Music News
Page: 103
Ariana Grande has seen how fans have been shipping her with Cynthia Erivo during the Wicked promotional cycle, to the point where some people think there’s actually something going on between the two stars in real life.
And in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter published Tuesday (Feb. 11), the “Yes, And?” singer addressed the theories surrounding her relationship with her costar. “People think we’re secretly married,” she told the publication.
It’s clear to anyone watching that Grande and Erivo are very close, often comforting each other during teary-eyed interviews and red-carpet appearances. But some fans have taken things one step further and have started speculating that there’s a romantic connection between them, despite the fact that both women are in relationships with other people; the Victorious alum has been dating fellow Wicked star Ethan Slater since 2023, while the Pinocchio star has reportedly been with actress Lena Waithe for several years.
Trending on Billboard
So why the rumors? Grande says it’s likely “the Gelphie stuff,” aka people shipping her Wicked character, Glinda, with Erivo’ s Elphaba.
“I wish I could unsee some things,” the two-time Grammy winner said of the sexual artwork people have made using their characters’ likenesses. “I mean, wow, I had a feeling, but I didn’t know it would be on this scale or this graphic.”
To be fair, the theory that Elphaba and Glinda are more than just friends is a little less unfounded than the theories about their real-life counterparts. Grande has said herself that she thinks her character “might be a little in the closet,” and in January, she told Variety, “[Glinda] loves Elphaba so much, and that forgiveness and that unconditional love that they share — I think they’re in love with each other.”
Despite the pervasiveness of the speculation surrounding Grande and Erivo, it’s not the first time the “We Can’t Be Friends” artist has had to deal with whispers about her love life during the Wicked era. The rumor mill went crazy when it was first reported in 2023 that she and Slater were in a relationship following their respective splits from ex-husband Dalton Gomez and ex-wife Lilly Jay, a tabloid cycle Grande slammed as “bulls–t” in a September Vanity Fair article, adding, “The most disappointing part was to see so many people believe the worst version of it.”
Now, Grande tells THR that dealing with rumors will “never be unpainful.” “But also, I walk with the awareness that I’m an artist and this is a path that I’ve chosen,” she added. “So I just try to protect myself so that I never start to resent the art.”
See Grande on the cover of THR below.
02/11/2025
Check out all the answers from this year’s honorees, including Usher, WNBA star Angel Reese and football legend Shannon Sharpe.
02/11/2025
Chris Brown scores a historic milestone on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, becoming the second artist to reach 100 cumulative weeks at No. 1 on the radio ranking, across 11 No. 1 songs in his career. The R&B hitmaker achieves the feat on the list dated Feb. 15 as current single “Residuals” jumps 2-1 for its first week in the top slot. The singer joins Drake, who has a record 176 weeks at No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, in the triple-digit club among all artists since the chart launched in 1992.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
A CBE/RCA Records release, “Residuals” crowns R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, which ranks songs by combined audience totals from adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations, with 15.8 million audience impressions in the tracking week of Jan. 31-Feb. 6, according to Luminate, up 3% from the previous week’s 15.3 million.
Trending on Billboard
The single advances to the summit in its 27th week on the list, the seventh-longest wait in the chart’s history. After 11 nonconsecutive weeks in the runner-up spot, “Residuals” likely crosses the finish line with added buzz from its official music video release on Jan. 23 and its nomination for best R&B performance at the Grammy Awards. While the track lost its nod at the Feb. 2 ceremony, Brown won best R&B album for 11:11, his second career trophy.
[embedded content]
Brown’s 100 weeks at No. 1 are spread across 11 No. 1s. Notably, more than half of his career total derives from just two songs: “No Guidance” featuring Drake, and a collaboration with Young Thug, “Go Crazy.” The former logged 27 weeks on top in 2019-2020, while the latter dominated for 29 frames in 2020-21. At the time, both tracks set records for the longest run by any song in the chart’s history; SZA’s “Snooze,” at 37 weeks in charge, now holds the title.
To recap his 100 weeks at the summit, here’s a review of Brown’s 11 No. 1s on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay:
“Say Goodbye,” six weeks at No. 1, beginning Oct. 14, 2006
“Deuces,” feat. Tyga and Kevin McCall, nine, Sept. 11, 2010
“Look at Me Now,” feat. Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, eight, April 2, 2011
“Loyal,” feat. Lil Wayne and French Montana or Too $hort or Tyga, eight, June 7, 2014
“New Flame,” feat. Usher and Rick Ross, four, Oct. 25, 2014
“Hold You Down,” DJ Khaled feat. Chris Brown, August Alsina, Future and Jeremih, five, Nov. 15, 2014
“All Eyes on You,” Meek Mill feat. Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj, one, Sept. 26, 2015
“No Guidance,” feat. Drake, 27, Aug. 24, 2019
“Go Crazy,” with Young Thug, 29, Aug. 22, 2020
“Under the Influence,” two, March 25, 2023
“Residuals,” one (to date), Feb. 15, 2025
With an 11th No. 1, Brown breaks a tie with Beyoncé for sole possession of the fourth-most leaders on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Drake leads the count with 29, with Usher (16) and Lil Wayne (12) in second and third place, respectively.
Elsewhere, “Residuals” pushes 15-13 on Adult R&B Airplay, sparked by a 49% surge in weekly plays. It also repeats at No. 6 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, a chart it topped for four weeks in December-January, and essentially remains even in plays with last week’s total.
R&B girl group Psiryn earns its first No. 1 on a Billboard chart as its single “Sober” rules the Adult R&B Airplay chart. The track ascends from No. 2 after an 8% jump that made it the most played song on U.S. panel-contributing adult R&B radio stations for the tracking week of Jan. 31-Feb. 6, according to Luminate.
In taking the summit, Psiryn — comprised of Anaya Chayenne, Jada Denise and Victoria McQueen — becomes the first all-female duo or group to crown the Adult R&B Airplay chart in nearly 23 years. The last? The duo Floetry, whose “Say Yes” ruled for seven weeks in May-June 2003. Among acts with at least three members, Psiryn is only the second girl group to reign on the 31-year-old Adult R&B Airplay chart. The trio joins Brownstone, which scored a pair of one-week leaders — “If You Love Me” and “Grapevyne” — in 1995.
As “Sober” advances, it knocks Coco Jones’ “Here We Go (Uh Oh)” from the top spot. The former champ ruled for seven nonconsecutive weeks beginning last December, including the last two frames.
Trending on Billboard
“It feels surreal and is an absolute honor,” Psiryn tells Billboard of its new No. 1. “We are the first girl group in 20 years to achieve this, and it feels truly out of this world – we still can’t believe this is happening!”
The journey to summit began nearly six months ago, when “Sober” debuted at No. 23 in September. A steady climb followed, but the single ran the risk of falling short of the apex — with five straight weeks at No. 5 around the holidays — before a final push put it to the finish line. The week-in, week-out support, the group notes, likely aligns with a wider mood. “The relatability of this record speaks volumes. So many people connect with ‘Sober’ and the feeling of needing a break from the real world,” the trio adds. “People just gravitate toward it, just like we did when we first heard it!”
“Sober” was released through independent label Kandi Koated Entertainment, a multimedia agency owned by Kandi Burruss. The entrepreneur rose to fame as a member of R&B group Xscape, which logged 10 hits on the Adult R&B Airplay chart in the 1990s, including “Just Kickin It” (No. 4), “Understanding” (No. 3) and “Who Can I Run To” (No. 2), all of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. As a songwriter, Burruss co-penned hits include No. 1 Hot 100 hits from TLC (“No Scrubs”) and Destiny’s Child (“Bills Bills Bills.”)
Elsewhere, “Sober” repeats at its No. 18 high on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks songs by combined audience totals from monitored adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, the single climbed to 6.2 million audience impressions in the week, up 13% from 5.5 million in the previous tracking window.
Drake appears to have heard about Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show, and made his subtle response by flipping some lyrics to his “Knife Talk” track while performing in Melbourne on Monday night (Feb. 10). “Beef is live, spoiler alert — I never died,” he raps on the reworked version following Lamar’s headlining performance […]
Before embarking on her arena tour in support of Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter got to learn firsthand from the mastermind herself: Taylor Swift.
And in a new Vogue cover story published Tuesday (Feb. 11), the “Espresso” singer revealed exactly how the 14-time Grammy winner’s billion-dollar Eras Tour — on which Carpenter served as opener for 25 shows — inspired her own trek. “Her stadiums make my shows look like clubs,” the Girl Meets World alum added.
“Watching her keep their attention as if she’s playing in their living room, it was like — and I told her this — ‘Your tour enabled me to do mine,’” she added.
Trending on Billboard
Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour kicked off in September, with its North American leg ending in November. The vocalist will resume the trek in March with a monthlong run of European dates.
Her stint on the global Eras trek came to an end just about a month before she released breakout single “Espresso” ahead of Coachella 2024. The track would propel her into superstar status and lay the groundwork for August’s Short n’ Sweet to become her first ever Billboard 200-topping album — but according to Carpenter, she originally wasn’t supposed to release the tune when she did.
In fact, she says her label, Island Records, had wanted future Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Please Please Please” to be the first song she dropped from Short n’ Sweet — but Carpenter felt strongly that “Espresso” should go first, and that she should debut it live during her now viral Coachella set. “There’s something about this song that, if I’d never heard it before, and I heard it live for the first time, I would understand it,” she told Vogue.
“I was definitely being swayed in another direction, but I knew deep down that it was this song,” she added. “I was afraid of disappointing people for, like, five minutes. And then I was like: ‘No.’”
Things eventually came full circle in October, when Carpenter returned to the Eras Tour for a surprise performance of “Espresso” alongside Swift. About three months later, the track won the singer-actress her first Grammy, taking home best pop solo performance moments before Carpenter won best pop vocal album for Short n’ Sweet.
See Carpenter on the cover of Vogue below.
Usher and Keke Palmer continue to have great chemistry. The Atlanta legend recently sat down with Palmer on her Wondery podcast Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, where the two discussed Usher’s guest-star appearance in four episodes of Brandy‘s ’90s television show Moesha, before the two broke out into an impromptu duet of Usher and Monica‘s […]
Patti Smith is hitting the road this fall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her iconic debut album, Horses. The singer will be joined by longtime side men guitarist Lenny Kaye and drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, who both played on the seminal 1975 LP that is considered a punk classic and is often cited by R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe as the album that made him want to make music.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The Patti Smith Group will be joined by longtime keyboardist/bassist Tony Shanahan and the singer’s son and guitarist, Jackson Smith, on the tour slated to kick off on Oct. 6 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The outing is then booked to hit Madrid, London, Burssels, Oslo and Paris before moving over to the U.S. for theater gigs in Seattle, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. before winding down on Nov. 29 at the Met in Philadelphia.
“Please join us to help celebrate the final ride of our irreverent thoroughbred,” read a statement announcing the run that will mark the first time in 20 years that Smith, 78, has performed the whole album; she celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2005 a that year’s Meltdown Festival in London, which she curated.
Trending on Billboard
Smith’s debut album was released on Arista Records on Nov. 10, 1975 and combined the singer’s urgent, vivid poetry with spiky, minimal arrangements that incorporated reggae rhythms with spoken word and propulsive rock energy. The album produced by the Velvet Underground’s John Cale failed to spawn a chart hit, but it is considered one of the founding text of punk rock and has been enshrined in the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry as a historically significant work.
Before she hits the road, Smith will be feted at a March 26 all-star concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall, “People Have the Power: Celebrating the Music of Patti Smith,” which will feature appearances by Stipe, former Sonic Youth guitarist Kim Gordon, the National singer Matt Berninger, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Karen O, Sharon Van Etten, the Kills’ Alison Mosshart, the Kronos Quartet, Ben Harper, Courtney Barnett, Angel Olsen and others.
Last month, Smith assured fans that she was okay after collapsing on stage in São Paulo, Brazil on Jan. 29. “This is letting everyone know that I am fine,” the singer wrote on Instagram along with a selfie in which she was smiling and waving at the camera. “A grossly exaggerated account is being spread by the press and social media. I had some post migraine dizziness. Had a small incident, left the stage, and returned 10 minutes later and talked to the people, told them I was fine and sang them Wing and Because the night.”
The health scare came a month after Smith was ordered by a doctor to rest following a brief stay in an Italian hospital to deal with what was described as a sudden, unnamed illness, resulting in the cancellation of a pair of European shows.
Tickets for the Horses tour will go on sale on Friday (Feb. 14) at 10 a.m. local time, with a pre-sale slated to kick-off on Wednesday (Feb. 12) at 10 a.m. local time; click here for details and check out the full list of dates below.
Oct. 6 – Dublin, Ireland @ 3ArenaOct. 8 – Madrid, Spain @ Teatro RealOct. 10 – Bergamo, Italy @ ChorusLife ArenaOct. 12 – London, U.K. @ London PalladiumOct. 13 – London, U.K. @ London PalladiumOct. 15 – Brussels, Belgium @ Cirque RoyaleOct. 16 – Brussels, Belgium @ Cirque RoyaleOct. 18 – Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum SceneOct. 20 – Paris, France @ L’OlympiaOct. 21 – Paris, France @ L’OlympiaNov. 10 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount TheatreNov. 12 – Oakland, CA @ Fox TheatreNov. 13 – San Francisco, CA @ The MasonicNov. 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Walt Disney Concert HallNov. 17 – Chicago, IL @ The Chicago TheatreNov. 21 – New York, N.Y. @ The Beacon TheatreNov. 22 – New York, N.Y. @ The Beacon TheatreNov. 24 – Boston, MA @ The Orpheum TheatreNov. 28 – Washington D.C., The AnthemNov. 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met
Celebrating six decades of soul – from favorites by Stevie Wonder to The Weeknd and the Supremes to SZA – SiriusXM brought back the Billboard Top 500 R&B Countdown on Tuesday (Feb. 11). In honor of Black History Month, the countdown spotlights the top 500 R&B classics by Black artists spanning the past six decades […]
Cardi B was already not a huge fan of Donald Trump, but after the President became the first sitting commander in chief to attend a Super Bowl on Sunday (Feb. 9) the “WAP” rapper said he’s definitely on her nope list. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]