bbnews
Page: 236
Celebrating 21 years since her American Idol win, pop music superstar and talk show host Kelly Clarkson will launch Chemistry, an intimate 10-night engagement at Las Vegas’ Bakkt Theater (formerly Zappos Theater) beginning July 28.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Clarkson was originally slated to begin the Invincible residency at the same venue on April 1, 2020 but it halted due to the pandemic.
“The goal was to make a living doing what I love and I’ve been able to do that and connect with people. That’s incredible. At 19, I was just looking to pay my water bill, I didn’t have anything,” she says of the incredible two-decade long career trajectory that led her to this milestone. “It’s a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. I don’t know if I ever thought it would be this big. I did not think I would end up having an exclusive little 10-show stint in Las Vegas.”
On Sunday, March 26, she announced the title of her new album, Chemistry, on Instagram, inspired by the “emotional journey” she went through during her tumultuous 2020 split with former husband Brandon Blackstock, with whom she has two young children.
Clarkson tells Billboard in an exclusive interview that this show is the ideal way to share new music with her fans.
“I wanted to have this moment with my audience with the new music. My last tour was in 2019 so it’s been years for me [since I’ve been able to] sing more than two minutes on TV,” she says. “It’s nice to be doing a full show. I worked really hard on this record and it took me a while to figure out if I was actually going to put it out. Once I decided, I wanted to sing this live and to feel that energy from the crowd. I didn’t want to do a tour. I have a lot of jobs and also I obviously want to spend some time with my kids this summer so I agreed to do 10 shows.”
Clarkson has sold more than 25 million albums and 40 million singles. Her multi-Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, is currently filming its 4th season and has already been picked up for its 5th and 6th seasons. In 2021, she released her Grammy Award-nominated ninth studio album When Christmas Comes Around… and that was followed by the Kellyoke EP which features six studio versions of popular covers from the Kellyoke segment on The Kelly Clarkson Show.
Chemistry will be her 10th album and her first (non-holiday) effort since 2017. There was a time when she didn’t know if she would ever release it. Clarkson says the break from music has been good given the unfolding circumstances within her life.
“I had a huge divorce happen and my life changed and I did not expect that. Doing the talk show created space for me as an artist because even with my label, I could say, ‘Well, I’m doing this job.’ They didn’t ask me for anything, they really gave me a lot of space, which was really cool,” she says.
“I wrote most of these songs like three years ago. Now I feel like I can talk about it. And it’s not a fresh wound,” she says. “It’s not just one emotion. It’s an entire relationship. There are definitely songs that are devastating and songs that are very angry. And then there are songs that are super sad, and ones that are more sexy, like that first feeling that you get in a relationship. It covers the whole arc of an entire relationship from beginning to end. I didn’t want it to be just about the devastating part.”
Her candor is one of the things her fans love most about her and the reason why her audience has continued to flourish for more than two decades. For Clarkson, honesty is a non negotiable in the creative process.
“I’m very honest about everything but also I have to navigate that I’m a mom of two kids that will be affected. That is one reason why I chose certain songs for the record. But also, I didn’t hold back, you know, in the sense of I feel like it’s important because people love connecting with me, because I’m honest, and I share my story,” she says.
With such a deep catalog, building the setlist can be the hardest part of the equation. “We asked the fans ‘what are you most excited about hearing’ and the problem with my fans, and why it’s so hard, is that they will pick deep cuts … they will be ‘we want ‘Sober’’ and okay, that wasn’t a single.’ So I have to fit in all the singles, plus the new stuff and the deep cuts.”
While Clarkson is tight-lipped on the details, she promises the show will be different every night.
“We’re calling it an intimate night and I don’t want to give it away. There will be different elements every night and every show is not going to be the same,” she says. “We will have the audience participate and I will talk to the audience because now I’m on a talk show and I’m used to engaging. It’s going to be a different kind of show than what people are used to in Vegas.”
She confirms the presence of a full band and a rock ‘n’ roll vibe overall, but says she won’t be bringing fire or dancers—somewhat of the Vegas norm these days.
The summer dates will also give the single mom a chance to have some fun.
“I wasn’t going to bring it up. But yeah, I’m not dead, I want to have a good time, too,” she says with a laugh. “I chose the time for the shows when my kids are with my ex. I do this when I don’t have them so it makes it easier for me as an artist to really just engage with the audience and only have that on my plate. And then also, it’s nice because, you know, they’re getting one-on-one time with their dad.”
This announcement comes on the heels of the official renaming of the Zappos Theater to Bakkt Theater on March 24. It has been home to residences from John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Shania Twain. Currently, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert and The Chicks, scheduled to begin May 3, call the venue home. The theater has undergone extensive renovations to both the front of house and back of house facilities over the last year. Bakkt is a cryptocurrency loyalty platform which has a partnership with Caesars Entertainment and Caesars Rewards.Kelly Clarkson’s 2023 “Chemistry” dates at Bakkt Theater: July 28, 29August 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 18, 19
When Cam Amen recounts his childhood as a “bit rough,” he’s underplaying it.
The 27-year-old American Idol contestant is originally from the country’s heartland, Indianapolis, Indiana, a place where his heart was torn from him as a child.
Stepping into the room for his Idol audition, which aired Sunday night (March 26), Amen shared the gutwrenching story of a youth “in and out of foster care.” Holding back tears, he told of how “we all got taken away from our mom,” and remembered the life-changing moment when police came to his class.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
He left foster care at age 18, and took in his brother and sister for five years, with a plan to “raise them right” and get them through high school.
Now it’s his time to shine.
The singer, now living with his girlfriend in Omaha, Nebraska, tackled Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” a gem which found new fans in the mid-90s when Jeff Buckley covered it on his debut LP Grace.
Amen let it pour out, turning on the waterworks with his soulful rendition.
The three judges gave a standing ovation, and Lionel Richie walked on over to give the man a hug. “Welcome home,” Richie said. Luke Bryan was in there next, followed by Katy Perry.
“You’ve been through a lot, but the rest of your life is waiting,” the Commodores frontman explained.
“I can hardly breathe,” Bryan noted. “Your style is so beautiful, unique…every time I wanted you to do something amazing, you did it.” Bryan later told his fellow judges, “he might be the best soul singer we ever had.”
Richie pointed to an otherworldly source. “Divine guidance brought you to us. And my friend you’re going to have one heck of a ride.”
That ride will take him to LaLa Land and beyond. Amen was awarded a “Platinum” ticket, which will enable him to sit out the first round of Hollywood Week.
Watch below.
First J-Hope, now BTS’s Jimin has a U.K. top 40 hit as “Set Me Free Pt 2” (via BigHit Entertainment) blasts to No. 30 on the national chart.
The South Korean singer is now the standard-bearer of BTS’s solo members – on the U.K. chart, at least.
As the K-pop superstars’ seven members explore their respective solo careers, he’s the fifth to snag a U.K. top 100 solo hit. Previously, Jungkook’s “Stay Alive” (No. 89), Jin’s “The Astronaut” (No. 61), and RM’s “Indigo” (No. 45) impacted the Official U.K. Singles Chart, while J-Hope’s “On The Street,” a collaboration with J. Cole, recently hit No. 37, until now the high point for a solo single from a BTS band member.
“Set Me Free Pt 2” is lifted from Jimin solo album FACE, which dropped last Friday (March 24).
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
As a group, BTS has scored nine top 40s, including four U.K. top 10 singles: “Dynamite,” “Butter” and Coldplay collaboration “My Universe” all going to No. 3, and “Life Goes On” hitting No. 10.
On the U.K. albums chart, J-Hope, Jin, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook have together landed eight top 40s, including two Official U.K. Albums Chart leaders, with 2019’s Map of the Soul – Persona and 2020’s Map of the Soul – 7.
“Set Me Free Pt 2” is the among the highest debuts on the current chart, published last Friday (March 24). Honors go to Taylor Swift, whose Lover era song “All of the Girls You Loved Before” bows at No. 11. At the top of the survey, Miley Cyrus rides a 10-week streak with “Flowers”.
ARMY will no doubt keenly watch for the debut chart position of Jimin’s FACE. All will be revealed when the national singles and albums charts are published this Friday, March 31.
Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (via Columbia) is the song that won’t wither in the U.K., where it logs a 10th consecutive week at No. 1.
By extending its streak, “Flowers” becomes the longest-running No. 1 single by a female solo artist this decade, the Official Charts Company reports, overtaking Olivia Rodrigo’s nine-week haul with 2021’s “drivers license.”
“Flowers” joins Harry Styles’ “As It Was” as the second-longest-reigning single of the 2020s, also at 10 weeks. Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” is the boss, with 11 weeks.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Cyrus now has another major record in her sights. If “Flowers” can add another week at the summit, it’ll equal Tones And I’s 2019 hit “Dance Monkey,” which racked up 11 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 to stand tall as the longest-running No. 1 in the U.K. by a solo female artist.
As “Flowers” holds its top spot, and, once again, finishes the chart week as the U.K.’s most-streamed single, its parent Endless Summer Vacation dips 1-3 on the national albums survey.
Meanwhile, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding make a move with their latest collaboration, “Miracle” (Columbia). The rave tune rises 3-2 on the latest chart, published March 24, and is the most-downloaded single of the week, the OCC reports.
Afrobeats acts Rema (“Calm Down” up 5-4 via Mavin) and Libianca (“People” up 7-5 via 5K) enjoy career-best peaks on the latest singles chart, while London rapper Strandz’s “Us Against The World” (Relentless) lifts 10-9, and Metro Boomin’s “Creepin” (Relentless) with 21 Savage and The Weeknd fires back into the top 10 following the release of a remix with Diddy. It’s up 33-10, just three places behind its peak position.
The highest new entry on the latest tally belongs to Taylor Swift, whose “All Of The Girls You Loved Before” (EMI) bows at No. 11. The song, part of a four-pack of previously-unreleased works, released to celebrate the start of her The Eras Tour, was a late cut from her Lover album. “All Of The Girls You Loved Before” is Swift’s 44th U.K. top 40.
It’s a beautiful day for U2, as the iconic Irish rock band starts at No. 1 in the U.K. with Songs of Surrender (via Island).
The new LP, a collection of reimagined songs from across U2’s storied 40-year-plus career, debuts atop the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published March 24.
It’s the 11th U.K. leader for Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr., and their first since 2009’s No Line on the Horizon. The set outsells its nearest competitor by more than 2-to-1, the Official Charts Company reports, an effort that sees the Hall of Famers draw level with the late legend David Bowie on 11 No. 1s. Songs of Surrender is also the week’s best-seller on wax, according to the OCC.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
There’s a lot of love for U2 on the latest chart. The band’s 2006 greatest hits collection U218 Singles returns to the tally, at No. 38.
The podium is completed with the Weeknd’s The Highlights (via Republic Records/XO), unchanged at No. 2, and Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation (RCA), which dips 1-3 in its second week.
Meanwhile, Brighton-England four-piece Black Honey bag a career-high with A Fistful of Peaches (FoxFive), their third studio album. It’s new at No. 6, a result that betters the peak of their eponymously-titled 2018 debut (No. 33) and 2021’s followup Written & Directed (No. 7).
Veteran U.S. rock act All Time Low nab a seventh U.K. top 40 appearance with Tell Me I’m Alive (Parlophone), their ninth studio effort. It’s new at No. 12.
Finally, as Taylor Swift embarks on the U.S. leg of her The Eras Tour, Swifties on the other side of the Atlantic flock to her catalog. Five of her classic LPs rise in the top 40 — led by her latest, the 2022 chart leader Midnights (up 8-4), followed by 2014’s 1989 (26-18), 2019’s Lover (39-23), 2020’s folklore (38-26) and 2017’s Reputation (51-33) – all via EMI. Swift has yet to announce international tour dates.
Anitta sat down with Billboard News to to play a game, during which she let slip some fun details regarding her next album, which she describes as “very cultural” and “very Brazilian.”
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The Brazilian pop star was tasked with playing a game with Billboard‘s Dance Director, Katie Bain, in which she would be asked a question or told a statement, and is required to share the first thing that comes to her mind. The first statement thrown at Anitta was “You’d be shocked to know that I’m a big fan of…” to which the she replied rock band “[The] Strokes.”
As for “the last song [she] listened to was,” Anitta treated viewers to a little vocal performance before answering the question. “That’s not my deal/ That’s not your deal…” she sang, before scrolling through her phone for the answer. “If you saw this playlist, you would be like ‘You Listen to this?’ You’d be shocked to know I listen to Chris Stapleton. The last song I heard was this [“Our Deal” by Best Coast].”
Bain then asked what Anitta has planned for the future for her music and touring plans, and while a tour is out of the question for now, fans will be delighted to know that a follow up to her 2022 smash, Versions of Me, is on the horizon.
“I’m working on new music for sure. Not touring [retches]. Jesus Christ, I never wanna tour ever again, but I do have new music coming,” she explained. “I working on this album, very cultural, very Brazilian but in English and Spanish, finally the album that I think really represents me as an artist, I finally got it ready. And now I’m just working on music videos, the nice part.”
Watch Anitta’s chat with Billboard News in the video above.
Jimin, Luke Combs, Løren, Rosalía & Rauw Alejandro all released new albums. Baby Tate & Saweetie gave us the collab we didn’t know we needed. Beyoncé & Adidas end their Ivy Park partnership due to creative differences. Latto builds her dream girl group. Selena Gomez urges fans to stop sending Hailey Bieber hate. Anitta stopped by Billboard News and spilled about the music she’s been listening to, what she’s working on next, the questions she hates being asked during interviews, and more!
E-40 called his superstar friends to flaunt their “Bands” for his new video, which dropped on Friday (March 24). Shot at the renowned HBCU Grambling State University, E-40 shined over the truck-rattling anthem alongside the marching band.
“Most people don’t know that I was part of a marching band for most of my childhood, so I definitely connected with this beat,” 40 tells Billboard. “But I just wanted to create another slap for my fans sprinkled in with a double entendre for everyone working hard to earn those bands. Shout-out to everyone at Grambling involved in making this video come to life.”
The star-studded cast features Floyd Mayweather, Future, Lil Baby, 50 Cent, Meek Mill, Offset, Gucci Mane, Lil Durk, Moneybagg Yo, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Kodak Black flexing their exorbitant bands of wealth. While on campus, the Bay Area artist also showed off his altruism when he donated $100,000 to bolster the university’s marching band and build a recording studio. Grambling State then named the studio in his honor: Earl ‘E-40’ Stevens Sound Recording Studio.
Earlier this year, Billboard named E-40 one of the 50 Greatest Rappers of All-Time. Billboard credited the West Coast polymath, who clocked in at No. 41, for his longevity, noting, “His flamboyant rhymes helped him become one of the first West Coast rappers to sign a major deal when he signed with Jive Records in the early ’90s. And he hasn’t gone more than four years without releasing an album since 1993. E-40’s contributions, including his 2006 top 10 rap hit and hyphy movement anthem ‘Tell Me When to Go,’ helped bring the Bay Area into the hip-hop’s mainstream.”
Watch the music video for “Bands” below.
It was a scream fest when BTS’ Jimin stopped by at NBC’s studios on Thursday night (March 23) for a chat with The Tonight Show’s host Jimmy Fallon.
The K-pop superstar looked relaxed in a trendy grey suit over a white t-shirt, as he smiled and waved to the noisy ARMY in the house. Straight off the bat, he thanked those fans for “their great support. I appreciate them.” That cranked up the decibels, again.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Jimin has a lot to smile about. His debut solo EP, FACE, has just dropped via HYBE LABELS – a six-track collection, which features the “intense” (his words) single “Set Me Free Pt.2,” a top 20 track on the midweek U.K. singles chart.
BTS was never far from the conversation. Though the band is on hiatus, a break to allow its seven members to fulfill South Korea’s mandatory military commitments, “we keep in touch,” he explained, “with J-Hope, Suga, everyone.”
They keep in touch, and they test music on each other. When a new song is “completed to some extent,” presumably including numbers from FACE, “that’s when we let one another listen to it,” he added.
Darting between Korean and English, Jimin discussed the “positive impact” of BTS meeting with president Joe Biden at the White House, and their talks with POTUS “about how more people should have keen interests in current issues.”
Jimin also revealed how he fell for song and dance during middle school, walked through his many and various nicknames (don’t call him “Jimin Fallon”), and gave a shout out to “Boy With Luv” collaborator Halsey — “she has a big heart and she has the talent that would make anyone starstruck. All our members love her.”
The new album, he explained in his native tongue, captures “the emotions I felt chronologically throughout the pandemic. So I would be happy if many people could relate to it.”
Watch the interview below.
Morgan Wallen is crowned on Australia’s albums chart crown for the first time with his sprawling third studio LP, One Thing at a Time (via Mercury/Universal).
The 36-song effort climbs 4-1 in its third week on the ARIA Chart, as its track “Last Night” improves 5-3, a new peak, and “You Proof” bows at No. 40 on the national singles survey.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
One Day is the followup to 2021’s Dangerous: The Double Album, which peaked at No. 2 in these parts.
One Day summits as Wallen embarks on his Australia and New Zealand arena tour, which is produced by Frontier Touring and takes in five shows, with Hardy in support, in addition to his headline slot at CMC Rocks festival on March 19.
Further down the albums list, U2 debuts at No. 3 with Songs Of Surrender (Island/Universal), a 40-track collection of re-recorded songs, mined from the legendary Irish band’s 40-year-deep goldmine.
According to ARIA, it’s their 18th top 10 title in Australia, a feat that dates back to War from 1983. Bono and Co. have led the ARIA Albums Chart with 11 LPs, from 1984’s The Unforgettable Fire through to 2009’s No Line On The Horizon.
Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Miley Cyrus extends her reign with ”Flowers” (Columbia/Sony) into a tenth week — all consecutive. “Flowers” is the longest-running leader since Elton John and Dua Lipa’s ”Cold Heart (PNAU remix)” also logged 10 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 in late 2021 and early 2022, is sat at No. 33 on the latest ARIA Chart, published March 24.
The last number to log more time at the top was “Stay” by The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber, which ruled the survey for 14 weeks in 2021, and is currently at No. 34.
Taylor Swift makes another splash on the ARIA Singles Chart, following the release of a four-pack of previously-unreleased tracks. One of those, ”All Of The Girls You Loved Before” (Universal), a song that didn’t make the cut for Swift’s seventh studio album, Lover, starts at No. 18, for the highest debut of the week. Also, her former leader “Anti-Hero,” from Midnights, improves 10-8.
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding ’90s rave-leaning banger “Miracle” (Columbia/Sony) enjoys a top 40 berth, starting at No. 36 on the fresh survey. “Miracle” is a top 5 hit in the U.K.
Finally, Meghan Trainor makes an appearance on the ARIA Top 50 with “Mother” (Epic/Sony), starting at No. 49. The U.S. pop star is a judge on the 2023 season of Australian Idol. The TV talent quest reaches its grand final this Sunday (March 26) on the free-to-air Channel 7.