Music News

09 May 2024

Switzerland, Georgia, Israel & 7 More Countries Qualify for Grand Final of Eurovision 2024

The lineup of songs for the 68th annual Eurovision Song Contest is now set. Ten of the 16 songs performed in the second semifinal on Thursday (May 9) join the 10 qualifiers from semifinal 1 plus the six pre-qualified entries, for a total of 26 songs competing live in the grand final on Saturday (May 11).

Among the 10 new countries joining the list are Georgia, with former American Idol singer Nutsa Buzaladze leading the charge with “Firefighter,” and Switzerland, with Nero’s “The Code” tipped to be the second favorite by the oddsmakers.

Georgia first competed in Eurovision in 2007 and hasn’t performed in the grand final since 2016, when Nika Kocharov and and Young Georgian Lolitaz placed 20th with “Midnight Gold.” The nation failed to qualify from the last six semifinals, but Nutsa has put them back in the running.

Trending on Billboard

Only seven countries participated in the first Eurovision Song Contest in 1956, including Switzerland, which hosted and won with “Refrain” by Lys Assia. Switzerland won again in 1988 with Celine Dion singing “Ne Partez Pas Son Moi,” so if Nemo can pull off a win, it will be Switzerland’s first victory in 36 years.

The other eight countries to qualify in the second semifinal are Armenia, Austria, Estonia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Netherlands and Norway. The six countries that were relegated are Alabnia, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Malta and San Marino.

The qualifiers from semifinal 1 are Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine.

The six pre-qualified countries are France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and host country Sweden.

results of the competition, with 10 countries out of 15 moving forward into the grand final on Saturday (May 11) and five countries going home. Most notable among the 10 winning countries are Luxembourg, which returned to the pan-European competition this year after a 31-year absence, and Ireland, which holds the record for the most wins with Sweden at seven each.

However, Ireland has failed to qualify for the grand final 11 times since the semi-finals were introduced in 2005. Bambie Thug breaks that spell with “Doomsday Blue,” a self-described “electro-metal breakdown.” Thug (real name: Bambie Ray Robinson) is the first non-binary artist to represent Ireland in Eurovision and will be the first Irish contestant in the competition since Ryan O’Shaugnessy placed 16th with “Together” in 2018.

Thug’s entry is expected to place high in the grand final rankings. If they end up in the top 5, it will be Ireland’s biggest Eurovision success since Marc Roberts’ “Mysterious Ways,” which finished second to Katrina & the Waves winning U.K. entry, “Love Shine a Light” in 1997.

Talia, an Israeli-born singer living in Luxembourg, will be the first person from that small European country, the only grand duchy (a country ruled by a monarch with the title of grand duke or duchess) remaining in the world, to sing in Eurovision since Modern Times placed 20th with “Donne-Moi Une Chance” in 1993.

The other eight countries that qualified for the grand final are Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Lithuania, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia and Ukraine. The five countries relegated out, by public vote during the live broadcast, are Australia, Azerbaijan, Iceland, Moldova and Poland.

The oddsmakers have Croatia heavily tipped to win; it would be that nation’s first victory in 30 attempts, although Riva, a band from Croatia, triumphed in 1990 when their country was still part of Yugoslavia.

A second semi-final will be broadcast live on Thursday (May 9). There will be 16 countries fighting for a spot in the grand final top 10 that night: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, San Marino and Switzerland.

Pre-qualified, and thus able to skip the semi-finals, are the host country (Sweden) and the “Big Five” (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom), so-named because they contribute the largest amounts to the production budget.

Semi-final No 2 of the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest will be live on Peacock in the U.S. on Thursday, May 9, starting at 3pm EDT/12 noon PDT. The grand final will also be live, on Saturday, May 11 at the same times.

09 May 2024

Dennis Thompson, Drummer & Last Member of MC5, Dies at 75

Dennis Thompson, the high energy drummer for influential Detroit band MC5, died on Thursday (May 9). He was 75 years old.

The rocker died at MediLodge of Taylor in Michigan, where he had been recovering following a heart attack in April, according to local news station Detroit Free Press. Thompson was the last surviving member of the band, who are set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this fall in the musical excellence category. Thompson was preceded in death by singer Rob Tyner, guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith, bassist Michael Davis and guitarist Wayne Kramer, the last of which died in February of this year.

Thompson joined MC5 in 1965. While the band had little commercial success initially and its core lineup did not last beyond the early 1970s, but its legacy endured, both for its sound and for its fusing of music to political action. During their time as a band, they released three studio albums, 1969’s Kick Out the Jams, 1970’s Back in the USA and 1971’s High Time.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In 2022, two years before his own death, Kramer announced that two new singles, an album and a national tour are on the horizon for We Are All MC5, Kramer’s reimagination of the band that started it all. However, due to the deaths of the remaining band members, no album arrived. “We’ve just barely survived four catastrophic years of a failed presidency and a devastating pandemic,” Kramer said in a statement at the time. “It had become so polarized and depressing that bringing in other writers was like a hope injection. Tom Morello, Jill Sobule, Tim McIlrath, Kesha and Alejandro Escovedo helped me expand the work using the most powerful weapon in existence: our creativity.”

Trending on Billboard

09 May 2024

Travis Scott & Ye Tease Cactus Jack Collab With Their Children

Travis Scott is up to something with Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — as the “Praise God” collaborators starred in an ad for Cactus Jack’s upcoming sneaker release.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

La Flame delivered a pair of teasers on Thursday (May 9) for the Nike Cactus Jack 1 T-Rexx, which comes in colorways of Dark Mocha and University Red.

One clip features a possible musical collaboration with West. The teaser showcases different angles of Ye’s face and tattoos while he softly sings in the background. “YE AND THE JACK @gabrielomoses,” Scott captioned the clip. Ye’s Vultures running mate Ty Dolla $ign hopped into the comment section with a pair of black hearts.

Scott then followed-up with an adorable clip starring his children Stormi and Aire hanging out with two of their cousins — Ye’s youngest kids, Chicago and Psalm. “THE FAM FOR THE JACKS,” the rapper wrote.

Trending on Billboard

UTOPIA standout “My Eyes” provides the soundtrack as the four youngsters play around and draw on the walls. Scott made sure their outfits were on point — rocking Cactus Jack apparel including the fresh Nike Cactus Jack 1 sneakers.

Fans will have their chance to shop the Cactus Jack 1’s on Friday (May 10) when the pair of signature kicks release on Scott’s website.

As for the music, West and Ty Dolla $ign are still preparing for the arrival of Vultures 2, which remains without a release date after last week’s May 3 scheduled release came and went with no music or announcements.

Scott is coming off the release of his UTOPIA blockbuster in August 2023, which topped the Billboard 200 with 496,000 album sales in the first week.

He’ll be heading back outside for the European leg of the Circus Maximus Tour this summer. The 12-show run will kick off on June 28 in the Netherlands and include dates in Poland, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the U.K., Czech Republic and Italy.

Watch both clips below.

09 May 2024

LL Cool J Wants Andre 3000 to Rap, Not Play the Flute: ‘He Needs to Know the Truth’

Hip-hop legend LL Cool J was a guest on the latest episode of Uninterrupted’s The Shop. During a conversation with Lena Waithe about creative inspiration, Andre 3000’s New Blue Sun album was brought up for discussion.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Waithe was talking about how as an artist, “Different things inspire you,” and the producer and actress brought up LL’s foray into acting. “Sometimes some things are more fascinating to an artist,” she said before using Andre’s flute album as an example. “Even Andre 3000. Do we want him to make a rap album? Sure. But he’s like, ‘I’m on this flute game, y’all. This is my jam right now, I’m super into this.’”

Trending on Billboard

The man they call Big Elly wasn’t having it, countering, “I need him to spit, though,” before going on a mini-rant. “I need him to spit. Flutes? Man, come on, bro,” he said before acknowledging that “the comments are gonna be crazy.” LL continued his point by giving Andre his flowers before declaring himself anti-flute. “He’s amazing, all right? His bars is all the way up. I’m very clear. Not the flute, B. Not the flute. Don’t do the flute.”

This made Lena fight enthusiastically for 3 Stacks’ latest work. “I liked the album. It’s very calming, I’m sipping tea,” she said, before Big Elly interrupted her and fired back. “Let’s not lie to ourselves: I don’t wanna hear him do the flute,” said LL, who then asked the room, “You wanna hear me do a violin? You might not wanna hear me do sh–, but do you wanna hear me do a violin?”

LL isn’t alone. Co-host Maverick Carter agreed, saying, “I wanna hear him spit too.” Fans have been clamoring for an Andre 3000 solo rap album for years, and it seems like the Queens legend has been waiting on one as well.

“I want him to get with Big Boi. I want them to make an Outkast

Celebrity Photos

Celebrity Photos

40 Photos

DJ Frosty

DJ Frosty

23 Photos


. Or do a solo album,” LL Cool J said. “Every time he does f—ing one verse, it’s enough material for one album. He’s so gifted. So it’s like, come on, B, not the flute. We not gonna lie. … Don’t gas … that man needs to know the truth. He needs to know the truth.”

Check out the clip below and don’t hold your breath waiting for that LL Cool J violin album.

09 May 2024

Every Song Taylor Swift Performed at First Eras Tour Concert After ‘Tortured Poets’: Paris Setlist

Taylor Swift is back at it! The 34-year-old pop star returned to her global Eras Tour on Thursday (May 9) following a two-month break, kicking off the trek’s European leg at La Defense Arena in Paris for the first of four planned shows at the venue — complete with several new costumes, dance numbers, visuals, special effects and, best of all, songs.

During the break, Swift released her new album The Tortured Poets Department, which immediately debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and broke several records along the way. But with a new LP in the books, fans couldn’t help but wonder how the singer would shake up her tried-and-true setlist to make room for the new material.

And make room, she did. Swift ended up cutting several numbers from her past eras and restructuring the show to carve out space for a total of seven tracks from Tortured Poets — or, “As I like to call it, ‘Female Rage: The Musical,’” the 14-time Grammy winner joked right after the TTPD section concluded, transitioning into the nightly surprise-song section. The new segment of the Eras show also featured the superstar levitating over the stage, getting abducted by a UFO and a ragtime jazz interlude.

“This has been an unforgettable night in Paris!” Swift gushed to the crowd before closing out as usual with “Karma.” “Thank you so much!”

Keep reading to see all the songs Swift performed at her first show following the release of Tortured Poets below, era by era, and check out how it compares to her original setlist here.

09 May 2024

Olivia Rodrigo Shouts Guts World Tour Dates With Louis Partridge in New TikTok

Olivia Rodrigo is ready to take over Asia and Australia with her Guts World Tour, and the superstar promoted her upcoming tour dates in a hilarious TikTok seemingly filmed by the singer’s rumored boyfriend, Louis Partridge.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In the clip, the English actor’s voice is heard behind the camera naming the cities Rodrigo will visit, before she jokingly shouts “When?” after each one, and the date appears onscreen. “GUTS world tour Asia and Australia dates just announced!!! hope to see ya there!!!???,” she captioned the post. “Get ticket details at oliviarodrigo.com.”

Rodrigo and Partridge first sparked romance rumors back in October when they were seen spending time together in London, walking seemingly with their arms wrapped around each other’s waist. The Enola Holmes star was also seen supporting the “Get Him Back!” singer at iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball in New York City on Dec. 8, and again one day later when she served as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.

Trending on Billboard

Rodrigo’s Guts deluxe track, “So American,” is rumored to be about the actor, as she sings in the chorus: “I’d go anywhere he goes/ And he says I’m so American/ Oh God, I’m gonna marry him/ If he keeps this s–t up/ I might just be in love.”

The Asian leg of the Guts World Tour kicks off Sept. 16 in Bangkok, Thailand, and will find Rodrigo traveling through Seoul, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Soon afterward, Rodrigo will play two shows in Melbourne followed by two in Sydney in October. She’ll be joined for all four Australian shows by rising alt-pop star Benee. See the full list of tour dates here.

09 May 2024

Drake Posts Clip From Netflix’s ‘A Man in Full’ as Feud With Kendrick Lamar Quiets Down (For Now)

We’ve all been there before. Stuck in the house, contemplating every bad thing that has ever happened in life and wondering how exactly did we get here. Well, celebrities are just like us.

On Thursday morning (May 9), around 5 a.m. ET, Drake was watching Netflix’s new show A Man in Full starring Jeff Daniels — about a real estate mogul who’s forced to defend his empire as he’s on the verge of losing it all — when he felt the need to post a clip of the opening scene that hit too close to home.

In the clip, Daniels’ character Charlie Croker is lying on the floor thinking to himself: “I don’t mean this as a criticism….maybe I do. But when you die, will people notice? When I go, there are gonna be a lot of memories of me by a lot of people. Even so, a person needs to live with vigor. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

Trending on Billboard

Definitely a dramatic thing to be posting at the crack of dawn, but it could mean a couple things: He’s either acknowledging defeat in his incendiary lyrical back-and-forth with Kendrick Lamar or he’s loading up for another round, given the show’s premise. The clip reminds me of the scene in Carlito’s Way where Carlito is on the stretcher realizing it’s all over as he talks to himself.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=T06OikkZMsA&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

Jay-Z reinterpreted this scene on the intro of his album Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=3VTuBApO508&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

Regina King directed three episodes of A Man in Full, including episode 1, titled “Saddlebags,” which features the clip Drake posted. The show also stars Diane Lane and Lucy Liu and is based on the Tom Wolfe novel of the same name.

09 May 2024

Bunnie XO Mourns the Death of Her Father: ‘I’m Going to Miss You’

Bunnie XO took to social media on Wednesday (May 8) to reveal the devastating news that her father, Bill, has died.

“Hey Bill, I’m going to miss you,” the Dumb Blonde podcast host wrote alongside a series of photos and videos with her father throughout the years. “You are still my favorite rock star & my hero. This one’s going to hurt.”

She followed up her heartfelt post with an emotional montage of her and Bill having fun and enjoying life, alongside her husband Jelly Roll, soundtracked by Mr. Probz’s “Praying to a God.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The news come less than two years after Bunnie revealed that her father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. “I received one of the worst calls yesterday that shook me to my core. My dad has been silently battling Stage 4 cancer for the past year alone w/just his wife,” she wrote at the time. “He insisted no one kno so he could try to heal it himself because he’s into holistic remedie. Sadly the cancer has now spread into his bone marrow and & his bones are breaking, he can’t lift his arms, walk, barely eat & he’s in so much pain you can’t even hug him.”

Bill entered hospice care in late 2023, and he underwent his second hip replacement surgery in February of this year.

Trending on Billboard

09 May 2024

Taylor Swift Fan Wears Cape Highlighting Her Billboard Hot 100 Record to Paris Eras Show

Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour has officially resumed, meaning Swifties are back to getting creative with their concert gear. And one fan in particular really understood the assignment at the pop star’s first show back in Paris on Thursday night (May 9), sporting a homemade cape showing off her recent Billboard Hot 100 record.

As captured in pictures by passerby fans at La Defense in Paris, the unknown Swiftie’s cape is so long, it touches the ground. The accessory boasts a screenshot of the Hot 100 chart as it was the week of May 4, 2024, when Swift became the first artist in history to occupy the top 14 spots of the chart.

All 14 of those songs were from the singer’s latest album The Tortured Poets Department, which dropped April 19 and has spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 so far. The LP’s lead single “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone began at the top of the Hot 100, followed by “Down Bad,” “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” “The Tortured Poets Department,” “So Long, London,” “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,” “But Daddy I Love Him, “Florida!!!,” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” “Guilty as Sin?,” “Fresh Out the Slammer,” “Loml,” “The Alchemy” and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”

Trending on Billboard

In achieving the milestone, Swift broke her own record set with 2022’s Midnights, which made her the first artist to ever occupy all of the top 10 simultaneously. (And yes, someone also wore a cape reflecting that accolade to an earlier Eras show.)

The Paris show follows a two-month pause Swift took from touring to promote and release Tortured Poets. After three more performances at La Defense, she’ll travel through Spain, Sweden, Portugal, the U.K. and more.

See the Swiftie’s Taylor-themed Hot 100 cape below.

09 May 2024

Hailey Bieber Is Pregnant, Expecting First Child With Justin Bieber

Congratulations are in order for Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber, who are expecting their first child together.

The “Love Yourself” singer and Rhode founder took to Instagram on Thursday (May 9) to share a series of photos and videos from a film shoot they did among a vast meadow, in which Hailey is seen wearing a skin-tight lace gown, cradling her growing baby bump as Justin snaps photos of her. In one of the clips, the couple also seems to be renewing their vows, though neither has confirmed that is the case.

The couple’s comments sections are filled with congratulatory messages from their famous friends including Kendall Jenner, Chrissy Teigen, Tate McRae and many more.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“[Motherhood] is something that I look forward to,” Hailey told GQ in October amid rumors that she is pregnant. “It’s also such a private, intimate thing. It’s something that’s going to come when it comes. And it’s just, honestly, at the end of the day, so hilarious how much people f–king care. Let me do what I want to do with my body and you guys can do what you want to do with your body—and let’s just let it be that.”

Trending on Billboard

The couple officially wed in September 2018 at a New York City courthouse. A year later, they flew down to the Montage Palmetto Bluff hotel in South Carolina with their friends and family for a more traditional wedding ceremony and star-studded party.

Justin celebrated the duo’s fifth wedding anniversary in September 2023 with a sweet Instagram post in which he sang the model’s praises as one half of his heart. “To the most precious, my beloved. 5 years. You have captivated my heart. I know from the depths of my soul down to my bones that this journey with you will only exceed our wildest expectations,” wrote the singer next to a snap of the couple kissing, along with several more happy pics of them holding hands and cheesing for the camera.