Billboard

Tinashe is finding her own success with “Nasty” from her new album ‘QUANTUM BABY,’ now that she’s an independent artist. We share her transition from girl group, to a solo artist, to going independent and more.

Tetris Kelly:

Tinashe may be a name you know, but as an indie artist? She’s thriving. As a teenager, Tinashe was part of a girl group called The Stunners. She would later go solo when she signed to RCA. After three albums with the label, it was announced that she and RCA had parted ways. She told Billboard, “At the time I made the decision because I was following my gut instinct and it was telling me that relationship wasn’t productive anymore.” Since then, Tinashe’s released three albums on her own with another on the way. The lead single off of ‘QUANTUM BABY,’ “Nasty,” is blowing up in part thanks to a meme on TikTok. She says, “Going indie has been extremely rewarding, especially spiritually and emotionally in terms of how I view myself as a creative.”

It’s Friday, May 17, and Billie Eilish has released her new album ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft,’ Saweetie put out “NANi” and Bebe Rexha released her new single “Chase It (Mmm Da Da Da).” In a 2016 surveillance video published by CNN, Diddy appears to assault his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

Yesterday was a busy day for all things country music; we give you a recap of the ACM Awards. To tie it all in, Luke Combs released “Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma.” Luis Fonsi on what inspired him for his new album ‘El Viaje,’ his collaboration with Carlos Vives and more. We sat down with Grupo Frontera to talk about their new album  ‘Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada.’ Zayn dropped his new album ‘Room Under the Stairs’ and more!

Tetris Kelly: 

We have breaking news on Cassie and Diddy. New music from Billie, Bebe, Saweetie and more. We sit down with the boys of Grupo Frontera and Luis Fonsi and we run down what you missed at the ACMs. A 2016 surveillance video appears to show Sean “Diddy” Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel. We have word from her attorney.

The new video obtained by CNN seems to mirror an assault allegation Ventura made in a now-settled lawsuit she filed against the hip-hop mogul in November. In the video, Combs appears to shove Ventura to the ground near an elevator bank, kick her several times while she lies on the ground, and drag her down a hallway. Cassie’s attorney stated: “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms. Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

Now for our Friday Music Guide. Billie Eilish enters a new era with ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft.’ Saweetie submits her entry for the song of the summer with “NANi.” Last night was a celebration of country, and Dallas was the place to party. From Dua Lipa joining Chris Stapleton, to Jelly Roll & Lainey Wilson winning big. The 2024 ACM Awards in Dallas were the place to be, and we’re telling you what went down. The night had some big performances including our boy Jelly Roll delivering “Liar” and the prolific singer took home his first ACM. Lainey herself took home Entertainer of the Year.

Keep watching to learn more!

Luis Fonsi on what inspired his new album ‘El Viaje’ and how it is a reflection of his own journey in music. He also shares his collaboration with Carlos Vives on “Santa Marta” and more!

Luis Fonsi:

You know when you reach these kind of moments in life you look back and you’re like, wow it’s been a fun journey. It’s been a beautiful trip. 

Tetris Kelly:

And what a journey it’s been for Luis Fonsi.

Luis Fonsi:

Straight out of college, I started promoting my first album, and it’s really been nonstop since then. And it’s been kind of an evolution from album number one to album number 11, so that’s why ‘El Viaje’ to me represents that journey.

Tetris Kelly: 

When you’re a superstar releasing your 11th album, you’ve got a lot of experience to pull inspiration from.

Luis Fonsi:

The cool thing about this album ‘El Viaje’ is that every song is a city.

Leila Cobo: 

So how did you decide on each city? Because they’re not necessarily the biggest cities.

Luis Fonsi: 

Not necessarily, no. Well, that’s the beautiful thing about cities. I mean, we can have an argument of which city is bigger, or this, or that, like they all mean something different to me. 

Tetris Kelly:

And Luis brought some amazing talent along for the ride. 

Leila Cobo:

Your last single was “Roma” with Laura Pausini. Now you’re coming out with “Santa Marta” with Carlos Vives, his hometown.

Luis Fonsi:

When you hear the song, it’s a celebration of love. It’s a song that is perfect to sing to somebody who you love. It’s like an anniversary song. It’s almost a wedding song. Once Carlos got involved, I was like, this has to be named “Santa Marta.” So we kind of rewrote it. He wrote his part as well. And we made it ours and that was such a beautiful journey.

It’s Thursday, May 16th, and the House of Representatives have passed the TICKET Act. This bill will require ticket sellers (including sellers on the secondary market) to clearly and prominently disclose at the beginning of the transaction, and prior to the selection of a ticket, the total ticket price for the event and an itemized list of the base ticket price and each fee. Cardi B states that she will not be voting for either presidential candidate later this year. Take a look into our new segment ‘Unfiltered’ where we go over everything in the world of hip hop. Will Lay Bankz hold her No. 1 spot for a 4th week on the TikTok Billboard Top 50? Keep watching to kind out! We give you a sneak peek at EDC and what to expect this weekend with Steve Aoki and more!

Tetris Kelly
Cardi won’t even vote,as fans are tired of some artists being silent on Gaza. We run down Billy Eilish’s numerous achievements. Steve Aoki tells us what to expect that EDC and we see who’s hot on the top. That’d be almost the end of the week. It’s Billboard News. And yes, it’s politics season, Cardi won’t even vote as fans are tired of some artists being silent on Gaza. And Congress finally shows some action on ticket prices. Let’s jump into politics and music. With some of the biggest tours ever going down over the last year. Fans want more insight to ticket prices and they might be getting it, the United States House of Representatives passed legislation called the Ticket Act, which will require ticket sellers to use more simple all in pricing, say no to speculative ticketing and even provide refunds for any canceled event. It will now move to the Senate before President Joe Biden signs it into law. But will fans even want to support artists? A viral trend has picked up where people are unfollowing or blocking celebs that haven’t spoken out about the dire situation in Palestine. But Cardi B is also staying out of politics this year. She told Rolling Stone on Trump and Biden. “I don’t f*ck with both of y’all. I feel like people got betrayed, it’s just like damn, Y’all not caring about nobody. Then it really gets me upset that there is solutions to it. There is a solution. I know there’s a solution because you’re spending billions of dollars on any thing.” Yikes, I mean, my girl is not wrong, but we definitely encourage everybody to stay active as this race affects us all.

Keep watching to learn more!

It’s Wednesday, May 15, and Feid & Yandel got shut down in Miami for throwing an impromptu concert on their yacht. Cardi B says she will not be releasing a new album this year, Megan Thee Stallion is kicking off her tour and Saweetie posted her freestyling in the car. Sam Hunt shares how he created “Locked Up EP” and how his music is changing with his life. If you missed it last night, we got you covered, we give you a recap of Billboard’s Country Power Players. McKenna Grace shares what inspired her to write her song “Gentleman”and more!

Tetris Kelly: 

No music from Cardi, new music from Saweetie and Megan kicks off her tour. Feid Yandel’s yacht party gets shut down. We catch up with Sam Hunt. We take you inside our Country Power Players event. And McKenna Grace tells us how it went down. Happy Hump Day at Billboard News. I wish I was on a boat, but not this one. Feid and Yandel’s impropmtu concert was cut short when the cops shut down the party. According to Yandel’s Manager The plan was to perform their joint album ‘Manifesting 20-05’ in its entirety, but after just three songs local water police patrol asked them to shut it down. Fans flocked to see the duo both on land and by sea which you can see caused quite the scene. Yandel’s manager told Billboard police asked them to please stop the music and they said they had over 50 patrols on hand to try to control the traffic caused by the event. Even though the party may not have been completed, they insist Feid’s team got all the necessary permits with the Coast Guard and everything was in order and in time. And for once the girls aren’t fighting but still have lots of updates. Here’s three things you need to know in female Hip Hop. Even with hits like “WAP” and “Up” and dropping her second Megan collab in 2023, Cardi B hasn’t actually released an album since her debut, ‘Invasion of Privacy’ in 2018. 

Keep watching to learn more!