Music News

02 Mar 2024

Rihanna Performs First Full Concert in Almost 8 Years at Private Wedding Party in India: ‘The Show Was the Best’

Rihanna made her return to the stage at a pre-wedding gig for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant in Jamnagar, India, on Friday (March 1).

The singer and Fenty mogul performed at a lavish party that was part of a multi-day celebration for the soon-to-be newlyweds, who will officially tie the knot July 12 in Mumbai. The nearly 1,200-person guest list included Rihanna as well as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Sunder Picha, Ivanka Trump and Bollywood celebrity Shah Rukh Khan, the AP reports.

Ambani is the son of multi-billionaire Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, and Nita Ambani, founder of the Reliance Foundation. Merchant is the daughter of Viren Merchant, CEO of Encore Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., and entrepreneur Shaila Merchant.

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“The show was the best,” Rihanna was seen saying on camera post-concert, while being approached by paparazzi. “I haven’t done a real show in eight years.”

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Although Rihanna performed for the Super Bowl halftime show and at the Oscars last year, she hasn’t put on a full concert since her Anti World Tour in 2016. There were reportedly 19 songs on Friday night’s set list.

The Ambani dynasty is well-known for extravagant wedding festivities. When Mukesh’s daughter Isha got married in 2018, Beyoncé performed at the ceremony, and when the business titan’s oldest son Akash tied the knot in 2019, Coldplay’s Chris Martin and the Chainsmokers were hired.

See clips of Rihanna in India below, including videos of her performing “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “Work,” “Umbrella,” “Stay,” “All of the Lights,” “We Found Love,” “Diamonds” and more.

02 Mar 2024

Taylor Swift Livestreams ‘Reputation’-Era Surprise Song Mashup From Singapore

“A message from the department” was livestreamed by Taylor Swift from Singapore. With no explanation, a mashup of “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” and “Dress” — both originally released during the pop star’s Reputation era — could be viewed directly from Swift’s official Instagram account by fans around the world on Saturday (March 2).

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The stream went live during the surprise song set, or as Swift called it, the “crazy acoustic section,” of the first of six Eras Tour dates in Singapore — the portion of the concert where he plays a couple surprise songs (or, lately, mashups). She will go on to perform at the Singapore National Stadium on March 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9.

As the stream happened, Swifties noticed that the official Taylor Swift webstore was blacked out. Visitors could not access the store, which was closed for a period of time, without a site admin’s password, leaving fans wondering whether something new was about about to launch for sale. At press time, her webstore is up and running, with no new products.

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The “a message from the department” message that popped up along with the livestream is a reference to Swift’s upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, coming on April 19. The message was ended with a black heart.

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 — maybe a fourth bonus song — but no announcement was made.

And given her choice of songs to perform and livestream (and the fact that only this mashup was streamed, not her full acoustic set), Swifties theorized that the Easter egg-loving musician might have been giving some Reputation-related signs from Singapore.

“I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” is Swift’s duet with Zayn Malik that was first released in December 2016 and included on the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack when it dropped in February 2017.

“Dress” is track No. 12 on Swift’s sixth studio album, Reputation, released in November 2017.

So far Swift has released the “Taylor’s Version” of all of the albums she’s expected to re-record except for Reputation and her debut, self-titled album. No release date has been announced for either re-recording yet.

Just before the “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever”/”Dress” mashup in Singapore, Swift performed a mashup of Speak Now opener “Mine” and Red track “Starlight” on guitar that was not livestreamed on her official account, but captured by others at the stadium. Watch both mashups in the clips below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=OawHEfua818&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

01 Mar 2024

Hailey Bieber Celebrates ‘Love of My Life’ Justin Bieber on His 30th Birthday

Happy birthday, Justin Bieber! The “Love Yourself” superstar turned the big 3-0 on Friday (March 1), and his wife Hailey Bieber took to Instagram to share sweet moments from the duo’s relationship.

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“30!!!!!!!????!!????!!!!,” the Rhode founder wrote on Instagram alongside various photos and videos of the duo 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.”

The couple officially wed in September 2018 at a New York City courthouse. A year later, they flew down to the Montage Palmetto Bluff hotel in South Carolina with their friends and family for a more traditional wedding ceremony and star-studded party.

Justin celebrated the duo’s fifth wedding anniversary in September 2023 with a sweet Instagram post in which he sang the model’s praises as one half of his heart. “To the most precious, my beloved. 5 years. You have captivated my heart. I know from the depths of my soul down to my bones that this journey with you will only exceed our wildest expectations,” wrote the singer next to a snap of the couple kissing, along with several more happy pics of them holding hands and cheesing for the camera.

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See Hailey’s birthday post for Justin below.

01 Mar 2024

Looking for More Music Access at SXSW? Check Out These Badges

South by Southwest is back to take over Austin, Texas, this year, with programming beginning March 8 and running through March 16.

This year, SXSW Music (March 11-16) features performances from The Black Keys, Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zavala aka DE FACTO, Swamp Dogg, Audrey Nuna, Kneecap, Flyana Boss and J Noa.

If you’re heading to the event and looking to get even more access to the SXSW Music Festival, the event is offering two special badges for purchase. With a standard music badge, for $945, attendees will receive “primary entry to our legendary Music Festival showcases, music programming, mentor sessions, and workshops at the SXSW Conference, Comedy Festival showcases, and online programming, plus secondary access to most Interactive and Film & TV programming,” per SXSW’s website. See here for the full list of details and purchase options. For Billboard readers, enter code reg-music-specialoffer_c439f88fe8 for a limited time to save more than 20% off the current price.

With an upgraded platinum badge, for $1,990, fans get primary access to all official SXSW Conference & Festivals events, plus up to five SXXpress Passes per day to enjoy your favorite programming. See here for the full list of details and purchase options. Enter code reg-plat-specialoffer_311a0ab5e3 for a limited time to save more than 25% off the current price.

Elsewhere at SXSW, Billboard is returning to the event with THE STAGE at SXSW, which will kick off with a night dedicated to R&B headlined by singer-songwriter and producer PARTYNEXTDOOR on March 14; on March 15, a night celebrating Latin music will feature TJ the DJ and singer-songwriter Christian Nodal; and on March 16, a dance-centric night presented by Carnival Cruise Line will kick off with DJ Sober before electronic giant ILLENIUM takes the stage. Billboard Presents THE STAGE at SXSW takes place at Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park in Austin. Tickets are available here.

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Billboard’s parent company PMC is the largest shareholder of SXSW and its brands are official media partners of SXSW.

01 Mar 2024

The World Needs More Blend Tapes Like This

L.A.-based DJ/producer Sean G, best known as one half of Donovan’s Yard (hosts of one of LA’s best parties who also graced the stage at Coachella) just dropped a new project called Dipping Lotus. A blend tape that blends Dipset raps over Flying Lotus‘ beats, all accompanied by trippy visuals provided by Liam Sweeny for @unnaturaltheatre.

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This is a marriage we didn’t know we needed. It looks and sounds like something you would have stumbled upon while browsing Tumblr before it was acquired by Yahoo!. We haven’t experienced something that feels like this since Knxwledge was doing his MEEK blend tape series.

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“Squalay Sirens,” “Last 2 Minute Report,” “Rambo’s Revenge,” and “Locked Garage” are the standouts, but it’s best to just let the whole project ride, preferably on a big screen with 3D glasses on or, if you got it like that, an Apple Vision Pro. Most of the half-hour trip is beautifully chaotic and pleasantly atmospheric. “Rambo’s Revenge,” with Max B and Jim Jones surfing over that Lotus instrumental, is the perfect example. I’m not exactly sure how it works, but it does.

Back in the day, you could go downtown in any major city and cop a bunch of blend tapes like this. DJs like Kid Capri would blend R&B vocals over hip-hop production to make something wholly original and new. As a matter of fact, Capri’s blend of Stephanie Mills‘ “Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)” and Eric B & Rakim’s “Impeach the President” back in 1989 is the gold standard that inspired an entire generation of artists and DJs.



The god Sean G on bringing the feeling back: “This is a project I’ve been wanting to work on for over a decade now. Both Dipset and Flying Lotus have such huge cult followings, but also completely different sounds. It kinda made no sense and all the sense in the world at the same time. It’s like the lyrics you yell and the beats you vibe to, but life is like that sometimes.”

Be sure to keep Sean on your radar, I’m sure he has more goodies like this in his bag.

01 Mar 2024

Travis Kelce’s Barber Says Taylor Swift Is a ‘Super Sweet Person’

Patrick Regan is opening up about the friendship he’s developed with Taylor Swift in the process of making sure Travis Kelce’s hair never goes out of style.

In a recent appearance on The Tease podcast, the hairstylist — who’s been buzzing the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s hair for six years — gushed that “Taylor is a super sweet person,” who’s “always interested in what you’re saying.”

“She’s from the Philly area too, so we connected real well,” he continued, detailing how he’s gotten closer with the “Anti-Hero” singer between Kelce’s hair appointments. “She just seems like a girl I went to high school with. She’s a really nice person.”

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Since Swift and the football star hard-launched their relationship in September, it’s clear that the 14-time Grammy winner has gone out of her way to make friends with Kelce’s Kansas City crew. For instance, she often hangs out with Brittany Mahomes, who is married to Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, inside and out of Arrowhead Stadium. Plus, coach Andy Reid recently revealed that Swift baked the Chiefs’ offensive line a batch of homemade pop-tarts, and Mecole Hardman said in an interview that he and the singer have become pals after first bonding over card tricks.

Being in Swift’s orbit has definitely put the already popular Kelce under a more intense magnifying glass, but Regan thinks that’s a good thing. “It’s really cool to see how much of [Travis’] personality everyone’s getting to see,” he said. “He’s one of the best guys in the world.”

The “Karma” musician and Kelce were last seen together in Sydney, where the Ohio native flew to meet Swift and watch one of her Eras Tour shows in the audience. The day before the concert, the couple went on a date to the local zoo.

The next mini-leg of Swift’s trek kicks off Friday (March 2) with a string of shows in Singapore. After those are finished, she’ll take a two-month break from touring, during which she’ll drop her new album The Tortured Poets Department.

Watch Regan open up about Swift below.

01 Mar 2024

Lil Wayne Clears Up Security Confrontation at Los Angeles Lakers Game

Lil Wayne missed out on seeing a thrilling overtime win for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night (Feb. 29) as Weezy never made it to his courtside seats due to a dispute with Crypto.com Arena security.

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Shortly after the security confrontation, the Young Money boss voiced his frustration on X where he claimed he was “treated like s–t.”

Wayne speculated that the poor treatment was possibly tied to his criticism of Lakers star Anthony Davis earlier this season during an UNDISPUTED appearance.

“Wow! Got treated like s–t at the Laker game just now but I figured they’d do me that sooner or later either bc of what i said abt AD or simply bc they don’t fwm which I been got that vibe from em as well so all good I get it,” he wrote. “F–k em. It isn’t what it isn’t. I’m used to it.”

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A much calmer and collected Lil Wayne appeared on UNDISPUTED on Friday (March 1). He thoroughly went through the details of the situation and chalked up the misunderstanding to the staff “doing their job.”

“They were just doing their job. We tried to enter in one entrance of the court,” he began. “When we got there, security was like, ‘No, you guys go to another entrance.’ … The other entrance he told us to go to that entrance would be behind the people already sitting down and you have to tap the people on the shoulder and ask them to get up. They have to move the chairs… When I saw that being explained to them I halted, ‘Ay stop, let’s go where they told us to go.’”

Weezy continued: “So we go back to the first entrance that seemed okay. When I started walking to my side, the guy was like, ‘Ah, ah, ah, ah.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God. Not the ah, ah, ah.’ … He was like, ‘I told you guys to go to the other entrance.’ I was like, ‘That’s a bit much. Let’s just leave.’”

Footage emerged of the confrontation courtesy of TMZ and Wayne didn’t seem to want anything to do with the argument so he and his crew swiftly departed from the courtside area through the arena tunnel.

Unfortunately, Wayne and his friends missed a great game as the Lakeshow ended up defeating the lowly Washington Wizards — who did not win a game all of February — in overtime by a score of 134-131. Hopefully, the New Orleans rapper’s beloved Lakers can make it up to him during his next trip to Crypto.com Arena.

Watch Lil Wayne’s explanation on UNDISPUTED below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=9LVE9tBDjho&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

01 Mar 2024

Pop-Tarts Challenges Taylor Swift to ‘Release the Recipe’ After She Made Pastries for Kansas City Chiefs

Whether it’s albums or baked goods, everyone loves Taylor’s Version. Days after Andy Reid revealed that Taylor Swift baked homemade Pop-Tarts for Travis Kelce and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line, the official toaster-treat brand has called on the singer to share her recipe — and it’s going to great lengths to get it from her.

To get Swift’s attention, the Kellogg’s brand took out a full-page ad in the Friday (March 1) issue of the Kansas City Star. “To KC’s most famous fan, we heard you have a Pop-Tarts pastry recipe,” it reads, according to a release. “We’re tortured not knowing more about this DIY delight. What’s the filling? Does it have frosting? Do they have little holes?”

The message continues with a company pledge to donate to Harvesters, a local food bank, as well as a promise to double its contribution if the “Anti-Hero” singer springs her recipe from the vault. “And this time, we’ll make sure coach gets a bite,” it concludes. “You in?”

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For good measure, Pop-Tarts also shared its message on Instagram, along with a mock Eras Tour poster with pictures of the brand’s different flavors replacing the photos of Swift in the original. “Release the recipe,” reads a challenge in bold letters at the bottom.

The snack company’s search for answers comes three days after Reid shared on a podcast that Swift had made the Chiefs’ offensive line a batch of the treats during the season. He also revealed that the pastries were quickly devoured by Kelce and his teammates, meaning he didn’t get the chance to try one.

“She didn’t give me one, and the offensive linemen definitely didn’t give me one,” he said at the time.

Swift has long been vocal about her love for baking, and was known in the past for sharing her confections with fans at Secret Sessions. In December, former NFL star Bernie Kosar revealed that she made cinnamon rolls for Kelce before one of his games.

See Pop-Tarts’ challenge to Taylor Swift below.

01 Mar 2024

Justin Bieber Gets New Madame Tussauds Wax Figure for 30th Birthday: See Photos

Justin Bieber gets his peaches out in Georgia and his wax figures down in Hollywood. In celebration of his 30th birthday on Friday (March 1), Madame Tussauds has unveiled a brand-new life-size replica of the singer.

The statue, which is on display now at the museum’s Hollywood Boulevard location, is modeled after Bieber as he appears in the music video for his 2021 hit “Peaches.” Complete with a white beanie, ombre puffer jacket, neon-pink pants and sneakers, the pop star’s wax clone also features re-creations of his facial hair and neck tattoos.

In photos of the new installation, Bieber’s figure stands next to a blue and purple balloon structure and a large light-up “3” and “0,” signifying the beginning of his new decade of life.

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The two-time Grammy winner was first transformed into a Madame Tussauds wax creation when he was just 17, with the museum’s London location unveiling its premier model of Bieber — complete with his signature hair swoop — in 2011. The “Baby” musician was in attendance at the curtain-drop ceremony, as were dozens of screaming young girls.

In 2016, Bieber was again duplicated in wax form, this time posing shirtless at Tussauds’ Las Vegas venue. Wearing nothing but leathery pants and a few pieces of silver jewelry, the Sin City figure allowed fans to get up close and personal with the star’s muscles and body ink.

Bieber’s 30th birthday closes out a decade of success, with the Ontario native releasing three studio albums since turning 20 in 2014 — Purpose (2015), Changes (2020) and Justice (2021), each of which topped the Billboard 200. He’s also scored a whopping eight No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 over the past 10 years, including “Stay” with The Kid LAROI, “Despacito” with Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee, “Sorry,” “Love Yourself,” “What Do You Mean?,” “Peaches” with Daniel Caesar & Giveon and more.

See Justin Bieber’s new Madame Tussauds figure below.

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber

Madame Tussauds Hollywood

01 Mar 2024

Jason Isbell Performs Real, Biden-Focused Fox News Headlines on ‘Daily Show’

Jason Isbell turned Fox News‘ hyperbolic headlines into song on Thursday (Feb. 29) for a hilarious segment on The Daily Show.

In a clip posted to Instagram, the singer is seen playing an acoustic guitar and singing various headlines focusing on President Joe Biden.

“Blue Collar Joe Appears With Backwards Hat / Biden Appears to Call Iowa Voter ‘Fat,’” Isbell sang, with the real headlines appearing next to him as he performed them. “Biden Refers to Trump as a Sitting President / Biden Collides With Flagpole at U.N. Event.”

Other headline highlights include “Biden Bizarrely Gives Jill a Dandelion,” “Peloton White House Security Risk?,” “Biden Has Not Addressed UFOs in 9 Days” and “Biden Trips While Boarding Air Force One Again,” among others.

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Watch the full segment here.

It was announced earlier this year that Jon Stewart would be returning to host the show on Mondays through the 2024 presidential election and take on the role of executive producer full-time on the program. He originally hosted the series from 1999 to 2015, before Trevor Noah replaced him. Noah announced in 2022 that he’d be departing the show.

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Isbell appeared on the show last week, where he talked about making music. “Most of my songs are complaints, at the end of the day,” he said. “I look at it like a huge field full of rocks and everything you need is under one of those rocks. And it might be under the first rock you pick up. But you might have to pick up a million of them. But if you just keep trying things, eventually you’ll get there.”