Music News

09 Jul 2024

Lena Dunham Says She Feels ‘Protective’ of Taylor Swift in ‘Every Single Way’

Lena Dunham and Taylor Swift have been friends for over a decade, meaning the screenwriter has seen the pop star face  

That’s why the former feels extra cautious when it comes to safeguarding her longtime pal from intrusive people, she told The New Yorker in a Q&A published Tuesday (July 9). “I’m always very careful to be protective of her in every single way,” she told the publication. “Probably the two things I get asked most in life are ‘What is Taylor like?’ and ‘Can I have tickets to the Eras Tour?’ And usually my answer to both things is no, but I will say that she’s everything that you would want her to be.”  

“She’s kind, she’s devoted, she’s introspective, she’s emotional, she’s funny as f–k,” the Girls alum continued. “I guess my feeling sometimes is, ‘Isn’t she giving us enough, guys?’” 

The Golden Globe winner also reflected on the intense public scrutiny Swift faced earlier in her career, particularly in 2014 at what was then the peak of her fame. At the time, the “Anti-Hero” singer started to receive criticism for her large friend group — dubbed “The Squad,” of which Dunham was a part – on top of speculation about her dating life that she’d already been experiencing for years. 

Trending on Billboard

“She was having the exact experience that is standard for a woman in their twenties, which is finding who your people are,” Dunham recalled. “But there was just an examination of it that was so microscopic, and a set of standards that were so outlandish.” 

Elsewhere in the interview, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star said she’s trying to catch an Eras Tour show in London after previously seeing the show in Boston and Pittsburgh — “It’s my church,” she joked – and revealed which of Swift’s eras is her favorite. 

“If you’re going to be misunderstood, why not take it all the way?” Dunham said. “I think that’s one of the reasons why Reputation is my favorite Taylor era, because it’s so much about ‘If you’re not going to see me, if you’re going to so refuse to understand what’s in front of you and what I’m trying to say, then why don’t I just put on a black catsuit and move it all the way over to villain mode?”  

“Even since before Taylor and I were friends, I just always had felt such a deep connection to her music,” she added.  

Swift and Dunham’s friendship dates back to 2012, when the pair connected over Twitter after the latter tweeted that the former’s Red album was “triumphant.” Two years later, the actress joined the 14-time Grammy winner onstage during her 1989 World Tour.

In 2021, Swift was a bridesmaid in Dunham’s wedding to British-Peruvian musician Luis Felber.

“I’ve been obsessed with Taylor Swift since her first song,” Dunham gushed in a 2014 interview. “‘Teardrops on My Guitar’ was the first one I became familiar with, but I think she’s been a fully formed creative voice since she was 15 and really does sing my story.”

09 Jul 2024

Hot 100 First-Timers: Yuki Chiba, Loco & BabyTron All Score First Entries Thanks to Collaborations

Yuki Chiba, Loco and BabyTron all notch their first career entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated July 13) thanks to a series of A-list collaborations.

Yuki Chiba is already established in the Japanese hip-hop scene, but he earns his first crossover hit in the United States thanks to his featured appearance on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Mamushi.” Released June 28 on her third studio album Megan, the song debuts at No. 68 on the Hot 100 with 7.3 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week, according to Luminate. It also starts at No. 18 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 21 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The bilingual track features Megan dishing a few bars in Japanese. (Megan debuts at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.)

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The Japanese-Korean artist, who primarily releases music under the name KOHH (his father’s surname), hails from Oji, Kita, Tokyo, and has been releasing music for over a decade. He has released six studio LPs (all as KOHH), most recently The Lost Tapes in 2022. Before “Mamushi,” Yuki Chiba had appeared on Billboard’s charts with Dirt II (Side A), which reached No. 14 on World Albums in July 2016.

Trending on Billboard



Loco (real name: Kwon Hyuk-woo) makes his Hot 100 arrival thanks to his new track with Jimin, “Smeraldo Garden Marching Band.” The song, released June 28 via BigHit Music/Geffen/ICLG, debuts at No. 88 with 6.8 million U.S. streams and 11,000 sold. It also launches at No. 3 on Digital Song Sales, as well as No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales, earning Loco his first leader and Jimin his fifth (apart from BTS).

Loco, from South Korea, has been releasing solo music for over a decade, including two studio albums — Bleached in 2017 and Weak in 2023, with the former reaching No. 7 on World Albums. The rapper has additionally charted four tracks on World Digital Song Sales, including three top 10s: “Can’t Help Myself” (by Eric Nam featuring Loco; No. 4 peak), “Young” (with Baekhyun; No. 4) and “All I Wanna Do” (by Jay Park featuring Hoody and Loco; No. 9).

BabyTron (aka, James Johnson IV) likewise reaches the Hot 100 for the first time, thanks to his co-billed turn on Eminem’s “Tobey,” also with Big Sean. Released July 2 on Shady/Aftermath/Interscope/ICLG, the song debuts at No. 95 after just three days of tracking. It earned 5 million streams and sold 3,000 units. The song concurrently opens at No. 23 on Hot Rap Songs and No. 26 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

BabyTron, from Ypsilanti, Mich., is a member of hip-hop trio ShittyBoyz. He has also released five solo albums and multiple mixtapes, three of which have charted on the Billboard 200: Bin Reaper 3: Old Testament (No. 69 peak in 2022), Bin Reaper 3: New Testament (No. 100; 2023) and MegaTron II (No. 43; 2023).

09 Jul 2024

Rema Announces Sophomore Album ‘HEIS’

Rema announced on Monday (July 8) that he’ll release his sophomore album, HEIS, on Friday, July 11.

He shared an animation of himself wearing a gold, emerald-embellished bat chain, with bats flying around him in his fiery environment. “second Album ‘HEIS’ 7/11,” he captioned the clip with the bat and blood-drop emojis.

The Afrorave superstar (real name Divine Ikubor) dropped the Shallipopi-assisted “Benin Boys” single last month, which debuted at No. 13 on Billboard‘s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart last week (dated July 6). He also released the single “HEHEHE” on Sunday, July 7. Rema released his debut album, Rave & Roses, in March 2022, which included his breakthrough smash “Calm Down” that later received a remix with Selena Gomez.

“Calm Down” reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped U.S. Afrobeats Songs (for a record-setting 58 weeks), Adult Pop Airplay (two weeks), Pop Airplay (five weeks), Rhythmic Airplay (four weeks) and World Digital Song Sales (32 weeks). It won best Afrobeats song at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, best collaboration at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards and best Afrobeats at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, among many other accolades.

Since Rave & Roses, Rema has released a Ravage EP and collaborated with many artists such as Ice Spice, performing their “Pretty Girl” track together for the first time on Saturday Night Live in October, and Feid, earning Rema his first chart appearance and No. 1 on Latin Airplay at the beginning of the year.

Trending on Billboard

See Rema’s HEIS album announcement below.

09 Jul 2024

Jenni Rivera’s Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Vandalized Shortly After Its Reveal

Just two weeks after its unveiling by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Hollywood Walk of Fame star dedicated to the late Jenni Rivera was vandalized with black paint.

Famously known as La Diva de La Banda, the Mexican-American singer was honored with a star on the illustrious walkway in front of Capitol Records on June 27. By Monday afternoon (July 8), Rivera’s daughter Jacquelin Marin Rivera — who serves as CEO of Jenni Rivera Enterprises — reported to her Instagram followers via a series of Instagram Stories that the star had been smeared with black paint, alongside another star dedicated to the late legend Selena Quintanilla.

“Through a fan from Texas, I found out they vandalized my mom’s star in Hollywood,” Rivera said in Spanish via her stories. “They went to visit and when they got there, it was completely covered in black paint. Obviously I was angry, I was pissed off. But they sent me pictures and videos, and the fans started cleaning up the stars. It was not only my mom’s star that was vandalized, but also Selena’s, and they cleaned both stars as best they could. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce who are in charge of taking care of the stars are already cleaning them professionally.”

Trending on Billboard

Both artists proudly showcased their Mexican-American heritage through their music, and largely contributed to the global reach of Latin music. Selena Quintanilla was murdered in 1995, and Jenni Rivera died in a plane crash in 2012.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame Instagram account stated that they have dispatched Terrazzo star maker Vince to conduct repairs. They expressed gratitude towards fans who attempted to clean the star and reported the incident. They also noted that the area is under surveillance with numerous cameras and that a police report has been filed.

“I cannot with this. Smh,” commented Chiquis Rivera, Jenni Rivera’s other daughter, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Instagram post. “Thank you for my momma’s fans that took the time to help clean it up. Shame on the person/people who did this.”

Jenni Rivera entered more than 30 songs on the Regional Mexican Airplay, 15 of those hit the top 10. On the Hot Latin Songs chart, she placed a total of 25 songs, two hit the top 10: “Ahora Que Estuviste Lejos” and “La Misma Gran Señora.”

See the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s post below:

09 Jul 2024

Sophie Turner Shares Her ‘Hot Girl Summer’ Activities Post Joe Jonas Split

Sophie Turner is living her best hot girl summer.

The Game of Thrones superstar sat down with Harper’s Bazaar for a story published this week, in which she revealed that her summer plans are full of spending time with friends as well as her two daughters, whom she shares with ex-husband Joe Jonas: three-year-old Willa and one-year-old Delphine. “My recipe for a hot-girl summer is pretty much playing with my kids, hanging out with my best friends, drinking some cocktails—you know, which ones—and enjoying the sun, long may it last. As long as the sun’s out, I’m a happy chap,” she told the publication.

Elsewhere in the interview, she shared what she’s into style-wise. “My summer aesthetic is the three Cs: cool, chic, and comfy. I don’t want any underboob sweat,” she revealed. “I’ve been going on Depop a lot. That’s where I get most of my clothes now. It’s sustainable, but it’s actually quite unhealthy because now I scroll through it like a person would scroll through Instagram; it’s equally addicting, and it sets me up for bankruptcy.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Turner’s hot girl summer comes less than a year after Jonas filed for divorce in September. At the time, the duo shared a joint statement calling the split a “united decision” and writing, “We have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage.” However, shortly after, Turner sued Jonas for the “wrongful retention” of their two children in New York. They soon tentatively resolved their custody battle after a four-day mediation period. “After a productive and successful mediation, we have agreed that the children will spend time equally in loving homes in both the U.S. and the UK.,” they said in a joint statement shared with Billboard. “We look forward to being great co-parents.”

Trending on Billboard

The former couple met in 2016, and married in two ceremonies in 2019. The first was a surprise Las Vegas wedding in May that they held immediately after attending the Billboard Music Awards, where the Jonas Brothers had just performed. They then threw a lavish wedding at the end of June in Southern France.

09 Jul 2024

TDE’s Ab-Soul Believes ‘Redemption’ Is Possible for Drake Following Kendrick Lamar Feud

Ab-Soul is always representing for Top Dawg Entertainment, but he believes redemption is possible for Drake in the wake of the fallout of the 6 God’s feud with Kendrick Lamar.

Soul, a longtime Kendrick Lamar affiliate, took to X on Tuesday morning (July 9) to get some thoughts off about Drake and the beef, which he deemed to be not a “rap battle,” but “scripture.”

While he was always riding with K. Dot and the West Coast, the TDE rapper thinks there’s a path back to the top for Drizzy thanks to his potent skillset. “If Drake is the MC I imagine he can be. Redemption is not off the table,” he wrote.

Trending on Billboard

Fans were surprised to see Soul sticking up for Drake, as a heated back-and-forth broke out in his replies while the tweet went viral.

“After the 2Pac AI verse? Nah. the moment he did that he lost the battle forever. I hear you But that settles it for me,” one person wrote.

Another said, “It’s genuinely hilarious how yall talking like he got outrapped but when yall remove this obvious bias yall have it can def be argued that he won the war of bars.”

Soul continued to clarify, “Key word ‘MC.’” He also made sure to explain he was backing Kendrick when it came to the rap war, as he didn’t want his rant taken out of context.

“But b4 my rant gets out of context. He could never Fucc wit da Gang’Nem on sum rap shyt. That was Never a question,” the 37-year-old declared. “We could still ‘potentially’ match ‘artistry’. (Removing my obvious personal/educated bias).”

Ab-Soul also hit the stage to help Lamar perform the live debut of his “6:16 in L.A.” Drake diss at the Pop Out concert on Juneteenth. In the past, they’ve connected on tracks such as “P&P 1.5,” “Illuminate” and “Ab Souls Outro.”

The consensus (including Billboard‘s) was that Kendrick Lamar was the winner in the Drake feud, and he’s continued to take a victory lap this summer. Dot delivered the “Not Like Us” video on July 4, which could give the diss track a boost on next week’s Hot 100, where it sits at No. 3.

Find Ab-Soul’s tweets about Drake and Kendrick below.

09 Jul 2024

Quavo Teases ‘Huncho Jack 2’ Sequel With Travis Scott

Quavo and Travis Scott released their Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho joint project to close out 2017, and there are rumblings the duo is looking to spin the block for a sequel seven years later.

The Migos rapper previewed a melodic unreleased collaboration with Travis Scott while cruising on a luxurious speedboat off the coast of Miami on Monday (July 8). “Thinkin HJ2 ? Tag Jack,” Quavo wrote while teasing the sequel.

Fans were ecstatic at the idea of Huncho and La Flame reuniting for another project, and expressed that in his comments section.

Trending on Billboard

“Things i would do for them to run this shi back 7 years later,” one person wrote, while another said, “We need it big bro the first one was an underrated classic!”

Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho arrived in December 2017 boasting 13 tracks with features from Migos running mates Offset and Takeoff, who died in November 2022.

The joint LP debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 90,000 album-equivalent units in the first week, which was good enough to reach the top spot on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts.

Quavo and Travis are no strangers to collaborating and have teamed up on tracks such as the Migos’ “Kelly Price” and “Give No Fxk.” They exchanged features on “Oh My Dis Side” and “Rerun,” and both appeared on other artists’ tracks, such as Major Lazer’s “Know No Better,” Drake’s “Portland,” Ye’s “Champions” posse cut, Lil Baby’s “Hats Off” and more.

It’s been a busy start to the summer for the Atlanta trapper. Showing off his versatility, Huncho headed to the countryside to team up with Lana Del Rey for a Western-trap collab titled “Tough,” which arrived on July 3.

Watch the clip of Quavo teasing sequel with Travis Scott below.

09 Jul 2024

Eminem Brings Out the Body Bag to Reveal ‘The Death of Slim Shady’ Album Cover Art

Eminem’s The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) is just days away, and the “Lose Yourself” rapper raised anticipation surrounding his 12th studio LP when revealing the album’s cover art.

The Detroit dignitary took to social media on Tuesday (July 9) to post the official album artwork, which finds Em wide-eyed while getting zipped up into a body bag.

Eminem appears to be killing off an older version of himself as evidenced by the album title. The cover features a more youthful-looking Slim Shady featuring his vintage blond-bleached hair.

Trending on Billboard

“THE DEATH OF SLIM SHADY (COUP DE GRÂCE)…Friday,” he wrote. The album’s title is inscribed on the cover art with alternating vibrant colors, with the hues and scribble of his alter ego’s name similar to that on The Slim Shady LP cover.

The Eminem hive couldn’t contain their excitement as they hyped up the artwork and upcoming LP in his X replies. “THIS WILL BE A CLASSIC,” one confident fan declared. Others are hoping that a tracklist reveal is up next from Em.

Another proclaimed: “Not enough body bags for the whole industry when that album drop!”

The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) will finally arrive on Friday (July 12). Eminem has dropped off a pair of singles ahead of the project. “Houdini” gave Em his highest charting Billboard Hot 100 entry of the decade when it debuted at No. 2.

He took it back to his roots when Detroit rappers BabyTron and Big Sean joined him on “Tobey.” Cole Bennett directed the bloody visual for the upcoming album’s second single, with the video arriving on Monday (July 8). The Lyrical Lemonade boss revealed that the track started off with just BabyTron before inviting Sean Don and ultimately Eminem into the fold, who loved it so much that he turned it into a single leading into his 12th album.

Check out The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce) cover art below.

09 Jul 2024

Tay Lautner Celebrates One Year of Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now’ Re-Record & ‘I Can See You’ Premiere

Tay Lautner is still wonderstruck over Taylor Swift‘s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) premiere, one year later.

In an Instagram post Monday (July 8), the podcaster — who is married to actor Taylor Lautner — gushed about her experience in the pop star’s orbit ahead of the re-recorded album’s 2023 release. “One year ago??,” she wrote. “A core memory of mine with some amazing humans.”

The Squeeze host shared photos with Swift and the Twilight star from the set of the singer’s “I Can See You” music video, which premiered on the same day Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) dropped exactly one year prior. The actor played a secret agent who helps bust Swift out of a symbolic solitary confinement cell in the visual, and he later joined the pop superstar and costars Joey King and Presley Cash on stage at the Eras Tour in Kansas City to play the project for the audience on July 8 last year.

Tay, whose maiden name is Dome, also included a clip of her partner back-flipping onto the stage moments before the video’s premiere. “Getting to see my husband do what he is so good at on a jumbo screen with 70,000 swifties screaming out of sheer excitement was such a surreal moment and one I hold onto dearly,” she added.

Trending on Billboard

The influencer has long been open about her love for Swift, something that has not been curbed in the slightest by her husband’s past romance with the 14-time Grammy winner (the pair briefly dated in 2009 before Swift ended things). “She is truly unbelievable. She can do it all,” Tay said of the musician on The Squeeze last year. “Honestly, the most impressive thing about her is that she is such a genius, and she does do it all, but you would never think so just talking to her. She’s the most humble person I’ve ever encountered.”

Swift has also sung the Lautners’ praises, calling them two of her “close friends” during the “I Can See You” premiere in Kansas City. After the visual dropped, she also wrote on Instagram, “Taytay is INCREDIBLE in this (didn’t have a stunt double!) and shout out to Tay Lautner for being so awesome to hang with on set.”

09 Jul 2024

Billie Eilish & Finneas Reveal the Biggest Argument They Had While Making ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’

In between being hit hard and soft — but mostly hard — by varying levels of spiciness on First We Feast’s latest Hot Ones Versus episode Tuesday (July 9), Billie Eilish and Finneas opened up about disagreements they had while making the former’s new album Hit Me Hard and Soft together.

“He’s a lot of times barefoot, a lot of the times in very filthy shoes,” the 22-year-old singer began, miming how her older brother would put his feet up on the sound board right in front of her. “My face is right there. And actually we filmed so much in making the album that almost all the footage is his feet and then me.”

That said, the 26-year-old producer revealed that another conflict during the album-recording process takes the cake. “I think the longest, biggest argument was during a period of transition in maybe both of our lives where we were just trying to be kind of honest,” he shared as his younger sister nodded in agreement. “To give [Billie] credit, I was very much high and mighty about, like, ‘You’re not being honest or authentic enough.’”

Trending on Billboard

“So I learned a lot from being too egocentric in that process,” Finneas added.

As the duo braved increasingly spicy vegan chicken wings — which caused them both to get progressively sweaty and tear up — Billie and Finneas also took turns answering questions about their childhood fears (Star Trek‘s Salt Monster and parents turning into pigs in Spirited Away, respectively) and their love for their Barbie soundtrack contribution “What Was I Made For?” At one point, the elder sibling revealed which star he never wants to produce for ever again — although the name was bleeped out — while the “Lunch” singer rated some of her old outfits but refused to rank her idols Tyler, the Creator, Lana Del Rey, Justin Bieber and Childish Gambino.

The pair have previously opened up about butting heads while making their third studio album together, telling Apple Music 1‘s Zane Lowe in May that they clashed over how vulnerable Billie was willing to be in their songwriting sessions. “I was like, ‘Subject-wise, I’m not being led into what you’re actually feeling, and I think that there are real guards up,’” Finneas recalled telling his sister at the time.

They also reached a boiling point when Finneas temporarily felt like he no longer wanted to make music. “It was very interesting because I saw myself in that,” Billie added to Lowe. “I was like, ‘I have felt that way and you have always been the thing that keeps the ship moving, and now you feel that way. What does that mean for us? And what are we going to do?”

Watch Billie and Finneas on Hot Ones Versus above.