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Talent trounces age, every single time. Mariah Kalia can vouch. The 17-year-old Florida native isn’t old enough to drink beer, but she can belt out a tune like few others.
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To be fair, Kalia doesn’t belt it. Her vocals have that coated-in-caramel texture, with muscle at top and down below.
When she performed Billie Eilish’s “idontwannabeyouanymore” during the Blind Auditions on Monday night’s episode (March 20) of The Voice, she had judges wanting more.
Chance The Rapper and Niall Horan turned in quick succession, and engaged in some friendly rivalry as country stars Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton stayed put.
Chance was “blown away” by her tone, her stage presence, her mature musical choices. And yes, he wants to know more; the best way to do that is for her to choose Team Chance.
Niall reckoned he was hearing a “young Amy Winehouse,” he was gobsmacked by her range. And yes, if she joined Team Niall, “we’re going to be talking about you in the final, for sure.”
The kid, however, digs R&B, hip-hop, rap, not exactly the One Direction singer’s wheelhouse.
“Sometimes the best things in life are from opposite sides,” he remarked, with an air of comedy desperation.
Clarkson popped up with some advice on how song selection can help her navigate this season, “because you have a rad voice and really killer tones.”
The hopeful coaches then presented their final pitches. Niall, yes, he too was a 17-year-old on the big stage, and he has his head around the song selection. “We’re going to have a good time if you come with me.”
Then, Chance rolled the dice. “I was never in your position. I started touring when I was 17 as an independent artist. “If you want somebody who’s going to take you to that next level,” he said, hands up.
In the end, she went with Chance.
Watch below.
U2 is on the brink of ending a decade-long drought in the U.K., where the Irish rockers’ Songs of Surrender (via Island) is cantering to No. 1.
The collection will be tough to overcome in the chart race. Based on midweek sales and streaming data, Songs of Surrender is outselling the rest of the top 5 combined, according to the Official Charts Company, and should become the band’s 11th leader when the chart proper is published late Friday (March 24).
The last time U2 was crowned on the U.K. chart was 2009 with No Line on the Horizon, while subsequent releases Songs of Innocence (from 2014, peaking at No. 6) and Songs of Experience (from 2017, peaking at No. 5) both cracked the top 10.
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On Songs of Surrender, Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. revisit — and rework — 40 songs from across their 40-plus year career, including “One,” “Bad,” “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses,” “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” “Desire,” “With Or Without You,” “I Will Follow,” and more.
The compilation, a companion to singer Bono’s recent memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story, leads the Official Chart Update, ahead of Miley Cyrus‘ Endless Summer Vacation (RCA), set to dip 1-2.
The Rock And Roll Hall of Famers could see another hits collection surge into the top 40. The November 2006 compilation U218 Singles (Mercury) reenters the midweek chart at No. 33, having peaked at No. 6 following its initial release.
Meanwhile, Brighton, England indie-rock foursome Black Honey could stick a second top 10 record with A Fistful of Peaches (FoxFive). It’s new at No. 3 on the Official Chart Update, and could become the band’s highest-charting album (2021’s Written & Directed reached No. 7).
Also, U.S. pop-punk veterans All Time Low are heading for a fifth U.K. top 10 with Tell Me I’m Alive (Parlophone), new at No. 6 on the chart blast.
Finally, with Taylor Swift’s The Era Tour getting away to a buzzy start in North America, Swifties on the other side of the Atlantic are gobbling up her music, in anticipation of their turn.
Four of the U.S. pop superstar’s LPs rise on the Official Albums Chart Update: Midnights (up 12-7), 2014 (32-25), Lover (51-29) and folklore (58-37), all via EMI. Swift’s U.K. tour dates have yet to be announced.
President Joe Biden will present Bruce Springsteen, Gladys Knight and Jose Feliciano with the National Medals of Arts, the nation’s highest award given to artists and their patrons.
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The POTUS will hand out the 2021 honors during a ceremony today (March 21) at the White House from 4:30 p.m., and live streamed at www.whitehouse.gov/live.
“The National Medal of Arts recipients have helped to define and enrich our nation’s cultural legacy through their life long passionate commitment,” comments National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chair Maria Rosario Jackson. “We are a better nation because of their contributions. Their work helps us see the world in different ways. It inspires us to reach our full potential and recognize our common humanity. I join the President in congratulating and thanking them.”
Springsteen, known globally as The Boss, is celebrated as “one of our greatest performers and storytellers,” whose music “celebrates our triumphs, heals our wounds, and gives us hope, capturing the unyielding spirit of what it means to be American.”
Knight, or the “Empress of Soul,” is recognized as an “exceptional talent” who “influenced musical genres—from rhythm and blues to gospel to pop—and inspired generations of artists, captivated by her soundtrack of a golden age in American music.”
Feliciano, known for his bilingual Christmas classic “Feliz Navidad,” which last year celebrated its 50th anniversary and remains one of the top 10-performing hits in the decade-plus history of Billboard‘s Holiday 100 chart, will be honored for opening hearts, building bridges and “overcoming obstacles, never losing faith, and enriching the goodness and greatness of the Nation.”
Born blind in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Feliciano received the first-ever Billboard Legend Award at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Awards.
Other recipients of National Medals of Arts on this occasion include actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus, designer Vera Wang and The Billie Holiday Theatre.
The 2021 National Humanities Medals will also be presented at the ceremony, with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden confirmed to attend.
Bryson Tiller is hitting the road for the first time in six years with his upcoming Back And I’m Better Tour. The 25-city jaunt will occur in major markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and more.
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Tiller, who once contemplated retirement, has been active in music. Following the release of his third album, Anniversary, in 2020, he returned with A Different Christmas the following year. In 2022, he partnered with Diddy for the polymath’s chart-topping hit “Gotta Move On”; in November, the song zoomed to No. 1 on the Adult R&B Airplay chart and even earned the remix treatment with Ashanti and Yung Miami onboard. He also released his single “Outside,” which sampled the Ying Yang Twins’ 2009 hit “Wait (The Whisper Song).”
In an interview with Billboard in 2021, Tiller said he hadn’t yet released his best work. “I truly feel as though I’ve yet to make my best album,” he said. “And Trapsoul was great. It was 100 percent from me. I wrote every single thing on there, picked every single beat, every song. And I’m just excited because there’s like so many other talented people out there who are really good at what they do. You see all these other guys out here who are prospering and making great music because they got to work with some of those really talented people. they expand their horizons. I’ve never done that — and with my next album I’m doing that. I’m excited to reach out and just be open to working with people.”
Presale tickets are available on Wednesday (March 22). General on sale tickets starts Friday on ticketmaster.com. See the dates below.
BRYSON TILLER: BACK AND I’M BETTER TOUR DATES:
Thu May 04 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues San Diego
Sat May 06 – Las Vegas, NV – Lovers & Friends Festival
Mon May 08 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
Wed May 10 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
Thu May 11 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave*
Sat May 13 – Chicago, IL – Radius Chicago
Mon May 15 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit
Wed May 17 – Boston, MA – Citizens House of Blues Boston
Thu May 18 – Montclair, NJ – The Wellmont Theater
Sat May 20 – New York, NY – Manhattan Center Hammerstein Ballroom
Sun May 21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore Philadephia
Tue May 23 – Washington, DC – The Fillmore Silver Spring
Thu May 25 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
Fri May 26 – Atlanta, GA – Coca Cola Roxy
Sun May 28 – Miami, FL – Oasis Wynwood
Mon May 29 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues Orlando
Wed May 31 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore New Orleans
Thu Jun 01 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Fri Jun 02 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston
Sun Jun 04 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas
Tue Jun 06 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
Wed Jun 07 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
Thu Jun 08 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
Sat Jun 10 – San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
Mon Jun 12 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at The Market*
*Not A Live Nation Date
Mariah Faith comes from a small town, but she’s on her way to LaLa Land and it won’t be as a tourist.
The 21-year-old hairstylist stepped onto the American Idol stage on Sunday night (March 19), for an audition that couldn’t have gone any better.
Born in Baltimore, Faith relocated at a young age to Conway, South Carolina, a town so small, she claims you could traverse it on foot in ten minutes.The relocation was at the behest of her late step-dad, Faith’s inspiration, her “No. 1 supporter and best friend,” she explained in the intro. He died from a heart attack in 2019, leaving a hole in the family.
When Faith entered the lion’s den that is an Idol audition, she carried the spirit of her step-dad, to whom she dedicated a rendition of Vince Gill’s “Whenever You Come Around.”
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Wearing blonde dreads and a nose-ring, Faith looked and sounded at ease. Her performance, grounded, earthy and pretty special, the judges agreed.
“I had chills the whole time. You are on just the edge of greatness,” noted judge Luke Bryan. “You’ve just got it all. It doesn’t matter if you hit a wrong note, it’s still right.”
It was more of the same from Katy Perry. “World class,” she piped up. “There’s so many subtleties in your voice. I’m hanging onto every syllable.” Perry added, “You have this natural cry-slash-gospel vocal,” at which point the contestant remarked, I was “raised in the church.”
Perry spotted it. “Well, we can hear it. You are a star,” she enthused. “You’ve got it. One of the most interesting voices” of this 21st season.
Lionel Richie was singing from the same hymn sheet. “What we just heard is the tip of the iceberg, but your potential could take you seriously all the way,” he stated.
When the judges cast their votes, it was three yeses and a ticket to Hollywood. Faith also landed the opportunity to open a Nashville concert for last season’s respective Idol winner and runner-up, Noah Thompson and HunterGirl.
Watch below.
Taylor Swift’s surprise four-pack should have an immediate impact on the U.K. singles chart.
The U.S. pop superstar last Friday (March 17) dropped a batch of recordings, including “All The Girls You Loved Before” a previously-unreleased song that didn’t make the final pressing of 2019’s Lover LP.
Perhaps it should have made the cut. “All The Girls” is on track for the week’s highest debut, at No. 7, for what would be Swift’s 22nd top 10 appearance, according to the Official Charts Company’ first chart blast of the week.
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Swift’s fresh four songs included re-recordings of Swift’s The Hunger Games tracks, plus “If This Was a Movie (Taylor’s Version),” all dropping on the eve of her The Eras Tour opener.
At the top end of the First Look chart, which captures sales and streaming data from the first 48 hours in the cycle, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” is on target for a 10th consecutive week at No. 1.
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding could have a say in that. The pair’s latest collaboration, the ‘90s rave-channeling “Miracle” is set to lift 3-2 in its second week. Meanwhile, Pinkpantheress appears to have missed the chance for a maiden No. 1 with “Boy’s a liar,” which, after several weeks at No. 2, slips to No. 8 on the chart blast.
Further down the list, BTS’ Jimin could snag his debut solo top 20 with “Set Me Free Pt. 2.” It’s new at No. 14 on the chart blast, coming soon after bandmate J-Hope cracked the top 40 (and made chart history) with his J. Cole collaboration, “On The Street.”
Finally, Lewis Capaldi could crack the top 20 with his new tear-jerker, “How I’m Feeling Now,” set to arrive at No. 19, while Irish singer-songwriter Hozier is hovering just outside the top 20 with his comeback single “Eat Your Young.” It’s new at No. 21 on the chart blast, the OCC reports, and is expected to become the “Take Me To The Church” singer’s third first top 40 single and first in eight years — since “Someone New” hit No. 19 in 2015.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Singles Chart is published late Friday.
Miley Cyrus nabs a rare U.K. chart double as Endless Summer Vacation (via Columbia) debuts at No. 1 on the national albums survey and “Flowers” extends its streak atop the singles tally.
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Endless Summer Vacation, Cyrus’ eighth studio album, had led the midweek chart by a wide margin and finishes the chart week in first place.
It’s the U.S. pop star’s second U.K. albums chart leader, following 2013’s Bangerz, and sixth career top 10 appearance. Also, it’s the second time Cyrus has simultaneously led both main charts, which did she with Bangerz and “Wrecking Ball.” Cyrus is the first artist to complete the double in 2023, and the first since Taylor Swift did it in October 2022 with “Anti-Hero” and Midnights.
As previously reported, “Flowers” enters a ninth consecutive week at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published March 17.
Meanwhile, The Weeknd’s hits collection The Highlights (Republic Records/XO) lifts 3-2 for an equal high position in its 110th week on the chart.
Coming in at No. 3 on latest albums tally is Sleaford Mods’ UK GRIM (Rough Trade), the indie electronic duo’s 13th studio album. UK GRIM becomes the pair’s fourth top 10 LP, and a career-best position, going one better than 2021’s Spare Ribs, which peaked at No. 4.
Further down the list, legendary Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison lands his 43rd U.K. top 40 album with Moving on Skiffle (Exile), new at No. 16. It’s the followup to 2021’s Latest Record Project, Volume 1, which peaked at No. 5.
And finally, Ward Thomas earns a fourth top 40 with Music in the Madness (WTW Music), the country-pop duo’s fifth studio album. It’s new at No. 31.
Miley Cyrus takes the plaudits once again on the U.K. singles survey with “Flowers” (via Columbia), while a throwback rave tune roars to a fast start.
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding grab the highest new entry on the Official U.K. Singles Chart with “Miracle” (Columbia), their latest collaboration.
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The trance track bows at No. 3, for Harris’ 29th and Goulding’s 12th top 10 hit. Also, it’s their third — and peak position — as a duo following 2012’s “I Need Your Love” (No. 4) and 2014’s “Outside” (No. 6).
Meanwhile, a string of singles score top 10 peaks this week — Rema’s “Calm Down” (up 6-5 via Mavin), Lizzy McAlpine’s “Ceilings” (7-6 via Harbour Artists & Music), Libianca’s “People” (8-7 via 5K), and Strandz’s “Us Against The World” (Relentless), which gives the London rapper his first-ever U.K. top 10 entry.
Further down the list, British hip-hop artist Digga D lands his 13th top 40 with “Energy” (Black Money), new at No. 19.
Mae Muller, the U.K. entry for the Eurovision Song Contest, is enjoying positive early feedback from her homeland. Muller’s “I Wrote A Song” (Capitol) debuts at No. 30, for her highest chart position as a solo artist. According to the Official Charts Company, it’s the first U.K. Eurovision entry to debut inside the top 40 since Blue’s “I Can,” which peaked at No. 16 back in 2011.
At the top of the tally, published March 17, “Flowers” secures a ninth week at No. 1. Its parent album Endless Summer Vacation starts at the summit of the Official U.K. Albums Chart, giving the U.S. pop star a rare chart double. Album tracks “River” (No. 16) and “Jades” (No. 27) mark their entries on the national singles survey.
Billboard’s First Stream serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
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This week, Taylor Swift unveils some secret songs, Kx5 points toward the dance floor and Hozier makes a long-awaited return. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below:
Taylor Swift, “All of the Girls You Loved Before”
To celebrate the kickoff of her Eras stadium tour on Friday (Mar. 17), Taylor Swift has cracked her vault open and given fans a few unexpected goodies: the “Taylor’s Version” takes on previously released tracks “If This Was a Movie,” “Safe and Sound” and “Eyes Open,” as well as “All of the Girls You Loved Before,” an unreleased gem from her Lover era. Like the best moments on that 2019 album, “Girls” crackles with rhythm and romance, as Swift sings about how past mistakes have created a better reality and concludes on the swaying chorus, “Every dead-end street, led you straight to me.”
Kx5, Kx5
“It was literally a product of us saying, ‘F–k it,’” deadmau5 told Billboard of the formation of Kx5, his superstar team-up with Kaskade. “I’m not saying we don’t love it, but we don’t need it, financially speaking. It’s just something we want.” That carefree desire is imprinted across new album Kx5, as the duo of dance music titans use these 10 tracks try things out in the context of their respective styles, and more often than not — from the breathless groove of the AR/CO collaboration “Bright Lights” to the strobing, dance-siren emotion of “Escape” with Hayla — that process of saying “f–k it” pays dividends.
Hozier, Eat Your Young EP
Hozier has been able to transcend the success of breakthrough smash “Take Me To Church” due to his songwriting panache — it’s the reason why he’s headlining Madison Square Garden later this year instead of being relegated to one-hit wonder status. Eat Your Young, a new three-song EP that precedes his upcoming third album Unreal Unearth, references Dante’s Inferno and the sins of gluttony and heresy, but does in a way that draws in the listener without preening like a college paper: the title track, for instance, charms with a strings-laden, bluesy chorus, letting its message seep in slowly and effectively.
Melanie Martinez, “Death”
Melanie Martinez is the type of artist that does not drop by between album cycles for one-off singles and tossed-off collaborations: the avant-garde pop auteur instead creates bold, expansive worlds with each project, and when one is complete, she stows away for a few years to make another. “I’m back from the dead, back from the dead,” Martinez declares on the chorus of “Death,” the lead single to upcoming album Portals, and while the dramatic five-minute track can be connected to her artistic reawakening with every project, the kinetic drums and electronic elements will also make listeners feel reborn, too.
Avenged Sevenfold, “Nobody”
On their first new single since 2016, hard-rock veterans Avenged Sevenfold try to make up for lost time by seemingly deploying all of their finely crafted skills in six minutes — guitar chugs morph into searing solos, pummeling verses lead into sky-high hooks, and the groove conveys a nervousness before all of the tension is eventually released. “Nobody” evolves around M. Shadows’ philosophical prodding, his voice heavy with the weight of his life questions — but that man can howl like no other, and his vocals still take hold of the listener after a long layoff.
Jimin’s solo career rumbles along with the new release, “Set Me Free Pt.2”.
After teasing it earlier in the week, the BTS star’s fresh song dropped at the stroke of midnight, via HYBE LABELS, marking the first cut lifted from his forthcoming debut solo album FACE.
Loaded with snapping hip-hop beats and Auto-Tuned vocals, “Set Me Free Pt.2” is accompanied with an appropriately flashy music video.
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Helmed by Oui Kim, Jimin is the center of the attention, and at the heart of the action, as dozens of dancers glide their way through gloriously choreographed drama.
“First, we tried to focus on the performance and express the really intense vibe of the song,” explains Jimin in an interview with Consequence on the new song and forthcoming album.
“The key point was freedom — and actually, we were drinking at the time. This is the last track on the album; the last of the emotions. It’s very intense, so I wanted to announce a ‘Jimin solo’ in an impactful way.”
FACE is due out March 24. On the same day, Jimin will also share the music video for second single “Like Crazy,” which was co-written by his BTS bandmate RM.
Most recently, Jimin scored his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 by joining Taeyang for the BIGBANG member’s new single “Vibe.” Earlier this month, the K-pop idol gave ARMY an early present by uploading his solo tracks “Promise” and “Christmas Love” to streaming services for the very first time. (The two songs had previously only been available to stream on the official BTS Soundcloud or YouTube accounts.)
Watch “Set Me Free Pt.2” in full below.