Music News

26 Apr 2024

Mickey Guyton Announces Fall 2024 CMT On Tour Dates, Drops Emotional ‘Scary Love’ Lyric Video

Mickey Guyton is hitting the road this fall for a North American tour. The Grammy-nominated country star announced the dates for her CMT On Tour Presents Mickey Guyton 2024 dates on Friday morning (April 26), along with dropping a sweet lyric video for her new single, “Scary Love.”

The 22-date Live Nation-promoted tour is slated to kick off on Sept. 18 at Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta, followed by gigs in New York, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Columbus, Buffalo, Toronto, Boston and Philadelphia before winding down on Nov. 9 in Lexington, Kentucky at Manchester Music Hall.

Tickets for the tour will be available via a artist presale beginning on April 30 at 10 a.m. local time, with additional presales throughout the week leading up to the general on-sale beginning on May 3 at 10 a.m. local time; click here for ticketing details.

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Guyton’s new single, a gentle ballad about a mother’s fierce love, opens with the heart-touching lines, “I see pictures of my mama, hangin’ on the wall/ She’s never looked so happy, and I’ve never looked so small/ Now I’m holdin’ you and I know what they say is true/ When a baby’s born that’s when a mother’s born too.”

Guyton and husband Grant Savoy welcomed their first child, son Grayson, in Feb. 2021 and the acoustic ballad’s moving lyric video features home movie footage of Guyton in the hospital cradling her then newborn and spending time with the now toddler. “Cuz I felt it before, but it wasn’t like this/ Ain’t a thing I wouldn’t do, ain’t a thing I wouldn’t give/ It’s the kind you fall into and never hit the bottom of/ It’s a scary love,” she sings on the chorus.

Watch the “Scary Love” lyric video and check out the 2024 CMT on Tour dates below.



Sept. 18 — Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre

Sept. 20 — Charlotte, NC @ The Underground

Sept. 21 — Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel

Sept. 26 — Washington, DC @ Union Stage

Sept. 27 — New York, NY @ The Gramercy Theatre

Sept. 28 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Café and Music Hall

Oct. 2 — Kansas City, MO @ Knuckleheads*

Oct. 3 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Beer City Music Hall*

Oct. 15 — St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall

Oct. 17 — Chicago, IL @ Joe’s on Weed St.

Oct. 18 — Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave*

Oct. 19 — Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s

Oct. 22 — Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre

Oct. 23 — Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig

Oct. 25 — Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache at The Intersection

Oct. 30 — Columbus, OH @ The Bluestone

Nov. 1 — Buffalo, NY @ Iron Works*

Nov. 2 — Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground

Nov. 4 — Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall

Nov. 6 — Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live*

Nov. 8 — Indianapolis, Indiana @ The Hifi*

Nov. 9 — Lexington, KY @ Manchester Music Hall

*Not a Live Nation Date

26 Apr 2024

Eminem Takes Stage On First Night of 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit to Hype Hometown Lions: ‘Make Some Noise!’

The only thing more Detroit than hometown heroes the Lions is D-town legend Eminem. So it was fitting that on the first night of the 2024 NFL Draft at an absolutely jam-packed Hart Plaza on Thursday (April 25), Slim Shady was on hand to help kick off the proceedings. The reclusive hip-hop icon took the stage alongside NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to open the prime-time proceedings that aired on the NFL Network and ESPN, with both men walking onto the massive, neon-lit stage to the strains of Em’s 2010 hit “Not Afraid.”

Marshall looked absolutely jacked as he made his way out, pumping his arms and appearing to shout as he strutted to center stage wearing a black Lions hoodie and 2024 playoff hat, punching his chest and waving his fist in front of a throng of 275,000. Before they hyped the crowd, though, Shady and Goodell appeared in a 90-second filmed bit in which the commish practiced his introductory speech, with beloved Lions running back Barry Sanders asking if he was nervous and wondering what was on the boss’ sweater.

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“Mom’s spaghetti,” they said in tandem as a series of Lions greats debated who should join him on stage. “We only have one shot to nail this, one shot,” Goodell said urgently, in yet another Eminem reference. Cue a lurking Shady, who popped up from behind a magazine to razz Goodell with the pointed reminder of fans’ traditional greeting for him: “you know you’re still gonna get booed right?,” Marshall asked.

“I’m not afraid,” Goodell assured him, tripling down on the Eminem references. “I’m afraid for you.” The pair then were seen slow-walking to the stage as Em asked what the plan was. “Two words: rap battle,” Goodell said as the rapper looked on in confusion.

After the traditional Goodell boos indeed rained down like a monsoon, Eminem shouted, “Detroit, what up! It’s here! Make some noise for the Detroit Lions,” as he welcomed current team stars Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown and quarterback Jared Goff, as well as Hall of Fame veterans Sanders and Calvin Johnson to the stager amid rapturous cheers. 

Watch footage from Em’s appearance below.

26 Apr 2024

Big Sean Plays Classics, Teases Sixth Album During 2024 NFL Draft Concert

Past, present and future stars of the football world were in Detroit on Thursday (April 25) for the 89th annual NFL Draft. But some of the city’s music superstars — specifically rappers Eminem and Big Sean and Motown legend Smokey Robinson — made sure the throngs of fans attending the festivities didn’t forget the Motor City’s rich musical heritage. 

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And Eminem added to the celebration by announcing his next album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grace), for summer release via an ad during the draft broadcast. 

Big Sean was charged with opening the nightly NFL Draft Concert Series, delivering parts of 11 songs during a half-hour long set. Backed by a DJ, drummer and keyboard player, Sean prowled the opulent Draft Theater stage sporting a bandana and a Detroit Lions jersey with the number 97, worn on game days by popular homegrown defensive lineman Aiden Hutchinson. “If you’re excited about the NFL Draft. let me hear you,” he called to a sea of super fans inside the theater and tens of thousands gathered in a public area just beyond – a record-setting crowd of more than 275,000 that forced the NFL to close gates early in the evening. 

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Playing his first home town show in nearly two years, Sean — who now resides in Beverly Hills — marveled at “the fact I went to school right around the corner from here… I used to record right around the corner at my homie’s studio, and this was all I ever wanted to do, man. So I just gotta say thank you for anybody who’s ever heard a song of mine, sang it at a bar, purchased a song.”

Sean reached all the way back to his first album, 2011’s Finally Famous, for “My Last” and dotted the set with career-spanning hits including “Paradise,” “Blessings” and “Bounce Back.” He also touched on collaborations with Kanye West (“Mercy” and “Clique”) and Drake (“All Me”) and dedicated a rendition of YG’s “Big Bank” to Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who signed a four-year contract extension with the team on Thursday.

Sean also featured his latest single, “Precision,” and told the crowd he was working on his sixth album, the follow-up to 2020’s Detroit 2. In addition, he shouted out his nearly year-and-a-half year old son with Jhene Aiko, saluted this year’s draft prospects — who he called “all my future multi-millionaires” — and gave props to fans from other teams. But Sean made his own rooting interest clear. “I know the Lions are gonna get their shot, you feel me?” he said. “Sooner or later… I can feel it, though.” 

The Lions won the NFC’s North division last season, but lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the conference finals, one game shy of reaching the Super Bowl. Ironically some fans held up a “You’re in 49ers” banner in front of Sean throughout the performance. 

Robinson was not at the draft in person, but provided a voice-over for the prime time broadcast on ESPN and the NFL Network, with a new mix of the Temptations’ “Get Ready” — which Robinson wrote and produced — playing behind him.

Devout Lions fan Eminem then helped to kick off the draft itself with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, first taking part in a filmed segment in which Goodell proposed a rap battle — to Eminem’s obvious bewilderment. Then, he joined Goodell on stage to turn the crowd’s boos (a ritual when it comes to the commissioner) to cheers. “Detroit, what up! It’s here!” Eminem shouted. “Make some noise for the Detroit Lions,” he added before ushering on current team stars Hutchinson, St. Brown and quarterback Jared Goff and Hall of Fame veterans Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson to more rapturous cheers. 

The NFL Draft, as well as the Concert Series, continues through Saturday. The celebrated Detroit Youth Choir performs on Friday, while “Mine” hitmaker Andrew Bazzi, who hails from nearby Canton, Mich. wraps things up on Saturday.

26 Apr 2024

‘THE WIZ’ 2024 Broadway Cast Recording Is Coming This Summer

This year, Wicked isn’t the only Wizard of Oz-inspired musical that’s eliciting standing ovations on Broadway. A new revival of THE WIZ at the Marquis Theatre in Manhattan has been playing to sold-out crowds since its official opening night on April 17. And on July 12, the 2024 Broadway cast recording of this version of THE WIZ will come out on Immersive/Interscope Recordings, Billboard can reveal.

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Starring Emmy winner Wayne Brady as The Wiz, Nichelle Lewis as Dorothy and Deborah Cox as Glinda, this update of the 1975 Broadway musical (which was conceived as an adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz through the lens of Black culture in America) is directed by Schele Williams and features choreography by JaQuel Knight, a previous Billboard cover star who worked on Beyoncé’s iconic “Single Lades (Put a Ring On It)” video.

The latest staged version of the soul, gospel and funk-fueled musical brings elements of ballet, contemporary popular music and jazz to the proceedings. Rounding out the cast of beloved characters are Melody A. Betts as Aunt Em and the villainous Evillene, Kyle Ramar Freeman as the Cowardly Lion, Phillip Johnson Richardson as the Tin Man and Avery Wilson as the Scarecrow. The producers of this version of THE WIZ are Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, Brian Anthony Moreland, Ambassador Theatre Group, Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker.

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In addition to becoming a perennial stage classic, The Wiz was adapted into a movie in 1978 starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and a young Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. The Sidney Lumet-directed film received mixed reviews and was a commercial failure, though it’s grown in stature over the years and is now regarded as a cult and family classic. In 2015, NBC’s The Wiz Live! starring Queen Latifah, Ne-Yo and Amber Riley pulled in a whopping 11.5 million viewers.

When Ross brought her The Music Legacy Tour to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall last summer, she trotted out not one but two songs from The Wiz, “Home” and “Ease on Down the Road,” speaking to the musical’s staying power over the decades.

26 Apr 2024

Swifties Did Quick Math and Believe ‘Tortured Poets Department’ Will Be Taylor Swift’s New Era on Euro Tour

We are just two weeks away from Taylor Swift hitting the road again for a summer swing of European Eras Tour shows. And, as you may have heard, since the last time she played an Eras show Swift has dropped her fastest-selling album of all-time, The Tortured Poets Department, a sprawling, 31-track collection that has been racking up record after record in its first week.

So, naturally, inquiring Swifties want to know if TTPD will be added to the Eras roster when the already jam-packed three-plus hour extravaganza revs up again on May 9 with the first of four shows at the Paris La Défense Arena in Paris? If you’ve been playing this game long enough you know there are always Easter eggs.

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While Swift has not commented, on Thursday night (April 25) Swift uploaded a 15-second YouTube Shorts clip in which it appeared that TTPD has, indeed, been slipped into rotation. Cued to the album’s first single, the Post Malone-featuring “Fortnight,” it finds Swift singing, dancing and playing piano in what look like Lover and Folklore set-ups, one quick-cut caught a lot of attention. In a brief shot, Swift is seen standing next to a silver railing that eagle-eyed fans quickly surmised was in the shape of the TTPD logo. There was no chill about this news.

“GUYS THE RAILING LITERALLY SAYS TTPD!?!;);$!; ITS THE TTPD LOGO WE’RE GETTING TTPD AT THE ERAS TOUR,” tweeted one Swiftie. Another pointed out that Swift appeared to be wearing the same shoes from the “Fortnight” video in the rehearsal clip and another proved that there is no one in the game better at the long game than Taylor.

“tHIS is what she means when she says she plans easter eggs far in advance. AHHHHH!!!!,” they wrote, noting that another Swiftie spotted that Swift had seemingly teased this new era before the tour even began when she posted an image of a box containing all her different-colored Eras microphones, including a white one that “hasn’t had a place in the show… until now!!!” It was hard to tell if Swift was wielding this white mic in the video because the clip is in grayscale, but that didn’t stop the breathless speculation about what’s next on the singer’s stadium-packing outing.

Others also noted that the video appeared to feature new choreography and costumes that have not yet been rolled out, further proof that a new Era is potentially on the horizon. At press time a spokesperson for Swift had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on whether TTPD will be included in the upcoming run of shows.

Check out the Shorts clip and the Easter egg hunt below.

25 Apr 2024

St. Vincent Unleashes New Album ‘All Born Screaming’: Stream It Now

St. Vincent is back. The musician, songwriter and guitarist unveiled her seventh studio album, All Born Screaming, on Friday (April 26).

The album features previously released single “Broken Man,” “Flea” and “Big Time Nothing.” “There are some places, emotionally, that you can only get to by taking the long walk into the woods alone — to find out what your heart is really saying,” the star (real name Annie Clark) said in a statement about the project. “It sounds real because it is real.”  

She added to NPR, “I’m not playing with persona. It’s a really a record about life and death and love. That’s it. That’s all we got.”

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Beginning in May, St. Vincent will go on tour in support of All Born Screaming. Joining her on the road are openers Spoon, Yves Tumor, Eartheater, Momma, and Dorian Electra. The tour kicks off on May 22 in Ventura, Calif., and will hit cities throughout the summer including San Fransisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Toronto and more before wrapping up in Saint Paul, Minn., on September 20.

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All Born Screaming follows St. Vincent’s 2021 effort The Nowhere Inn. She last released music in 2022, during which she dropped a single titled “Piggy” as well as a cover of “Funkytown” for the Minions: Rise of Gru soundtrack. 

Listen to St. Vincent’s All Born Screaming in full below.

25 Apr 2024

Peso Pluma & Arcángel Deliver Enigmatic Trap Performance at Latin AMAs 2024

Dripping in diamonds and donning all-black, Peso Pluma and Arcángel took the stage at the 2024 Latin American Music Awards to perform their joint single “Peso Completo.”

Accompanied by 2 dozen black-clad people with their faces covered and standing in two rows amid scaffolding — and exuding mysterious vibes — the Mexican and Puerto Rican superstars delivered the quintessential Latin trap song of 2024 so far. With “Peso Completo,” both artists continue to demonstrate their musical versatility.

Peso Pluma proves that his voice sounds just as compelling outside the música Mexicana spectrum, and Arcángel’s chameleon-like pipes also intrigue with R&B tones, sounding perfect for the sly Latin trap banger.

“I want to know if you guys like the music of Mr. Santos. The one who started making trap before everyone else. This bastard is an idol for me. Let’s hear the shout out loud for Arcángel!” chants Peso Pluma in the last interlude.

“¡Arriba Puerto Rico, arriba México, viejo!,” shouted Peso Pluma at the end of their set.

The 2024 Latin AMAs took place Thursday, April 25, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas via Univision.

Hitmakers Feid and Peso Pluma lead this year’s list of nominations with 12 nods each. The Colombian singer and Mexican star, who are up for the coveted artist of the year award and album of the year award, are followed by top nominees Bad Bunny (11), Grupo Frontera (11), Karol G (9), Shakira (9), Eslabon Armado (8) and Fuerza Regida (8). 

Thalia, Becky G, Alejandra Espinoza and Carlos Ponce co-hosed the award ceremony that presented in a combination of English and Spanish, marking the first time any major U.S. award show featured a bilingual broadcast.

25 Apr 2024

Ricardo Montaner Accepts Legacy Award at 2024 Latin AMAs, Delivers Riveting Medley of His Classics

Ricardo Montaner is a synonym for romanticism, delivering some of the best love songs in Latin music. For that, and his many decades in music, the Venezuelan singer-songwriter was honored with a special award for his extraordinary artistic legacy at the 2024 Latin AMAs on Thursday (April 25).

Before hitting the stage for a riveting performance, and perhaps one of the best of the night, Montaner gave a heartfelt speech, which had a special message for up-and-comers. “First of all, thank you to my Lord Jesus who has fulfilled my promises, each one,” Montaner began. “Obviously to my beloved wife who has accompanied me since the beginning of my career, to each one of my children who are always pushing me. Tonight, I want to give a message to all my colleagues that I am seeing here tonight, especially to those who are just starting. It is worth it to keep working hard, it is worth celebrating 45 years of career and to keep going.”

He then took the stage for an epic medley, which he kicked off with Sergio George on the piano and Manuel Medrano in tow to sing “Yo Que Te Amé.” Then, to get everyone on their feet, he transitioned to a salsa version of “La Cima del Cielo” with Thalia and, to end on a high note, he sang the ’90s classic “Vamos Pa’ La Conga,” with Silvestre Dangond and DJ Adoni joining the party.

The 2024 Latin American Music Awards took place Thursday live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas via Univision. Hitmakers Feid and Peso Pluma lead this year’s list of nominations with 12 nods each. The Colombian singer and Mexican star, who are up for the coveted artist of the year award and album of the year award, are followed by top nominees Bad Bunny (11), Grupo Frontera (11), Karol G (9), Shakira (9), Eslabon Armado (8) and Fuerza Regida (8).

Thalia, Becky G, Alejandra Espinoza and Carlos Ponce co-hosed the award ceremony that presented in a combination of English and Spanish, marking the first time any major U.S. award show featured a bilingual broadcast.

25 Apr 2024

Drake Removes ‘Taylor Made Freestyle,’ With AI Tupac & Snoop Vocals, From Social Media

A day after Tupac Shakur‘s estate threatened to sue over the use of AI-generated vocals from the late rapper, Drake has pulled his “Taylor Made Freestyle” down from social media.

Last Friday, Drake posted the Kendrick Lamar diss track — which also includes AI Snoop Dogg vocals — to his social accounts. The song made headlines for its controversial use of AI vocals from both the West Coast legends as well as for lyrics aimed at Lamar in an ongoing feud between the rappers, plus some shots taken at Taylor Swift as well.

On Wednesday, in a cease-and-desist letter obtained exclusively by Billboard, Howard King — a lawyer for the Tupac Shakur estate — told Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham) that he had to confirm he would pull down his “Taylor Made Freestyle” in less than 24 hours.

“The Estate is deeply dismayed and disappointed by your unauthorized use of Tupac’s voice and personality,” King wrote in the letter. “Not only is the record a flagrant violation of Tupac’s publicity and the estate’s legal rights, it is also a blatant abuse of the legacy of one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. The Estate would never have given its approval for this use.” (Read more of the letter here.)

King went on to point out that the use of Tupac’s voice in a diss track against Lamar was particularly egregious. “The unauthorized, equally dismaying use of Tupac’s voice against Kendrick Lamar, a good friend to the Estate who has given nothing but respect to Tupac and his legacy publicly and privately, compounds the insult,” King wrote.

Billboard reached out to reps for both Drake and the Tupac estate on Thursday (April 24) following the removal of the song, and both declined to comment.

“Taylor Made Freestyle,” the follow-up to Drake’s “Push Ups” diss track from earlier this month, is part of a feud that was seemingly ignited by Lamar’s verse on Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” which takes aim at both Drake and J. Cole. “Like That” has spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

25 Apr 2024

Ryan Castro Channels the Spirt of Salsa Great Héctor Lavoe at Latin AMAs 2024

Colombian singer/rapper Ryan Castro channeled a candid rendition of Héctor Lavoe’s timeless salsa song “El Cantante,” appropriately titled “El Cantante del Ghetto” at the Latin American Music Awards 2024.

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Sporting a red, snazzy suit with bold glasses and cornrows, the Medellín native showed off his vocal prowess on his heartbreak tribute song.

“Loves like yours can’t be bought, they can’t be compared, they can’t be known/ If I gave my all to make this relationship last/ Look me in the face and tell me you don’t know me,” he crooned against blaring horns a festive rhythm section, enlivening the crowed in attendance, and this viewer. The song is the first single of his upcoming album, set for release May 9th.

The song was a timely choice, especially considering that the original 1978 classic was inducted into the National Recording Registry this year, the song that became emblematic at the height of the 1970s New York City salsa era.

The 2024 Latin American Music Awards took place Thursday, April 25, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas via Univision.

Hitmakers Feid and Peso Pluma lead this year’s list of nominations with 12 nods each. The Colombian singer and Mexican star, who are up for the coveted artist of the year award and album of the year award, are followed by top nominees Bad Bunny (11), Grupo Frontera (11), Karol G (9), Shakira (9), Eslabon Armado (8) and Fuerza Regida (8). 

Thalia, Becky G, Alejandra Espinoza and Carlos Ponce co-hosed the award ceremony that presented in a combination of English and Spanish, marking the first time any major U.S. award show featured a bilingual broadcast.