Music News

11 Apr 2024

Of Course Prince Gave Animal Lover Nicole Richie Her First Dog… And of Course He Was Named ‘God’

You get to experience a lot of cool stuff when your dad is one of the biggest pop stars in the world. But Nicole Richie proved on Tuesday night (April 9) that the stars are not always just like us after all. Not even close.

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Chatting with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show in an appearance to promote her starring role in the remake of the 1991 comedy Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, avowed animal lover Richie ran down the list of her current and former favorite pets, including her new cat Lavender Bumblebee. The feline, of course, joins Nicole’s other favorite kitty, Tiger Lily Sprinkle Winks, who, she noted was initially “very upset” when LB came into the picture.

Richie also recalled her many trips to a pet store in L.A. with childhood bestie and reality TV co-star Paris Hilton to buy pet rats. “I don’t know why, I actually hate rats now,” she said of her expansive rat pack, all of whom were named after Beverly Hills 90210 characters. “So I don’t know why we were into them, but we were.” After rogue rat Tori Spelling ended up on her mom’s face one morning, the rats were out and Nicole moved on to her next obsession: Las Vegas-sourced ferrets.

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That was far from the wildest animal tale she told, though.

“Yes, Prince got me my first dog,” Richie told Fallon about the pooch the enigmatic late pop icon gave her when she was four. “I remember because the dog’s name was God. I did not name the dog, obviously.”

Richie said she was used to interactions with superstars on a regular basis from attending her dad Lionel Richie’s concerts as a kid, though she typically kept to the backstage area. “The first time that I went in the audience — I remember this so clearly — one of the Pointer Sisters was there,” Richie said, adding that the singer in question had a cute Yorkie with a pink bow in its hair at the gig. “She’s the one who brought me out into the audience for the first time.” Fallon then shared a recent video of Nicole and sister Sofia in the crowd at one of their dad’s shows losing their minds along with everyone else in the crowd.

Richie stars alongside June Squibb, Jermaine Fowler and Gus Kenworthy in the Babysitter reboot due out on Friday (April 12).

Watch Richie on The Tonight Show below.

11 Apr 2024

Alek Olsen Remains Atop TikTok Billboard Top 50, Hozier Jumps Into Top 3

Alek Olsen’s “Someday I’ll Get It” is No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart for a third straight week, followed by G-Eazy’s “Lady Killers II” and Hozier’s “Too Sweet” on the ranking dated April 13.

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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity April 1-7. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50. As previously noted, titles that are part of Universal Music Group’s catalog are currently unavailable on TikTok.

Olsen’s “Someday I’ll Get It” enjoys its third week at No. 1 on the chart in as many weeks. It’s the third song to lead the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for at least three weeks since the list’s September 2023 inception, following Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” (six weeks, October-December 2023) and Flo Milli’s “Never Lose Me” (four weeks, January-February).

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The track’s prime usage on TikTok was initially a trend remembering deceased pets – one that continues to this day, though other recent clips find creators reminiscing about other losses they’ve experienced.

The March 29-April 4 Billboard multimetric chart tracking week sees “Someday I’ll Get It” lift 20-18 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs list via 3.3 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

G-Eazy’s “Lady Killers II,” billed as the Christoph Andersson remix, lifts to No. 2 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, a new peak. Released as a follow-up to G-Eazy’s original from the 2012 album Must Be Nice, the tune premiered March 17 after the then-unreleased remix took off on TikTok via a trend in which users turn off a light illuminating them in sync with the “Make her disappear just like poof/ Then she’s gone” lyric, usually on a beach.

“Lady Killers II” concurrently enjoys a 12% boost in official U.S. streams to 4.8 million March 29-April 4. It appears at No. 49 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart (after debuting at No. 47 the previous week) and also bows on the Billboard Global 200 at No. 147.

Hozier’s “Too Sweet” leaps to No. 3 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 from No. 31, also a new peak. After being teased on TikTok prior to its March 22 wide release, the song has vaulted up the chart via multiple viral usages on the platform, mostly lip-synching, covers and being attached to unrelated popular videos.

The song rises 10% in official U.S. streams toward the latest Billboard charts to a new high of 31.8 million, good enough for No. 2 on the all-format Streaming Songs list. It also ascends 5-4 on the multimetric Billboard Hot 100.

Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Carnival,” a previous two-week No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50, dips 2-4, and Sexyy Red’s “Get It Sexyy” rounds out the top five.

Bakar’s “Hell N Back” returns to the chart at No. 6, its first time among the ranking since January. Originally released in 2019, the song has enjoyed multiple viral moments throughout its lifetime, both on TikTok and via its placement in the trailer for the 2023 Disney/Pixar film Elemental. This time, the track’s Summer Walker remix is driving the attention, with Walker’s vocals soundtracking a trend in which users talk about their significant others to the verse “I was over love, I had enough, then I found you.”

“Hell N Back” returns to the Alternative Streaming Songs chart at No. 15 with 4.6 million official U.S. streams, a boost of 69%.

Artemas’ “I Like the Way You Kiss Me” is one of three songs, like Hozier’s “Too Sweet,” to reach the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10 for the first time, jumping 19-7. It’s joined by BossMan Dlow’s “Talk My Shit,” which debuts at No. 9. The latter, which was released as part of the rapper’s March 15 album Mr Beat the Road, is rising thanks to a dance trend using the song, while the former was teased on TikTok prior to release and is mostly being used in lip-synch clips.

See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.

11 Apr 2024

Ariana Grande Gets Cozy With Cynthia Erivo, Ethan Slater & More ‘Wicked’ Castmates at CinemaCon

Goodness knows, Ariana Grande has a lot of love for her Wicked castmates. The 30-year-old pop star joined Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and Michell Yeoh in promoting the upcoming film duology at CinemaCon Wednesday (April 10) in Las Vegas, during which she posed for a set of sweet photos with the group backstage and walking around the event hand-in-hand with Ethan Slater. 

Wearing a swankified dress modeled after a delicate pink flower, Grande took the stage alongside Erivo to speak about the film for the convention’s Universal Pictures and Focus Features Presentation at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The “Yes, And?” singer plays Glinda and Erivo is Elphaba in Jon M. Chu’s two-part live-action adaptations of the Stephen Schwartz musical, which itself was based on Gregory Maguire’s bestselling novel. The first film premieres this Thanksgiving. 

Offstage, the R.E.M. Beauty founder and Erivo posed for a sweet mirror selfie at the makeup station with Goldblum, who portrays the Wizard of Oz in the films; Yeoh, aka Madame Morrible; Bailey, who plays Fiyero; and Slater, who appears as the munchkin Boq. Later, the Jurassic Park actor posted the snap, as well as another photo with Grande, on Instagram. 

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“Over the rainbow to be reunited with this magical family!” he captioned the post, under which the two-time Grammy winner commented, “my heart !!!!!!!!!” 

In a video taken at the convention, Grande and Slater — who started dating while shooting Wicked in the U.K. last year — walked through the venue together while holding hands, the SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical star matching his superstar girlfriend in a pink shirt. 

The film event comes just a few days after the “We Can’t Be Friends” artist supported Slater at his finale show for Spamalot on Broadway, after which fan videos captured the couple holding hands on their way out of St. James Theatre in New York City. Grande later wrote on Instagram Stories, “Congratulations to the most beautiful and talented and kindest cast and crew on a magnificent run.” 

See photos and video of Grande with her Wicked castmates below. 

11 Apr 2024

O.J. Simpson, NFL Great Acquitted of Ex-Wife’s Murder in High-Profile Trial, Dies at 76

O.J. Simpson, the NFL great who later became better known for being accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson amid a high-profile televised car chase and trial in which he was ultimately acquitted of murder charges, has died. He was 76.

In a post on Simpson’s official X (formerly known as Twitter) account, the Simpson family shared the following statement: “On April 10th, our father, Orenthal James Simpson, succumbed to his battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. During this time of transition, his family asks that you please respect their wishes for privacy and grace.”

His death follows a life colored by success in sports and Hollywood later overshadowed by courtroom trials. Simpson’s  Heisman Trophy-winning days at USC – where he had a record-breaking run for 2,000 yards in a season — and playing the lovable dunce in the Naked Gun movies was later pre-empted by what became the Trial of the Century.

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That began on June 12, 1994 when Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole BrownSimpson was found murdered outside her Brentwood condominium along with a young man later identified as Ronald Goldman. Simpson was immediately identified as a potential suspect in the murder of the mother of his two young children.

What followed was a murder trial where Simpson was ultimately being found not guilty of the double murder outside his Brentwood home on Bundy Drive in Los Angeles. An estimated 150 million people tuned in to see Simpson walk free of the courtroom on Oct. 3, 1995. 

But he faced hurdles getting his life back on track. A civil ruling followed that ordered Simpson to pay $33.5 million to the Goldman family.  Simpson returned to court to stand trial for a 2007 Las Vegas incident in which he and gun-toting friends attempted to recover sports memorabilia O.J. felt was his. Simpson went to jail after being found guilty of the gunpoint robbery. He was released in 2017, having served nine years.

This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

11 Apr 2024

U2’s Sarajevo Concert Doc ‘Kiss the Future,’ Produced by Ben Affleck & Matt Damon, Coming to Paramount+

Kiss the Future, the documentary about U2’s landmark 1997 concert in Sarajevo, is coming to Paramount+, Billboard can exclusively announce.

The Berlin Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival selection will arrive exclusively on the platform in the U.S. and Canada on May 7.

The film, produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for Artists Equity and Sarah Anthony, is based on writer Bill S. Carter’s memoir Fools Rush In, which captures the artistic defiance surrounding the 1990s siege of Sarajevo during the Bosnian War. The doc highlights the underground community that used music to effect change, ultimately inspiring an American aid worker to reach out to U2 to help raise awareness of the conflict.

Kiss the Future features interviews with U2’s Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton, as well as President Bill Clinton, journalist Christiane Amanpour and more as it celebrates U2’s post-war concert, where they performed to 45,000 fans in the joyous, liberated city.

Kiss the Future Documentary

“What I learned from my experience during the war and through the process of making this film is that even in the darkest of times, those who found purpose through playing music, making art and helping others did not just survive, they thrived – in the end Sarajevans embraced their enemy in order to heal,” Kiss the Future director and co-writer Nenad Cicin-Sain shared in an exclusive statement to Billboard. “The people of Sarajevo gave me hope in humanity, and I believe if you see this movie it will do the same for you.”

U2 lead guitarist The Edge added: “Kiss the Future documents how through superhuman acts of courage and creativity, the people of Sarajevo kept going while their city was under siege during the bloody Balkan civil war of the early 1990s. Their story of defiance and resistance against extreme nationalism couldn’t be more relevant to today. To have been even a small part of this amazing story is a huge privilege.”

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U2 just wrapped a 40-date residency at the brand-new Las Vegas venue Sphere last month, grossing $244.5 million from 663,000 tickets sold to become the fourth-highest-grossing concert residency of all time.

Watch the Kiss the Future trailer below, and watch the film exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Canada starting May 7.

11 Apr 2024

No, JoJo Siwa Does Not Think She Invented ‘Gay Pop’ — But She Would Like to Be the ‘CMO’

JoJo Siwa would like to set the record — for lack of a better word — straight. After a clip from her recent Billboard interview went viral, the “Karma” singer is making it clear that she did not invent the idea of “gay pop.”

In a video published by TMZ, Siwa took a moment to clarify her statement about the genre of gay pop music, saying, “I think I just want to make it more clear that gay pop is a genre,” she said. “I am not the inventor of gay pop, for sure not. But I do want to be a piece of making it bigger than it already is. I Want to bring more attention to it.”

She continued, using a corporate metaphor to further illustrate her point. “I’m not the president [of gay pop], but I might be the CEO, or the CMO. I can be the CMO, the chief marketing officer, and use my marketing tactics whether people like it or not,” she said.

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In her original interview with Billboard News’ Tetris Kelly, Siwa said that when she originally signed to Columbia Records, she told the label, “I want to start a new genre of music … it’s called ‘gay pop,’” before going on to compare the genre to the jazz-funk genre of dance. The online community quickly began criticizing Siwa for saying she wanted to “create” this “new genre,” with queer icons Tegan and Sara literally offering the 20-year-old singer some side eye on their TikTok page.

Siwa said that Tegan and Sara were far from the only LGBTQ+ musicians to throw some light shade at her comments. “Even Betty Who made a post being like, ‘Hey…’” she said. “And I’m literally friends with Betty.”

All the controversy comes on the heels of Siwa’s new single, “Karma,” which saw the singer taking on a new, more unvarnished pop star persona. You can watch the video for Siwa’s new song below:

11 Apr 2024

Mariah Carey Adds Dates to Her ‘Celebration of Mimi Live in Las Vegas’ Residency Run

A day before launching her upcoming Mariah Carey: The Celebration of Mimi Live in Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM on Friday night (April 12) the singer has announced a new slate of dates for her stay-put.

On Thursday morning (April 11), Carey revealed eight additional shows on the run celebrating the 19th anniversary of her Grammy-winning 10th studio album, 2005’s Billboard 200 No. 1 The Emancipation of Mimi, which featured such beloved hits as “It’s Like That,” “We Belong Together”and “Shake It Off.”

The new dates will kick off on July 26 and include additional dates that month on the 27th and 31st, as well as shows on August 2, 3, 7, 9 and 10; tickets for the newly announced gigs will go on sale to the general public on April 19 at 10 a.m. PT. Citi cardmembers will have access to a presale beginning on Friday (April 12) at 10 a.m. PT through April 18 at 10 p.m. PT here.

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According to a release announcing the new shows, Carey’s third go-round in Vegas will find her performing fan favorites from the Mimi album in addition to some of her iconic hits and other fan favorites from throughout her career. The previously announced dates include shows on April 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 24, 26 and 27. Tickets for the shows can be purchased here, with a limited number available for the initial run.

The Mimi run, backed by Live Nation and MGM Resorts, is the follow-up to Carey’s first two residencies at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, #1 to Infinity (2015-2017) and The Butterfly Returns (2018-2020). Infinity was a chronological performance of the singer’s 18 No. 1 hits, starting with 1990’s “Vision of Love” through 2008’s “Touch My Body.” While that show focused on Carey the entertainer, “Butterfly” leaned into her formidable vocal chops with a powerhouse 23-song set list of big hits, surprises and her personal favorites.

Carey and Live Nation are donating $1 from every ticket to the Fresh Air Fund’s Camp Mariah, a summer program that allows campers to explore their interest in film, photography, fashion, cooking, debate and international relations.

See the new date announcement below.

Mariah Carey: The Celebration of Mimi Live in Las Vegas

Courtesy Photo

11 Apr 2024

Watch Miley Cyrus Hilariously Introduce Joaquin Phoenix to His Future ‘Joker 2’ Co-Star Lady Gaga Way Back in 2010

If you saw the just-released first trailer forJoker: Folie à Deux, you already know that the titular Batman baddie terrifyingly embodied by Joaquin Phoenix has truly found his black heart’s true love in his infamous henchwoman Harley Quinn, played this time around by Lady Gaga.

And while Phoenix took home the best actor award at the 2020 Oscars for his first go-round in the smeared red lipstick, a newly resurfaced clip from 2010 proves that there was a time when Joaquin had no idea who Mother Monster was.

The chat between Miley Cyrus and Phoenix shared by the Miley fan account @MileyCyrusBz finds the Hannah Montana star giving her guest a grilling about the singer whose career was already in overdrive thanks to her 2008 breakthrough album, The Fame. After explaining to Phoenix that she’s a “singer-slash-actress” the then-18-year-old answered his question about what kind of dancing she does by saying it’s “like Lady Gaga.”

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“Oh Lady Gaga dance?” Phoenix responds quizically. “You know who Lady Gaga is?” Cyrus asks, sensing the answer already. “Very well,” Phoenix tells her, adding erroneously, “She has the song ‘Everybody Goes Up.’ She also does the one ‘Two Lashes at a Time.’”

“No,” Miley corrects her elder, busting into some hand dancing to “Bad Romance,” which Phoenix attempts to copy for a second before admitting “I don’t know that song.”

According to Uproxx, the clip is from the video “MILEY CYRUS TEACHES JOAQUIN PHOENIX & LIV TYLER How to Vote for TWLOHA and Suicide Prevention,” which was uploaded at the time to the YouTube account for the mental health non-profit To Write Love on Her Arms.

Phoenix, of course, is now well-acquainted with Gaga, who will join him on the big screen in the Joker sequel that opens on Oct. 4.

Check out the clip below.

11 Apr 2024

Eminem Is Calling All ‘Stans’ To Share Their Stories For Documentary About His Superfans

Since there have been stars there have been superfans. But not until Eminem gave a name to his most obsessed, singularly focused admirers did we have “Stans.” Slim Shady’s 2000 “Stan” single from this smash Marshall Mathers LP — famously featured a lilting sample of Dido’s “Thank You” — has become shorthand for the kind of sometimes too-into-it disciple a famous musician might want to avoid meeting in person.

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Well, now the reclusive Detroit rap god is calling all Stans for possible inclusion in an upcoming untitled documentary about his most monomaniacal mavens. ” [eyeball emoji] Looking for Stans [movie slate emoji] for a documentary produced by Eminem & Shady Films. To share your story, please answer the questions here,” read a tweet on Wednesday (April 10) seeking stories.

The solicitation tweet then whisked fans to a questionnaire featuring a list of queries aimed at gauging their level of super-fandom. “Share your story with the world in an exciting new documentary film produced by Eminem and Shady Films,” reads a message on the doc site. In addition to basic bio and social media information, the list of questions includes the following: “When/how did you first hear Eminem?,” “Would you consider yourself a ‘Stan?’ Why/why not?,” “Do you collect Eminem merch, make Eminem artwork, write fan fiction, etc.? If so, please explain in detail,” as well as queries about whether they’ve ever been to Detroit and where they went while there.

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The questions go deeper still, asking about their favorite Eminem song (and which one hit them on a “deep personal level” and why), as well as which parts of Em’s personal story relates to them, whether his music has helped them through difficult times, things they’ve accomplished thanks to his songs, if they’ve met the rapper (where/when) and what the interaction was like, and, of course, if they have any photos or video of their Marshall meet cute.

The last batch really dig deep into their Stan-itude, asking if they remember the MC taking a break from touring/releasing albums around 2005 (and how it impacted them), how often they listen to his music/look at his socials/Google him, and, most importantly, “if you could tell Eminem anything, what would it be?” In addition to a recent photo, the questionnaire ends with a request for a one-minute video explaining why they are the Stanniest Stan, including a story about “anything unique” they’ve done, a fan letter they sent or their favorite Shady merch.

In February, Variety reported that Em was co-producing a Stans doc aimed at diving into the complicated relationship between artists and their audience. The film will reportedly open later this year, with Steven Leckhart tapped to direct what is described as a “revealing, edgy and disarmingly personal journey into the world of superfandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him.”

In a statement, the rapper’s longtime manager Paul Rosenberg added, “Stans will be the opportunity for us to to turn the camera around and ask the audience about being fans — and in some cases, fanatics. This is a study of the relationship between fanbase and artist through the lens of one of Eminem’s most fascinating songs and one of the world’s most important entertainers.”

“Stan,” produced by The 45 King, peaked of No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2000. The Oxford English Dictionary added the term “Stan” to its pages in 2017.

Check out the call for stories below.

11 Apr 2024

Peppa Pig Earns Her Stripes in Adorable New Cover of Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’: Watch

Peppa Pig may be a small pink barn animal, but she’s still the queen of the jungle.

Marking the cartoon protagonist’s first-ever cover song, Peppa will drop an adorable rendition of Katy Perry‘s “Roar” on Thursday evening (April 11) — because, as she puts it at the beginning of the song’s new lyric video shared exclusively with Billboard, “Even the littlest pig can have the loudest roar.”

The little British pig lets her small-but-mighty voice shine on her cover of “Roar,” which features short cameos from fellow Peppa Pig characters such as Zoë Zebra and Pedro Pony. In the lyric video, Peppa and her friends dress up as superheroes, face off with a fire-breathing dragon and swing from vine to vine in a rainforest inhabited by friendly monkeys.

“I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire/ ‘Cause I am a champion, and you’re gonna hear me roar,” she sings, adding at the end, “A little confidence goes a long way.”

Released in 2013 as a single from Prism, “Roar” spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — a feat Perry has accomplished nine times in her career. Prior to Peppa’s cover, Perry and her fiancé, Orlando Bloom, lent their voices to the characters Ms. Leopard and Mr. Raccoon in the three-part Peppa Pig Wedding Special. Offscreen, Perry and the Pirates of the Caribbean star are parents to 3-year-old daughter Daisy.

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Although “Roar” marks the first cover song Peppa has released, the animated star has previously shared music of her own. She’s dropped several albums, including her aptly named 2019 debut My First Album and is known for singles such as “Peppa’s Lullaby” and “Bing Bong Zoo.”

Watch the lyric video for Peppa Pig’s cover of “Roar” above.