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Kenzie Ziegler Talks New Album ‘biting my tongue’ | Billboard News

Kenzie Ziegler shares how her new album, ‘biting my tongue,’ reflects on her emotions and personal growth, shares the vibe of the visualizers for the album and more! Kenzie’s ‘biting my tongue’ is out now.

Kenzie Ziegler:

It’s kind of a play on words where it’s like I’m not biting my tongue anymore. And I’m finally ready to share everything. Hi, I’m Kenzie, and you’re watching Billboard News. I have one song on the album called “biting my tongue.” But I feel like it kind of well rounded the whole album, because a lot of the songs are very personal to me. And I feel like I have been quiet for a very long time and biting my tongue on a lot of things. And like I said, the songs are very personal to me. So they really, I mean, it talks about a lot of things that have happened in my life. So it’s kind of a play on words where it’s like, I’m not biting my tongue anymore. And I’m finally ready to share everything. When I write music, I try to use it as my therapy, I don’t usually talk about my feelings. But writing this album, it’s actually helped me a lot, you know, speaking freely about how I feel. It is a scary thing, to kind of put these raw emotions out into the world. But I feel like in the long run, if someone else can relate to it, then it means more to me. And I feel like also, it helps me in a way where I feel less alone. There’s two songs on the album that I’m very excited for people to hear the first one being “casualty.” It’s actually the last song on the album. I love the song very much. It’s with a- I worked on it with a new producer that I’ve been working with his name is Joseph Tilly. And he’s so amazing. And it’s more of an acoustic feel to it. And I wrote it very recently, and it’s very personal to me.

Keep watching for more!

Linda Perry’s ‘Let It Die Here’ Documentary, Being Queer In Music Industry & More | Billboard News

Linda Perry is an iconic singer- songwriter who has worked with some of the most iconic voices in music. She sits down and shares the raw making of her ‘Let It Die Here’ documentary, what it means to be queer in the music industry, some of the younger talent in music she looks forward to seeing grow and more!

Linda Perry:

I’m not a liar. I am as honest as you will find on this planet. I know that about myself. Hi, I’m Linda Perry. And this is Billboard News.

Tetris Kelly:

Now sitting across from an icon like yourself, I feel like this is a question you might not ever get asked. So I want to start with this. Who is Linda Perry? 

Linda Perry:

Linda Perry has been trying to figure it out. People think you know, just because someone is, you know, pretty tough. I’m aggressive. I’m a powerful person, I get that. And I see that about me. I’m very talented. I’m smart. I’m a great mom. I’m a great friend. I’m all these things. I’m a great songwriter. But sometimes, you lose your way. That’s what this film is about. And in real time, I kind of figured things out. I’m still putting the pieces together. I don’t think honestly, anybody truly knows who they are until they can be at one with everything. I guess I’m trying to get to that point where I don’t have a reaction. Because reactions are emotional.

Tetris Kelly:

You even have said, you know, kind of a female Bruce Springsteen. So where did that analogy come from?

Linda Perry:

I love Bruce Springsteen, I was making a joke about it. Because sometimes I like to think I’m Bruce Springsteen and sing like Bruce Springsteen, and then a song will come and you know, I should be collaborating with Bruce Springsteen. 

Keep watching for more!

Eminem’s ‘The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)’ Holds at No. 1 In Australia

Slim Shady’s not dead on Australia’s charts.

Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) (via Interscope/Universal) enters a second week at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, July 26.

As previously reported, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) is the Rap God’s 11th No. 1 in Australia, a streak that reaches back to The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000. It’s his 10th to debut at the summit.

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The top new release on the latest ARIA Chart belongs to K-pop group Stray Kids with their mini album Ate (VMG/Universal), new at No. 5. It’s Stray Kids’ fifth ARIA Top 50 appearance after Noeasy (No. 14 in 2021), Maxident (No. 4 in 2022), 5-Star and Rock-Star (both peaked at No. 2 in 2023).

Stray Kids have an Australian connection through bandmates Felix and Bang Chan. Earlier this week, the pop group announced the Australia leg of their dominATE world tour, with shows at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium (Oct. 19) and Sydney’s Allianz Stadium (Oct. 26), produced by Live Nation.

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British indie band Glass Animals roars to No. 5 with I Love You So F***ing (via Polydor/Universal), their fourth studio album. Glass Animals made an early breakthrough with Australian audiences when, in 2021, their song “Heat Waves” won triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown. “Heat Waves” went on to finish 2021 as the year’s best-selling single in Australia.

As TV Girl completes a four-date, three-city tour of Australia, the U.S. alternative pop act lands chart debuts with the independently-released 2016 LP Who Really Cares (at No. 13) and 2014 debut French Exit (No. 19). TV Girl wrapped its national tour July 20 with a performance at Brisbane’s Riverstage with The Last Dinner Party.

Further down the albums tally, BTS member Jimin’s new album Muse (BigHit Entertainment/Universal) arrives at No. 27, for his first solo appearance on the national albums survey.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (via Empire) starts a fourth consecutive week at No. 1. Meanwhile, Billie Eilish’s “Birds Of A Feather” flies 3-2, for a new chart position. According to ARIA, it’s the U.S. pop phenomenon’s fourth single to reach the top 2 following “Bad Guy,” “Everything I Wanted” and “What Was I Made For?” “Birds of a Feather” is lifted from former No. 1 Hit Me Hard And Soft, which dips 2-3 on the albums leaderboard.

Finally, Sabrina Carpenter doubles up with top 5 appearances for platinum-certified “Espresso” (down 2-3 via Island/Universal) and “Please Please Please” (down 4-5). Both singles have logged time at No. 1.

Charli XCX’s ‘Apple’ Launches Into Top 10 of TikTok Billboard Top 50 | Billboard News

Tommy Richman’s long standing reign as No.1 is over, but who succeeded him? Keep watching to find out!

Tetris Kelly:

“Million Dollar Baby” has been dethroned and Charlie XCX breaks into the Top 10 along with other new hits. “Champagne Coast” by Blood Orange ended Tommy Richman’s reign on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for the chart posting July 25. Clairo’s “Juna” debuts on the chart at No. 9 even Laybay’s feeling this one. Rounding up the Top 10 is Charlie XCX’s “Apple.” Everyone is getting in on the “Apple” trend, which is how it jumped all the way from 35. Even celebs like Kerry Washington and Jessica Alba are getting in on the train. Every Thursday, Billboard will bring you the verified list of the hottest songs on TikTok by monitoring music discovery and engagement on the platform in the United States. To find the TikTokBillboard Top 50 each week, users can simply go to any sound detail page and tap the top right button to access the charts page.

Drake’s ‘Supersoak’ With Lil Yachty Played by Kai Cenat & More | Billboard News

Drake’s “Supersoak” with Lil Yachty got played on a Kai Cenat livestream, and after his feud with Kendrick Lamar, the rapper is happier than ever. Keep watching for more!

Tetris Kelly:

How is Drake doing? Well, Kai Cenat is teasing his new diss track as producer Gordo says he’s happy and chilling. We’re catching you up on the Certified Lover Boy. After his battle with Kendrick Lamar, Drake’s ‘Honestly, Nevermind’ collaborator Gordo says he hasn’t seen the rapper happier. He tells People, “Ever since all this has happened…  I’ve seen him happier. It’s really weird. He’s pretty jolly. The guy’s been happy as sh–, to be honest. He’s chilling. He literally did a tour for like a year.” Drizzy’s next verse comes on Gordo’s upcoming ‘DIAMANTE’ album, but Kai Cenat is previewing even more new bops with lyrics like “Roll a backwood with my enemies inside.” Drake and Lil Yachty are prepping “Supersoak.” But apparently Drizzy has moved on from KDot and is targeting Soulja Boy, name-dropping the rapper’s label after a recent rant from Soulja. Are you ready for a Drake comeback or happy with him chillin’? Let us know in the comments!

Mustard On Creating ‘Faith of a Mustard Seed’ & More | Billboard News

Mustard sits down and tells us what it was like to create ‘Faith of a Mustard Seed,’ the creative direction of his album, how he chooses his collaborators and more. ‘Faith of a Mustard Seed’ is out July 26.

Mustard:

And he was just like, “Well, if you’re not gonna name this one that, you got to do an album called ‘Faith of a Mustard Seed.’”

Tetris Kelly:

You took a break from this for five years, so finally you came back. Why was now the time?

Mustard:

I think just working out the kinks of like what I wanted to… wanted people to hear from me. Life just lifeing, you know. 

Tetris Kelly:

Life will life. 

Mustard:

Just taking my time.

Tetris Kelly:

So you decided to name the album ‘Faith of a Mustard Seed.’ Now do you feel like the energy from Nipsey and what you’ve learned from those conversations that that kind of transferred into the music and how you created this project?

Mustard:

Yeah, it kinda is weird how it came about because I had a whole ‘nother title for this album. And I was — I started making music going towards that. And then I was talking to my mom one day on the phone saying, “When are you going to make me a song? … Something that I would like, something older, something for me.” And she’s a really big Luther Vandross fan, and I sampled a song of Luther Vandross, but I grew up hearing so much Luther Vandross in the house, I’m talking about die-hard, Luther Vandross. Once I made that song, Masego played on the song, Ty’s on the song, Charlie Wilson’s on the song.

Keep watching for more!

Celine Dion & Lady Gaga Will Reportedly Team Up to Perform at Paris Olympics | Billboard News

Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are reportedly teaming up this Friday to perform at the Paris Olympics, and we share how musicians get paid when their tunes air on the show. Keep watching to find out how!

Tetris Kelly:
The 2024 Summer Olympics are underway, and Taylor, Celine, Gaga and Gwen are all reportedly involved. But who gets paid when Simone Biles uses Taylor Swift’s song in her floor routine? Well NBC, who airs the global event, pays a blanket fee to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC, who licenses music to cover any potential music that airs during their live broadcast.

A song we know we’ll hear during the broadcast is “Hello World” by Gwen Stefani and Anderson .Paak. They even worked with Ryan Tedder on the lyrics and it’s already getting us in the Olympic mood ahead of tomorrow’s Opening Ceremony.

Speaking of, according to French journalist Thierry Moreau, Celine Dion and Lady Gaga are teaming up to perform Édith Piaf’s “La Vie en Rose” at the Opening Ceremony. Billboard reached out to both when rumors first surfaced, but did not hear back from either party. It would be the first performance from Dion since revealing her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis.

Katy Perry to Perform at 2024 AFL Grand Final

It’s a whole new ballgame for Katy Perry, as the “Roar” singer is confirmed as the headline performer for the AFL Grand Final.

The U.S. pop star will perform this September at the imposing Melbourne Cricket Ground, the venue for the ’s showpiece event.

On Thursday, July 25 the league announced her appearance at the grand final, confirming weeks of speculation.

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“The sound of millions of Aussies roaring at the same spectacle, I’d like to hear that,” she says in a promo, a reference to the code’s “I’d Like to See That” campaign in the ‘90s. “100,000 passionate fans roaring at the mighty MCG,” says adds in the clip posted by the AFL, “I can’t wait to hear that.”

The AFL’s big day is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28.

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It won’t be the first time Perry has performed at the MCG for a major sporting event. In March 2020, just days before the pandemic shut borders and venues everywhere, Perry sang at the final of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, an abbreviated format of cricket.

Whether she wraps her head around Aussies rules’ unique gameplay and terminology remains to be seen.

Perry is, of course, on the musical comeback trail. Earlier this month, she dropped “Woman’s World,” her first new music since 2020’s Smile, which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

The song serves as the lead track to her upcoming, long-awaited dance-pop album, 143, which is code for “I love you” and is due to arrive on Sept. 20. “Woman’s World” hasn’t set the charts on fire. The track bowed at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100, one of her 36 appearances on the tally, and No. 47 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.

Mushroom Group Restructures Recording, Publishing and Neighboring Rights, Forms Mushroom Music

MELBOURNE, Australia — In a restructuring that’s touted as one of the most significant changes to Mushroom Group in more than two decades, the independent music powerhouse unveils Mushroom Music — a new division that incorporates its recording, publishing and neighboring rights activities.

Unveiled Thursday, July 25 with a new website and social presence, Mushroom Music is said to be the largest music collective of its kind in the region, representing the likes of Vance Joy, Kylie Minogue, The Teskey Brothers, Jimmy Barnes, Childish Gambino, Kehlani, Julia Jacklin, Archie Roach, Wolf Alice, Amy Shark, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Missy Higgins, Confidence Man and many others.

Mushroom Music has been several years in the making, explains Mushroom Group CEO Matt Gudinski. “This transformation,” he says, “is about harnessing the collective strengths and experience of our individual recording, publishing and neighboring rights companies.

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Leading Mushroom Music as co-CEOs are Chris Maund (formerly COO Mushroom Labels & Publishing) and Linda Bosidis (formerly managing director Mushroom Music Publishing), reporting to Gudinski.

Within the new structure, Bosidis remains primarily focused on the publishing division and Maund on recordings, neighboring rights and new opportunities, while neighboring rights specialist Susan Cotchin continues to lead the Good Neighbour business as managing director.

With the changes, Mushroom’s record labels Liberation Records, Ivy League Records, Bloodlines, Liberator Music, Soothsayer and 100s + 1000s are now part of the Mushroom Music pot, and will not longer “outwardly” exist, Maund explains. “We had expanded to eight separate record labels, which doesn’t make sense strategically or efficiently for a single independent music company.” I OH YOU and Valve Sounds will remain standalone label partners of Mushroom Music.

Mushroom Music’s restructured executive team includes Damian Slevison (managing director, A&R and commercial), Dan Baker (managing director, strategy & audience), Julia Hill (director, media & artist relations), Dean McLachlan (senior director, iconic artists and catalogue), Korda Marshall (managing director, world ex-ANZ), Erol Yurdagul (senior director, A&R and creative), Layne Buckley (manager, A&R), Johann Ponniah (founder, I OH YOU Group), Nick Dunshea (senior director, international & operations) and Madeleine O’Gorman (general manager, UK/Europe).

By consolidating the labels, it’s enabled the new division to bring A&R into a single team led by Slevison; its media, streaming, marketing, and audience functions are merged into a single, fully aligned department led by Baker; and the social media and audience team is expanding with new hires, and a streamlined global marketing team is being created across Mushroom’s Australian, U.K., and U.S. offices. “It’s going to make a big difference,” says Maund.

Adds Bosidis, “the new setup aims to streamline our operations and broaden idea-sharing within the company. As co-CEOs, Chris and I will have distinct roles: I will focus on publishing, Chris on recordings, neighboring rights, and other strategic areas.” And despite their separate responsibilities, “we will collaborate closely on vision, strategy, and company culture for Mushroom Music.”

The launch of Mushroom Music follows the group’s 50th birthday celebrations in 2023, which, along the way, involved a raft of releases, both musical, visual and branded merchandise, and culminated in an all-star concert at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena. Fittingly, a life-size statute of Michael Gudinski, the legendary late entrepreneur who formed Mushroom Group all those years ago, stands facing the arena.

“It’s been a long journey to really get to this point,” Matt Gudinski says of Mushroom Music. “A big part of it was really bringing everyone together, aligning everyone’s priorities and strengths, and also creating a greater pathway for people and a greater set up to attract the best people to be part of Mushroom’s infrastructure.”

This new setup is the “most significant change to how Mushroom supports Australian artists since the sale of Mushroom Records in 1998.”

Snoop Dogg’s Picks for a Dream Team If Rapping Were an Olympic Sport | Billboard News

Snoop Dogg shares his picks for his dream team if rapping were an Olympic sport. Who do you think should be on the dream team?

Tetris Kelly:
Snoop Dogg has become an Olympic staple, but if rapping were an Olympic sport, who would be on his team? Snoop talked to Billboard ahead of the Paris Olympics and chose three other rappers to join his hypothetical gold winning group.

He said he’d definitely take Billboard 200 topper Eminem, saying, “Gotta have that global experience. And I would definitely take Rakim. Old school.” And for his final pick, he said, “I would go grab a female. I’d go grab Queen Latifah. Just so that way, I got some royalty.”

Snoop will join NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics as a host of Primetime In Paris, but it’s not his only Olympic duty. He’ll walk through the streets of Paris as a torchbearer. He said of the opportunity, “I look at it as a prestigious honor. I would’ve never truly dreamed of something like this. I’ma be on my best behavior. I’ma be on my best athleticism.”