Music News

04 Mar 2024

Sinead O’Connor’s Estate & Label Slam Donald Trump’s Use of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ at Campaign Events

Sinead O’Connor’s estate and longtime label Chrysalis Records are speaking out and expressing their disgust after Donald Trump used her 1990 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Nothing Compares 2 U” during recent campaign rallies in North Carolina and Maryland.

“Throughout her life, it is well known that Sinéad O’Connor lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness, and decency towards her fellow human beings. It was with outrage therefore that we learned that Donald Trump has been using her iconic performance of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ at his political rallies,” reads the joint statement shared with Billboard on Monday (March 4). “It is no exaggeration to say that Sinéad would have been disgusted, hurt, and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil.’”

The statement concludes: “As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump, and his associates desist from using her music immediately.”

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Billboard has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment. The former president is currently the frontrunner to be the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election.

The late Grammy winner — who died of natural causes at age 56 in July 2023 — was not shy about sharing her stances about Trump. In addition to calling the twice-impeached former president a “biblical devil” in an interview with Hot Press in 2020, she told the publication that she was convinced Trump was “actually a Satanist,” and that he should have been “dragged” out of the White House when he “separated the first child from their parents at the Mexican border.”

Trump is currently facing 91 felony charges in cases ranging from illegally keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, to election interference, attempting to illegally overturn his 2020 presidential election loss in Georgia, and more.

04 Mar 2024

Raphael Saadiq Signs With Forward Artist Management: Exclusive

Raphael Saadiq has signed with Forward Artist Management, Billboard has learned exclusively. The new agreement with the Los Angeles-based firm follows in the wake of the Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter-producer’s latest success: co-writing and co-producing Beyoncé’s first Hot 100 No. 1 country single, “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

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Forward Artist Management head Tyler Childs tells Billboard, “Raphael is one-of-one. He’s been making history, creating some of the biggest musical moments of the last 30 years. He continues to write and rewrite the playbook on what an elite artist, producer, songwriter and creative is. The entire FAM team is thrilled to support him and excited to get to work.”

In addition to “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Saadiq co-wrote and co-produced Beyoncé’s concurrently released country single “16 Carriages.” He also won the best R&B song Grammy last year for Beyoncé’s “Cuff It,” which he co-wrote and produced for her most recent album Renaissance. A founding member of seminal R&B trio Tony! Toni! Toné! — which reunited in 2023 for a sold-out national theater tour, its first in 25 years — Saadiq has worked with a diverse slate of superstar artists during his lengthy career. That roster includes Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Usher, Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige and Solange.

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His latest project as a solo artist was 2019’s Jimmy Lee. He also co-wrote the Academy Award-nominated song “Mighty River,” from the film Mudbound, with Blige and Tara Stinson. Saadiq is represented by Tim Mandelbaum of Fox Rothschild.

Forward Artists’ Childs also manages RZA and The Wu-Tang Clan, who launched the first-ever hip-hop residency at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas last month with two more dates scheduled for March 22-23. Additional Forward Artist clients include Benjamin Booker (managed by Jacob Greene), Tyler Cole and Sarah Cothran.

Prior to Forward Artist Management, Childs served as vp of A&R/creative at Sony ATV Music Publishing. While there, he worked with artists and songwriters such as Ilsey Juber (Panic at the Disco’s “High Hopes,” Shawn Mendes’ “Mercy” and Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus’ “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart”), Walk the Moon (“Shut Up and Dance”), Imagine Dragons (“Whatever it Takes”) and Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo (“Time of Our Lives”). Other artists that Childs collaborated with include Clairo, James Blake and Tegan and Sara.

03 Mar 2024

Taylor Swift Shares Family Connection to Singapore, Where Mom Andrea ‘Spent a Lot of Her Childhood’

Taylor Swift has some family ties to Singapore, the pop star said at her concert at the Singapore National Stadium on Saturday (March 2).

“My mom actually spent a lot of her childhood with her mom and dad and her sister growing up in Singapore,” Swift, seated at her Evermore piano, shared with the crowd of Andrea Swift’s upbringing.

Swift had just finishing singing “Marjorie,” the emotional song she wrote about her grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, and was taking a moment to speak to her fans at the first of six Eras Tour shows at the stadium.

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“A lot of the time when we would come here on tour, my mom would take me and drive me past her old house, and where she used to go to school,” she said from the stage. “I’ve been hearing about Singapore my whole life.”

Swift added, “To get to come here and play a show this big with so many beautiful, generous people who were just essentially honoring my family with what you just did with that song [“Marjorie”], it means the world.”

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The musician mentioned her mother’s history with Singapore several years ago, in a 2016 interview for Singaporean newspaper The Straits Times. Swift told a reporter that her grandfather, who worked for an engineering company, had to move there for work, so her mom “grew up in Singapore. Her parents were traveling around for my grandfather’s job.”

On Sunday, Swift made an announcement about her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, unveiling a fourth and final variant of the project that features a bonus track titled “The Black Dog.” Each of the other three Tortured Poets versions include a different bonus song: “The Manuscript,” “The Bolter” and “The Albatross.” The album arrives on April 19.

Check out Swift’s speech about her mom growing up in Singapore below. Her remaining concert dates at the venue are March 4, 7, 8 and 9.

03 Mar 2024

Justin Bieber’s Mom Shares Sweet Baby Photos for Son’s 30th Birthday

Justin Bieber‘s mom dug out the family photo album for the pop star’s 30th birthday.

“30 YEARS! Just like that. Happy birthday Justin,” Pattie Mallette, Bieber’s mother, wrote on Friday (March 1) in a caption on Instagram, where she posted several personal pictures from Bieber’s childhood.

The photos cover a wide timeline, beginning with her pregnancy. Adorable pictures of Bieber as an infant and toddler lead the way to a current image of the singer with his birthday cake.

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“I’m not going to lie I’ve had a few good cries this week looking back through photos reminiscing,” she said. “Time goes by so fast.”

The note continued: “It’s been amazing to see you become the man you are today @justinbieber. I’m so honored to be your mom. I love you more than you know. I can’t wait to see the great things God has planned for you ahead. You ain’t seen nothing yet!”

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Bieber’s wife, Hailey, also took to Instagram to celebrate her partner’s birthday on Friday.

“30!!!!!!!????!!????!!!!” she exclaimed on Instagram, posting various pictures of the pair kissing, smiling and cuddling up to each other. “That was fast. words could never truly describe the beauty of who you are. Happy Birthday to you… love of my life, for life.”

To celebrate the big 3-0, Bieber fans also got to see the unveiling of a new wax figure of the star, which is on display now at Madame Tussauds’ Hollywood Boulevard location. The wax look is modeled after how Bieber appeared in his 2021 “Peaches” music video, with a white beanie, ombre puffer jacket, pink pants and sneakers.

Take a walk down memory lane with the cute family snapshots from Bieber’s mom below.

03 Mar 2024

Morgan Wallen Releases ‘Abbey Road Sessions’ on One-Year Anniversary of ‘One Thing at a Time’

Morgan Wallen‘s Abbey Road Sessions project is here. On Sunday (March 3), the country singer surprised fans by releasing a digital collection of seven live song recordings from Studio Two at London’s Abbey Road Studios.

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The release marks the one-year anniversary of his hit album One Thing at a Time, which has spent 18 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, tying Garth Brooks’ Ropin’ the Wind for most weeks at No. 1 for a country album. The album is currently sitting at No. 2 for the week ending Feb. 29.

The tracklist includes performances of five songs from One Thing at a Time, as well as an unreleased song, “Lies Lies Lies,” and a cover of Nothing But Thieves’ “Graveyard Whistling.”

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Abbey Road Sessions‘ tracks — “Thinkin’ Bout Me,” “Lies Lies Lies,” “Sunrise,” “Everything I Love,” “I Wrote the Book,” “I Deserve a Drink” and “Graveyard Whistling” — were recorded on Dec. 5, 2023.

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“Playing the O2 in London last fall and getting to record at Abbey Road, where so much iconic music has been made, was legendary for me and my band. We will never forget it,” states Wallen in a press release about Abbey Road Sessions. “I’m so excited to release these Abbey Road Sessions for my fans on the one-year anniversary of One Thing at a Time. They make all this possible.”

Wallen’s One Night at a Time World Tour resumes in the U.S. in April, with dates scheduled through August.

Watch his Abbey Road Sessions performances below. The full playlist is available on YouTube.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries&si=PgpUoRKZpziM5YBk&list=PLHP0tKi5klmy194p5dx_1UGGmUflJ5iBn&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

03 Mar 2024

Fans Choose Miley Cyrus & Pharrell’s ‘Doctor (Work It Out)’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

Miley Cyrus and Pharrell Williams‘ “Doctor (Work It Out)” has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 1) on Billboard, choosing the team-up between the pop star and producer as their favorite new music release of the past week.

“Doctor (Work It Out)” brought in nearly 59% of the vote, beating out new music by Cardi B (“Like What (Freestyle)”); Charli XCX (“Von Dutch”); Galantis, David Guetta and 5 Seconds of Summer (“Lighter”); ScHoolboy Q (Blue Lips); and others.

Cyrus’ long-awaited collaboration with Pharrell marks the singer’s first release since her 2023 single “Used to Be Young.” The collaboration has been in the works for over a decade, with “Doctor (Work It Out)” originally intended to appear on but apparently scrapped from Cyrus’ 2013 album, Bangerz. In January, Pharrell teased the single at the Louis Vuitton Men’s Fall-Winter 2024 Collection presentation in Paris.

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“We just believe so much in timing and in everything happening when it’s supposed to,” Cyrus said in a recent interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe. “Around the Grammys, Pharrell and I were talking about putting the song out, and it just felt like it was so serendipitous, and there were so many alignments and so many moments that made me know that now was the perfect time.”

“And then sometimes things in our past make more sense in our present than they ever did then,” she continued. “And so this song, I think the nature, the celebration, the feeling, especially with the video, the joy, the dancing, the letting go, it’s what this song really always needed. I don’t think I could have delivered that at that time [in 2013] … It completely embodies my spirit and my essence at this exact moment.”

“Doctor (Work It Out)” follows the same thread of unrepentant desire as the duo’s past hit “Come Get It Bae,” with a little more disco swagger and medical double entendres in the mix; the song could evaporate tomorrow or become a durable hit, but either way, Cyrus sounds like she’s having a great time with it.

Trailing behind “Doctor (Work It Out)” on the poll is Cardi B’s “Like What (Freestyle),” which brought in 13% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.

03 Mar 2024

TWICE Achieves First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With ‘With YOU-th’

TWICE achieves its first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart as With YOU-th debuts atop the tally (dated March 9) with 95,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 29, according to Luminate, largely from traditional album sales. It’s the fifth top 10 for the Korean pop ensemble in total, all earned consecutively.

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With YOU-th is the first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 by an all-female group since BLACKPINK’s Born Pink opened at No. 1 in 2022, and only the third since 2008, when Danity Kane’s Welcome to the Dollhouse debuted atop the list.

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, fellow all-female Korean pop group LE SSERAFIM debuts at No. 8 with Easy, marking the act’s second top 10-charting effort.

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The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new March 9-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 5. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of With YOU-th’s 95,000 units earned in the tracking week ending Feb. 29, album sales comprise 90,000 (it’s the top-selling album of the week, as it debuts at No. 1 on Top Album Sales; it’s also the largest sales week for an album in 2024), SEA units comprise 4,500 (equaling 6.33 million official on-demand streams of the set’s six songs) and TEA units comprise 500. Sales of With YOU-th were bolstered by its availability across 14 CD variants (including exclusives for Barnes & Noble, Target, Walmart and the act’s webstore, all with branded paper merchandise inside the packages as well as some randomized elements) and three vinyl variants (all picture discs, including one Target-exclusive version).

As With YOU-th is mostly in the Korean language, it is the 24th mostly non-English language album to hit No. 1, and the first of 2024.

Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time climbs 3-2 with 67,000 equivalent album units earned (up 5%), while Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 1 falls 1-3 in its third week with 64,000 (down 14%). Noah Kahan’s Stick Season is a non-mover at No. 4 with 57,000 units (down 4%), SZA’s former leader SOS is also stationary, at No. 5, with 47,000 (up 1%), Drake’s chart-topping For All the Dogs rises 8-6 with 43,000 (up 1%), and Taylor Swift’s former No. 1 1989 (Taylor’s Version) dips 6-7 with 41,000 (down 7%).

LE SSERAFIM’s Easy starts at No. 8 with 41,000 equivalent album units earned, marking the second top 10-charting effort for the pop group. The act previously hit the top 10 with last year’s Unforgiven, debuting and peaking at No. 6. Of Easy’s 41,000 first-week units, album sales comprise 34,000, SEA units comprise 7,000 (equaling 9.86 million official on-demand streams of the set’s five songs) and TEA units equal a negligible sum. Sales of Easy were aided by its availability across 14 CD variants (including exclusives for Barnes & Noble, Target and Walmart, all with branded paper merch inside their packages, including some randomized).

Rounding out the top 10 of the new Billboard 200 are a pair of chart-topping sets: Taylor Swift’s Lover falls 7-9 with 40,000 equivalent album units (down 8%) and 21 Savage‘s American Dream is steady at No. 10 with 38,000 units (up 1%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

03 Mar 2024

BTS’ V Announces Release Date for New Single ‘FRI(END)S’

BTS‘ V is returning with a new single.

The K-pop superstar officially announced through social media on Sunday (March 3) that his upcoming song, “FRI(END)S,” will be released on March 15 at 1 p.m. KST.

“The track, rooted in the pop soul R&B genre, delivers relatable and witty romance through lyrics written entirely in English,” reads a press statement from Big Hit Music. “The single artwork accompanying the announcement reveals the song title and release date against a vivid pink background that hints at the song’s sweet mood.”

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On Saturday, BTS’ official Instagram account teased “FRI(END)S” with a brief clip featuring the K-pop star. The forthcoming track follows V’s 2023 solo debut, Layover, which included songs like “Love Me Again,” “Rainy Days” and “Slow Dancing.”

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Shortly after the September 2023 release of his six-track Layover, V prepared for his mandatory military enlistment in South Korea, which is expected to keep the K-pop band on hiatus until 2025.

“I will miss you so much,” V wrote at the time, penned in Korean. “Actually, I’m really sad that I can’t make happy memories with my ARMY for the time being […] it’s the hardest not to see the ARMY. I’II be back after 18 months of being healthy, so take care of your ARMY and if you’re looking for something to be happy about every day, cheers! I’m here! I’ll be back!”

“Within 18 months, I’ve prepared a lot of things. Please look forward do it,” the 28-year-old singer added, before concluding, “I’ll really miss you. I love you so much.”

Last December, Big Hit shared that BTS’ final four band members — RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — are beginning their military enlistment process, following Jin, J-Hope and Suga, who are already enlisted.

03 Mar 2024

Kacey Musgraves Performs ‘Deeper Well’ and ‘Too Good to Be True’ on ‘Saturday Night Live’: Watch

Kacey Musgraves returned to Studio 8H on March 2.

For her third time as musical guest on Saturday Night Live, the 35-year-old country music star performed two tracks from her upcoming album, Deeper Well.

Stepping out barefoot and donning a patchwork jacket dress, Musgraves received an introduction from host Sydney Sweeney before opening with the a stirring rendition of her new project’s title track. For her second song, the singer-songwriter wrote a beautiful blue dress during “Too Good to Be True,” with assistance from her backing band.

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“I just want someone to look at me the way Sydney Sweeney looks at Kacey Musgraves,” a fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after the show. Musgraves responded to the post, writing, “The clip. I forgot to remove the clip,” she wrote, referring to a hair clip she’s seen wearing at the end of the program.

Musgraves took the stage as musical guest on SNL for the third time, having previously done it in May 2018 and October 2021. On the heels of winning her seventh Grammy honor Feb. 4 (for best country duo/group performance with Zach Bryan for “I Remember Everything”),  the artist will release her fifth studio album, Deeper Well, on March 15, through Interscope/MCA Nashville. The project follows her previous project, Star-Crossed, which released in 2021. 

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In a statement, Musgraves explained that she took inspiration for the new album from the energy in New York City’s Greenwich Village and that she recorded the project at the iconic Electric Lady studios. The album will “serve as a lens focusing on moments of life that often go unnoticed, turning them into timeless songs that strike a chord deep within listeners. Saturn returns, cardinals embody a dead friend, love is given and taken, streets rush by, belongings are packed and old chapters deserted, new love blooms, jade bracelets serve as talismans, deep lessons emerge, small details define everything, the woods are a refuge and New York City serves as the same gleaming beacon as Oz.”

Watch Musgraves’ SNL performances below. For those without cable, the broadcast streams on Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans access to previous SNL episodes.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=WPTpZ6CEoJ8&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent


https://youtube.com/watch?v=XaDs3_4Nb-I&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

03 Mar 2024

Taylor Swift Announces Fourth and Final Variant of ‘Tortured Poets Department’ at Eras Tour Show in Singapore

Taylor Swift announced the fourth and final variant of her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, during her second Eras Tour concert in Singapore on Sunday (March 3).

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The reveal arrived during the surprise songs portion of the pop superstar’s set, where she performed a mashup of Evermore‘s “Long Story Short” and “The Story of Us” off Speak Now. It also marked the debut live performance of “Long Story Short.”

“I kind of wanted to show you something that nobody else has seen,” Swift told the audience before unveiling the fourth variant, titled “The Black Dog.”

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The black-and-white cover art featured a photo of Swift holding her head in an upward position, while the back includes another fierce snapshot along with the quote, “Old habits die screaming.” The fourth variant of The Tortured Poets Department is scheduled for release on April 19.

“‘Old habits die screaming…’ File Name: The Black Dog ? Pre-order the final new edition of THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT with exclusive bonus track ‘The Black Dog’ on my website now,” Swift wrote on Instagram alongside photos of the cover art.

Fans will be able to order “The Black Dog” edition on the singer-songwriter’s webstore through March 6.

Swift has already announced three variants of the album, each featuring a different bonus track: “The Manuscript,” “The Bolter” and “The Albatross.” She revealed “The Bolter” and “The Albatross” editions at previous tour dates in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. Fans guessed another announcement might have been made at the first Singapore concert of the tour.

The “Anti-Hero” singer first announced The Tortured Poets Department while accepting the best pop vocal award for Midnights at the 2024 Grammys on Feb. 4. Shortly afterward, she dropped the project’s tracklist, which features 16 core songs and collaborations from Florence + The Machine and Post Malone.

See Swift’s “The Black Dog” variant announcement on X and Instagram below.