billboard news

28 Jul 2023

It’s EXO’s EXO-L vs. SB19’s A’TIN In Billboard’s Fan Army Face-Off Quarterfinals | Billboard News

EXO’s EXO-L goes up against SB19’s A’TIN in the quarterfinal round of Billboard‘s Fan Army Face-Off.

Tetris Kelly:
We’ve reached the quarterfinals of Billboard‘s Fan Army Face-Off, and matchup two is a battle of the boy bands.

In this corner, we have K-pop group EXO. They’ve been in the game for 11 years, over 30 million followers, 7 million monthly listeners and seven mini albums, four of which charted on the Billboard 200. EXO already beat out Lizzo, Doja Cat and Kim Petras.

And their opponent in the quarterfinals is Filipino boy band SB19.

Only five years into their career, they have over 4 million followers, almost 3 million monthly listeners, one studio album and two EPs. SB19 has already taken out Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey.

Who do you want to see win this battle of the boy bands? Let us know in the comments and vote for your favorite at Billboard.com.

Watch the full video above!

27 Jul 2023

Rosalía & Rauw Alejandro Address Breakup, Tori Kelly Update, Doja Cat Loses Fans & More | Billboard News

Doja Cat has reportedly lost 250,000 followers on Instagram after slamming her fanbase for the use of the nickname “Kittenz.” Rosalía and Rauw Alejandro both took to social media to address their breakup and set the record straight on those cheating rumors. Tori Kelly gives fans an update after being hospitalized for blood clots found in her legs and lungs. And more.

Tetris Kelly:
We’ve got updates on Tori Kelly, Rosalía and Doja Cat. Nelly Furtado, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake bring the nostalgia. Big Time Rush gives Billboard all access on their tour stop. We break down one of the toughest rounds of the Fan Army Face-Off and revisit 2017 Songs of the Summer. Welcome back to Billboard News, I’m Tetris Kelly. It’s Thursday, July 27th. And let’s jump into some updates.

Doja Cat loses fans, Tori Kelly speaks to hers, and Rauw and Rosalía discuss their breakup. We’re giving you updates on the stories we’ve covered this week. After Doja Cat called a fan “a crazy person” and said she doesn’t love her fans because she doesn’t know them, they reacted. Figures provided to Billboard state that Doja lost over 250,000 followers on IG. You could also see on Twitter that several fan accounts deactivated their pages.

Rauw Alejandro is speaking out after news of his breakup with Rosalía and cheating allegations surfaced. He said in a statement, “Yes, a few months ago Rosy and I ended our engagement. There are 1000s of problems that can cause a breakup but in our case, it was not because of infidelity, or a third person.” Rosalía added, “I love respect and admire Raul so much. Not even the movies, only ourselves, know what we’ve lived through. In this moment, it ain’t easy. But thanks to the whole world for understanding and respecting.”

Watch the full video above!

27 Jul 2023

Nicki Minaj’s Barbz vs. Cardi B’s Bardi Gang in Billboard’s Fan Army Face-Off | Billboard News

Nicki Minaj’s Barbz go up against Cardi B’s Bardi Gang in the quarterfinal round of Billboard’s Fan Army Face-Off.

Tetris Kelly:
We’ve reached the quarterfinals of Billboard’s Fan Army Face Off, and this matchup is one for the books. In this corner, she has over 270 million followers, 59 million monthly listeners, three Hot 100 No. 1s, 23 top 10s and 132 charting hits: Nicki Minaj already took out Jack Harlow, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus.

Tetris Kelly:
And her next opponent in the quarterfinals, with over 220 million followers, 30 million monthly listeners, five Hot 100 No.1s, 11 top 10s, 44 charting songs, and a Grammy: Cardi B’s already bested Jelly Roll, Beyoncé, and BTS. It’s the matchup that has always had stan Twitter at odds.

Are you a Barb or Bardi Gang? Let us know in the comments, and vote for your favorite on Billboard.com.

27 Jul 2023

Big Time Rush Shares a Behind-the-Scenes Look At Its Biggest Tour Yet | Billboard News

Big Time Rush gives Billboard a full behind-the-scenes look at the group’s biggest tour yet, the Can’t Get Enough tour. The boyband takes us through soundcheck, meet and greets, and more during its concert at Jones Beach Theater in New York.

Logan Henderson:
Billboard, are you ready? You ain’t ready?

Kendall Schmidt:
I brought my espresso machine from home.

James Maslow:
That’s a must.

Logan Henderson:
He handles the morning drinks. I handle the evening drinks with tequila.

James Maslow:
Casamigos Reposado on standby!

Logan Henderson:
Hey! We’re Big Time Rush, and welcome …

James Maslow:
And welcome to our tour stop.

So these were custom made for us.

Logan Henderson:
If you think they look like tablecloths, it’s because it is.

James Maslow:
They’re vintage, but hey, they’re lighter because it’s summertime — everybody’s got their own letters, and all their embroideries are specific to the tour.

Carlos PenaVega:
It was also made in Brooklyn.

Kendall Schmidt:
Made in Brooklyn by the way.

James Maslow:
Playing in Florida at the Kennedy Space Station.

James Maslow”
And Niagara Falls, so yeah, it’s pretty sweet.

James Maslow:
100% one-of-a-kind looks for opening.

Kendall Schmidt:
We’ve had more, like, stuff on stage before, but it’s definitely the biggest production that we’ve had. And it’s the most well-thought-out and we definitely really focused into making this the biggest show yet.

Logan Henderson:
Yeah, this is the most visually beautiful show that we put on. We’ve had lots of different iterations of our tours and everything like that, but this is probably the most beautiful to watch. So we’re playing music we’ve never played on tour before. Got a whole bunch of new music that we’re playing and been very lucky.

Watch the full video with Big Time Rush above!

27 Jul 2023

Billboard’s Top 5 Songs of the Summer of 2017 | Billboard News

Billboard looks back and counts down the top five songs that ruled the summer of 2017.

Rania Aniftos:
2017, the year a Spanish hit took over the airwaves thanks to a pop-star collaboration, and DJ Khaled dominated the top five. We’ll get to that later, but let’s start with the No. 5 song on the Hot 100 Songs of 2017.

“Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran.

In the first hit by our favorite DJ, (DJ) Khaled that is, the No. 4 spot belongs to “Wild Thoughts” featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller.

Back-to-back hits for DJ Khaled bringing us the No. 3 song with “I’m the One” featuring a host of talented stars including Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper and Lil Wayne.

Reaching the No. 2 spot in summer 2017 is our favorite modern-day funk-soul singer Bruno Mars with his hit “That’s What I Like.”

Justin Bieber was everywhere in 2017. Also making the list twice when he lent his vocals to the biggest song of the summer by Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. “Despacito” remained a hit for months — reigning king of summer 2017.

Come back next week as we dive into the biggest summer songs of 2018.

Watch the full video above!

26 Jul 2023

Nicki Minaj Excluded by Netflix, Fan Armies Face Off, Bad Bunny Collab & More | Billboard News

Andrew Watt and Jon Bellion spoke to Billboard News about the creation of Jung Kook and Latto’s “Seven,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100. We have reached the quarterfinals for Billboard’s Fan Army Face-Off. Netflix just announced a four-part doc series honoring female MCs, titled ‘Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop’; fans of Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliott quickly took to social media after both women were excluded from the trailer. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
The Barbs are upset that Nicki might be missing from a documentary. Bad Bunny’s got some new digs to update your wardrobe. I speak to the men behind Jung Kook and Latto’s No. 1 hit. Billboard Explains how AI is affecting the music business. And we announce the quarterfinalists in our Fan Army Face-Off.

It’s Wednesday, July 26th. I’m Tetris and this is Billboard News. A lot to get through today so let’s jump right in to our first story.

Jon Bellion:
“This one little section that we thought was super hitty — and it was just a beat that had Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and the hook. Fast-forward two years later, it kind of went crazy!”

Tetris Kelly:
Are you still singing Jung Kook and Latto’s “Seven” repeatedly? It’s this week’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 and we’re taking you behind the song. “Seven” is one of the first true A&R collaborations between Scooter Braun and Chairman Bang of HYBE since their partnership began in 2021.

They put the team together that included Andrew Watt, Cirkut and Jon Bellion. We spoke to Jon about how the track came together.

Jon Bellion:
“I got a phone call from Watt. Watt and Cirkut are the two producers on the record. This was probably two years ago. On a random Saturday, I kind of just took it into the studio by myself and just kind of filled it out.”

Watch the full video above!

26 Jul 2023

Billboard’s Fan Army Face-Off Enter Quarterfinals | Billboard News

The 2023 Billboard Fan Army Face-Off is at a fever pitch. Billboard’s annual Fan Army showdown sees 64 artists’ fan armies enter the battle fray to find out – whose fanbase is strongest? Those fan armies made their voices heard throughout the week, and when all was said and done, an Elite Eight — made up of the fan armies for Cardi B, EXO, Selena Gomez, Nicki Minaj, SB19, SEVENTEEN, Shakira and TWICE — emerged victorious to compete in the Quarterfinals, which began July 26 at noon ET.

Tetris Kelly:
Y’all have been voting and we’ve been counting them. Now, Billboard’s Fan Army Face-off is heading into the quarterfinals, and you aren’t going to believe some of these matchups.

After besting Jack Harlow and RiRi’s Navy, the Barbs said “Miley, what’s good?” and sent Nicki Minaj to the quarterfinals. And their opponent, none other than Bardi Gang. Cardi beat out BTS and her partner in “WAP,” Megan Thee Stallion, giving stan Twitter the matchup they’ve been fighting over for ages.

In our next face-off, the Little Monsters and Arianators were no match for SEVENTEEN’S CARATs. But can they beat out Selena Gomez’s fans, who helped take out her ex and her bestie?

SEVENTEEN aren’t the only K-pop boys to make the top eight: EXO bested Kim Petras to be matched with Filipino boy band SB19, who’s already surpassed Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey.

And in our last bracket, Shakira is repping for the Latin artists, after taking down a tough opponent in TXT. She’ll face off with TWICE, who’s bringing the girl power after knocking out ENHYPEN’s ENGENEs who bested the BLINKS.

These eight will duke it out to become the ultimate fandom, a title that went to Stray Kids last year.

Stray Kids:
“We’re really thankful, it’s really touching! Yeah!”

Starting tomorrow, we’ll be breaking down each quarter-final matchup in detail. Who’s got your vote?

Watch the full video above!

26 Jul 2023

Sinéad O’Connor, Chart-Topping & Outspoken Irish Singer, Dead at 56 | Billboard News

Tetris Kelly:
Irish music legend Sinéad O’Connor has died at the age of 56.

Sinéad O’Connor, who topped the Billboard hot 100 with her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” has died. Her family confirmed the news with a statement to BBC saying, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”

This comes just 18 months after her son, Shane, tragically took his own life. She had been open about her own mental health and her struggles after the death of her son. Her cause of death is not known at this time.

The Grammy winner was known for being outspoken on political matters, sexuality and religion. O’Connor changed her name in 2018 to Shuhada Sadaqat after converting to Islam.

Billboard sends our condolences to her family, friends and fans.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988 to connect with the suicide and crisis lifeline.

Watch the full video above.

26 Jul 2023

Bad Bunny Is Dropping Another Sneaker in Collaboration With Adidas | Billboard News

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Bad Bunny has been with Adidas for some time now, and his newest drop — Campus Chalky Brown — is set to arrive this weekend.

Get your hands on the new collab here.

Tetris Kelly:
Bad Bunny and Adidas are dropping their latest collaboration this weekend with the Campus Chalky Brown, bringing us all one step closer to Benito’s personal style.

The classic Campus sneaker from the athletic brand is infusing a creative look only Adidas Originals and Bad Bunny can accomplish with the latest colorway, Chalky Brown.

The shoe comes with a padded collar, unique laces, rubber sole and the brand’s iconic three stripes on its sides, and Benito’s third-eye symbol on the tongue of the shoe.

Fans can get the kicks starting this Saturday.

26 Jul 2023

Wyclef Jean to Host Inaugural Caribbean Music Awards in Brooklyn

Wyclef Jean is set to host the first Caribbean Music Awards, to be held on Aug. 31 at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. The show will livestream on YouTube at 8 p.m. ET.

Jean discussed hosting the show on NBC’s Today show last week. He said the success of the Verzuz episode in May 2020 featuring Bounty Killer and Beenie Man demonstrated the potential this awards show could have. “It reminded us how much we love the Caribbean,” he said. “For me, what’s exciting is Caribbean culture is shared, whether it’s fashion or [music].”

Jean hosted the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards, which were held in Stockholm. He made a memorable entrance on an elephant, and said on Today that he wants his entrance here to be dramatic as well. “I want the entrance to be grand. I want it to be very carnival-like.”

The Haitian rapper and musician is a three-time Grammy winner. He won two awards for work on Fugees’ 1996 album The Score and one as a co-producer of Santana’s Supernatural, which won the 1999 award for album of the year. Jean, 53, was nominated for a Golden Globe in 2005 for co-writing the song “Million Voices” for the film Hotel Rwanda.

The Caribbean Music Awards have 26 categories across a range of genres, including reggae, dancehall, soca, kompa and zouk. Voting opened on April 6 and closes on Monday (July 31).

The event is presented by the Caribbean Elite Group (CEG), publishers of Caribbean Elite Magazine, a print and digital publication which covers Caribbean culture.

Trinidadian soca singer, record producer and songwriter Machel Montano is set to receive a lifetime achievement award. Montano, 48, topped Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart in 2019 with G.O.A.T.  

Tickets, which range in price from $60.50 to $161, are on sale here.

For the latest updates and information, visit the official website.