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Bebe Rexha is making it loud and clear that she will not tolerate disruptive behavior at her shows.
During her performance at the Palmesus Festival in Kristiansand, Norway, on July 6, Rexha had a fan ejected for attempting to throw an object at her on stage. This incident occurred nearly a year after she was hit in the face with a cell phone during a concert in New York City, which resulted in significant injuries.
In a video that has since gone viral, Rexha addressed the offending audience member who attempted to throw something on stage directly, saying, “If you hit me with something on stage right now, I’ll take you for everything you’ve f—ing got. Do not f—ing play with me right now. Out! Get the f–k out.”
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Bebe Rexha kicks out an audience member after they attempted to throw an object at her during her performance:“If you hit me with something on stage i’ll take you for everything you’ve f***ing done. do not f***ing play with me right now. Out, get the f**k out.” pic.twitter.com/fugjl8u6Ak— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 7, 2024
This isn’t the first time Rexha has had to deal with unruly fans.
On June 1, she had multiple people removed from her concert in Green Bay, Wisconsin, after they threw objects at her on stage.
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Fans videos show Rexha directing security to escort a fan out of the venue, saying, “Out, out. Or, if you wanna hit me in the face, I had to press charges for the other guy — I’d love to become richer.”
As fans cheered, she clarified: “I’m not inviting that, please. It was just a joke.”
The June 2023 incident was particularly severe. While performing at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City, Rexha was struck in the face by a cell phone thrown by a fan, which split her eyebrow and required stitches.
The assailant, Nicolas Malvagna, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of assault and harassment. He later accepted a plea deal that included 40 days of community service and a six-month order of protection.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office later reported that the assailant had said in his confession, “I was trying to see if I could hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny.”
Rexha later shared a pic of her bruised face with the caption, “I’m good.”
But fans throwing objects at artists isn’t limited to the “I’m A Mess” singer. Country star Morgan Wallen has had phones, a drink, and women’s underwear thrown at him while performing over the past year or so alone.
In June 2023, Pink was left shocked when a fan threw their mother’s ashes onto the stage during a performance at BST Hyde Park. Similarly, Cardi B had water thrown at her during a concert in August 2023.
Harry Styles and Kid Cudi have also faced similar disruptions, with Styles being hit in the eye by a Skittle during a 2022 show in Los Angeles and Kid Cudi cutting his Rolling Loud set short due to fans throwing bottles at him.
Kasabian are set to claim their seventh consecutive U.K. No. 1 album with their latest release, Happenings. The Leicester-formed rock band, consisting of Sergio Pizzorno, Chris Edwards, Ian Matthews, and Tim Carter, has taken an early lead in the race to top this week’s U.K. Official Albums Chart.
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At the midweek mark, Happenings, the band’s eighth studio album, is outselling its closest competitor, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, by a margin of 2:1.
Kasabian have achieved six U.K. No. 1 albums throughout their career, with all but their first studio album hitting the top spot. The band has seen major success despite lineup changes, including the departure of lead vocalist Tom Meighan in 2020, after which lead songwriter and guitarist Pizzorno became the de facto frontman.
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Meanwhile, the chart action is heating up with several other notable entries. Rising pop sensation Chappell Roan is set to make a splash with her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, aiming for a top 5 position.
Zach Bryan performs at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Kyle Gustafson / For The Washington Post via Getty Images
On the country front, Zach Bryan’s fifth album, The Great American Bar Scene, is eyeing a debut at No. 15. The record features star-studded collaborations with Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer, alongside Bryan’s recent Top 40 hit “Pink Skies.” This could mark Bryan’s highest-charting debut in the U.K.
Previously, Bryan’s self-titled album reached No. 22 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, while his third album, American Heartbreak, peaked at No. 1 on the Official Americana Chart in the U.K.
Rock band Enter Shikari’s Dancing On The Frontline is set to enter at No. 25. This will be the band’s ninth U.K. top 40 entry and comes after the St Albans-formed rock band snagged their first U.K. No. 1 with A Kiss for the Whole World in 2023.
Previously, the group scored top 10s with their 2007 debut album Take to the Skies (No. 4 peak), 2012’s A Flash Flood of Colour (No. 4), 2015’s The Mindsweep (No. 6), 2017’s The Spark (No. 5) and 2020’s Nothing Is True And Everything Is Possible (No. 2).
Indie rockers The Rifles return after an eight-year hiatus with Love Your Neighbour, which is on track to become their fifth Top 40 album, debuting at No. 26. The alternative-folk trio Fink is also making waves with Beauty In Your Wake, approaching their first-ever entry on the U.K. Official Albums Chart at No. 35.
As we approach the end of the week, all eyes will be on the U.K. Official Albums Chart to see if Kasabian can secure yet another No. 1 album to add to their list.
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Imagine Dragons have stormed the Official U.K. Albums Chart with their latest release, securing the highest new entry of the week. The Nevada rockers’ sixth top 10 album in the U.K., LOOM debuts at No. 5.
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The latest release continues their streak of chart success, joining the ranks of 2013’s Night Visions (No. 3), 2015’s Smoke & Mirrors (No. 1), 2017’s Evolve (No. 3), 2018’s Origins (No. 9), and 2021’s Mercury – Acts 1 & 2 (No. 7).
However, it’s Taylor Swift who reigns supreme once again, with The Tortured Poets Department enjoying an eighth non-consecutive week at No. 1.
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This week, the Official U.K. Charts named The Tortured Poets Department the biggest album of 2024 so far, having already accumulated over 542,000 chart units since its release in April.
Billie Eilish’s HIT ME HARD AND SOFT climbs one spot to No. 2. The Oscar winner’s third studio album has earned high praise from fans and critics its place as one of the year’s standout releases.
The album’s success follows her previous chart-toppers, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and Happier Than Ever, which both reached No. 1 on the U.K. Albums Chart. The impressive feat makes the “Lunch” singer one of the few artists to have their first three albums debut in the top two positions.
Billie Eilish attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 4, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Camila Cabello makes a bold statement with her new album C,XOXO, which debuts at No. 20. The album marks her fourth Top 20 entry, following Camila (No. 2), Romance (No. 14), and Familia (No. 9). Her debut solo single “Havana” topped the U.K. Singles Chart in 2017, marking her first solo No. 1 in the U.K.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER surges back into the U.K. top 40, leaping 59 places to No. 40 following its vinyl release. Back in April, Beyoncé made history after she became the first Black artist to take a country album to No. 1 on the UK’s Official Albums Chart.
The milestone also marked her first No. 1 on the UK’s Official Country Albums Chart.
Lady Gaga bid a tearful farewell to her landmark Jazz & Piano concerts at Las Vegas’ Dolby Live Theater inside Park MGM on Saturday, July 6. Throughout the two-hour performance, Gaga hinted at an eventual return to the Strip, gave a shout-out to her dad and boyfriend in attendance, and praised her jazz mentor, Tony Bennett.
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During the finale, she poked the audience with a cheeky, “I can’t believe this is the last time we are going to do this. No, it’s not, we’ll do it again …” Throughout this run of Jazz & Piano, which began on June 19, Gaga teased a potential new residency, telling audiences, “… when we come back, we hope you’ll come back, we’ll have a brand-new show for you.” At another time, she confirmed it would be “pop.”This first Las Vegas residency turn from Gaga began as two shows: the progressive pop Enigma, which opened on Dec. 28, 2018, followed by Jazz & Piano on Jan. 20, 2019. Dual residencies with entirely different types of music was a groundbreaking notion; no artist had previously attempted it in Las Vegas.Lady Gaga Jazz & Piano drew inspiration from the Great American Songbook. Also, it featured jazz rearrangements of Gaga’s most popular work, including “Paparazzi,” “Born This Way,” and “Bad Romance,” which accentuate the lyrics in ways that the pop versions don’t. These additions allowed an audience that might be best familiar with her from her work with Tony Bennett on their collaborative albums Cheek to Cheek (2014) and Love for Sale (2021) to get to know her as a lyricist.
Over its 48 performances, Jazz & Piano experienced a rollercoaster of highs and lows, including a 21-month pause, Bennett’s passing and an Oscar win for best song for A Star is Born.Opening night saw Gaga and Bennett take the stage together. “You know this guy right here: When everyone was calling me a tramp, he was calling me a lady. We love you, Tony,” Gaga said when introducing her then 92-year-old duet partner. They lovingly belted through “Lady is a Tramp” and “Cheek to Cheek.”The final run, the eighth iteration of Jazz & Piano, carried on many of the residency’s traditions while adding new surprises that her little monsters love.The show started with a black and white video of Gaga and her bandmates backstage warming up to Nat King Cole’s “Orange Colored Sky” broadcast on the side-stage screens. The band, with conductor Michael Bearden, trumpeter and bandleader Brian Newman, pianist and organist Alex Smith, saxophonist Steve Kortyka, drummer Donald Barrett, and bassist Daniel Foose backed by a full orchestra, took the stage and kicked off the evening with the classic Vegas anthem “Luck Be A Lady,” as they have 47 other times.As he did on opening night back in 2019 when he appeared in person, Bennett, who passed away last July, at age 96, introduced the star via voiceover: “Ladies and gentlemen, the incredible Lady Gaga.” Even after his death, Bennett remained an omnipresent part of the show.Every note sang and played on closing night felt like a long, raspy, soulful goodbye love letter delivered in the “wisegal” showroom banter for which her jazz persona “the “Lady” has become known.“Las Vegas, you are in for a treat … it is Saturday, and you are going to feel like shit on Monday and in the morning, too,” Gaga promised. “This is the last show of this residency in Las Vegas, which means tonight we will make you sick. You will be so sick, but the best is yet to come.”This statement introduced Sinatra’s tune of the same name. Modifying the lyrics of “The Best is Yet to Come” to “Las Vegas, I’m gonna teach you to fly.”A visibly emotional Gaga gave every song its send-off, her band matching the energy with blow-out instrumentation and the sell-out crowd gushing with adoration through multiple standing ovations.There were special guests in the audience. Four songs in, Gaga shouted out her father, Joe Germanotta. After downing a glass of whiskey in one gulp, she said, “My daddy taught me how to do that—my daddy is in the audience tonight, thanks, dad—call me irresponsible …”In the lead-up to “Do I Love You,” Gaga called out boyfriend Michael Polansky. “I don’t know if you brought anybody you love tonight, but I brought somebody with me that I love, Mr. Michael Polansky. I can’t bring you up on stage, but you are always in my heart, honey,” she said.The costumes have changed throughout the years with sparkling new additions, and for this stretch of dates, the wardrobe received a complete revamp. Gaga’s second look of the evening, with its ornate bejeweled necklace and headpiece, felt as if it came from Elizabeth Taylor’s 1963 turn as Cleopatra. Gaga sat at her piano in the gown and said, “‘Born This Way’ is everything I stand for.”
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Each run introduced setlist modifications. In 2021, in promotion of a second album with Bennett, Love for Sale, Gaga added “Love for Sale,” “Let’s Do It,” “Do I Love You,” and “You’re the Top,” in addition to “Rags to Riches” and “Mambo Italiano.” In 2023, the revised setlist included “The Best Is Yet to Come,” “Sway,” “Steppin’ Out with My Baby,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” and her own “Stupid Love.” “Americano” came on board in 2024.Closing night put a spotlight on extended solos from the band. Newman unforgettably glided through “The Best is Yet to Come” and “Paparazzi,” demonstrating the extent of what a true master can do with a trumpet. Barrett pounded through drum solos and Smith’s work on the keys completely reinvented the sounds a piano can produce.The final set before the encore commenced with “La Vie En Rose.” Gaga’s version stands up to the original, unlike any other attempt. She performed the Edith Piaf classic in shadow, a lead into the whispering haunt of “Bad Romance,” with the articulation of every word a dalliance between vice grip and petal soft.As Jazz & Piano ended with its last two tunes, Gaga promised the crowd, “I’m not going to stop singing jazz … this one’s for you, Tone.”The second-to-last song, Bennett’s “Fly Me to the Moon,” began with Gaga dropping her mic and belting unamplified to the 5,200-seat theater.Ending with “I’m super emotional, but there’s no crying in baseball and thanking the audience for helping us preserve the legacy of jazz. … I am going to die an old lady singing this music on this stage.” Gaga then made her way around and shook the hands of each orchestra member.Throughout the five-and-a-half-year residency, various pop-up experiences helped to create an entire Gaga universe in Las Vegas.In May 2019, the Haus of Gaga mini museum opened alongside the theater. It showcased clothing and accessories from the singer’s archive, including the infamous “meat dress.” Donations benefitted the Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit that Gaga and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, co-founded.Brian Newman’s “After Dark” late-night lounge gig debuted at NoMad’s The Library in June 2019. Gaga frequently popped in to join her bandleader on stage in the intimate setting. Newman produced the soundtrack version of “La Vie En Rose” for A Star Is Born and was her bandleader and trumpeter for “Cheek to Cheek.” Both Gaga and Newman have the same Miles Davis trumpet tattoo on their right arms, based on a sketch by Bennett.While final numbers won’t be available for a few months, Jazz & Piano is estimated to have earned more than $100 million, placing it in the top 10 Las Vegas residencies. This fall, Lady Gaga will star as Harley Quinn in Joker: Folie à Deux and has teased a forthcoming seventh studio album.
Pearl Jam lands two straight No. 1s on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for the first time, as “Wreckage” rises to the top of the July 13-dated tally. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The song follows the four-week reign of the group’s “Dark Matter” starting in […]
After songwriting for prolific artists including Beyoncé and Victoria Monét, Lucky Daye took the plunge to transition to being a solo artist in 2019. Since then, he’s released four albums, with his most recent being Algorithm. Lucky Daye shares his creative process behind his newest release, working with Teddy Swims and Bruno Mars, his upcoming tour and more!
Lucky Daye:I’m not gonna play a losing game. I’m gonna play that I’m gonna win at. And I win at making music. Hey, this is Lucky Daye, and this is Billboard News.
Gail Mitchell:Welcome, Lucky Daye.
Lucky Daye: Thank you for having me.
Gail Mitchell:So I was telling someone here earlier on the team, I was going out to a dinner last night, on the radio Stevie Wonder’s KJLH “That’s You” was playing. And I’m like, oh my god, because I’m supposed to talk to him tomorrow. On the way home, “Hurricane” was playing on the same station. So …
Lucky Daye: So Stevie like …
Gail Mitchell:Stevie likes you.
Lucky Daye: Come on. I just invited Stevie Wonder to my show. Like, I told my MD he said he knew somebody that knew him.
Gail Mitchell:OK.
Lucky Daye: So I told him, “When I’m in L.A., just know Stevie Wonder’s gonna be at my show.”
Gail Mitchell:Great. And congratulations, because, at least this week, “That’s You” is up to No. 3 on R&B Airplay …
Lucky Daye: Man, that’s good to know.
Gail Mitchell:So congrats.
Lucky Daye: It’s good to know, it’s good to see.
Gail Mitchell: What was your creative mindset heading into working on Algorithm?
Lucky Daye:My mindset was, I kind of wanted to talk to myself as if God was talking to me. I think the only voice I really hit when I’m not trying to make a voice, is God.
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It took 11 weeks, but Shaboozey is finally crowned on Australia’s singles chart as “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (via Empire) lifts 2-1.
That’s the U.S. artist’s first leader in the land Down Under. The track, which interpolates J-Kwon’s “Tipsy,” which reached No. 5 back in 2004, enjoys a boost after Shaboozey performed it with the American rapper Sunday (June 30) at the BET Awards.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter’s reign ends as the U.S. singer and actor’s former leaders “Espresso” (up 3-1) and “Please Please Please” (down 1-3, both via Island/Universal) complete the podium.
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The top debut on the latest ARIA Singles Chart, published Friday, July 5, belongs to The Kid Laroi with “Girls” (Columbia/Sony), new at No. 21. That’s the Sydney-raised singer and rapper’s 20th appearance on the ARIA Top 50, according to the trade body, a tally that includes two No. 1 singles: “Without You” and “Stay” with Justin Bieber. Meanwhile, LAROI’s “Nights Like This” improves 48-26 on the current frame, a new peak.
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Over on the ARIA Albums Chart, Taylor Swift enters a fifth non-consecutive week at No. 1 with The Tortured Poets Department (Universal), up 3-1.
Swift has led the way as female artists have dominated the ARIA Chart this year, ruling for 24 out of 27 weeks. TayTay has ruled for 15 of those cycles with 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Midnights, Lover and The Tortured Poets Department.
Also new to the ARIA Chart this week are collections by Omar Apollo (God Said No at No. 11), Imagine Dragons (Loom at No. 17), Camila Cabello (C, XOXO at No. 29), and Grammy-nominated, Melbourne neo-soul band Hiatus Kaiyote (Love Heart Cheat Code at No. 40).
After 14 years, a new political dawn in the United Kingdom as Keir Starmer’s Labour Party storms to victory in the general election. And the end of the Tories’ long reign.
Labour won in a predictable landslide, paving the way for Starmer to become the next prime minister.
The U.K. music industry, through its various support networks and lobby bodies, has welcomed the incoming, center-left government, with a resounding message: let’s get to work.
“Our industry faces serious challenges and needs urgent attention to recover from years of neglect through the cost of living crisis and the pandemic,” comments Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA).
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Michael Kill, CEO of NTIA, Welcomes Labour Government: The Real Work Starts Today! “As CEO of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), I warmly welcome the new Labour Government. Your commitment to our sector, vital to the UK’s economy and culture, is appreciated.… pic.twitter.com/HXWFQJvWlY— Night Time Industries Association (@wearethentia) July 5, 2024
The sector must now “rebuild trust with the new government, after years of feeling misunderstood and undervalued, we must work towards changing the narrative around the value of the night time economy, secure stronger representation at all levels, and create a more integrated regulatory system.”
Kill continues, “We must also address tax disparity, reform business rates, protect independent operators, and align VAT with European standards.”
UK Music CEO Tom Kiehl calls on the new leader to use his “resounding mandate for change” to boost jobs, growth and opportunity in the sector.
The nation’s music industry contributes almost £7 billion ($9 billion) annually to the U.K. economy and supports 210,000 jobs, according to the London-based umbrella organization, which represents all sectors of the U.K.’s music industry.
Right now, explains Kiehl, the music business faces “a number of challenges, but also opportunities. A strong relationship between UK Music and the new government will be essential to navigating what the rest of this decade brings.”
UK Music sends its congratulations to Sir Keir Starmer and his team on their election victory, which gives his new Government a resounding mandate for change. My reaction to the outcome of the 2024 General Election https://t.co/u5OEtHDxnI— Tom Kiehl (@Tomkiehl) July 5, 2024
UK Music developed and published a 10-prong pre-election “manifesto” for the next government, which includes objectives to boost music exports, protect music spaces, improve music education and encourage responsible AI use.
“As the collective voice of the music industry, UK Music already has strong links with Sir Keir’s top team,” Kiehl adds. “Our plan is to continue to build on those relationships and work across the political spectrum, including the many newly elected MPs, to deliver real change and further growth for our world-leading sector.”
According to an BBC forecast published Friday morning (July 5), Labour is set to take 410 seats (out of 650) with an expected majority of 170. For the Conservatives, the result could be their worst in history, with the party predicted to win as few as 129 seats.