), Spotify CEO Daniel Ek addressed the issue in an interview with Reuters, making clear that Ye’s comments were “awful” but his music did not violate the streamer’s anti-hate policies. Ek added it was up to Ye’s label, Universal Music’s Def Jam imprint, to pull his music if they felt compelled to.

“It’s really just his music, and his music doesn’t violate our policy,” Ek told Reuters, adding, “It’s up to his label, if they want to take action or not.” Ek said that Ye’s antisemitic comments would have been pulled from Spotify if he had made them on a podcast or recording, as per their hate speech policy, but that the rapper hadn’t made such comments.

Def Jam owns the copyright to Ye’s recordings from 2002 through 2016. The New York Times, which cites an unnamed source, reported that Ye’s label G.O.O.D. Music is no longer affiliated with Def Jam. The rapper’s contract with his long-time record company reportedly expired with his 2021 album DONDA.

“There is no place for antisemitism in our society,” Def Jam said in a statement to Reuters.

After Ye made repeated antisemitic comments in interviews and tweets, Hollywood’s major players began publicly calling for a boycott of the rapper. WME chief Ari Emanuel directly called on Ye’s corporate partners, particularly Spotify and Apple Music, to stop collaborating with him.

Since Emanuel’s plea, talent agency CAA dropped Ye as a client, MRC Entertainment shelved a completed documentary on the rapper and Balenciaga, GAP and Vogue cut all ties with him.

On Monday, Ye lost his biggest corporate back, the sportswear giant Adidas, who ended their highly lucrative partnership with the Yeezy brand.

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

26 Oct 2022

Spotify Hits 195 Million Paid Subscribers, Exceeds Monthly Active Users Expectations

Music streaming giant Spotify reported 195 million paid subscribers in the third quarter of 2022, up from 188 million paid or premium subscribers in the previous quarter and above expectations.

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The company had forecast it would hit 194 million premium subscribers this quarter.

Spotify also exceeded its monthly active user expectations, reaching 456 million monthly active users in the third quarter, above its forecast of 450 million. In the second quarter, monthly active users hit 433 million, up from 422 million in the previous quarter.

The company now says it has 4.7 million podcasts. At the end of June, Spotify had 4.4 million podcasts on the platform, up from 4.0 million at the end of March. New additions this quarter included the launch of Meghan Markle’s podcast, Archetypes.

Total revenue came in at €3.04 billion compared to a forecast of €3.0 billion.

Still, the continuing focus is on the company’s margins (which came in below expectations at 24.7 percent compared to the company’s estimate of 25.2 percent). The company said this was due in part to “slower than forecast advertising growth given the challenging macro environment,” as well as the expected renewal of a large publishing contract outside of the U.S. and currency fluctuations. Advertising was particularly impacted in Europe, according to the company. However, advertising only makes up a small segment of the company’s results.

While podcasting has been gaining traction and ad revenue, the $1 billion investment to get there has weighed down the company’s profitability. In June, the company said it expected podcast margins to turn positive after 2022 — this year marked the peak negative impact on the margins — with the segment becoming profitable in the next one to two years.

Speaking on the earnings call Tuesday, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said the results are still in line with that pledge, as well as the theory that this is an investment year for the company.

“This is all playing out largely as we expected, despite the macro environment,” Ek said.

Asked whether Spotify would consider raising prices in the U.S., as Apple Music and other competitors have, Ek said “it is one of the things that we would like to do,” and that the company will be having conversations with its label partners on that.

In July, the company said it was preparing for an economic downturn — though it had not yet had much of an impact on its business — by slowing its pace of hiring by 25 percent.

“I do believe only the prepared survive, and we’re preparing as if things could get worse,” Ek said at the time.

On Tuesday, Spotify said it had not seen any “material impact” from the economic downturn, other than on its ad business.

However, moving forward, Ek said the company will be “more selective” with its “overall spending.” Future investments will be made only if they are accretive to the company’s margin over the investment period and if they strengthen the company’s value proposition to users. Ek also noted that there may be new opportunities in an economic downturn.

The company has also taken on other cost cutting measures. Earlier this month, Spotify canceled 10 original shows from its studios Parcast and Gimlet. This led to the layoff of 38 employees and pushback from their respective unions.

On Tuesday, Spotify did not address the cancellations directly, but said that the restructuring should lead to “improved productivity at select studios” and appear as a one-time charge in the fourth quarter.

At the same time, Spotify officially launched its audiobooks business in September, which it had been long promising as the next step in its business plan after its podcast push. The company chose an à la carte model at launch, in which users can check out individual books from a library of 300,000 titles. There are no ads yet for the audiobooks business, but the company has said it may explore that and other business models.

While management did not release numbers yet on the launch, executives said they had seen “good engagement” with the segment, even as the purchasing experience has been not been ideal for iOS users. Ahead of the earnings call, The New York Times reported that Apple had rejected the Spotify app three times.

The company has also been experimenting with selling tickets. In August, Spotify launched a ticket selling website for select artists. Paul Vogel, Spotify’s chief financial officer, has characterized it as a means of boosting average revenue per user on the platform, as well as increasing listening hours for those artists. The company would not disclose any numbers on that effort Tuesday.

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

26 Oct 2022

JoJo Siwa Performs Some Serious Wizardry As She Transforms Into Draco Malfoy

It’s not even officially Halloween weekend yet, and JoJo Siwa is already winning in the costume category.

The 19-year-old star took to TikTok on Tuesday (Oct. 24) to show off her transformation into Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series, portrayed in the films by Tom Felton. With her platinum blonde hair and her Slytherin robe, Siwa bears a striking resemblance to the beloved character.

In her video, the Nickelodeon alum recreated a scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, in which Felton’s Draco introduces himself and his friends to Harry Potter (played by Daniel Radcliffe). “This is Crabbe, and Goyle,” Siwa lip syncs in her costume. “And I’m Malfoy. Draco Malfoy.” 

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Siwa’s girlfriend, fellow TikTok star Avery Cyrus, even shared her thoughts in the comments section, sweetly chiming in, “All the sudden I have a crush on Draco Malfoy.”

Siwa and Cyrus confirmed their relationship after weeks of speculation, when the Dance Moms star posted a video of the two posing together in a photo booth, smiling before they lean in for a kiss. “Happiest girl,” the dancer captioned the post.

In 2021, Siwa officially came out on social media. “I never wanted [my coming out] to be a big deal,” she said in an interview with People a few months later. “I’ve never gotten this much support from the world. I think this is the first time that I’ve felt so personally happy.”

“I still don’t know what I am. It’s, like, I want to figure it out … I don’t know — bisexual, pansexual, queer, lesbian, gay, straight. I always just say ‘gay’ because it just kind of covers it, or ‘queer’ because I think the keyword is cool,” she said before adding that she’s considered labeling herself pansexual. 

26 Oct 2022

Stray Kids Are Agents on a Mission in Action-Packed ‘Give Me Your TMI’ Video: Watch

Critics already eyed it as one of the best songs on Stray Kids‘ new album Maxident, but now “Give Me Your TMI” gets a full music video from the chart-topping boy band.

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After being initially teased ahead of Maxident‘s release, the new visual sees Stray Kids going full-on secret agent to “get the TMI”—or, as the song’s lyrics detail, learn more about a crush. The cinematic video sees all eight of the Kids delivering their best action hero impersonations as Bang Chan throws out a slew of deceiving hand grenades, Han bats away incoming bullets with a frying pan, and Felix utilizes a two-in-one umbrella handgun. The video isn’t completely Hollywood heavy as fans can catch quick and cute candid moments when the members break character or laugh with one another. Also, look out for an adorable bunny rabbit co-star appearing alongside scenes with Lee Know—STAYs know that the singer-dancer’s representative animal is a rabbit.

The “Give Me Your TMI” video comes a week after Stray Kids’ Maxident ruled the Billboard 200 with the eight-track set marking their second No. 1 album this year. In its second week, Maxident is No. 11 on the Billboard 200 while spending a second week at No. 1 on World Albums.

Fans can still vote for “Give Me Your TMI,” or any other Maxident songs, as their all-time favorite here. Watch the new video now: