billboard news

20 Jun 2023

Bebe Rexha Updates Fans on Phone Assault, Kourtney & Travis Are Pregnant, More | Billboard News

Bebe Rexha shares an update after being attacked by a phone while performing in NYC. Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are expecting their first child together. Billboard News caught up with Tinashe before she hit the stage at WeHo Pride, where she opened up about “Stars on Mars,” working with Britney Spears and her connection to the LGBTQ+ community. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Bebe Rexha gives an update after being assaulted onstage. Kourtney Kardashian lets Travis Barker know she’s expecting like a true fan. Morgan Wallen is back on top of the charts. Tinashe shares what to expect from her new music and memory with Britney Spears. And Jelly Roll lets us know some of his favorite slang.

Hey guys, welcome back to Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly and it’s Tuesday, June 20th. Let’s jump into it with an update on how Bebe Rexha is doing.

Bebe Rexha is hit with a phone over the weekend at a show and the concertgoer responsible says he thought it’d be funny.

Bebe Rexha:
I’m good, yeah, I’m feeling alright.

Tetris Kelly:
We love you, Bebe. Luckily the hitmaker is taking her injury in stride after being hit with a phone but apparently, this person is not what we would consider a fan. According to Rolling Stone, the NYPD’s preliminary investigation found that 27-year-old New Jersey native Nicolas Malvagna threw the cell phone intentionally and stated, “I was trying to see if I can hit her with the phone at the end of the show because it would be funny.” Well, dude, that’s not funny at all. We wish Bebe the best. Her next scheduled tour stop is tonight June 20th at the Fillmore in Philly as a part of her Best Effing Night of My Life Tour.

Watch the full video above!

19 Jun 2023

Toosii on ‘Favorite Song’ Reaching Hot 100 Top 5, Working With Future on the Remix & More | Billboard News

Toosii talks about his hit song ‘Favorite Song’ getting onto the Hot 100, the difference between working with Future and Khalid on the remixes, his love and how he’s been influenced by pop and country music, and more.

Toosii:
So I like to call myself Arnold Palmer. I’m like a mix of sweet tea and lemonade. Yeah.

Rania Aniftos:
A little bit of lemonade, a little bit of sweet tea.

Toosii:
Yo, what’s going on? It’s Toosii and you’re watching Billboard News.

Rania Aniftos:
Hi everybody. Its Rania Aniftos with Billboard News and we’re here with the hottest rapper of 2023, Toosii.

Rania Aniftos:
We have to talk about, of course, the hot 100. And you broke into the top five for the first time. How does it feel?

Toosii:
It’s a good feeling. It’s a blessing. It’s something that I’ve prayed for something that I’ve been working for. So just to be here, it’s crazy.

Rania Aniftos:
It must be crazy to see how ‘Favorite Song’ took off in general it has what 280 million global streams

Toosii:
Just to see the overall interaction you just from everyone and the support you know it’s been crazy. So you know, I appreciate everybody

Rania Aniftos:
When you wrote that song. Did you have that feeling? You knew you knew it was gonna be the one

Toosii:
It’s kind of hard to like sit here and be like, Nah, I didn’t know I just put it out there. Now those was like it was like one of those ones where like I knew.

Watch the full video above!

19 Jun 2023

Idina Menzel Reveals Her Celebrity Crush & Favorite Disney Princess on ‘Speed Dating’ | Billboard News

Broadway star Idina Menzel reveals her celebrity crush, favorite Disney princess besides Queen Elsa, and more on the third episode of Speed Dating.

Tetris Kelly: 

I’m hanging out and doing a speed dating session with Idina Menzel. Are you ready for the fastest questions coming your way? 

Idina Menzel:

Yeah, I’m not ready. 

Tetris Kelly:

She’s not ready, but she’s gonna be.

Tetris Kelly:

Where are you from? 

Idina Menzel: 

Long Island, New York. 

Tetris Kelly:

What’s your sign?

Idina Menzel:

Gemini. 

Tetris Kelly:

Oh my god. I’m a Gemini. We’re crazy as hell aren’t we? 

Tetris Kelly:

Your dream job as a kid?  

Idina Menzel:

Oh, a professional tennis player. 

Tetris Kelly:

Are you good at tennis? 

Idina Menzel:

Backhand and forehand? Not now. I was for a minute. 

Tetris Kelly:

Who is your celebrity crush? 

Idina Menzel:

It used to be Andy Garcia, but in case that’s dating myself…

Tetris Kelly:

I like Andy Garcia, by the way. 

Idina Menzel:

My husband, who was in Newsies and Mighty Ducks. I mean, he was 16 at the time, but he was hot. 

Tetris Kelly:

What’s your favorite movie?

Watch the full video above!

16 Jun 2023

Olivia Rodrigo Hints at Lana Del Rey Collab, New Music From ATEEZ, Doja Cat & More | Billboard News

It’s Friday, June 16th, and we’ve got a ton of new music! ATEEZ’s new EP is here, Doja Cat is back, Leigh-Anne makes her solo debut and more! Olivia Rodrigo is officially moving into her next era, but will Lana Del Rey be coming with her? ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ season 15 winner Sasha Colby talks about her start in drag, defies drag misconceptions, and more for our Billboard Pride Cover with Maren Morris. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
New Music from Doja Cat and more. We take you to Janet Jackson. Are Olivia and Lana collabing? We hang with Sasha Colby and learn more about Nate Smith. Welcome back to Billboard News. It’s Friday, June 16th. And I’m back after a birthday bender. We got a lot of new music to get through so let’s jump into our Friday music guide. Everyone’s been wondering what Doja Cat’s new sound would be and she’s back with ‘Attention.’

Tetris Kelly:
Not only does Doja croon on the track, she brings the rap game per usual. We’ll have more from our Friday music guide throughout the show. But for now, our top story Olivia Rodrigo posted a somewhat cryptic message on IG and now fans think she’s got a collab with Lana Del Rey on the way.

Tetris Kelly:
Olivia Rodrigo got fans in a frenzy with her latest IG post. The pop star posted a seemingly innocent mirror selfie posing next to a bright-red lipstick kiss print on the glass in front of her captioning the post “Bang bang kiss kiss,” lyrics from Lana Del Rey’s ‘Venice B*tch.’ Now fans are convinced Olivia and Lana have a collab together. It could be because the two are fans of each other. Or it could be because this is the first post from Olivia after announcing her new single ‘Vampire’ drops June 30th, the first release since her blockbuster debut ‘Sour’ in 2021. Only time will tell, but we love the idea of these two together on a project. Leigh-Anne of Little Mix has made her solo debut with ‘Don’t Say Love’. The mom of two even celebrated the release of her first song with her Little Mix bandmate Jade.

Watch the full video above!

15 Jun 2023

French Montana on His Film ‘For Khadija,’ Why He’s Not a Fan of Reality TV & More | Billboard News

French Montana stopped by Billboard News to talk about the creation of his new film, For Khadija, the rise of Afrobeats, his thoughts on reality TV and more!

French Montana:
Never follow people that got all the answers. Follow people that got all the questions. What up? What up? It’s your boy, French Montana, and you’re watching Billboard News!

Rania Aniftos:
Hey, everybody! It’s Rania Aniftos with Billboard News, and I’m here with Grammy-nominated rapper and Billboard chart-topper French Montana. So we’re here to talk about such an incredible project that you’ve been working on and it’s finally going to see the light of day, For Khadija. An incredible documentary! Why was now the right time to tell such an intimate story?

French Montana:
I’m about to put you on the story. See, I’m really from Africa. You know going through everything I went through in my career, I feel like it finally makes sense. It’s a story, beginning to end of a chapter. It was a chapter when my mother came here, sacrificed for us, and went back after 25 years. And it felt like that was like the closure of us coming, me struggling in the Bronx, not knowing English, being culture shock about the whole move that we made, my father and my mother, him leaving, us getting on welfare and struggling, then for me to be French Montana. My mother didn’t see her family for, like, 25 years.

Rania Aniftos:
And it’s true. I mean, spotlighting immigrant voices in that way is so unique, especially when people might see you and they’re like, “Oh, he’s French Montana. What struggles could he have had?” But you have this whole incredible story leading up to this point.

French Montana:
Exactly. It’s showing people all the hurdles and taking all the wounds. You know? One thing about the wounds, that’s where the light enters, showing people if you only work on sunny days, you’ll never reach your destination.

Watch the full video above to hear him speak on the rise of Afrobeats, why he’s not a fan of reality TV and more!

14 Jun 2023

Kesha Wins Big Ruling in Dr. Luke Lawsuit, Madonna Joins Elite Chart Club & More | Billboard News

Kesha wins a major court victory in her defamation battle with Dr. Luke. Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters were not expecting to see footage from her Chromatica Ball Tour in a commercial. Madonna joins Cher as the only woman to have debuted titles on the Hot 100 in five separate decades. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Kesha makes major moves in her court case against Dr. Luke. Lady Gaga’s latest project has Little Monsters confused, Madonna continues to be the Queen of Pop after five decades. We catch up with Jessie Ware at WeHo pride, and Billboard Explains how copyright lawsuits really work. Welcome back to Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly and it’s Wednesday June 14. No time like the present. So let’s get into our top story. Kesha gets a huge win in her ongoing saga with her former producer Dr. Luke.

Tetris Kelly:
On the heels of releasing her new album ‘Gag Order,’ Kesha also has a legal win to celebrate in her defamation battle with Dr. Luke. A decision was made by New York’s highest court that will make it harder for Dr. Luke to prove Kesha legally defamed him when she accused him of rape. For years Dr. Luke has claimed that the star legally defamed him with the false and shocking allegation that he drugged and raped her after a 2005 party. New York’s Court of Appeals ruled that Dr. Luke is legally a public figure, meaning he needs to show that Kesha acted with actual malice when she made her statements, something that is normally extremely hard to do. Lady Gaga is a jack of all trades, but her latest business venture has Little Monsters scratching their heads.

Watch the full video above!

13 Jun 2023

Morgan Evans Opens Up on How Divorce From Kelsea Ballerini Inspired ‘Over for You’ & More | Billboard News

Country singer Morgan Evans opens up to Billboard’s Executive West Coast and Nashville editor Melinda Newman on how his divorce from Kelsea Ballerini inspired his song ‘Over For You’, the inspiration behind the cover art for his EP ‘Life Upside Down’, and more.

Morgan Evans 0:00
I’ve got a couple of friends from Australia here that we’ve been on the water the last few days, which has been really nice here. Yeah. When you live in Nashville, it’s always nice. The waves are always better here than they are in Nashville. Right? Non-existent. Exactly. Yes. Yeah. Good day, it’s Morgan Evans and you’re watching Billboard News.

Melinda Newman 0:25
Hi, I’m Melinda Newman, executive editor for billboard. And we’re so happy to be here today with Morgan Evans. This baby this kid crazy. We’re the only stop between you in the airport and going back home. Are you excited to get back home?

Morgan Evans 0:43
I actually am pretty excited to get back home. I love it out here though, too. So I’ve been out here a few days. I’m ready to go back to my bed. Now. Let’s talk

Melinda Newman 0:50
Now. Let’s talk about what brought you out here you are out here on the Brett Young tour. Yep. You played the Greek theatre this past weekend. Talk about playing the Greek.

Morgan Evans 0:57
I said this on stage the other night actually. And growing up in Australia. It’s not like you know the names of many American venues. But you know, Madison Square Garden is one of those, Hollywood Bowl, one of those Red Rocks, one of those and the Greek theatre is one of those and it’s my first time getting to play there and it lived up. When the sun goes down. It’s just people. The words and music it’s unreal.

Watch the full interview above!

13 Jun 2023

BTS Celebrates 10 Years, Hailey Bieber Defends Selena, Jennie’s Health Scare & More | Billboard News

Hailey Bieber took to Instagram to urge her followers to stop sending hate to Selena Gomez. BTS is celebrating its 10-year anniversary this month, BLINKS are sending messages of support after BLACKPINK’s Jennie had a health scare, Stray Kids react to ‘5-STAR’ going No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and Niall Horan scores his first No. 1 on the Hot Trending Songs chart. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Haley Bieber defends Selena Gomez online. We catch you up on what’s going down in the K-pop world. Garth Brooks takes a stand. Morgan Evans turns heartbreak into hits. Hillary Scott fishes for some answers, and we run down the songs you’re talking about on Twitter.

Tetris Kelly:
Hey guys, I’m Tetris Kelly for Billboard News. It’s Tuesday, June 13. Let’s jump into your top story. Hailey Bieber has a message for her fans about hate toward Selena Gomez.

Tetris Kelly:
Hailey Bieber tells her fans to cut out the hateful comments on Selena’s social media. After Haliey liked one of Gomez’s pics, Bieber posted to her story, “If you’re leaving mean or rude comments on my behalf on anyone’s posts, just know that I don’t want that. Nor will I ever support or condone hateful mean or nasty comments. Doing that is not supporting me.” If you remember earlier this year, Selena had to tell her fans to leave Hailey alone after they thought her ex’s wife was dissing the pop star. All I gotta say is we love seeing queens supporting queens. Now y’all need to leave these women alone.

Watch the full video above!

12 Jun 2023

Idina Menzel Gives ‘Frozen 3’ Update, Talks Pride, Broadway Return, Music & More | Billboard News

Idina Menzel rocked the stage at WeHo Pride and chatted with Billboard News about the differences between her Broadway and Pride performances, the upcoming ‘Frozen 3,’ her new music, a potential return to Broadway and more!

Tetris Kelly:
Hanging out at WeHo Pride with the beautiful Idina Menzel. How are you?

Idina Menzel:
I’m good, thank you!

Tetris Kelly:
It was so great to watch you perform tonight, and now that “Move” is out in the world, how has your fans reaction been to the new single?

Idina Menzel:
I think it might be something people didn’t expect of me but once they hear it, I think they’ll think it’s a pretty organic transition. You know, big voices, great disco grooves.

Tetris Kelly:
We love the disco grooves and even watching your set tonight, I was like, this feels very queer-inspired. Am I right about that? Because I was feeling myself.

Idina Menzel:
Well, it’s Idina-inspired. Idina’s life maybe is synonymous with the queer-inspired stores. It’s about having to find my self-esteem and empower myself to get up every day and believe in who I am, and live my life authentically, which is honestly what I learned from all my friends in this community. And I probably wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t learned how to conduct myself in this world, if it wasn’t for them.

Thank you all for showing up. Let’s let them hear our anger and our madness and our frustration.

Tetris Kelly:
Living your life authentically. I love that. You’re also performing at London Pride, and you’re here at WeHo Pride. So tell me what’s different about these shows versus the average Idina show.

Idina Menzel:
Everybody’s standing, which is really cool. No offense to Broadway or the theater, but everyone needs to sit and behave. Here, they don’t have to behave so much. They can stand, they can dance, they can scream, and that just feels really good.

Tetris Kelly:
I love that. And you know, the community has been under a lot of attack lately. The drag community, the trans community — have you ever been at like a drag show and been like “This is everything to me”? Because we’ve seen the “Let It Go” drag queens, like, tell me how have you been inspired by the drag community?

Watch the full video above.

08 Jun 2023

Dua Lipa Wins Copyright Lawsuit, Blueface Arrested for Robbery & More | Billboard News

Artikal Sound System has moved to drop their copyright lawsuit against Dua Lipa; this comes days after a federal judge said its case had serious flaws. Blueface has been arrested in Vegas; the arrest comes less than a year after the rapper was taken into custody for attempted murder. Killer Mike stopped by Billboard News to talk through creating his most personal album yet, the start of his career, Atlanta rappers and his thoughts on Georgia politics. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Dua Lipa wins in court, Blueface is set to appear in court, and we have Killer Mike in the studio. Plus, we jump back into our K-pop girl groups you should know and run back some of our favorite summer songs.

Tetris Kelly:
Happy Thursday y’all, it’s June 8th. I’m Tetris and this is Billboard News. Let’s jump into our top story. A court battle with Dua Lipa is over as a copyright claim against her is dropped.

Tetris Kelly:
Days after a federal judge said its case had serious flaws, a band called Artikal Sound System has moved to drop the lawsuit against the pop star entirely after they claimed the singer’s massive hit ‘Levitating’ borrowed its hood from the Florida reggae band’s 2017 track ‘Live Your Life.’

Tetris Kelly:
A US district judge ruled strongly for Lipa, saying that there was no sign that anyone involved in creating ‘Levitating’ had access to the earlier song. So in a filing on June 7, attorneys for both Artikal Sound System and Lipa filed a joint motion asking the judge to permanently dismiss the case. Now Dua Lipa can focus on Barbie, and we can’t wait.

Watch the full video above!