billboard news

16 Nov 2023

Pop Culture Rewind: Elvis’ Unforgettable Pepsi-Inspired Track ‘All Shook Up’ | Billboard News

Billboard takes a look back at when musical legend Elvis Presley and longtime friend and collaborator Otis Blackwell penned the 1957 musical hit “All Shook Up” inspired by shaking a can of Pepsi.

Evan Burke:
Elvis Presley, one of the biggest names in music history. But did you know that one of the King of Rock’s biggest hits might have been inspired by a can of Pepsi? We take you to that moment in this week’s Pop Culture Rewind.

Elvis remains one of the greatest cultural icons. His 1950s hits like “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Hound Dog” were a call to a generation of guitar slingers.

He racked up seven No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, but one of his most recognizable tunes may have been inspired by one of our favorite beverages. The 1957 hit “All Shook Up” was written by Elvis and longtime collaborator Otis Blackwell. Sourced from the Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Blackwell’s friend Al Stanson shook a bottle of Pepsi, which inspired Blackwell to pen the track.

We’re gonna crack open a cold one and listen to some Elvis with that story to tell. We’ll have another huge moment for you next week in our Pop Culture Rewind.

Watch the full video above!

15 Nov 2023

‘Dream Academy’ Finalists Talk Favorite Memories, Meeting LE SSERAFIM & More | Billboard News

The top 10 contestants from HYBE and Geffen’s ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’ sat down to talk to Billboard News’ Tetris Kelly about their favorite memories that they’ve shared together, getting to meet LE SSERAFIM, their biggest inspirations and more. The top 10 contestants hail from all over the world: Daniela (USA), Lara (USA), Megan (USA), Sophia (Philippines), Manon (Switzerland), Emily (USA), Ezrela (Australia), Samara (Brazil), Marquise (Thailand) and Yoonchae (South Korea). The finale airs on November 17th.

Tetris Kelly
It’s Tetris with Billboard News hanging out with my friends from the Dream Academy. Hi, ladies! I mean, what a journey it’s been. And now we’re here at the top 10. So now that we’re here, what would you say has been the hardest part of the journey?

Samara
I think the hardest part so far has been saying goodbye to the other girls. It’s obviously very sad. Yeah, I’m still so happy to be here with all of these beautiful nine girls.

Tetris Kelly
And speaking of being here, with all the other girls, you guys have created a sisterhood. I mean, you guys live together. So tell me what it was like to share that bond.

Emily
I feel like our bond is truly unbreakable. I think it’s a bond like no other. I think having girls from all over the world is such a special and unique experience. And I think to be able to share these moments of, moments that we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives together has, you know, created this bond with one another that’s truly unbreakable. And it’s such a blessing to be able to experience it with such amazing girls.

Tetris Kelly
Well, now I want to know about some of these moments, because I know there’s things that are happening that are behind the scenes. So tell me: What’s a funny memory that you guys think you will hold on to?

Watch the full interview above!

15 Nov 2023

Dream Academy Finalist Interview, ENHYPEN Talk ‘Baby Shark’s Big Movie’ & More | Billboard News

Cardi B, Offset, Lance Bass and ENHYPEN are all tagging along for Baby Shark major movie debut. The three stars and K-pop boy band, plus Cardi and Offset’s kids Kulture and Wave, will all play their aquatic alter-egos in the animated children’s film, arriving Dec. 8 on Nickelodeon and Paramount+. The top 10 contestants from HYBE and Geffen’s ‘The Debut: Dream Academy’ sat down to talk to Billboard News’ Tetris Kelly about their favorite memories that they’ve shared together, getting to meet LE SSERAFIM, their biggest inspirations and more. The top 10 contestants hail from all over the world, including Daniela (USA), Lara (USA), Megan (USA), Sophia (Philippines), Manon (Switzerland), Emily (USA), Ezrela (Australia), Samara (Brazil), Marquise (Thailand) and Yoonchae (South Korea). The finale airs on November 17th. Rolling Loud California announced their star-studded lineup for the 2024 festival weekend, however not everyone is happy. The festival announced Lil Uzi Vert as a headliner for the event, but the rapper quickly took to social media to express their confusion over their name being on the list. Billboard announced chart staple Mariah Carey as the sixth performer at the Billboard Music Awards, Sunday, November 19th. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
We have ENHYPEN talking Cardi B and ‘The Baby Shark Movie.’ The Dream Academy top 10 chats with us ahead of their finale. Mariah Carey is bringing her Christmas cheer to the BBMAs, while Lil Uzi Vert may not be bringing theirs to Rolling Loud, and we get Latin with Marshmello.

It’s time! And as we celebrate Mariah, we have a lot of stories for our November 15th episode of Billboard News. So let’s start with a song you all know. Cardi B, ENHYPEN, Lance Bass and more — ‘The Baby Shark’ trailer has arrived and they are all in it and we talked to our friends ENHYPEN about getting involved.

Watch the full video above!

14 Nov 2023

Lady A on ‘Love You Back,’ Request Line Tour, Career Longevity & More | Billboard News

Country band Lady A talks about their single “Love You Back,” unique request line tour, 15-year career longevity, the recent surge in country music popularity, Charles opens up about being one year sober, and more.

Speaker
Can I have your attention please?

Stephen Daw
Of course they do it on a Monday. It works, gang, you did it. Good job.

Charles Kelley
How’s it going, everybody? This is Lady A.

Hillary Scott
And you’re watching Billboard News.

Stephen Daw
I’m very, very stoked about the new single. It’s so, so cool. Tell me a little bit about what went into writing this.

Hillary Scott
Well, this one, it’s actually a really cool story. So, you know, we write 80% of our own music. And then we learned early on in our career that you never say no to a great song, whether we write it or not. And so this was one that a really good friend of ours and co-writer, her name is Emily Weisband, sent this song to Charles.

Charles Kelly
So I called her up and I said, Hey, let’s find an hour, I want to come over. You play Hillary, I’ll play me. And let’s see if this fits before I even send to them. For sure. Just sometimes I just like to save some time and just see if something is even in the realm of our world. And it just felt so much like us. And the minute I sent it to the gang, they were like, “Oh, wow”. I mean, we’ve had a handful of songs like — most of the music from us, we’ve written like “Need You Now,” “Run to You” — but “American Honey” was one that we didn’t write. Sometimes you get songs that you feel. You’re like, y’all wrote this for us?

Hillary Scott
And that’s what it felt like, yeah.

Watch the full interview above!

14 Nov 2023

Billie Eilish Opens Up About Sexuality, Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Can’t Catch Me Now’ Video & More | Billboard News

Olivia Rodrigo dropped the music video for her new track “Can’t Catch Me Now” for ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.’ In a recent interview, PinkPantheress gave her unfiltered thoughts on her biggest hit to date. Billie Eilish opened up to ‘Variety’ about being physically attracted to women, not feeling like a woman and more. Lady A stopped by Billboard News and talked about going back to their roots, their upcoming tour, finding longevity in the industry and more. K-pop group Stray Kids will be the sixth performer at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, November 19th.

Tetris Kelly:
Olivia Rodrigo opens up about her new tracks. Billie Eilish is candid about her sexuality. The Stray Kids are playing the BBMAs. PinkPantherss is not happy with her hit. And we have Lady A in the studio.

Hey, ya’ll! Welcome to Billboard News for Tuesday, November 14th. We’ve got a lot of News including updates on the BBMAs so let’s get into it.

First, with a girl who likes to spill her ‘GUTS.’ You can’t catch Olivia Rodrigo but we caught her at ‘The Hunger Games’ premiere as she dropped the video for her song from the soundtrack.

Where my ‘The Hunger Game’ fans at? Olivia Rodrigo just dropped the video for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ soundtrack. Just last night Olivia hit the carpet at the premiere and chatted with ‘The Hollywood Reporter’s Tiffany Taylor about creating the song with the character Lucy Gray in mind.

Watch the full video above!

13 Nov 2023

Taylor Swift Kisses Travis Kelce, Troye Sivan Reacts to ‘SNL’ Sketch & More | Billboard News

Taylor Swift changes the lyrics to “Karma” and kisses Travis Kelce after her concert in Buenos Aires. The singer also made a speech imploring people not to throw things onstage. Drake announces dates for the ’It’s All A Blur Tour – Big As The What?” with J. Cole. Troye Sivan reacts to an ‘SNL’ sketch starring host Timothée Chalamet about the TikTok trend he started with his song “Got Me Started.” Billboard announces country superstar Morgan Wallen as the fifth performer at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, November 19th. We also reveal the top 10 for this week’s Hot 100 chart.

Tetris Kelly:
Drake’s hitting the road with a new tour partner. Taylor Swift brings her man to Argentina and continues to dominate the charts. Troye Sivan gets the ‘SNL’ treatment. Morgan Wallen is set to take the BBMAs stage.

Welcome to another week of Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly. It’s Monday, November 13th, and we’re kicking things off with Taylor Swift’s time in Argentina.

Big weekend for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce fans, as she changes her lyrics, and they share some sweet PDA. She also addresses fans throwing gifts onstage. This is Tetris Kelly reporting for your Eras Tour update.

How sweet! In a viral clip we’ve seen from multiple angles, Taylor Swift ran up to boyfriend Travis Kelce after her show and gave him a kiss. The Chiefs player flew all the way to Argentina to catch her Eras Tour, where multiple fans caught him vibing in the crowd with Taylor’s dad. Taylor even shouted him out from the stage, changing her lyrics in “Karma” to say “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me,” as the internet, her dancers and even Travis fell apart. And lastly, Taylor’s mostly avoided things being thrown at her but now that it’s happened, she addressed the crowd.

Taylor Swift:
“It really freaks me out when stuff gets thrown on the stage because if it’s on the stage, then a dancer can trip on it. I love that you brought presents and that is so nice but just can you please not throw them on the stage? I love you so much.”

Watch the full video above!

13 Nov 2023

Hot 100 Chart Reveal: Nov. 18 | Billboard News

Jung Kook gets his second top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year. The Beatles notched their first top 10 since 1996. Can Taylor Swift keep her current hot streak on the Hot 100 going? Watch the full video to find out.

Tetris Kelly:
This is the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the week dated Nov. 18.

Morgan Wallen is back in the top 10 with “Last Night,” his “Thinking About Me” is at No. 9.

Keeping it country with “Fast Car” at No. 8.

The Beatles are back with their first top 10 since 1996.

Zach and Kacey are at No. 6.

Jung Kook debuts at No. 5.

SZA’s “Snooze” is back up to four.

Taylor’s “Is It Over Now?” drops from No. 1 to No. 3, and Doja Cat is back up to No. 2.

And back at No. 1 is Taylor Swift with “Cruel Summer.”

13 Nov 2023

Graham Nash Set to Receive John Lennon Real Love Award

UPDATE (Nov. 13): Marc Cohn and Bettye LaVette have been added to the lineup for the 43rd annual John Lennon Tribute on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Town Hall in New York. Rosanne Cash and Judy Collins were already announced as performers at the event, where Graham Nash will become the ninth recipient of the John Lennon Real Love Award.

LaVette will sing a stripped-down version of “Watching the Wheels,” a song from the 1980 Lennon/Yoko Ono album Double Fantasy that became a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981. She will also perform “It’s So Hard” from Lennon’s 1971 album Imagine. LaVette is making her seventh appearance at the annual tribute event.

Cohn will be making his second tribute appearance and his first in five years.

PREVIOUSLY (July 10): Graham Nash will become the ninth recipient of the John Lennon Real Love Award at the 43rd annual John Lennon Tribute on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Town Hall in New York. Previous recipients include Natalie Merchant, Patti Smith, Ani DiFranco, Donovan and Rosanne Cash.

The event, staged by the nonprofit Theatre Within, will be held days before the 43rd anniversary of Lennon’s murder on Dec. 8, 1980. The award draws its name from The Beatles’ 1996 hit “Real Love,” which Lennon wrote and recorded in the 1970s.

Nash will play some of his favorite Lennon/Beatles classics and will be joined by such artists as Cash, Judy Collins and Rita Coolidge. Drummer/percussionist Rich Pagano, a founding member of the Fab Faux, will serve as music director for the 15th consecutive year.

“This is a very special award,” Nash said in a statement. “I thank Yoko [Ono] and the Theatre Within for thinking of me. Over many years, I watched John and Yoko ‘fight the good fight’ for many whose voices were not being heard, a fight that Yoko continues to this day. I’m proud to be associated with the many fine artists who were previously honored with the John Lennon Real Love Award.”

In a statement, Ono said, “With its joyful annual John Lennon Tribute and John Lennon Real Love Project, Theatre Within is furthering the vision that John and I shared for a better world.”

Nash, 81, won a Grammy in 1970 as part of Crosby, Stills & Nash, which were voted best new artist. He is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was inducted as a member of CSN in 1997 and as a member of The Hollies in 2010.

Proceeds from the Tribute support Theatre Within’s ongoing free workshops in creative expression and mindfulness, including the John Lennon Real Love Project songwriting program.

In 2023, for the fourth consecutive year, Theatre Within is providing 200 free workshops for children and adults impacted by cancer through the Red Door Community (formerly Gilda’s Club NYC) and other regional cancer support communities.

Since the John Lennon Real Love Project’s elementary and middle school program launched in the spring of 2021, Theatre Within has brought the program to 17 schools.

Tickets for Theatre Within’s 43rd Annual John Lennon Tribute will go on sale on July 22 at 12 p.m. ET at LennonTribute.org. Fans are invited to join “Friends of the Annual John Lennon Tribute” at LennonTribute.org/join-friends, where VIP packages are available.

The annual tribute is produced in association with Music Without Borders. It remains the only Lennon tribute concert in the world that is sanctioned by Ono.

10 Nov 2023

Teni Talks New Album ‘Tears of the Sun,’ Growth of Afrobeats & More | Billboard News

Afrobeats sensation Teni sits down with Billboard News’ Rania Aniftos to discuss the inspiration behind her new album Tears of the Sun, what it means to be a Nigerian woman in the music industry, the growth of Afrobeats and more!

Teni and Rania Aniftos:
Money can’t buy you love, money don’t fill this emptiness, but I want all the money in the world.

Teni:
You did well. Good job, good job.

My name is Teni, sugar mommy of the whole world, and this is Billboard News.

Rania Aniftos:
Hi everybody, it’s Rania Aniftos with Billboard News, and I’m here with Afrobeats superstar Teni.

Teni:
Ta-da.

Rania Aniftos:
Afrobeats has been really rising in the U.S and has been really accepted by American culture over the past few years. Why do you think that is?

Teni:
We are everywhere, and the sound is spiritual. Afrobeats or Afropop or Afro-everything, you can do anything with Afro.

Rania Aniftos:
Yeah.

Teni:
The beauty in Afrobeats is the joy, but also the pain. The music suffers. Triumphant. It’s …

Rania Aniftos:
Everything.

Teni:
It’s everything.

Because everybody goes through pain. Everybody cries sometimes.

Rania Aniftos:
And I mean, so pain is something that you touch on a lot, especially with your album Tears of the Sun, you said that it’s a double entendre. Tell us a bit about that and the inspiration behind balancing the pain with the joy with the highs and the lows.

Teni:
For anyone who’s ever tasted success, they’ve also tasted pain. Pain is a very big recipe for success. So I don’t run away from it — I embrace it, I turn it into something positive.

Rania Aniftos:
What song are you most excited for people to hear on the album?

Teni:
One of the songs is definitely a song I wrote from my heart. It’s like, money don’t buy you happiness. Should I sing it?

Rania Aniftos:
Yes, please do.

Teni:
They say money don’t buy you happiness. Money can’t buy you love. Money don’t fill this emptiness. But I want all the money in the world.

Rania Aniftos:
Yes.

Teni:
Can you sing that?

Rania Aniftos:
Now I go?

Teni:
Yes, you go.

Rania Aniftos:
I can’t sing.

Teni:
Don’t worry! You can do it, you can do it. I will hold your hand. I will hold your hand.

Teni and Rania Aniftos:
Money don’t fill this emptiness, but I want all the money in the world.

Teni:
Just keep interviewing people, OK?

Rania Aniftos:
I will.

Teni:
Don’t sing.

Rania Aniftos:
Trust me.

Since your debut album, you’ve grown quite a bit — both spiritually, emotionally, musically. Who are you introducing to the world with your upcoming album Tears of the Sun?

Teni:
I’m introducing a girl that just don’t care. That’s who I’m introducing. You know, growing up in Nigeria where I grew up, we grew up with so much culture, tradition, you know, you must respect your elders, you must do this, you must do that. And you know, some of it is right, some of it is wrong. You know, some times have changed. And, you know, I’ve learned as a woman coming from where I’m coming from, to be able to express myself, to be able to say how I feel, to nobody telling me you’re a woman and this is where you belong, or this is what you can do, this is how you should dress. I do what I want, how I want it because the calling is on me. If I can’t be myself, how am I going to deliver the message?

Rania Aniftos:
Wow.

Teni:
How am I going to be happy? You know, so, I, on this album just said, could I use the F word?

Rania Aniftos:
Yeah.

Teni:
And I said, “F–k this.” I’m gonna do me even if it’s one person that gets what I’m saying that’s a win for me.

It’s all love, all love, brother, yeah, it’s all love.

Rania Aniftos:
You were so wonderful. I had the best time speaking with you today. Thank you so much.

Teni:
Thank you. I like to do it. Hi. I’ll just do a presenter. Hi, my name is Teni.

Rania Aniftos:
Oh, you’re about to do that.

Teni:
Sitting on the couch with Billboard. We are wrapping it up. Expect the album Tears of the Sun coming soon. Thank you very much. How did I do as a journalist? As a presenter?

Rania Aniftos:
Very good.

Watch the full interview above!

10 Nov 2023

2024 Grammy Nominations: Biggest Nominees, Surprises & Snubs | Billboard News

Billboard breaks down the 2024 Grammy nominations: the biggest nominees, surprises, and snubs.

Tetris Kelly
The Grammy nominations are here and we got some regulars killing it and some newcomers slaying.

Tetris Kelly
Billboard’s here to run down this year’s nominations, snubs and surprises leading the Grammy nominations this year is SZA with nine nominations including Record and Song of the Year nods for her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Kill Bill.”

Tetris Kelly
Next up Phoebe Bridgers and Victoria Monet have seven nominations each with Victoria being nominated for Best New Artist against the likes of Coco Jones, Jelly Roll, Ice Spice and more.

Tetris Kelly
Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo will face off in the album of the year against SZA, Jon Batiste, and there’s lots of new nominees like Troye Sivan in Best Pop Dance Recording against Kylie Minogue, Bebe, Rexha and more.

Tetris Kelly
One of the biggest snubs comes with Morgan Wallen. He is one of America’s top recording artists, but he has yet to receive a Grammy nomination in any category. There were also zero nominations for solo BTS members, both Jimin and Jungkook. were eligible for Record of the Year for the full list head to Billboard.com.