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Calling all Swifties! There is a ton of Taylor Swift news to update you on. The singer announced the names for four out of the five vault tracks from her upcoming album ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version),’ Travis Kelce’s brother Jason Kelce jokingly confirms those Taylor and Travis romance rumors and more. 98 Degrees opened up about […]
The ultimate K-pop award show is heading to Japan. CJ ENM revealed on Wednesday (Sept. 20) that the 2023 MAMA Awards will take place at Tokyo Dome, Japan, from November 28 to 29. Over the past 24 years, the beloved award show has held ceremonies across Asia, including in Macao, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, to showcase […]
The 2023 MAMA Awards are headed back to Tokyo and Billboard News has all the exclusive details! Tetris Kelly:K-pop’s biggest awards show is headed back to Japan and Billboard has all the latest. The 2023 MAMA Awards is headed to Tokyo and you can catch all the action live thanks to MNet. K-Pop’s biggest awards […]
Adidas’ once glorious partnership with Kanye West turned sour, then legal, and unfolded as a headache of enormous proportions when the rapper made antisemitic comments on social media and in interviews.
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Almost a year after the German sportswear company cut ties with Ye, its CEO has no hard feelings.
Bjørn Gulden, the Norwegian CEO of Adidas, shared his thoughts on West and the background to that very public fallout for a recent podcast.
Noting that Kanye’s relationship with Adidas pre-dated his own appointment to the top job on Jan. 1, 2023, Gulden remarked, “I think Kanye West is one of the most creative people in the world, both in music and what I would call street culture. He’s extremely creative.” And together, both parties created the Yeezy sneakers line “which was very successful.”
Putting creativity to one side, Ye “made some statements which wasn’t that good,” Gulden continued. “That caused (Adidas) to break that contract and withdraw the product. Very unfortunate, because I don’t think he meant what he said and I don’t think he’s a bad person, it just came across that way.”
Speaking with Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, for the In Good Company podcast, Gulden said Ye’s remarks “meant we lost that business, one of the most successful collabs in history. Very sad. But again, when you work with third parties that can happen. It’s part of the game. That can happen with an athlete, with an entertainer. It’s part of the business.”
Adidas cut ties with Ye last October, raising questions about the fate of 1.2 billion euros ($1.3 billion) worth of unsold Yeezys. At Adidas’ annual shareholders meeting in May of this year, Gulden revealed that Adidas would try to sell part of the remaining Yeezy inventory and “donate money to the organizations that help us and were harmed by what Ye said.”
By ending its association with Ye, Adidas took a bath. The split contributed to a loss of 600 million euros ($655 million) in sales for the last three months of 2022, helping drive the company to a quarterly net loss of 513 million euros. Adidas reported 400 million euros ($441 million) in lost sales at the start of 2023.
Gulden, formerly CEO of rival sneaker specialist Puma, succeeded Kasper Rorsted at the helm of Adidas, who was in charge of the business from 2016 until his departure November 2022.
Watch the interview in full below.
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Angélique Kidjo and JP Saxe have thrown their talents behind a special invite-only concert in New York, part of an expanding United Nations initiative to highlight climate justice and rights-based climate action.
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Kidjo, the five-time Grammy Award-winning Beninese-French singer-songwriter, and Saxe, the Grammy nominated Canadian singer and musician, both performed at a private industry event, hosted at the Recording Academy’s office with reps from UN Human Rights watching on.
The Recording Academy is the official music partner of Right Here, Right Now Music, supported by United Nations Human Rights, with both organizations coming together to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights, created in the wake of WWII to outline universal human rights.
Guests at the intimate show also learned “alarming new facts” about the escalating human rights crisis caused by climate change, according to a joint statement.
The music-led project is just getting started. Some of the “most popular arena acts” will be encouraged to use their considerable voice to elevate climate issue for the Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concert series. As-yet unannounced major artists will be tapped to perform in “small iconic concert venues” around the world, a statement explains, while shining a light on climate issues such as floods, droughts, fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, clean water, ocean acidity, deforestation, as well as food insecurity, mental health, and more.
The first international activation is set for Dec. 9 with a show at the Atlantis in Dubai during COP28, the UN’s annual global climate change conference.
Grammy-nominated Lumineers’ frontman Wesley Schultz and British singer-songwriter YOLA performed at the first U.S. event, held April 13 in Boulder, Colorado, at which the performers delivered speeches “addressing the importance of utilizing music as a tool to combat climate change,” read a joint statement issued at the time.
Berlin, London, Kigali, Seoul, and Rio de Janeiro are among the cities being considered for Right Here, Right Now Mini Global Climate Concerts next year.
Through the climate concerts, says David Clark, founder and CEO of Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, parent organization of Right Here, Right Now Music, “we seek to reframe the climate crisis as the fundamental human rights crisis that it is and thank the Recording Academy and UN Human Rights for being such dedicated partners in this worldwide effort.”
Adds Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, “I look forward to working alongside UN Human Rights to showcase how the power of music can raise awareness and help promote change surrounding human rights issues around the world.”
Proceeds from the concert series will go to United Nations Human Rights climate justice initiatives and music industry charity MusiCares.
The Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance was presented at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland and has earned support from a growing list of artists, including Jack Black, Camila Cabello, Cher, Dead & Company, Celine Dion, Michael Franti, Quincy Jones, Kesha, Cyndi Lauper, Annie Lennox, LL Cool J, Pitbull, Joss Stone, Bob Weir, and more.
Latin spirit tells only a small part of Gabriel Henrique’s unique talents. The Brazilian singer showed the full arsenal when he performed Tuesday night, Sept. 19 on America’s Got Talent, for a spot in the finals.
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Henrique earned Sofia Vergara’s Golden Buzzer earlier in the season, with a performance of Whitney Houston’s “Run to You”.
Now, with his spot in the Qualifiers round, Henrique swung for the fences with a rendition of Jacob Banks’ “Something Beautiful,” combining pitch, power and an array of high notes that climbed to whistle range, a skill that would make Mariah Carey proud.
The room delivered a standing applause, as did all four judges.
“I don’t even have anything to say. It was perfection,” Vergara later enthused. “It was just like an angel. You are definitely a star. It was beautiful.” And it was goosebumps material, she declared, showing off the effect on her arm to her fellow judges.
Simon Cowell remarked, “You could have sung something less obvious. The fact that you sung this song…you absolutely nailed it. It was way better in my opinion than your first audition.” Just “maybe” with that performance, the Brit remarked, Henrique might have booked a spot in the final.
“You have an unbelievable talent,” was Heidi Klum’s opinion. “Especially from the second part of the song, you showed what sets you apart from the other singers. I feel like you busted out some tunes that are unhuman. It was incredible what we just heard.”
Speaking last, Howie Mandel admitted his initial concerns about the song choice. Those worries quickly disappeared. “Once you hit that note, that’s what makes you stand out. That’s why people are going to remember you.”
Just two contestants can go through from tonight’s round. Now, it’s America’s turn to vote.
Speaking through an interpreter, Henrique shared a parting gift. “I like to say what I feel in my heart,” he noted. “And if it’s not with love, then it doesn’t mean anything.”
Watch below.
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Megan Thee Stallion talked to Billboard about her partnership with Cheetos, what it was like working with Cardi B again and going viral with Justin Timberlake. Music powerhouse Mýa sat down with her Billboard doppelgänger Heran Mamo and opened up about her album anniversaries, love for Jamacia and dancehall, the lessons she’s learned throughout the years and more. Christina Milian addresses Jennifer Lopez feud rumors over Jennifer’s track “Play.” And more!
Tetris Kelly:Megan Thee Stallion talks about Cardi B and Justin Timberlake. Christina Milian addresses feud rumors with Jennifer Lopez. Zach Brian collabs with Noah Kahan and Bon Iver. Mya drops by our studio and we learned five things about ITZY.
Welcome to Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly, it’s Tuesday, September 19th and we’re starting off today with Megan Thee Stallion, straight from the horse’s mouth.
Cheeto Commercial Extras:FU, Megan.
Megan Thee Stallion:FU!
Cheeto Commercial Extras:FU!
Megan Thee Stallion:FU, all the way!
Tetris Kelly:Megan Thee Stallion is giving out scholarships with Cheetos and she’s talking to Billboard about Cardi B and Justin Timberlake. Let’s talk about the Hotty!
Megan Thee Stallion:Welcome to Flaming Hot University, where we teach you everything about the flaming hot lifestyle.
Tetris Kelly:It’s Flaming Hot University and Megan is the official Hot Girl Dean of Admission for a partnership that gives back with scholarships, a curriculum and, of course, merch. But she talked with Billboard about so much more!
On her recent “Bongos” collaborator, Cardi B, she stated, “She literally just let me do me. This is the second time she sent me a song and I’ll be like, “friend, can I do whatever I want to do on the beat? I’m gonna put two verses on here. Alright?” She always let me do whatever I want to do creatively.” They performed the track at the VMAs, where a video went viral where it looked like Meg cussed out Justin Timberlake backstage.Watch the full video above!
Summer may be ending. But having fun while living life on your own terms is always in season for Tech N9ne. And the indie hip-hop pioneer illustrates how he does just that in the video for his latest single, “Pull Out” featuring Head Da Don.
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Sliding into a brand new red Maserati with butterfly doors, Tech N9ne and fellow passenger Head Da Don cruise around Tech’s Kansas City, Missouri stomping ground, meeting women and handing out CD-styled invitations for a fly pool party at a mansion. Along the way, the pair rap to a head-boppin’, banging beat.
On the no-holds-barred first verse, Tech totes up his creds: “They said, ‘Tech N9na washed up.’ / I gotta tell ‘em, ‘Pull out the facts’ / Lot of ‘em stuck on planet rock / like I can’t pull out some plaques / What I scripted makes me tickets / Now I pull out the stacks / Cause I brought Independence, Overland Park and every hood out for rap.”
“When I heard that beat from Goodro, then that [pull out] hook from Head Da Don, I knew immediately that the song would get us back up on radio and the charts,” Tech N9ne tells Billboard. “This is just the beginning of the fire songs coming off my Bliss LP.”
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Released in July in the midst of celebrations for hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, Bliss is the follow-up to 2021 album Asin9ne. Describing Bliss as “a mirror to society,” the project marks Tech’s 24th album via his Strange Music label — which will celebrate its own 25th anniversary in 2024.
With its forays into R&B, soul, alternative and heavy metal plus a host of guests including Joyner Lucas, Durand Bernarr, RMR and Qveen Herby, the 25-track Bliss finds the prolific Tech still in full command of his signature fast-rhyming flow and fearless genre fusion.
In addition to “Pull Out,” album highlights include “Fatha Fig Ya (Food for Thought)” featuring RMR, “W H A T (We’re Hungry and Thirsty)” featuring Kim Dracula and Hu$h and “Knock,” a master seminar in lyricism with Tech (Kansas City), Conway the Machine (Buffalo), X-Raided (Sacramento) and Joyner Lucas (Boston).
“You’ve got a quartet of MCs from different regions just crushing it,” Tech says about the track in his recent bio. “My East Coast fans are always like, ‘We want to hear you on some boom bap!’ So we got this incredible beat from Dame The Producer. ‘Knock’ is amazing for 50 years of hip-hip.”
Between operating his successful merchandise empire and teaming with Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewery for his craft beer Bou Lou, Tech N9ne will be co-headlining a North America tour with rock band — and fellow genre-busters — the Hollywood Undead this fall.
The Hollywood & N9ne trek kicks off Oct. 16 in Chesterfield, Missouri and wraps in Nashville on Nov. 19. Stops along the way include Chicago (Oct. 18), Las Vegas (Oct. 27), New York (Nov. 8) and Atlanta (Nov. 14). For more information, visit hollywoodandn9netour.com.
Marilyn Manson was sentenced to 20 hours of community service and fined by a court on Monday (Sept. 17) after pleading no contest to blowing his nose on a camerawoman at a 2019 concert in New Hampshire.The controversial artist (real name: Brian Warner) was charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault, relating to an incident with the videographer during a show at Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion in Gilford. Manson had initially pleaded not guilty to the assault charges, but later changed his plea to no contest, the BBC reports, which means the goth-rocker was not contesting the charge but does not admit guilt.The judge required Manson to appear in court, and described the incident in question as “egregious.” Manson was fined about $1,400, with $200 suspended, and will be allowed to complete his community service in California, as requested.
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According to a police affidavit, the Associated Press reports, Manson approached videographer Susan Fountain in the stage pit, and spat a “big lougee” at her. Later, he is said to have returned, kneeling and covering one nostril before blowing the other on her arms and hands.
Manson “blows a significant amount of mucous at Fountain,” a police sergeant who reviewed concert video footage said in the report. The camera then captures Manson “point and laugh at Fountain as she gets down and walks away,” reads the affidavit.
Manson reportedly wore a black suit in court, and spoke twice to the judge: to acknowledge his name and to confirm “yes” when asked if he understood the sentence.
Fountain did not attend court, but prepared a statement. “For me, I’m a professional person and I’ve been in this industry for 30 years. I’ve worked for a lot of companies, and in all the years I’ve worked with people, I’ve never been humiliated or treated the way I was by this defendant,” it reads. “For him to spit on me and blow his nose on me was the most disgusting thing a human being has ever done.
“I understand this was not a big criminal charge to begin with, but I was hoping that the defendant would receive a sentence that would make him think twice before doing something like this again,” the statement continues.
Manson has been the subject of sexual assault and abuse allegations from multiple women, including Evan Rachel Wood, Esmé Bianco, Ashley Waters, Illma Gore and others. Despite those claims, which Manson has denied, the artist returned from a social media hiatus earlier this year to seemingly tease new music.
Manson has achieved 10 top 10 titles on the Billboard 200 chart, including No. 1s with 1998’s Mechanical Animals and 2013’s The Golden Age Of Grotesque.
See Billboard’s full timeline of Manson’s abuse allegations here.
The bad news first, Olivia Rodrigo won’t be visiting Australia later this week. The good, she’ll be back next year.
The U.S. pop phenomenon has canceled her trip Down Under at short notice, citing “unforeseen circumstances.”
The “Vampire” singer was scheduled to visit Sydney for a fan Q&A event this Friday, Sept. 22, a session that was to include “an exclusive once-in-a-lifetime Q&A,” along with chances to win a meet and greet with the artist. “I can’t wait to get down to Australia,” she enthused in a statement issued Sept. 1, announcing the promo excursion. “I’ve never been and I’m so excited to meet everyone. I’ll see you soon Livies”.
Those plans are now scrapped.
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“We regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances Olivia Rodrigo’s trip to Australia has been cancelled,” reads a statement from Universal Music Australia. “Unfortunately the fan Q&A event on Friday 22nd September will no longer be going ahead.”
The message contains a caveat. “Olivia is devastated that she won’t be able to make it,” the note continues, “however she’s so excited to see her Australian Livies in 2024.”
That hint at things to come is bound to keep fans on their toes. Just last week, Rodrigo announced two separate waves of dates for her Guts World Tour, which includes stops across North America, the U.K. and Continental Europe, but nothing in Australia.
Rodrigo’s popularity right now in Australia is, like elsewhere, sky-high. Her sophomore album Guts is the current No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and all 12 tracks from it impact the national singles chart. Guts is the followup to Sour, Rodrigo’s 2021 debut which logged eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 in Australia. All told, three of her singles have led the official ARIA Chart: “Vampire,” “Drivers Licence” and “Good 4 U.”
Proceeds from each ticket for the Guts World Tour will benefit her new Fund 4 Good initiate, which will support community non-profits that work toward girls’ education, reproductive rights and prevent gender-based violence.