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Bob Dylan, Sam Smith, Lil Nas X, Nile Rodgers and Janelle Monáe are among the big stars confirmed for the 57th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival, set to take place mid-year on the shoreline of Lake Geneva, Switzerland.
Also lining up this time are Christine and the Queens, Chilly Gonzales, Mavis Staples, Mark Ronson, Norah Jones, Lionel Richie, Iggy Pop, Caroline Polachek, Chris Isaak and many others, organizers announce today (April 5).
This year’s show is set to run June 30 to July 15.
Dylan returns to Montreux for the first time in a decade to present his 2020 album Rough and Rowdy Ways, which arrived at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Rough and Rowdy Ways earned Dylan his 23rd career top 10, as he became the first act to have achieved at least one new top 40-charting album in every decade from the 1960s through the 2020s.
Meanwhile, the iconic fest’s two venues, the Auditorium Stravinski and Montreux Jazz Lab, will host performances from across the music spectrum, and from the late ‘50s to the present day.
Auditorium Stravinski boasts a stacked bill with Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples, Maluma, and many others, its performers owning a combined 85 Grammy Awards. Sam Smith will perform for the first time at the Auditorium, eight years after wowing the crowds at the Montreux Jazz Lab.
Established in 1967 by late jazz connoisseur Claude Nobs, the festival has hosted many of the greats of contemporary music, from Prince to David Bowie, Nina Simone, Quincy Jones, Marvin Gaye, Elton John and others. Mathieu Jaton has directed the fest since 2013, the year Nobs passed away.
Nearly 250,000 spectators attend the event in a regular year, which continues to evolve and introduce audiences to styles and tunes well outside the broad world that is jazz; the event paused in 2020 due to pandemic, returned in 2021 with a downsized format, and was back to its regular programming in 2022.
Also appearing on this year’s program is Brit Award-winning indie-pop duo Wet Leg, Grammy Award-winning Australian electronic trio Rufus Du Sol, and Aussie retro soul act the Teskey Brothers.
On the closing night, uber-producer Mark Ronson will present a specially curated and “unique collaborative concert,” organizers say, featuring special guests Yebba and Lucky Daye.
Tickets go on sale Thursday (April 6) at montreuxjazzfestival.com.
Cyndi Lauper reminded us “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” They also want to win, especially when they’ve reached the Battles round of NBC’s The Voice.
Team Niall singers Kate Cosentino, the 23-year-old from Kansas City, MO, and Tiana Goss, the 29-year-old from Los Angeles, stepped onto the stage and into the bright lights for a stripped down cover of Lauper’s enduring ‘80s classic, with some shimmies for good measure.
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“That was a really cool arrangement of that song,” Chance the Rapper remarked. “I felt the lyrics for the first time.” He thought it was “awesome,” and the singers “smashed the choreography.” If he had to choose who would go on to become a star, well, he wouldn’t want to choose. Based off this Battle, he remarked, Cosentino had the edge.
Kelly Clarkson concurred. “I think it’s a level playing field.” Blake Shelton said Goss had the magic dust, at least on this occasion.
Horan, as the team boss, isn’t allowed to sit on the fence. He went with Cosentino.
In the spirit of the song, these girls both get to have fun. Chance used his steal, and welcomed Goss into his team, and back in the game.
Watch below.
Miracles do happen.
After several weeks staring at the U.K. chart summit, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding’s “Miracle” (Columbia) lifts into top spot on the chart blast.
“Miracle” leaps over Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Columbia), which holds at No. 2, and Ed Sheeran’s “Eyes Closed” (Atlantic), down 1-3, to take top spot on the Official Chart Update.
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It’s tight at the top. According to the Official Charts Company, just 2,000 chart units separate the top three at the midweek stage.
In its three weeks on the chart, “Miracle” has never gone higher than No. 2, thanks to the 10-week unbroken reign by “Flowers,” which came to an end last Friday (March 31).
If it does capture the crown when the Official Chart is published late Friday (April 7), “Miracle” would give Harris his 11th No. 1, and first since “Promises” with Sam Smith in 2018; and Goulding her fourth U.K. chart leader. As a pair, Harris and Goulding previously landed hits with 2012’s “I Need Your Love” (peaking at No. 4) and 2014’s “Outside” (No. 6).
“Miracle,” a throwback rave tune, enjoys a lift following the release of an official music video, and a new “Church Version” featuring Goulding’s vocals recorded in St. Bartholomew The Great, London’s oldest surviving church.
Further down the midweek list, Jisoo is on track to become the first member of BlackPink to land a solo U.K. top 40 hit with “Flower” (Interscope). It’s new at No. 29 on the chart blast. With “Flower” and its ME two-pack, Jisoo became the last of her bandmates, after Rosé, Jennie and Lisa, to release a solo project.
Finally, Tyler, The Creator could nab a fourth top 40 with “Dogtooth” (Columbia). It’s new at No. 37 on the Chart Update.
Nederlander Concerts promotes Jamie Loeb to senior vice president. In her new role, Loeb will continue to report directly to the chief executive officer Alex Hodges.
“From her first day at Nederlander Concerts, Jamie has been an incredibly strong leader,” said Hodges. “She has helped Nederlander Concerts maintain its position as one of the most important independent promoters in North America. She was instrumental in getting us through the height of the pandemic and a successful rebound last year with our return to a full schedule of performances.”
Loeb tells Billboard, “I have always been proud to be part of such a dynamic team that is dedicated to bringing exceptional live experiences to fans. I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to continue contributing to the growth and success of our company in this new role.”
Loeb joined Nederlander Concerts in 2008 as VP of marketing. She is responsible for the online development, marketing initiatives and promotional campaigns for Nederlander’s venues and its bookings at third-party facilities. With local, regional and national experience, Loeb creates innovative strategies and tour marketing campaigns, which integrate traditional and digital technologies resulting in a deeper connection between artists, their fans and ticket sales.
In 2020, she was honored as Women of Influence by VenuesNow Magazine.
During the pandemic, Jamie started volunteering with the National Independent Venue Association and played a key role in a number of projects, including the #SOSFEST — a three-day virtual festival with Foo Fighters, Miley Cyrus, The Roots, Reba McEntire, Leon Bridges, Dave Matthews, Little Big Town, G-Easy and Brittany Howard, which raised over $3 million for the NIVA Emergency Relief Fund.
Loeb and the NIVA team’s efforts led to Congress passing the $16 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program, effectively saving the independent concert business from total collapse. Simultaneously, she and her team at Nederlander Concerts launched the innovative Drive-In OC series featuring Andrew McMahon, Kaskade, LP and comedy and movies at City National Grove of Anaheim. The series proved a great success, safely hosting over 80 drive-in events for over 65,000 fans while grossing over $4.1 million in ticket sales.
Prior to Nederlander, Loeb was the senior director of national tour marketing for Live Nation where she developed national tour marketing plans for Def Leppard, Avril Lavigne, Projekt Revolution and more. She also participates regularly on panels nationwide, including SXSW, Pollstar and the Aspen Live Music Conference, with digital marketing pioneers and other promoters in the industry.
Boygenius is bouncing to No. 1 on the U.K. chart with The Record (via Interscope), the indie supergroup’s debut LP.
Formed by Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, Boygenius leads an all-new top three on the Official Chart Update, the U.K.’s midweek tally.
If it holds its spot, The Record would give Bridgers her highest-charting U.K. LP, beating the No. 6 best for her 2020 record Punisher. Boygenius’ eponymously titled EP from 2018 didn’t trouble the Official U.K. Albums Chart.
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Meanwhile, Melanie Martinez is on track for a career-best No. 2 with Portals (Atlantic), her third studio release. The U.S. alternative-pop act already has one U.K. top 10 to her name: 2019’s K-12, which peaked at No. 8.
Completing the podium on the Official Chart Update is Australian indie-rock trio DMA’S, with How Many Dreams? (I Oh You/Mushroom Group). Showcasing a reimagined Britpop sound and swagger, DMA’S — comprising Tommy O’Dell, Matt Mason and Johnny Took — last cracked the top 10 with 2020’s The Glow, which peaked at No. 4.
Following a reissue across vinyl, CD and cassette formats, De La Soul’s 1989 debut 3 Feet High and Rising (Chrysalis) could return to the top 10, for a brand new peak. The set, which reenters at No. 4 on the chart update, recently rebounded to a current best No. 12 following the long-overdue rollout of the hip-hop pioneers’ catalog on streaming platforms.
Also new to the top 10 at the midweek stage is The Who With Orchestra – Live at Wembley (Universal Music Recordings), a live recording from the British rock legends’ only U.K. date of their 2019 Moving On Tour. If it stays put, Live at Wembley, recorded with the 57-piece Isobel Griffiths Orchestra, will give Roger Daltrey and Co. their 16th U.K. top 10 album.
Finally, Nigerian singer and songwriter Davido is eyeing a career-best peak with his fourth studio album, Timeless (via Ceremony of Roses). It’s new at No. 8 on the chart blast.
All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published late Friday (April 7).
Jimin made history on Monday (April 3) when his new single “Like Crazy” scored the BTS singer his very first solo No. 1 on the Hot 100, marking the first solo South Korean artist to reach the summit.
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The superstar took to Instagram following the news to thank his fans, sharing a screenshot of the latest Hot 100 top 10. “Love u all,” he captioned the post with purple heart emojis.
The Hot 100 start for “Like Crazy” was largely driven by sales, with five versions available during the chart’s tracking week. The song was released March 24 on Jimin’s debut solo set FACE, which enters at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The six-track project was preceded by the pre-release single “Set Me Free, Pt. 2.” With production by Pdogg, Ghstloop, Supreme Boi, BLVSH and Evan, the project also features songwriting credits on three tracks from bandmate RM.
Jimin and the rest of BTS previously became the first all-South Korean group to lead the Hot 100, with “Dynamite” in 2020.
In an interview with Consequence previewing FACE, Jimin admitted each of his bandmates have been anxious over going solo as they focused on individual projects, but “their results were absolutely great.” (Recent solo efforts have included J-Hope’s old-school hip-hop-leaning Jack in the Box, RM’s eclectic, collab-packed Indigo and Jin’s single “The Astronaut,” which was co-written by Coldplay and released before he started his mandatory enlistment in the Korean military.)
J. Cole and Drake showed Raleigh, North Carolina, why they’re at the top of their class on Sunday night (April 2) with an incredible close-out set at the 2023 Dreamville Festival.
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For the first weekend in April, the Dreamville collective turned Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh into what felt like the biggest family cookout of the year, with over 100,000 fans being treated to various performances across the Rise and Shine stages. Jessie Reyez, Sean Paul, City Girls, Ari Lennox, Waka Flocka Flame, Burna Boy, Summer Walker (who announced her upcoming project CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP) and Usher tore down the house over the two-day event — but there was no questioning who people were really there to see.
J. Cole kicked off the main event at the Shine stage with an explosive rendition of the North Carolina anthem “Who Dat,” off his debut album 2011 Cole World: The Sideline Story, before going into a medley of hits from his decorated catalog. Fans erupted at each record that rang throughout the festival grounds, such as “9 5 . s o u t h,” “m y . l i f e,” “G.O.M.D.,” “Fire Squad,” “Power Trip,” “The London” and more.
Midway into his set, Cole called upon his Dreamville army, inviting JID, Lute, Cozz, Omen and Earthgang to join him on stage for electrifying renditions of “Under the Sun,” “Down Bad” and “Stick.” At one point, Cole even dipped into his nostalgic bag and saluted his Friday Night Lights era with a performance of “Villematic.”
Just when fans were getting situated with Cole’s amazing set, Drizzy Drake took the reins and brought the night to another level. The 6 God arrived with his fiery verse on Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE” before putting on his Nike sports gloves and running through his own medley of classic hits, such as “Over,” “Energy,” “Nonstop” and “Marvin’s Room.”
Fans tried to get a grip on Drizzy’s thrilling set, but the Toronto megastar brought out a heap of guests to keep the crowd guessing and continue the party well into the night. GloRilla got a chance to take the stage after missing her performance earlier in the day with a quick rendition of her hit single “F.N.F (Let’s Go)” and Lil Uzi Vert made time to hit the crowd with a two-song set of signature smashes “XO TOUR Llif3” and “Just Wanna Rock.”
The biggest special guest, though, was Lil Wayne, who shocked the crowd with his arrival during Drake’s run-through of their 2012 collaborative hit “The Motto.” Weezy F. Baby then took over to perform “Uproar” featuring Swizz Beatz and “A Milli,” which had the North Carolina faithful passionately recite every word.
Towards the tail end of the show, Drake promised he had one more surprise up his sleeve — which had fans pondering what else he could do to put a fitting cap on an already-amazing night. That question was answered by 21 Savage popping up on stage to help Drake perform “Knife Talk” and “Rich Flex.”
Before Drake gave Cole the stage back, he took a second to give his “brother” his flowers, as he asked the 100,000-plus guests to sing their hearts out to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.” Cole was taken aback by the moving gesture, as he looked on at the massive sea of people hitting their high notes in unison as a sign of appreciation for everything he’s done for them in his 16-year career.
The incredible night finally saw its end once J. Cole grabbed the mic to praise Drake, with the two of them embracing and sharing a hug. Cole then eventually loosened the grip he had on the night and sent fans home with a fireworks-filled rendition of his 2014 Forest Hills Drive standout, “No Role Modelz.”
Once the show was over, there was not one upset face in the crowd, as people were smiling from ear to ear — with many even calling Dreamville Festival one of “the best events of the year.”
BTS’s Jimin is on fire in the U.K., where “Like Crazy” (via BigHit Entertainment) blasts into the top 10, at No. 8.
Lifted from his debut LP FACE, “Like Crazy” is the highest U.K. chart appearance from a solo member of BTS, beating his own previous record, set just one week earlier with “Set Me Free Pt. 2,” which reached No. 30.
“Like Crazy” impacts the latest Official U.K. Singles Chart, published March 31 and led by Ed Sheeran’s “Eyes Closed,” which fires to No. 1 on debut.
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Prior to Jimin’s two latest singles chart appearances, the only other BTS band member to enter the U.K. top 40 with a solo number was J-Hope, whose “One The Street” collaboration with J. Cole reached No. 37.
The seven-member K-pop superstar group — comprised of J-Hope, Jin, Suga, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook — has four U.K. Top 10 singles to date as a group, with “Dynamite,” “Butter” and Coldplay collab “My Universe” all hitting No. 3, and “Life Goes On” peaking at No. 10.
The boyband also has two U.K. No. 1 albums as a collective: 2019’s Map of the Soul – Persona and 2020’s Map of the Soul – 7.
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, along with J-Hope’s “On The Street”.
Lana Del Rey hits the U.K. albums chart for six with Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd (via Polydor), the new leader.
Ocean Blvd blasts to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, the fastest-selling LP of 2023 so-far, passing the opening week of Pink’s recent leader Trustfall, the Official Charts Company reports.
The U.S. alternative pop artist’s ninth studio album becomes her sixth leader, after Born to Die (from 2012), Ultraviolence (2014), Lust for Life (2017), Norman F*cking Rockwell! (2019) and Chemtrails Over the Country Club (2021).
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According to the OCC, Ocean Blvd delivers Del Rey’s strongest first week in the U.K. since 2014’s Ultraviolence.
With her latest crown, Del Rey ranks fifth all-time among female solo artists with the most U.K. No. 1s. Only Madonna (with 12), Taylor Swift (9), Kylie Minogue (8) and Barbra Streisand (7) have more.
“The achievement of Lana Del Rey in scoring six Number 1 albums in just 11 years is quite something, especially given she has done so with the biggest first week numbers of any album this year,” comments Martin Talbot, CEO of Official Charts Company. “She is a genuine superstar of our era.”
Coming in hot at No. 2 on the latest chart, published March 31, is Depeche Mode’s Memento Mori (Columbia), the legendary British synth-pop band’s first album since the 2022 death of bandmate Andy Fletcher. Memento Mori is the most downloaded album of the week, and becomes DM’s 18th U.K. top 10, and best chart position in a decade.
Reunited U.S. alternative rock outfit Fall Out Boy bags a fifth top 5 record with So Much (for) Stardust. It’s new at No. 3.
Pink Floyd’s epic 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon rockets back into the chart, thanks to a 50th anniversary reissue campaign. A vinyl pressing powers The Dark Side of the Moon – Live at Wembley 1974 (Parlophone) into fourth spot on the all-genres albums chart, while The Dark Side of the Moon – 50 Years (Rhino) reissue returns at No. 17, for its 558th week on the survey.
The album last appeared in the top 20 almost 12 years ago, back in October 2011, the OCC reports, but has never led the chart. Its peak spot is No. 2.
Finally, U.S. country star Luke Combs completes the U.K. top 5 with Gettin’ Old (Sony Music CG), his fourth studio album. Gettin’ Old bows at No. 5 for Combs’ U.K. career-best position.
Ed Sheeran dethrones Miley Cyrus on the U.K. singles chart as “Eyes Closed” (Atlantic) sprints to No. 1.
With “Eyes Closed,” the first single lifted from Sheeran’s forthcoming album Subtract, the Englishman lands his 14th best-seller on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, published March 31, and climbs the all-time leaderboard.
In doing so, “Eyes Closed” ends the 10-week reign of “Flowers”. Cyrus’ hit is stopped one week short of equaling Tones And I’s 11-week run with “Dance Monkey,” which remains the longest-running leader by a female solo artist.
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Sheeran now equals the 14 career No. 1s accumulated by Cliff Richard and Westlife, slotting into equal third on the all-time list. Only Elvis Presley (with 21) and the Beatles (17) have more U.K. No. 1s, the Official Charts Company reports.
Also, “Eyes Closed” becomes Sheeran’s 41st Official top 10 single, good enough for fifth on the list of all-time top 10 appearances.
After two-and-a-half months, Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Columbia) loses its crown, dipping 1-2. It continues to rack-up a marketing-leading volume of streams, the OCC reports.
Further down the list, rising Afrobeats star Libianca hits a new peak position with “People” (5K), up 5-4, while BTS member Jimin scores a new mark with “Like Crazy” (BigHit Entertainment). It’s new at No. 8, for the first top 10 appearance by a solo member of BTS. “Like Crazy” debuts just a week after Jimin bagged a solo career best by a BTS member with “Set Me Free Pt. 2,’ which arrived at No. 30.
Finally, 22-year U.K. based artist Paris Paloma bags her first appearance on the Official Chart with “Labour” (Nettwerk). The folk ballad, a viral rallying call against misogyny, starts at No. 29.