Media

15 Dec 2023

David Foster & Katharine McPhee Share What’s on Their Christmas Playlist | Billboard

David Foster and Katharine McPhee stopped by Billboard and shared what songs they currently have on their Christmas playlist.

David Foster:
Hi, I’m David Foster.

Katharine McPhee:
I’m Katharine McPhee Foster.

David Foster:
And this is our Christmas playlist. Well, mine and hers.

Katharine McPhee:
Yes, separate but together.

David Foster:
No. 1 for me is “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Michael Bublé.

Katharine McPhee:
Wow!

David Foster:
Did you want to take that one?

Katharine McPhee:
No, we can take each other’s. “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”

David Foster:
No. 2 is “The Christmas Song” by Nat King Cole.

Katharine McPhee:
Wow! Great choice, Dave.

David Foster:
Thank you.

Katharine McPhee:
Really good. OK, I’m going to be …

David Foster:
It’s David.

Katharine McPhee:
When I, you know, am trying to be funny, I call you Dave. OK, so my second one — because I’m going to be a good wife — is no, your frickin’ song.

David Foster:
Oh, “Grown-Up Christmas List.”

Katharine McPhee:
Thank you! “Grown-Up Christmas List.”

David Foster:
No. 3: “Jingle Bell Rock” by Katharine McPhee.

Katharine McPhee:
Oh, it’s a very good version, actually.

My next one is actually another — oh no, it’s gonna be Mariah Carey’s … No, no, not “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The … what was the one I was singing?

David Foster:
The gospel one?

Katharine McPhee:
“Jesus, oh what a wonderful child. What a wonderful child, Jesus. Oh, Jesus.”

David Foster:
Enough.

Katharine McPhee:
It’s so good. And that’s our Christmas playlist.

Watch the full video above!

14 Dec 2023

Drake & Camila Cabello Dating Rumors, Luke Combs Accidentally Sues Fan & More | Billboard News

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.

Drake and Camila Cabello have sparked dating rumors after being seen together in Turks and Caicos. Luke Combs is making things right with a fan after accidentally suing her for $250,000. Billboard looks back at *NSYNC’s hits, career and chart achievements. Jared Leto showed off some new Thirty Seconds to Mars merch on Billboard Live Shopping Week with talkshoplive and more!

Shop Jared Leto & Thirty Seconds to Mars’ new merch here: https://talkshop.live/watch/p-qgQwldDNb3

Tetris Kelly:
Drake and Camila Cabello fuel romance rumors. Luke Combs accidentally sues a fan for a quarter of a million dollars. Jared Leto brings the latest Thirty Seconds to Mars merch to talkshoplive. We look back at some of *NSYNC’s biggest achievements. And we run down the top songs on TikTok.

I’m Tetris Kelly. This is Billboard News. It’s Thursday, December 14th, and today’s show has romance, drama, nostalgia — we got it all. So let’s kick things off with a possible new “it” couple. You didn’t see this one coming. In viral videos from every angle, rapper Drake and singer Camila Cabello were spotted living it up in Turks and Caicos.

As if Drake’s vacation hair wasn’t viral enough, the rapper has now been spotted with “Havana” singer Camila Cabello. The 26-year-old Fifth Harmony star was rocking a black bathing suit, talking to a colorful 37-year-old Drake. It’s a popular spot in Turks and Caicos called Noah’s Ark Beach Club, which Drake goes to so much that they put up a billboard of his album ‘For All the Dogs.’ But my question is: What comes of this? Are we expecting a banging new track or music’s shiny new couple? Guess we’ll have to see how this one plays out!

Watch the full video above!

14 Dec 2023

Jared Leto Shows Off New Thirty Seconds to Mars Merch on TalkShopLive | Billboard News

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.

‘Tis the season of giving, and Jared Leto is making holiday shopping easier with his livestream to wrap up Billboard Live Shopping Week with TalkShopLive, by showing off new Thirty Seconds to Mars merch.

Tetris Kelly:
All month long, Billboard and TalkShopLive have teamed up to bring you gift ideas for this holiday season. And last night, Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto went live to bring you the band’s latest merch and answer your questions, like this one fan asking for forgiveness.

Jared Leto:
“I grabbed your butt during the show in Georgia 2007. I’m so sorry. Will you forgive me?” Well, are you sorry?

Tetris Kelly:
To grab any of the items Jared featured plus a Thirty Seconds to Mars VIP experience, hit the link here.

14 Dec 2023

JID’s ‘Surround Sound’ Crowns TikTok Billboard Top 50 | Billboard News

There’s a new No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 in JID’s “Surround Sound,” featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate, which vaults from No. 5 to the top of the chart posting Dec. 14.

Tetris Kelly
We’ve got a new leader while Christmas hits keep climbing the chart. JID’s “Surround Sound” bounced from No. 5 to the top spot on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for the chart posting December 14. The track featuring 21 Savage and Baby Tate is trending thanks to a dance trend everyone is hopping on. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” holds on to the No. 2 spot while two other holiday hits break into the top 10. The Ronettes’ “Sleigh Ride” glides to No. 6 because of a trap remix while Wham!’s “Last Christmas” lands at 7.

Every Thursday Billboard will bring you the verified list of the hottest songs on TikTok by monitoring music discovery and engagement on the platform in the United States. To find the TikTok Billboard Top 50 Each week, users can simply go to any sound detail page and tap the top right button to access the charts page.

14 Dec 2023

Pop Culture Rewind: *NSYNC’s Historic Chart Achievements | Billboard News

Billboard looks back at *NSYNC’s hits, career and chart achievements.

Evan Burke:
It ain’t no lie that *NSYNC holds one of the biggest Billboard chart records of all time. The boys made a comeback just this year, but we’re also taking you back to a moment and an album we could never forget all in this week’s Pop Culture Rewind.

*NSYNC’s self-titled first album hit the Billboard charts in 1998, eventually peaking at No. 2 with hits like “I Want You Back” and “Tearing Up My Heart.”

They tore up teen’s hearts around the globe, so when it came to their second album, there was no sophomore slump in sight, containing their first Hot 100 No. 1, “It’s Gonna Be Me” along with “Bye Bye Bye,” No Strings Attached was released on March 21, 2000. It went straight to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and hit a first-week sales total of 2.4 million copies, the most albums sold in a week ever. They still hold that record for a group and held the record overall until they were eclipsed by Adele’s ’25’ in 2015 after it sold 3.3 million copies in a week.

Even the fellas’ third album Celebrity still holds the record for the third biggest sales week for an album with 1.8 million sold in 2001.

Justin Timberlake called the band back together this year to join him on the Trolls Band Together soundtrack with “Better Place.” The track debuted at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100, their first time back on the charts since 2002.

We’ll have another huge moment for you next week in our Pop Culture Rewind.

Watch the full video above!

13 Dec 2023

Taylor Swift’s Birthday, Megan Thee Stallion Signs Deal, Amy Winehouse Movie & More | Billboard News

It’s Taylor Swift’s 34th birthday! In honor of the Swiftie Queen’s birthday, her ‘The Eras Tour’ Movie is available for rent. The singer also received a gift from the Chiefs co-owner and CEO Clark Hunt. Megan Thee Stallion has signed a distribution deal with WMG that will allow her to retain ownership of her music. ‘Back to Black,’ the Amy Winehouse biopic, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson is set to hit theaters on May 10th, 2024. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Megan Thee Stallion says she’s staying independent. The Amy Winehouse biopic gets a release date. Billy Porter takes us Behind the Photo. Brandy shares her holiday traditions, and we celebrate Taylor Swift’s 34th birthday.

Welcome to Billboard News. I’m Tetris Kelly. It’s Wednesday, December 13th, aka Taylor Swift’s birthday. And Miss. Swift has a lot to celebrate.

Happy Birthday, Taylor Swift! We’re celebrating the Swiftie Queen’s 34th birthday as she’s gifting fans with the opportunity to have her in their home and the Chiefs are showing some appreciation. Today feels like it should be a national holiday. The number 13 and 1989 aren’t special for no reason, and as Taylor is celebrating her big three-four, she posted about the release of ‘The Eras Tour’ online for, you guessed it, $19.89. “I had the time of my life fighting dragons with you.” Celebrate 34 with me by watching ‘The Eras Tour (Extended Version),’ including “Long Live,” “The Archer” and “Wildest Dreams” at home. And I know I wasn’t the only one stressed that “Long Live” wasn’t in the original version. Taylor has been supporting her Chiefs man Travis Kelce and it’s not unnoticed. Clark Hunt, who is the co-owner and CEO of the Chiefs, and his family surprised the chart-breaking singer with a sweet gift, just days before the b-day. Can I send Taylor a gift? Wait, what does one buy Taylor Swift? Happy Birthday, Tay, and happy streaming Swifties!

Watch the full video above!

13 Dec 2023

Brandy Shares Her Favorite Holiday Traditions | Billboard

Singer-songwriter and actress Brandy shares her three favorite holiday traditions.

Brandy:
That was good? But that’s tradition?

My favorite holiday traditions are spending quality time with my family. We get together and we celebrate memories and dance and play spades and just do a lot for Christmas together as a family. Quality time is key.

Christmas Day is our time. My mom only cooks twice a year which is so wack but it just makes us appreciate her food so much more. We love her dressing. We love her sweet potato pie. Because my mom starts cooking on Christmas Day we are all in the kitchen just soaking it all up.

I’m going to tell you my favorite Christmas album and I probably shouldn’t be saying this because I have a Christmas album out. Besides Christmas with Brandy, my favorite Christmas album that I play over and over and over like nobody gets any more play is Mariah Carey. The top three are “O Holy Night,” “Joy to the World,” and “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” Isn’t that just a mess? Because I have a Christmas album.

Watch the full video above!

13 Dec 2023

Billy Porter Explains the Stories Behind the Photo | Billboard

Billy Porter explains the stories behind these photos with Billboard.

Billy Porter:
Hey, everybody! Billy Porter here, and this is Behind the Photos.

Here’s one of me in London. I don’t know what that building is. It’s like a big muckety-muck government building, I think on the bridge, and we took over the bridge for some social media content for the release of the “Broke a Sweat” single. And this is Robert Wun I’m wearing, and I look cute.

This one is very magical. Yes, that is Meryl Streep, Victor Garber and one of my besties, Wilson Cruz, and we were all at the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue at the beginning of the month for Banned Book Month. Victor, Meryl and I read passages — two passages each — from banned books, and Wilson was on a panel about how we combat the ridiculousness of that.

This is a picture of me and my mom, at my Black Mona Lisa: Volume One concert in New York City at the Beacon Theatre. My mother is disabled and she lives in a nursing home, and this was the first time that she was out of the nursing home in almost three years, and she was able to come and see my show. This was a very special moment because she was like, “I love you and I’m tired!” That’s my mom!

Watch the full video above!

12 Dec 2023

Cher, Brandy, Sabrina Carpenter & More Make Our Christmas List With Fresh Holiday Hits

We all know and love the Christmas classics, but you might need to find some extra room on your decorated mantel for some new holiday hits this year.

On the latest episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), Katie & Keith are chatting about five brand-new Christmas songs for 2023: Cher‘s “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” Jason & Travis Kelce’s “Fairytale of Philadelphia,” Jimmy Fallon & Meghan Trainor‘s “Wrap Me Up,” Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Santa Doesn’t Know You Like I Do,” and Brandy‘s “Christmas Party for Two.” All these songs or their parent albums are already making moves on Billboard‘s charts — including Cher hitting No. 1 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales, Adult Contemporary and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales charts with “DJ” and Top Holiday Albums with Christmas. (The football-playing Kelce brothers have a chart-topper too: “Fairytale of Philadelphia” — their update of the Pogues’ “Fairytale of New York” from the charity album A Philly Special Christmas Special — hit No. 1 on Rock Digital Song Sales.)

Listen to the new episode below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on K-pop boy band ATEEZ scoring their first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” decorating the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for a second week. Plus, could Nicki Minaj get her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in more than a decade with her new album Pink Friday 2?

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

12 Dec 2023

Dove Cameron on Her Debut Album, ‘Boyfriend’ Success, Her Disney Days & More | Billboard News

Dove Cameron opened up to Billboard’s Rania Aniftos about creating her debut album Alchemical: Volume 1, life after the success of her song “Boyfriend,” being vulnerable in her writing and the lessons she learned from her Disney Channel days.

Dove Cameron:
It was just like I was learning as I went and everybody was watching every inch of it.

Hey, I’m Dove Cameron, and this is Billboard News.

Rania Aniftos:
Hi, everybody. It’s Rania Aniftos with Billboard News, and I am so excited to be here with singer-songwriter, Emmy Award winner Dove Cameron.

Dove Cameron:
Hey!

Rania Aniftos:
Hello!

Dove Cameron:
I’m so excited to be here with you.

Rania Aniftos:
Me too!

Dove Cameron:
It’s been a long time coming.

Rania Aniftos:
It has been a long time coming. We’ve both been manifesting this to happen.

So your debut album, Alchemical: Volume 1, so you’re splitting it into two parts. What was the idea behind telling a story in sequence like that?

Dove Cameron:
I felt like I was writing the two halves in such different headspaces. Like, the first half was really, like, about the ending of something and an entire year of my life and the processing of that that happened. And then there was, like, a very stark kind of sonic page turn when it came to the sort of, like, next musical phase that I stepped into. It just kind of ended up making sense to split it.

Rania Aniftos:
You’ve also been sprinkling singles throughout the past few years, and now you finally have a full project out. How does that feel to have like a complete body of work to share with your fans?

Watch the full video above!