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23 Aug 2023

John Farnham Given ‘All Clear’ Following Cancer Battle: ‘Bring on 2024’

John Farnham is cancer-free and feeling like “the luckiest man alive.”

The legendary Australian singer shared the good news to mark the anniversary of a marathon operation to remove a cancerous growth from his mouth.

“It’s been a year since my first surgery and to be honest I’ve lost count as to how many other procedures there’s been since then. I’m sure someone’s kept track of them all — let’s just say, there’s been a few,” he writes in a statement.

“But, I’m home now and I’m a very grateful and happy man.”

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The 74-year-old artist underwent eight weeks of radiation treatment after that initial surgery, and was given the “all clear” from doctors last month.

“It’s only now that I can start to appreciate and comprehend, for myself, how many messages of love and support have been sent to me over the past year,” he adds. “I don’t know what to say, other than thank you so very much. It honestly means the world to me.”

And how did he mark the anniversary of his surgery? By enjoying a pizza — “because I can,” he remarked. “I can’t wait to see what might be next on the menu. Bring on 2024.”

Farnham is one of Australia’s most successful — and most recognizable — recording artists, with hits across five decades.

The greatest of them all is “You’re the Voice,” which led the Australian chart (then the Kent Music Report) and peaked at No. 6 on the Official U.K. Chart. “You’re The Voice” and Men At Work’s “Down Under” are regarded in these parts as the “unofficial” national anthems.

The hit single appeared on 1986’s Whispering Jack, the first record to sell over a million copies in Australia. To this day, Whispering Jack is recognized as the highest-selling Australian album in ARIA history, with more than 1.6 million copies shifted.

Farnham has been saluted with multiple awards and honors, including the 1987 Australian of the Year, he was made Officer of the Order of Australia in 1996, he’s collected 21 ARIA Awards — the most by a solo artist — and inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2003.

When Farnham was admitted to hospital earlier this year to combat a chest infection, fans feared the worst. But the singer, as he has done throughout his recording career, made a strong comeback.

In May of this year, he was the subject of a feature-length documentary, John Farnham: Finding The Voice, released through Sony Pictures, with a companion soundtrack through Wheatley Records / Sony Music Australia. The doc went on to become Australia’s highest-grossing feature-length music documentary of all time, and the LP debuted at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart, for his 20th top 10 appearance.

23 Aug 2023

Oliver Anthony Music’s Rapid Rise, Drake’s Son Adonis Draws New Album Cover & More | Billboard News

Oliver Anthony Music topped the Hot 100 this week and we’re taking a look at his rapid rise and his controversial start. Drake’s son Adonis created the cover art for his new album ‘For All The Dogs.’ Flo Rida held a little fan while performing his hit song ‘Low.’ Echosmith siblings Sydney and Noah Sierota play Never Have I Ever. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Oliver Anthony Music has listeners divided. Drake gets some help from his son on his new album. A baby at a Flo Rida concert is the talk of the internet. We learned five things about Erika Jayne and play Never Have I Ever with Echosmith.

Hey y’all, I’m Tetris Kelly for Billboard News. It’s Wednesday, August 23rd. And let’s talk about our current leader on the Hot 100.

Oliver Anthony seemingly came out of nowhere to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, but is he already becoming the rich man he sings about? And did he lose support from his right-wing fans already? We have his new music and everything that’s been going on with the soulful singer.

As “Rich Men North of Richmond” had its historic ride to the top of our charts, a lot of conversation happened online questioning if the song has a divisive meaning or is it just an anthem for the right. Well, Oliver has spoken on the topic.

Oliver Anthony Music:
“I mean, we are the melting pot of the world. And that’s what makes us strong, it’s our diversity and we need to learn to harness that and appreciate it and not use it as a political tool.”

Tetris Kelly:
Some conservatives have already turned on him, calling him a “scam” and accusing him of faking his accent. While others pointed out he never said he was conservative. I’m just confused about what’s even controversial about diversity.

And is he becoming a rich man? In his Hot 100-topping week, Billboard estimates he earned over $350,000 in royalties. On the heels of his history-making No. 1 viral hit, Oliver has dropped a video for his new single “I Want to Go Home.”

Watch the full video above!

23 Aug 2023

Every Artist With 100 or More Billboard Hot 100 Chart Hits

Debuting a song on the Billboard Hot 100 is a highlight of any musician’s career. It’s Billboard’s premier songs chart, after all, and the stars often must align in order to stand with the best of the best.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data, the lattermost metric reflecting purchases of physical singles and digital tracks from full-service digital music retailers; digital singles sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites are excluded from chart calculations.

In total, over 8,000 artists have landed a song on the survey, which launched on Aug. 4, 1958. Of those artists, only 15 have charted at least 100 total songs.

Elvis Presley, whose career predates the Hot 100’s launch, became the first artist to tally 100 total hits. He scored his 100th (of an eventual 109 total) in May 1975 with “T-R-O-U-B-L-E.” He held the record for the most overall chart entries until 2011, when the Glee Cast surpassed him, and then nearly doubled his total — reaching 207 entries. That record stood until 2020, when Drake stormed past the TV troupe following his song “Oprah’s Bank Account” reaching the listing.

Drake now leads all artists with a whopping 298 total entries on the chart in his career (through the Hot 100 dated Aug. 26, 2023). He’s one of just three artists to top 200 total songs, along with Taylor Swift (212) and the Glee Cast (207).

Three artists have joined the 100-hits club in 2023 alone, so far. YoungBoy Never Broke Again achieved the milestone in May, and, fittingly, became the youngest artist to ever reach the feat, at age 23. Lil Uzi Vert became the 14th act to join in July, after releasing Pink Tape. Travis Scott then became the most-recent artist to gain entry on Aug. 12, thanks to the release of his new LP Utopia.

As for who might be next in line to join the elite group, The Weeknd is currently at 96 Hot 100-charted songs, followed by Eminem (95), Young Thug (92), James Brown (91), Lil Durk (87), 21 Savage (85), Beyoncé (82), Juice WRLD (79) and Gunna (77).

While it’s rare for artists to chart triple-digit entries on the Hot 100, it’s become a more regular occurrence since the ranking began including streaming figures in 2007. As such, certain artists have been able to chart a high number of songs on the Hot 100 in recent years after releasing high-profile albums. The model contrasts with prior decades, when acts generally promoted one single at a time in the physical-only marketplace and on radio. That shift in consumption helps explain why artists have been able to chart many songs over short spans in recent years.

Here’s an updated look at every act in history to chart 100 or more songs on the Hot 100, as of the Aug. 26, 2023-dated chart.

23 Aug 2023

Lavender Darcangelo Tugs on the Heart Strings With Foreigner Cover For ‘America’s Got Talent’: Watch

When Lavender Darcangelo last stood on the America’s Got Talent stage, she was covered in golden glitter.

On that occasion last month, the 27-year-old contestant stunned the judges with her performance of “Out Here on My Own,” originally sung by Irene Cara for the Fame soundtrack. It was a rendition that earned her a standing ovation not only from the crowd, but from all four of the judges on the panel.

On Tuesday night (Aug. 22), Darcangelo took center stage once again, this time in the AGT qualifiers.

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The Fitchburg, MA native, who is autistic and blind, left nothing to chance as she belted out a cover of Foreigner’s mid-‘80s ballad, “I Want to Know What Love Is”. Bathed in the light of a laser show, and with the lights dimmed in the room to create the vibe of a planetarium, Darcangelo showcased her vocals with a stripped-back version.

The cameras caught Simon Cowell smiling as Darcangelo tugged on the heart strings. Heidi Klum, who had awarded Darcangelo the Golden Buzzer in July, appeared to be holding back tears.

The result – another standing ovation from everyone in he room, including Cowell, Klum and their fellow judges Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara.

“Lavender, I’m so proud of you,” responded Klum. “They love you Lavender. I feel you when you are singing, I feel you, I hope everyone in this room felt you. I hope everyone at home felt you.”

It’s simply “the most amazing feeling,” Cowell enthused, “when a contestant who everyone loves nails it, and you can feel it.”

The song should be a embedded in Cowell’s DNA. Following its release in 1984, the single spent seven weeks in the U.K. top 10, including a three week run at No. 1. It was a similar story in the U.S., where the single logged two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The second half of Darcangelo’s performance, Cowell noted, “the whole song, the lyric took on a completely different meaning for me, and that was beautiful.”

Now, it’s America’s turn to vote.

Watch Darcangelo’s performance below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=KP4wxZZQ_iE&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

23 Aug 2023

Ticketing Company Dice Raises $65 Million From MUSIC, Ahdritz Holding, Others

Ticketing company Dice raised $65 million from MUSIC, the holding company founded by music veteran Matt Pincus and LionTree, the company announced Wednesday (Aug. 23). Pincus, MUSIC’s CEO and a co-founder of SONGS Music Publishing, which was acquired by Kobalt in 2017, will join Dice’s board of directors.

Additional investors in the funding round include Structural Capital; Ahdritz Holding LLC, an investment vehicle for Kobalt Music founder Willard Ahdritz; Exor Ventures, a venture fund listed on the Euronext Amsterdam with a net asset value of €28.2 billion ($30.6 billion); and Mirabaud Lifestyle Fund, an investment fund of Mirabaud Asset Management that focuses on companies that address the needs of Millennials and Generation Z consumers. 

While Dice is a relatively small player in a field filled with large competitors, Pincus considers Dice to be “a completely different business” than big platforms such as Live Nation’s Ticketmaster and AEG’s AXS. “Dice is a platform for fans,” he tells Billboard. Rather than create a standard ticketing platform, Dice built a platform used by those young consumers that attend concerts most frequently. “It’s a user-centric platform” people use to find shows, discover culture and lifestyle events in a new city and and compare activities with friends, says Pincus. “They made ticket-buying fun — which is really hard to do.” 

“We’re investing heavily in building even more technology and this year alone we released over 60 new features for fans, venues and artists,” Phil Hutcheon, CEO and founder of Dice, said in a statement. “I’m excited that Matt (Pincus) has joined the board and we’re more focused than ever on our mission to get fans out more.”

The funding will help Dice launch in new cities and further its expansion in Europe and United States and support ongoing investment in product development. The London-based company believes it will serve more than 55,000 artists and over 10,000 venues, festivals and promoters this year across 30 cities in the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, India, Italy and Spain. 

Ahdritz’s relationship with Hutcheon goes back to 2015. “Having started AWAL at that time, I needed so many more venues for all my acts to play,” Ahdritz said in a statement. “DICE delivers a transformative experience for all stakeholders – from fans to venues to artists and looked like the future for live music. DICE has come a long way on their vision, and today it’s even clearer that the live industry needs changing. I am excited to have the opportunity to be part of the company as an investor.”

“Structural Capital is very excited to be involved in helping DICE continue its success and future growth,” Kai Tse, Structural Capital co-founder and managing partner, said in a statement. “We believe DICE is a true industry innovator.”

Dice also announced the appointment of Ali Byrd as chief financial officer. Byrd was previously with healthcare technology company Olive and has held senior positions at Microsoft, Limewire and CoverWallet.

22 Aug 2023

Warner Music Canada, India Launch ‘Gamechanger’ Joint Venture 91 NORTH RECORDS

Warner Music’s affiliates in Canada and India are teaming up for 91 NORTH RECORDS, a joint venture with the aim of identifying and launching artists of South Asian heritage.

Said to be a first-of-its-kind JV, the new entity is guided by celebrated artist and producer Ikwinder “Ikky” Singh, who has chalked up more than two billion combined streams with such songs as Shubh’s “Baller”, Diljit Dosanjh’s “Chauffeur” and Sidhu Moose Wala’s “Bambiha Bole”. 

Ikky, who launched his own label, 4N Records, in partnership with Warner Music and Coalition Music in 2021, serves as creative director for 91 NORTH RECORDS.

The venture launches to the public today (Aug. 23) with its first signings, Canadian-based Punjabi artists Karan Aujla and Jonita Gandhi, both of whom work closely with Ikky and A&R director Charlie B.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the blending of Indian and Western sounds into culturally impactful, innovative music,” Ikky comments in a statement. The new business “exists to elevate artists pursuing this fusion. Punjabi and South Asian music already competes worldwide, and I’m thrilled to collaborate with emerging talents, showcasing and amplifying what they have to offer. This is no experiment; it’s the future.”

91 NORTH RECORDS was presented Tuesday with a special event at Warner Music Canada’s offices in Toronto. Its name is a reference to India’s country code and Canada’s geographical location, and the logo is inspired by India’s national flower — the lotus.

“There is an incredible new generation of talent rising, influenced by their South Asian heritage, and we want to make sure these artists are represented both here and around the world,” comments Kristen Burke, president, Warner Music Canada. The label “allows artists to be truly authentic, and our global network gives us the opportunity to showcase their culture on a global stage.”

Adds Jay Mehta, managing director, Warner Music India: “This is certainly going to be a gamechanger initiative for artists who will now have global support from A&R, marketing, collaborations and more.”

Canada is home to almost 2.6 million people of South Asian heritage. Those expats have a “strong musical connection” with the subcontinent, reads a joint statement from Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India.

Punjabi-Canadian acts accounted for three of the top 10 tracks in India last year, according to data supplied by IFPI. 

22 Aug 2023

Hot 100 Leader Oliver Anthony Music In Hot Water With Conservatives After ‘Diversity’ Comments

Oliver Anthony Music is the king of country right now, and it would appear that he’s using his fresh platform to bring people together. But some of his early supporters are hitting back at his calls for unity and diversity.

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The U.S. artist’s breakout viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, in doing so making him the first artist ever to launch atop the list with no prior chart history in any form.

Since topping the tally, the Farmville, Va.-based singer-songwriter and former factory worker, born Christopher Anthony Lunsford (whose stage name honors his grandfather, Oliver Anthony) has kept quiet on his social accounts.

Though he did give an interview with Fox News which, like his popular song, has gone viral.

“We are the melting pot of the world,” he says in the interview, which took place at his concert in Moyock, N.C. on Saturday (Aug. 19). “And that’s what makes us strong, our diversity. And we need to learn to harness that and appreciate it and not use it as a political tool to keep everyone separate from it.”

Those statesmanlike comments, however, have fallen flat with conservatives. The “exclusive” interview with the rightwing Fox Network has triggered a social media pile-on.

“Such a let down. Did he sell out already to the rich men north of Richmond?,” reads one tweet. Another claims, “Damn, thought we had a real one. He switched up so fast.”

Writes another social media user on the speed of the backlash, “S—. That was fast”.

After first catching drew buzz online earlier this month, the independently released song drew praise from the right and opposition from the left, with its lyrics referencing “your dollar taxed to no end ’cause of rich men north of Richmond,” as well as “the obese milkin’ welfare.”

Stated Anthony in a video posted Aug. 7, “I sit pretty dead center down the aisle on politics and always have.” He added on Facebook Aug. 17, “I am sad to see the world in the state it’s in, with everyone fighting with each other.”

On the left side of politics, legendary British singer and songwriter Billy Bragg penned an op-ed for The Guardian, the U.K.’s left-leaning daily, in which he posits that “Anthony really does punch down on the poor.” The Bard of Barking continues, “The lives of ordinary working people are being torn apart by the rich, he laments, but we can fix it if we cut welfare – and taxes too.” 

As the divisive song went all the way to the top, and lines were being drawn, Anthony shared a comment with Billboard, “The hopelessness and frustration of our times resonate in the response to this song. The song itself is not anything special, but the people who have supported it are incredible and deserve to be heard.”

22 Aug 2023

Erika Jayne Hints at What Fans Can Expect From Her Bet It All on Blonde Las Vegas Residency

Erika Jayne is getting ready to start up her very own Las Vegas residency, Bet It All on Blonde. The star will kick off her five-week stay at the House of Blues starting Friday (Aug. 25), but before gracing the stage, she sat down with Billboard News to tell fans what they can expect of her show.

“The show is based around my six-word mantra — which is how I created Erika Jayne — which is fantasy, love, escape, and then I added glitz, glamour and fun some years later,” Jayne tells Billboard News host Catrise J. “So that’s really what the Vegas show is about, so we’ll have my old stuff, new stuff, and we’ll do a clever cover or two just for nostalgia purposes, and it’s going to be great. I’m super excited to get back out and perform. I have not performed for three years.”

Other surprises during the residency will include a nod to Jayne’s appearance as Roxie Hart in Chicago (the production shuttered after two months due to COVID-19 in 2020). “We will give a nod to [Bob] Fosse in our own way,” she says. “Probably we’ll see it via costume and choreography.”

Jayne says she couldn’t believe the production got the green light in the first place after a few personal hiccups. “Well, honestly, to be really truthful, I was like: Really? I almost felt like this can’t possibly be happening,” she recalls. “I’ve gone through such a rough patch and all I was getting was bad news, so that when actually good news came through the door, I seriously for a hot second was like, is this real?”

Blame It All on Blonde will take place Aug. 25 for a run of 11 dates over five weekends through Dec. 2 at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay. Watch Jayne’s Billboard News interview in full in the video above.

22 Aug 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Warren Zeiders Scores First Entry With ‘Pretty Little Poison’

Singer-songwriter Warren Zeiders notches his first Billboard Hot 100 chart hit, as “Pretty Little Poison” debuts at No. 86.

The song, released in March through 717/Warner/WEA, arrives with 5.8 million U.S. streams (up 17%), 3.3 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 10%) and 1,000 downloads sold (up 1%) in the Aug. 11-17 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also rises 38-37 on Country Airplay, having become Zeider’s first entry on the survey.

The song’s recent gains can partly be attributed to hype leading up to the release of Zeiders’ debut studio album, Pretty Little Poison, which includes “Poison,” on Aug. 18.

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TikTok has been a factor in the song’s growing profile, as a portion of the track has been used in over 65,000 clips to date. (TikTok does not presently contribute directly to Billboard‘s charts.)

“Poison” concurrently pushes 24-22 on Hot Country Songs, marking Zeider’s highest-charting entry. He previously charted five songs on the list: “Ride the Lightning (717 Tapes)” (No. 30 peak in 2021); “Outskirts of Heaven,” featuring Craig Campbell (No. 49, 2021); “Dark Night (717 Tapes)” (No. 40, 2022); “Wild Horse (717 Tapes)” (No. 35, 2022); and “Up to No Good” (No. 50, 2022).

Zeiders (real name: Brady Zeiders), from Hershey, Pennsylvania, scored his first Billboard chart appearance with “Ride the Lightning (717 Tapes)” in July 2021. The song went viral on TikTok, ahead of its Hot Country Songs debut, and led to a record deal with Warner.

“Warren is a gifted songwriter and storyteller, has the confidence and drive to work harder than anyone, understands all the modern tools at an artist’s fingertips to market and promote themselves, and is just a great human being,” Aaron Bay-Schuck, co-chairman and CEO of Warner Records, said upon Zeiders’ signing. “We just had the best time getting to know one another and both [co-chairman/COO] Tom [Corson] and I felt that Warner Records was a natural fit for Warren.”

22 Aug 2023

Ariana & Demi Split From Scooter Braun, Rihanna & A$AP Rocky Baby No. 2 & More | Billboard News

Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato have split from manager Scooter Braun. Rihanna & A$AP Rocky have reportedly welcomed their second child together. Justin Timberlake is showing off his acting chops in the trailer for Netflix’s ‘Reptile,’ as *NSYNC is rumored to reunite in ‘Trolls Band Back Together.’ And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Scooter Braun loses some of his top clients, Rihanna welcomes baby number two, Justin Timberlake flexes his acting skills, Erika Jayne talks her new Vegas residency, and we learned five things about Killer Mike.

It’s Tuesday, August 22nd, and welcome to Billboard News. Today is full of updates so let’s jump right into our first story.

We learned Scooter Braun has lost both Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande as clients on the same day. Demi Lovato has been managed by Scooter Braun since 2019 and Ariana, who’s been with Braun since 2013, have decided to cut ties with Scooter. It’s unclear what led to the pop stars’ departures, but reps for Demi, Ariana and Scooter all declined to comment. They aren’t the first to drop Scooter as a manager. J Balvin, who was also signed with Braun in 2019, left SB Projects back in May. This all comes just days after rumors circulated online that Justin Bieber, Scooter’s most famous client, was also seeking new management. Last Friday, reps for both Justin and Scooter said the rumors were not true. With Demi and Ariana’s departure, Scooter is still left with a stacked list of clients including acts like Tori Kelly and Dan + Shay.

And if you thought that was interesting, you won’t believe what we have next! Congratulations are in order for Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, as the couple just welcomed their second child together.

Watch the full video above!