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The Weeknd’s postponed tour of Australia is now canceled and ticket owners will be refunded.
The Canadian R&B superstar had initially scheduled an 11-date stadium tour of Australia and New Zealand, winding its way across both countries last November and December.
Then, two weeks before the After Hours Til Dawn Tour was due to kick off, the trek was shelved “due to unforeseen circumstances.”
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A statement issued at the time confirmed that new dates would be announced for 2024 and current tickets will be valid for those new shows.
That’s no longer the case. Though replacement dates were never announced, a statement confirms the existing 2023 tour will be cancelled, while Live Nation, which was producing the tour, continues to investigate a rescheduled trek.
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“The Weeknd ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’ for Australia & New Zealand is still in process of being rescheduled,” reads a statement from LN, seen by Billboard. “Whilst we continue to work through the rescheduling process with the artist, tickets for the existing 2023 tour will be cancelled with all ticket holders receiving a full refund accordingly.”
Ticket holders of the The Weeknd’s ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’ shows who previously held on to their tickets will be able to access a priority purchase window for the new tour in Australia and New Zealand when announced, the message reads, linking to a priority waitlist. All current ticket holders will receive an automatic refund.
The tour was originally announced last August with just four shows, visiting each of Australia’s big three east coast cities — Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — and including a single date in Auckland, NZ.
Additional dates were added last September, boosting the itinerary to 11 across both markets.
The Weeknd’s tour is scrapped as Australia’s festivals market navigates turbulent waters. In recent weeks, the 2024 editions of Splendour in the Grass, Mona Foma, and Groovin The Moo, with soft ticket sales playing a part in each story.
The inaugural Soundcheck report, published by Creative Australia, found the climate for operating a festival was a “highly complex” one, with event organizers challenged with myriad issues, from rapidly increasing costs, changing ticket buying behavior and more.
Despite the situation Down Under, The Weeknd continues to pump out the hits. In recent days, Abel Tesfaye became just the 18th artist to chart at least 100 career hits on the Hot 100, thanks to a pair of guest appearances on Future and Metro Boomin’s new Billboard 200 No. 1 album We Still Don’t Trust You: the set’s title track, which debuts at No. 22, and “All to Myself,” which starts at No. 67.
In the U.S., he has landed seven No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 and four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.
On Australia’s ARIA Albums Chart, published last Friday, April 19, the Weeknd’s hits collection The Highlights lifts 8-4 in its 167th week on the tally. It’s triple-platinum certified in Australia.
Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney reflect on their 20-year journey as The Black Keys. The duo elaborates on the various collaborations of their new album ‘Ohio Players,’ including Juicy J, Noel Gallagher from Oasis, Lil Noid and more. They also share some insight into their upcoming tour, what the fans can expect on the setlist and more!
Patrick Carney:
One night we were working here at Sunset and there’s a, there was, a very rare record that Dan wanted on eBay.
Dan Auerbach:
I had been waiting a year and a half to get it.
Patrick Carney:
He didn’t know that I knew that it was on eBay, and like, there was three minutes left, and it started jacking the price up. I was like watching him sweat because-
Dan Auerbach:
He was behind me laughing. I didn’t know what he was laughing at and I was just freaking out because somebody else was bidding so heavy on this thing. I’ve been waiting like six days for this auction.
Dan Auerbach:
Hey, I’m Dan.
Patrick Carney:
I’m Patrick, we’re The Black Keys and you’re watching Billboard News.
Lyndsey Havens:
Hey, I’m Lyndsey Havens for Billboard News. And we are here with the legendary hitmaking duo The Black Keys. What’s up, guys?
Patrick Carney:
What’s up? How are you?
Lyndsey Havens:
Album came out just a few weeks ago, how are we feeling?
Patrick Carney:
We’re stoked. We’re very happy with the album. We’re excited for the year ahead.
Lyndsey Havens:
So this is your 12th album, obviously, a long road to get here. Do you have any rituals before you release an album at this point? Or does it all sort of feel the same?
Patrick Carney:
I heard that Chris Martin like … when he prepares to write, he likes to isolate himself and read all the bad reviews.
Keep watching to learn more!
For a band that split in 1970, the Beatles seem to be everywhere right now.
Last year, the Fab Four released their final recording, “Now And Then,” which gave the band their first No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay in more than 50 years, a leader on the Official U.K. Singles Chart which extended their record as the British act with the most leaders (18). It was also the longest-ever gap between No. 1 singles for any act, at 54 years.
Then, last week, confirmation that Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 documentary Let It Be would be released for streaming on Disney+ from May 8, restored by Peter Jackson and the Kiwi director’s team.
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The Beatles’ music got another boost — and an update — during the Playoffs of NBC’s The Voice, when Nathan Chester ripped out a classic.
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For the latest episode, which aired Monday night (April 22), Chester gave an acrobatic performance of “Oh! Darling,” which appears on the Beatles’ Abbey Road album.
Chester, looking sharp in a retro, green suit, brought soul to his rendition, delivered high notes with style, and busted out some eye-watering splits. Think prime James Brown.
The Chicago, IL native hones his talents as a professional singer on cruise ships. It shows. During the Blind Auditions, he impressed with a performance of Al Green’s “Take Me to the River,” earning a two-chair turn.
“I’m always waiting for someone to inspire me, excite me,” coach John Legend said at the time. “When I heard you singing, I turned very quickly because I was like, this man’s got it.”
Guided by Legend, Chester performed Elvin Bishop’s “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” in the Knockouts.
And what is Chester comfortable singing? Jazz, opera, golden age of musical theater, funk, soul, Motown, he explained following his Blind Audition. It turns out, he’s just fine with the Beatles. And if he was to make an album, he’d want to bring back “the James Brown-style of Motown.” We got a glimpse of that on Monday night.
Watch below.
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The latest epic from the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings together three giants of popular culture: Deadpool, Wolverine and Madonna.
Marvel’s forthcoming action-comedy “Deadpool & Wolverine” is a superhero dream team, which sees Hugh Jackman reprise his role as the hard-as-nails X-Man Wolverine alongside Ryan Reynolds’ reckless (and foul-mouthed) Deadpool.
The trailer should fill the cups for anyone weaned on Marvel, comics, action and ‘80s music.
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It’s a two-and-a-half-minute NSFW blockbuster, loaded with fight sequences, drug references, Deadpool crashing through the fourth wall and a carpeting of f-bombs, soundtracked to the Madonna classic “Like a Prayer.”
The Queen of Pop’s Billboard Hot 100 leader from 1989 gets a dancey-upgrade for the clip, which was shared on Reynolds’ YouTube page and can be seen in full below.
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Madonna justified her royal status earlier this year as “Popular,” her collaboration with the Weeknd and Playboi Carti, creates an impressive piece of U.K. chart history when it became the U.S. pop veteran’s 64th top 10 single, extending her lead as the female artist with the most top 10s in Official Chart history.
Madonna sets chart records for fun. According to the Official Charts Company, the superstar singer has 12 U.K. No. 1 albums, the most among solo female artists, though Taylor Swift is days away from equaling that feat. The Like a Prayer LP, which recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, is one of those leaders (it logged two weeks at the chart summit).
When “Popular” splashed on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023, Madonna joined Cher as the only women to have debuted titles on the chart in five separate decades (Madonna has debuted songs on the Hot 100 in the 1980s, ‘90s, 2000s, ’10s and now ‘20s).
Directed by Shawn Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine is due out July 26 and is Marvel Studios’ first R-rated film. The forthcoming film is the third in the Deadpool series and follows Deadpool 2 by six years.
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Taylor Swift is ready for her chart crown.
Predictably, Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (via EMI) flies out the gate in the U.K., where it’s set to become her 12th No. 1.
Based on midweek sales and streaming data captured by the Official Charts Company, Tortured Poets has already collected 197,000 chart units, good enough for the title as the fastest-selling album of 2024 so far.When the full-week’s result is tallied, Tortured Poets will stand tall as Swift’s biggest opening week in the U.K. Her current record holder is 2022’s Midnights, with 205,000 first week U.K. chart units, a result that Tortured Poets has almost certainly eclipsed (with half a week to spare).
When the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published later this week, Swift should notch a 12th No. 1 with Tortured Poets, equaling Madonna at the top of the leaderboard of solo female artists. She’s also the first and only artist this century to rack up 10 U.K. No. 1 albums.
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As previously reported, Swift respectively locks up the top three spots in the singles chart race with “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone, the title track, and “So Long, London.” With that form, expect the U.S. pop superstar to nab the chart double. “Fortnight” should become TayTay’s fourth U.K. No. 1, after “Look What You Made Me Do” (from 2017), “cardigan” (2020) and “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version)” (2023).
Swift’s 11th studio album has already smashed Spotify streaming marks, blasting away with more than 300 million streams in a single day.
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Also on the Official U.K. Albums Chart Update, Pearl Jam’s 12th and latest studio album Dark Matter (Monkeywrench Records/Republic Records) is predicted to give the Rock Hall inductees their highest-charting LP in 11 years, at No. 2.
Completing the podium on the chart blast is UB40’s UB45 (Sono Recording Group), new at No. 3. UB45 is the 21st studio album from the British reggae/pop act, gathering seven new songs and as many revisions of older works.
All will be revealed when the national chart is published late Friday, April 26.
It’s Monday, April 22nd, and we’re starting off the week with fiery disses and records breaking. Drake released an AI track further digging at Kendrick Lamar. The track, ‘Taylor Made Freestyle,’ uses AI to emulate the voices of icons Tupac Shakur & Snoop Dog. Taylor Swift once again breaks records with the release of her […]
Tetris Kelly: Can fresh tracks from Sabrina Carpenter and Hozier hold off four former No. 1s from the top? This is the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the week dated April 27th. SZA is back in the top 10 with “Saturn.” “Sticks Season” rises a spot to No. 9. Ariana stays put at No. […]
The stars came out as the Rock Hall class of 2024 was unveiled to the world Sunday night (April 21) during ABC‘s American Idol.
Another star-in-the making, Julia Gagnon, used the special occasion to announce herself as a strong candidate for this year’s title.
For a shot at the top 12, Gagnon, the college student from Cumberland, Maine, wore a long red dress and rows of pearls, and channeled the “greatest singer of her generation” — Whitney Houston.
Gagnon and the other top 13 contestants performed songs by Rock And Rock Hall of Fame inducted artists, and two more contestants were eliminated.
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Gagnon delivered with a rendition of “Run To You,” by class of 2020 singer Houston, which appeared on The Bodyguard soundtrack.
During the season 22 auditions, Gagnon shared the story of her tough upbringing. Born in Guatemala, and put up for adoption as a baby, the youngster was raised by a loving family in the U.S. At school, she experienced bullying, but she found her voice through singing.
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Curious of her background, Gagnon went and located her birth mother. The Idol stage would provide a platform for the contestant to “do something for” her birth mom. “I felt really helpless, because I can’t go to her in Guatemala. It’s really far. But she’s really proud of my voice,” she said during the auditions. “And she wanted to see me do something big.”
There was nothing small about her performance on Sunday night, which showcased her vocal power and range. A standing ovation awaited from the audience and the three judges: Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. And on she advances, into the final dozen.
Gagnon wasn’t the only must-see moment on Idol.
During the show, Ryan Seacrest and Rock Hall inductee Lionel Richie revealed the Rock Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024. As previously reported, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul Mary J. Blige, stalwart pop icon Cher, roots rock jam band Dave Matthews Band, stadium rock hitmakers Foreigner, guitar pro Peter Frampton, funky R&B legends Kool & the Gang, metal god Ozzy Osbourne and alt hip-hop progenitors A Tribe Called Quest are all entering the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year in the performers category.
Watch Gagnon’s performance during the Rock Hall-themed episode of Idol below.
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The Swift Sweep, the Taylor Takeover. Call it what you will, just expect Taylor Swift to dominate the U.K. charts with The Tortured Poets Department.
When the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published Friday, April 26, Swift will add to her tally of 26 U.K. top 10 singles, and is forecast to nab a fourth No. 1, after “Look What You Made Me Do” (from 2017), “cardigan” (2020) and “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version)” (2023).
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Based on early sales and streaming data crunched by the Official Charts Company, Swift’s collaboration with Post Malone, “Fortnight,” the opening track and first official single from Tortured Poets, is in pole position, ahead of the title track and “So Long, London,” respectively.
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Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department is already a global record-beater.
As previously reported, the pop superstar’s latest effort on Friday (April 19) became the first album in the streaming service’s history to accumulate more than 300 million streams in a single day.
Earlier, in less than 12 hours after its release, Tortured Poets, became Spotify’s most streamed album in a single day in 2024 so far. The 31-track double album bested the previous record-holder, Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping Cowboy Carter, which ultimately earned 300.41 million on-demand official streams in its first full week of release.
Also, “Fortnight,” co-written by Swift, Malone and Jack Antonoff, and co-produced by Swift and Antonoff. became Spotify’s most streamed song in a single day.
In the U.K., Tortured Poets will be expected to set the pace in the chart race. Swift currently has 11 No. 1 albums there. She’s the first and only artist this century to rack up 10 U.K. No. 1 albums, the Official Charts Company reports, and only the second female artist ever to do so, following Madonna. If Tortured Poets debuts at No. 1 later this week, Swift will draw level with Madonna on 12 U.K. leaders.
It’s another sweet week for Hozier on the U.K. singles chart, while Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa and Perrie Edwards all nab top 10 debuts.
As predicted, Hozier reigns over the Official U.K. Chart for a second consecutive week with “Too Sweet” (Island). Last week, “Too Sweet” became Andrew John Hozier-Byrne’s first U.K. No. 1, and saw him become the first Irish solo artist to top the national chart since Ronan Keating in 2002, according to the Official Charts Company.
“Too Sweet” rakes in 72,000 chart units, a 17% week-on-week gain, the OCC reports, and it’s the most-streamed track in the U.K. over the latest cycle, with 7.9 million streams.
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Meanwhile, British producer and artist Artemas’ “i like the way you kiss me” (Parlophone) gains 5-3 for a new career high.
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The top debut this week belongs to U.S. singer and actor Sabrina Carpenter with “Espresso” (Island), which shoots to No. 6 on debut. It’s her first U.K. top 10 appearance, and fourth top 40 after “feather” (No. 19), “Skin” (No. 28) and “nonsense” (No. 32).
Country continues to swing in the U.K. as Dasha’s “Austin” (Warner Records) lassos a new chart peak, up 8-7.
Dua Lipa achieves her 16th U.K. top 10 single with “Illusion” (Warner Records), new at No. 9. “Illusion” is the third straight top tier single from her forthcoming third album Radical Optimism, following “Houdini” (No. 2) and “Training Season” (No. 4).
Little Mix star Perrie gets her solo career underway with a top 10 start, as “Forget About Us” (Columbia) bows at No. 10.
Natasha Bedingfield returns to the chart, this time through a collaboration with producer Badger for a remix of “These Words” (Cheeky), new at No. 35. “These Words” topped the Official Singles Chart for two weeks in 2004. The British singer returned to the top 20 earlier this year with her 2004 single “Unwritten,” which enjoyed a bump from its sync to the romcom Anyone But You.
And finally, Grammy Award-winning South African artist Tyla earns a second U.K. top 40 with “Jump” (Since 93/RCA) featuring Gunna and Skillibeng. It’s new at No. 38. It follows Tyla’s “Water,” which peaked at No. 4 on the U.K. chart and went on to win best African music performance — a new category — at the 2024 Grammys.