Music News

11 Jul 2024

Frankie Grande Shuts Down Hoax About Sister Ariana Grande Being a Cannibal: ‘She’s Vegan’

The internet may have gone a little bit too far this time with a joke about Ariana Grande, but luckily, her older brother Frankie Grande is shutting it down before it goes any farther.

After an online hoax accusing the pop star of being — of all things — a cannibal began to take off on social media, the actor took to X to set the record straight Thursday (July 11). “HAHAHAHAHAHA. Wow!” Frankie wrote, retweeting a post about the conspiracy. “This might be the most creative and lowest y’all have ever gone. Reaching new depths daily!”

“Listen, I know my sister’s been eating the girls up for years but this a bit extreme!” he continued. “Besides, she’s vegan. ? See you on tour! ?”

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The notion that Ariana is a people-eater appears to have started as a loose prank among fans who were simply following an internet trend. In recent months, people have jokingly attempted to deter others from buying tickets to their favorite artists’ concerts by posting outlandish allegations against those artists — all in jest — so that there’s plenty of seats left for them to choose from once they go on sale.

The latest iteration of the trend involving the “Yes, And?” singer spiraled out of control, however, when some people started to take the faux accusations seriously, with others even spreading false information that human remains were once found in Ariana’s home.

The chaos surrounding the vocalist’s upcoming tour — which hasn’t even been officially announced yet — comes a couple days after she confirmed on the Shut Up Evan podcast that she’s in the process of putting together a “mini little sampling” of shows in support of her Billboard 200-topping album Eternal Sunshine. “It’s something that my team and I are working on coming up with options for,” she added at the time. “It’s for a multitude of reasons not going to be a tour in the way that I used to tour.”

On the same episode, Ariana also confirmed that she’s working on a deluxe edition of Eternal Sunshine. “I’ve been inspired to write more songs and inclined to do this deluxe,” she noted. “I’m really tempted to put a creative button on this storytelling, and I have a lot of ideas.”

In the meantime, the Wicked star has a supportive big brother in her corner. Frankie has long been vocal in his support for his little sis, whom he celebrated in April on National Siblings Day.

“I want to take a moment to thank the BEST sister in the world for being there for me through thick and thin,” he wrote at the time, sharing a selfie with Ari. “From helping me with my sobriety journey to showing up for me at big moments in my life and career. You are the best sister anyone could ask for and I’m eternally proud of you and all the sunshine you continue to spread in this world.”

11 Jul 2024

Nickelback’s ‘How You Remind Me’ Leads Band’s Chart Return After Documentary Release

Nickelback’s catalog sports sizable gains following the June 16 U.S. Netflix premiere of the band’s career-spanning documentary, Hate to Love: Nickelback, with one of its signature songs ruling a Billboard chart dated July 13.

“How You Remind Me,” the group’s breakthrough 2001 hit, bounds in at No. 1 on the Hot Hard Rock Songs tally, as well as No. 12 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. (Older songs are eligible to rank on Billboard’s multimetric charts if placing in the top half and with a meaningful reason for their re-entries.)

In the tracking week ending July 4, “How You Remind Me” earned 5.1 million official U.S. streams, up 12%, and sold 2,000 downloads, up 171%, according to Luminate.

The song makes its first appearance on Hot Hard Rock Songs, which began in 2020, and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, which started in 2009. “How You Remind Me” was released on Nickelback’s third studio album, Silver Side Up, and became its to-date only No. 1 on the all-format Billboard Hot 100, ruling for four weeks in 2001-02.

While “How You Remind Me” is the only song from Nickelback’s catalog to reach the newest multimetric Billboard charts, the band’s music dots other surveys. “Rockstar,” from 2005’s All the Right Reasons, crowns Hard Rock Digital Song Sales (2,000 sold), where it’s followed by “How You Remind Me” at No. 2; “Photograph,” also from All the Right Reasons, at No. 4; “Someday,” from 2003’s The Long Road, at No. 8; and “Savin’ Me,” likewise from All the Right Reasons, at No. 9.

“How You Remind Me” also leads a pair of Nickelback tracks on Hard Rock Streaming Songs, lifting 4-3 as the survey’s Greatest Gainer. “Rockstar” follows as a re-entry at No. 23 via 3.1 million streams.

On the Top Hard Rock Albums tally, The Best of Nickelback: Volume 1, released in 2013, rises 3-2 thanks to 18,000 equivalent album units earned, a 30% jump. The 19-song compilation features each of the aforementioned tracks.

In all, Nickelback’s catalog received 28 million official on-demand U.S. streams in the week ending July 4, up 22% from 22.9 million in the week ending June 27.

Hate to Love: Nickelback premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2023 prior to its Netflix arrival.

The four-piece’s most recent album, Get Rollin’, was released in November 2022 and debuted at its No. 2 high on the Top Hard Rock Albums survey. It has earned 149,000 equivalent album units to date and spawned a No. 2-peaking Mainstream Rock Airplay hit in “San Quentin.”

11 Jul 2024

KCON L.A. Festival Featuring ZICO, NCT 127 & More to Broadcast Live on The CW Network

KCON is once again coming to Los Angeles, but fans won’t necessarily have to be anywhere near the City of Angels to experience performances from ZICO, NCT 127 and more K-pop stars.

On Thursday (July 11), the music festival announced that its main stage showcases will air live on The CW Network July 18, starting at 8 p.m. In addition to the “Any Song” singer and “Kick It” boy band, I-LAND 2, STAYC and ZEROBASEONE are also slated to take to the M Countdown performance area that day.

“This historic event marks the first time a K-pop performance show will be broadcast live in primetime on national television in the United States, a testament to the genre’s explosive global growth and the unwavering dedication of its fans,” reads a release.

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Though only its final day will be broadcasted, the three-day event will kick off July 26 at the LA Convention Center, Gilbert Lindsay Plaza and Crypto.com Arena. The lineup also features BIBI, BOYNEXTDOOR, INI, ENHYPEN, god and JO YURI in addition to several other K-pop artists spread out across four different stages.

JEON SOMI and K-drama actors Rowoon and Kim Soo Hyun will also be on hand to host live tapings of M Countdown, the weekly live performance program on the K-pop music channel Mnet, at the festival.

The latest iteration of KCON comes over a decade after the event launched in L.A. in 2012. Since then, it’s expanded to New York, Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi — as well as Germany, come September — allowing fans across the world to interact with South Korean music, food and culture.

Both one-day passes and full-festival tickets are available for purchase on KCON’s website.

11 Jul 2024

Eminem Returns to Alternative Airplay Chart After 21 Years With ‘Houdini’

Eminem’s “Houdini” achieves a feat that no single from the rapper had in over 20 years: make Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart.

The song bows at No. 35 on the ranking dated July 13, marking Eminem’s fifth appearance on the survey and first since “Lose Yourself,” which peaked at No. 14 in December 2002.

“Lose Yourself” logged an 18-week run on the chart, through February 2003. As such, the break between Eminem’s Alternative Airplay hits numbered 21 years and five months. That’s the longest between appearances since Kate Bush went over 28 years between January 1994 (“Rubberband Girl”) and June 2022 (“Running Up That Hill [A Deal With God]”), the latter charting after the 1985 classic’s synch in Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Eminem’s respite is the third-longest in Alternative Airplay’s nearly 36-year history, behind only Bush’s and Debbie Harry’s; the latter waited almost 29 years between “Kiss It Better” in 1990 and her featured turn on Just Loud’s “Soul Train” in 2018.

Eminem’s Alternative Airplay history extends before “Lose Yourself,” though it’s his highest peaking entry on the tally. He first reached the list with “My Name Is” in 1999 (No. 37), followed by “The Real Slim Shady” (No. 19, 2000) and “Without Me” (No. 15, 2002).

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“Houdini” has been described as evocative of many of those earlier Eminem singles, which is not lost on Kevin Weatherly, Audacy senior vp of programming and program director of KROQ Los Angeles. “This Eminem song has an instant familiarity, and it resonates with a large segment of our audience that was there when he arrived 20-plus years ago,” he tells Billboard. “Much like when we played him in the past, the response is mostly positive, but there are also some negatives. That said, we recognized the pop-culture moment and wanted to reflect it and be a part of it.”

KROQ played “Houdini” 21 times in the latest tracking week (July 28-July 4), sixth-most among stations on the Alternative Airplay panel, according to Mediabase.

KTCL Denver spun the song 29 times in that span, the fourth-most on the panel in that stretch; KKDO Sacramento led all stations with 38 plays. “One of my Jocks, B-Large, brought it to our music meeting for discussion,” KTCL program director Jeb “Nerf” Freedman tells Billboard. “We play four Eminem songs in catalog, so it makes sense to take a listen to the new song – but not every artist has a comeback this late in their career. Lucky for us, we constantly engage our audience with online surveys. When we tested it and it went through the roof, we knew they didn’t think of Eminem as just a part of history. Slim Shady is alive and well!

“It sounds a little weird hearing that Steve Miller melody on our station, but it certainly jumps out of the speaker at you. So far, it’s a massive hit.”

The Miller melody Freedman references is that of “Abracadabra,” the 1982 hit from The Steve Miller Band that topped the Billboard Hot 100; “Houdini” interpolates the song’s melody in its chorus.

Concurrently, “Houdini” lifts to a new No. 29 high on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart via 1.2 million audience impressions, up 21%, according to Luminate. Upon its debut in late June, it became Eminem’s first song on the list, which began in 2009.

“Houdini” boasts multi-format approval; in addition to its Alternative Airplay rank, it has so far reached No. 8 on Rhythmic Airplay, No. 16 on Pop Airplay, No. 18 on hot-rap-tracks and No. 32 on Adult Pop Airplay.

The track launched at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts dated June 15, as well as No. 2 on the all-format Billboard Hot 100. It holds at No. 16 on the latter list’s latest edition via 20.9 million radio audience impressions, 15.7 million official U.S. streams and 6,000 downloads sold.

“Houdini” is the lead single from The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace), Eminem’s 12th studio album, due Friday, July 12. One other song was released ahead of the album: “Tobey,” featuring Big Sean and BabyTron, which bows at No. 95 on the Hot 100.

11 Jul 2024

The Zombies’ Rod Argent Suffers Stroke, Announces Immediate Retirement From Touring

Rod Argent has suffered a stroke, leading to his immediate retirement from touring. The 79-year-old Zombies keyboardist is currently recovering at home after an overnight hospital stay, with doctors advising several months of rest and recuperation.

The news came in the form of a release from the band’s managers Chris Tuthill and Cindy da Silva Thursday (July 11), which notes that the group’s founding member had spent a weekend in London with his wife Cathy to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary as well as his birthday before his hospitalization. All upcoming performances on The Zombies’ schedule have now been canceled, including the band’s two festival shows in the U.K. slated for later this month. A fall 2024 U.S. tour had also been in the works prior to his stroke.

“He was already preparing to wind down his live performance schedule after health scares on recent tours,” the announcement read. “However, the stroke was an unmistakable warning sign that the risks are too great.”

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Though he will no longer be performing with the English rock trailblazers, Argent plans to continue writing and recording with bandmates Tom Toomey, Søren Koch, Colin Blunstone and Steve Rodford. According to Tuthill and da Silva, he’s “already been back at his piano for some much-needed “’Bach therapy.’”

Plus, The Zombies’ second annual Begin Here Festival in St Albans U.K. will continue as planned in November, although their performance will be replaced with a special show honoring Argent. At this time, the band’s team asks that fans sit tight with their tickets until they’ve “had time to regroup and announce new plans.”

Argent’s retirement from touring ends quite a run, with The Zombies getting their start in the early ’60s. He’d previously stepped away from the group in 1975 in order to focus on his family and being a songwriter, but agreed to temporarily fill in for a few shows in 1999 — something that turned into 25 more years of touring and recording with the band. The group has had two albums chart on the Billboard 200 — 1965’s self-titled release and 1969’s Odessey & Oracle — as well as five Billboard Hot 100 hits over the course of its career.

“Our last message is that if a classic artist that has made music you love is performing nearby, don’t miss the opportunity to see them,” Tuthill and da Silva’s message concludes. “You can sit on the couch and binge Netflix another day. The communal experience of a live performance by a veteran artist is a singular and joyous moment. These artists are treasures who have stood the test of time and are giving their all, but they are fragile human beings like all of us.”

11 Jul 2024

Eminem Calls ‘The Death of Slim Shady’ a ‘Conceptual Album,’ Implores Fans to Listen in Order

Eminem has revealed that his The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is a “conceptual album,” which appears to be the first of his Hall of Fame career.

With his 12th studio album set to arrive on Friday (July 12), the “Without Me” rapper gave fans a warning and some insight into his project that’s mere hours away.

Slim Shady took to X on Thursday (July 11), where he explained that he’s delivering a concept album, so the tracklist’s sequencing is intentional, meaning listeners should press play it listen to TDOSS in the order he decided to fully understand Em’s vision, and not skip around.

“Public service announcement: the ‘death of slim shady’ is a conceptual album, therefore, if you listen to songs out of order they might not make sense,” he wrote. “Enjoy.”

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While streaming can lead to listeners playing whichever songs they choose, fans flooded his replies, willing to oblige: “We will listen in order boss!”

There was also plenty of debate about Eminem’s last concept album or if he has one at all. The consensus seemed to be that he doesn’t have a true “conceptual album” all the way through, but 2009’s Relapse would qualify as the closest thing to it.

However, There’s been numerous occasions where his tracks have been connected conceptually in the past, like on Revival with “Castle” and “Arose.”

The Death of Slim Shady appears to revolve around killing off his signature alter ego. The project boasts 19 tracks, but features remain unknown.

Em kicked off the rollout of TDOSS with “Houdini,” which landed at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for his highest charting entry of the decade. He followed-up with “Tobey” featuring Big Sean and BabyTron, which debuted at No. 95 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Find Eminem’s tweet below and look for the album on Friday.

11 Jul 2024

Here’s How Much Travis Kelce Says Taylor Swift’s Super Bowl Suite Cost

Taylor Swift was one of the most newsworthy parts of the 2024 Super Bowl — outside of the actual game, of course. But according to Travis Kelce, it cost quite a pretty penny for her and her friends to be there.

In a clip from the new Netflix documentary Receiver, which premiered Wednesday (July 10), the 34-year-old Kansas City Chiefs tight end seemingly revealed the jaw-dropping price tag of the private suites at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas while conversing with the San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle ahead of the big game. When Kittle tells Kelce that he “can’t” swing a suite, the latter asks, “Why, ’cause they’re f–king 3 million dollars?”

“I didn’t know if you guys were teaming up with other players or something,” the New Heights host added, appearing to shake his head at the high cost.

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The episode was filmed before the Super Bowl, which ended with the Chiefs winning their second Lombardi trophy in a row. Kelce’s superstar girlfriend watched the game from one of the aforementioned suites alongside the athlete’s family and a list of friends that included Ice Spice, Lana Del Rey and Blake Lively.

Though there’s no telling how Kelce and the “Anti-Hero” singer may have split the bill, Swift almost definitely could’ve covered the cost on her own — it was first reported that the pop star had reached billionaire status in October 2023, six months after which Forbes confirmed the estimation.

Since the Super Bowl, Kelce has enjoyed much of his off-season by spending time with Swift on her global Eras Tour, which will next set up shop in Milan for two shows at San Siro July 13-14. His appearances on the trek may soon become fewer and farther between, though, as the Chiefs gear up for training camp this month.

11 Jul 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Addresses Complaints About Her ‘Espresso’ Lyrics While Trying Not to Scream on ‘Hot Ones’

Sabrina Carpenter is no stranger to spiciness in her lyrics, but in her chicken wings? She doesn’t fare quite as well.  

On the latest episode of First We Feast’s Hot Ones Thursday (July 11), the 25-year-old pop star answered questions about her skyrocketing career while eating hot chicken wings with host Sean Evans, and trying not to succumb to spice overload. Before the Scoville levels got too overwhelming, Carpenter addressed complaints about her Billboard Hot 100 top five hit “Espresso,” the main hook of which earned a barrage of memes when the track first dropped in April thanks to its slightly clunky syntax: “That’s that me espresso.” 

“So much of what I like is the punchline,” the singer told Evans. “If people don’t know the punchline, it’s like, waste. That’s how I feel about ‘me espresso.’ I’ve heard a lot of people that were like, ‘She should’ve said, That’s that blonde espresso, duh.’ And I’m like, ‘Well, yes. That is another song as well that deserves its spot in the world, but this one for me … ‘me espresso’ just felt like the right thing to say, and it rhymes with the line before it.” 

“I just think it’s so funny,” she continued, shrugging. “Maybe everyone’s right.” 

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The “Please Please Please” artist also opened up about how the success of her Emails I Can’t Send single “Nonsense” — which she almost always performs with an NSFW improvised outro tacked on at the end — has given her confidence before putting her love of The Beatles to work in a round of trivia. It was shortly after Evans asked Carpenter about her affinity for covering other artists’ songs during her live shows, however, that things started getting a little dicey. 

“That was so crazy … You just want to scream,” she exclaimed, exhaling heavy sighs while trying not to yell. She tried to hold it in, but just a few seconds later, she let out a loud, pained, “Oh my god!”  

“It’s really, really hot,” she added with tears in her eyes. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Has anyone ever sued you?” 

The episode comes about a month and a half ahead of Carpenter’s sixth studio album, Short N’ Sweet, which drops Aug. 23. “Notice I didn’t call it Short N’ Spicy because I like sweet things better,” she quipped through tears at the very end of the interview. 

Watch Carpenter on Hot Ones above. 

11 Jul 2024

Cypress Hill Turns ‘Simpsons’ Episode Into Reality With London Symphony Orchestra Performance

There are times when life can imitate art. Back in a May 1996 episode of The Simpsons, Cypress Hill teamed up with the London Symphony Orchestra. Now, nearly three decades later, they’ve turned that into a reality, and the long-running Fox show can take credit for predicting the future once again.

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B-Real, Sen Dog and the guys took the Royal Albert Hall stage in London on Wednesday night (July 10) alongside the London Symphony Orchestra for a classical one-time concert.

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Backed by a full orchestra, Cypress Hill put a jazzy twist on their catalog standouts such as “A to the K,” “Insane in the Brain,” “I Wanna Get High” and more.

The California-bred hip-hop crew was dressed to the nines in suits while they ran through their entire 1993 Black Sunday album. Fans were loving the 28-years-in-the-making collaboration, with the 5,000-person cap venue appearing to be full.

“It’s been something that we’ve talked about for many years since The Simpsons episode first aired,” B-Real relayed to BBC ahead of the performance. “So it’s very special for us. And it’s coming off the heels of our 30th anniversary for our Black Sunday album. We’ve played a lot of historical venues throughout our career and stuff like that, but nothing as prestigious as this.”

Black Sunday arrived in July 1993 and debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 261,000 album units sold in the first week. Triple-platinum lead single “Insane in the Brain” went on to crack the Billboard Hot 100 top 20, where it peaked at No. 19.

The “Homerpalooza” episode of The Simpsons aired on May 19, 1996, as the penultimate episode of season seven. Homer, Marge and the Simpson family head backstage at the Springfield Fairgrounds where Cypress Hill and other performers are hanging out. Event staff members are surprised to see the London Symphony Orchestra show up, and suspect that the cannabis-advocating crew may have had something to do with it. “Somebody ordered the London Symphony Orchestra. Possibly while high, Cypress Hill I’m looking in your direction,” they said.

After huddling up, Cypress agrees they may have done it, and see if the orchestra knows “Insane in the Brain” to deliver a classical rendition of their anthem on the animated show.

Watch clips from Cypress Hill’s live performance with the London Symphony Orchestra below:

11 Jul 2024

Jared McCain’s ‘Jus’ Know’ Dance Drives BlackMayo to No. 2 on TikTok Billboard Top 50

While Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby” remains at No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart for a ninth week, three songs reach the list’s top five for the first time after gaining on the July 13-dated survey.

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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity July 1-7. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.

Following “Million Dollar Baby” at No. 2 is BlackMayo’s “Jus’ Know,” which vaults from its No. 10 debut on the July 6 list. It remains driven by a dance trend, which was sent into overdrive after newly drafted NBA player Jared McCain posted multiple uploads dancing to the song, as well as Twitch star Kai Cenat.

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“Jus’ Know” concurrently sports a 192% jump in official U.S. streams to 584,000 in the week ending July 4, according to Luminate.

While Tinashe’s “Nasty” falls 2-3 on the chart, the rest of the top five is taken up by songs new to the region: Ian’s “Magic Johnson” and Prodbycpkshawn and Uglyandz’s “Yo Bunny” at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.

Both songs debuted on the July 6 tally, with “Magic Johnson” having started at No. 48. Released May 31, the song (from the rapper’s debut album Valedictorian) has been driven by lip-synch videos featuring the song as well as uploads soundtracked by a mashup that adds a bit of Chappell Roan’s “Hot to Go!” (specifically its countdown) to the sound.

“Magic Johnson” is up 5% to 5.1 million streams in the week ending July 4, holding at its No. 28 peak on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart as a result.

“Yo Bunny,” meanwhile, mostly benefits from a photo trend showing off users’ summer 2023 vs. summer 2024 looks, as well as a dance trend and videos showing off how they walk downhill vs. uphill.

The song rockets 38% to 1.2 million streams in the June 28-July 4 tracking week.

Two other songs reach the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10 for the first time, the first a debut in LeoStayTrill and Mr Reload It’s “Pink Lemonade (Str8 Reload),” which bows at No. 8 on the strength of lip-synch clips. Bbno$’s “It Boy” joins the song in the top 10 at No. 10, up from its No. 21 debut July 6, spurred by a variety of uploads, including recreations of its music video.

As the latest tracking week fell during the July 4 holiday in the U.S., Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” also pops onto the ranking at No. 11 thanks to creations surrounding the United States’ Independence Day, including from Keith’s account itself. 2024 marked the first July 4 without the country singer, who died Feb. 5 of cancer.

See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.