Music News

29 Mar 2024

Pop Conference 2024: Watch Keynotes With George Clinton, Wendy & Lisa

Earlier this month, Pop Conference 2024 offered three days of programming around the theme “Legacy! Legacy! Music Collections and Archives.” This year’s PopCon featured keynote sessions featuring funk legend George Clinton, as well as musical duo and Prince & the Revolution members Wendy & Lisa.

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Those keynotes are now available online. Watch the George Clinton session, which was moderated by Danyel Smith and titled A Little Light Under the Sun: The Unstoppable Funky Genius and Cosmic Legacy of George Clinton, in which the music icon discussed his personal and professional relationship to music history and archiving:

Meanwhile, Wendy & Lisa participated in a roundtable discussion, moderated by Smithsonian Museum Curatorial Specialist Timothy Anne Burnside, titled A Seat at the (Mother)Ship: The Reclamation of Women’s Stories in Parliament-Funkadelic, in which the duo discussed the central role that women played in the influential collective. Watch that keynote below:

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PopCon 2024 was held on the USC University Park campus from Mar. 7-9, hosted by the USC Thornton School of Music for the first time in its 22-year history, in collaboration with the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

29 Mar 2024

Kelly Clarkson Turns Up the Emotion for Cover of Billie Eilish’s ‘What Was I Made For?’

Kelly Clarkson heightened the emotion of an already emotional track during her popular Kellyoke segment on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Friday (March 29), taking on Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”

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“Takin’ a drive, I was an ideal/ Looked so alive, turns out I’m not real/ Just something you paid for/ What was I made for?” Clarkson mused the heartfelt lyrics, dressed in a red dress against a fittingly Barbie pink wall of lights. The superstar was backed by her full band of instrumentalists, lovingly called My Band Y’all.

The standout, introspective standout track from 2023’s Barbie movie won best original song at the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards, and best original song at the Oscars, making Eilish and O’Connell the youngest two-time Oscar winners in history in any category.

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The siblings also won best song written for visual media and song of the year at the 2024 Grammys with “What Was I Made For?,” putting them in a rare class of artists to score major nominations for the same song from both the Recording Academy and the Oscars. “That was a crazy list of incredible people, incredible artists, incredible music,” Eilish said while accepting the award.

Watch Kelly Clarkson cover Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=7FfGQP2ZdIs&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

29 Mar 2024

Green Day’s ‘Dilemma’ Tops Rock & Alternative Airplay Chart

Green Day’s “Dilemma” becomes the band’s eighth leader on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, shooting from No. 4 to No. 1 on the tally dated April 6.

The song reigns with 6.7 million audience impressions, a boost of 15%, March 22-28, according to Luminate.

Green Day pads its position for the second-most toppers in the Rock & Alternative Airplay chart’s nearly 15-year history. Foo Fighters lead all acts with 11 No. 1s.

Most No. 1s, Rock & Alternative Airplay:
11, Foo Fighters
8, Green Day
6, Cage the Elephant
6, twenty one pilots
5, The Black Keys
5, Imagine Dragons
5, Linkin Park
4, Red Hot Chili Peppers
3, Weezer

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Green Day claimed the first No. 1 on Rock & Alternative Airplay, as “Know Your Enemy” led the inaugural list dated June 20, 2009. Prior to “Dilemma,” the trio last led, for seven weeks, with “The American Dream Is Killing Me” beginning in November 2023.

Concurrently, “Dilemma” bullets at its No. 2 best on Mainstream Rock Airplay and lifts 6-5 on Alternative Airplay.

On the most recently published, multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ranking (dated March 30, reflecting activity March 15-21), “Dilemma” debuted at No. 50. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 376,000 official U.S. streams.

“Dilemma” is the second single, following “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” from Saviors, Green Day’s 14th studio album. The set debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart dated Feb. 3 and has earned 100,000 equivalent album units to date.

All Billboard charts dated April 6 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, April 2.

29 Mar 2024

11 Women-Owned Small Businesses to Support for Women’s History Month & Beyond

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

As Women’s History Month comes to an end, we’re highlighting some of the women-owned small businesses that should be on your radar.

According to a recent report, female-owned businesses make up 39 percent of all businesses in the U.S., bringing in a reported $2.1 trillion. Additionally, the number of women-owned businesses doubled compared to male-owned businesses between 2019 and 2023 and more than quadrupled between 2022 and 2023.

The future is female. See below for a list of women-owned and female-founded beauty and fashion brands to shop.

Yensa Beauty

Former Power Rangers actress Jennifer Yen’s Yensa Beauty brings “superfood science” to your beauty routine.

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The beauty brand carries a range of high-performance complexion cosmetics and skincare products each infused with eight superfoods to help nourish and improve your skin over time. 

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

Yensa Beauty

Yensa Beauty Super Serum Silk Foundation

Nodpod

Nodpod founder and CEO Melissa Bamberg is passionate about “helping people feel their best every day,” and sleep plays a big part in that.

Nodpod’s Pressure Blocking Sleep Mask offers the comfort of a “weighted blanket for your eyes” or a “hug for your brain,” per the product description, and it’s a bestseller at Amazon with over 2,000 sold in the last month.

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

Amazon

Nodpod Gentle Pressure Sleep Mask

The lightweight, sleep mask is made of soft silk and velvet and filled with beads that apply slight pressure to your eyes for deeper relaxation. What do shoppers think? Nodpod is a “sleep game changer” according to one customer review.

Hill House Home

Nell Diamond founded Hill House Home with the hope of making “happy things for happy places” and she’s succeeding with a range of midi and maxi dresses featuring lightweight fabrics, ruffles, adorable prints and a loyal fanbase.

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

Hill House Home

Hill House Home The Ellie Nap Dress

The brand carries a lovely selection of dresses that are perfect for spring and summer including the signature Nap Dress (it’s also breastfeeding-friendly). Save 25% off with the code SPRING25.

Maison Miru

This independent, direct-to-consumer jewelry brand creates pieces made for work and play. Designed by former engineer Maison Miru, the brand makes waterproof, sweatproof jewelry designed for continuous wear (they even have a collection of earrings that won’t hurt your ears while you’re taking a nap).

Also, the jewelry comes packaged in cute little boxes.

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

Maison Miru

Maison Miru Classic Huggie Hoops

TomboyX

TomboyX is a gender-inclusive, queer-owned brand founded in 2013 by married couple Fran Dunaway and Naomi Gonzalez. The brand carries sustainable bras, boxers, briefs, gender-affirming underwear, swimwear, tees, tanks, hoodies, joggers and more in sizes 3XS-6X.

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

TomboyX

TomboyX Boy Shorts

TomboyX’s popular boy shorts are available in various colors including black, charcoal, burnt orange and rainbow prints.

Alterre

Founded by Shilpa Iyengar and Harmony Pilobello, Alterre is a sustainable footwear brand featuring ethically made designs in nice prints as well as solid colors.

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

Alterre

Alterre Painted Snake Pointed Loafer + Twiggy Strap

Each shoe features foam-padded insoles and interchangeable straps, making it easy to instantly switch up your look.

PerfectDD

With PerfectDD, founder and CEO Alice Kim set out to create figure-flattering, fun and flirty tops for women with fuller busts.

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

PerfectDD

PerfectDD Krista Tulip Sleeve Scoop

The Krista Tulip top offers the versatility of a basic T-shirt with a scoop-neck design, and in a few different colors such as black, white, gray and army green (sizes X-SX).

Dezi Eyewear

Dezi Eyewear is TikTok– and Beyoncé-approved. The eyewear brand, founded by influencer Desi Perkins, features stylish sunglasses for under $100. You can find Dezi Eyewear at desi.co and Nordstrom.

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

Dezi Eyewear

Dezi Eyewear Drippy 59mm Sunglasses

Daydreamer

For the daydreaming music lover. Daydreamer is an LA-based streetwear brand founded by Laura Glover that has tops, bottoms and oversized band tees covering just about every music genre you can think of including alternative rock, pop, pop rock, hip-hop, country and metal.

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

Daydreamer

Daydreamer Shania Let’s Go Girls Vintage Tee

ThirdLove

ThirdLove was founded by Heidi Zak and Ra’el Cohen to provide “a third, better option” between comfortable bras and sexy bras.

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

ThirdLove

ThirdLove T-Shirt Bra

Shoppers can’t stop talking about ThirdLove’s bestselling T-shirt bra. It’s a supportive, comfortable everyday bra that has nearly 60,000 customer reviews and a 4.5-star rating. The bra is available in a dozen colors and cup sizes ranging from A-H.

Thigh Society

Big or small, Thigh Society covers them all! Founded by Marnie Rabinovitch Consky, Thigh Society makes size-inclusive, anti-chafing, multi-wear slip shorts, the first of which was introduced in 2009.  

Women-Owned Small Businesses to Shop Now

Thigh Society

Thigh Society The Staple Short

The Staple short is nicknamed “Goldilocks” because it’s not too thick or too sheer — it just right. The comfortable short is available in sizes ranging from XS-6XL (in black, beige, rosette, lilac and indigo).

For more recommendations, read our picks for the best tote bags for travel, best workout gear and

29 Mar 2024

Dolly Parton, Victoria Monét, Hailey Bieber & More Stars React to Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’: ‘Whew’

In the hours since Beyoncé dropped her new album Cowboy Carter first thing Friday (March 29), the expansive, genre-bending project has captured a lot of people’s attention — including a number of fellow celebrities.

That includes the A-list collaborators featured on the LP, who are now able to hear all 27 tracks for the first time. For instance, Dolly Parton — who contributed a witty spoken interlude titled “Dolly P” to Cowboy Carter — shared her reaction to Bey’s re-imagining of her 1973 classic “Jolene.” “Wow,” the country legend wrote on Instagram. “Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!”

Dionne Warwick also loved Bey’s new “Jolene,” as did Hailey Bieber. The 83-year-old vocalist tweeted a screenshot of the track Friday, simply writing, “Wonderful,” while the 27-year-old model posted it to Instagram Stories and added, “Whew.”

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Preceded by the Billboard Hot 100-topping “Texas Hold ‘Em” and fellow lead single “16 Carriages,” Cowboy Carter follows up Bey’s critically acclaimed 2022 album Renaissance. The new album, which finds the star embracing and experimenting with country music, also features cameos from Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Willie Jones and more.

This year’s best new artist Grammy winner Victoria Monét wrote of the record on X, “How are any of us expected to get rest after that.”

“Thank you Beyoncé, for living for your art .. in true Virgo fashion,” tweeted Keke Palmer. “The dedication! Remarkable.”

See how more stars are reacting to Cowboy Carter below.

29 Mar 2024

‘Just Press Play’: Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Album, Reviewed by TikTok Star Jake Shane

Jake Shane, who has nearly 3 million followers on TikTok thanks to his viral comedy videos under the handle @octopusslover8, is reviewing albums for Billboard with exclusive new essays and videos. Find his first Billboard album review below, for Beyoncé’s just-released Cowboy Carter album.

“People don’t make albums anymore,” Beyoncé declared in her 2013 HBO documentary Life Is But a Dream. “They just try to sell a bunch of lil quick singles. And they burn out, and they put out a new one, and they burn out, and they put out a new one.” She was right, finding a real “album” is becoming scarcer in the age of streaming, where songs with shorter run lengths are viewed as more “streamable.” A real album might be hard to find, but luckily we have Beyoncé, and boy does Beyoncé make a good one.

Beyoncé’s eighth studio album, the country-influenced and genre-defying Cowboy Carter, is a tour de force and yet another example of Beyoncé’s innate ability to put together an album. Much like Renaissance, most of the songs blend beautifully into each other, almost forcing the modern listener to hear the album in order — exactly how Beyoncé intended it. This is especially notable in the jump from the “Dolly P” interlude to Beyoncé’s stunning reworking of Parton’s classic “Jolene.” Instead of Parton’s infamous “begging” of Jolene to not take her man, Beyoncé changes the narrative — she’s not begging you; she’s warning you. It’s a perfect rendition of the classic song in 2024. We’ve heard a million and one versions of superstars “begging” for the villainous Jolene to not take their man, but Beyoncé isn’t most superstars, and she’s not going to beg; she’s going to tell you. 

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Beyoncé follows up her rendition of “Jolene” with perhaps the most cinematic moment on the album — track 11, “Daughter,” is a scorching country ballad-turned-Italian opera that finds our protagonist setting the scene of smoke, bodies and, of course in true Beyoncé fashion, bloodstained custom couture.

Beyoncé’s duet with Miley Cyrus, “II Most Wanted,” finds the two stars going line for line, Miley’s rasp perfectly matching Beyoncé’s powerhouse vocals. Beyoncé and Cyrus’ harmonies flowing, they insist “I’ll be your shotgun rider, till the day I die.” The two superstars might be singing about their respective romantic partners, but it’s just as easy to believe they’re singing about each other. As they lyrically and sonically ride side by side, their chemistry is tangible and undeniable. 

If “II Most Wanted” weren’t proof enough of Beyoncé’s undeniable talent for a cohesive duet, look no further than “Just for Fun,” which features country star Willie Jones. Another standout is “Levii’s Jeans” featuring Post Malone, who delivers some of the cleanest vocals of his career — setting the scene for a hot summer day in the South, where we find our superstar wearing a perfectly fitted pair of Levi’s. 

It would be remiss to talk about Cowboy Carter without mentioning Beyoncé’s cover of The Beatles classic “Blackbird,” which she aptly restyled as “Blackbiird.” The cover features rising country star Tanner Adell. Once again, we find our superstar making an already-classic song her own entirely. It’s a pin-drop moment on the album — talking about it almost feels like I’m taking away from the time you could spend listening to it instead.

Beyoncé said, “This ain’t a country album, it’s a Beyoncé album.” And while Beyoncé has never been wrong, she has also never been so right. “Genres are a funny little concept,” Linda Martell (country star and trailblazer) states at the beginning of “Spaghettii” — almost laughing at every single Beyoncé detractor who questioned how the superstar would fit into the country genre. Country? Genre? This is Beyoncé. Just press play.

29 Mar 2024

The BeyHive Is Loving Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’

Fans are parking their Lexuses and throwing their keys up ever sing Beyoncé’s highly anticipated country-tinged album, Cowboy Carter, arrived on Friday (March 29).

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The Grammy winner first introduced her Cowboy Carter era with a pair of country singles — “16 Carriages” and Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Texas Hold ‘Em” — released during the 2024 Super Bowl. The 27-track album features a whopping list of star-studded collaborators, including Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Tanner Adell, Willie Jones, Raphael Saadiq, The-Dream, Shaboozey and more.

Although Beyoncé crafted Cowboy Carter as “a continuation of” Renaissance, she did note that the album was inspired by a difficult event several years ago — which is seemingly referring to her controversial performance of “Daddy Lessons” alongside The Chicks at the 2016 CMA Awards.

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“This album has been over five years in the making,” Bey wrote on Instagram earlier this month. “It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”

The BeyHive is loving this era of Sheriff Bey, as they flooded X (previously known as Twitter) with excitement over the album, naming their favorite tracks and preparing to go on a Southern-themed shopping spree to pick up cowboy hats and boots just in case a potential tour is on the horizon. See some of the best fan reactions below.

29 Mar 2024

Travis Kelce Does a Victory Dance to Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’ While Golfing

Taylor Swift is always with Travis Kelce, even when she’s not actually with him. While the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was out golfing recently, one of his friends started playing the pop star’s 2014 smash “Bad Blood” on the course, prompting an adorable victory dance from the football star.

In a video shared by NBA player Chandler Parsons on Instagram Stories Thursday (March 28), Kelce focuses on his form before making a calculated swing. Meanwhile, his superstar girlfriend’s voice sings in the background, “Did you have to hit me/ Where I’m weak? Baby, I couldn’t breathe/ Rub it in so deep/ Salt in the wound like you’re laughing right at me.”

“@killatrav cannot be rattled,” Parsons captioned the clip, tagging Kelce.

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After watching his ball sail away, the Ohio native walks toward the camera and, using his club as an air guitar, starts dancing and singing along to the pre-chorus. “Oh, it’s so sad to think about the good times, you and I,” he mouths along.

The clip comes shortly after Kelce and Swift went on a romantic vacation to the Bahamas. In photos from the trip, the couple enjoyed their time on the beach and held hands on a dock.

His golfing excursion isn’t the first time Kelce has jammed out to “Bad Blood” in recent weeks. In addition to rocking out to Swift performing the 1989 hit live at her Eras Tour shows in Australia and Singapore, he sang a snippet of the track on an episode of his New Heights podcast earlier this month.

While discussing NFL quarterback Kenny Pickett’s recent trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Eagles, he said, “Kenny and the Steelers — their relationship ended in …,” before mimicking the pop star’s catchy melody on the final two words: “Bad blood.”

29 Mar 2024

Cage the Elephant Lands 11th Alternative Airplay No. 1 With ‘Neon Pill’

Cage the Elephant notches its 11th No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart as “Neon Pill” jumps to the top of the April 6-dated survey.

The song becomes the band’s first leader since “Skin and Bones” reigned for four weeks beginning in February 2021.

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Cage the Elephant first topped the Alternative Airplay chart in 2010 with “Back Against the Wall” — and their nine No. 1s during the 2010s marked the most among all acts in that span.

The group takes sole possession of the fifth-most leaders in the Alternative Airplay chart’s 35-and-a-half-year history, breaking out of a tie with twenty one pilots.

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Most No. 1s, Alternative Airplay:
15, Red Hot Chili Peppers
12, Foo Fighters
12, Green Day
12, Linkin Park
11, Cage the Elephant
10, twenty one pilots
8, U2
8, Weezer
7, The Black Keys
7, Imagine Dragons

“Neon Pill” concurrently tops Adult Alternative Airplay for a third week, having become Cage the Elephant’s sixth No. 1 at the format. It also lifts 29-27 on Mainstream Rock Airplay.

On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, the song bullets at No. 4, after reaching No. 3, with 6.3 million audience impressions, up 4%, March 22-28, according to Luminate.

On the most recently published, multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart (dated March 30, reflecting consumption March 15-21), “Neon Pill” placed at No. 39. In addition to its radio airplay, the song earned 572,000 official U.S. streams.

The song is the lead single and title track from Cage the Elephant’s sixth studio album, due May 17 on RCA Records. It follows 2019’s Social Cues, which debuted at No. 3 on the Top Alternative Albums chart that May and has earned 471,000 equivalent album units to date.

All Billboard charts dated April 6 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, April 2.

29 Mar 2024

Roc Marciano Returns to Reclaim His Throne with New Album ‘Marciology’: Stream It Now

After nearly two years, Roc Marciano is back with his 11th solo LP Marciology. The project features Larry June, Crimeapple, T.F, Flee Lord, Jay Worthy, Grea8GAWD, and Knowledge the Pirate. While Animoss and Marciano himself handle the bulk of the production, The Alchemist returns for another production spin on “Bad Juju” with Larry June.

Yesterday, Marci dropped the video to the album’s lead single “Gold Crossbow.” The self-produced track features his signature intricate wordplay and gritty production as Marci talks like he has no contenders. He even channels the spirit of Max B on the hook as he sings, “N—as kidnap your girlfriend, money make the world spin, n—as ain’t gettin’ none of it” like a money-hungry crime boss. Marciano starts the second verse off talking about his new crossbow, spitting, “we can keep this between me and you or we can get medieval.”

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The Long Island native has been plenty active in recent years, releasing the collaborative album The Elephant Man’s Bones with The Alchemist in 2022 and handling the production on Jay Worthy’s Nothing Bigger than the Program project that dropped last May. He’s now set to kick off a North American and European Tour where he’ll be hitting cities like L.A., San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Toronto, and Athens, Greece.

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Once you’ve finished playing through Beyonce’s incredible Cowboy Carter, you can leave the rolling plains of the country and get your city slicker on with Marciano’s latest LP. Both he and Bey are outlaws with six shooters that don’t jam.

Stream the new album below: