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There’s two things RuPaul’s Drag Race has always excelled at — creating memorable musical moments, and being deeply weird.
On last week’s episode (aired Friday, February 3), the gaggle of remaining girls were tasked with doing both of those things at the same time. The queens were split up and asked to create three Golden Girl-groups — a.k.a. dressing in old lady drag while performing a musical number — around the genres of country, heavy metal and hip-hop.
Aura Mayari finally earned her first challenge win of the season for a truly unhinged performance as a death metal-loving grandma, while Jax and Robin Fierce found themselves at the bottom of the barrel for a pair of fine-but-forgettable performances as twerking nans. Lip synching to The Bangles’ 1988 power-pop hit “In Your Room,” Jax managed to dance her way out of an elimination, leaving Robin to get the chop.
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Billboard chatted with Robin following her elimination about becoming a Twitter meme following the season’s premiere, what she thought of the judges’ critiques, and why she was “playing Switzerland” in this episode’s work room battle between the queens.
Congratulations on making it to episode 6! How have you felt about watching your run on the show?
I’ve loved it! We’re drag queens, we watch ourselves through Instagram all of the time. But it’s been interesting watching myself out of drag, that was the weirdest part for me; I’m not used to seeing boy me on the camera super often. But it’s been a great time.
I want to congratulate you on becoming one of the first-memed queens of the season — that photo of you running in the premiere has been all over my timeline. What has that been like experiencing the Drag Race meme machine?
[Laughs.] I am not shocked, if we’re being honest. For a long time, my friends have told me that if I ever got on Drag Race, I would be a meme — because I might not say a lot all of the time, but everything is literally right there on my face at all times. Whether I’m shocked, or excited, or thinking “what the f–k is going on?” it’s there. It’s not something I can control, it just happens. All of these reaction memes are genuine — so no, I was not shocked by this. And I live for it! It’s funny and fun, and most of the time it’s about having fun.
It also helps that in the screen-grabs fans are using, you look phenomenal.
Well, that also helps, for sure.
At the outset of this episode, we had some work room drama when the two other teams began fighting over who got to perform the heavy metal number, led mostly by Malaysia and Luxx. For those of you who were uninvolved, what were you thinking as this was unfolding?
It was basically like we were watching tennis — our heads just kept bouncing back and forth in this conversation. Like, “OK, they said this. Ooh, they threw this shade. They said they’re not getting walked all over. They said they’re not doing rock, paper, scissors.” It was a whole thing. We, the viewers in our hip-hop group, were just happy to not be involved, truly sitting with our popcorn and watching the girls go through their go-through.
We’ve seen these kinds of fights happen more and more on Drag Race, where it feels like such a small thing to be going at each others throats over.
I mean, I understand both sides, to be honest — I love to play Switzerland. On one hand, you have girls saying, “This is what I want to do, and this is a competition, so I am going to do it.” But then on the other side, “This is a competition, and you do not get to be the decider of my fate.” So, pointless? Yes, but also no.
It definitely didn’t have to be as dramatic, but it’s Drag Race — you put a bunch of queers in a room, we’re going to be dramatic. Some folks were shocked, and I don’t know why. It’s wild, but when you meet drag queens in real life, this happens. We get into it, and then we move on.
As a singer yourself, you mentioned on this episode that doing a rap verse was not necessarily your strong suit. With this being a music challenge, how much were you in your own head about not getting to sing?
It was definitely a hard moment. I am a singer, but it’s hard to sing stuff when you don’t have a whole bunch of time to learn it. It was definitely a challenge in that aspect, so I was just trying to roll with the punches. I’m not a rapper; before this instance, I had never rapped in my life. It definitely pushed me more than I thought it was going to. I have written before, but it’s just hard to do in the amount of time that you’re given. But that’s the challenge! Either your rise to it or you don’t, and in that moment, some of us didn’t rise as much as others.
Ru literally said that she was “splitting hairs” when it came to the judging, which to me shows how strong everybody’s writing and performing was.
Yes, exactly. Like, does it suck to go home? Absolutely. Am I happy that I could be part of a season where I am going up against the best of the best? Absolutely. It’s amazing to be around such talented performers that judges do regularly have to split hairs to figure out who’s staying — I just wish my hairs weren’t the ones being split. [Laughs.]
I felt very frustrated for you this episode, because you were getting your first critique of the season and being told that you’re coasting and fading a little into the background, and then immediately getting sent home on said critique.
It was definitely not the easiest, but it’s a moment of growth for me! I can definitely see what they’re talking about and where I could have pushed more in certain portions of the show. I am not a person who can’t take critiques if it’s actually helpful, so I was for sure ready to take that and run with it.
You did take the critique, and you explained very eloquently that you know what it is that you’re good at, and you try to highlight that instead of taking a big risk, which feels fair to me.
I know what I can do! That’s not to say I can’t grow — I’ve been doing this for six years and am still trying new things as I go along my journey. Just for me, in that competition setting, this is not the time to do something where I don’t know whether it will work or not. Also, I’ve never rapped before, and I still did it! It might not have been great. [Laughs.] But I did it!
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Don’t you want to dance? The Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, starring Naomi Ackie and Stanley Tucci, arrived on digital platforms on Tuesday (Feb. 7).
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Directed by Kasi Lemmons, I Wanna Dance With Somebody is a “powerful and triumphant celebration of the incomparable Whitney Houston,” per Sony Pictures. The film takes audiences through Houston’s emotional journey from New Jersey choir girl to one of the most prolific recording artists of all time.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody was written by Oscar-nominated Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter, Anthony McCarte, and produced by Clive Davis. “It hit home,” Davis told Billboard late last year. “It’s realistic. Scenes between Whitney and me, obviously, were emotionally impactful, from the time we first met to going through the musical, personal relationship we had, the more difficult times in dealing with her problems. I think the film is very accurate in its portrayal of the dialogues we had.”
Read on for ways to stream I Wanna Dance With Somebody online.
How to Stream I Wanna Dance With Somebody from Anywhere
You can stream I Wanna Dance With Somebody from your computer, smartphone, TV or another streaming device,so long as you have internet access. The movie is $19.99 to rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube, RedBox, YouTube and AMC.
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody
$19.99
Fans can also shop the official movie merch store for T-shirts, sweatshirts and other items in the official Whitney Houston store on Amazon.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on Feb. 28. Click here to pre-order the movie.
Watch the trailer below.
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Lil’ Kim and MC Lyte spoke to the importance of “sisterhood” during the kick-off of Mastercard’s “She Run This” event over Grammy weekend in celebration of Black entrepreneurship in business and hip-hop.
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The three-day event, which was held in collaboration with Femme It Forward to spotlight entrepreneurship in business and hip-hop, launched with a three-part panel discussion featuring rap vets Kim, MC Lyte, Salt-N-Pepa and Yo-Yo, alongside emerging artists such as Coi Leray, Baby Tate and Jozzy, and a special appearance by Mastercard ambassador Jennifer Hudson.
During the panel discussion, Lyte explained why she didn’t want to work with other women in the beginning of her career and how her mind-set changed. “All that I’d heard was that working with women wasn’t a good thing because they were so emotional. I adopted this thought, but the truth was, I had to become responsible in the way that I communicated,” she shared with an audience of mostly women at 1010 Wine and Events in Inglewood, Calif., on Thursday (Feb. 2). The Partners in Rhyme star hired a female manager 13 years ago, who has since became her business partner and COO of “everything MC Lyte.”
“There is a way that you can communicate with love and care and kindness and I had not learned that when I [first started out],” she continued. “What I can say now is this business that I’m in is the best for me because I know what sisterhood is.”
Added Kim, “I never knew what it felt like to be unprotected around my sisters. Especially in a male-dominated [industry]. It was hard, but when I was in the comfort of my sisters, I was at my peak. I felt the most powerful.”
“We did everything together,” Kim said of forging a solid sisterhood with MC Lyte, Missy Elliott, Mary J. Blige, Da Brat, Queen Latifah and stylist Misa Hilton early in their careers. Kim has collaborated with fellow female artists on “Ladies Night,” featuring Elliott, Blige, Brat, Left Eye and Angie Martinez; and Christina Aguilera’s “Lady Marmalade” remake with Kim, Pink and Mya.
And after more than 25 years in the rap game, the Queen Bee continues to show support for the new school of female rappers (she recently brought out Lola Brooke during her show at the Apollo Theater).
“Sisterhood and having your sister’s back is important, and Kim always had my back,” said Hilton. “A lot of things started to happen quickly [in her career], so all of a sudden people may try to come between us. People [would] want Kim to do a certain fashion magazine and they’d say, ‘We want to use this stylist,’ but what did she say? ‘Misa has to be there.’ Sticking together and not being afraid to stick up for yourself, not feeling like you’re going to miss out on an opportunity and realizing the power in your voice [is important]. You can demand what you want and you can bring your sisters with you.”
Coi Leray and Yo-Yo attend Mastercard She Runs This, celebrating entrepreneurship for Black Women in Business and the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop in a three-part panel discussion series in partnership with Femme It Forward during GRAMMY Week at Sip & Sonder on Feb. 4, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Mike Tran/Polk Imaging
“Everything that I do is everything that I wanted to do when I was 7 years old,” said MC Lyte, whose debut album Lyte as a Rock turns 35 this year. Throughout her career, the Brooklyn native has crossed over from rapping to acting to voice-over work. “I wanted to be on radio, I wanted to use my voice,” she said. “I saw Tootie [played by Kim Fields] on The Facts of Life and I was like, ‘I got to get to Los Angeles because I need to do some acting.’ I wanted to do all those things, but I also realized I had to prepare myself. I couldn’t just show up because [I’m ] MC Lyte; I had to know the skill set. I went to acting school, I went to voice-over coaching classes and workshops. I was just prepared for the moment so as the opportunities lined up, I was able to show up and show out.”
The “She Runs This” campaign includes an immersive “Small Business City” built in Meta Horizon Worlds, a TikTok challenge kicked off by Hudson, an ad campaign furthering Mastercard’s mission to help Black women entrepreneurs thrive, and a Fearless Fund grant contest in partnership with Fearless Fund, a Black-owned venture capital fund aimed at helping women of color. Mastercard and Fearless Fund are providing Black women small business owners with $20,000 grants, plus digital tools and mentorship to help them “build, protect and sustain their business.”
Additionally, Mastercard and Amazon have teamed up for a small business marketplace spotlighting Black women-owned small businesses. The digital marketplace allows owners to share their brand origin stories and connect directly with customers on Amazon Live. Customers can also explore the shoppable social hub of products from exclusively Black women-owned small businesses on Pinterest.
According to Mastercard, 80 percent of U.S. women entrepreneurs, solo-preneurs, small business owners and content creators have endured financial challenges. In recognizing this universal financial obstacle faced by entrepreneurs along with the challenge of battling racism and racial bias, Mastercard is honoring hip-hop’s 50th anniversary by helping equip Black women entrepreneurs with the financial tools, resources and education to successfully accomplish their dreams.
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It’s Bob Marley’s birthday! The reggae legend, who died from melanoma in 1981, would have turned 78 years old on Monday (Feb. 6). To celebrate, we’ve compiled a list of items from House of Marley, the eco-friendly tech brand founded by the late musician’s son Rohan.
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House of Marley offers a greener (yet still stylish) alternative to home audio technologies, using mindfully sourced materials such as bamboo and the brand’s signature Rewind fabric crafted from reclaimed organic cotton and hemp. House of Marley also supports global reforestation and ocean preservation efforts through the Project Marley Global Giving initiative, created in honor of the Marley “and his respect for the earth and people.”
The company’s blended passion for music and commitment to sustainability has led to a wide-ranging line of headphones, turntables, speakers and more.
We’ve rounded some of our top picks from the brand, which is available at HouseofMarley.com and Amazon. See them below.
Amazon
No Bounds Speaker $69.99
Need a portable speaker? House of Marley’s No Bounds Speaker comes in red, black, blue and gray. It has a 10-hour battery life, it’s waterproof, dust-proof and designed to float, making it perfect for a day at day the beach (when the weather lets up), pool or for an outdoor hang with friends. The built-in microphone also allows for use as a speakerphone.
Amazon
House of Marley Stir It Up Wireless Turntable
$199.99 $249.99 20% OFF
This stylish turntable’s Audio Technica cartridge and built-in pre-amp delivers premium audio quality, plus it’s compatible with any Bluetooth speaker or headphones. The soft, natural bamboo design with a Marley quote engraved on the tonearm also makes for a decorative addition to your living space.
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House of Marley Positive Vibration 2: Over-Ear Headphones
$89.99
Need foldable headphones? From podcasts to playlists, listen to your favorites with the House of Marley’s Positive Vibration 2: Over-Ear Headphones. The headphones serve up crisp sound with 40mm drivers, up to 10 hours of playtime and they’re compatible with IOS and Android.
Another popular option from the House of Marley lineup: Exodus Over-Ear Headphones are equipped with 50mm hi-definition drivers for the ultimate listening experience and memory foam ear cushions and headband padding for comfort (IOS and Android compatible) the headphones allow for 30 hours of playtime.
Amazon
Champion True Wireless Earbuds $55.99
If headphones aren’t your thing, House of Marley also offers earbuds crafted from bamboo, natural wood fiber composite and Regrind Silicone. The earbuds have an eight-hour battery life and mechanical button touch control.
Amazon
Get Together Duo Bluetooth Speakers $135.99 $169.99
The compact bookshelf speakers, featuring the brand’s signature bamboo design, allows for 20 hours of playtime from the portable right speaker and a mains-powered left speaker, so you can enjoy jams while chilling at home or heading outdoors. It includes convenient USB-C charging and Bluetooth connectivity to pair with your phone, TV, laptop or wireless turntable. Click here to shop more speakers from House of Marley like the No Bounds XL Waterproof Speaker ($149.99) and Get It Together Mini Portable Speaker ($89.99).
Woody Harrelson will be enshrined in the Saturday Night Live five-timers club on Feb. 25 when he hosts the show during an episode that will feature musical guest Jack White. Harrelson — who will soon be seen in the upcoming movie Champions and the HBO political drama White House Plumbers — previously hosted in 1989, 1992, 2014 and 2019.
In a cosmic coincidence, it will also mark White’s fifth appearance on the show; he previously rocked the Studio 8H stage in 2002, 2012, 2018 and 2020. The news comes on the heels of the announcement that White’s previous band, The White Stripes, are among the nominees for the 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The last time White appeared he was a last-minute fill-in for country singer Morgan Wallen, who was booted from the line-up for violating the show’s COVID-19 protocols at the height of the pandemic.
White dropped two albums in 2022, April’s Fear of the Dawn and July’s Entering Heaven Alive.
This year has already brought memorable musical guests Sam Smith, Lil Baby and, this past weekend, Coldplay. For their seventh appearance on SNL, Coldplay opened with their 2022 single, “The Astronaut,” on which they collaborated with BTS’ Jin. Their second song was a medley of “Human Heart” from 2021’s Music of the Spheres and their 2005 fan favorite “Fix You,” from X&Y. The band was joined during the emotional performance by Jacob Collier and choral ensemble Jason Max Ferdinand Singers.
Check out the SNL announce from White.
John Legend helped shut down the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 5) as part of DJ Khaled’s all-star “God Did” performance. But when the camera swung to the audience for reaction shots during the epic set, Legend’s wife model Chrissy Teigen was nowhere to be found. The always supportive spouse explained why she skipped the broadcast via a sweet picture with the couple’s newborn daughter, Esti.
“happy grammy day!!!,” she wrote alongside the snap of three-week-old Esti taking a nap on her mom’s chest. “had a dress fitting, looked around and realized… what the hell am I trying to prove here. I cannot get up lol.”
Fair enough.
While she was home chilling with their newborn, Legend joined Jay-Z and Rick Ross on a “Last Supper”-like set to perform the title track from Khaled’s latest album.
Last week, Legend explained the meaning behind the baby’s name, saying it was initially Teigen’s idea, but also has a surprising ties to his family tree. “It turns out, my great-grandmother was named Esther,” he said. “It wasn’t intentionally after someone, but once Chrissy told me that idea, I was like, ‘Oh, my great-grandmother’s name was Esther.’ We wanted to already name her middle name Maxine after my grandmother, whose middle name was Maxine. So, it’s a lot of my family in the name.”
Baby Esti joined older siblings Luna and Miles in January to make the singer and model’s brood a family of five, following the devastating loss of their third baby Jack last year when Teigen was 20 weeks pregnant. Following her birth, both proud parents took to social media to share photos of Esti. “Our new love,” Legend captioned his snap of the baby, while Teigen wrote, “Look at u out here lookin’ like a baby” alongside hers.
Check out Teigen’s post below.
The director of Leaving Neverland, the documentary that chronicled two accusers’ sexual abuse claims against Michael Jackson, is criticizing a planned biopic about the late singer.
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In a guest column for The Guardian published Sunday (Feb. 5), Dan Reed criticized the decision to release a biopic about the music icon, questioning why “no one is talking about ‘canceling’ this movie, which will glorify a man who raped children.”
“It seems that the press, his fans and the vast older demographic who grew up loving Jackson are willing to set aside his unhealthy relationship with children and just go along with the music,” Reed wrote.
He went on to directly address the filmmaking team, which includes director Antoine Fuqua, writer John Logan, as well as producers Graham King, John Branca and John McClain, the latter of whom are co-executors of the Michael Jackson estate. Reed challenged whether the film would be able to represent alleged moments of abuse.
“How will you represent the moment when Jackson, a grown man in his 30s, takes a child by the hand and leads him into that bedroom?” the Emmy-winning Leaving Neverland helmer asked. “How will you depict what happens next?”
He adds that the film “sidestepping the question of Jackson’s predilection for sleeping with young boys” is broadcasting a specific message to survivors of child sexual abuse. “That message is: if a [pedophile] is rich and popular enough, society will forgive him,” he said.
The biopic about the Grammy-winning, record-setting artist was announced last week and will address all aspects of Jackson’s life, according to Lionsgate, though it remains unclear how the film will tackle the various controversies around the late musician.
“For me, there is no artist with the power, the charisma, and the sheer musical genius of Michael Jackson,” Fuqua said in a statement. “I was influenced to make music videos by watching his work — the first Black artist to play in heavy rotation on MTV. His music and those images are part of my worldview, and the chance to tell his story on the screen alongside his music was irresistible.”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the Jackson estate and Fuqua for comment.
Reed said making Leaving Neverland, which features Jackson accusers Wade Robson and James Safechuck, “was not just the opportunity to expose Jackson by having his victims speak on camera for the first time. Here was an opportunity to bring to the widest possible audience an insight into how children fall victim to any sexual abuser, the psychology of the predator and, above all, the grooming process.”
This article originally appeared on The Hollywood Reporter.
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Music’s biggest night is back! The 65th annual Grammy Awards will take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday (Feb. 5). Comedian Trevor Noah returns to host the ceremony for a third year in a row.
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Nominees include Beyoncé, Adele, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Taylor Swift, Brandi Carlile, Lizzo, Doja Cat, GloRilla, Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar, Anitta, Omar Apollo, Muni Long, Sam Smith, Kim Petras, Latto, Måneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, Samara Joy, Steve Lacy, Mary J. Blige, ABBA, BTS, Kelly Clarkson, Michael Bublé, Diana Ross, Beck, Bryan Adams, Ozzy Osbourne, Idles, The Black Keys, Machine Gun Kelly, Spoon, Florence + The Machine, Arcade Fire, Björk, Wet Leg, Lucky Day, Jazmine Sullivan, Snoh Aalegra, PJ Morton, Chris Brown, Jack Harlow, DJ Khaled, Willie Nelson, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Ashley McBride and Miranda Lambert.
Jay Z, Bad Bunny, Lizzo, Stevie Wonder, Carlile, Combs, Styles, Blige, Smith and Petras have been announced to perform. Cardi B, Shania Twain and Olivia Rodrigo are among the presenters.
The Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, which takes place ahead of the big show, will stream live on Grammy.com and the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel.
Keep reading to find out the how and when to watch the 2023 Grammys from your TV, laptop or smartphone.
How to Watch the Grammys on CBS
The 65th annual Grammy Awards will air exclusively on CBS on Sunday, beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET. If you have cable (or an HDTV antenna), simply check your local listings for channel information to watch the show. The ceremony can also be streamed live by signing into CBS.com.
For those who don’t have TV, the 2023 Grammys will be streaming exclusively on Paramount+. If you plan to watch the show from outside the U.S., CBS and Paramount+ are available through ExpressVPN.
How to Watch the Grammys on Paramount+
Paramount+ subscribers can watch the Grammys live via the Paramount+ app. If you’re not subscribed to Paramount+ Premium, sign up today and receive your first week free. You can access Paramount+ through the app, online at Paramountplus.com and on Prime Video. The monthly subscription is $9.99 after the free trial and you can cancel at any time.
Paramount+ Premium
$9.99/month after 7-day free trial
How to Watch the Grammys on FuboTV
Not familiar with FuboTV? If you’ve been looking for live TV for a good price, you might want to give it a try. Stream hundreds of cable, network and sports channels with Fubo’s Pro package which is $74.99 a month for 145 channels, including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, FX, TLC, AMC, MSNBC, ESPN, FS1 and Nickelodeon. Also included in your subscription: over 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR and unlimited streaming on up to 10 devices.
How to Watch the Grammys on Hulu
Are the Grammys on Hulu? Yes! To watch awards shows live, you’ll need Hulu + Live TV. The subscription gets you access to over 75 live channels and loads of on-demand content that you can watch at home or on the go for less than $75 a month. CBS, ABC, NBC, CW and Fox are included with Hulu + Live TV along with popular entertainment channels such as MTV, VH1, OWN, TBS, TNT, USA, Bravo, Comedy Central, E!, Freeform and Lifetime.
Plus, you’ll get access to everything on Hulu, Disney+ and ESPN+, and there’s an option to add HBO Max, Starz and other channels to your streaming package for an additional fee.
More Ways to Watch the Grammys Online
If you’re not already subscribed to you cable, satellite or internet providers that offer live television like Verizon Fios or T-Mobile, finding the right TV package takes a little digging. Unfortunately, Vidgo and Philo don’t carry CBS, but there are other affordable packages that you can find online. For example, DirectTV Stream starts at $74.99 for 75+ live channels and unlimited cloud DVR storage. Join DirectTV today and save $10 per month for 12 months (this limited offer only applies to new customers).
If you’re a SlingTV subscriber, the platform doesn’t have CBS, but members can watch CBS and other local channels with an AirTV Antenna. You can also watch CBS on Roku and Google Chromecast via the CBS and Paramount+ apps.
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Feeling stressed about getting tickets to Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour? Queen Bey is giving the BeyHive plenty of chances to see her on tour, but demand for tickets has already skyrocketed and could get even higher after the Grammys on Sunday, where Beyoncé is up for nine nominations.
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The first 40 dates of the tour were announced earlier this week, followed by an additional seven shows in Toronto; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Houston; Los Angeles; and East Rutherford, N.J. If you want to be in the building for one of the most anticipated tours of 2023 – we’ve rounded up details on when, where and how to get tickets, plus other important info that you might need to know.
Where to Buy Tickets to Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour
Tickets to the Renaissance Tour are available at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com — but there are a few steps that you’ll need to take first. For starters, you must register as a Verified Fan to score tickets, although registering doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll get them.
Beyoncé Renaissance Tour Tickets
Beyoncé wants to ensure that fans — not resellers — get first dibs on tickets to her tour. According to Ticketmaster, a “lottery-style” process will be used to determine which Verified Fans will receive access codes to purchase tickets while others will be waitlisted. Citi cardmembers can get exclusive access to presale tickets upon registering here until Thursday, Feb. 9. Verified Fan presale tickets will go on sale on Monday (Feb. 6) from 2 p.m. ET until 10 p.m. ET.
Because new dates were announced this week, the Verified Fan registration for Group A ended Friday (Feb. 3) at noon ET. Registration for Group B will be open until next Thursday, Feb. 9, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Group B registration includes shows in Boston, Dallas, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle, Minneapolis and Tampa, Fla.
“Fan demand already exceeds the number of tickets available by more than 800 percent based on the registration numbers in the Group A cities,” reads a statement on the Ticketmaster website. “It is expected that many interested fans may not be able to get tickets because demand drastically exceeds supply.”
Group C registration ends Feb. 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET and includes shows in Charlotte, Detroit, Phoenix, St. Louis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Kansas City, Mo. Tickets to the Renaissance Tour are also available on Vivid Seats.
How Much Do Beyoncé Tickets Cost?
It’s been six years since Beyoncé’s last jaunt, and judging by her stunning performance in Dubai, the Renaissance Tour will be visually and vocally extravagant.
Although ticket prices vary depending on seat location, based on prices for other major tours, fans can expect to pay around $300 for decent seats — and that’s probably on the lower end of the price spectrum. Luckily, Beyoncé took extra steps so that resellers don’t hike up ticket prices. According to fan posts on TikTok and Twitter, when you attempt to resell tickets, the following notification pops up: “You cannot resell your tickets for higher than the price you paid, including all fees.”
When Does the Renaissance Tour Start?
The Renaissance World Tour launches May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden, and will make stops in London, Paris, Barcelona, Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and other cities overseas until the end of June. The North American leg kicks off in Toronto in July and will hit Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Kansas City, San Francisco, Houston and other cities before wrapping in New Orleans on Sept. 27.
Renaissance Tour Merch: Where to Buy
Renaissance tour merch hasn’t dropped on Beyoncé’s website yet, but it’ll probably arrive closer to the start of the tour. In the meantime, fans can cop Beyoncé merch on Amazon and Etsy until the official merch drops online.
With the Grammys just around the corner, there’s no better time to reacquaint yourself with what’s happening in music right now! Billboard Pride is proud to present the latest edition of Queer Jams of the Week, our roundup of some of the best new music releases from LGBTQ artists.
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From Jake Shears’ long awaited return to Anne-Marie’s no-longer-sad girl anthem, check out just a few of our favorite releases from this week below:
Jake Shears, “Too Much Music”
Pop singer Jake Shears missed you — so he decided to give you an absolute pop banger to celebrate his return. The former frontman of Scissor Sisters brings all of the glam-rock flair on “Too Much Music,” his dynamic new dance single where Shears appears in rare form. Proclaiming that “there can never be too much music for me,” the singer lets his brilliant falsetto vocals fly free over a thrumming set of glittering guitars and drums, bringing the absolute correct vibes for his 2023 comeback.
Anne-Marie, “Sad B!tch”
Despite what its title may suggest, “Sad B!tch,” the newest track from U.K. pop star Anne-Marie is “not another sad girl anthem.” After nearly three years of the world trying its hardest to keep people down, Anne-Marie declares on this delectable new pop song that “being sad is so last year.” With some saturated pop production and just a hint of alternative flair, the singer boogies her way right past the bad vibes.
Peach PRC, “Perfect for You”
Who wants a euphoric new queer love song? If any part of you said “yes,” then you should quickly press play on Peach PRC’s “Perfect for You,” the Australian singer’s dreamy new electro-pop track from her forthcoming EP. Sung from the perspective of a girl falling in love with her best friend’s girlfriend, Peach PRC’s vocal bears the vulnerability of past tracks like “Heavy” or “Colourblind,” while the production flaunts the catchiness of “God Is a Freak” and “Josh,” making a perfect combination for the rising star.
Carlie Hanson, “Blueberry Pancakes”
Fans of Carlie Hanson know the singer-songwriter for her alternative take on pop music — and while they’ll still get a taste of that with her new single “Blueberry Pancakes,” they’ll also get to see her take down her walls. The vulnerable new single follows Hanson as she reunites with her partner after making it through a long-distance relationship with them. This touching, lovely ode to finally feeling comfortable again is the perfect soundtrack for a weekend of reacquainting yourself with that smitten feeling.
ABISHA, “Masterpiece”
With her last few releases, singer-songwriter ABISHA has proven to be a master of creating romantically urgent queer love songs; “Masterpiece,” the singer’s latest, is no exception. The bouncing new track is conceptualized off of the flurry of feelings you get upon first meeting someone so infatuating that you simply cannot help yourself from getting caught up in it. It’s ABISHA’s smart choice of holding back with her vocal that makes the song so intoxicating — she gets you to lean in closer and closer, leaving you wanting more by the time the track stops.
Betty Who, “Running Up That Hill” (Kate Bush cover)
It’s been almost a year since Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” made its improbable run back up the Billboard charts — but that’s not stopping Australian pop singer Betty Who from offering her own rendition of the ’80s single. With Who’s rendition, the star turns to her familiar mode of grooving dance-pop jam, giving the track a sparkly, rhinestone sheen as the star dances her way through a familiar classic.
Check out all of our picks on Billboard’s Queer Jams of the Week playlist below: