Music News

12 Apr 2024

Selena Gomez Addresses Rumors She Once Dated John F. Kennedy’s Grandson

Selena Gomez has weighed in. After coming across a post from a fan account on Instagram alleging that she once had a romance with Jack Schlossberg — aka the grandson of 35th President John F. Kennedy — the singer-actress took to the comments to give the real story Friday (April 12).

Keeping her answer short and sweet, Gomez simply wrote underneath the post, “Never met this human sorry.”

Schlossberg is the son of Caroline Kennedy (whose parents are JFK and Jackie Kennedy Onassis) and Edwin Schlossberg.

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Fans couldn’t get enough of the Only Murders in the Building star’s frankness, with one person commenting, “these rumours are CRAZY … Well either way Love you gurl.”

“tell them gurl,” added another Selenator.

Members of American political dynasties aside, the 31-year-old Rare Beauty founder is currently in a relationship with producer Benny Blanco. On the same day she shut down the rumor about Schlossberg, Gomez also posted a sweet photo of her beau on her Story.

“I love you,” she captioned the pic, which finds the “Eastside” musician kissing her hand as they pose together in a car.

She and Blanco first went public with their romance in December, with Gomez confirming via Instagram comments that they’d been together for six months at that point. In March, the “Lose You to Love Me” artist celebrated Blanco’s birthday on the social media platform, writing that his “emotional endurance, positive disposition, unbelievable talent (that blows me away), undeniable humor and loving, kind heart absolutely kill me.”

Later that month, she commemorated their “first virtual date” with another post on Stories, writing, “#longdistancerelationship vibes.”

Blanco produced Gomez’s recent single “Single Soon,” which debuted at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September. She followed it up with “Love On” in February, peaking at No. 56 on the chart.

The tracks serve as pre-cursors to the the star’s highly anticipated fourth studio album — which she’s expected to finish at some point in 2024 — although neither “Single Soon” nor “Love On” will necessarily make the tracklist.

“I would like to say that I am working towards an album, but I don’t know if those songs would be on that project,” she told Billboard in March. “I feel like I’m brewing, and I’m in the process of really creating some great songs, hopefully. I don’t know if they would fit with what I’m gonna go with.”

12 Apr 2024

Slash Ropes Chris Stapleton in For Bluesy Cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Oh Well’

Slash found the perfect singer for his cover of the Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac song “Oh Well.” The Guns ‘N Roses guitarist roped in country rocker Chris Stapleton for a take on the song written by original Mac co-founder Green for the group’s third studio album, 1969’s Then Play On.

With Stapleton’s signature gruff vocal leading the track, the blues rock tune from Slash’s upcoming sixth solo album, Orgy of the Damned (May 17), dropped on on Friday morning (April 12). It finds the country singer growling out the iconic lines, “I can’t help about the shape I’m in/ I can’t sing, I ain’t pretty and my legs are thin/ But don’t ask me what I think of you/ I might not give the answer that you want me to/ Oh well” over the top-hatted guitarist’s signature paint-peeling riffs.

The song has a long history of covers, including takes by everyone from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, to Kenny Wayne Shepherd, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Haim, Aerosmith, Jason Isbell, Joe Jackson and the Eels, among many others.

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“So, this is the original Fleetwood Mac, which was founded by Peter Green, one of the greatest singer-songwriter-guitar players, he’s less known in the public, but very well known to us guitar players re the 60s British blues and he’s up there with Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Nick Taylor,” Slash said in a statement. “I remember hearing the song on the radio when I was probably 13, they used to play both the older version of Fleetwood Mac and the new version of the band with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham a lot. I always loved this song, and it’s a great guitar riff. I jammed it with the Blues Ball back in the ‘90s, and I’ve played it live here and there. I knew from the beginning I wanted to do the song on this record. It was also one of the songs that I was trying to figure out who would be the right vocalist for it, and one of the ideas I had was Chris Stapleton, who is one of the most brilliant singer songwriters today. He’s also got such a gritty and distinctive voice, so I called him up and he did an amazing job. I mean, his voice is so cool.”

It is the second single to date from Slash’s album, following on the heels of his previously released take on the blues standard “Killing Floor,” which features AC/DC singer Brian Johnson on vocals and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler on harmonica.

Orgy is described as an homage to Slash’s love of classic blues, with vocals from Gary Clark Jr., ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Dorothy, Iggy Pop, Paul Rodgers, Demi Lovato, Chris Robinson and Beth Hart. The house band supporting the guitarist on the record included two of his 1990s bandmates from Blues Ball, bassist Johnny Griparic and keyboardist Teddy ‘ZigZag’ Andreadis, as well as drummer Michael Jerome and singer/guitarist Tash Neal.

The album’s track list includes covers of songs by Robert Johnson, T. Bone Walker, Steppenwolf, Albert King, Stevie Wonder and Willie Dixon, among others. Robinson is the musical guest on this weekend’s Saturday Night Live with host Ryan Gosling.

Slash will take the songs on the road this summer with his S.E.R.P.E.N.T festival featuring the Warren Haynes Band, Keb’ ‘Mo, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Robert Randolph, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, ZZ Ward, Jackie Venson, and Larkin Poe. The North American outing is slated to kick off on July 5 at the KettleHouse Amphitheater in Bonner, Montana.

Check out Slash’s preview and listen to the whole song below.

12 Apr 2024

Ryan Gosling Competes for Chris Stapleton’s Approval in ‘Saturday Night Live’ Promo: Watch

Ryan Gosling missed a big opportunity to recreate his glamorous cowboy look from Barbie ahead of his upcoming Saturday Night Live stint. In a hilarious new promo video posted Thursday (April 11), Sarah Sherman showed up in full Wild West gear to match this weekend’s musical guest, Chris Stapleton — leaving the La La Land actor feeling a little left out.  

The clip starts with Gosling introducing himself as the show’s Saturday (April 13) host, standing next to the 10-time Grammy winner, who wears his signature cowboy hat. When Sherman slides into view in a similar hat as well as a bolo tie and tassled shirt, the “I’m Just Ken” singer looks at her disapprovingly.  

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“Sarah, you said it would be weird if we dressed up for Chris,” he says. 

“I dressed up for me,” she replies, tipping her hat in Stapleton’s direction. “Lil lady.” 

When Stapleton tells her, “I love your hat,” Gosling begrudgingly admits, “You look so cool.” 

At that, the “White Horse” singer tells him, “You look good too, Ryan,” making the Fall Guy star smirk. 

In another take from the new video, Gosling and Stapleton can’t help but break character when Sherman enters the frame and faces anywhere but the front. “Sorry, I looked in the eclipse so I can’t tell where the camera is now,” she says. 

The two men remain stoic for a few moments, but when the comedian starts making kissy faces at the country star, Gosling bursts out laughing, causing Stapleton to chuckle as well. 

The clip comes after another SNL promo video that finds the Canada native nervously practicing for his first meeting with Stapleton. “Mr. Stapleton, big fan, love your music,” he says as he grips a headshot of the musician and a black marker, clearly hoping to get the “Tennessee Whiskey” crooner’s autograph. “Nah, it’s stupid.” 

Watch Gosling, Stapleton and Sherman’s hilarious video for SNL above. 

12 Apr 2024

J. Cole Makes Surprise Guest Appearance on Future & Metro Boomin’s ‘We Still Don’t Trust You’

There were a few shocking guest appearances on Future and Metro Boomin’s We Still Don’t Trust You album, but perhaps J. Cole had the most surprising of them all.

Cole appeared on disc No. 1 closer “Red Leather,” which hit streaming services on Friday (April 12), and finds him running the pick and roll with Future for seven minutes of smooth rapping at a high level.

Cole’s appearance on the project comes less than a week after his apology to Kendrick Lamar for dissing him on “7 Minute Drill.” That only came about because of K. Dot taking aim at the Dreamville boss and Drake with his “Like That” verse on Young Metro and Pluto’s We Don’t Trust You first installment.

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It’s unclear when the verse was recorded, but it appears to be previous to all of the Kendrick Lamar-induced drama and not an official response to the Compton legend.

“My energy was never on some toughest n—a s–t/ I was just a conscious rapper that would f–k a n—a b—h,” he raps.

Regardless, fans didn’t understand why J. Cole would clear a guest appearance like this after what transpired the last week between himself and Kendrick Lamar, as well as the optics of joining up with Future and Metro, who allowed the shots to be fired at his tourmate, Drake.

“Who is advising J. Cole right now? Seriously,” one person asked on X.

Just two days after dropping Might Delete Later and “7 Minute Drill,” J. Cole walked back his sentiments dissing Lamar’s discography while on stage headlining his Dreamville Fest in North Carolina last Sunday (April 7). He went as far as referring to the track as some of the “lamest s–t” he’s ever done in his career.

“That s–t don’t sit right with my spirit,” he said. “That s–t disrupts my f—ing peace. So what I want to say right here tonight is in the midst of me doing that and in that s–t, trying to find a little angle and downplay this n—a’s f—ing catalog and his greatness, I want to say right now tonight, how many people think Kendrick Lamar is one of the greatest motherf–kers to ever touch a f—ing microphone? Dreamville, y’all love Kendrick Lamar, correct? As do I.”

The North Carolina rapper continued: “I just want to come up here and publicly be like, bruh, that was the lamest, goofiest s–t. I say all that to say it made me feel like 10 years ago when I was moving incorrectly. And I pray that god will line me back up on my purpose and on my path, I pray that my n—a really didn’t feel no way and if he did, my n—a, I got my chin out. Take your best shot, I’ma take that s–t on the chin boy, do what you do. All good. It’s love.”

As for Future and Metro Boomin, they are riding high coming off of We Don’t Trust You, which took the rap game by storm to top the Billboard 200 with 251,000 total album-equivalent units in the week ending March 28, per Luminate.

Listen to “Red Leather” below.

12 Apr 2024

aespa Member Winter Has ‘Preventive’ Surgery to Treat Collapsed Lung

aespa member Winter recently underwent preventive surgery to treat a collapsed lung. The K-pop group’s label, SM Entertainment, released a statement on Friday (April 12) describing the procedure to treat a pneumorthorax, a condition in which air accumulates in the chest, applying pressure on the lungs and possibly leading to collapse.

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According to South Korean news outlet Newsen, the SM statement read, “Winter is recovering from recent pneumothorax surgery. As the disease is prone to recurrence, the decision was made as a preemptive measure based on the opinions of the medical staff after sufficient discussion.”

The statement added that the 23-year-old singer’s recovery is a priority and that “future schedules will be made with Winter’s recovery status as the top priority.” At press time the group’s spokesperson had no additional information about Winter’s surgery or recovery process.

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According to Newsen, Winter’s most recent public appearance was on April 6 on Japan’s NHK music show Venue 101, after which she returned to South Korea on the morning of April 9. The group will make the jump to the big screen on April 24 and 27 when their first concert film, aespa: WORLD TOUR, brings fans inside the group’s U.K. live debut at London’s O2 Arena as part of their 2023 Synk: Hyper Line world tour.

The quartet can currently be heard on the just-released Rebel Moon – Songs of the Rebellion EP, which also features original songs by Jessie Reyez, Tainy, Tokischa, TOKiMONSTA, Black Coffee and Kordhell inspired by Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon movie series. aespa are slated to kick a run of SYNK: Parallel Lines dates in Asia and Australia, with the tour kicking off with two nights in their native Seoul on June 29-30.

12 Apr 2024

Selena Gomez Tells Benny Blanco ‘I Love You’ in Sweet Photo

Benny Blanco knows how to turn Selena Gomez‘s love on. With a sweet post on Instagram Stories Friday (April 12), the singer-actress publicly professed her feelings for her boyfriend and shared an adorable photo with the producer. 

The snap finds the Rare Beauty founder posing with Blanco in the car, the “Eastside” artist holding Gomez’s hand and kissing it. “I love you,” she captioned the post. Blanco also shared her Story on his own account, without comment. 

The Only Murders in the Building star also showed support for her beau in another Story by sharing a reminder to pre-order Blanco’s upcoming cookbook with Jess Damuch, Open Wide, writing, “My favs.” 

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She and Blanco have been dating since last year, going public with their romance in December after Gomez confirmed in comments on Instagram that they’d been an item for six months at that point. In January, they snuggled up courtside at an L.A. Lakers game, then attended the Emmys together a few weeks later. 

In March, the “Lose You to Love Me” artist celebrated Blanco’s birthday on Instagram, writing that his “emotional endurance, positive disposition, unbelievable talent (that blows me away), undeniable humor and loving, kind heart absolutely kill me.” Later that month, she commemorated their “first virtual date” with another post on Stories, writing, “#longdistancerelationship vibes.” 

After releasing a duo of singles in August and February — “Single Soon,” which Blanco produced, and “Love On” — Gomez is expected to finish her highly anticipated fourth studio album in 2024. She also has a number of onscreen projects in the works, including an upcoming reboot of Wizards of Waverly Place and the next season of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. 

“I want to continue working towards my goals,” she told Billboard in March. “In the acting field, I feel like I haven’t even started. And with music, it’s always evolving. It’s such a therapeutic experience for me.” 

12 Apr 2024

Jewel Cops to Kevin Costner Being a ‘Great Person,’ Amid ‘Intense’ Interest in Their Relationship

Fans have been wondering for months whether Jewel and former Yellowstone star Kevin Costner are an item. The singer, 49, and actor, 69, set tongues a wagging when they appeared together at a tennis fundraiser on Necker Island in December, but to date neither has commented publicly on their reported situationship.

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In a new interview with Elle magazine, Jewel, kind of, answered those burning questions, calling the two-time Oscar winner “a great person,” as she reportedly blushed and added, “the public fascination is intense for sure.” And that was it.

Neither star has offered any further insight into whether they are dating — Jewel was previously married to rodeo rider Ty Murray, with whom she has a 12-year-old son, and twice-married Costner’s second wife, Christine Baumgartner, filed for divorce last year after 18 years.

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This week the pair were on opposite coasts, with Costner bringing his passion project western Horizon: An American Saga to the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas, while Jewel made a surprise appearance at Olivia Rodrigo‘s final MSG show in New York on Tuesday to help the “Vampire” singer close out the first leg of her North American GUTS tour.

The pair shared the stage for a performance of Jewel’s signature 1995 hit “You Were Meant For Me,” with Rodrigo gushing over the huge influence Jewel has had on her career. “She is such an incredible songwriter,” Rodrigo said. “When I first started writing my songs, I would listen to her album Pieces of You before I went to bed. She’s incredible and it’s such an honor that she’s here with me tonight.”

12 Apr 2024

New ‘Bonfire’ Playlist on Amazon Music Highlights Zach Bryan, Kacey Musgraves, Noah Kahan & More ‘Storytellers’

As introspective, guitar-based songs from artists including Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves continue proliferating streaming consumption and music charts, Amazon Music aims to capture this cultural surge with its newly launched playlist Bonfire, which started globally on Friday (April 12).

The playlist will launch with more than 50 songs, focusing more on mood than genre and capturing a cross-section of artists such as Mumford & Sons, Bryan, Dylan Gossett, Boygenius, Kahan, Musgraves, Lizzy McAlpine and more.

“This is a huge movement,” Emily Cohen, country programming lead for Amazon Music, tells Billboard. “We’ve seen storytellers bubble up and connect with our listeners, artists like Zach Bryan and Hozier. For us, we see what customers are into and double down on what they love. We felt it needed to be in one place where people could listen to these artists together. It’s creating a true collection of ‘Bonfire’ songs. Artists don’t want to be put in a box or be defined, so it’s an amalgamation of country, alternative and indie-folk that is bubbling up.”

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Among the songs initially part of the playlist are Bryan’s “Something in the Orange,” Kahan’s “Stick Season,” Musgraves’ “Deeper Well,” Hozier’s “Too Sweet,” The Red Clay Strays’ “Wondering Why,” Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met,” Black Pumas’ “More Than a Love Song,” and the Joy Oladokun/Chris Stapleton collaboration “Sweet Symphony.”

“Listening to this, it is elemental and outdoorsy in its vibe,” Cohen says. “They are all sonically connected. I think a unique thread through all of these artists is they are authentic. You know who they are through their songwriting and fans react to that.”

The playlist is highlighted by Big Loud Records artist Charles Wesley Godwin’s new Amazon Music Original cover of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. Godwin released his latest album, Family Ties, last year.

Charles Wesley Godwin, bonfire playlist, Amazon Music

Amazon Music

“I believe Gordon to have been one of the greatest songwriters of our time and felt this opportunity with Amazon Music was perfect to shine a light on one of his most popular songs a little over 50 years after its original release date,” Godwin said via a statement. “Hopefully, through this version that me and the guys recorded, a new generation of music listeners can be introduced to Gordon’s music and become fans of his themselves.”

Godwin is set to debut his rendition of the song when he performs at the annual Stagecoach Festival on Sunday, April 28. Music fans can watch the performance as the festival will be livestreamed on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and Prime Video. The Morgantown, West Virginia, native will open shows for Luke Combs’ stadium tour in 2024. In addition to Stagecoach, Godwin will perform at festivals including Bourbon and Beyond, as well as Bonnaroo.

“He’s an incredible songwriter,” Cohen says. “He’s such a powerhouse. He’s becoming his own version of Bruce Springsteen onstage, rock and country—he’s an embodiment of what we’re trying to achieve with this playlist.”

“It’s such an honor to be included in a playlist like this with so many amazing artists,” Godwin added in a statement. “Keeping company like this is all I ever could have wished for when I set out on this path of music. ‘bonfire’ is so fitting for those special moments in life when we’re enjoying the company of our friends and family.”

12 Apr 2024

Bad Bunny Electrifies NYC: 5 Standout Moments from His Most Wanted Tour

On Thursday night (April 11), the Barclays Center in New York City was electrified by the presence of Bad Bunny. The arena, filled to its 19,000-person capacity, buzzed with anticipation as the Puerto Rican superstar kicked off the first show of his three-night stint in the city.

“New York has been very important in my career, where dreams come true,” Benito told his fans in his native Spanish during the performance. “Being on the tour feels really amazing, going to each place and seeing it, all the cities, but New York, it’s something else. It feels more amazing than usual. Seeing all those PR and DR flags makes it even more special. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here, it means a lot to me.”

Bad Bunny — who wore Prada sunglasses, a velour suit, and a gold cross necklace — delivered a dynamic performance that was an amalgamation of music and spectacle. It included a grand orchestra, an equestrian entrance, a surprise appearance by Bryant Myers to perform “Seda,” a jigsaw-like stage that transformed into the Brooklyn Bridge, and, of course, a repertoire of his biggest hits. (Here’s the complete setlist of the tour, which slightly changed to add “Amorfoda” and “Tití Me Preguntó.”)

This was part of his Most Wanted Tour — in support of his Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana album — which kicked off on Feb. 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Live Nation-promoted tour is halfway through its schedule, with forthcoming performances in cities including Austin, Texas (Apr. 26-27), Atlanta, Ga. (May 14-15), and Miami, Fla. (May 24-26). See the full dates here.

According to Billboard Boxscore, the tour has already been a commercial success, grossing $84.2M and selling 282K tickets over its first 18 shows. It has consistently sold out venues, demonstrating Bad Bunny’s continued widespread appeal.

Here are five standout moments from the first night of Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted Tour at the Barclays Center:

12 Apr 2024

Travis Kelce Dances to Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off’ During ‘New Heights’ Podcast Taping in Cincinnati

Jason and Travis Kelce returned to their old college stomping grounds on Thursday (April 11) when the NFL legend brothers packed the University of Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena for a taping of their “New Heights” podcast in front of a rabid audience of college kids and football fans.

And while they had some A-list guests and played some fun games, the clip that instantly went viral was, of course, Travis, 34, dancing along to girlfriend Taylor Swift‘s 2014 smash “Shake It Off” on stage. The precious moment was uploaded to TikTok by a fan, who grabbed video of Travis doing the “Shake It” shimmy along to a marching band version of the song, complete with the appropriate hand gestures. A crowd member shouts the song title, with Travis confirming it and saying “that’s one of my favorites.”

The Super Bowl champ siblings — Eagles center Jason retired earlier this year — both played college ball for UC and their return to Cincinnati was huge news in the city for the past week. Their guests for the taping were Queen City royalty, including Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who has an ongoing, fierce rivalry with Travis’ Kansas City Chiefs. Burrow, who appeared along with teammate offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., needled Kelce a bit, telling him that the Bengals were custom built to beat KC.

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Proud mom Donna Kelce was also on hand, with the pod’s X account teasing beforehand, “Mama Kelce wouldn’t miss her boys’ first arena show,” along with a pic of Donna holding a giant clutch of mylar balloons featuring the KC and Eagles jerseys as well as a heart-shaped one that read “World’s Best Mom.” Due to torrential spring rains on Wednesday and Thursday, the podcast was forced to move indoors from the planned site at nearby Nippert Stadium, where the Ohio native brothers suited up for the Bearcat during college.

During the appearance, both men also finally picked up their diplomas.

Check out some pics from the event below.