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25 Sep 2023

Taylor Swift Cheers On Travis Kelce, Usher to Perform at Super Bowl & More | Billboard News

Taylor Swift, who is rumored to be dating Travis Kelce, was seen at the Chiefs-Bears game with the NFL player’s mom. Usher is set to take on NFL’s biggest stage at Feb. 11, 2024’s Super Bowl in Las Vegas. As the Joe Jonas & Sophie Turner custody battle continues, the exes have seemingly agreed to keep their children in NYC for the time being. And more!

Rania Aniftos:
Taylor Swift upped the game and fueled Travis Kelce dating rumors with a football date. From football to more football, Usher has some Super news. The fight continues for Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner as the kids are ordered to stay in New York. Drake is back on top with a new Hot 100 hit and we learn more about Vic Mensa as he goes Speed Dating.

Hey, everybody! Happy Monday! I’m Rania Aniftos, it’s Monday, September 25th, and this is Billboard News.

We have a lot of sports today in the show, so let’s start off with Taylor Swift’s big game. Football season is in full swing and Taylor Swift is in her football era as she was spotted at the Kansas City Chiefs game on Sunday.

Taylor Swift was spotted sitting in Travis Kelce’s box at the Chiefs vs. Bears game this past Sunday wearing a team jacket and cheering alongside Mama Kelce. Cameras were quick to show Taylor with Travis’ mother enthusiastically cheering for her rumored boyfriend. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end revealed that he invited Swift to watch him play, saying in an interview, “I threw the ball in her court. I told her I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead.” Barstool Sports caught the two leaving the game together and posted it to their IG. The Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears 41 to 10. I think Taylor might be a lucky charm.

We warned you it was a sports day. From football to more football, Usher has some big news.

Usher From “Confessions Part II”:
For real, don’t play like that!

Usher in 2023::
Listen, we’re doing the Apple Music Halftime show.

Usher From “Confessions Part II”:
Are you serious?

Usher in 2023:
Yes, man. The Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

Rania Aniftos:
That’s right, Usher will be headlining Super Bowl 58.

It was announced over the weekend that Usher will be headlining the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show presented by Apple Music on February 11th, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Usher:
We’re really excited about the entire thing. Obviously, a legacy, but more than anything, the fact that this is the most grand stage to ever play on.

Rania Aniftos:
The Atlanta singer used the clip from his “Confessions Part II” music video to make the announcement by receiving calls from Kim Kardashian, Marshawn Lynch, Odell Beckham Jr. and Deion Sanders. During his career, he has had 18 top 10 hits on the Hot 100, including nine No. 1s with songs like “You Got It Bad,” “Yeah!” featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris, “My Boo” with Alicia Keys, and “OMG” featuring Will.I.Am. Usher also announced that his ninth album Coming Home will arrive on Super Bowl Sunday.
Watch the full video above!

25 Sep 2023

Vic Mensa Reveals Celebrity Crush, Biggest Dating Pet Peeve & More on Speed Dating | Billboard News

Rapper, singer and actor Vic Mensa tells Billboard about his childhood celebrity crush, dating pet peeve, favorite movie and more on this episode on Speed Dating.

Tetris Kelly:
All right. If you want to get to know my man, Vic Mensa … well, we’re gonna go into Speed Date! where are you from? What’s your sign?

Vic Mensa:
Gemini.

Tetris Kelly:
OK, so now you gotta tell me … do you feel like you get a bad reputation? I’m a Gemini too.

Vic Mensa:
I feel like Gemini is the dopest sign.

Tetris Kelly:
But you never had any problems with the ladies because of it?

Vic Mensa:
No, they run away.

Tetris Kelly:
OK, I was about to say. You got to be honest with me. People run in a different direction.

OK, what’s a dating pet peeve for you? Like, what’s something that will make you completely stop?

Vic Mensa:
Thirstiness.

Tetris Kelly:
I mean, thirstiness can be viewed as a positive thing, but you said they too thirsty …

Vic Mensa:
Who said being thirsty was a positive? Nobody ever got told, “You thirsty.” And they’re like, “Thank you!”

Tetris Kelly:
I guess if we put it that way.

What was your dream job as a kid?

Vic Mensa:
To be a rapper.

Tetris Kelly:
Celebrity crush?

Vic Mensa:
No comment.

Tetris Kelly:
Oh, come on! There’s a comment.

Vic Mensa:
Halle Berry.

Tetris Kelly:
What’s your favorite movie?

Vic Mensa:
Halle Berry. Swordfish.

Tetris Kelly:
Of course, that’s your answer. Man, thank you so much.

Watch the full video above!

25 Sep 2023

Billboard Hot 100 Chart Reveal: Sept. 30, 2023 | Billboard News

The numbers are in! Can Olivia Rodrigo hold her top spot at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100? Plus, one of the biggest artists makes a huge comeback on our charts. Watch the full video above!

Dua is still dancing at No. 10.

Gunna also stays at No. 9.

“Last Night” slips again to No. 8

Last week’s No. 1 drops to No. 7.

“Cruel Summer” is hot at No. 6

Zach Bryan falls to No. 5 in his fourth week.

“Fast Car” stays parked at No. 4.

SZA’s “Snooze” rises to a new No. 3 peak.

Doja holds steady at No. 2.

And debuting with his 12th No. 1 while SZA gains her second, is Drake with “Slime You Out.”

22 Sep 2023

Noah Kahan on Working With Post Malone, His Album ‘Stick Season’ & More | Billboard News

Noah Kahan opens up to Billboard‘s Lyndsey Havens about how his life has changed since the release of his album Stick Season, working with Post Malone, his mental health initiative The BusyHead Project and more!

Noah Kahan:
Holding a pencil for five minutes makes me tired. She did three hours of like dancing and singing and like …

Lyndsey Havens:
Intense cardio.

Noah Kahan:
Like that and like — all that kind of stuff.

Lyndsey Havens:
Thank you for the preview of your own choreography there. A sneak peak.

Noah Kahan:
Yeah, that’s something I’m working on. Cut that out. I don’t want people seeing that. I want it to be a surprise.

Lyndsey Havens:
It’s not ready yet.

Noah Kahan:
Yeah, it’s not ready.

Hi, I’m Noah Kahan, and this is Billboard News.

Lyndsey Havens:
Hey, I’m Lyndsey Havens for Billboard News, and we are here with the incredible singer-songwriter Noah Kahan.

Did I get that last name, right? I’ve heard a lot of different ways.

Noah Kahan:
Yeah, you are one of the first. There’s only one way to say it, by the way. It’s Kahan. You did a great job. Thank you very much.

Lyndsey Havens:
People overcomplicate it!

Noah Kahan:
People … well, it’s like there’s two As. I say, “One of the As is silent and you get to pick which one.”

Lyndsey Havens:
If you could describe your last 12 months, I think it’s nuts, because obviously, you’ve been making music for a really long time, and you had success. But then suddenly, everything changed and it hit a next level.

Noah Kahan:
It’s been an unbelievable few months, like a year and a half basically now of just, like, whirlwind of attention and this wonderful, like, outpouring of love from fans. A lot of, like, a lot more commitments that I’m in, which has been, like, the big challenge for me has just been balancing, like, trying to have my life, trying to write music and be creative and be inspired by the world, but also being really busy, being on the road all the time.

Lyndsey Havens:
Yeah.

Noah Kahan:
I’m kind of navigating it. It has been really challenging, but really cool, and it’s an opportunity and an experience that not all artists get. And so I’m very aware of the privilege of this year for me.

Watch the full interview above!

22 Sep 2023

Nicki Minaj on Husband’s House Arrest, New Music From Doja Cat, Troye Sivan, Blink-182 & More | Billboard News

Doja Cat, Kylie Minogue, Troye Sivan, Blink-182 and Lady A release new music. Nicki Minaj speaks out after her husband, Kenneth Petty, is put under house arrest. Ryan Hurd is defending his wife, Maren Morris, as she announces her departure from country music. Noah Kahan stops by the studio to chat about working with Post Malone, how much his life has changed since his album ‘Stick Season’ has dropped and more!

Tetris Kelly:
Doja Cat releases new music and we take you to her surprise in LA as Ed Sheeran premieres a new song live. Nicki Minaj is blaming others for her husband being on house arrest and we have interviews with Noah Kahan and R&B legends Tony! Toni! Toné!.

What’s up? It’s me, Tetris. It’s Friday, September 22nd and this is Billboard News. Let’s kick things off with our Friday Music Guide.

Doja Cat has been serving devil red as she’s arrived with her full album “Scarlet” and also brings us a video for “Agora Hills.”

More tunes coming at you throughout the show, but for now our top stories. Both Nicki Minaj and Ryan Hurd are coming to the defense of their spouses. Let’s break it down. Nicki Minaj is responding after her husband, Kenneth Petty, was placed under house arrest for 120 days following a series of social media posts allegedly showing him violating his probation. Nicki seemed to respond to the drama on her IG stories writing “Can’t call the cops every time you flop, just saying,” along with a string of laughing emojis. The house arrest came after Nicki’s husband was recorded on video making threatening remarks to a specific individual while in the company of someone with a criminal record according to a Central District of California court order.

Ryan Hurd is coming to his wife Maren Morris’s defense after the singer released “The Bridge” and announced her departure from country music. Ryan took to IG to support Maren, writing “She deserves to be celebrated, not just tolerated.” He also hit back against those who have criticized his wife, writing in part, “I’m so sick of watching my wife get the sh*t kicked out of her by the internet. I’m sick of every talking head having some kind of stupid opinion about what she says. It’s the same every time. Why are you surprised when she calls out something racist or homophobic? I’m sick of people getting rewarded for it.” He continued his support of her final country project, “To me ‘The Bridge’ is beautiful and so rock and roll. She deserves a little sunshine for the burden she has carried for every artist and fan that feels the same way.”

Watch the full video above!

22 Sep 2023

Tony! Toni! Toné! on Creating Their Hit ‘Anniversary,’ Reunion Tour & More | Billboard In Conversation

R&B legends Tony! Toni! Toné! sat down with Gail Mitchell, Billboard‘s Executive Director of Hip-Hop and R&B, to talk about their hit track “Anniversary,” their upcoming reunion tour, how their name came about and more!

Gail Mitchell:
I’m sitting here talking to three gentlemen that oh my god, and everybody was so excited when they found out you guys were reuniting for this tour. But I’m here with Tony! Toni! Toné! I’m with Tim Riley, I’m with D’Wayne Wiggins and Raphael Saadiq. Thank you all for joining us!

Raphael Saadiq:
Thank you, Gail!

D’Wayne Wiggins:
Happy to be here!

Gail Mitchell:
Looking back over ya’ll’s career as Tony! Toni! Toné!, what is it about your music — the group’s music — that still resonates some 30 years later?

Raphael Saadiq:
I think it’s just a lot of nostalgic memories of people having kids to the music and meeting us. And you know, when bands are going to different cities and going to one-stops and visiting schools, you know, just doing the work in the community. You know, we didn’t just put out a record and it was on the radio and we didn’t go to that market. We would stay in that market for, like, three or four days, so we met a lot of people and have a lot of friends. People probably want to bring their kids to see it, or use the shows to see these three guys, and I think they get the opportunity now to see us all together like this is pretty, pretty good.

D’Wayne Wiggins:
I guess you’d call it like the soundtrack to a lot of people’s lives, and definitely was for us because we just learned how to write, you know, and so it was all genuine and very real. I guess getting back to that, so that’s the beautiful thing about it. After 25 years, the three of us together, it’s getting back to the real roots.

Watch the full interview above!

21 Sep 2023

Shakira’s Billboard Cover, Mariah’s Iconic BBMA Moment, MAMA Awards in Tokyo & More | Billboard News

Shakira is Billboard’s newest cover star! There’s a new No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart: FamousSally and YB’s “Wassup Gwayy.” We take a look back at the moment Mariah Carey received the Billboard Icon Award in 2019. The 2023 MAMA Awards are headed back to Tokyo and Billboard News has all the exclusive details. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Shakira is our latest Billboard cover star. There’s a new leader on the Tiktok Billboard Top 50. We’ve got some exclusive MAMAs information. Billboard stops by a Save the Music LA event. And we look back at a major Mariah Carey moment.

I’m Tetris Kelly for Billboard News. It’s Thursday, September 21st. We’ve got a brand new cover star. It’s Shakira’s time and her hits don’t lie.

Shakira:
Latin music wasn’t really at its peak like it is right now. And in the U.S., in many radio [stations] at first, really didn’t want to play “Hips Don’t Lie” because it sounded too Latin for them. It’s understandable because it had Colombian cumbia in the middle of a song. There’s nothing pop about it, the rest of the song was. I had so much faith in this song. My album Oral Fixation was already out, it had already been published, but I really believed that the song was gonna make it big. And against all odds, I called the head of the label I remember, Donny Ienner I think was in charge back in the day, and I convinced him to recall the physical copies and collect them all and include the song in the album.

“Loba,” “She Wolf” was me flirting with EDM. It did a lot of things for me in the U.K. and the U.S. It was the first single of my eighth studio album, and I recorded it in the Bahamas.

I remember that actually, I wasn’t too sure about me writing the lyrics in English and I reached out to Sia and I asked her to write the lyrics in English for me. And I also reached out to Seth MacFarlane.

Watch the full video above!

21 Sep 2023

FamousSally & YB’s ‘Wassup Gwayy’ Debuts at No. 1 on TikTok Billboard Top 50 Chart | Billboard News

There’s a new No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart: FamousSally and YB’s “Wassup Gwayy.”

Tetris Kelly:
Wassup is FamousSally and YB topping the TikTok Billboard Top 50. Let’s break it down.

“Wassup Gwayy” leads to TikTok Billboard Top 50 for the week of Sept. 21. Thanks to everyone throwing those dubs up. Elsewhere on the charts, Sexyy Red, Doja Cat, Zach Bryan and Ice Spice all hold on to spots in the top 10. But Chrisette Michele’s 2009 hit “Epiphany” has everyone shaking it at No. 4.

J. Dash’s “WOP” jumps at No. 8 more than a decade after its release.

And a pair of throwback songs from CeeLo featuring Timberland and Usher round out the top 10.

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.

Watch the full video above!

21 Sep 2023

Pop Culture Rewind: Mariah Carey Receives the 2019 Billboard Icon Award | Billboard News

In this episode of Pop Culture Rewind, we take a look back at the moment Mariah Carey received the Billboard Icon Award in 2019.

Evan Burke:
We love Mariah Carey, and as a record breaker and the queen of the Billboard charts, what a moment it was when she received the Icon Award of the 2019 Billboard Music Awards. We take you to that moment in this week’s Pop Culture Rewind.

Nothing belongs together like Mariah Carey and the Billboard charts.

Mariah Carey:
Thank you, Billboard, for letting me grow up on the charts with you.

Evan Burke:
The legendary vocalist has amassed a record 19 No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, the most of any solo artist, which is why at the 2019 VMAs, she received the iconic award.

Mariah Carey:
To anybody who doesn’t allow themselves to be broken and keeps getting up and keeps holding on and keeps standing tall, keeps on believing and keeps rising, I celebrate you tonight.

Evan Burke:
The humble queen gave the crowd a true lesson in self-love after going through a medley of her biggest hits like “Emotions” and “Hero.” But we all know Mariah is just as known for her lovable diva personality as her high notes. Queue this viral moment … I just want to know who caught the tissue.

Mariah Carey:
There’s been a few memes …

Evan Burke:
We are all Taylor Swift in Mimi’s presence. We’ll have another huge moment for you next week in our Pop Culture Rewind.

Watch the full video above!

21 Sep 2023

The 12 Spiciest Musician ‘Hot Ones’ Episodes, From *NSYNC to Dave Grohl

If you’re a pop culture fan, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard of “the show with hot questions and even hotter wings,” also known as Hot Ones, which is hosted and was co-created by popular YouTube personality Sean Evans.

For those who aren’t familiar with the First We Feast and Complex Media series, in each episode, Evans and a celebrity guest eat ten chicken wings or vegan substitutes, with each wing prepared with a progressively hotter hot sauce. Meanwhile, the celebrity will answer thoughtful and well-researched questions from Evans while trying to keep it cool amid the heat.

Hot Ones has been putting celebrities’ taste buds to the test since 2015, and with more than a hundred interviews on the First We Feast YouTube channel, it’s hard to know where to start. To make things easier, we at Billboard have compiled our 12 favorite Hot Ones episodes featuring musicians, from DJ Khaled’s surrender after just three wings to Dave Grohl’s tipsy journey through wings and whiskey.

See them below.