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Iggy Azalea has done it her way.
The Aussie hip-hop artist has been there, done that, making the leap from sleepy Mullumbimby to global chart star, she’s enjoyed the extreme highs, endured the deep lows of a career in showbiz, become a mom, and, now, she’s riding a lucrative sideline on OnlyFans.
On Wednesday night (Feb. 22), the rapper stopped by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen for some chat, a trip down memory lane, and well-advised question dodging.
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Iggy got her recording career away in smoking-hot fashion back in 2014, when she joined the Beatles as the only acts to rank at Nos. 1 and 2 simultaneously with their first two Hot 100 hits, doing so with “Fancy,” featuring Charli XCX, and as the featured artist on Ariana Grande’s “Problem,” respectively.
Just months earlier, another “crazy” thing happened. She opened for Beyonce on the Australian leg of The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour.
“That was such a long time ago. The whole thing was crazy to me, the fact that she knew who I was crazy to me because she’s Beyonce,” she recounts.
That wasn’t the only crazy memory she holds from that time. Iggy had two wisdom teeth pulled on the day of a show, and refused to pull out of her duties. “I got my wisdom teeth pulled out at two in the afternoon, and the doctor was like, ‘don’t do any exercise.’ I was like, ‘would a stage show be exercising?’”
Post-op Iggy had gauze in her mouth until she went on stage, at which point the adrenaline kicked in. And — voila — performance nailed. “Beyonce, she’s amazing. She’s queen of the world,” Iggy insists. And she also commands a spread fit for a queen. “Her catering was off-the-chain amazing,” she quips.
Sitting alongside James Kennedy from Vanderpump Rules, Iggy discussed her forthcoming “cool art project,” which includes a coffee table book, partly inspired by Madonna’s Sex book from 1992. “She’s the blueprint.”
When the Q&A rounds fired off, Iggy fired back. Cohen asked her must-have ingredients for a hot man (witty banter), her pet peeves (badly packed suitcases drive her up the wall, apparently), and her sexiest music video of all time (Rihanna, Cher, Madonna in no particular order).
When the host asked who’s the better rapper between Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, Iggy responded,“Oh my god, why would you do this to me? I just don’t want to start drama.”
And wisely, she didn’t offer an answer. She also refused to respond to the question on which artist she refused to collaborate with.
Silence, as we know, is golden.
And the oddest request from her OnlyFans subscribers? When she’s asked to talk dirty — and mean — and guys casually throw chunks of cash her way. You couldn’t make it up.
The hip-hop artist launched her “Hotter Than Hell X OnlyFans” in January, which includes a $25-per-month subscription deal that promises “first-look access and exclusive content from the project,” which is slated to wrap up in December with the release of the coffee table book.
Watch the Watch What Happens Live interview below.
SYDNEY, Australia — Brendon Bainbridge is leaving TEG after 17 years, the past six of those leading the live entertainment, ticketing, digital and data giant’s activities in Asia.
Bainbridge has been “an asset to TEG from day one and I want to personally thank him for his friendship, commitment, loyalty and immense efforts in successfully launching TEG in Asia,” comments TEG CEO Geoff Jones in a statement announcing the move.
During his six-year stint as managing director, Asia, “Brendon has grown the business in the region, leading through the pandemic, the entertainment and ticketing industry’s most challenging period in recent times, positioning TEG Asia to now capitalize on a wealth of opportunity in the region,” adds Jones.
Before making the move to Singapore, Bainbridge served for 11 years as managing director of Ticketek New Zealand.
Bainbridge is leaving to go live in Colorado, according to the company, and TEG is working on opportunities for him to continue working with the company after his relocation.
His successor at TEG is Timothy Ho, who is named as managing director, Asia, and has worked closely with Bainbridge for the last year, creating what should be “seamless transition for our business in the region,” enthuses Jones.
The incoming chief has 15 years’ experience in live entertainment and ticketing prior to joining to TEG, and was a “clear choice to step into the role,” says Sydney-based Jones.
The region, notes Ho, “is at the forefront of every major discussion now for live entertainment and ticketing – it’s a great time to be stepping into this leadership role and fulfilling TEG’s long-term vision and commitment to Asia.”
Currently, the TEG empire includes TEG Live, TEG Sport, TEG Experiences, TEG Dainty, SXSW Sydney, TEG MJR, TEG Van Egmond, Laneway Festival, FAN+, Handsome Tours, Qudos Bank Arena and ticketing giant Ticketek, a multiple winner at the 2022 Ticketing Business Forum international awards in Manchester, England.
In other news, TEG’s owners are reportedly preparing for an auction process.
In one article published last month in the Australian Financial Review, TEG is said to be pitched to big global buyout funds as “a unique business worldwide,” one that has expanded its footprint in recent years.
Another tale which ran in The Australian, suggested a sale process for the group could kick off this April, with investment bank Jefferies tapped to facilitate.
TEG was acquired in 2019 by Silver Lake, the U.S.-based private equity company which specializes in technology investing. Financial terms weren’t revealed, but sources say TEG carried a price tag of $1 billion-plus.
A spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
From Major Tom to Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, the many faces and inspirations of David Bowie are getting a permanent home in London.
Britain’s Victoria & Albert Museum announced Thursday that it has acquired Bowie’s archive of more than 80,000 items as a gift from the late musician’s estate. The trove of costumes, musical instruments, letters, lyrics, photos and more will be opened to the public at a new arts center dedicated to the chameleonlike pop icon.
The David Bowie Center for the Study of Performing Arts is due to open in 2025 as part of V&A East Storehouse, an offshoot of the U.K.’s national museum of art, design and performance that is being built in east London’s Olympic Park.
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The V&A said the center will let fans and researchers gain insights into the creative process of Bowie, who died in 2016 at the age of 69.
Kate Bailey, the museum’s senior curator of theater and performance, said the archive was an “extraordinary” record of a creator whose “life was art.”
“Bowie’s a polymath, he’s multifaceted. He was inspired by all genres and disciplines,” she said. “He’s an artist who was working really in 360 — drawing from literature, but also drawing from art history … (and) the places that he’d been to.”
The musician — born plain old David Jones in the London suburbs in 1947 — reinvented himself restlessly, creating and shedding personas as he moved through musical styles from folk-rock to glam to soul to electronica.
He created a series of larger-than-life stage characters, mining influences ranging from German Expressionist cinema to Japanese Kabuki theater. In turn he has influenced musicians, filmmakers, fashion designers and advertisers.
Some of the items in the archive formed part of “David Bowie Is,” a multimedia exhibition that toured the world after a sold-out run at the V&A in London in 2013.
Some items are iconic, such as a multicolored quilted jumpsuit designed by Freddie Burretti for Bowie’s alien rock star creation Ziggy Stardust, Kansai Yamamoto’s futuristic creations for the Aladdin Sane tour in 1973 or the Union Jack coat designed by Bowie and Alexander McQueen for the cover of 1997’s “Earthling” album.
Others are more personal, including letters, handwritten lyrics for songs including the anthem “Heroes,” and notebooks that Bowie kept throughout his life. The archives also contain more than 70,000 photographs, slides and images.
The museum secured the archive from the Bowie estate and also received a 10 million pound ($12 million) donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group to house and display it at V&A East, part of a new culture and technology quarter rising on the site of the 2012 London Olympics.
The David Bowie Estate said that “with David’s life’s work becoming part of the U.K.’s national collections, he takes his rightful place amongst many other cultural icons and artistic geniuses.”
V&A director Tristram Hunt called Bowie “one of the greatest musicians and performers of all time.”
“Bowie’s radical innovations across music, theatre, film, fashion, and style — from Berlin to Tokyo to London — continue to influence design and visual culture and inspire creatives from Janelle Monáe to Lady Gaga to Tilda Swinton and Raf Simons,” he said.
This article originally appeared in The Associated Press.
Amid his 2023 tour El Amor 30 Años Después del Amor — which celebrates the 30-year anniversary of the seminal album El Amor Después del Amor — Fito Páez made a stop to headline Viña del Mar International Song Festival on Wednesday (Feb. 22).
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The Argentine artist arrived on stage with buoyant energy and colors that brought instant cheer. He sported a lemon yellow coat, turtleneck and lime green scarf combo; his scruffy salt-and-pepper curls looked splendidly unruly, and wore red-tinted glasses to boot.
This was the fifth time the legendary composer rocked the stage at the Quinta Vergara amphitheater; the last time he performed at the festival was in 2014. This time, he was honored with two trophies, a Gaviota de Plata and a Gaviota de Oro. The multi-Latin Grammy-winning artist performed nearly 90 minutes of all killer, no filler hits from Después del Amor and more like “Al Lado del Campo,” “Ciudad de Pobres Corazones,” and “Circo Beat.”
Above all, he testified why the celebrated Amor… became the best-selling album in the history of Argentine rock — it’s simply loaded with timeless hits. Although he had plenty of material to choose from, with close to 30 studio albums under his belt, all the songs from the iconic record were greatly received with fans singing along, and some with tears.
On its fourth night. Here are some highlights from the 64th annual installment of Viña del Mar.
His Genuine Songwriting
He opened the show with the iconic “El Amor Después del Amor,” which made for a grand entrance that needed no elaborate dancers, no smoke effects, no pyrotechnics — just him and his band. His impeccable songwriting was centerfold, highlighting introspective themes about finding love after love (of course), nomadic lives, magic and rock ‘n’ roll. With over 15,000 attendees present, Fito created a kind of bond with the audience that felt intimate and always genuine. Even from my screen, it’s clear how the amphitheater resonated with seemingly each attendee knowing every lyric.
His Piano-Playing Prowess
At any given moment when Páez pounded the keys to his grand piano, the energy instantly amplified. He demonstrated his piano-playing mastery. Although he left many of the album’s songs intact, he did present riveting brass-powered arrangements to a handful of tunes with the help of his live band, which resulted in a livelier Viña. He gave a lot more shine to his main instrument on the piano ballad “Un Vestido y Un Amor,” which inspired a massive singalong.
Genuineness And Flamboyance
There’s a charming quality about his flamboyant swagger that draws us in. Whether he’s pounding away at the piano, strumming his Gibson guitar, or showcasing that rocker flair, his every move captured our attention. He has a unique demeanor; that mixed with his genuineness creates a very beloved rock star that spans generations. Grandmothers, couples, and fellow Argentine newcomer Nicki Nicole was among the crowd.
“Lo que yo necesitaba en esa época cuando era joven y sin ningún tipo de norte, igual que ahora, era irse lejos para reconocer a otra realidad, a uno propio, hay que llegar ser, y en eso apareció esta canción,” he said before playing the stunning “Tumbas de la Gloria.” (“What I needed at that time when I was young and without any kind of direction, was to go far away to recognize another truth, and one’s self. That’s when this song appeared.”)
LONG LIVE LATIN ROCK
Fito showcased heavier rock riffs on a mustard-colored Gibson guitar when performing “Ciudad de Pobres Corazones,” boasting his instrument versatility. With distorted strumming, he turned the night into a Latin rock affair. Yet, in the 60-minute mark of the show, Páez’s lead guitarist — who was clad in black leather pants and a slick blazer — took the spotlight for a riveting three-minute rock solo. Armed with frenetic fretwork and screeching riffs, the man impressed with every improvisational note, and the crowd loved it.
Towards the end of his solo, he kneeled to the floor, and raised his guitar high, thus resurrecting the glory days of hard rock for the current times.
For the first time in its more than six-decade history, the Viña del Mar International Song Festival is being livestreamed in the United States, exclusively on Billboard.com, Billboard’s YouTube channel, and via Twitter @Billboard. The six-day festival continues Christina Aguilera on Feb. 23; and ending with Camilo on Feb. 24. All headliners will perform at 8 p.m. ET.
Find the rest of the week’s schedule below:
Thursday, Feb. 23: Christina Aguilera
Friday, Feb. 24: Camilo
The Weeknd and Ariana Grande’s anticipated remix of his song ‘Die For You’ off his 2016 album ‘Starboy’ which has found new popularity in the past year due to TikTok. BlackPink’s Rosé tops the Hot Trending Songs chart powered by Twitter, R&B legend Mario sings his hit ‘Let Me Love You’ during our interview with him, SZA is on our Billboard cover talking all about what it feels like to be Woman Of the Year and more!
Rosé’s cover of Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You” crowns Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart dated Feb. 25.
Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running Feb. 10-16.
The BLACKPINK member’s cover of Sanchez’s original was released on YouTube Feb. 10 to coincide with Rosé’s 26th birthday the next day, Feb. 11.
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Though it’s Rosé’s first solo No. 1 on the chart, which began in 2021, she boasts a pair of leaders via BLACKPINK: “Pink Venom” and “Shut Down,” both in 2022.
“You,” Sanchez’s breakthrough hit, concurrently lifts 8% in official U.S. streams in the Feb. 10-16 tracking week, garnering 9.4 million streams in all, according to Luminate.
Rosé is followed on the latest Hot Trending Songs chart by $uicideboy$ and Shakewell’s new collaboration “Big Shot Cream Soda,” which bows at No. 2. The song premiered Feb. 15.
Skrillex’s “Ratata,” featuring Missy Elliott and Mr. Oizo, follows at No. 3; it was released Feb. 15 as a final taste of the producer’s new album, Quest for Fire, which was released Feb. 17. (More Skrillex entries are possible on the Hot Trending Songs chart dated March 4 after the release of Quest and its immediate successor, Don’t Get Too Close, on Feb. 18.)
Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.
After hosting a string of shows in January as part of his One Big Party Tour that showcased acts such as Lil Durk, Kodak Black, Jeezy, and more, Future looks to extend the festivities this March with 11 more concerts.
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Beginning March 9, he will touch down in a bevy of cities for his arena tour, including New Orleans, Dallas, Milwaukee and more. Presented by AG Entertainment, The Future and Friends One Big Party Tour will boast a star-studded lineup with Don Toliver, G Herbo, Mariah the Scientist and Dess Dior hitting the road alongside the hip-hop polymath.
“The One Big Party Tour has been life-changing,” Future tells Billboard. “It helps me connect with my fans in ways that are unimaginable. The success and energy from the shows brought such excitement that I want to continue this tour for my fans in more cities. I want to create an experience that forever stays in their memories. I will continue to expand by touring for all my fans around the world and elevate my shows across the globe each time I go out. I’m thankful to my fans for their priceless love and unconditional support! Let’s win again together as ONE.”
Future is coming off a successful run with his ninth studio album, I NEVER LIKED U. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last year, anchored by its Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Wait for U” featuring Drake and Tems. The record also scored a Grammy for best rap/sung collaboration at this year’s ceremony.
Check out the tour dates below. Tickets can be purchased on the One Big Party Tour website, while media outlets can reach out Abesi PR Media & Marketing: abesi@7thandlotus.com for inquires about the tour.
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3/9 New Orleans, LA — Smoothie King Center
3/12 Dallas, TX — American Airlines Center
3/17 Fort Lauderdale, FL –Fla Live Arena
3/19 Jacksonville, FL — Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena
3/24 Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
3/25 Columbus, OH — Nationwide Arena
3/26 Milwaukee, WI — Fiserv Forum
4/1 Oakland, CA — Oakland Arena
4/6 Indianapolis, IN — Gainbridge Fieldhouse
4/7 Kansas City, KS — T-Mobile Center
4/8 Minneapolis, MS — Target Center
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Pink is back in business with Trustfall, an album that’s at or en route to the top of the charts around the globe. And when she hits the road in support of it, you’ll know about it.
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Everything in Alecia Moore’s world, it seems, is shiny and large, colorful. Pink, even. The Philly native is a total drawcard.
Her ninth and latest album, however, explores some of the tougher angles of life.
On Tuesday night (Feb. 21), Pink stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, for an exploration of her music, family, courage and more.
Of her new LP and its title, she explains: “I feel like all of us are walking around sort of with this low level of trauma in our bodies and it takes a lot of trust to be human being these days, to get out of bed in the morning, go to work, and drop your kids off at school, and go to public places and participate in elections and have a vagina. It just takes a lot of trust.”
Not everything is shiny and colorful. “I know a lot of teenagers, also, I think a lot of people have anxiety, a lot of kids have anxiety, and a lot of us feel like we’re falling backwards. And we don’t know where the ground is now,” she says. “That’s a trustfall…you have to ask yourself, what’s worth falling for and who’s supposed to catch you, can you catch yourself.”
The pop superstar also discussed reuniting with Chris Stapleton on “Just Say I’m Sorry” (“it sounds dumb, but I just called him up. I am a fan”), collaborating with her own kids (no, they don’t want to follow her lead into showbiz), and the music industry (“I hate people who gave advice”).
And she shared her origin tale of the music biz, which began in the 1990s when Moore signed as a 16-year-old as part of an “absolutely terrible” group. The band was eventually shelved, but the fearless singer stepped up and out, signed a new contract at 17 and eventually released her own music to the world at age 20. “The business is very different now,” she explains.
Pink also performed “When I Get There,” lifted from Trustfall (Feb. 17), which dropped last Friday through RCA. Her Summer Carnival 2023 jaunt kicking off in late July followed by the TRUSTFALL arena tour starting Oct. 12 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif.
Watch below:
Following the inaugural edition of Bésame Mucho in Los Angeles last December, the music festival announced on Tuesday (Feb. 21) the lineup for its second edition.
With headliners Maná, Los Bukis and Gloria Trevi, Bésame will return to Dodger Stadium as a one-day event on Dec. 2. Like last year, it will consist of stages representing different genres. Rock, classics and pop will get their own stage again.
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The “Rockero Stage” will feature sets by artists such as Natalia Lafourcade, La Ley, Ska-P, Aterciopelados and Maldita Vecindad. The “Las Clásicas Stage” roster includes Alejandro Fernández, Pepe Aguilar, Los Tucanes de Tijuana and Conjunto Primavera. Meanwhile, the “Te Gusta El Pop?” stage’s lineup includes Reik, Camila, Belinda, Emmanuel and Jesse & Joy. Returning artists from last year include Café Tacvba, Hombres G, Enanitos Verdes, Ramon Ayala and Banda El Recodo.
Last year, the inaugural Bésame Mucho festival edition sold out in 12 minutes, according to sources, when the 2000s-inspired lineup was announced. At the actual event, thousands of fans had to sprint across the stadium’s parking lot to catch whichever act was on their must-see list. The literal back-to-back sets were 35-50 minutes in length, which fans weren’t too crazy about, especially with technical difficulties that impacted the sound leaving artists to deal with the situation onstage and, ultimately, left them with a shorter set. This year’s lineup isn’t as packed as last year, which could lead to more efficient set transitions and overall production quality.
Tickets for Bésame Mucho 2023 will go on sale Friday, Feb. 24 at 10am PT.