Music News

13 Mar 2024

Allison Russell, Maren Morris & More Join Forces to Get Out the Vote on Political Anthem ‘Tennessee Rise’

With election season fully underway in the U.S., stars in Tennessee are making sure their voices are heard — and urging others to share their voices, too.

On Wednesday (March 13), Allison Russell, Maren Morris and a cavalcade of other stars joined forces to release “Tennessee Rise,” a new political anthem in support of U.S. Senate candidate Gloria Johnson. The group — billed as the Tennessee Freedom Singers — also features names such as Brandi Carlile, Brittany Howard, Brittney Spencer, Amanda Shires, Emmylou Harris and many more singing in support of change for the state.

The soulful song sees the star-studded group protesting against children being “gunned down at school” and asserts that their home state is currently “waltzing in blood,” before calling on voters to “go and make yourself known.”

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The roster of the Tennessee Freedom Singers also includes Beth Nielsen Chapman, Brooke Eden, Denitia, Devon Gilfillian, Elizabeth Cook, Erin Rae, Fancy Hagood, Jaimee Harris, Julie Williams, Kam Franklin, Katie Pruitt, Kyshona Armstrong, Langhorne Slim, Lilly Winwood, Lucie Silvas, Mary Gauthier, Meghan Linsey, Meghan McCormick, Mya Byrne, MORGXN, Paul McDonald, Phillip-Michael Scales, Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, Sara Van Buskirk, Shelly Colvin, Tre Burt and Wade Sapp.

According to a press release, the song was inspired by the Tennessee Three — the Democratic coalition of Tennessee Representatives Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson — who were subjected to an expulsion vote from the Tennessee House floor for participating in a protest advocating for gun control. The release goes on to say that Russell organized the collaboration to support Johnson’s run for Senate, “banding together some of Nashville’s best and brightest musicians for an essential fight for democracy.”

In a joint post with Johnson to promote the song on Instagram, Russell referred to the song as “a call to all who care about human rights, voting rights, equality, democracy & freedom in Tennessee.” She continued, adding that she hoped listeners in her home state understand the track’s core message. “It has never been more important to use our powerful voices & votes in Tennessee. Go and make yourself known! Register! Vote! Rise!”

Johnson launched her Senate campaign in September, where she hopes to win the Democratic primary on Aug. 1 and challenge incumbent senator Marsha Blackburn for her seat in the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. “Tennessee deserves better,” Johnson said upon announcing her candidacy. “Hardworking Tennessee families need someone who will fight for them and not just the billionaires and corporations and the wealthy and the well-connected.”

Check out the official music video for “Tennessee Rise” below:

13 Mar 2024

Megan Thee Stallion Announces 2024 Hot Girl Summer Tour

Megan Thee Stallion is hitting the road. The Houston rapper announced plans for the Hot Girl Summer Tour on Wednesday (March 13).

Meg will be connecting with her Hotties across the globe. Following a North American leg — which kicks off in May — she’ll be heading across the pond for a handful of dates in Europe.

“HOTTIESSS GET READY TO COME HAVE SOME FUN WITH ME AT THEE HOT GIRL SUMMER TOUR Get your outfits ready nowww,” she wrote to social media. “We getting started this MAY I told you what cities today to get yall prepared! Check back in on thee 20th for official dates im so exciteddddd.”

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She’ll be making stops in Minneapolis, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and more. Look for the full schedule — including dates and venues — to be released next week (March 20).

Megan Thee Stallion is coming off earning her first solo No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Hiss” in February. The scathing track caused quite the uproar, appearing to take shots at Nicki Minaj (who responded with a “Big Foot” diss of her own), as well as Pardison Fontaine, Drake, Tory Lanez and more.

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“Hiss” is still holding on to the elusive chart, where it sits at No. 94 this week. An album may still be on the way before she hits the road for tour, which would be her first LP since 2022’s Traumazine.

Megan is now independent from her deal with 1501 Ent. and 300, but revealed in February she inked a partnership for distribution with Warner Music Group.

Within the structure of the unique deal, the Houston Hottie will have access to WMG’s global services ranging from music promotion to distribution and worldwide marketing, while maintaining ownership of her masters and publishing.

“This is the beginning of an exciting new chapter of my life and career,” Megan said in a statement. “I’m really focused on building an empire and growing as an entrepreneur, so I’m proud to take this next step in my journey and work with Max Lousada and the entire Warner Music Group team in this new capacity. I know we’re going to create history together.”

Find out if Megan is coming to a city near you this summer in her announcement below.

13 Mar 2024

Chicago’s ARC Music Festival Announces 2024 Lineup: Honey Dijon, Disclosure, Charlotte de Witte & More

Chicago’s ARC Music Festival has announced the lineup for its 2024 event.

Happening Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in the city’s Union Park, the festival will feature a slate of house and techno legends and rising stars, with the bill including U.K. brother duo Disclosure, Belgian techno leader Charlotte de Witte, Chicago-born star Honey Dijon, genre icons Carl Cox playing b2b with Green Velvet, German techno pioneer Sven Väth, New York legend Armand van Helden, a redux set from Kaskade, current phenom Dom Dolla, grime veteran Skepta and many more.

Produced by Chicago’s Auris Presents, ARC launched in 2021 as a festival meant to pay homage to the city’s history as the home of house music. As such, the event always features a collection of genre founders and pioneers, an esteemed group that this year includes Moodymann playing b2b with Carl Craig as Detroit Love, Derrick Carter playing b2b with Mark Farina, Marshall Jefferson b2b Gene Ferris and more. See the complete lineup below.

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“You see a lot of festivals that incorporate legends and innovators of a scene, and they’re sometimes relegated to side stages or lower parts of a lineup — places where their impact in the culture of music is not properly reflected,” Auris Presents co-founder Stuart Hackley told Billboard in 2021. “That has to do with many things — artist billing, ticket sales, artist’s profile size — but part of our mission was to take all the artists that are part of the Chicago house music community through the years, people without whom this sound would not be around, and put them right next to the larger artists that are playing this music nowadays.”

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ARC 2024 tickets go on sale Friday (March 15), with festival pass holders also getting access to a run of 30 after parties that will happen in 13 venues throughout the city.

ARC 2024 Lineup

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13 Mar 2024

Ariana Grande’s ‘Focus’ Music Video Surpasses 1 Billion Views on YouTube

Ariana Grande‘s “Focus” music video has now captured people’s undivided attention more than a billion times.

The 2015 visual has joined YouTube’s billion views club, as confirmed by the platform. It marks her eighth time reaching the milestone, following “Into You,” “No Tears Left to Cry,” “Break Free,” “Side to Side” with Nicki Minaj and more.

In the video, a platinum-haired Grande models several crop top/miniskirt combos, and nails high-energy choreography with a group of backup dancers, at one point pretending to play a silver trumpet. In some scenes, she appears alone in a spinning, circular tube, the lighting showing only the shape of her silhouette.

“Let’s find a light inside our universe now/ Where ain’t nobody keep on holding us down,” she sings on the track. “Just come and get it let them say what they say/ ‘Cause I’m about to put them all away.”

Released in 2015, “Focus” was originally believed to be the lead single off Grande’s third studio album Dangerous Woman, although Republic Records later confirmed it had been cut from the tracklist. It peaked at its debut spot of No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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The news comes as Grande’s most recent music video, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” from her new album Eternal Sunshine, rules at the top of YouTube’s U.S. Trending Music Videos chart. The emotional video stars Evan Peters and finds the Grammy winner recreating the premise of Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet’s 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind — also a huge inspiration for the singer’s new LP — getting brain surgery to erase her every memory of a lost love.

Revisit Grande’s “Focus” music video above.

13 Mar 2024

Watch Drake Join Bun B’s RodeoHouston Set

More than 75,000 fans laced up their cowboy boots and attended Bun B’s 2024 RodeoHouston set at NRG Stadium on Tuesday (March 12).

Drake joined the headlining performer for the night as the UGK rapper welcomed Houston’s “newest resident” to the stage. Riding in style, the 6 God entered with more protection than the governor of Texas with a cavalcade of black SUVs while Chino Pacas tunes boomed throughout the stadium.

“And to thank you for all that you’ve done for me and my family, I present to you, The Boy,” Bun said. “This is our newest resident, please make some noise for Drizzy Drake.”

Drake emerged from the SUV rocking a Bun B Trill album T-shirt and orange jacket to kick off his set, taking fans down memory lane with his So Far Gone “November 18th” throwback ode to Houston while paying homage to the late DJ Screw. “The first time I did this song in Houston, Texas [I] was at Warehouse Live,” Drake recalled.

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The OVO boss kept the crowd’s energy on 100, running through an array of hits in his decorated discography including “SICKO MODE,” “Nonstop,” “Energy,” “Hotline Bling” and wrapped up with For All The Dogs‘ “Rich Baby Daddy.”

Outside of Drake’s performance, there was plenty of star power in the building, as Rick Ross, Lil Jon, Nelly, Ying-Yang Twins, Eve, E-40, Too Short, That Mexican OT and more performed.

The stop in H-Town made sense for Drake while he’s still on the road, as the It’s All a Blur – Big as the What? Tour will be heading to nearby San Antonio for a pair of shows at the Frost Bank Center on Thursday (March 14) and Friday (March 15).

Watch some highlights from Drake’s performance below.

13 Mar 2024

Travis Kelce Recaps Singapore Trip With Taylor Swift & ‘Amazing’ Eras Tour Shows: ‘It Was Cool As F–k’

Travis Kelce is becoming quite the global jet-setter thanks to his relationship with Taylor Swift. Most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end flew across the world to be with his superstar girlfriend during her six-night run of Eras Tour shows in Singapore, a trip he opened up about in the latest episode of his New Heights podcast Wednesday (March 13).

“I got to see two amazing shows of the Eras tour,” he told his older brother and co-host Jason Kelce, who recently retired from the Philadelphia Eagles. “The last of the leg that Taylor has until she’s back at it here in a couple of months.”

“But yeah outside of that, I got to get some lovely Singapore food and just catch the views,” he added.

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The highlight of his trip, he revealed, was visiting the world’s largest glass greenhouse: the Flower Dome, located at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. “How about that?” Travis said excitedly. “It was cool as f–k. They had the world’s, like, biggest waterfall in a greenhouse too. It was awesome, man.”

In clips from the “Anti-Hero” singer’s March 8 show at Singapore’s National Stadium, the Ohio native happily dances along to Swift’s performance of “Look What You Made Me Do” with friends. After the concert, fans spotted him kissing the pop star before walking with her backstage.

A couple weeks prior, he caught a show in Australia and visited the Sydney Zoo with the 14-time Grammy winner. When asked by Jason on the podcast which city he preferred, Travis replied, “I absolutely love them both.”

“I want to see more of Australia, I feel like I got to see a little bit more of Singapore,” he added. “I’m gonna say Singapore was more interesting.”

Watch the latest episode of New Heights above.

13 Mar 2024

Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour Concert Hands Out Free Morning-After Pills in Missouri

Olivia Rodrigo is walking the walk. At her concert in St. Louis Tuesday night (March 12), the 21-year-old pop star welcomed the Missouri Abortion Fund to Enterprise Center to hand out free emergency contraceptive pills to fans who wanted it – just the latest step she’s taken to back up her support for reproductive rights. 

One fan thanked the star on X and shared a photo of two packets of the Julie morning-after pills as well as information on how to find abortion care she received at the show. “It’s brutal out here in Missouri, but we are here for abortion access,” tweeted the state’s official fund shortly afterward, reposting the picture. 

Another fan wrote, “To have the new generation of mainstream pop girls be this brave and this willing to be 100% clear about an issue that is SO polarizing … I have tears in my eyes it’s awesome to see.” 

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“at the [Charlotte] concert they told us she was donating to abortion funds at every stop of her tour and they gave out tons of free condoms/plan b/etc,” someone replied. “it made me so incredibly happy especially for somewhere it’s so rare to see !!” 

Billboard has reached out to Rodrigo and Julie for comment. 

The pop star has been vocal about her support for women’s healthcare for almost as long as she’s been performing, blasting the Supreme Court at her Glastonbury set on June 22 for overturning Roe v. Wade before dedicating “F–k You” to the justices with Lily Allen. In February, she kicked off the launch of her Fund 4 Good, which will funnel a portion of her Guts Tour proceeds toward reproductive rights organizations such as the National Network of Abortion Funds in North America. 

“The fund will directly support community-based nonprofits that champion things like girls’ education, support reproductive rights and prevent gender-based violence,” she said in a video on Instagram Stories at the time. “Thank you so much for supporting this cause that I care so deeply about.” 

See tweets about Rodrigo’s latest reproductive rights initiative below. 

13 Mar 2024

BTS’ J-Hope Unveils Heartwarming ‘Hope on the Street’ Docuseries Trailer: Watch

Although it’s been just under two years since J-Hope launched Jack in the Box, his debut studio album, and the BTS member is already gearing up for two massive new projects. On Wednesday (March 13), the “Chicken Noodle Soup” rapper unveiled the main trailer for his upcoming Hope on the Street docuseries, which will arrive on March 27, just two days before he is slated to drop his Hope on the Street, Vol. 1 LP (March 29).

“I started with dance and that dancing led to many other things,” J-Hope reflects in the “On the Street”-backed trailer. “I’m curious about it. What kind of dancing did I do and what are my roots? What is the future that I’m dreaming of?”

With the background music transitioning to BTS’ “Trivia 起: Just Dance,” the trailer finds J-Hope linking up with dancers and choreographers from around the world — including Osaka, Paris, New York City, Seoul and Gwangju — as he deepens his knowledge and feeds his passion for dance. “My heart is racing. It feels so new,” he gushes. “I’d like to learn again, not just about dance, but it could be about life. I think it was a new process of learning.”

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Hope on the Street is directly tied to J-Hope’s forthcoming special album. Each episode of the docuseries is linked to a set of songs from the album through their narrative, sound and overall message. The first episode of Hope on the Street will premiere on Prime Video at 11 a.m. ET on March 27. The accompanying album — which includes main track “Neuron (with Gaeko and Yonmirae)” — will launch at midnight ET on March 29.

Hope on the Street Vol. 1 is the official follow-up to Jack in the Box, which topped World Albums, peaked at No. 4 on Top Rap Albums and reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200. That set featured the singles “Arson” and “More,” which climbed to No. 82 on the Billboard Hot 100. Last year, J-Hope put out a pair of singles: a collaboration with fellow BTS member Agust D (SUGA) titled “Huh?!” and the aforementioned “On the Street” (with J. Cole), which debuted and peaked at No. 60 on the Hot 100, marking J-Hope’s highest entry on the chart to date.

Watch the main trailer for Hope on the Street above.

13 Mar 2024

Zoe Kravitz Roasts ‘Cool Dad’ Lenny Kravitz at Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony: ‘If It Doesn’t Expose Your Nipples, It’s Not a Shirt’

Zoë Kravitz said a lot of very nice things about her rock star dad, Lenny Kravitz, at the reveal of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday (March 12). According to CNN, the The Batman actress opened by sweetly saying that “being your daughter has been one of the great adventures of my life.”

Noting that her dad was just 24 when he and ex Lisa Bonet welcomed her into the world, Zoë, 35, joked that “in many ways, we’ve grown up together… We’ve been through a lot. We’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen you change in the most beautiful ways, I’ve seen the way you’ve stayed the same in the most important ways.”

And then the “Are You Gonna Go My Way” rocker’s only child busted out the jokes, so many jokes, many of them about Lenny’s signature skimpy sartorial sensibility. “I’ve seen the way you show up, take care of the people you love – I’ve seen your incredible dedication to your art, but mostly, I’ve seen through your shirts,” she said. “According to my dad, if it doesn’t expose your nipples, it’s not a shirt.”

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That’s fine for concerts and awards show, but Zoë said it was a bit embarrassing when her dad wore those gauzy tops for school pick-up. “But I gotta say, at this point, I respect it,” she said. “You really do pull it off. Your relationship with the knitted shirt is probably your longest one, and it works.”

The Big Little Lies star also copped to the fact that it is, indeed, “awesome” to have “such a cool dad,” though not for the reasons you might think. “What’s cool about you is not what people think is cool about you. Your radness doesn’t come from your shades or your leather pants or knitted shirts. It comes from your true love for life,” she said, also praising her dad’s music, lyrics, live performances, homes, love of food, family, good conversation, stupid jokes, dance parties and late night kitchen talks.

‘You absolutely devour life. You eat up every crumb and lick the plate,” she said. “Life is your art and that is why your music is so inspiring and important.”

Lenny’s daughter wasn’t the only one who gently ribbed 59-year-old the ab-tastic rock icon. His longtime friend actor Denzel Washington read a definition of “friendship” during the ceremony, telling the crowd, “I looked it up, Webster’s, A person who one knows, and with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, typically exclusive of sexual relations,” Washington said, according to EW.

The Equalizer 3 star shot a look at his pal and added, “Well…,” with the audience, and Kravitz, reportedly cracking up at the implication of a more intimate relationship. Washington got serious as well, saying, “He’s more than a friend, more than a brother. We’re twins, we just don’t look alike. We’ve had a close brothership friendship for… 30 years… We have been tied together for a long time, close friends, we are brothers. I love Lenny Kravitz like I’ve loved no other brother in my life. Less is more, Leonard Albert Kravitz.”

Watch the ceremony below — Zoë begins at 8:25, Washington at 13:25.

13 Mar 2024

Watch Taylor Swift Sing ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’ in New ‘Eras Tour’ Disney+ Sneak Peek

Saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts, but luckily, the Eras Tour film is forever. Now that it’s coming to Disney+, Taylor Swift’s blockbuster concert film will be available to stream as many times as fans want, complete with the pop star’s previously scrapped acoustic performance of one of her Lover fan favorites. 

Swift confirmed via Good Morning America Wednesday (March 13) that “Death by a Thousand Cuts” is the second of four bonus surprise songs included in the streaming version of Eras Tour, one day after she revealed the sneak peek for “Maroon.” The 14-time Grammy winner also shared a look at the B-stage performance, which finds her playing guitar in a purple dress for tens of thousands of fans at SoFi Stadium. 

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“I look through the windows of this love/ Even though we boarded them up/ Chandelier’s still flickering here/ ‘Cause I can’t pretend it’s ok when it’s not,” she belts in the clip as the crowd screams the lyrics back at her. “It’s death by a thousand cuts/ Trying to find a part of me that you didn’t touch/ My body, my love, my trust.” 

The “Anti-Hero” singer will continue unveiling the titles of the acoustic tracks featured in Disney+’s extended cut of the movie — which will also include footage of her playing “Cardigan” during her Folklore set for the first time – every day on GMA until it debuts Thursday (March 14) on the streaming platform. A shorter version of Eras first premiered in October, followed by a rentable on-demand edition in December. 

Peaking at No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2019, “Death by a Thousand Cuts” was inspired by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s Netflix film Someone Great, Swift revealed. “It’s a movie about how she has to end this relationship that she didn’t want to end because she’s still in love with the person, but they just grew apart and he’s not a jerk,” Swift explained in an interview after Lover dropped.  

“It’s just sad because it’s just realistic,” she added. “Time passed and now we’re different people and that is the most devastating thing.” 

Watch a clip of Swift singing “Death by a Thousand Cuts” below.