Music News

11 Mar 2024

Watch How Bad Bunny’s Star-Studded ‘Acho PR’ Came to Life in New Music Video

For his 30th birthday on Sunday (March 10), Bad Bunny unleashed the official music video for “Acho PR,” almost five months after the track dropped as part of his Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana album. 

In true Bunny fashion, the video came as a surprise to fans when the artist shared the YouTube link on his Instagram Stories. The nearly 12-minute-long clip captures how the star-studded collaboration featuring Ñengo Flow, Árcangel and De La Ghetto came to life in a recording studio in New York City. 

All four artists, joined by some of Bunny’s longtime collaborators including Tainy and MAG, appear in the homemade video, where they are sharing ideas, recording their verses and overall having a good time. “Let’s do this, d–n it — no one is leaving here today,” Ñengo jokes at the beginning of the clip. 

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At the end of the music video, Bunny also shared a recap of some of his latest career highlights — including winning artist of the year at the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards — and wraps the clip by announcing two dates in Puerto Rico as part of his 2024 Most Wanted Tour. He’s set to perform June 7 and 8 at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico.  

“Acho PR” — which debuted in the Hot Latin Songs and Hot 100 charts in October — is an ode to life in the barrio in Puerto Rico, with its parties and its music, its crime and excess. “Real G for life, the movement is still solid […] straight from Bayamón, the most powerful mafia,” the lyrics go in part.

The official video arrived on the day Bunny presented an award at the 2024 Oscars alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Watch the visual below:

11 Mar 2024

Kanye West Working on World Tour With John Monopoly Returning as Manager

Kanye West once claimed that he “can’t be managed” but that’s not the case these days as sources tell Billboard on Monday (March 11) that John Monopoly is back as Ye’s manager.

A fellow Chicago native, Monopoly played an integral role at the onset of West’s career in the early 2000s as his manager.

After splitting for over a decade, Monopoly found his way into the Ye zeitgeist in recent years. Sources confirmed that Monopoly is now West’s manager in an official capacity as the multi-hyphenate showered John with praise and recalled their history during a Vultures private listening event in Los Angeles over the weekend.

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West has been without a manager since parting ways with Izvor Zivkovic in March 2018. Izzy had been Ye’s longtime partner for nearly a decade. Scooter Braun was brought into the fold as a co-manager in late 2015 but they would split in April 2018.

With John helping West, Kanye is putting together a world tour that is set to begin in a few months, sources add. The global trek will feature “full production and performances” as opposed to the listening events Ye is currently playing.

The tour will be Kanye’s first since 2016’s Saint Pablo Tour, which was cut short in November 2016 following West’s hospitalization. Ye appeared to have trouble booking the trek due to his string of recent controversies, but sources say West is “preparing” to hit the road this summer.

The 46-year-old has hit the stage at rare one-off opportunities during the last few years. He joined Travis Scott’s UTOPIA Tour stop in Orlando on Jan. 31 as a special guest. He surprised Rolling Loud fans in 2021 and 2022 when joining Future and Playboi Carti’s sets, respectively.

West’s last full concert came when he performed in December 2021 in support of Larry Hoover’s freedom as he ended his feud with Drake to spread awareness of Hoover’s incarceration for a benefit show at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign are coming off of the independent release of Vultures 1, which topped the Billboard 200 in back-to-back weeks last month.

The duo is currently on the road to Vultures 2 — which was originally supposed to arrive last Friday — as they took over Phoenix’s Footprint Center on Sunday night (March 10) for another listening party before heading to San Francisco’s Chase Center on Tuesday (March 12).

They are slated to debut a live performance of the Vultures series with a joint set at Rolling Loud California on Thursday night (March 14).

Billboard reached out to Ye’s camp for comment.

11 Mar 2024

Dolly Parton Thinks Beyoncé Covered One of Her Country Classics For ‘Act II’ Album: ‘I Love Her!’

Dolly Parton may be the reigning queen of country, but one royal definitely can recognize someone else’s regal game. In the wake of Beyoncé dropping two country songs and making some Billboard chart history along the way, Parton said she wouldn’t be surprised if some of her rhinestone-studded magic dust ended up on Bey’s upcoming Act II 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,” 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, due out on March 29.

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“I love her!” Parton, 78, said about Beyoncé, 42. “She’s a beautiful girl and a great singer.” At press time a spokesperson for Beyoncé had not responded to Billboard‘s request for comment on Parton’s claim. Though it’s unknown if the 1973 Parton classic broadside against a woman with designs on her man — which peaked for Parton at No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1974 — will appear on Bey’s follow-up to 2022’s Renaissance, after her initial excitement, Dolly hedged her bets later in the interview.

The outlet said Parton subsequently added that she’d “heard” and “thinks,” or maybe “hopes” that Beyoncé had taken on the song that has been memorably covered by everyone from Dolly’s goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, to the White Stripes, Olivia Newton-John, Lil Nas X, Pentatonix and many more. At the very least, Parton said she’s always wanted Beyoncé to cover “Jolene” and that the two had been in contact in the past.

“We’ve kind of sent messages back and forth through the years. And she and her mother were like fans, and I was always touched that they were fans, and I always thought she was great,” Parton said.

Though the track list for Act II has not yet been revealed, the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Texas Hold ‘Em” was one of two country-flecked songs that Beyoncé released on Feb. 11, along with “16 Carriages”; both songs were announced in a Verizon commercial that aired during Super Bowl LVIII Feb. 11.

“Texas Hold ‘Em” 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.

11 Mar 2024

North West Announces Debut Album ‘Elementary School Dropout’ at Kanye West’s ‘Vultures’ Event

Kanye West isn’t going to be the only musician in the family. His and Kim Kardashian’s 10-year-old daughter, North West, revealed she’s working on her debut album, Elementary School Dropout, in an homage to her father’s acclaimed 2004 LP College Dropout.

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North made the revelation during a Vultures listening party in Phoenix on Sunday night (March 10) when she hit the stage with the rapper — who now goes by Ye — in Vultures merchandise and a fur hat for her “Talking” track on the album.

“And I’ve been working on an album,” she shared, which drew a loud ovation from the crowd. “And it’s called Elementary School Dropout.”

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North’s younger siblings Chicago and Psalm also joined her on the Footprint Center stage in an adorable moment as they held hands and danced to her Vultures song.

It’s likely that Ye will be heavily involved with the creative process for ESD. North is featured on Vultures‘ “Talking,” which debuted at No. 30 on the Hot 100 with 12.33 million official U.S. streams in its first week of tracking.

The Hot 100 entry made her one of the youngest artists to ever appear on the chart as well as the Emerging Artist tally. Kardashian celebrated her daughter’s accomplishment for “Talking” by writing on Instagram Story with a repost of the chart at the time, “My baby!!!!”

Look for North to continue on the trail with her father and Ty Dolla $ign for the Vultures listening-party experiences, which will take over the Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday (March 12).

During a recent event, Ye and Ty played a handful of songs slated to land on their upcoming Vultures 2 sequel, which included “Enemies,” “Believin” featuring Project Pat, “Promotion” featuring Future, “Slide,” “Dead” with Future and Lil Durk as well as fan-favorite “Field Trip/Venom” featuring Don Toliver, Playboi Carti and Lil Durk.

The Vultures duo is scheduled to make a live performance debut with a Thursday night (March 14) set at Rolling Loud California. It’s unclear when Vultures 2 is slated to arrive, as Ye — who has faced criticism and lost business deals due to his hate speech — has teased releasing the project on Yeezy.com for $20 rather than going right to streaming services. It was previously announced for a March 8 release date.

Watch North West’s announcement as well as Psalm and Chicago joining her on stage below.

11 Mar 2024

Which Best Original Song Performance at the 2024 Oscars Was Your Favorite? Vote!

The 2024 Oscars was packed with memorable musical performances, with all five of the night’s best original song nominees taking the stage at Dolby Theatre to represent their respective films Sunday (March 10).

The first best song nominees to perform ended up being this year’s winners: Billie Eilish and Finneas, who contributed the emotional ballad “What Was I Made For?” to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Hours before taking home the award, the 22-year-old pop star sang the whisper-soft track as her brother/producer played piano, earning thunderous applause from audience members such as Ariana Grande, Margot Robbie, America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon.

Later in the night, Becky G stood in front of a blazing backdrop with a choir of children to sing “The Fire Inside” from Flamin’ Hot. Jon Batiste played a grand piano as he belted out his emotional ballad “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony, and Scott George and the Osage Singers gathered around a large drum for “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon.

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Closing out the night’s performances, Ryan Gosling got the crowd on its feet for an over-the-top showcase of “I’m Just Ken,” also from Barbie, alongside Mark Ronson — who co-wrote the satirical ballad with Andrew Wyatt — Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Guns N’ Roses’ Slash. Wearing a black cowboy hat and pink sparkly suit, the actor began by serenading Robbie, his onscreen leading lady, before hopping onstage for some intricate group choreography complete with backup dancers and cutouts of the famous doll’s head.

Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the 2024 Academy Awards saw Poor Things‘ Emma Stone taking home best actress for Poor Things and Cillian Murphy winning best actor for his performance in Oppenheimer, which also snagged best picture. The three-hour-plus ceremony also included presentations from Grande and her Wicked costar Cynthia Erivo, Bad Bunny and Dwayne Johnson, Zendaya and, perhaps most memorably, a nude John Cena.

Who had your favorite performance of the night at the 2024 Oscars? Vote in the poll below after rewatching them all here.

11 Mar 2024

Here Are All the Performances From the 2024 Oscars

The 2024 Oscars brought the Kenergy and then some to the 96th annual Academy Awards on Sunday, March 10, with all five tunes that were nominated for best original song getting the live performance treatment on stage at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.

Before Barbie hit “What Was I Made For?” by nine-time Grammy winner Billie Eilish and Finneas ultimately took home the trophy, the sister-brother duo delivered a delicate and emotional performance of the song. As the set wrapped, the in-house got on its feed to give Eilish and Finneas a standing ovation — including Barbie director Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie, America Ferrera and Kate McKinnon.

Ryan Gosling, who was nominated for best supporting actor for portraying Ken in Barbie, offered up a star-studded, show-stealing performance of his power ballad “I’m Just Ken.” Dressed in a sparkly Barbie-pink suit, the actor’s set included surprise appearances by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash on guitar, as well as Wolfgang Van Halen, with fellow Ken dolls Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir dancing with him. The actor also gave his mic to several of his costars, including Robbie and Ferrera, as well as La La Land costar and the night’s best actress winner, Emma Stone.

Becky G set the stage on fire with her fiery performance of “The Fire Inside” — penned by 15-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren — from Flamin’ Hot. Like Eilish and Finneas, she, too, received a standing ovation.

Other performances of the night included Jon Batiste revisiting love stories with his live take of “It Never Went Away” from American Symphony, a powerful set — which included a drum circle — by Scott George and The Osage Singers of “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” from Killers of the Flower Moon,” as well as a heart-wrenching delivery of “Time to Say Good-Bye (Con Te Partirò)” by Andrea Bocelli and Matteo Bocelli during the In Memoriam segment.

Revisit all of the performances of the songs nominated for the best original song Oscar below:

11 Mar 2024

Paul McCartney, Eagles, Zac Brown & More to Pay Tribute to Jimmy Buffett at ‘Keep the Party Going’ Hollywood Bowl Show

There was nothing Jimmy Buffett liked more than a wild party. So it’s fitting that some of the late “Margaritaville” singer’s friends and musical compatriots are planning to pay homage to his celebratory legacy on April 11 with an all-star concert at the Hollywood Bowl entitled “Keep the Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett.”

The Live Nation/Hewitt Silva presents show will feature performances from Paul McCartney, the Eagles, Jon Bon Jovi, Zac Brown, Jackson Browne, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Scotty Emerick, Jack Johnson, Caroline Jones, Mac McAnally, Jake Owen, Pitbull, Jake Shimabukuro, The Coral Reefer Band and more special guests to be announced later.

Tickets for the celebration of life will go on sale to the general public on March 15 at 10 a.m. PT here, with an American Express cardmember presale slate to kick off on Wednesday (March 13) at 10 a.m. PT through 10 a.m. PT on Thursday (March 14).

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Buffett’s friends can’t help missing the beloved son of a son of a sailor, with April’s tribute slated to come just months after Alan Jackson, Chesney, Mac McAnally and the Zac Brown Band teamed up at the 2023 CMA Awards for a medley of the flip-flop nation’s beloved party-starter-in-chief, including “A Pirate Looks at Forty” and “Margaritaville.”

Buffett, 76, died on Sept. 1 at his home in Sag Harbor on Long Island, New York, from skin cancer. The singer was back in posthumous form last week when the video for his single “The University of Bourbon Street” — from Buffett’s finals studio album, November’s Equal Strain on All Parts — in which he performs a tribute to his favorite city with some help from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

11 Mar 2024

Taylor Swift to Tease Acoustic Surprise Songs From Disney+ ‘Eras Tour’ Film on ‘Good Morning America’

Taylor Swift will be waking up fans in the best way possible this week. In partnership with Good Morning America, the pop star revealed Monday (March 11) that she plans to give sneak peeks at the exclusive acoustic surprise songs featured in the Disney+ version of her Eras Tour film, one day at a time on the ABC talk show.

The “Anti-Hero” singer personally shared the news with fans in a clip posted to GMA‘s socials, seemingly just before stepping onstage at one of her ongoing Eras Tour concerts. “Good morning, America,” she told the camera while dressed in the sparkly, multicolored leotard she wears during the opening numbers of her three-hour show. (The pop superstar just wrapped up a string of shows in Singapore, which also marks the last leg of the Eras Tour before her next album, The Tortured Poets Department, arrives April 19. The tour resumes in Paris on May 9.)

“Tune in every day this week to get an exclusive look into the acoustic songs from the Eras Tour, my version,” she continued, smiling. “Don’t miss the film when it drops on Disney+ this Thursday [March 14] at 6 p.m. Pacific.”

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Swift will tease first of the four surprise songs Tuesday (March 12), according to GMA. “It’s TAYLOR WEEK,” the show captioned the musician’s clip. “@taylorswift13 is giving a sneak peek at 4 acoustic songs that will be on the @disneyplus version of ‘Taylor Swift | The Era’s Tour (Taylor’s Version)’ throughout the week.”

The 14-time Grammy winner’s blockbuster flick first premiered in AMC theaters in October, upon which it instantly became the top-grossing concert film in history with more than $92.8 million after just one weekend. In December, Swift made an expanded cut of the project available to rent on-demand in celebration of her 34th birthday, featuring performances of “Wildest Dreams,” “The Archer” and “Long Live.”

The Disney+ edition will include even more previously unseen content. In addition to the four new acoustic songs (one of which is “Maroon,” according to a recent trailer), the streaming version will feature footage of Swift performing her Folklore single “Cardigan” for the first time.

Watch Swift’s announcement for Good Morning America below.

11 Mar 2024

Lil Nas X Has Been ‘Hoarding Music For Years,’ Asks Fans to Rate Seven Previously Unreleased Snippets

Lil Nas X told fans over the weekend that he is sitting on a pile of unreleased material before previewing an eclectic handful of the unnamed tracks in his backlog. “been hoarding music for years smh i hate my relationship with fear of my songs not doing well and perception,” Lil Nas wrote in a post that featured bits of seven songs ranging from moody acoustic ballads to electro dance bangers.

“i wish i could just release music and not give af!. anyways enough venting…what’s you guys top 2 of these snippets ??” he asked in soliciting feedback on which ones he should consider officially releasing.

The first offering, the slow grinder “Trust Me,” appeared to be a autobiographical tale of middle school life, with Nas rapping, “Cap and gown, I graduated and got out of town/ Went to colleg where I had no one around/ Grindr sessions sexing with faceless accounts,” over a spare, bass-heavy beat.

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The gospel-rap “Right There” features Lil Nas dropping hyped up bars over a church choir, while the dance-y, AfroBeats-ish “Light Again” is a bouncy pop tune with the refrain, “F–k up the night/ What a hell of a life.” Things get introspective on the meditative, acoustic guitar ballad “Angels,” on which Lil Nas croons, “Father stretch my hands/ The lonely road seems to last the longest/ Help me with my plans/ Everything seems to go to nowhere/ Free me from worry and wanting pity/ Free me from all this envy in me.”

A song that has been widely leaked, the hard-hitting “Down Souf Hoes,” was also included in the dump, as was the straight ahead rhyme “Lean on My Body” — performed shirtless while walking on a treadmill while playing keyboard — and the propulsive pop rap “Batty Boy.”

It’s the first taste of new music since Lil Nas stirred up his usual hornet’s nest of controversy with his January single “J Christ” and its button-pushing video.

Check out Lil Nas’ unreleased song snippets below.

11 Mar 2024

Doja Cat Deactivates Instagram Account After Saying Negativity Is ‘Too Much’

Doja Cat deleted her Instagram account and announced to fans that she was taking a break from the service to giver herself time off from what she described as a toxic atmosphere. “hey i’m gonna deactivate because i’m not really feeling this anymore. you guys take care of yourselves,” the rapper/singer wrote according to screengrabs of the message.

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“i like coming here to find inspo and see people being creative but i just feel like this is getting to be too much,” she continued. “the way i’m spoken to on here and treated makes me have f–ked up thoughts. Please watch how you talk to and about people on the internet. Bye.”

It’s not the first time Doja has struggled with her relationship to social media. Back in July, the “Kiss Me More” star went on a Threads spree in which she slammed members of her Kittenz fanbase — calling out some for using her “government name” as their screen names and demanding that they “get a job” — which social media analysis company Crowdtangle said at the time may have coast Doja more than 230,000 followers.

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At press time it appeared that Doja’s wiped Insta page was still inactive.

Last month, Doja scored her eighth No. 1 on the Billboard Pop Airplay chart when her Scarlet single “Agora Hills” topped the survey, extending her mark for the most leaders this decade; that put Doja in a tie with Justin Timberlake for the ninth-most number ones on that chart since its inception in 1992. “Agora Hills” previously spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart, where it became Doja Cat’s 11th leader.

See an image of Doja’s post below.