Music News

19 Mar 2024

Watch THE BOYZ Discuss Final Part in ‘Phantasy’ Album Series, Tour Plans & Fashion Styles

Seven months after THE BOYZ initially introduced their three-part Phantasy album series with Christmas in August, the K-pop group completed the 15-track project with the final chapter Love Letter.

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Led by the sentimental single “Nectar,” THE BOYZ member Kevin says the final chapter in their trilogy delivers an “emotional-but-hopeful kind of vibe” for Love Letter that contrasts the summery, shimmering pop single “Lip Gloss” for Christmas in August, and their dark and experimental “Watch It” single for Pt. 2 Sixth Sense. “At this point in our career, we want to tackle what we haven’t done before.”

“I really hope through this trilogy that we got to really emphasize Phantasy and our fans were able to see a lot of different sides of THE BOYZ,” Jacob told Billboard News‘ Tetris Kelly during a visit to Los Angeles with his members Kevin, Juyeon, Hyunjae and Eric. “As we are ending it off with ‘Nectar,’ saying goodbye to our bittersweet memories and going for our happier new future, I hope you guys just come along with us and we’ll be able to show you what we have in store.”

Now that their Phantasy releases are complete, THE BOYZ say it’s time to perform these new songs live for fans.

“Our fans have been dying for us to go on a tour and I think it’s about time,” Eric says. “We are going to make it happen this year,” with Kevin making sure to add, “We may or may not be seeing you in your own city/country.”

Before they do make their way back to the States, fans can stay on top of their additional musical activities by following them on TikTok where Kevin delivers Beyoncé covers, Jacob plays guitar in his pajamas, and all 11 of THE BOYZ sing, dance, and share their lives.

We don’t really get to do a lot of musical production in our group for our own music, so I like to experiment and do things on TikTok,” Kevin says. It’s my musical outlet, and I like to do a lot of covers there.”

Jacob agrees with that sentiment, adding, “Since we’re in a group, I don’t really get to play the guitar and sing for the fans, so I use TikTok for my pajama karaoke covers.”

While Juyeon, Hyunjae, and Kevin have all attended events and linked up with different fashion brands, like Dior, Gucci, and Jeremy Scott, the guys also shared some surprising insight into their personal style during the sitdown.

“Whenever we have events where our stylist can potentially dress us in casual clothing, we opt for our own clothes instead of our stylists’ clothes,” Kevin shares. “We like to dress ourselves as much as we can.”

Watch the full Billboard News interview above for more from Kevin, Juyeon, Jacob, Hyunjae and Eric on THE BOYZ’s Phantasy album, plus find out who among them is most likely to snack at midnight, run late getting ready, know another K-pop group’s choreography and more.

19 Mar 2024

*NSYNC Reunion Is ‘Paradise’ for Hopeful Fans — But Will It Lead to Anything Else?

*NSYNC fans got what they’d been begging for last week, when the blockbuster boy band reunited at Justin Timberlake‘s one-night-only show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles to play snippets of four of their hits and perform their new song “Paradise” for the very first time. So now that we’ve seen the quintet back together — following their 2002 hiatus and their last performance at the 2013 MTV VMAs — what’s next?

On the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking all about the pleasant surprise of the reunion and what it could possibly lead to, from the band getting back together on Timberlake’s upcoming tour, to more new music, to their own stadium trek. (We can dream!) Plus, Katie was inside The Wiltern when it all went down, and she takes you inside the intimate venue for the history-making concert.

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Listen below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Ariana Grande debuts at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 albums chart with Eternal Sunshine and on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart with “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love).” Plus, a dozen songs from the album are on the Hot 100, including the set’s lone track to feature another performer — who just so happens to be Grande’s 98-year-old grandmother, Marjorie “Nonna” Grande.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

19 Mar 2024

XG Announces Initial Dates for First World Tour: See the Schedule

XG announced the details of its highly anticipated first world tour kicking off in May, entitled XG 1st WORLD TOUR “The first HOWL.” 

The seven-member girl group that recently celebrated its second anniversary on Mar. 18 is set to launch its global trek in Japan two months later on May 18 and 19 at the Osaka-jo Hall. The group will then perform at K Arena Yokohama on May 25 and 26 and go on to do shows in a number of Asian cities and regions including Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, Taipei, Bangkok, and Manila.

The tour is also scheduled to hit North America in October and Europe in November, with details to be announced later.

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The announcement was made during a livestream on Monday celebrating the group’s second anniversary on Instagram and the band’s official fan club “ALPHAZ.” XG members shared: “We decided on this title because we want to meet with our fans (collectively called ALPHAZ) from all over the world and resonate with you through this world tour. We have concerts planned for regions other than the ones announced today, so please look forward to them.” “There are still so many things we want to do as XG, so we hope to make them come true with ALPHAZ and go to space together!”

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ALPHAZ are invited to check out the movie celebrating the group’s second anniversary since its debut called XG 2nd Anniversary Movie ‘Space Conference.’

XG 1st WORLD TOUR “The first HOWL” Schedule

May 18 & 19 Osaka, Japan / Osaka-jo Hall

May 25 & 26 Kanagawa, Japan / K Arena Yokohama

19 Mar 2024

Dua Lipa Reveals Her Favorite Spice Girl & the ‘Chaos’ That Inspired ‘Radical Optimism’

Dua Lipa is gearing up to release her upcoming album, Radical Optimism, and she sat down with Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly to discuss the inspiration behind the project.

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“[Releasing the album] feels good. It feels for lack of a better word — radically optimistic,” she shared, before explaining the idea behind the album cover, which features the singer floating in a wide open ocean facing a shark fin. “Throughout the whole record, there’s this idea of chaos happening around and me trying to push through it in a way that feels authentic and honest to me.”

The upcoming LP features her already released singles “Houdini” and “Training Season,” the latter of which Lipa says started out as a “joke” in the studio. “I’d been on a couple of dates, like a string of bad dates,” she recalled. “I went into the studio and was like, ‘Right, I’m done. I don’t want to meet anyone. Training season is over. I’m done training these boys.’”

As a British girl, Lipa is, of course, a fan of the Spice Girls, and revealed how she never got to portray her favorite member of the group on the elementary school playground. “I always wanted to be Baby Spice, but no one wanted to let me be Baby Spice because I wasn’t blonde,” she said. “It was a playground hierarchy. It was like, ‘Alright, you get to be Posh.’”

The 11-track Radical Optimism — Lipa’s first proper LP since 2020’s Future Nostalgia — arrives May 3. Watch the full interview above.

19 Mar 2024

Kelly Clarkson Slows Down Katy Perry’s ‘Wide Awake’ for Stunning Kellyoke Cover

Hold the caffeine, Kelly Clarkson is wide awake. On the latest episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show, the three-time Grammy winner shared a breathtaking cover of Katy Perry‘s 2012 smash, “Wide Awake,” stripping it back to feature just piano and vocals.

Taking the Kellyoke stage with her pianist Tuesday (March 19), Clarkson went without her usual full band to let her unreal voice shine even more than usual. The musician also slightly slowed down Perry’s track, which allowed the “Stronger” singer to stretch out certain lines and add her own impressive high notes.

“Falling from cloud nine,” belted Clarkson, dressed in a grey skirt and black, knee-high boots. “Crashing from the high/ I’m letting go tonight.”

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Released as the final single from Perry’s Teenage Dream album cycle, “Wide Awake” appeared on the set’s 2012 deluxe reissue, Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year, remaining on the chart for a total of 26 weeks.

Clarkson has previously covered Perry’s “The One That Got Away” and “Roar” on her Daytime Emmy-winning talk show. Earlier this week, she put her own spin on Maren Morris’ “The Bones.”

The Voice alum’s new performance comes just over a week after she filed a new lawsuit against her ex-husband, music executive Brandon Blackstock, alleging that he and his father’s management firm had been violating state labor rules since the beginning of their relationship. With the suit — which comes just months after she won $2.6 million from him in a previous ruling — Clarkson seeks the return of “any and all commissions, fees, profits, advances, producing fees or other monies” she paid to Blackstock’s father’s company, Starstruck Entertainment, dating back to 2007.

In June, Clarkson released her tenth studio album, Chemistry. The 14-track set, which featured collaborations from Steve Martin and Sheila E., peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

Watch Clarkson cover “Wide Awake” above.

19 Mar 2024

Dr. Dre Gets Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame With Eminem, Snoop Dogg & 50 Cent By His Side

Dr. Dre is following in the footsteps of rap peers like Ice Cube, 2Pac and Snoop Dogg as the West Coast legend was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Dre officially received the 2,775th star during a star-studded presentation on Tuesday afternoon (March 19). Friends and hip-hop associates who have been in Dre’s corner for decades, like Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Eminem, Jimmy Iovine and more, were in attendance.

The production icon took the podium after Iovine and Snoop Dogg showered Dr. Dre with love and appreciation for what he’s given to hip-hop.

“Growing up in Compton, I never imagined that I would one day be represented here among some of my childhood heroes,” he began.

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“I’ve been fortunate enough to make a living doing exactly what I love to do. How about that? Isn’t that the dream?” Dre asked the crowd. “Over the course of my career, I’ve had the privilege of finding and nurturing new talent as well as pushing the boundaries in hip-hop both in content and substance.”

Dr. Dre continued: “But I’m most proud of elevating the sound and clarity of how we experience hip-hop. Getting that thing right is one of my greatest achievements. I love that this honor is unique to Los Angeles and brings fans from all over the world to connect with their favorite artists. I’ll be here forever.”

The superproducer broke through as the sonic architect and co-founder of the seminal rap group N.W.A. He released his The Chronic acclaimed debut album in 1992, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200.

Dre left N.W.A. and went to crank out anthems for Death Row Records with fellow rap legends like Snoop, 2Pac and plenty more. With support from Interscope co-founder Jimmy Iovine, Dre launched Aftermath Entertainment in 1996 and is credited with the discovery of Eminem and 50 Cent.

Dr. Dre earned his first No. 1 atop the Billboard Hot 100 with 2Pac’s “California Love” in 1995. Other No. 1 hits on Dre’s decorated résumé include 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” Mary J. Blige’s “Family Affair” and Eminem’s “Crack A Bottle.” As a credited artist, he also reached the Hot 100 apex as part of BLACKstreet’s “No Diggity” in 1996.

Billboard named Dr. Dre as the greatest rap producer of all-time as the 59-year-old topped our list in the No. 1 slot last year.

Watch footage of the Hollywood Walk of Fame presentation below.

19 Mar 2024

Travis Kelce Reportedly in Talks to Host ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?’ Reboot

Travis Kelce is a whiz on the field, but soon, he may put his smarts to the test elsewhere. According to a report from Variety, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is in talks to host a Prime Video reboot of Fox’s Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, which would this time employ celebrity guests in place of elementary schoolers.

The publication attributes the information to two unnamed sources familiar with the discussions. Those people also apparently noted that there are questions regarding “how much of a commitment Kelce could make to the venture if he continues playing football.”

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Billboard has reached out to Kelce’s managers for comment.

Originally hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? first aired on Fox in 2007. Running for a total of four seasons, the game show saw adult contestants competing to answer grade-school-level questions with the help of a group of actual elementary schoolers. In 2019, the series was briefly revived on Nickelodeon with John Cena at the helm.

As mentioned above, Prime Video’s version would reportedly feature celebrities instead of a panel of children, as it did in previous iterations. Whether one of those stars will be Taylor Swift, who has been dating Kelce since last summer, or any of his Chiefs teammates, such as quarterback Patrick Mahomes, remains to be seen.

The revamped show wouldn’t be the football pro’s first time dipping his toes into the world of entertainment. Kelce has starred in a number of commercials in recent years, including for brands such as Pfizer, State Farm and Experian, and he co-hosts a podcast called New Heights with his older brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.

In 2016, Travis starred in the E! reality dating series Catching Kelce, which found a group of 50 women competing against each other for his heart. The Ohio native would later make fun of the show while hosting Saturday Night Live in 2023, quipping, “It was kind of like The Bachelor, except instead of roses I handed out footballs, and instead of watching, people did not.”

He added at the time, “It was a little embarrassing, but I got really good at reality TV.”

19 Mar 2024

Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs Teammate Hopes He & Taylor Swift ‘Start a Family’

Taylor Swift continues to have the Kansas City Chiefs‘ stamp of approval!

The Super Bowl LVIII winning team’s kicker, Harrison Butker, recently recalled meeting the superstar during an EWTN News In Depth interview. “She was just so humble and so gracious,” he shared. “I don’t think she grew up a football fan, so everything for her is so cool. Especially as a kicker, she thinks that’s amazing that I can kick the ball so far through the uprights.”

“I can’t say enough great things about her,” he continued, noting that he is hopeful for her future with boyfriend Travis Kelce. “I hope they get married and start a family,” he said.

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The couple is fresh off a flight from Singapore, where Swift performed a series of Eras tour shows at National Stadium. In a sweet clip taken just moments after the show wrapped, the athlete waits patiently backstage for the 14-time Grammy winner to make her way toward him — after which she wraps her arms around him and kisses him as fans roar with delighted screams.

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During the NFL season, the singer attended countless Chiefs football games, including the Super Bowl. “When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Swift told TIME in December, marking her first public remarks of the relationship. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.” 

19 Mar 2024

Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ Breaks Disney+ Record for Most-Streamed Music Film After Just 3 Days

Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour is still breaking records, five months after its initial release. The blockbuster concert film has already become Disney+’s most-streamed music special of all time, breaking the record just three days after premiering on the platform March 14.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the three-hour-plus project was viewed for a collective 16.2 million hours in its opening weekend. It surpasses other music films such as Swift’s Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, Elton John: Farewell From Dodger Stadium, Black Is King: A Film by Beyoncé and The Beatles: Get Back.

The “Anti-Hero” singer’s movie first premiered in theaters in October, upon which it immediately became the highest-grossing concert film in history with more than $92.8 million after just one weekend. In December, Swift made a slightly expanded version available to rent on-demand in celebration of her 34th birthday, including previously scrapped performances of “Wildest Dreams,” “The Archer” and “Long Live.”

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The Disney+ version of the film features its own set of new content, showcasing Swift’s performances of “Cardigan” and surprise songs “Maroon,” “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” “You Are in Love” and “I Can See You” for the first time. Leading up to Eras Tour‘s streaming debut, the pop star unveiled sneak peeks at each new surprise song one day at a time on Good Morning America.

Swift’s acclaimed global trek is still going strong, more than a year after kicking off in Glendale, Ariz. in March 2023. The 14-time Grammy winner is currently taking a two-month break from the road as she gears up to release her new album The Tortured Poets Department on April 19, having just wrapped a six-night stint in Singapore. In May, she’ll pick up where she left off with a series of shows in Paris.

“Just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who traveled and put so much effort into being at our shows,” she wrote in a recent Instagram post. “See you in May when we get back to the Eras Tour!! In the meantime I’ve got an album to release…”

19 Mar 2024

Watch This ‘Idol’ Contestant Completely Take Over Her Friend’s Audition

21-year-old Alyssa Raghu pulled the ultimate steal on her best friend and roommate on American Idol this week, sneaking into 20-year-old Julia Davo’s failed audition.

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Davo introduced herself to the judges, before performing a rendition of “Life on Mars?” by David Bowie. In a cutaway clip, the Brooklyn native explains her relationship with Raghu, who was previously on the singing competition two times. “She’s so supportive and she told me she thinks I’m great for the show,” she shared.

Judge Lionel Richie was fully onboard with Davo’s audition, comparing her to Lady Gaga. “The journey might be something really special here. I would love to see who you might turn into,” he said. While Richie was on board, judges Katy Perry and Luke Bryan weren’t — ultimately giving Davo two rejections, preventing Davo from moving on to the next round.

That’s when Raghu comes in to greet the judges and console her friend, before suggesting, “I know you said that my voice was going to grow until I was 21, and you said that when I was 15, but just for giggles, I’d love to sing you something.”

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She went on to perform Mariah Carey’s “My All,” before asking the judges to consider her performance as an audition. “I think this is a really good plot twist,” Perry says, before declining to send her to the Hollywood round. “I think you could go in, but do I think you could win? No.”

Despite Perry’s thoughts, Richie and Bryan disagreed, ultimately sending Raghu to the next round with her impromptu audition.

Watch the full clip below.


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