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Gayle has hit the road for her first-ever tour — titled Scared But Trying — and you can still score last-minute tickets to through Ticketmaster and resale sites including StubHub, VividSeats and Seat Geek. What’s unique about this tour (besides it being her first time headlining) is the digital experience she’s providing her fans with through Adobe Express — an AI-first creativity app featuring apps for easier content creation.
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Whether you were able to score travel deals to attend the concert in person or not, the “ABCDEFU” singer is giving fans a behind-the-scenes peek of her tour through a virtual scrapbook. It will be available following the tour through a 3-minute music video highlighting her experiences. Anyone who views it is also encouraged to use Adobe Express templates to tell their own “Scared But Trying” story.
“It was really important to me to try and meet the people who cared to [come to my] shows and really talk about the theme of Scared But Trying, and what it means for them in their lives, and just being more open about our fears and our insecurities and things that we’re scared to do,” Gayle tells Billboard. “Adobe and I wanted to come together to try and create a space for people and create a community to come together and collaborate.”
Rather than have to download Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro and more apps onto your laptop, this will be an all-in-one creative app.
Outside of her partnership with Adobe, Gayle also shared insight into it was like for her to tour with artists including Taylor Swift, Pink and My Chemical Romance, as well as her Scared But Trying trek, new music and any essentials she takes on the road.
Read on for our interview with Gayle.
What inspired you to release singles like “Don’t Call Me Pretty,” “Leave Me for Dead” and “I Don’t Sleep As Good As I Used To”?
I was [originally] thinking about making an album because I had put out EPs last year. I was thinking naturally it was developing into an album and I didn’t particularly know what I was doing touring wise. Then, when I had these amazing tour opportunities put in front of me, I obviously wasn’t going to say no because they were really exciting and it was a really big honor — and opening up for Taylor [Swift] and Pink, I had never opened up for a stadium act before.
I’m a perfectionist. I want to try and be great at everything I do and I felt like I couldn’t be great at making my first, like, debut album and be a great touring artist. So I decided to put out singles that I felt captured the energy of my live show and intensities of attitudes that I felt. Then it lead into putting out “Leave Me for Dead” and I was going on tour with Pink and I played that song on the whole Pink tour, and it was a really fun song to play live.
GAYLE performs on The Late Late Show with James Corden airing Tuesday, March 15, 2022.
Terence Patrick/CBS via Getty Images
And the bloody covers for each single — how did the idea come about?
When I was thinking of a single cover, I was just thinking my ears bleeding would kind of fit conceptually with the song. If you just heard “Everybody Hates Me” and then you see a picture of a girl and her ears are bleeding, I felt like metaphorically, it kind of said something and was fitting conceptually with where the song was going. Then, I thought it would be cool if the blood just kept getting more and more dramatic, and at some point I actually pick up a knife.
I [also] have this song called “Don’t Call Me Pretty” and it kind of talks about the objectification that people can feel in their life, where it’s like, oh my gosh, isn’t it a compliment, isn’t it so nice to be pretty, but it’s that feeling of when that’s the only thing a person can see you as, and that feeling of being objectified is so beautiful. It makes you feel so hollow. For me, when I’m covered in blood, it’s like I’ve reached that breaking point where that one last person called me pretty or objectified me and made me feel that way [and] I just lost my mind.
Can we expect a debut album anytime soon?
I’m definitely working on starting the process of creating an album and starting to talk about it. It’s also kind of the conversation of do the songs I put out this year, do they go on the album? Do I write completely new songs? Like … we’re really focusing this year on finishing out the touring and this headlining run and really celebrating what the past two years have been for me. Then starting a new era and my perspective with the album.
You’ve also toured with some big names like Taylor Swift, Pink and My Chemical Romance. What has been the best piece of advice you’ve received?
The overall message from everybody that I’ve toured with (when we’ve had conversations) is that it’s obviously a hard thing to tour, it’s a hard thing to put yourself out there. But if you truly love doing it, you really have to put yourself out there, keep consistently working on your craft, keep doing the things you love and good things will follow from that.
That’s really all you can do, you know, there’s no secret button or secret formula, we’re all scared and we’re all just trying our best.
Do you have a favorite experience so far?
Oh gosh, every tour there’s always a highlight. I remember opening up for [My Chemical Romance] and I threw up for the first time. I remember going up and walking on because I was so scared — so scared. Oh my god, I’d never been that scared before ever, ever, ever in my life. Or the first Taylor [Swift] show, I walked on stage ten seconds late — I missed my first line and that was the most like terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced in my life, and I was asking so many questions that I missed my cue to walk on stage, so I had to run, like, sprint on stage, and I missed my first few words.
But even with Pink there’s so many fun times — and even I’m looking at my room right now and I’m seeing, like, a disco ball necklace that somebody threw on stage for me, or big pink heart sunglasses from from people throwing things from the crowd and being on tour during Pride Month is just the best time to be on tour with Pink, ever. The love and the pride that was at that show and what we got to celebrate was so beautiful.
How do you think it prepared you for going on tour solo?
It really made me understand the stamina that it takes to have a live show. When I’m opening up for somebody and I’m out of breath in 30 minutes, versus I know the hour and a half or even three and a half hour show the artist has to play [after] me. It also made me more comfortable with being on stage, and moving around and talking to people, and interacting — I heard this quote and it really spoke to me where it’s like, you don’t get energy from a crowd, you put energy into the crowd and you hope that they bring it back to you. I don’t walk on stage and I’m like, “OK, everybody else get me hype,” I’m like, OK, I need to try and get everybody excited,” and then we can all hopefully make each other more excited off of that excitement.
Are there any tour essentials that you have to take with you?
Oh gosh, we’re taking so much Vitamin Water Zero Sugar. I always bring a tour diary with me because I think it’s important to try note the way that you were feeling on shows — even though it’s very scary traveling with the diary because you can lose it so quickly. I need my bandmates with me — we’re such a family, so I need all of them with me because we always have such a great time, and they’re great emotional support. And fans because I need the people who like my music, and I like them [and] I want to show up and I want to celebrate them — and that is a tour essential. And two obnoxiously oversized suitcases.
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Boxing and MMA are facing off this weekend in the highly anticipated matchup of WBC and lineal heavyweight boxing world champion Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury against lineal MMA heavyweight world champion Francis Ngannou. Presented by Top Rank, the combat sports crossover event will take place Saturday (Oct. 28) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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If you weren’t able to grab a travel deal to see the matches live, you have streaming options to view the action from home.
The major heavyweight exclusive boxing event will feature 10 rounds of Fury vs. Ngannou starting at 2 p.m. ET. This will be a pay-per-view match airing exclusively on ESPN+ for $80, which you can purchase here. Other matches you can check out include undefeated British competitors Fabio Wardley vs. David Adeleye in a 12-rounder, former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker vs. Canadian knockout artist Simon Kean in a 10-rounder, Arslanbek Makhmudov vs. Junior Anthony Wright in a 10-rounder and Moses Itauma vs. Istvan Bernath in a six-rounder.
Before the main event airs on Saturday, you can tune into Road to Riyadh: Fury vs. Ngannou, a 30-minute all-access preview of the upcoming boxing event. You can view it live Friday (Oct. 27) at 6:30 a.m. ET on ESPN News. (We suggest using DirecTV Stream’s 5-day free trial here if you don’t have cable.) Plus, it’s available on-demand to rewatch through ESPN+, the ESPN app and ESPN.com.
Keep reading to learn how to livestream the boxing event online.
How to Stream Fury vs. Ngannou Online
Fury vs. Ngannou will begin livestreaming at 2 p.m. ET on Saturday, which you can watch live through pay-per-view on ESPN+. The match can be purchased for $80 through ESPN+ if you’re a current subscriber, or you can click the button below.
Don’t have a subscription? You can bundle the PPV with an ESPN+ subscription, which will give you access the the feature event as well as ESPN+’s entire library of sports coverage and exclusives. You can sign up here or through the button below.
Subscriptions through ESPN+ start at $10.99/month or you can save 15% on an annual subscription for $109.99/year. A subscription grants access to exclusive ESPN+ content, including UFC PPV preliminary matches, live games for other sports, NFL drafts, NFL playoffs, MLB games and exclusive on-demand videos. You’ll also receive access to content from what was formerly known as ESPN Insider, original shows to stream on-demand such as game recaps, NBA finals, analyses hosted by Peyton Manning and more.
The fact that Bad Bunny topped the Billboard 200 for the third consecutive time with his Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana (No One Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow) came as a surprise to no one. By now, the Puerto Rican artist is firmly entrenched in the pop culture zeitgeist, having entered that rarified club of artists who can do no wrong (in this moment in time, at least) and whose music demands immediate consumption.
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But unlike every other artist who has ever hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — well, “every” until earlier this year, anyway — Bad Bunny’s feat carries a massive, previously unheard of caveat: He sings only in Spanish, and he achieved his trifecta of No. 1s with Spanish-only albums, something no one has ever done before.
That alone is noteworthy. But seeing Bad Bunny (or Benito, his real name, and the name he increasingly goes by publicly, including on the cover of his new album) host Saturday Night Live (SNL) largely in Spanish took things to a whole other level. Thanks to a rapper from Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, Latin presence in U.S. pop culture has been mainstreamed for perhaps the first time since I Love Lucy in the 1950s. The big difference is, I Love Lucy used comedy as a vehicle to “translate” Desi Arnaz’s accented English, accompanied by boogaloo.
In contrast, Bad Bunny makes no attempt at translation or compromise when he very matter of factly speaks in Spanish. Last Saturday (Oct. 21), during his SNL opening monologue he not only went back and forth between Spanish and English, but also repeatedly alluded to language as a bridge (“I’m very excited to be here in Sábado Gigante,” he joked, referring to the iconic late night show that defined Spanish language television for decades) and as a divider (“People are wondering if I can host this show, because English is my second language”).
It’s an important point to make. While Benito has clearly spruced up his English chops and was indeed perfectly capable of hosting the evening, Latin artists were long kept off the air and off major events because they either spoke and sang only in Spanish, were not fluent enough in English, or because their Latin accents were not as broadly accepted as the more elite British or French.
Their other-ness was problematic: So much so, that back in 2013, when New York-born and raised Marc Anthony sang “God Bless America” at the MLB All-Star game in America, he received an avalanche of criticism on Twitter claiming he wasn’t American, despite his Bronx accent.
Fast forward to August, 2017 — still just six years ago — when the runaway smash “Despacito” was at the height of its popularity, having culminated its 16-week, then-record-rying run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite it already boasting the most-viewed video of all time on YouTube, it didn’t get a single Video Music Award nomination, a fact the VMAs attributed to miscommunication and technicalities.
Whatever it may have been, it was par for the course at the time. That same year, USC’s Annenberg School of Communications released a report revealing that although Latinos comprised nearly 18 percent of the U.S. population (the biggest minority in the country), only 5.8 percent of speaking roles in film and television went to them. Two years later, the number actually went down, to 5%.
As for the Grammys, in 2017 there had been only three Spanish-language performances since Ricky Martin brought the house down in 1999 with “The Cup of Life” (singing in English).
Even the Hot 100 bears witness to the exclusion of Latin music. Between 2010 and 2016, only 14 songs performed primarily in Spanish made it to the chart. In 2017, the year of “Despacito,” the number jumped to 19 — no doubt spurred by the sudden visibility into the opportunity of Spanish or bilingual songs.
Since then, the ascent has been steady, with Spanish-language (and by extension, Latin music) artists gaining increasingly prominent looks in marquee properties, from late night shows to this year’s Grammys (with Bad Bunny famously opening the ceremonies with an all-Spanish performance) to September’s VMAs, where Shakira received the Video Vanguard award and sang a 10-minute bilingual medley of hits. On the Hot 100, so far this year nearly 100 songs in Spanish have made it onto the chart, including every track on Bad Bunny’s latest album.
It would appear that Spanish, at last, has been normalized in the American mainstream, and that Latin faces at last have become visible — and that Latin culture, at last, is not seen as simply quaint or colorful or foreign, but as part of the very fabric of this country. It’s a tipping point I earnestly longed to encounter as an observer of Latin culture for the past two decades.
Years ago, When Bad Bunny debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in December of 2020 with El Ultimo Tour del Mundo, it marked the first time in history that an all-Spanish album had topped the all-genre chart. The notion that this could be a fad or a bleep on the screen was very real. Back in 2017, when I interviewed Nicky Jam and J Balvin for a Billboard cover story, I specifically asked about the importance of language choice in their songs. Their answers reflected the reality of the moment.
“If you’re aiming for the American market, it has to be in English,” said Nicky Jam. “I can’t picture an African-American rap fan sitting in his car saying, ‘I love Nicky Jam’s rap!’ [in Spanish]. Just being realistic.”
I concurred with Nicky Jam. Over the years, nothing I had seen in the marketplace suggested that it was ready for Spanish as a dominant music language. Balvin, however, didn’t agree.
“I think it’s possible [to have a No. 1 in Spanish], but we’re not there yet,” he said. “It may take many years, but as new generations emerge and realize the United States isn’t the only place in the planet and English isn’t the only language of value [it may happen].”
The words were prescient. A few months after that interview, “Despacito,” in its bilingual version with Justin Bieber, rose to No. 1 on the Hot 100, opening the floodgates for possibility, investment and A&R. Coupled with the global surge of consumption of music in Spanish, Latin music began to creep onto the all-genre charts, the numbers rising steadily and peaking at 70 tracks so far in 2023 — before Bad Bunny’s new album release last week, which added 22 more Spanish tracks to the list.
Not surprisingly, Bad Bunny was both a performer at last Saturday’s SNL and also the host, asking to change the “Speaking in a non-English language” caption that caused an uproar seven months ago at the Grammys to the more humorous “Speaking a sexier language.”
Is it really sexier? I don’t know — but finally, I can say it’s no longer frowned upon. It’s Spanish. And it’s cool, and it’s part of us, even if you don’t understand a word.
There’s a chill in the air, leaves litter the ground, and houses up and down on your street are decked out with ghouls, goblins and all manner of grim tidings.
Yes, Halloween is fast approaching, and The Masked Singer didn’t waste the opportunity to jump on board.
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The latest episode on Wednesday night (Oct. 25) had a Harry Potter theme, a neat tie-in with the annual celebration of all things spooky.
Taking the stage was Tiki, singing “Magic” by Pilot; Sea Queen performed “Love Potion No. 9” by the Searchers; Husky hit “Super Freak” by the late Rick James; and Hawk swooped in with “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” by The Police.
The two celebrities with the lowest number of votes would enter the knockout. Step on up Hawk and Tiki, as they went head-to-head on Lady Gaga’s “Monster.”
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After winning the battle of the birds last week, pipping Royal Hen, Hawk finally had his feathers clipped.
Under the fancy costume was Tyler Posey, the Teen Wolf actor and musician. It’s not Posey’s first time rocking out; he has worked with Maryland punk-pop band All Time Low’s Jack Barakat, performed with State Champs, and made a film with Tom DeLonge, guitarist and vocalist with Blink-182.
“Every performance you brought it, you got the crowd hyped up you electrified us,” enthused judge Robin Thicke, after the mask came off.
So why enter the circus that is The Masked Singer? “I love performing,” Posey explained, “and I just wanted to have a chance to do this. I’m also a little competitive. I’m a little hurt. But it’s OK. The Hawk forgives.” Forgives and forgets, apparently. “Nah, I’m just happy to be here,” he continued.
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Posey as Hawk follows the exit door after Billie Jean King as Royal Hen, Michael Rapaport as Pickle, Tom Sandoval as Diver, Anthony Anderson as Rubber Ducky and Demi Lovato as Anonymouse as season 10’s unmasked celebrities.
Thicke, Nicole Scherzinger, Ken Jeong and Jenny McCarthy return as judges for the latest season, Fox’s kooky series which airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Move over Mojo Dojo Ken, there’s a new Barbie in town. Mattel released collectible dolls inspired by Ted Lasso on Tuesday […]
Puma recently announced a long-term partnership with A$AP Rocky, who will serve as creative director for the motorsport business category “with a focus on the intersection of the sport and streetwear,” according to a press release.
Puma announced its long-term partnership with F1 earlier this year, which makes the sportswear brand the exclusive licensee and trackside retailer at all races. As creative director of the partnership, Rocky will take on an incubator-style approach to begin creative exploration. For the rest of the year, he will impact the brand’s visuals and video content. His first campaign explores American car culture and its impact on streetwear and fashion. Later this year, he’ll drop an exclusive Puma x F1 apparel and accessories collection, serving as a sneak peek into a series of capsule collections next year in regards to high-visibility F1 races.
In 2024, Rocky will shift creative focus to several Grand Prix races beginning in Miami. He will curate activations at each race and serve as the creative director for all of the marketing efforts surrounding these collections, which he designed in partnership with the Puma and F1 teams.
By 2025, he’ll fully immerse himself into the holistic product creative designs for all of the Puma x F1 product, spanning from racewear to fanwear to fashion. He’ll continue participating in marketing in an ongoing effort to bring disruption to the category via innovative product design and marketing concepts.
“Working with brands as iconic as Puma, and as innovative as F1, has been truly inspiring,” Rocky said in a press statement. “When the world sees what we’re doing, I believe a shift will happen with how brands approach taking risks and working with diverse creatives.”
But the rapper is not the only one with business ties to Puma in his household. His partner Rihanna, with whom he shares two children, recently got back in her Puma bag as the shoe brand’s Fenty label creative director and unveiled her new “Avanti” sneaker design last month.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with A$AP Rocky,” said Maria Valdes, Puma’s chief product officer. “He’s incredibly talented, deeply thoughtful and invested in our brand. He will showcase his vision with elevated F1 race capsules globally, which attract new audiences and undoubtably disrupt the track. In the future, he will influence the broader Puma x F1 range and will continue to help push sport and culture forward.”
Adds Oliver Boden, head of licensing and gaming at F1: “This announcement marks an exciting milestone in our partnership with PUMA. A$AP Rocky’s creativity and commitment to innovation aligns perfectly with F1’s vision and development in apparel. We look forward to collaborating with him to design and curate the PUMA and F1 range and insert F1 into new cultural and lifestyle spaces.”
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Dolly Parton is entering a new era in her career with the upcoming release of her first-ever rock album Rockstar. To […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. If you have a “Blank Space” under gift ideas for the Swiftie in your life, a new book about Taylor Swift […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Bad Bunny is headed back on the road, and fans are eager to see the him hit the stage. Tickets for his upcoming Most Wanted Tour officially went on sale on Wednesday (Oct. 25) via Ticketmaster.
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The “Tití Me Preguntó” singer will be hitting the road next year in support of his new album, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. The tour launches in Salt Lake City on Feb. 21, 2024 and will stop in dozens of cities including Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Houston and Miami, with more dates to be announced later.
Read on for details on how to get tickets without spending a fortune.
How to Get Cheap Tickets to See Bad Bunny
To help combat bots and scalpers, Ticketmaster allowed fans to register for early access to general admission tickets. Those who pre-registered last week received a code (through random selection) to buy tickets on Wednesday. Click below to access pre-sale tickets.
If you missed an opportunity to register, you still have time to sign up for early access. The next round starts Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT. General registration and registration for VIP packages will be open from then until Thursday, Oct. 26 at 2:59 a.m. ET/11:59 p.m. PT. Click here to register.
How much do Bad Bunny tickets cost? According to several fan posts on social media, general admission tickets range from approximately $200 to more than $1,000.
Tickets are also available on StubHub, Vivid Seats and Seat Geek (take $10 off eligible purchases of $250+ at Seat Geek with code BILLBOARD10. Valid on first purchases only).
Prices range from around $135 and up, but most of the tickets are priced in the $250-$450 range. Tickets for Bad Bunny’s Las Vegas concerts are selling fast at Vivid Seats and they’re priced as high $853 to more than $1,000 for certain shows.
Another top seller, Bad Bunny’s Los Angeles show on March 15, 2024. StubHub tickets for the concert at Crypto Arena are priced at $431 to more than $3,800.
Bad Bunny’s return to the stage follows a successful tour in 2022. The 81-date tour raked in a record-breaking $435 billion.
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Halloween is only days away, and to help ring in the haunting holiday, Hulu is hosting an early Huluween event and releasing four episodes of American Horror Stories. All episodes will be available to stream online starting Thursday (Oct. 26), and based on the trailer, you may want to leave the lights on.
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Much like the previous seasons, you can expect nothing but creeps and chills, as each episode will feature different stories and new characters. Ryan Murphy, the creator of American Horror Story, returns as the executive producer for the spin-off, and from the titles of each episode (“Bestie,” “Daphne,” “Organ” and “Tapeworm”) there is sure to be many gasp-worthy moments.
Cast members will change every episode, and will include Reid Scott, Annie Hamilton, Allegra Heart, Christopher Fitzgerald, Laura Kariuki, Hazel Graye, Lisa Rinna, Rob Yang, Emma Halleen, Seth Gabel, Jessica Barden, Seth Gabel, Jeff Hiller, Amrou Al-Kadhi, Raúl Castillo, Emily Browning, Laila Robins, Havana Rose Liu and Cameron Cowperthwaite.
Keep reading to learn the streaming options for the Huluween event.
How to Watch American Horror Stories Online for Free
American Horror Stories‘ Huluween event premieres Thursday (Oct. 26) exclusively on Hulu. Hulu subscribers will be able to watch all four episodes for no additional cost — just go to the homepage and look under new releases.
Not subscribed to Hulu? Hulu’s cheapest — and most popular — subscription plan starts at $7.99/month after a free 30-day trial. If you want to avoid ads then you can get the no-ad plan for $17.99/month.
The ad-supported plan gets you instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows, including a variety of content from ABC, NBC, Fox, FX and other networks in addition to Hulu Originals, so you’ll have access to programs such as What We Do in the Shadows, Only Murders in the Building, The Bear, The Handmaid’s Tale, Dollface, The Dropout, White Men Can’t Jump, Back in the Groove, Darby and the Dead, The Mighty Ones, Welcome to Chippendales, Nine Perfect Strangers, Pen15, Sex Appeal, Motherhood, Dead Asleep and The Kardashians. The ad-free plan will give you everything in the ad-supported as well as the ability to download content onto your smart device to watch offline.
For even more content, you can subscribe to Hulu + Live TV, which includes the entire Hulu streaming library along with more than 75 top channels, live sports, news, events and access to Disney+ and ESPN+. There’s also a bundle with Disney+ for $9.99 a month or add and ESPN+ for $12.99 a month to stream with ads and $19.99 for commercial-free streaming.
Watch the trailer for American Horror Stories below.
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