Music News

12 Mar 2024

Here’s What Ayesha Curry Had to Say About Drake’s Lyric About Her

Ayesha Curry got her own line in Drake’s 2021 album, Certified Lover Boy, and she shared her thoughts about it in a recent episode of Watch What Happens Live.

“I think I was dumbfounded,” the cookbook author and wife of NBA star Stephen Curry told host Andy Cohen of the “Race My Mind” line, in which Drizzy raps, “How I’m supposed to wife it?/ You not Ayesha enough.”

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She continued, “That’s our family, so I think I was appreciative that they respect me so much that they think I’m a great wife.”

Upon its release in 2021, Drake’s Certified Lover Boy blasted to the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. He also notched 21 songs on the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, with “Race My Mind” debuting at No. 18. In the 63-year history of the Hot 100, it marked the second instance of an artist infusing 21 songs in the top 40 simultaneously, with both frames belonging to Drake. He first charted 21 titles on the Hot 100 dated July 14, 2018, concurrent with the chart arrival of his LP Scorpion (with 20 of the 21 entries that week from that set).

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See the moment with Ayesha Curry below.

12 Mar 2024

Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Album Title Receives Mixed Reviews From Fans

Beyoncé got her fans feeling the country spirit on Tuesday (March 12) when she revealed that her upcoming country album will be titled Cowboy Carter.

The superstar’s Parkwood Entertainment company announced the news via social media, two weeks before the album is slated to arrive on March 29. The post also showed an image of an empty saddle with a red, white and blue sash draped across with the album name sewn onto it. However, upon pre-ordering the limited edition drops for the album on Bey’s website, it indicates that the image is not the final cover art.

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The second act of her 2022 album Renaissance already has two singles, “16 Carriages” and her Hot 100 chart-topper, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The latter has notched three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, which earlier became Bey’s historic first No. 1 on the ranking; prior to its ascendance, no Black woman, or female known to be biracial, had led the list.

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Following the album title reveal, fans took to X (previously known as Twitter) to share their thoughts — which ranged from excitement for the new country era to confusion over the seemingly basic name following an album title like Renaissance. See some of the BeyHive’s reactions below.

12 Mar 2024

Madonna Raves About Meeting Her ‘Favorite Actor’ Cillian Murphy at Her Oscars Afterparty

Madonna celebrated yet another successful Oscars afterparty via Instagram on Monday (March 11), and the Queen of Pop also shouted out one of the night’s biggest winners.

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“Oscar Party  was FUN! Not exactly a night off for a girl that i needs a night off but I’m so happy I got to meet my favorite A.C.T.O.R,” she wrote before mentioning Cillian Murphy in the hashtag. In the accompanying snaps, Madge posed around her bash in a Marie Antoinette-inspired outfit and even smiled for a photo with the Oppenheimer star himself.

“Congratulations,” Madonna concluded her caption, as Murphy took home his first best actor Oscar on Sunday night (March 10) for his role as J. Robert Oppenheimer. See Madonna’s post here.

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Madonna and Guy Oseary’s annual exclusive Oscars afterparty in the Hollywood Hills featured appearances from major stars including Robert De Niro, Matthew McConaughey, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lenny Kravitz, Salma Hayek and more.

British Vogue also reported that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were in attendance at the private event — which does not allow phones — though Billboard did not hear back from the couple’s reps at the time of publication to confirm their attendance.

Madge, meanwhile, is in the midst of the west coast swing of her Celebration tour. The iconic singer’s trek is a career-spanning look back on her hits, personal struggles, pop culture impact and enduring influence.

12 Mar 2024

Ice Spice Fires Back at Critics of Her Oscars Afterparty Dress

Ice Spice stunned at the 2024 Oscars and the Vanity Fair afterparty in Los Angeles Sunday (March 10, but not everyone was a fan of her wardrobe selections.

The Bronx native wasn’t taking any criticism for her looks, as Ice Spice clapped back at someone she believed was dissing her Dolce & Gabbana lace dress from the post-show shindig.

“I wish her stylist would try harder… same lace bodysuit back to back,” one person wrote on X. Hours later, the 24-year-old responded to the critic. “lets see u b—-s in custom dolce,” she fired back on Monday (March 11). Her reply had more than 74,000 likes at press time.

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The fan — who goes by 1800Viagra on X — had their replies flooded and they backed off the original commentary claiming this was a misunderstanding. “I’m not even mad at you omg,” they wrote.

The “Princess Diana” rapper eventually apologized for lashing out, claiming her feelings were hurt. “Srry 4 bein a meanie i was only tryna hurt ur feelings bc u hurt mine,” she wrote.

Ice Spice seemed to love the black lace gown that hugged her voluptuous figure, as she showed off plenty of clips and photos from her first Oscars with a slideshow posted to Instagram on Monday.

“Effortlessss,” SZA commented on the post.

On the music side, Ice Spice is turning her focus back to her debut album, which she said last week she has finished recording.

She teased fans about Y2K with a Monday tweet revealing that another superstar feature had been completed. “Another sick feature turned in #y2k,” Spice penned.

Y2K is without a release date so far, but is expected to arrive later this year. “I think this is some of my best work,” she previously told Billboard, while also hinting that “it’s not going to be too long — it’s going to be sweet and to the point.”

The “Munch” rapper — who was the Billboard Women in Music Hitmaker honoree this year — scored four top 10 entries on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023 alone.

Find Ice Spice’s fan exchange below.

12 Mar 2024

Beyoncé Announces ‘Country Carter’ Album: Here’s When It Arrives

Park your Lexus and throw your keys up, because Beyoncé’s country era is officially upon us.

The superstar’s Parkwood Entertainment company took to social media on Tuesday (March 12) to reveal the title of her upcoming album will be Country Carter, and it’s slated to arrive on March 29. The post also showed an image of an empty saddle with a red, white and blue sash draped across with the album name sewn onto it. However, upon pre-ordering the limited edition drops for the album on Bey’s website, it indicates that the image is not the final cover art.

Beyoncé teased her new album era — and the second act of her 2022 album Renaissance — during Super Bowl LVIII last month, dropping two singles, “16 Carriages” and her Hot 100 chart-topper, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The song has notched three weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, which earlier became Bey’s historic first No. 1 on the ranking; prior to its ascendance, no Black woman, or female known to be biracial, had previously led the list.

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Earlier this week, Dolly Parton told Knox News about whispers that Beyoncé collaborated with Parton or at least covered one of the country icon’s most beloved songs on her upcoming eighth studio album. “Well, I think she has! I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that,” she said. At press time a spokesperson for Beyoncé had not responded to Billboard‘s request for comment on Parton’s claim.

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12 Mar 2024

Marcus Mumford Is ‘Just Ken’ to Carey Mulligan in Adorable Video From the 2024 Oscars: Watch

She’s an Academy Award nominee. He’s just Ken. In a sweet video from the 2024 Oscars Sunday (March 10), Marcus Mumford swept Carey Mulligan — whose performance in Maestro was nominated this year for best actress — off her feet in an adorable ode to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

The clip finds the Mumford & Sons frontman carrying his wife through what appears to be the backstage halls of Dolby Theatre, where the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted awards were held. Mulligan repeatedly throws her head back in laughter as her husband trudges along, making sure her black-and-white gown didn’t touch the floor.

The “I Will Wait” singer paired the video with a snippet of “I’m Just Ken,” a song in which Ryan Gosling’s male lead sings of his unreciprocated worship of Margot Robbie’s character in Barbie.

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Both Barbie and Maestro were up for awards at Sunday’s ceremony, although Mulligan lost out to Poor Things‘ Emma Stone for best actress. Gosling was bested by Oppenheimer‘s Robert Downey Jr. in the best supporting actor category, while Christopher Nolan’s atomic bomb thriller won over Gerwig’s film about the Mattel empire.

And while “I’m Just Ken” was also beat out by Billie Eilish and Finneas’ fellow Barbie hit “What Was I Made For?,” the song unofficially won the award for most show-stopping moment of the 2024 Oscars, thanks to Gosling’s over-the-top performance of the track. Joined by Mark Ronson, Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, Wolfgang Van Halen and a couple of his fellow Ken actors, the Notebook star delivered a Kenergetic showcase featuring choreography, backup dancers, Barbie-head cutouts and hilarious crowd work.

Mumford and Mulligan have been married since 2012. The couple shares three children: 8-year-old Evelyn Grace, 6-year-old Wilfred, and a daughter born last year.

See their cute TikTok below.

12 Mar 2024

SXSW ‘Deeply Saddened’ by Death of Pedestrian in Hit-and-Run Incident in Austin

The SXSW festival issued a statement on Tuesday morning (March 12) about a deadly incident that took place earlier in the day in downtown Austin on the first night of this year’s annual gathering of bands and music industry folks.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of an individual in downtown Austin following an auto-pedestrian accident that took place shortly after 1:00 am this morning,” read the statement. “Our thoughts are with all affected by this tragic accident.”

A spokesperson for the Austin Police Department said that no additional information was available yet about the incident, including whether the alleged driver or the victim in what local reports described as a hit-and-run were attending SXSW. The Austin-American Statesman also reported that it was unclear if the people struck were affiliated with SXSW

Local station Fox 7 reported that police were still looking for the unnamed driver in the crash that left one unidentified pedestrian dead and another injured after they were struck while walking through the intersection of 7th Street and Red River, which is within the festival’s wide footprint. Fox 7 said one of the pedestrians was taken to a local hospital with critical, life-threatening injuries, while the other died at the scene.

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In 2014, a deadly hit-and-run killed four people and injured 20 during SXSW in an incident that resulted in increased security and stronger barricades around official events. The driver in that incident was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. The Statesman reported that a lawsuit filed by one of the families of the deceased claimed the festival could have done more to secure the event, noting that 153 pedestrians had been hit by vehicles during previous SXSWs.

This year’s SXSW is expected to draw 300,000 attendees to downtown Austin during the event that runs from March 8 to 16.

See the festival’s statement below.

12 Mar 2024

Watch BTS’ SUGA Bring RM, Jimin & Jung Kook Onstage in New Trailer for His ‘D-Day’ Concert Film

BTS‘ SUGA — aka Agust D — has unveiled the trailer for his upcoming concert film SUGA | Agust D Tour ‘D-Day’ The Movie.

In the minute-long clip, shared to YouTube Tuesday (March 12), the 31-year-old K-pop star passionately performs onstage in front of thousands of singing, dancing and jumping fans at KSPO Dome in Seoul. Premiering in select theaters April 10 and 13, the movie compiles footage from the final three encore shows of SUGA’s solo arena tour in August.

“When I go onstage, I think to myself that I have to kill it,” the superstar says in the trailer, as translated in the English subtitles. “Concerts and singers are inseparable. I’m someone who thinks a concert is what completes your career as a singer. I’m someone who loves performing.”

Also featured in the teaser are SUGA’s bandmates, RM, Jimin and Jung Kook. The three stars joined him for surprise performances onstage amid BTS’ ongoing break as they each perform their mandatory military services.

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SUGA’s solo tour wrapped up just a few weeks before the performer reported for duty in September, something all of the BTS boys have done since the end of last year. The trek was the second highest-grossing K-pop tour of 2023 with $57.1M and 318,000 tickets sold, following behind only BLACKPINK’s international run.

The “Haegeum” singer first announced his concert film earlier this month via a video message to fans. “The D-Day tour was so meaningful because it told the story of my journey as both SUGA and Agust D,” he said at the time. “The emotions I felt during the finale are still so vivid, as it was the last concert of the tour. And now, that very D-Day the final concert will be released in theaters worldwide!”

Suga released his solo album, D-DAY, in April. The 10-track LP debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

Watch the trailer for SUGA | Agust D Tour ‘D-Day’ The Movie above.

12 Mar 2024

Beck & Slightly Stoopid to Headline Atlanta’s SweetWater 420 Fest

SweetWater Brewing Company, the largest craft brewer in the Southeast, announced on Tuesday (March 12) that the lineup for this year’s SweetWater 420 Fest in Atlanta will be headlined by Beck and Slightly Stoopid, hosted at Atlanta’s Pullman Yards on April 20-21. 

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The festival will also feature performances by Big Gigantic, Black Pumas, Gov’t Mule, Trombone Shorty, Cory Wong, Grace Potter, Moe., St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Larkin Poe, Houndmouth, Ripe, Andy Frasco & The UN, Hayes & The Heathens, Little Stranger, Papadosio, Lespecial, Couch, Fireside Collective, The Psycodelics, Emily Wolfe, Bombargo, Hedonistas, and Connor Clark & Blue Rhythm Revival. Pop chanteuse Kanika Moore and 17-year-old guitar phenom Grace Bowers will also add their talents throughout the festival, sitting with select artists. 

The historic Pullman Yards grounds will host an immersive festival experience that features indoor and outdoor stages, charitable and environmental activations, local vendors, workshops, food trucks, an artist market and more. 

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“As promised, SweetWater 420 is back for one of the biggest parties yet. We’re excited for an unforgettable weekend of good music, good vibes and good beer at Pullman Yards,” said Ty Gilmore, President of U.S. Beers for Tilray. “This year’s lineup will be one for the books, and we hope both our fans and fans of the performing artists are looking forward to joining us for a memorable weekend.” 

Two-day general admission, VIP tickets, extras and more information are all available online at the festival’s website. SweetWater 420 Fest is produced by SweetWater Brewing and Pullman Yards.  

12 Mar 2024

Eric Church Is Playing a 19-Show Residency at His Nashville Bar Chief’s

Eric Church‘s upcoming bar, Chief’s, is set to officially open its doors on Nashville’s Lower Broadway soon, with the musician celebrating the venue’s April 5 grand opening by launching a 19-concert residency at the venue.

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The shows, dubbed Eric Church: To Beat the Devil, will launch at the bar’s two-story live music venue, dubbed The Neon Steeple, the day Chief’s opens.

The country artist said that fans can expect the unexpected with these residency shows. “These shows at Chief’s will be one of a kind, only for Chief’s and with some songs that will only ever be performed during these shows,” he teased in a statement. “It’s the most unique show I’ll probably ever do, and I’m excited to enjoy this chapter of what Chief’s will be.”

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The Neon Steeple

Rendering of The Neon Steeple at Chief’s, set to open at 200 Broadway in Nashville, Tenn.

Courtesy of Chief’s / AJ Capital

Church created his six-story downtown establishment Chief’s with Ben Weprin of AJ Capital Partners. The 19,350-square-foot building will also house a studio for live broadcasting (including Church’s Outsiders Radio SiriusXM channel), and will highlight the work of James Beard Award-winning pitmaster Rodney Scott, featuring Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ overlooking downtown with its “Hell of a Q” rooftop offering.

Tickets to Church’s residency will be first offered to premium members of the musician’s Church Choir fan club through a sign-up system beginning Tuesday, March 12. Tickets are non-transferable and will be available for pickup at the venue box office the evening of the show immediately prior to entering the venue. Name changes on orders will not be permitted. All seats are reserved seating, with pricing ranging from $99 to $499, with no additional ticketing fees. A portion of each ticket sold will benefit Church’s nonprofit, Chief Cares. The sign-up will close March 17 at 11:59 p.m. CT, followed by the beginning of the Church Choir pre-sale, which begins March 20 at 10 a.m. CT. The public onsale, if tickets remain, begins March 22 at 10 a.m. CT.

The residency will run through June, wrapping with three shows on June 7-9, which is the same timeframe that this year’s CMA Fest will take place in downtown Nashville, from June 6-9.

Exterior rendering of Chief’s, set to open at 200 Broadway in Nashville, Tenn.

Exterior rendering of Chief’s, set to open at 200 Broadway in Nashville, Tenn.

Courtesy of Chief’s / AJ Capital

See the full list of dates for “Eric Church: To Beat the Devil” below:

  • Friday, April 5
  • Wednesday, April 17
  • Thursday, April 18
  • Monday, April 29
  • Tuesday, April 30
  • Wednesday, May 1
  • Tuesday, May 7
  • Wednesday, May 8
  • Friday, May 10
  • Saturday, May 11
  • Tuesday, May 14
  • Wednesday, May 15
  • Friday, May 17
  • Tuesday, May 21
  • Wednesday, May 22
  • Thursday, June 6
  • Friday, June 7
  • Saturday, June 8
  • Sunday, June 9