Music News

29 Jul 2024

Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Theme Park Hit by Flash Flooding During Thunderstorm

Dolly Parton‘s Dollywood Parks & Resorts experienced flash flooding on Sunday (July 28) as a heavy thunderstorm hit the area in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., over the weekend.

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The park released a statement saying, “This afternoon, Sunday, July 28, a strong thunderstorm caused flash flooding at Dollywood. With the assistance of Pigeon Forge Police and Fire Departments, park personnel directed guests to safety during the storm. At this time, one minor injury has been reported.”

The statement continued, “Dollywood is supporting guests whose vehicles were affected by this weather event, and cleanup crews have been deployed. The park is currently scheduled to open at noon on Monday, July 29. Park officials will continue to assess conditions and updates will be posted to our social media pages as additional information becomes available.”

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Billboard has reached out to Parton’s representatives for comment.

Video footage posted to social media showed the conditions at the park as attendees made their way out of Dollywood to their cars, with many walking through nearly waist-deep water. Other footage showed floodwaters running through the park’s main walkways.

Some news outlets reported that north of 4.5 inches of rain fell in the region in a short period of time, leading to the flooding at Dollywood. On Sunday, the Pigeon Forge Police Department noted that McCarter Hollow Road at the Dollywood entrance was briefly closed due to a road collapse.

Since 1986, Dollywood has drawn visitors from across the globe to experience the theme park rides, music shows and exhibits. The entertainment park has origins reaching to 1961, when Rebel Railroad first opened; the park then expanded and grew to become Dollywood. In 2023, Dollywood earned five Golden Ticket honors, with wins for best park, best guest experience, best kids area, best family coaster (for Big Bear Mountain) and best Christmas event (for Smoky Mountain Christmas).

See Dollywood’s statement about the flooding at the park below:

29 Jul 2024

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry Publishes Report on the Current State of Music Industry

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has published a report on its music industry.

The report is part of the Japanese government’s “Grand Design and Action Plan for a New Form of Capitalism 2024.” 

In this plan, several strategies for revitalizing the industry are listed, including “strengthening command structures within content creation industries,” “expansion of a global presence, as well as encouraging the creation and distribution of content that resonates with a global audience,” and “the development of an environment where creators can consistently focus on their work.”

Emphasizing the impact of digital transformation, METI’s 80 page report delves into shifts in consumer behavior, evolving distribution structures, and revenue models within the music industry. It also points out current issues the industry faces, such as lacking adequate personnel with digital marketing skills, and touches on the need for data that can accurately show the economic value of Japanese content, such as Billboard JAPAN’s “Japan Songs excl.Japan” chart.

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In addition, the report states that working in conjunction with other Japanese industries such as anime, fashion and cuisine, as well as foreign countries, is crucial for revitalizing the industry.

29 Jul 2024

Kamala Harris Slams Donald Trump With *NSYNC Reference on TikTok

Kamala Harris is gearing up for the presidential election in November, and she’s now a TikTok star.

The vice president took to the video sharing platform — on which she’s already accumulated 3.2 million followers — to share a clip on Saturday (July 27) featuring *NSYNC star Lance Bass. “Hey Kamala, what are we gonna say to Donald Trump in November?” Bass asks Harris in the selfie-style video.

“Bye, bye, bye,” the attorney-turned-politician tells the camera, in reference to *NSYNC’s 2000 hit of the same name. The track then begins to play as Bass does the well-known hand choreography for the “bye, bye, bye” line in the chorus.

“Ain’t no lie,” Harris captioned the post, another reference to a lyric in the song.

President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race against Donald Trump on July 21, subsequently endorsing Harris. Since then, countless party members, public figures and voters alike provided an outpouring of support for her last-minute campaign. “On behalf of the American people, I thank Joe Biden for his extraordinary leadership as President of the United States and for his decades of service to our country,” Harris wrote in a public response to the news. “I am honored to have the President’s endorsement and my intention is to earn and win this nomination.”

Harris has also become engrained in pop culture. Charli XCX posted on Twitter, “Kamala IS Brat,” and the Harris campaign responded by swapping in the Brat album’s lime green color and font on its official account. 

29 Jul 2024

XG’s Kinetic ‘Something Ain’t Right’ and 4 More Cool New Pop Songs This Week

Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered. These tracks from artists including Jorja Smith, Amy Shark, Tiësto and more will get you energized to take on the week.

Coolest Pop Song of the Week: XG, “Something Ain’t Right”



It’s been quite a few weeks for fans of Asian pop music in the U.S., with the historic Billboard 200 bows of Stray Kids and Jimin’s respective projects this week (following the No. 2 debut of ENHYPEN’s new album the prior week), YG Entertainment’s announcement that 2NE1 will reunite for a world tour, and the return of KCON L.A. boasting a mix of new and veteran stars. There’s a lot of new music to appreciate now, and more to look forward to; let’s add XG’s high-velocity new single, “Something Ain’t Right,” and the J-pop girl group’s second mini-album, which is due out Nov. 8, to that list.

XG arrived in 2022 with a healthy amount of promise, as singles like “Tippy Toes” and “Mascara” demonstrated the Japanese collective’s ability to combine hip-hop, dance, pop and R&B in ways that recalled the modern K-pop superstars but felt specifically tailored to their singular skills. Cocona, Maya, Jurin and Harvey can rap their faces off as needed, and Juria, Chisa and Hinata possess the vocal power to trade off hooks and harmonies. “Shooting Star” and “Left Right” elevated XG (short for “Xtraordinary Girls”) ahead of their first mini-album, last year’s New DNA, and after a handful of stopgap singles in 2024, “Something Ain’t Right” announces the invigoration next iteration of the group’s identity.

The single nods toward garage and house music, but “Something Ain’t Right” most viscerally harkens back to late ‘90s rhythmic pop, with a beat that artists like Mya, 3LW and Blaque would have devoured back in the day. Instead, XG revamps that workout-ready bounce for a new take on “Say My Name”-esque relationship suspicions: “Something ain’t right/ You’ve been acting funny lately/ You ain’t gotta lie/ Got mе out here looking crazy!” Chisa wails, the final word spinning upward and out of her grasp.

“Something Ain’t Right” hits the gas early and glides through rolled-eyes rap verses and pleading bridges, efficient in its synthesis of romantic betrayal. Yet the strongest aspect of the track is how much more we understand XG, and the way that its seven members are deployed individually and collectively. After ramping up their streams and followers over the past two years, the group has returned with an established sense of self and an understanding of the pop mode in which they can best operate. It’s a crowded landscape, but XG is worth seeking out and appreciating.

Here are some more new pop songs worth checking out this week…

29 Jul 2024

Blxst Announces 2024 I’ll Always Come Find You Tour: See the Dates

Blxst will always come find his fans in whichever city they’re in during the I’ll Always Come Find You Tour, which he announced on Monday (July 29).

Leon Thomas, Joyce Wrice and Joony will join as special guests. Wrice and Joony are featured on Blxst’s debut album, I’ll Always Come Find You, on “Better Off Friends” and “Thousand Hours,” respectively. Blxst linked up with Thomas on the remix of the latter’s “Crash & Burn” in October. The 30-date jaunt will kick off on Oct. 1 at Houston’s House of Blues and go through major cities including Dallas, Atlanta, New York, Toronto, Chicago and his Los Angeles hometown before wrapping on Dec. 5 at Honolulu’s The Republik. Zacari will join Blxst in Hawaii following their recent “Bless Her Heart” collaboration from the former’s debut album, Bliss.

Blxst released I’ll Always Come Find You on July 19 via Evgle and Red Bull Records. The 20-track concept project — organized into four volumes of five songs each and told from the perspective of Birdie, a young man who inherits his father’s chauffeur car service upon his sudden passing — contains additional collaborations with 2 Chainz (“Paper Route”), Amanda Reifer (“Long Way”), Fatman Scoop (“Too Many Friday Nights”), Offset (“Risk Taker”), Anderson .Paak (“Dance With The Devil”), Feid and Becky G (“Rewind”), Ty Dolla $ign (“I Need Your Love”) and Kamasi Washington (“Ten Summers or Better”).

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“I been dreaming big! I’m thinking, like, how can we make it a play on stage? Bring the characters from the short film on the tour, where they can pop out and give a monologue,” Blxst recently told Billboard when asked about the tour.

In collaboration with Education Is Key, $1 from each ticket sold will be donated to provide scholarships for inner-city students in L.A. Education Is Key is a non-profit that hosts annual community events throughout L.A., and offers mentorship programs for high-school students, with the goal of empowering and developing self-sustainability among L.A.’s youth as they transition into young adults.

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning Tuesday, July 30, at 10 a.m. local time until Thursday, Aug. 1, at 10 p.m. local time through the Citi Entertainment program. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning Friday, Aug. 2, at 10 a.m. local time on LiveNation’s website. Sign up for exclusive first presale access here.

See the dates for Blxst’s I’ll Always Come Find You Tour below.

29 Jul 2024

Selena Gomez Shuts Down Plastic Surgery Speculation: ‘Leave Me Alone’

Selena Gomez has had enough of the chatter about her appearance. The 32-year-old pop star recently sounded off in the comments after coming across a video on TikTok discussing the “changes” in her face over the years, revealing that she’s not had any work done beyond injections.

“Honestly I hate this,” wrote Gomez, who’s been open about her struggles with Lupus. “I was on stripes because of [a] flare up. I have Botox. That’s it.”

“Leave me alone,” she added.

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The video’s creator, Marissa — whose bio indicates she works as a PA at a plastic surgery center in Florida — never specified what procedures she thinks Gomez has undergone, telling followers that she doesn’t know “what to attribute any of these changes to” while showing a side-by-side comparison of younger vs. slightly older Selena. “I think she’s been through so much in her life, especially medically related, so I don’t think it’s fair to speculate whether or not she’s gotten cosmetic things done,” the user added in the original clip. “At the end of the day, let’s just leave her be.”

Upon seeing Gomez’s comment, Marissa made a follow-up video apologizing for any hurt feelings her initial post caused. “Although I always try to lead with grace and mindfulness, I am sorry this upset you,” she wrote in her caption.

Once again, the Rare Beauty founder weighed in via the replies. “I love you,” Gomez wrote. “Not about you. I just get sad sometimes.”

Gomez has long been vocal about her experiences with mental health and body-shaming, especially after revealing that she’d been diagnosed with Lupus in 2015. She touched on how her weight often fluctuates due to the medication she takes for the autoimmune disorder on the Apple TV+ series Dear… last year, saying haters “couldn’t wait to find a thing to bring me down” once her body started changing.

“I would go online and post a picture of myself and I would say, ‘It doesn’t matter, I’m not accepting what you’re saying,’” she added at the time. “All the while being in the room posting that, crying my eyes out, ’cause nobody deserves to hear those things.”

29 Jul 2024

Justin Bieber Can’t Stop Smiling As He Cradles Hailey Bieber’s Baby Bump

Baby, baby, baby do the Biebers seem so excited to welcoming their first child together! As Justin Bieber and wife Hailey Bieber appear to be sharing their final moments of alone time on a babymoon before the upcoming arrival of their first born, Justin posted an adorable video of the happy couple.

In the brief clip cued to Gunna’s “Time Reveals, Be Careful What You Wish For,” Justin — wearing a lime green wool cap, white t-shirt and dark jeans, stands behind Hailey — dressed in a belly hugging pale yellow maternity maxi dress and white shades — as he caresses her very pregnant belly and smiles while whispering something unheard into her ear.

Though it’s unclear where the couple went for their getaway, or when, exactly, their baby is due, over the weekend Justin posted some more dreamy pics in which the pair appear to be having a blast. The Biebers revealed they were expecting a child in May, and on Friday Justin dropped another gallery of new pics on Instagram in which the 30-year-old singer cuddled up to the 27-year-old model, opening with the pair flipping the middle finger to the camera. In other snaps, Beiber lays his head on Hailey’s stomach and they both smile for the camera while cruising on a golf cart.

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In a recent cover story, Hailey spoke about her pregnancy with W Magazine, explaining why she decided to share her special secret with the world. “I probably could have hid it until the end, but I didn’t enjoy the stress of not being able to enjoy my pregnancy outwardly,” Bieber said of announcing her pregnancy at the six-month mark. “I felt like I was hiding this big secret, and it didn’t feel good. I wanted the freedom to go out and live my life.”

And, as evidenced by the pictures from the weekend, the happy parents-to-be are making the most of their time as a twosome. “I’m trying to soak in these days of it being Justin and me, just the two of us,” Hailey told W.

See the video of the sweet moment below.

29 Jul 2024

Snoop Dogg Does Affirmations With Suni Lee, Cheers on Simone Biles at 2024 Olympics

If Simone Biles and Suni Lee win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, they’ll have Snoop Dogg to thank … kind of. 

The rapper spent part of the Summer Games’ first weekend cheering on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, part of which involved a little spiritual coaching with Lee. In a video posted Monday (July 29), Snoop incredulously discusses the seemingly impossible physics of doing flips on the balance beam with the 21-year-old gold medalist before leading her in a round of affirmations, starting with “I have trained my entire life for the Olympics” and “I look great wearing gold.”  

The musician then hilariously butchers a French phrase as Lee laughs: “Mon saut de main arrière est plus haut que la Tour Eiffel,” which translates to, “My somersault is higher than the Eiffel Tower.” 

The day prior, Snoop watched Team USA compete in women’s qualifications at Bercy Arena, which ended with Biles and Lee finishing first and second in the all-around, respectively. The ladies collectively earned 172.296 points and will advance to the finals on Tuesday (July 30). 

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During the competition, the “Drop It Like It’s Hot” artist sported a T-shirt with Biles’ face on it. At one point, even he couldn’t believe what he was seeing as he watched the athlete nail one of the most difficult tricks in all of gymnastics, doing a back handspring off the vault before completing two solid backflips mid-air and landing on her feet. 

As she soared, the Doggfather hilariously removed his sunglasses with his eyes wide with disbelief, shaking his head, as captured in a video shared on Instagram. 

Snoop will be on site in Paris for the next two weeks as one of NBC’s correspondents, providing on-the-ground coverage of the Games. He hit the ground running on the day of the event’s Opening Ceremony, participating in the torch relay‘s final leg before giving on-air commentary during the parade of nations on the Seine Friday (July 26). 

Watch Snoop Dogg do affirmations with Suni Lee below. 

29 Jul 2024

Swae Lee Faces Backlash After Telling Fans Not to Vote for Kamala Harris

Swae Lee doesn’t typically dabble in the political world, but felt compelled to speak out against Kamala Harris over the weekend, and is now facing the heat. The Rae Sremmurd frontman blasted the vice president while urging his fans not to vote for the likely Democratic nominee for president.

“Do not vote for Kamala !!! Do your research on that whole camp,” Swae Lee tweeted on Saturday (July 27). His message quickly went viral and currently boasts more than 86,000 likes.

The “Sunflower” crooner complained about the alleged millions of dollars in taxes he pays that he says is being sent to other countries such as Ukraine during the country’s war with Russia.

“I pay over millions in tax dollars every year this man Sent it to A whole nother country !!!!!!!!! Those lil dollars that come off your checks they gave it away !!!!!!! Think about that s-t,” he added.

Swae Lee believes that money would be better suited in the U.S. to help out struggling citizens.

“The money we sent away every American citizen could’ve got minimal 200 grand think about that but I guess we don’t need the s–t and yall standing for Kamala,” he continued. “My black people she don’t do nothing but sign off on things against yall ….(us) voting just cuz you think she’s black is not going to end in your favor.”

The 31-year-old also reposted a 2019 debate featuring Republican Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard shredding Harris’ time as district attorney of San Francisco. “Y’all better pay attention! And there’s a lot more,” Swae wrote.

Plenty of debate broke out on both sides in Swae Lee’s replies. Higher Learning podcast host Van Lathan believes rappers have too much influence over public opinion to be miseducated on political matters.

“We need a once a year Hip Hop political convention, I’m deada–. Non partisan, in a Black city, no media,” he wrote. “Rappers have far too much cultural influence to be so consistently misinformed.”

Another pointed out some of the inaccuracies in the musician’s tweets. “Kamala Harris has fought for criminal justice reform, healthcare, and economic equality,” responded a user named Maja Porter. “Voting isn’t just about race; it’s about who can bring real change. Let’s vote for policies that benefit all Black Americans and ensure a better future for everyone.”

“Actually, the Biden and Harris administration has been in office for a little over three years, not four,” Porter continued. “During this time, they’ve made progress on several fronts, including passing the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve roads, bridges, and public transportation, and taking steps to address climate change by promoting clean energy and reducing carbon emissions.”

“And the number grows of d-list ‘celebrities’ who want a Trump tax cut and are willing to sell us for it,” tweeted another user in response.

Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and quickly endorsed his VP on July 21; Harris is expected to be the Democratic party’s nominee. She’s already received numerous endorsements from artists as Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo, Questlove, Lizzo, John Legend, Demi Lovato and more.

See Swae Lee’s tweets about not voting for Kamala Harris below.

29 Jul 2024

Watch Flavor Flav Meet & Hug Dr. Jill Biden While Cheering Women’s Water Polo at the 2024 Olympics

Flavor Flav‘s official Olympic hype-man duties included personally greeting Dr. Jill Biden at the U.S. women’s water polo match Saturday (July 27). 

In a sweet video shared by the rapper on social media, he excitedly cheers as the first lady and her family enter the premises, immediately wrapping her in a hug. Both were there to root on the women’s team — which Flav is sponsoring this year — as the American athletes faced off against Greece in Paris.  

“These girls are my girls, they work hard,” he tells Dr. Biden after hugging each of her grandkids. “They got three back-to-back gold medals. I’m just trying to cheer them on to get that No. 4.” 

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“I love all the support Women’s Water Polo is getting,” Flav captioned the clip on X. “Ya boy is so appreciative that the First Lady came to the First Game . THANK YOU @flotus Dr. Jill Biden for all the support of you and your family ????” 

Retweeting his post, FLOTUS added, “The duo you didn’t know you needed. Love you @FlavorFlav and thank you for all of your support for women’s @USAWP ? Let’s go @TeamUSA!” 

The Public Enemy musician has been with the women’s water polo team since the Olympics kicked off Friday (July 26) following a theatrical four-hour opening ceremony on the Seine, which included an aquatic parade of nations and an inventive cauldron lighting. Flav — who has signed a five-year sponsorship deal for both the men’s and women’s U.S. water polo teams — first started backing the female athletes in May after coach and three-time gold-medal-winning captain Maggie Steffens called for support on social media. He’s since gifted each member of the team $1,000 plus a Virgin Voyage cruise, and he represented Team USA at a recent Olympic press conference. 

Watch Flavor Flav meet Dr. Jill Biden below.