Music News

21 Mar 2024

Cynthia Erivo Says People ‘Don’t Realize’ How ‘Brilliant’ Ariana Grande Is: ‘She’s Got the Chops’

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande have been changed for good after starring opposite one another as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the upcoming Wicked duology. And in a new cast interview with Vanity Fair published Thursday (March 21) — eight months ahead of the first of the two film’s Thanksgiving premiere — the stars had nothing but kind words to say about each other.

According to the “Positions” singer, for instance, she’s been hoping to work with Erivo ever since the Harriet star sang “Stand Up” at the 2020 Academy Awards. “She’s my favorite female voice,” Grande said of her costar. “When I was watching you sing at the Oscars, I said, ‘I hope someday I get to sing with her.’”

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“I just need to say that I don’t think people realize that she’s got the chops,” said Erivo said of the pop star while holding her hand, causing Grande’s eye’s to well up, according to the publication. “I don’t think people realize how brilliant this person’s brain and voice and talent is.”

Grande and Erivo spent most of 2023 shooting Wicked in the U.K., taking a temporary pause over the summer due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. During that time away, the “Yes, And?” musician recorded her new album Eternal Sunshine, which recently debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Aside from a couple first look photos, sneak peeks at Wicked were minimal before filming wrapped earlier this year. The film’s first trailer aired during the 2024 Super Bowl broadcast, and Vanity Fair shared several new photos of the cast — which also includes Ethan Slater, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum — in costume Thursday.

Grande and Erivo, as well as director Jon M. Chu, did divulge a few details in the new interview, though. Chu confirmed that, at the insistance of his leading ladies, all of their vocals were done live on set. “When we were shooting it, those girls were like, ‘F–k the pre-records. We’re going live,’” he told the publication, although he was skeptical at first.

“There’s going to be a lot of wind in your air pipes. Is that OK?’” he’d asked, to which they responded, “‘Yeah. That’s what we do.’”

That went for all of the stunts Grande and Erivo had to perform. The Victorious alum marveled at how her counterpart was able to belt out the musical’s famously difficult numbers even though she “had a harness pulling and pushing and yanking and tugging on every nook and cranny that there is.”

Erivo also gushed to Grande, “I’m literally never going to forget you jumping on a chandelier over my head whilst singing.”

See the new photos of the Wicked cast, which Grande shared on Instagram, below.

21 Mar 2024

Maren Morris Announces Dates For 2024 RSVP Redux North American Tour

Maren Morris is hitting the road this summer on the RSVP Redux tour. The “Circles Around This Town” singer announced the dates for her 11-show Live Nation-promoted North American outing on Thursday morning (March 21), with the shows slated to kick off on May 29 with a gig at the Masonic in San Francisco.

Betty Who will accompany Morris on select dates, which will also include stops in Seattle, Vancouver, Boise, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and Dillon, Colorado, with the run scheduled to wind down on July 31 at the Festival at Sandpoint in Sandpoint, Idaho.

According to a release announcing the dates, the name of the tour announced in the midst of Women’s History Month is meant as a call-back to Morris’ 2020 RSVP tour, as well as a celebration of the fifth anniversary of the singer’s Girl album. It is also meant as a “true celebration of the fans, featuring a different set list each night curated by the fans themselves.”

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Morris performed at the 2024 Billboard Women in Music event earlier this month, where she was also awarded the Visionary Award for her commitment to speak out against injustices during her career. Tickets for the upcoming tour will be available through an artist presale beginning on March 26 at 10 a.m. local time, with additional presales running throughout the week ahead of the general onsale beginning on March 29 at 10 a.m. local time; information on tickets can be found here. Morris has teamed up with the Ally Coalition to donate $1 from every ticket to LGBTQ+ organizations serving youth.

Morris released her Grammy-nominated third studio album, Humble Quest, in March 2022.

Check out the dates for Morris’ 2024 RSVP Redux tour below.

May 29 – San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic

May 31 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater ^

June 1 – Seattle, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle +

June 3 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre

June 5 – Boise, ID @ Revolution Concert House and Event Center

June 6 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex

June 8 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Theatre

June 11 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre ^

June 12 – Dillon, CO @ Dillon Amphitheater

June 14 – Lincoln, CA @ Thunder Valley Casino +*

July 31 – Sandpoint, ID @ Festival at Sandpoint *

^ With Betty Who

+ Previously announced

* Non-Live Nation Date

21 Mar 2024

Post Malone Proves ‘Teamwork Makes the Dream Work’ In Snippet of Unreleased Morgan Wallen Collaboration

We are definitely on the cusp of Post Malone‘s country pivot. The “Rockstar” rapper-turned-rocker/folk-singer has been teasing his move toward a twangier sound and on Wednesday (March 20) he posted a snippet of a new song that proves he’s ready to line dance to a new tune.

“Let’s go with the real mix this time @morganwallen,” Posty posted on Instagram of an untitled collaboration with chart-topping country singer Morgan Wallen after an unauthorized mix of the tune reportedly leaked out recently. In the accompanying 30-second video, Malone hangs by himself in a dark room while smoking a cig and swigging a beer as he vibes out to the bouncy country collab.

“It takes two to break a heart in two,” Wallen sings before Malone comes in with a soulful, “Baby you blame me, and baby I’ll blame you” over banjo and spare drum kicks on the mid-tempo tune. “I had some help, it ain’t like I can make this kind of mess all by myself,” the men sing together on the rousing chorus. “Don’t act like you ain’t help me pull that bottle off the shelf/ If you couldn’t tell they say teamwork makes the dream work/ Hell I had some help.”

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In the video Malone seems to be overjoyed at the sound of the track, smiling, shaking his head and slapping his leg as he blasts the song from his phone. Among the comments on the post was one from Malone’s label, Republic Records, which read, “We are so ready!!! [crying laughing emoji].”

Malone has been doing a long, slow tease of his country era, including a post last week featuring a brief snippet of a new collaboration with Luke Combs. Again with one of his ubiquitous smokes in hand, Malone energetically plays air drums and shakes his head as he sings along to a song that appears to be titled “Ain’t Got a Guy For That.”

Malone — who has long favored bedazzled Nudie-style Nashville suits alongside his avowed love of old school country singers like Hank Williams — has increasingly been leaning into his pedal steel proclivities. His forays include making his first Country Airplay chart appearance last year on a “duet” version of Joe Diffie’s “Pickup Man”, which debuted at No. 54 just after Malone teamed up with Wallen and HARDY to play the song at the 2023 CMA Awards; the track will appear on HARDY’s upcoming Hixtape Vol. 3: Difftape, due out on March 29.

He’s also recently posted covers of songs by Sturgill Simpson (“You Can Have the Crown“), paid tribute to late country icon Toby Keith, shared pics of him hanging with Combs in the studio and teased a snippet of a tear-in-yer-beer acoustic ballad called “Missing You Like This.”

At press time Malone — who can now be seen in the Jake Gyllenhaal Road House remake on Amazon Prime — had not officially announced a full country project and no additional information was available on the Wallen tune. He will, however, definitely appear on the upcoming Taylor Swift album The Tortured Poets Department (April 19) on the opening track, “Fortnight.”

Watch Malone jamming out to his Wallen collab below.

21 Mar 2024

Beyoncé to Receive Innovator Award at 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards

All hail, Queen Bey.

iHeartMedia and FOX Entertainment announced on Thursday (March 21) that Beyoncé will be honored with the Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Previous honorees include Taylor Swift, Alicia Keys, Chance the Rapper, Bruno Mars, U2 and more.

The iHeartRadio Music Awards, which will take place on April 1 at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre, will come just a few days after Bey unveils her upcoming album  — and the second act of her 2022 album Renaissance — Cowboy Carter, on March 29. The project features the previously released “16 Carriages” and the historic Hot Country Songs chart-topper “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

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Additionally, Ludacris will be hosting the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and performing at the show. He joins previously announced performers Justin Timberlake, Green Day, TLC, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Tate McRae and more plus a special musical tribute to this year’s Icon Award recipient Cher. “I’m looking forward to hosting the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards and sharing the stage with some of the best in music,” said Ludacris in a press statement. “It will be an amazing night celebrating fan-favorite artists with special performances that fans won’t want to miss.”

The 12th annual iHeartRadio Music Awards will celebrate the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app throughout the past yer. The event will air live on Monday, April 1 (8:00-10:00 p.m. ET live / PT tape-delayed) on FOX. The show also will be heard on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.

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21 Mar 2024

Jerrod Carmichael Tells Jimmy Kimmel That Taylor Swift Is His Definitely His ‘Best Friend’

You may not have known it — because he never winds up in any of her squad pics — but comic/actor Jerrod Carmichael is besties with Taylor Swift. The star of the new HBO series the Jerrod Michael Reality Show told Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday night (March 20) that Swift is basically his “best friend.”

The admission came after Kimmel put up a picture of Carmichael hanging with Swift in a box in Buffalo, New York during a Jan. 21 Kansas City Chiefs victory over the Buffalo Bills to advance to the AFC Championship on their way to winning Super Bowl LVIII. In the snap, Swift is, of course, fully decked out in red and white KC gear, while Carmichael is rocking a fuzzy coat over a red jersey.

“Taylor Swift’s my best friend,” Carmichael doubled-down, lamenting that he should have asked the singer to be part of his sometimes intense new HBO series, which he described as a mixture of traditional reality mixed with very frank discussions with his family about his personal life. “Like I’m not her best friend, but she’s my best friend,” Carmichael quadrupled down.

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“Can you think of a better friend to have than Taylor Swift?” Carmichael wondered. “I called my former best friend and I was like, ‘You’re out! You never invited me on a jet to your game.’ Taylor’s my best… no, she’s very smart and interesting.” Carmichael said Swift called and asked him to the game, and, not for nothing, the comedian said the singer also definitely “knows more about football” than he does.

When Kimmel wondered, given her deep knowledge of the Xs and Os, if Carmichael asked Swift questions about football, Jerrod said, “yeah, yeah, I’m the girlfriend in that situation.” Anticipating the raft of headlines (such as the one above) screaming “Jerrod Carmichael Says Taylor Swift Is His Best Friend,” Carmichael lamented that he would probably not even get first mention in most stories given the singer’s status.

“Actually, I won’t even get top-billing! It’ll say: ‘Taylor Swift: Jerrod Carmichael’s Best Friend?’ Don’t do that to me, it’s gotta be something else,” he joked. “I do love her though.” The Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show debuts on March 29.

Check out Carmichael describing his best friendship with Swift below (starts around the 9:10 mark).

21 Mar 2024

‘Road House’ Star Lukas Gage Apologizes For ‘Wasting’ Wedding Singer Shania Twain’s Time After Quick Divorce

When Road House actor Lukas Gage married celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton on a whim in Las Vegas six weeks after their first official red carpet appearance together last spring it seemed like a whirlwind love story. But now Gage is in apology mode to the A-listers who helped the couple tie the knot after the marriage lasted less than eight months.

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“Literally, I don’t know what went through my head. I don’t know what happened. The fur coats was a horrible idea,” Gage said of the couple’s matching matrimonial animal pelt coats during an appearance on Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live on Tuesday (according to The Hollywood Reporter). “I want to apologize to Shania Twain for wasting her time.” (For the record, Gage said the choice to wear the coats was “not mine.”)

The mea culpa to the A-list country icon came after Twain serenaded the couple with her 1998 hit “You’re Still the One” at the ceremony, which was also officiated by one of Appleton’s most famous clients: Kim Kardashian.

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“I mean, ‘We’re still holding on, you’re still the one’ after, like, three weeks? That was unhinged. That was like the biggest waste of her time. But, I love you, Shania. I’m really sorry about that,” Gage said, noting that it was still “really cool” to have Twain on hand for the wedding.

Gage also apologized to Kardashian, saying that the Skims mogul is “great. She was really sweet to fly us all out and take care of us and pay for everything.” The couple split less than seven months after the wedding, with Appleton filing for divorce on Nov. 13 citing “irreconcilable differences.”

20 Mar 2024

Norah Jones’ ‘Visions’ Debuts Top 10 on Album Sales, No. 1 on Jazz Charts

Norah Jones’ Visions bows at No. 9 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated March 23) and at No. 1 on both the overall Jazz Albums and Contemporary Jazz Albums rankings. It’s the eighth top 10 on the Album Sales tally for Jones, and her fourth leader on both Jazz Albums and Contemporary Jazz Albums.

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Visions also enters at No. 40 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart, her first debut on the list since Dec. 2013, when Foreverly, her collaborative album with Billie Joe Armstrong, opened at No. 7 on its way to a No. 4 peak in Jan. 2014.

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Visions was preceded by the radio-promoted single “Running,” which has so-far peaked at No. 7 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart – marking her eighth top 10 and highest-charting song on the list in over a decade, since “Happy Pills” hit No. 4 in 2012.

Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart: the latest releases from Ariana Grande, Judas Priest, xikers and Bleachers arrive.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

In the tracking week ending March 14 (which is reflected on the March 23-dated Top Album Sales chart), Visions sold 7,000 copies in the U.S., according to Luminate. Of that sum, physical sales comprise 5,500 (3,500 on CD and 2,000 on vinyl) and digital download sales comprise 1,500. The album was available in four vinyl variants (including exclusive iterations for Barnes & Noble, indie retailers and Spotify), a standard CD, a Target-exclusive CD (with a bonus track and a poster) and a signed CD (available in Jones’ webstore).

At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine starts with 77,000 copies sold – earning Grande her sixth chart-topper. The set was available in a dozen physical configurations and two digital download offerings.

Veteran rock band Judas Priest starts at No. 2 with Invincible Shield (23,000 sold), scoring the group its third top 10-charting set on Top Album Sales. (The list began in 1991, well after Judas Priest began its overall Billboard chart career in 1978 on the Billboard 200 with Stained Class.) The new album’s first-week sales were bolstered by its availability across six vinyl variants, a standard CD and a Target-exclusive CD with a lenticular cover.

South Korean pop group xikers nabs its highest-charting effort on Top Album Sales, and second top 10-charting set, as House of Tricky: Trial and Error debuts at No. 3 with 12,500 copies sold (the act’s best sales week). The set’s sales were almost entirely from CDs, with a minimal number of sales from digital downloads. The album was issued in 10 collectible CD editions, all including branded paper merchandise (some randomized).

TWICE’s With YOU-th falls 1-4 in its third week on the chart, selling 10,500 copies (down 37%).

Bleachers’ new self-titled album opens at No. 5 with 9,500 copies sold. It’s the second top 10-charting effort the for the act, led by Jack Antonoff. The album was available in a standard 14-track edition on digital download, CD and cassette. It was also available on 10 vinyl editions, all boasting bonus tracks and most pressed on colored vinyl.

Rounding out the rest of the top 10 on the new Top Album Sales chart: Taylor Swift’s chart-topping 1989 (Taylor’s Version) falls 3-6 (9,000; up 2%), Swift’s former leader Lover is steady at No. 7 (8,000; up 8%), LE SSERAFIM’s Easy falls 2-8 (7,000; down 30%) and Swift’s chart-topping Folklore dips 8-10 (6,000; up 4%).

In the week ending March 14, there were 1.196 million albums sold in the U.S. (up 3.7% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 909,000 (up 7%) and digital albums comprised 287,000 (down 5.5%).

There were 474,000 CD albums sold in the week ending March 14 (up 7.3% week-over-week) and 430,000 vinyl albums sold (up 6.7%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 4.792 million (down 30.8% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 5.031 million (down 48%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 13.132 million (down 36.3% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 9.872 million (down 40.9%) and digital album sales total 3.260 million (down 16.5%).

20 Mar 2024

Justin Timberlake Gets in the Studio With His ‘Brothers’ *NSYNC for ‘Paradise’ Recording

Justin Timberlake is feeling nostalgic with *NSYNC.

Following the release of his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought It Was, on Friday (March 15), the star took to Instagram to share a behind-the-scenes clip of the making of “Paradise,” his collaboration with former boy band *NSYNC. In the video, the five-piece group are seen recording vocals on the unifying track, where the band comes together on the chorus to sing, “Everything is happening/ And it’s just what I imagined/ I imagine it would feel like paradise.”

“In the studio with my brothers. Thank you all for the PARADISE love,” he captioned the post. Watch the clip here.

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Timberlake had already hinted at more *NSYNC music last month, following the release of “Better Place” for the Trolls Band Together soundtrack in September. During an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the star strongly hinted that he and bandmates JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Kirkpatrick are cooking up a follow-up to their comeback single. “That was fun,” he began, recalling how the guys reunited for “Better Place.” “It’s kind of crazy — there’s so much that picks up right where it left off as far as chemistry.” 

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In support of his new LP, Timberlake is set to embark on a headlining North American arena tour. The tour will kick off April 29 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C., and visit major cities such as Las Vegas (May 10-11), New York (Jun. 25-26) and Atlanta (Nov. 16), before concluding Nov. 20 at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Ky.

20 Mar 2024

Machine Gun Kelly & Trippie Redd Announce ‘Genre: Sadboy’ Joint Project

Machine Gun Kelly and Trippie Redd are no strangers to collaborating, but they’ve decided to flesh out their thoughts into a full-length joint project.

MGK revealed on Wednesday (March 23) that he’s teaming up with his fellow Ohio native for Genre:Sadboy. The collab effort is slated to arrive next Friday (March 29), which is already a busy release day with Beyoncé unleashing Cowboy Carter.

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Kells and Trip took to Instagram when announcing the project with accompanying footage of the genre-blending duo dishing out emo-raps in the studio. “genre:sadboy 3/29 a project by us,” MGK wrote.

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“People won’t say how they feel about you until you die,” Kelly bluntly states over guitar-laden production.

Diplo was hyped up to hear about MGK and Trippie connecting as he chimed in under the comment section: “This is going to [be] f—–g good!”

Genre:Sadboy will serve as the first project offering of 2024 for both Machine Gun Kelly and Redd. The pair released solo singles earlier in March. They’ve proven to be a formidable duo in the past while collaborating over the years on tracks like Hotel Diablo‘s “Candy,” Tickets to My Downfall‘s “All I Know” as well as “Red Sky” and “Pill Breaker.”

The Cleveland native’s last rap album came in 2019 with Hotel Diablo following MGK’s lucrative two-album rock pivot. 2022’s Mainstream Sellout debuted at No. 1 atop the Billboard 200 with 93,000 album units sold.

Trippie had a busy 2023 feeding fans’ appetites with essentially three different projects between Mansion Musik, A Love Letter to You 5 and the Saint Michael V2 deluxe.

Find the Genre:Sadboy announcement below. Look for the project next Friday (March 29).

20 Mar 2024

Azealia Banks Takes Aim at Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Album Cover & Title

The cover art for Beyoncé‘s upcoming album Cowboy Carter has stirred up some interesting discussions, most recently and notably from Harlem rapper Azealia Banks. The opinionated MC took to Instagram Stories on Tuesday to give us all a little lesson in cultural criticism.

First, Banks takes aim at the album’s title, writing, “Wow we didn’t even try to put even a little effort into a more artistic title?” Now, to be fair, we don’t know what Beyonce‘s thinking is as it pertains to the title. Some fans believe it’s a play on words. Obviously, Carter is her last name through marriage to rapper/businessman Sean Carter, aka Jay-Z, but it’s also the last name of the family widely seen as the first family of country music. It could be anything or nothing at all. The only person who knows is Cowboy Carter herself.

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Banks then takes issue with the cover’s overall aesthetic, asking, “how u switch from baobab trees and black parade to this literal pick me stuff,” referring to the Grammy Award-winning single from The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack Beyoncé executive produced back in 2019. It seems all the Americana imagery is too on the nose for Banks and misses the mark, as she accuses Beyonce of being in “white woman cosplay” and “reinforcing the false rhetoric that country music is a post civil war white art form. And subsequently reinforcing the idea that there is no racism, segregation, slavery, violence, theft, massacres, plagues, manifest destiny craziness that form the bedrock of epithets like ‘proud to be an American,’ or ‘god bless the usa.’”

As if that weren’t enough, Banks also brought up the 2016 CMA Awards performance Beyoncé did with The Chicks (then called The Dixie Chicks), writing, “u do lame stuff like bring out some black listed white women (Dixie Chicks) at the country music awards and they would never ever do the same for you.”

It’s all…a lot. You can check out all of what she wrote below. But it’s interesting to see Banks read so much into the album title and cover when Beyoncé herself took to Instagram on Tuesday to explain to fans why she decided to make Cowboy Carter.

Beyoncé didn’t mention the 2016 CMA Awards specifically, but she did write that the album “was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed.” And while Banks believes Beyoncé is unaware of the genre’s history, Bey explained that after the experience of not feeling welcomed she did “a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.” Similar to 2022’s Renaissance, on which she worked to reclaim Dance music, many feel she will be doing the same with country on this project. But hey, like she said in her IG post, “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”