billboard news

30 Jun 2023

Little Big Town to Host & Perform at Inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards

Little Big Town will host the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville on Sept. 28. The quartet, whose members were inducted into the Opry in 2014, will also perform a medley of their greatest hits during the show. The two-hour ceremony will air live on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and will stream on Peacock.

“We are honored to host the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards, especially on one of our most beloved stages in the entire world,” Little Big Town said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming so many of our talented peers to take the Opry stage for this magical night of music.”

The group – consisting of Karen Fairchild, Phillip Sweet, Kimberly Schlapman and Jimi Westbrook – hosted the CMT Music Awards in 2018 and 2019 from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

They have also won many awards, including three Grammys for best country duo/group performance for “Pontoon,” “Girl Crush” and “Better Man.” They won vocal group of the year six years running (2012-17) at the CMA Awards and came out on top in that category four times at the ACM Awards.

The Grand Ole Opry House has hosted many awards shows through the years, including the CMA Awards (1974-2004) and the (TNN) Music City News Awards, forerunners to the CMT Music Awards, (1980-99). In 2020-21, the ACM Awards were staged at three landmark Nashville venues – the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Café).

Little Big Town have had three No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart – “Pontoon,” “Girl Crush” and Taylor Swift‘s “Better Man” (the same songs that brought them their three Grammy Awards). They have amassed four No. 1 albums on Top Country Albums – The Reason Why, Tornado, The Breaker and Nightfall. 

“Little Big Town is a force in country music and a beloved staple on Music Row,” Cassandra Tryon, senior vice president, entertainment live events, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in a statement. “As Opry members, they’ve delighted fans for years on the world-famous stage and we’re honored to have them host, perform and bring this inaugural ceremony to life.” 

The People’s Choice Country Awards is an outgrowth of the People’s Choice Awards, which originated on CBS in 1975 and remained on that network through 2017. (Little Big Town was the 2017 winner for favorite country group.) That show moved to E! in 2018 and has aired on both NBC and E! since 2021. It bills itself as “the only award show for the people and by the people,” a slogan that also applies to this spin-off.

The People’s Choice Country Awards is produced by Den of Thieves with Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski serving as executive producers, along with RAC Clark as executive producer and showrunner.  

The show will extend to social platforms with Backstage Live, bringing fans at home behind the scenes as well as interactively connecting country’s most popular stars with their biggest fans.  

This project is seen as an example of collaboration resulting from NBCUniversal’s equity investment in Opry Entertainment Group alongside Atairos, which was finalized last year.

29 Jun 2023

Billboard’s Top 5 Songs of the Summer in 2013 | Billboard News

Billboard looks back and counts down the top five songs that ruled the summer of 2013.

Rania Aniftos:
Here we are — 2013! Ten years ago, when Miley Cyrus offended some people for twerking, but that didn’t stop her from twerking her way into the top five hits of the summer. More on that later, but let’s start off with the No. 5 song: Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton start us off with “Can’t Hold Us.”

The No. 4 song belongs to the queen of 2013 twerking, Miley Cyrus. Her song “We Can’t Stop” had us feeling invincible in 2013.

Our No. 3 song won Record of the Year at the Grammys. Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” featuring Pharrell Williams had us getting our funk on.

Imagine Dragons had us head banging in the heat to their hit “Radioactive,” which comes in at No. 2 on our summer songs of 2013.

Pharrell Williams was killing it in 2013. Despite the legal issues around our No. 1 song, it was a huge hit. “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell was our favorite song of the summer.

Come back next week for more summer fun as we dive into 2014.

28 Jun 2023

XG Talk About First Time Performing for Their Alphaz in America, Their Docuseries & More | Billboard News

XG talk about their first time performing in America, meeting their U.S. Alphaz, their docuseries, their unique group concept as a Japanese girl group performing in English, and more!

XG:
Hi we’re XG and you’re watching Billboard News.

Maya:
It was such an incredible moment being able to meet our U.S. Alphaz for the very first time as well as performing in the U.S. for the very first time. The energy was amazing, we had so much fun, we felt so alive after the whole performance and we were just really grateful for the fact that we had this opportunity and it was an amazing experience, so yeah, words can’t describe how grateful we are, so thank you so much.

Hinata:
It was our first performance in Japan and we were really welcomed by a lot of ALPHAZ and even showed us cards saying, “Welcome Back XG!” It was really heartwarming and we were really grateful for that. We had an amazing and exciting performance, so it was really great.

Jurin:
We are Japanese, based in Korea, singing in English. We understand it makes us a unique group. Our goal is to reach as many people as possible, so we learned English and Korean. We have a strong desire to reach out to a lot of people and we hope that we can accomplish our goals.

Jurin:
We express the relationship between the seven of us as “HESONO O” in Japanese. It represents a connection that continues and symbolizes a family tied to an umbilical cord. I think the backstory to that phrase is revealed in the documentary, so we hope the ALPHAZ can pick up on that.

Watch the full video above!

28 Jun 2023

Zayn Teases New Music, Dua Lipa Invites Billie Eilish & Jennie on Her Podcast & More | Billboard News

Zayn Malik teases new music after signing with a new label, Dua Lipa kicks off the third season of her podcast with superstar guests Billie Eilish and BLACKPINK’s Jennie, country star Morgan Evans teaches us Australian slang, XG tell us about performing in America and meeting their Alphaz & more.

Tetris Kelly:
Zayn signs to a new label for his next album. Due Lipa announces two superstars for the next season of her podcast. Lewis Capaldi cancels his tour due to his battle with Tourette’s. We’re talking to XG ahead of their first mini album. And Morgan Evans teaches us some Australian slang. I’m Tetris Kelly for Billboard News, it’s Wednesday, June 28th. And we’re learning more about what’s next for Zayn. Billboard can confirm Zayn Malik has a new label and new music on the way.

Tetris Kelly
Zayn wiped his social media this week leaving behind the pre-save link and teaser for new music. The star signed with Mercury Records, which says new music is coming very soon this summer. Billboard is being told the former One Directioner is making a major departure from the sound that defined his previous hits like ‘Pillow Talk’ and ‘I Don’t Want to Live Forever.’ We’re all excited to hear new stuff, Zayn, don’t keep us waiting too much longer. We also have new music from Japanese girl group XG on the way. Their next single ‘Girl Gang’ is out Friday. It’s the first track off their first mini album coming soon. We caught up with the girls in New York after their first performance in the States.

Watch the full video above!

27 Jun 2023

Olivia Rodrigo’s New Album, ‘Joy Ride’ Cast Talk Love of K-Pop & More | Billboard News

New Olivia Rodrigo music is coming soon! The singer announced her sophomore album and its release date in a post that surprised fans to kick off the week. Austin Mahone talks his latest single “Kuntry,” why he wanted to step into the country music genre, and his new album ‘Lone Star Story.’ The cast of ‘Joy Ride’ open up about their love for K-pop and getting the approval of Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion. Fuerza Regida talks the Regional Mexican music explosion, taking over the Billboard charts, collaborating with Groupo Frontera, Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano, their tour, and more!

Tetris Kelly
Olivia Rodrigo’s new album proves she’s gots ‘GUTS,’ we take you to the ‘Joy Ride’ premiere to talk K-pop and Megan and Cardi’s ‘WAP.’ Austin Mahone stops by our studio. We run down the top songs on Twitter and Mexican music group Fuerza Regida are your latest cover stars.

Tetris Kelly
Guys, welcome to Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly and it’s Tuesday, June 27. Let’s talk about one of the most anticipated albums of the year. Olivia Rodrigo announced the release date of her sophomore album and the pop star is ready to spill her guts.

Tetris Kelly
Olivia took to socials on Monday to announce her highly anticipated record is arriving later this year. Unveiling the cover art, the pop star wrote on Instagram, “my sophomore album ‘GUTS’ comes out September 8. I am so proud of this record and I can’t wait to share it with you all.” She also shared a message to her fans in an IG story. “So excited about this new album and this new chapter. I can’t thank you guys enough for all your support and enthusiasm. Making this album was very daunting, very fun and very fulfilling. I can’t wait for it to be yours.” We’re so excited for the release and the first single ‘Vampire’ that drops this Friday.

Watch the full video above!

27 Jun 2023

Ashley Park, Stephanie Hsu & ‘Joy Ride’ Cast on Integrating K-pop Into New Movie | Billboard News

The Cast of ‘Joy Ride’ discusses integrating K-pop into the film, re-working “WAP” and more at the premiere!

Get your tickets for ‘Joy Ride’ here.

Ashley Park:
It was amazing to have the blessing of Megan and Cardi B.

Sabrina Wu:
My knowledge of the ARMY was that they were maybe the most powerful organization in the world.

Stephanie Hsu:
It’s a movement.

Tetris Kelly:
It’s Tetris at the premiere of ‘Joy Ride,’ and there’s a scene that’s all about K-pop fandom. Well, this K-pop fan is talking to the stars of the movie and checking out the afterparty.

Sherry Cola:
You know, I hope Cardi and Meg watched this film and laugh out loud, cry, pee a little.

Ashley Park:
I love that song so much [‘WAP’]. And it was amazing to have the blessing of Megan and Cardi B, who we love so much, to use that song and to like, repurpose the lyrics in a way and they use it to empower themselves and to sexualize themselves and take ownership of that. And I’m so glad that we got to use that

Sabrina Wu:
Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B, me compared to them, I’m dirt, I’m nothing, and the way that they have done so much for black women and women’s sexuality, I literally owe them my life. My knowledge of the ARMY was that they were maybe the most powerful organization in the world. And I was like, ‘I can never do wrong by them.’ And I have the utmost respect for them.

Watch the full video above!

26 Jun 2023

Drake’s Poetry Book & Album, All the Drama That Went Down at the BET Awards & More | Billboard News

Drake has announced his first poetry book and a new album. The 2023 BET Awards took place Sunday night and we have your full recap. ‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ season 3 winner Landon Cider talks about finding drag, being inspired by David Bowie and Stephen Sondheim. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Drake is not just a rapper; he’s a poet as well. Billboard was on the scene at the BET Awards. Country music dominates the charts, we played Never Have I Ever with Madeline Edwards, and ‘Dragula’ winner Landon Cider gives us his musical inspiration. Happy Monday, I’m Tetris Kelly for Billboard News, it’s June 26, and we’ve got to talk about Drake. Drake revealed over the weekend that he is releasing both a book of poetry and a new album. Drake revealed on his Instagram that he will drop a collection of poems, named ‘Titles Ruin Everything,’ a stream of consciousness he kept in the post. “I don’t know if I have ever wanted people to buy or support something more in my life.” The rapper and poet promoted the project with ads in major newspapers that included a QR code leading to a website where he revealed a new album is also on the way. The text on the side reads, “I made an album to go with the book. They say they missed the old Drake, girl don’t tempt me. For all the dogs.” The book of poetry is out now and no word yet on when we’ll get the new album.

Last night was the BET Awards and there was music on the stage and drama in the audience. From high notes to a couple at each other’s throats and hip-hop tributes to the GOATs.

Watch the full video above!

23 Jun 2023

Big Freedia Talks About New ‘Central City’ Album, Her Reality Show & More | Billboard News

Big Freedia talks to Billboard about her new album Central City, her new Fuse reality show Big Freedia Means Business, working with legends such as Lil Wayne and Beyoncé, and more!

Big Freedia:
They were trying to stop me from gyrating and called all these police.

Tetris Kelly:
They called the police?

Big Freedia:
Yeah, and I was like, ‘I’m the queen of bounce, honey. You’re all gonna get ready to take me to jail.”

Tetris Kelly:
Twerk all the way to the jail, how about that?

Big Freedia:
Hey, this is Big Freedia, the queen diva, and this is Billboard News — girl down!

Tetris Kelly:
It’s Tetris of Billboard News hanging out with Big Freedia. You looking good! Happy Pride!

Big Freedia:
Thank you, happy Pride to you as well.

Tetris Kelly:
I have been loving the energy. Have you been celebrating Pride?

Big Freedia:
I’ve just been performing everywhere, bringing good energy, you know, going out living in my true being loud and proud.

Tetris Kelly:
And I feel like the energy is different this year because of course, we always celebrate Pride. But then there’s so many social issues happening right now. So have you noticed, like, a difference in Pride this year when we’re under attack for so many reasons?

Big Freedia:
Yeah, I definitely think that we are being fearfulness. And we are going out there and just showing our true colors, and letting them know that all of these laws that they’re trying to put in place, it’s not really stopping anything. We are going to still stand strong, and we’re gonna come together as a community and keep on fighting for our rights.

Watch Big Freedia’s full interview with Billboard News above!

22 Jun 2023

Louis Tomlinson’s Show Canceled Due to Hail, Orville Peck Calls Off Tour & More | Billboard News

Portugal. The Man frontman John Gourley is Billboard’s new cover star. A freak hailstorm broke out at Louis Tomlinson‘s show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Wednesday night, sending fans ducking for cover. Orville Peck cancels his tour to work on his mental and physical health. And Shawn Mendes shared the stage with Ed Sheeran during his stop in Toronto. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Dozens of fans are injured at a Louis Tomlinson concert. We catch up with Portugal. The Man in Alaska to talk about their comeback. We’ve got an exclusive look at the movie Joy Ride. Orville Peck postpones his tour for health reasons. And we run down the biggest songs of the summer from 2012. Welcome to Billboard News! I’m Tetris Kelly and it’s Thursday, June 22nd.

We’ve got a new cover star! Portugal. The Man is back and they’re looking a little different these days. We took a trip to Alaska to hear all about their journey.

John Gourley:
Looking back at that stuff, I’m just so gracious of everything that came along with that song. And it was like this really stressful period for the band, just having that crossover success. And I mean, it was legit like all day long.

John Gourley:
You would wake up in the morning, you go to do press, you bounced around, you’d play five soundcheck parties, and they become less of like soundcheck parties and more of just like five extra shows in the day. And it was so fun. I mean, it was so new for us, like we’re just doing this. I didn’t even realize it until the end of it. The last show we played was up here in Alaska, and the last show I just broke down in tears. Emotionally, we took on so much. We had a really great time making music together and then the pandemic. And yeah, there’s just been this moment of searching for identity and I think just priorities shifted. It just became about a family, became more about just reconnecting with each other. We had just found out that Francis has this very rare genetic disease. She’s one of six kids with her specific disease. It’s really intense. I mean, it really like makes you think about how fragile we all are.

Watch the full video above!

21 Jun 2023

Beyoncé, Rihanna & Zendaya Front Row at Louis Vuitton Show, EXO on Trending Chart & More | Billboard News

Beyoncé, Rihanna and Zendaya sit front row at Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton show. Pop stars are under attack as Ava Max is slapped by a concertgoer in LA, a few days after Bebe Rexha was hit by a phone at her concert. We give you a deeper dive into season 13 RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Symone. Lauren Jauregui goes speed dating and tells us about herself. EXO and Olivia Rodrigo create buzz on Twitter’s Hot Trending Songs chart. And more!

Tetris Kelly:

Beyoncé, Rihanna and Zendaya — Louis Vuitton’s fashion show was the place to be. Ava Max is assaulted onstage just days after Bebe Rexha. We run down the hottest songs trending on Twitter. Drag Race winner Symone lets us know her musical inspiration. And I take Lauren Jauregui on a speed date. 

Tetris Kelly:

I’m Tetris and this is Billboard News. It’s Wednesday, June 21st. And we’ve got to talk about the most star-studded event that just went down in Paris: Rihanna and Beyoncé breathing the same air.

Tetris Kelly:

It was so crazy if you were able to grab a seat for the LV fashion show at Paris Fashion Week. Pharrell unveiled the menswear spring summer 2024 collection and he had superstar friends in attendance. Fashion queen Zendaya was there. Jay-Z joined Pharrell to perform, and of course Beyoncé attended with her husband — but they weren’t the only couple goals. A$AP Rocky and Rihanna attended the show, but we have yet to see a picture of the power couples together. Also in attendance, my faves the spicy Latin king and queen Maluma and Anitta.

Watch the full video above!