Music News

25 Apr 2024

Drew Carey Saw His First Phish Show at Sphere and It Beautifully Destroyed His Brain: ‘Bro, I Met God Tonight For Real’

You couldn’t throw a juggling stick in Las Vegas last week without hitting a Phish phan who was totally phreaking out about the band’s mind-melting run of shows at the Sphere. Definitely count comedian and The Price Is Right host Drew Carey among those whose minds were pried open by the visual and musical spectacle the veteran Vermont jam band brought to the one-of-a-kind venue.

How do we know Carey really, really enjoyed his first Phish-sperience? Well, he described it in vivid, strangely sexual detail in a bonkers rant on fellow comedian Taylor Tomlinson’s late night show After Midnight on Tuesday night. During the talky portion of the show where contestants typically answer the host’s jokey questions, Tomlinson asked Carey “if you weren’t being filmed right now, what would you say?”

That was all the runway Carey needed to launch into a psychedelic monologue that had the typically unflappable host looking amusingly shocked.

Trending on Billboard

“Gimme a minute. So, I saw Phish at the Sphere this weekend. Never saw Phish, didn’t know a Phish tune, and they f–king blew my mind off so hard,” Carey said as he hustled to center stage and began walking around animatedly and gesticulating like a religious convert as Tomlinson said “oh” and fellow guest “Weird” Al Yankovic looked delightedly confused. “I had a bunch of girls with me, and I thought to myself is this what it’s like to…” Carey said, as censors stepped in to bleep what appeared to be a graphic sexual description.

Carey definitely didn’t stop there. “It was like being edged for four days straight. And then right before the face-melting climax at the end of the fourth day, an angel comes down from heaven, Gabriel, and he shoots f–king heroin in your arm, and he says, ‘Good luck now motherf–er!’ And he leaves, and you have an orgasm for 15 minutes while your eyeballs fall out of your head!”

Cut to a shot of Tomlinson looking, well, amusingly phreaked out while the next five minutes of her show were totally, and hilariously, derailed by the Carey crack-up as Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!) could not stop making jokes about the rant. “Next time they play the Sphere, you better not miss it,” Carey counseled. “That was so great and we can definitely use all of it, absolutely, absolutely we can.” Tomlinson joked.

“HR wants to talk to all of you,” Lennon said.

What she couldn’t have used was an earlier from Carey on Monday, in which he got even more graphic. “I swear I just talked to God I would give you all my money, stick my d–k in a blender and swear off p—y for the rest of my life in exchange for this,” Carey wrote along with video of the show he saw. “Bro I met God tonight for real. I feel like I just got saved by Jesus no lie.”

Watch Carey’s Phish tale below.

25 Apr 2024

Donna Kelce Had Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’ on Repeat on Release Day: ‘Probably Her Best Work’

It never hurts when your boyfriend’s mom thinks you’re really good at your job. In Taylor Swift‘s case that means getting a five-star review from Donna Kelce for her record-shattering new double-album, The Tortured Poets Department. Mama Kelce spoke to People magazine this week at a QVC event in Las Vegas, where boyfriend Travis Kelce’s mom admitted that she was just like the rest of you.

“I listened to the whole album, and I listened to it all morning long when it was released,” the Kelce family matriarch said of the 31-song collection that is on pace to have one of the biggest first weeks in chart history. “I was just very impressed. She is a very talented woman, and I think it is probably her best work.”

Trending on Billboard

That wasn’t the only tea Donna spilled at the event. According to People, Donna found out that Maestro star Bradley Cooper and his perennial awards show date mom Gloria would be attending the same QVC event in Vegas when her Super Bowl champ son texted her a photo of himself and Swift on a double vacation date in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California with Cooper and girlfriend model Gigi Hadid.

When Cooper showed up at the QVC event to promote his food truck Danny and Coops Philly Cheesesteak, Donna told the mag she had a big hug for him, saying, “Travis told me you were going to be here.”

And while she didn’t comment on which tracks she thinks are about Travis, Swifties have speculated that at least a couple songs on the collection appear to reference the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, including “The Alchemy” and “So High School,” with Swift seemingly dipping into her gym bag of metaphors on the former. “These blokes warm the benches/ We’ve been on a winning streak/ He jokes that ‘It’s heroin, but this time with an E’/ ‘Cause the sign on your heart said it’s still reserved for me/ Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?” she sings.

The “So High School” hints require a stronger decoder ring, but Swifties are pretty sure that around the 40-second mark the lyrics “cheeks pink in the twinkling lights” feature a coded reference to his initials (“TK”) and hers, “TS” in “lights” in a light pink shade in the song’s lyric video.

24 Apr 2024

Machine Gun Kelly Is Not About to Say ‘3 Mean Things About Taylor Swift’: ‘Travis Is My Boy’

As Machine Gun Kelly says in a new episode of Hot Ones Versus: “You have got to be out of your motherf—ing mind” if you think he wants any smoke from the Swifties.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

MGK goes head-to-head with his friend and fellow musician Trippie Redd in the new episode, which turns the traditional Hot Ones interview show into a competition by making celebs eat increasingly hot wings every time they refuse to answer their rival’s spicy questions.

In one question, Redd brings up MGK’s offer to pay Travis Kelce $1 million if he’ll leave the Kansas City Chiefs to come play for his hometown Cleveland Browns football team. “Burn that bridge by saying three mean things about Taylor Swift,” the rapper dares Kelly, invoking the name of Kelce’s pop-superstar girlfriend.

Trending on Billboard

“Ladies and gentlemen, you have got to be out of your motherf—ing mind if you think I want any smoke with that fanbase,” MGK says with a knowing smile. “Also, Taylor is a saint and very nice to me, and Travis is my bro.”

“Kiss her feet while you’re at it,” Redd teases his buddy, who responds: “She’s very, very nice!”

Kelly (real name: Colson Baker) has known Kelce since their high school days as crosstown sports rivals growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to dodging the Swift question, MGK also answered his critics who thought the $1 million offer to Kelce was low. “I said I would give him $1 million spending money on top of whatever the NFL [gives him]. I’m not the f—ing NFL, so I obviously don’t have to pay him $30 million or $40 million, whatever. I said I’ll give you a bonus.”

As Kelly eats his hot wings as punishment for skipping the question, he shows off his Swift knowledge, singing to himself, “Trouble, trouble, trouble,” from her 2012 Red single “I Knew You Were Trouble,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In addition to their Ohio connection, Kelly also performed at Travis’ inaugural Kelce Jam festival in Bonner Springs, Kansas, last April. Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Diplo will headline the 2024 event on May 18. And in February, after Kelce won the Super Bowl with the Chiefs, he and Swift took a photo with Kelly and his partner Megan Fox at a post-game party.

Watch the full Hot Ones Versus episode below:

24 Apr 2024

‘Broadway Bares’ Announces 2024 Vegas-Themed ‘Hit the Strip’ Burlesque Benefit

Broadway Bares is back, and this time, the annual charity burlesque spectacular hits the jackpot with a sinful Las Vegas theme: Hit the Strip.

Each year, the razzle-dazzle show brings together Broadway’s finest dancers in a music-filled evening, produced by and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). More than 150 of New York’s dancers will take the stage for two performances only on June 23 at Hammerstein Ballroom at 9:30 p.m. and midnight. Special guests are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Previous installments of Broadway Bares have boasted appearances by such stage and music stars as Kristin Chenoweth, Ariana DeBose, JoJo, Adam Lambert, Cyndi Lauper, Pentatonix’s Kirstin Maldonado, Alex Newell, Billy Porter and Vanessa Williams.

Broadway Bares: Hit the Strip will be directed by Kellen Stancil. Also on the creative team: Paula DeLuise (associate director), Jerry Mitchell (the show’s creator and executive producer), Nick Kenkel (executive producer), and choreographers John Alix, Mike Baerga, Phil Colgan, Karla Puno Garcia, Billy Griffin, Amber Jackson, Jonathan Lee, Leo Moctezuma, Rachelle Rak, Michael Lee Scott and Maleek Washington.

Trending on Billboard

Since the show’s launch in 1992, Broadway Bares has generated more than $26 million for BC/EFA. Last year’s edition brought in $1.9 million.

Broadway Bares is one of the many charity events produced by BC/EFA yearly. Among its other fundraisers: Broadway Backwards, Broadway Barks, Broadway Bets, the Fire Island Dance Festival, Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction, Easter Bonnet Competition, Hudson Valley Dance Festival, Red Bucket Follies and Broadway Run.

According to BC/EFA, the organization “has raised more than $300 million for essential services for people living with HIV/AIDS, struggling with COVID-19 and facing other critical illnesses in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.”

24 Apr 2024

Madison Beer Is a Killer Cheerleader in Sultry ‘Make You Mine’ Music Video

Madison Beer has gone full Jennifer Check.

The 25-year-old singer shared the official music video for her viral hit, “Make You Mine,” on Wednesday (April 24), and in the Jennifer’s Body inspired clip, Beer acts as a cheerleader who teams up with her best friend to lure and kill and unsuspecting male classmate. It’s hardly the first time Beer has paid tribute to Megan Fox’s beloved film character, as she’s dressed up as Jennifer for Halloween in the past.

“Make You Mine” is currently sitting at its peak position of No. 8 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart after a clip from the dance-driven chorus went viral on the platform. The song follows the release of Beer’s sophomore album, The Silence Between Songs, which arrived in September 2023, and features lead single “Home to Another One,” as well as fan-favorite tracks “Sweet Relief,” “Spinnin” and “I Wonder.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“It’s just so fun, such a feel-good song. It’s sexy, it’s infectious. I haven’t played it for anyone that hasn’t just like [started] dancing and felt immediately hotter after listening to it, and that’s always how I want to make people feel,” Beer previously told Billboard of “Make You Mine,” before embarking on her world tour in support of Silence Between Songs.

Trending on Billboard

Watch Madison Beer’s “Make You Mine” music video below.

24 Apr 2024

Kim Petras Cancels Summer Festival Performances Due to ‘Health Issues’

Kim Petras is taking a break to heal.

The 31-year-old superstar took to social media on Wednesday (April 24) to announce that she is canceling her scheduled festival performances this summer. “My buns, I’m devastated to be writing this but I’m going through some health issues and under medical advice I have had to make the hard decision to not perform at festivals this summer,” Petras wrote, without providing details on what health issues she is experiencing. “I love u so much and I’ll make it up to you and be back better than ever very soon.”

Petras was scheduled to perform at a number of festivals this summer, including Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Spain; Mighty Hoopla in London, England; Primavera Porto in Porto, Portugal; and Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, Wash. Last week, Petras was announced as the headliner for LadyLand 2024, the annual Pride festival produced by New York nightlife connoisseur Ladyfag.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In September, Petras dropped her French-pop album Problématique via Repbulic / Amigo Records. Across 10 tracks, Petras delves into ecstatic pop sounds, ranging from funk (“Born Again”), to R&B-pop (“Deeper”) to bratty, materialistic pop jams (“All She Wants” featuring Paris Hilton). As she sings on the titular track, “I’m a little bit dramatic, little real, a little plastic/ I just keep on wreaking havoc.”

Trending on Billboard

The album was Petras’ second of 2023 — in June, she unveiled Feed the Beast, her long-awaited Republic debut. She continued her music release schedule into 2024, with Slut Pop Miami arriving in February.

24 Apr 2024

Meet TNT, the Glam Squad Behind Countless Latin Music Stars: ‘We Have to Create Something That You Cannot Do Yourself’

In our franchise “The Stars Behind the Stars,” Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors share stories that have yet to be told, directly from those who aren’t often in front of the spotlight. Think “todo lo que no se ve detrás de cámaras,” or “everything that happens behind the scenes.” These unsung heroes are essential to an artist’s team and its foundation. Today, we highlight the founders of TNT Agency, Hector and Alejandra Barraza.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Hector and Alejandra Barraza were young entrepreneurs in Chino Hills, Calif., then they came up with their big idea. Hector, whose background is in marketing and sales, worked training salespeople. His wife Alejandra, a cosmetologist, borrowed one of his spaces to give a makeup class.

“It was my aha moment,” Hector says. “With my background and experience in marketing, we put together a nice package to market classes, and we became a makeup school.”

Trending on Billboard

At the same time, Alejandra began to provide makeup services for a growing roster of clients. When she could no longer do it alone, she started to train other glam artists. And so, TNT Agency was born.

Today, 20 years later, TNT is “the premiere glam agency for Latin Grammys, Billboard Latin Music Awards, SESAC Latina and even the general market Grammys,” says Hector. Artists and teams who’ve walked those red carpets have no doubt seen the TNT squad: some 20-30 young women dressed in matching uniforms, all looking like a million bucks and armed with their glam gear.

Hector, the agency’s beauty director, is in charge of marshaling the troops and sending artists to wherever they’re needed. It’s a unique scenario, he says. By calling one person — himself — a client can get up to 45 makeup artists dispatched. Alejandra trains the team, and all glam artists have to undergo TNT training before they can join the agency at an event or gig. All use the same products and protocol.

TNT trains approximately 600 individuals a year, who come from all over the country to TNT’s headquarters in Chino. This allows Hector, in turn, to offer services to clients in most major U.S. cities. In addition, TNT has added a third component to its services: It produces its own cosmetics under the TNT brand.

On the eve of the 2024 Latin American Music Awards in Las Vegas, Barraza — this month’s “Star Behind the Stars” — told us the story behind TNT, what sets the agency apart, and what are the new trends in makeup.

Growing from gigs to an agency of this size sounds daunting. What was your big break?

The agency became very popular because we started to do beauty segments on Univision’s KMEX station in Los Angeles. Every Wednesday at 5 am Alejandra had a beauty segment called “Eternamente Bella (Eternally Beautiful).” And this is where we started to meet interesting people in Los Angeles like Cristy Solís, Marco Antonio’s wife. One thing led to another. The world of networking works, and we ended up in really cool peoples’ homes. And these people had people who produced shows, and that’s how we got some pretty big breaks, providing glam services for artists and then executives and then the production.

How much time do I need to look beautiful for a show?

All our artists do makeup and hair. A full service, one glam artist, is about an hour and a half. Our glam is very personal. What I might think looks good on you, you might hate. So we tailor every look to the client. What is it you like and what do you feel comfortable with? And our job is to take it up a few levels. We have to create something in your style that you cannot do yourself. Otherwise why hire us? That’s why people tell us, “I could never do this.” That’s exactly why you contact us.

What is the TNT touch?

It’s a flawless finish. It’s supposed to look very natural. You will look polished. There’s so much that can go wrong in a makeup application.

Has anything changed dramatically in the glam world in the past few years?

This is fashion so it’s always changing. The way you do your brows is not the way you did it three years ago. You have to be up to date on trends. There are two worlds: Social media and production and we dabble on both. It changes rapidly because this is very what’s on trend and how you incorporate it. What you see on TikTok you can’t necessarily apply in real life.

Newest trend?

Cream blush is probably the hottest thing out there. It’s light, it goes easy on the skin, it’s glowy, it’s smooth. Cream blush is the thing. People are putting it on their cheeks, on their nose. People of all ages are using it. From the 13 year old to the older individual because it’s not drying.

24 Apr 2024

Matty Healy Says He ‘Hasn’t Listened to That Much’ of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Matty Healy is rumored to be one of the tortured poets on Taylor Swift‘s new album, but he doesn’t seem to be affected by it.

The 1975 frontman was approached by paparazzi in Los Angeles on Wednesday (April 24), where he was asked how he felt about his “Taylor diss track,” according to People. “My diss track? Oh! I haven’t really listened to that much of it, but I’m sure it’s good,” he replied.

A few songs on Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department are widely believed by fans to be about her past alleged romance with Healy, including the title track, “Guilty as Sin?,” and “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can).”

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Following Swift’s split from ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn in early 2023, there were sightings of Healy at the superstar dates on The Eras Tour in Nashville and Philadelphia, where he showed his support for the “Anti-Hero” star from the VIP tent and was seen joining opener Phoebe Bridgers on guitar. Outside of The Eras Tour, on May 16, Healy and Swift were spotted leaving Electric Lady Studios in New York City together, hours after he was reportedly spotted near her apartment. As the two exited the studio to get to a car waiting for them outside, Healy guided Swift past a gathering of fans with his hand at her lower back. Days before that, the singers were pictured dining, and possibly holding hands, at Casa Cipriani in New York City. Mutual friend and collaborator Jack Antonoff joined them for dinner.

Trending on Billboard

Both have since moved on, with Swift currently dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Healy dating model Gabbriette Bechtel.

24 Apr 2024

Linkin Park Lands Record Eighth No. 1 on Top Hard Rock Albums Chart With ‘Papercuts’

Papercuts, the first greatest-hits compilation from Linkin Park, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart dated April 27.

The set bows with 44,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in its first week (April 12-18), according to Luminate. The majority (23,000) is from streaming equivalent units, with 21,000 in album sales.

Linkin Park now boasts a record-rewriting eight No. 1s on Top Hard Rock Albums, which began in 2007. The band pulls into sole possession of the most rulers in the tally’s history, passing Five Finger Death Punch, Foo Fighters and Pearl Jam; perhaps not to be outdone for long, Pearl Jam’s latest LP, Dark Matter, was released April 19 and will challenge for the top spot on the May 4 ranking.

Most No. 1s, Hard Rock Albums:
8, Linkin Park
7, Five Finger Death Punch
7, Foo Fighters
7, Pearl Jam
6, Disturbed
6, Korn

Linkin Park last led Top Hard Rock Albums with Meteora, following its 20th-anniversary reissue last April.

Papercuts also starts at No. 2 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums. As previously reported, it debuts at No. 6 on the all-genre Billboard 200, where it’s the band’s 11th top 10 and first since One More Light debuted at No. 1 in 2017.

The 20-song Papercuts includes singles from the majority of the band’s studio albums, as well as the previously unreleased “Friendly Fire” and outtake “QWERTY,” from the group’s 2006 EP LP Underground 6, a fan club-only collection. The new release’s “Lost” was released in 2023 on the 20th anniversary reissue of Meteora.

“QWERTY” concurrently debuts at No. 5 on the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart with 1.1 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 sold April 12-18. “Friendly Fire,” released Feb. 23, rises 42-37 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (after it debuted at its No. 13 high on the March 9 ranking) with 6.5 million radio audience impressions, 806,000 streams and 1,000 sold. It spent two weeks atop Rock & Alternative Airplay and one week at No. 1 on Mainstream Rock Airplay.

Linkin Park’s music rose 15% to 42.9 million official on-demand U.S. streams April 12-18, boosted by interest in not only the newly released “QWERTY” but also the band’s multi-album string of hits cataloged on Papercuts. The most-streamed Linkin Park song of the week was “Numb,” which accrued 4.7 million streams, up 9%. It’s just a tick ahead of “In the End,” also at 4.7 million streams rounded off, a boost of 10%. “One Step Closer” was third with 3 million streams, a 15% jump.

In all, the 20 songs on Papercuts encompass 10 of Linkin Park’s 12 career No. 1s on Alternative Airplay. The tracklist omits only three-week ruler “Lying From You” (2004) and four-frame leader “The Catalyst” (2010). As for Mainstream Rock Airplay, Papercuts features all but two of the band’s 10 No. 1s, both from 2014’s The Hunting Party: “Guilty All the Same” (featuring Rakim) and “Until It’s Gone.”

One More Light remains Linkin Park’s last studio album. Frontman Chester Bennington died two months after its May 19, 2017, release.

24 Apr 2024

Tate McRae Covers Ariana Grande’s ‘We Can’t Be Friends’ at London Concert: Watch

Tate McRae slowed things down at her recent concert in London for a stripped-back cover of Ariana Grande‘s “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).”

In a clip from the Canadian singer/songwriter’s pair of sold-out shows at the Apollo Theatre on April 22-23, McRae wears a green tracksuit while sitting on a stool, accompanied by a simple electric guitar. “Know that you made me/ I don’t like how you paint me, yet I’m still here hanging,” she sings, her delicate voice bringing out a different side of Grande’s belted track. “Not what you made me/ It’s something like a daydream.”

Released as the second single from Grande’s latest album Eternal Sunshine, “We Can’t Be Friends” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The pop star released a music video for the song in March co-starring American Horror Story‘s Evan Peters, aptly inspired by the plot of the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Trending on Billboard

At her London shows this week, the “Greedy” singer also performed songs from her 2023 LP Think Later, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. In the crowd of thousands during her tenure at the Apollo, McRae’s bestie and fellow pop star Olivia Rodrigo attended, along with the “Vampire” musician’s rumored boyfriend, actor Louis Partridge.

“2 sold out nights in london i luuurrreevveeeeee u guys,” McRae wrote on Instagram afterward, sharing photos from the performances. “with ALL MY HEART THANK U.”

The 20-year-old rising pop star will next take her Think Later Tour to Manchester, followed by Wolverhampton in the U.K. The European leg of her trek will continue through the first week of May, with stops in Germany, Sweden, Norway and more.

Earlier this month, schedules aligned so the “Exes” artist could attend one of The Kid Laroi’s concerts in Dublin. At one point, the “Stay” singer told the crowd as McRae blushed backstage, “I need everybody in here to sing this as loud as they can because my girlfriend’s here tonight, and I don’t want to look lame.”

Watch McRae cover “We Can’t Be Friends” below.