Music News

29 May 2024

Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift & More Lookalikes Appear in Alexander Wang Ricco Bag Promo

Alexander Wang‘s Ricco bag is back in stock, and to show off the authenticity of his often-knocked off bag, the fashion designer enlisted some lookalikes of major stars for the campaign.

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In the video posted to Instagram earlier this month, doppelgängers of stars including Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Kylie Jenner unbox the purse and show off all its features — looking uncannily like the celebrities they are set to portray.

“100% certified authentic,” Wang playfully captioned the video, which you can check out here.

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The Grande lookalike, a popular TikToker named Paige Niemann, has caught the attention of the “We Can’t Be Friends” singer in the past. The social media star, who has more than 10.3 million followers on TikTok, shared a video back in 2019 in full Grande-inspired glam — ponytail and winged liner included — lip syncing a scene from the Nickelodeon show, Victorious, in which Grande played the character Cat Valentine.

“I just wonder whyyyy the cat voice / dialogue. ? i am sure she is the sweetest sweet sweetheart forreal !! but it’s definitley bizarre seeing people blend the two worlds lmao,” Grande tweeted upon seeing the clip.

The Swift lookalike, another popular TikToker named Ashley Leechin, has also gotten noticed by her favorite superstar. In 2022, the “Fortnight” singer wrote in the comments section of one of Leechin’s videos, “My mom just saw this and said ‘she looks like you.’”

29 May 2024

10 Best Hip-Hop Moments in Wrestling

After Sexxy Red’s torrid debut on WWE NXT Tuesday night (May 28), Billboard explores some of hip-hop’s best momenst in wrestling.

Sexyy Red, Future of Genre

Sexyy Red photographed Dec. 12, 2023, in New York.

Michael Tyrone Delaney

More than ever, hip-hop’s fondness of wrestling is becoming increasingly clear. Last night (May 28), Sexxy Red made her debut on WWE’s NXT, where she not only unveiled a new women’s title for the budding brand but announced she’ll also be heading to Vegas to host the company’s upcoming premium live event NXT Battle Ground on June 9.

Aside from her twerking skills and spunky attitude taking centerstage, Sexxy’s appearance last night on WWE TV minimized the gap between hip-hop and wrestling considerably. In past interviews, Cardi B has revealed her love for the sport and wanting to collide in the ring with some of today’s top superstars. Rappers including Wale and Westside Gunn have been longtime admirers of the sport and have even developed business endeavors that pay homage to wrestling, most notably Wale’s annual WaleMania event.

With WWE and now AEW proving to be staunch supporters of rap, it’s only a matter of time before more rappers take the plunge — and perhaps even getting in the ring one day, like Bad Bunny or Logan Paul.

“I think it’s just cool now, man,” WWE superstar Big E previously told Billboard. “I don’t know exactly what to point to, but you have The Rock involved now. You have [WWE president] Nick Khan involved. You have so many connections with sports and entertainment. I feel like a lot of people were closeted wrestling fans because it wasn’t cool, because it was the nerdy thing to do — but now that it’s becoming more accessible for people, I think a lot of people are coming out of the woodwork.”

Billboard compiled a list of the ten best wrestling moments featuring some of today’s biggest hip-hop stars.

29 May 2024

Ben Platt on His New Music, Reopening an Iconic Concert Venue — And Being Inspired by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift

As he prepares for the Friday (May 31) release of Honeymind — his third studio album (and first on Interscope) — and settles into his just-opened, 18-date run of concerts reopening Broadway‘s iconic Palace Theatre, singer-songwriter and actor Ben Platt recently sat down with Billboard News to discuss creating his new music, the relationships and artists inspiring him now, and his upcoming projects.

The Honeymind creation process occurred in Nashville, during what Platt calls a “point of transition personally and career-wise, reinvestigating my reasons for being an artist, relearning the importance of following passion and doing things that feel authentically fulfilling and not necessarily checking boxes.” It was also a happy time, Platt says, of settling into the comfort of his relationship with his now-fiancée, fellow actor Noah Galvin — and he found himself exploring, through songwriting, “that crossroads between what it feels like to arrive in your real relationship and have a partner who you feel really understands you holistically, and how do you need to work on yourself as a person to be ready for a relationship like that?”

His Honeymind collaborators include beloved Nashville writers Natalie Hemby and Hillary Lindsey, as well as executive producer Dave Cobb, who worked with Platt at his home studio in Savannah, Ga. Platt praises Cobb’s “barometer for honesty and authenticity … he’s very much no bulls–t. If something feels put-on, or like a bell or whistle, he has no problem being very forthright about that.”

Platt opens up as well about the singular experience of filming the very personal music video for single “Cherry on Top,” in which he enjoys a day out around Los Angeles with Galvin. “I was apprehensive at first — I love to keep some things sacred and private,” he explains. But he ultimately realized that, since song was written specifically about his experience with Galvin, “nothing felt as true as the actual relationship itself that brings that joy about.”

An unabashed fan of pop, Platt also gushes about his own favorite music right now, mentioning perennial favorites Maggie Rogers and Chappell Roan (he’s a vocal longtime fan: “I’ve known she was a superstar the whole time!”). He’s also big on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well (Musgraves made a surprise appearance at Platt’s opening night at the Palace to duet with him on her “Rainbow”), and Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine (“Ari is one of the greatest pop voices of this generation, and it’s such a sharp, delicious bubblegum album that is like, harkening back to Mariah….it’s always in my head”).

Additionally, Platt shares the inspiration he takes from seeing two of the biggest tours of the past year: Beyoncé’s Renaissance trek and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Swift “shares her own experiences and makes us feel like we’re in her living room … in a way that feels very off the cuff but is clearly very thought out and well-crafted,” he says; Beyoncé is “an unbelievable live singer … and on top of that the level to which she exerts and gives of herself no matter what show she’s doing? You’ve never seen her half-ass a performance in her life!”

Platt will be occupied promoting Honeymind for some time — after his Palace residency, he will embark on a tour of the U.S. and Canada (with album collaborator Brandy Clark supporting) through late July. Meanwhile, he reveals to Billboard that Richard Linklater’s twenty-years-in-the-making film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Merrily We Roll Along — announced in 2019, in which Platt stars alongside close friend Beanie Feldstein and Paul Mescal — is progressing.

Platt says two of “eight or nine” sequences have been filmed with, he adds with a laugh, just “another 16 or so years to go.” Linklater, he says, “puts a lot of emphasis on not looking too far ahead … it becomes too daunting, so I just treat it as this gift of getting to have little checkpoints in my life to check back in with Sondheim, with Paul, and obviously Beanie.” Platt praises Mescal, who makes his major musical onscreen debut in Merrily, as a “gorgeous, kind, amazing actor, beautiful voice — he’s the real deal.”

See what else Platt had to say in the video above.

29 May 2024

Kendrick Lamar Gets Trolled by TDE President Over Chanel Photo Shoot: ‘I Think I’m Cute on There’

Top Dawg Entertainment president Terrence “Punch” Henderson shared a text conversation with Kendrick Lamar after trolling him over his Chanel photoshoot from January.

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Punch came across a black-and-white picture of K. Dot from his designer fashion photoshoot on X earlier this week, and he playfully jabbed at Lamar and his feud with Drake by referring to him as a “Certified Loverboy.”

Punch couldn’t get enough of the photoshoot and took his banter directly to Kendrick and sent him a text asking for some background on the picture. “What you doing dawg,” he asked. The Compton legend replied with a handful of crying laughing emojis and added: “I think I’m cute on there man. I couldn’t resist.”

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The Top Dawg Entertainment executive refused to let Kendrick off the hook that easy. “What you doing with these dreamy eyes n—a,” he continued. K. Dot couldn’t even muster up much of a response: “I’m crying dawg.”

Punch then asked for permission to post the hilarious exchange for the world to see. “Man you gotta let me post this dawg. I’m crying,” he wrote. Fans couldn’t get enough of the text message convo surrounding the Chanel shoot in his replies. One even tweaked lyrics from Lamar’s “Euphoria” Drake diss to fit the situation.

“Punch to Kendrick: Let me tell you I’m the biggest hater, I hate the way that you dress. I hate the way that your eyes look when u look away if I see you u better look at me direct,” a fan responded.

The photoshoot in question went down in January when Kendrick was shot by Malick Bodian for Chanel after attending the Spring/Summer 2024 fashion show at Paris Fashion Week.

Lamar and his pgLang company were directly involved in the creative for curating the fashion show. He teased an unreleased song which scored a short film visual recapping the event.

Find the exchange between Kendrick and Punch below.

29 May 2024

Paramore Calls for Immediate Ceasefire Amid Israel-Hamas War: ‘We Simply Cannot Support a Genocide’

Paramore is joining the latest round of celebrity support for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza following this week’s intensifying violence between Israel and Hamas in the southern city of Rafah.

On Instagram Stories Wednesday (May 29), the punk-rock trio posted information about Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders, two organizations currently providing humanitarian aid to Palestinians affected by the ongoing war. After encouraging fans to join them in donating to the non-profits, the band concluded their note with a message: “We stand in solidarity with those calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire.”

Elsewhere in the post, bandmates Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Zac Farro further explained their stance on the war, which has been waging on since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas killed about 1,200 Israeli civilians and took around 250 more hostage in a surprise attack in Gaza on Oct. 7. “Lastly, we do not believe that support for our Palestinian friends and family equals anti-Semitism,” they wrote. “We love our Jewish friends and family and pray for the safe return of the remaining hostages.”

The group added, “That being said, we simply cannot support a genocide.”

Paramore’s post comes amid Israel’s recent military push in Rafah, which on Sunday (May 26) culminated in an Israeli airstrike triggering a deadly fire that killed 45 people taking shelter in a Palestinian refugee camp. Over the next two days, at least 37 more civilians were reportedly killed by additional shelling and strikes in the area, putting the overall Palestinian death total since the war began well past 36,000.

Israeli leaders have argued that the violence in Rafah is crucial to ensuring Hamas’ return of the hostages taken in the Oct. 7 attacks, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the refugee camp fire a “tragic mishap.” Political leaders and citizens across the globe, however, are increasingly calling for an end to the violence following the latest surge in civilian deaths, including other American artists such as Kehlani and Dua Lipa — both of whom have joined Paramore in publicly calling for action against the violence this week.

29 May 2024

Jon Bon Jovi Says Son Jake Is ‘Happy as Can Be’ After Marrying Millie Bobby Brown

Jon Bon Jovi is a proud father of the groom. The rocker confirmed in a new interview with BBC The One Show that his son, Jake Bongiovi, officially tied the knot with Millie Bobby Brown.

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“They’re great. They’re absolutely fantastic,” he said of the newlyweds. “It was a very small family wedding, and the bride looked gorgeous and Jake is happy as can be and it’s true.”

People reported over the weeekend the 20-year-old actress and the 22-year-old model were wed in an intimate ceremony in the United States with their parents in attendance ahead of a larger ceremony planned for later this year. 

The marriage comes just over a year after the Stranger Things actress confirmed her engagement to Bongiovi last April, posting a photo of her ring and quoting Taylor Swift’s “Lover”: “I’ve loved you for three summers now, honey, I want ’em all.” The couple first sparked dating rumors back in June 2021.

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In August, Brown revealed that she and the actor first chatted over Instagram. “I was interested in him and wanted to know more,” she told the Sunday Times. “As soon as we spoke I knew he was going to be a huge part of my life. After we met we knew we never wanted to leave each other’s side.”

Bongiovi’s rockstar dad has also been supportive from the beginning. “I don’t know if age matters,” Bon Jovi told Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM show last year, noting that his wife Dorothea was his high school sweetheart. “You know, if you find the right partner and you grow together — I think that would be my advice really, is growing together is wise. So I think that all of my kids have found the people that they think they can grow together with and we like them all.”

29 May 2024

Diddy’s Accusers Speak Out for First Time in Wake of Sexual Misconduct Allegations: ‘This Guy Got No Soul’

Several of the people who have accused disgraced former music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs of sexual abuse have spoken out for the first time in a new Rolling Stone story in which they detail the alleged actions of the Bad Boy Records boss.

One of the women suing Combs for sexual assault, Joi Dickerson-Neal, told the magazine that she didn’t come forward for a payday, but rather to make sure “the world sees that this man who rose to the level of an ‘icon’ is actually sick and has left so many victims in [the wake of his] unpunished disgusting behavior for years.”

“One date with Sean Combs led to the trauma and pain of sexual assault and an ocean’s depth of shame,” she alleged to the publication, as well as “debilitating self-doubt and a lifetime of inner turmoil” after learning that Combs allegedly distributed an explicit video of her, as outlined in her lawsuit.

Combs is currently facing lawsuits from multiple people, all of whom accuse the disgraced music mogul of sexual abuse, with five of the women accusing Combs or rape or violent sexual assault in incidents that date back to 1990. After CNN recently obtained and surfaced a 2016 video of Combs assaulting then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura — who sued him for rape and assault in November, and settled soon after — the musician apologized and took responsibility for his actions in the video, but he has otherwise strongly denied all the other allegations.

Combs’ attorney told the magazine that he cannot comment on settled litigation and will not comment on pending legal action. Billboard has also reached out to his PR and legal teams for comment on the allegations in the Rolling Stone story.

Dickerson-Neal, who appeared opposite Combs in a 1990 music video, filed a sexual assault suit against Diddy in November. She told the magazine that she “reluctantly” agreed to a dinner date with Combs in January 1991 while attending college and working at a restaurant to pay her bills. After allegedly being warned to stay away from Combs because of his “infamous reputation,” Dickerson-Neal said she asked that they dine at the restaurant where she worked because she was afraid to be alone with him.

She alleges in her lawsuit that Combs “intentionally drugged” her, then allegedly sexually assaulted her. Dickerson-Neal also claims Diddy filmed the alleged attack and showed the video to others “like a trophy.” Combs’ lawyers deny the allegations and have moved to dismiss her lawsuit.

Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones, a music producer who has also sued Combs, accusing him of “groping and touching” his anus and repeatedly forcing Jones to “solicit sex workers and perform sex acts to the pleasure of Mr. Combs,” also spoke to RS. Jones told the publication, “He is a monster, nothing has changed … this guy got no soul. He has no duty to anyone, not even his kids.”

Model Crystal McKinney described taking part in a fashion show for Diddy’s Sean John clothing brand in February 2003, and in her lawsuit, claims that Combs pressured her to take a hit from a “laced” joint after saying she was acting “too uptight.” The suit claims Combs allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him, an incident that she said sent her into a “tailspin of anxiety and depression” that resulted in a suicide attempt.

“I had a whole future [in modeling] mapped out that was stolen from me. Being sexually assaulted and having no recourse is so painful,” McKinney told RS. “I felt like I was dying every day because I did not yet have the strength to come forward. … I hope that by speaking out, I can help other survivors come forward and seek justice.”

A woman who filed a Jane Doe lawsuit against Diddy in December over claims that he and two other men drugged and raped her in 2003 when she was 17 years old — a suit Combs’ lawyer filed to dismiss, calling it a “decades-old tale” aimed at extracting “an undeserved financial recovery” — also spoke out. She told RS that she hopes her legal action will hold “not just Combs, but also all of those who acted with him, stood silent, and actively covered up his behavior” to account.

Stories about sexual assault allegations can be traumatizing for survivors of sexual assault. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website for more information.

29 May 2024

Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Are Legos in ‘Brickified’ Version of ‘Wicked’ Trailer

If the full-length Wicked trailer had you hyped for the upcoming film’s release, wait until you see the brand new Lego version of the three-and-a-half minute clip that dropped on Wednesday (May 29).

The “Brickified” version of the trailer plays out exactly like the original, scene-by-scene, featuring the same dialogue and music with Ariana Grande as Glinda the Good Witch and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West — but the two are transformed into building blocks toy versions of themselves, as do the scenes around them. In the OG trailer, released earlier this month, Grande’s bubbly rendition of “Popular” then plays over scenes of the “We Can’t Be Friends” singer meeting Erivo’s Elphaba for the first time and swinging from a chandelier in their shared dormitory at Shiz University. The two characters then hold hands as they travel to the Emerald City together and meet Jeff Goldblum’s Wizard of Oz, during which the music in the trailer gradually shifts into Grande and the Harriet star’s voices harmonizing on “Defying Gravity.”

The trailer comes about six months ahead of the first Wicked film’s Thanksgiving premiere, and follows a shorter teaser that aired for the first time during the 2024 Super Bowl broadcast in February. The second part of the Jon M. Chu-directed duology — which was based on Stephen Schwartz’s Broadway musical of the same name, which itself was inspired by Gregory Maguire’s novel — arrives in 2025.

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Watch the Lego version of the Wicked trailer via Universal Pictures’ YouTube channel below.

29 May 2024

Kehlani Calls Out Music Industry Peers for Not Speaking Up About Gaza: ‘F— a Lot of Y’all’

As the crisis in Gaza continues to escalate in violence, Kehlani has taken to Instagram to call out their peers for not speaking up.

In a clip posted Monday, the “Distraction” singer shared contempt for her “highly f—ing platformed” peers in the music industry for not speaking out about the Israel-Hamas war. “And you can’t stop for a second and recognize that … nothing we do has a f—ing purpose without people and you can’t turn the f— around and reach back for people? You can’t speak? Disgusting,” she says in the clip.

Kehlani noted that they lost “any ounce of f—ing respect” for those who have not spoken up. “This is going to be in history books. … This is going to be something that is referenced for the rest of f—ing forever.”

“F— a lot of y’all too,” Kehlani concluded.

In the caption, the star expanded on their thoughts. “I don’t got it no more I just don’t I tried hella ways to cope & it doesn’t exist and that’s okay, nobody should know how to cope right now,” she wrote. “I tried to drop some music & get my mind back right, my focus back & the rage is just EXTREMELY prevalent. this sh– is f—ing me up BEEN f—ing me up it should be f—ing a lot of yall up but apparently it’s not???? what’s good yall??? we don’t sell out shows without A CROWD FULL OF PEOPLE. the songs don’t chart without PEOPLE. the trends don’t trend without PEOPLE. you don’t draw a line at beheaded babies or people burnt alive after 7 months of plenty of other atrocities ? idc about the roll out the formula the strategy the algorithm at this point i’m begging U TO BE PEOPLE. BE A F—IN HUMAN BEING.”

Kehlani’s post comes just a day after Israel launched a missile attack on Rafah, hitting an encampment of displaced Palestinians in the Tal As-Sultan, an area that Israel had reportedly set as a “safe zone.” The attack killed dozens of people and wounded at least 249 — many of whom were civilians, including women and children. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the civilians were “unintentionally” hit.

The attack took place soon after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop its Rafah military offensive. Israel’s ongoing attack on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 35,000 people since October, Reuters reports. The Gaza Health Ministry said on May 24 that more than 80,200 Palestinians have been injured in the offensive.

The Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 people and taking more than 250 as hostages. According to The Associated Press, about half of the hostages have been freed.

Watch Kehlani’s full message below.

29 May 2024

John Summit Announces Debut Album, Calls Avicii Comparisons ‘Extremely Disrespectful’

One of the busiest producers in dance music just added another big moment to his calendar, with John Summit today (May 29) announcing that he’ll release his debut album on July 12.

The project is titled Comfort In Chaos and will be released via Darkroom and Summit’s own Experts Only label. The album announcement follows a string of recent singles, including the recently released “Go Back,” the Hayla collaboration “Shiver” and last summer’s official remix of the Kaskade and deadmau5 classic “I Remember.” Summit’s catalog has generated 152.7 million on-demand official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

In a statement, Summit says that “Trying to find peace in chaos is the overarching theme of this album – this is a far more emotional, melodic body of work for me, because it’s my most introspective work to date. John Summit is the performing act, but when I write music I get more vulnerable – while writing this album, I had to go from being in the mindset of John Summit to being John Schuster, my real name.”

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The album’s cover art taps into themes of peace, chaos, life and death and was created by Puerto Rican visual artist Marcos Alvarado, who also made the visuals for a number of Summit’s recent singles. See this cover image below.

Summit is one of the most in-demand dance artist of the moment, with a series of recent major sets (including performing twice over each weekend of Coachella) leading up to a headlining show at Madison Square Garden on June 29. Beyond that, Summit has 26 other club and festival dates on his summer and fall schedule, with more to be announced. This grinding pace recently lead commenters on to suggest that Summit might “crash out” like the late producer Avicii, an observation Summit addressed on TikTok earlier this week.

“Please stop making this comparison, it’s really extremely disrespectful,” he says in the clip. “Avicii was an incredible artist and incredibly inspiring to me, and if there’s any way to honor his legacy, it’s by not making those same mistakes. It’s just really really getting on my nerves. It’s not the easiest life I live, but I really f—ing love it. And I really love entertaining people, and making music is my life.”

Check out the official artwork for Summit’s Comfort in Chaos below:

John Summit Comfort in Chaos Artwork

John Summit Comfort in Chaos

Courtesy Photo