Concerts
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As three wildfires rage throughout Southern California, electronic music festival Nocturnal Wonderland has been canceled due to its proximity to the blazes.
Produced by Insomniac Events, the festival was set to take place this weekend (Sept. 14-15) at the Glen Helen Amphitheatre in San Bernardino, Calif. But producers announced Wednesday (Sept. 11), that the festival will not happen because of the Line Fire, which is burning near the venue.
“We are saddened to inform you that new fires in the San Bernardino area have ignited over the last 35 hours and are now approaching the Glen Helen Amphitheatre,” the festival announced on social media. “The health and safety of festival attendees and staff is our highest priority. After further discussions with local authorities, due to the impact of the fires surrounding the venue, we will be unable to proceed with Nocturnal Wonderland.”
The statement notes that ticketholders will receive an email regarding ticket refunds in the coming days, along with information about how ticketholders can support local firefighters and the residents of affected areas.
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The Line Fire has been burning in the San Bernardino National Forest since Sept. 5, and expanded to 34,659 acres burned as of Sept. 11. As reported by the San Bernardino Sun, local authorities announced on Wednesday that “the worst is getting behind us” in terms of getting the fire contained. Two other fires, the Airport Fire and the Bridge Fire, are currently also burning in Southern California, forcing evacuations and affecting air quality throughout the region.
These blazes continue on the tail end of a signficant heatwave, which gripped the region over the last week and brought temperatures up to 112-degrees in parts of the city. Amid this heatwave, the Hollywood Bowl lost power on Sept. 8 and was forced to cancel a show by singer-songwriter Vance Joy. The region also experienced a 4.7 magnitude earthquake at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Thursday (Sept. 12).
Nocturnal Wonderland is Insomniac Events’ longest running festival, with the 2024 iteration having scheduled featured performances by artists including Kaskade, RL Grime, Slander, Flosstradamus and other genre-spanning electronic acts.
In the comments section of the announcement, Insomniac Events Founder Pasquale Rotella wrote, “My thoughts and prayers go to all those affected by the fires. Heartbroken about the cancellation. Your support means the world. Can’t wait to celebrate together in the future.”
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have announced their 2025 North American tour, marking their first set of performances in the region since 2018.
The Wild God Tour will begin on April 15 at Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts, and will travel to major cities such as Brooklyn, Chicago, Toronto, and San Francisco.
The tour supports the band’s latest album, Wild God, which debuted at No. 5 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart and No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
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Produced by Nick Cave and longtime collaborator Warren Ellis, Wild God features contributions from Luis Almau and Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood, who has also stepped in as the band’s touring bassist for their U.K. and European shows due to Martyn Casey stepping back for health reasons.
Discussing the band’s latest offering, Cave shared, “I hope the album has the effect on listeners that it’s had on me. It bursts out of the speaker, and I get swept up with it. It’s a complicated record, but it’s also deeply and joyously infectious.”
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“There is never a master plan when we make a record. The records rather reflect back the emotional state of the writers and musicians who played them. Listening to this, I don’t know, it seems we’re happy.”
Joining the tour as a special guest for select dates in Boston and Brooklyn will be St. Vincent. Her most recent album, All Born Screaming, debuted at 86 on the Billboard 200, continuing her streak of successful releases. Her 2021 album, Daddy’s Home, peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200.
Pre-sale tickets for Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ 2025 North American tour will be available starting Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 10 a.m. local time, with general ticket sales opening on Friday, Sept. 13.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds 2025 North American Tour Dates:
April 15 — Agganis Arena, Boston, MA (with St. Vincent)April 17 — Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY (with St. Vincent)April 19 — Masonic Temple, Detroit, MIApril 21 — The Anthem, Washington, DCApril 23 — Meridian Hall, Toronto, ONApril 24 — Place Bell, Montreal, QCApril 26 — The Met, Philadelphia, PAApril 28 — The Salt Shed, Chicago, ILApril 29 — The Salt Shed, Chicago, ILApril 30 — Miller High Life Theatre, Milwaukee, WIMay 2 — Palace Theatre, Columbus, OHMay 4 — The Armory, Minneapolis, MNMay 5 — Kansas City Music Hall, Kansas City, MOMay 7 — Mission Ballroom, Denver, COMay 10 — Theater of the Clouds, Portland, ORMay 11 — Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Vancouver, BCMay 12 — The Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WAMay 14 — Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ official website.
“How come it’s not tomorrow?” The Weeknd closed with a song about heaven featuring that lyric Saturday night in São Paulo, Brazil, leaving fans awaiting new album Hurry Up Tomorrow asking the same. (How come they can’t get Hurry Up Tomorrow … tomorrow? Especially that one song about “dancing in the flames”?)
The one-night-only concert on Sept. 7, livestreamed on YouTube, featured several tidbits of new music from Abel Tesfaye. Concertgoers and viewers at home got to hear tracks never before played live mixed in with chart toppers; the collective chatter had “Abel” trending on social media throughout the evening.
The Hurry Up Tomorrow tracklist has yet to be unveiled, and Tesfaye didn’t introduce songs by name at Saturday night’s event at Estádio MorumBIS.
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Based on what was teased during the show, though, a few presumed new titles include “Dancing in the Flames,” “Run Away” and “In Heaven.”
Highlight “Dancing in the Flames” — heard in part by some in São Paulo during soundcheck earlier in the day, and making its wide debut about 30 minutes into the concert — has the hallmarks of a hit from first listen.
Tesfaye’s voice soars over an indelible synth line, singing of an odyssey where “We’re dancing in the flames/ It’s indescribable.” (Press play on the video below to stream the concert starting at the “Dancing in the Flames” timestamp.)
A special appearance from Brazilian superstar Anitta had the São Paulo crowd going wild.
Playboi Carti also appeared on The Weeknd’s stage at Estádio MorumBIS, treating the audience to a performance of Travis Scott’s “FE!N,” plus an unreleased track that’s possibly called “Timeless.”
Hits like “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears” sparked massive crowd sing-alongs toward the end of the set. “I want you to scream so loud they can hear you in Rio,” Tesfaye encouraged.
The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow album cover was revealed just hours before the show, as well as a preorder link for the set, which is the third part of a trilogy preceded by After Hours and Dawn FM. Although vinyl and CD orders can be put in now, Hurry Up Tomorrow‘s release date hasn’t been announced.
Watch a replay of Saturday’s entire concert here, courtesy of The Weeknd’s YouTube channel.
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It’s a busy week in the Billboard zeitgeist. After hosting the 2024 Billboard R&B Hip-Hop Power Players event, the Billboard Hip-Hop Live concert went down in Brooklyn at the Xanadu roller rink on Friday night (Sept. 6).
Amazon Music’s Breakthrough Artist BigXthaPlug hit the stage first, around 9:40 p.m. ET, to set the tone for the night as hundreds of fans got settled in to the new Bushwick venue.
BigX emerged following a cross-country trip from the West Coast with his Texas-sized swagger in a white soccer jersey, but quickly ditched it for his signature shirtless look.
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The Dallas native ran through cuts like “Big Stepper” and his latest hard-hitting single, the aptly-titled “The Largest.” He had some fun with the audience when betting his DJ that the left side of the crowd would be louder than the right, and BigX’s pockets ended up leaving a little heavier than expected after winning the $2,000 wager.
The 26-year-old hit his two-step onstage and continued to perform the Dazz Band-sampling “Whip It,” “Level” and “Mmhmm” in his heavy, bellowing Southern drawl. The latter served as BigX’s first Billboard Hot 100 entry earlier this year when it peaked at No. 63. He closed things out with his breakout anthem, “Texas,” while over 1,500 miles from home.
Next up, the scorching Bossman Dlow hit the stage around 10:10 p.m. ET. Big Za rocked snow white jeans and a matching letterman jacket with his signature ski goggles off to the side like he was ready to hit the slopes.
“Mr. Pot Scraper” gave fans a taste of the motivational anthems that were to come before heating up while jumping around from “Piss Me Off” to the braggadocios “Talk My Shit.” The Florida rapper clearly has the streets on lock as the crowd was in the palm of his hand.
“Finesse” sans GloRilla set the table for “Get in With Me,” which drew the loudest ovation of any track from the audience in the building as the temperature was turned up several notches.
Dlow’s inspirational raps went a cappella for the first go around as fans belted the “Yep” part of his “Juggs fiendin’/ Phone ringing/ N—s hating” verse right back at him. He spun the block to perform his top 50 Hot 100 banger a second time with the booming DxnteMadeIt instrumental to give the people what they came for.
Just shy of 11 p.m. ET meant it was time for the night’s headliner, the eccentric Teezo Touchdown, who painted a more romanticized aesthetic while blending the worlds of rap, rock and R&B.
Rocking a red tank top and a matching furry cherry bucket hat that LL Cool J would be jealous of, which went along with his rose bouquet microphone, Teezo served as a palate cleanser that took fans in another direction with his shrewd creativity.
It was a night of reflection for Teezo Touchdown — in the most positive way. Coming off of winning Billboard‘s 2024Rookie of the Year honors and celebrating the one-year anniversary of his How Do You Sleep At Night? debut this weekend, Teezo took a moment to look back and realize how far he’s come as an artist in this labor of love.
“Last night I was awarded the Billboard Hip-Hop R&B Rookie of the Year award. What a year it’s been, right,” he said. “I went on my first sold-out headlining Spend the Night Tour, and on Sunday (Sept. 8) it will be the one-year anniversary of my How Do You Sleep At Night debut album.”
Teezo fired away with cuts from his critically acclaimed debut while delivering live performances of “Impossible,” “Too Easy” and “Out of Respect.” He broke the set up with Travis Scott’s forgotten Utopia dance-leaning “Modern Jam.” Teezo had everyone throw their twos in the sky while returning to his debut to bring the show across the finish line with “Familiarity,” “Third Coast” and the trippy “Stranger.”
As Adele prepares for her final concert before stepping away from the spotlight for a “long time”, ticket prices have soared to record highs.
The British singer, known for her record-breaking hits like “Someone Like You” and “Hello,” recently announced that her last performance will take place on Nov. 23 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, marking the end of her Weekends With Adele residency and the beginning of an indefinite hiatus.
Originally, tickets for the show ranged from $400 for regular admission to $1,000 for VIP passes. However, the demand has skyrocketed, with last-minute resale platforms such as Viagogo and Gametime reporting prices as high as $17,050 and $18,766, respectively, for top-tier seats.
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During her final Aug. 31 performance of a 10-show residency in Munich, Adele told fans, “I just need a rest. I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself and I want to live it now.”
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“I want to live my life that I’ve been building and I will miss you terribly.”
She reiterated her decision to step back from music, stating that she has no current plans for a new album. This follows her most recent album 30, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2021 and featured the chart-topping single “Easy on Me.”
Adele’s Munich residency also saw emotional highlights, including a rare performance of “Chasing Pavements“—her 2008 breakout hit that earned her two Grammy Awards in 2009 for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best New Artist.
Throughout the residency, Adele also confirmed her engagement to Rich Paul on stage and praised rising star Chappell Roan, calling her “spectacular.”
As her Las Vegas residency comes to an end, the Nov. 23 concert is shaping up to be a historic event, with fans scrambling for tickets and prices reaching unprecedented levels. Many are willing to pay top dollar to witness Adele live, whose career highlights include three consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 albums, before she takes her much-needed break.
Green Day experienced an unexpected pause at their Saviors Tour concert Wednesday night (Sept. 4) at Comerica Park in Detroit. The group abruptly ran offstage just as it began the bridge of “Longview,” as the crowd continued singing the song in the band’s absence. Reliable sources on site confirmed to Billboard that an unauthorized drone had […]
Chappell Roan fans in Tennessee just got a little bit of good luck, babe.
After realizing that resellers had torn through a chunk of the tickets to her upcoming concert in Franklin, Tennessee, making it difficult for actual fans to nab seats, the 26-year-old pop star took matters into her own hands. “Scalpers and bots bought up all the tickets, so we went through and canceled all the scalper tickets we could,” Roan explained in a pair of videos via Instagram Stories on Wednesday (Sept. 4).
The “Hot to Go!” artist went on to announce that she’d be selling those same tickets back to fans in a limited quantity, directing followers to an online Ticketmaster form where they can request spots at Firstbank Amphitheater on Oct. 1.
“I want to make sure that tickets go to people who actually want to come and are fans,” she continued. “This is the best solution that makes sense to me and my team. I know it’s confusing and it’s so annoying, but I’m genuinely so pissed about the scalper situation and think that people actually deserve to get to my show. This is a larger issue, and we’re dealing with it.”
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“I can’t wait to see people who actually deserve to be here,” Roan added. “It means everything to me.”
Roan is far from the first artist to speak out against ticket scalping, a problem that’s reached a fever pitch in the past few years post-pandemic. Many stars — including Taylor Swift ahead of her Eras Tour — have tried out systems of vetting customers before conducting ticket sales, but one of the only proven ways of preventing bots from buying tickets and reselling them at inflated prices has been dynamic pricing, which poses issues of its own.
The Missouri native is currently on tour in support of her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which recently reached a new peak at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Ahead of her concert in Franklin, she’ll perform overseas in Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, London and Berlin, as well as New York and Maryland back in the U.S.
Amid her rise to stardom this year, Roan has been open about feeling overwhelmed at the speed of her own ascent and recently had to set some boundaries with fans. “I’ve been in too many nonconsensual physical and social interactions and I just need to lay it out and remind you, women don’t owe you sh–,” she wrote in a statement on social media in August. “I chose this career path because because I love music and art and honoring my inner child, I do not accept harassment of any kind because I chose this path, nor do I deserve it.”
“I am specifically talking about predatory behavior (disguised as ‘superfan’ behavior) that has become normalized because of the way women who are well-known have been treated in the past,” she added at the time. “Please do not assume you know a lot about someone’s life, personality, and boundaries because you are familiar with them or their work online.”
Next Summer’s Lollapalooza Chile, Lollapalooza Argentina and Lollapalooza Brasil will feature headlining sets from Justin Timberlake, Olivia Rodrigo and Shawn Mendes. The festivals announced the full lineups for their 2025 editions, which will also all include headliners Alanis Morissette, Tool and Rüfüs Du Sol.
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Lollapalooza Chile will set up from March 21-23 at Parque Bicentenario de Cerrillos and also feature sets from Benson Boone, Foster the People, Tate McRae, Zedd, Charlotte De Witte, Parcels, Rawayana, Teddy Swims, James Hype, Los Tres, Mon Laferte, Fontaines D.C., Girl in Red, Inhaler, Sepultura and more; ticket information is here.
Lolla Argentina will take place on the same weekend in the Hippodromo de San Isidro in Buenos Aires with a similar lineup that will also include sets from Tan Bionica, Wos, La K’onga, Los Angeles Azules, Nathy Peluso, Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso, Caribou, Jpegmafia, San Holo and more; ticket information can be found here.
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Lolla Brazil will hit stages from March 28-30 in the Autódromo de Interlagos in São Paulo also with a similar lineup including Wave to Earth, Michael Kiwanuka, Barry Can’t Swim, Neil Frances, Zerb, Disco Lines, Kasablanca, Artemas, Nessa Barrett, DJ GBR, Ashibah, Marina Lima and many more; click here for ticket information.
The shows will represent the debut South American performances by Olivia Rodrigo and veteran hard rockers Tool and Timberlake’s first shows in Chile and Argentina. JT is in the midst of his Forget Tomorrow World Tour, which is kicking off a European leg on Wednesday (Sept. 4) before returning to North America in October and staying on the road across the country through a Dec. 20 gig at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. Rodrigo wrapped her GUTS world tour on August 21 with the second of two shows at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. Mendes will play Rock in Rio in September followed by a series of U.S. theater shows in October.
Check out the full lineups for all three festivals below.
Some Oasis fans celebrated like a champagne supernova, while others looked back in anger on Saturday (Aug. 31) as online ticket sites strained under demand for the band’s first shows for 15 years.
The Britpop-era behemoth led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher is scheduled to play 17 gigs in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin starting July 4.
More than one million tickets went on sale Saturday morning, with prices starting at about 74 pounds (just under $100) and rising to a 506-pound ($666) package that includes a pre-show party and merchandise.
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The band’s representatives said later in the day that all the tickets were sold, but hinted more shows may be announced, saying “anticipation for details of the tour’s international dates is now rapidly mounting.”
Many fans were frustrated in their attempts to secure tickets. Some people attempting to get onto the handful of authorized sales sites, including Ticketmaster and Gigs and Tours, received error messages, while many others were informed they were in a lengthy queue.
Josh Jeffery, a videographer who lives near Edinburgh, spent hours moving up the online ticket queue, before “the whole site collapsed” at the last step.
“I’ve given up, my friends have given up,” said Jeffery, who first saw Oasis in Manchester as a teenager in 1996. “We just decided it’s too much hassle.”
“As I was in the queue, I heard ‘Wonderwall’ blasting out from my neighbor’s house,” he added ruefully. “He’d obviously got tickets.”
Some fans managed to buy tickets through a presale lottery on Friday. Barista Isabelle Doyle said she was “over the moon” after snagging two seats for one of the band’s London shows.
“I’ve been a fan of Oasis for about 10 years now, literally since I was 11 years old,” the 21-year-old said. “Finally to be able to see them after they got me through as a teenager, it’s absolutely amazing and I’m so excited.”
Within hours, tickets began to be offered on resale websites for as much as 6,000 pounds ($7,800). Oasis issued a warning, saying tickets could only be resold at face value through authorized sites.
“Tickets appearing on other secondary ticketing sites are either counterfeit or will be cancelled by the promoters,” the band said in a statement.
Megan Gordon, a 25-year-old fan from Manchester, said she was “fuming” after failing to get tickets.
“I don’t really want to pay resale, but I will,” she said.
Formed in Manchester in 1991, Oasis was one of the dominant British acts of the 1990s, producing hits including “Wonderwall,” “Champagne Supernova” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” Its sound was fueled by sing-along rock choruses and the combustible chemistry between guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher and singer sibling Liam.
Oasis split in 2009, with Noel Gallagher quitting the band after a backstage dustup with his brother at a festival near Paris. While the Gallagher brothers, now 57 and 51, haven’t performed together since, both regularly perform Oasis songs at their solo gigs. They’ve also each fired off criticisms of the other in the press.
Announcing the reunion, the band said fans would experience “the spark and intensity” that occurs only when they appear on stage together.
Alice Enders, head of research at media consultancy Enders Analysis, said touring was now the major source of revenue for many musicians, and Oasis could expect a big payday — though the tour, limited for now to the U.K. and Ireland, pales in comparison to global juggernauts like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
She said Oasis is playing catchup in a live music market that has seen “a relentless climb in expenditure, consumer expenditure, demand for festivals.”
“It’s been 15 years of a mega-trend that they missed out on, basically,” Enders said. “So it’s a good thing they’re jumping on now. … If they wait too long, then they are just a bunch of old geezers.”
The tour is due to begin July 4 and 5 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Oasis will also perform at Heaton Park in Manchester, on July 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20; London’s Wembley Stadium on July 25, 26 and 30 and Aug. 2 and 3; Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Aug. 8, 9 and 12, and Croke Park in Dublin on Aug. 16 and 17.
The host cities anticipate an economic boost to hotels, bars, restaurants and shops — especially Manchester, the band’s hometown and a city renowned for its musical heritage.
Sacha Lord, Manchester’s official nighttime economy adviser, said “there’s a big buzz” in the city about the reunion.
“This is a homecoming gig,” he said. “When they set foot on that stage for the first time, it’s going to be a really special moment.”
Fans acknowledged that, given the brothers’ frequent feuds, there is a risk not all the dates will go to plan. But most were undeterred.
Louise Hudson got tickets for London’s Wembley Arena, and plans a “family night out” with her brother, sister-in-law and niece.
As for the Gallaghers, “if they fall out, they fall out,” she said. “Families, eh?”
In Korea’s pop culture scene, Lee Youngji is a name now synonymous with vibrant and unfiltered entertainment, best seen through her viral Nothing Much Prepared YouTube series, where she shares drinks with members of K-pop supergroups like BTS, BLACKPINK and SEVENTEEN. However, 2024 marks a significant year for the 21-year-old as she looks to return to her roots in music and spotlight her talent as a performer and musician. Even if many fans might recognize her first as the comedic force behind some of K-pop’s most unforgettable interviews, Youngji’s journey in entertainment began with music — and she’s determined to remind everyone of that on her ongoing world tour that hits the U.S. at the end of August.
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The release of her debut album, June’s 16 Fantasy, marked a bold statement of her artistic identity and the promise shown for her musical future. The lead single, “Small Girl” featuring EXO’s D.O., not only topped the charts in South Korea but also broke into the Top 40 of the Billboard Global 200. Meanwhile, b-side cuts like Lee’s “ADHD Girl,” plus her hit collaborations with top acts like Dynamicduo and BSS, all display her versatility and abilities to step up and level up for each new song release.
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“This year is really important for me musically,” Youngji reflects during an evening FaceTime call from Seoul ahead of the U.S. leg of her tour. “I’ve had a lot of collaborations and I have a variety show on my YouTube channel, so many people know me through lots of jobs…but I want to spotlight my musician mode this year.”
As she embarks on the U.S. leg of her All or Nothing World Tour, Lee Youngji is eager to connect with fans in a more intimate setting, bringing not just her music to the stage but the unique personal energy that’s made her such a breakout star among the next generation of Korean-pop entertainers.
“I tend to try to really communicate with the audience, ask them questions, just try to talk to them and I think that U. S. fans are going to like that a lot,” she says, hinting at the interactive and personal nature of her stage setup. The All or Nothing Tour is more of an invitation for fans to experience Lee Youngji in her purest form as a musician and entertainer. And while she might not be able to indulge in her famous on-camera drinking with her audience — even though she tells Billboard that she really wants to — she’s ready to bring that same spontaneous and genuine connection to every show.
Read on for more with Lee Youngji sharing about her Stateside tour, her big year in music, memories with some top K-pop stars and what’s coming next.
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Congratulations on all the recent successes, Youngji. There’s a lot to discuss, but it’s been a really important year for you as a musician. Is this why you’re going on your first U.S. tour?
Like you said, this year is really important for me musically. I’ve had a lot of collaborations, and I have a variety show on my YouTube channel, so many people know me through lots of jobs. First, they knew me as a YouTuber; then they might have known me as a celebrity friend; they knew me as all different types of things, but I want to spotlight my musician mode this year. And gratefully, “Small Girl” had a great response and boom, even in the U.S., so I thought that this was a great opportunity for me to be more confident on what I’m doing right now as a musician.
You do so much, and people know you for many different reasons, but where does music align with your overall world?
In my childhood era, I would always believe, “I think I’m gonna be a famous person, but I don’t think that I could be a musician.” But the first time people got to know me was in the survival show High School Rapper 3 [in 2019]. At that time, rap was the only thing I was competent in any type of musical talent, but I didn’t necessarily want to be only a rapper.
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Did you find your confidence to pursue music through rapping?
Yes, but I don’t think that it’s my only talent. Rapping definitely requires talent, but I don’t think that’s all I have. So, when I won the rap survival show, I was always thinking, “Oh, so is ‘rapper’ my job now?” I didn’t want to start my career as a rapper. I said, “Oh, I got [to show] more than rapping.” But it was my best talent, so I was always curious…
Is that why we only got your first album five years after High School Rapper? You share a lot of different sides and styles on the record. What’s your favorite song?
Yep, yep. And not because that song got so much fame, but I eventually really loved “Small Girl.” It’s an honest, honest, honest song; a real story about myself. I love those kinds of songs. There are some tall, tall girls…ah, how should I say this? Everyone has a part of themselves that they lack confidence in, but this song can honestly melt that complex. I thought that “Small Girl” was a song I could make for everyone to be more confident. So, I really cherish “Small Girl” as a song that I made for everyone who might have lower or might not have self-confidence.
One of my favorites is “ADHD Girl” because I actually have ADHD. What inspired this song?
Ever since childhood, I’ve been hearing a lot of people, like my teachers and my parents, saying that I have ADHD — and that was before many people became really aware of it. But I have a lot of friends around me who do have ADHD and take medication for it. It’s a song I wrote based on my experiences as well as my friends’ experiences, some of them who are really struggling with ADHD.
What is your songwriting or creative process?
Well, there is a lot of great technology and stuff for music these days, you know? But I love iPhone and iPhone memos. I’m always recording on my iPhone: a little gibberish, little unknown sounds, guides for songs. I always write keywords with my iPhone. Actually, that was the exact process for the song “Not Sorry.” When I went through the competition show, Show Me the Money, I suffered a lot from this hate train. So, I wrote on my iPhone that said, “Not sorry, not sorry at all,” and I asked my producers — Jay Park, Zion.T and Slom — I asked them, “What about this subject for the title of this song” and they were like, “Oh, that’s dope and that’s something you can do right now.” My music-making process is always, always like that. I write a title on my phone and I do a gibberish recording.
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And “Not Sorry” was a hit!
[Laughs] Yeah!
I’ve always appreciated your attitude. I’m sure it’s not easy for you, or anyone, but you have a refreshing attitude about criticism and “hate comments.” We even saw your “liking” tweets that have criticized you. How do you keep this strong mindset?
When I get hate, I try to understand them. “Why do you hate me?” “Oh, because of that point?” “Okay, I understand that — but I do not agree at all.” I can understand you, but I don’t have to agree with you. I always think about how nobody knows me better than me. So, you know when I “like” [hate comments] — I really don’t know how the internet system works — but I don’t care unless I do something that’s really a bad thing or crosses the line legally. I also reply [to] them when they send me DMs that say, “I hate you, go kill yourself” or something. I always reply to them and always like their messages because they never think that if they send me a message, I can see them; they don’t know that I can see them. So I want to let them know that I see everything.
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So, what are you preparing for the U.S. leg of your All or Nothing Tour?
I always hoped that if I had a chance, I want to meet everyone in the world and music is my chance. So, yes, I wanted to use this as my opportunity. I’ve already toured Asia, but you know what? The mood is kind of different compared to America. My performance [style] is usually to get people crazy. On this tour, I especially want to have more direct communication with the audience and to introduce who I am, that I make this kind of music, and that I introduce myself as an artist to the U.S. audiences. Compared to Asia, there’s more participation in the U.S., whereas direct communication is lower in other countries. I made a lot of changes to my songs. I’m planning to bring the audience up to the stage actually, and maybe dance or perform together; I’m trying to plan those kind of things.
Like you said, you’re not just known for music but for your personality too. Are you preparing funw ways to share that side of yourself too?
I think that my personality shows up while I’m talking with another person. So, I tend to try to really communicate with the audience, ask them questions, just try to talk to them. And I think that U. S. fans are going to like that a lot. I really want to drink with them. I mean, I really want to get drunk with them, but I can’t. [Laughs]
Maybe we can take a secret shot together since the tour’s last show is in New York…
HA ha. I hope so! [Laughs]
But I do want to highlight how, in your five years since High School Rapper, you’ve done a ton of collaborations across many genres: K-pop idols, rappers, indie musicians, R&B, older generation artists, chart-topping artists. How do you connect with so many different sounds and styles?
I’m so thankful that they always reach [out] to me and ask me to feature with them or collaborate. I’ve been really active with video and media contents in Korea for four, five years now and, thankfully, that’s shown my personality and skills in Korea and to audiences. So, I think a lot of artists feel like I’m someone who’s familiar and for them to reach out and connect with me to do other projects. But anytime when I get asked for a feature, I always think, “How can I beat them in this song? How can I do better in this song?” [Laughs] But features and collaborating really force me to go to the next level of myself.
I think that’s what Nicki Minaj said. She needs a “sparring partner” to level herself up.
She’s my goal.
Are there any last messages for fans or what to expect on the U.S. tour? And with Nothing Much Prepared‘s return, can you share some spoilers?
Well, yes, I can give you a lot of spoilers, but the first episode is with Lisa and she’s so smart, pretty, young, rich, and a hilarious person. I love her. As of mid-August, I already recorded, like, six or seven episodes so we’re going to see a lot of idols and a lot of actors.
But what else should I say? I think U.S. fans are not prepared for what’s coming to them! I want to promise to the U.S. fans that I will be working hard to be able to see them more often. I actually have a lot of songs ready to be released, and I want to watch U.S. fans react. I’ve got a long way to go. This tour is not even the first step. I have big ambitions.