Music News

18 Jan 2024

Lil Nas X Gets Vulnerable in Intimate Trailer for ‘Long Live Montero’ Documentary: Watch

For the last few years, Lil Nas X has carefully built up his public persona as a pop provocateur, master marketer and hilarious internet troll. But in a new clip, the rapper is stripping away all the facade and letting fans get to see the person underneath.

On Thursday (Jan. 18), Lil Nas X unveiled the trailer for Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, his new documentary set to premiere on Max on Jan. 27. In the trailer, the singer shares his struggle dealing with public perception as a seemingly controversial figure in the music industry. “Some people think my music is dope,” he says at the outset of the trailer, over clips of him recording music and performing on tour. “Some people see me as, like, this satanic devil. But me…?”

The trailer focuses on the star’s rocket to fame following the success of his breakthrough single “Old Town Road,” as well as his journey with coming out, releasing his debut album Montero and his relationship with his family, all set against the backdrop of his 2022 Long Live Montero Tour.

“So many queer people are making these huge strides, but it’s a fight,” he says in the trailer. “There’s still parts of myself that I’m learning to accept. But we’re getting closer.”

The documentary officially premiered at the Toronto Independent Film Festival in September 2023. According to a press release at the time, the film was “shot over the course of 60 days with unparalleled access” and follows Lil Nas on an “emotional odyssey through the creation and performance of the critically acclaimed Long Live Montero show.”

The new film comes on the heels of the rapper’s controversial new single “J CHRIST,” which received enough backlash to cause Lil Nas to release a video on his Instagram explaining his thought process behind the religious-themed music video. “I know I messed up really bad this time. I can act unbothered all I want, but it’s definitely taken a mental toll on me,” he said. “I’m not some evil demon guy trying to destroy everybody’s values and stuff like that. That’s not me.”

Check out the official trailer for Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero below:

18 Jan 2024

Latto, Ludacris & DJ Khaled Join ‘Rhythm + Flow’ Season 2 as Judges

After a five-year hiatus, Netflix’s popular hip-hop competition show Rhythm + Flow will return for season two later this year. 

The show that crowned its inaugural champion, Grammy-nominated MC D Smoke — and featured guest judges Cardi B, Chance The Rapper, and T.I. — has shaken the program’s lineup dramatically with its new judges Latto, DJ Khaled and Ludacris. In addition, Eminem will serve as a special guest judge for the show’s “Battle Round” competition. 

“We are taking things up a notch with a new cast of global hitmakers in our judges and a new pool of undiscovered artists,” Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vp of nonfiction series, said in a statement. “Hip-hop continues to evolve, so it’ll be thrilling to see Ludacris, Latto and DJ Khaled mentoring contestants during their journeys, along with legendary guest judges like Eminem providing their own brand of insight and advice. We saw this type of life-changing mentorship play out with past contestants whose musical geniuses reached massive audiences across our global platform.”

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Jessie Collins and Dionne Harmon, Rhythm + Flow’s executive producers, echoed Riegg’s enthusiasm with their joint statement. “We are so excited to partner with Netflix for the second season of Rhythm + Flow. This season features a powerhouse panel of judges, each with a distinct and influential role in hip-hop culture. In this significant moment for the genre, the focus extends beyond the music alone. We’re seeking unconventional voices and authentic stories that peel back layers and invite fans to immerse themselves in the contestants’ world as we spotlight the continually evolving spirit of hip-hop.”

There is not yet a premiere date for season two, which is expected later this year.

Rhythm + Flow has featured notable guest stars including Miguel, Jhene Aiko, Snoop Dogg and the late Nipsey Hussle. Season one winner, D Smoke, outlasted second-place contestant Flawless Real Talk and won $250,000. In 2021, Smoke nabbed two Grammy nominations, including best rap album. 

Check out the trailer below. 

18 Jan 2024

Bring Me the Horizon Scores Record-Breaking Fifth Hot Hard Rock Songs No. 1

Bring Me the Horizon notches its record-breaking fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, as “Kool-Aid” bows atop the Jan. 20-dated survey. The song debuts with 2.4 million official U.S. streams and 2,000 downloads sold Jan. 5-11, according to Luminate.

The track is the Oli Sykes-fronted rockers’ first release since the departure of longtime keyboardist Jordan Fish, who was also one of the band’s principal songwriters and producers.

With five No. 1s, Bring Me the Horizon breaks out of a tie with Falling in Reverse for the most in the brief history of Hot Hard Rock Songs, which began in June 2020. It’s the band’s first topper as a lead act since its trio of leaders in 2020: “Parasite Eve,” “Obey” (with Yungblud) and “Teardrops.” In 2023, the group led as featured on Lil Uzi Vert’s “Werewolf.”

Concurrently, “Kool-Aid” opens at Nos. 14, 20 and 25 on Hot Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, respectively.

The song’s paid download count earned the band a No. 1 debut on Hard Rock Digital Song Sales, Bring Me the Horizon’s eighth leader and first since “LosT” last May. Only Five Finger Death Punch (16) and Linkin Park (nine) have more No. 1s in the history of the chart, which began in 2011.

Additionally, “Kool-Aid” ranks at No. 17 on Hard Rock Streaming Songs.

The song is bubbling under Mainstream Rock Airplay. Its predecessor, “DArkSide,” reached No. 31 earlier in January. (“DArkSide” debuted and peaked at No. 2 on Hot Hard Rock Songs in October 2023 and currently ranks at No. 11.)

“Kool-Aid” is the latest single from Post Human: Next Gen, the second in Bring Me the Horizon’s Post Human series, following 2020’s Post Human: Survival Horror. The set does not yet have a release date but is expected in 2024.

18 Jan 2024

Cori Broadus, Snoop Dogg’s Daughter, Suffers ‘Severe Stroke’ at 24 Years Old

Cori Broadus opened up about a health scare via her Instagram Stories on Thursday (Jan. 18).

The 24-year-old daughter of Snoop Dogg shared photos from a hospital bed, writing, “I had a severe stroke this am. I started breaking down crying when they told me.”

In a follow-up Story, she wrote, “I’m only 24. What did I do in my past to deserve all of this?”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Broadus was diagnosed with lupus when she was six years old, and “the risk of stroke is 4-times to 8-times higher in lupus patients, due to inflammation influencing the tendency of blood to clot and vasculitis stiffening the blood vessels,” according to Lupus Corner, though it is not immediately known if that is what caused the stroke.

At the time of publication, Snoop has not publicly shared anything about his daughter’s health scare. In lighter news, the rapper is joining NBCUniversal to report on the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. The star will be onsite at the event to deliver “regular reports” on the Olympic Primetime Show beginning July 26. He previously worked with NBCUniversal to report for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which took place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris. It’s a celebration of skill, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness,” Snoop said in a statement. “We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned, and keep it locked. Let’s elevate, celebrate, and make these games unforgettable, smoke the competition, and may the best shine like gold. Peace and Olympic LOVE, ya dig?”

18 Jan 2024

Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ Surpasses 2 Million in U.S. Sales

Taylor Swift claims her ninth album to reach 2 million in U.S. sales, as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) surpassed the threshold in the week ending Jan. 11. According to data tracking firm Luminate, the album sold 17,000 copies that week, uppping its total sales figure since its release in October to 2.014 million. (Sales are traditional album purchases – inclusive of all physical configurations [CD, vinyl, cassette] and digital album downloads.)

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

1989 (Taylor’s Version) is the only album released in 2023 to have sold 2 million copies in the U.S. — it’s also the only album to have surpassed 1 million copies in 2023 (It cleared the million-mark in its debut week, ending Nov. 2.) The last-released album to cross both marks was Swift’s own Midnights, which was released in October of 2022. Midnights sold more than a million copies in its first week, and then reached the 2 million-mark in February of 2023.

Here’s a recap of Swift’s nine albums that have sold at least 2 million copies each, ranked by largest total sales: Fearless (7.285 million), 1989 (6.472 million), her self-titled album (5.871 million), Speak Now (4.817 million), Red (4.582 million), Midnights (2.814 million), Reputation (2.478 million), Folklore (2.289 million) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) (2.014 million).

Swift has four more albums that have sold at least 1 million each, lifting her sum of million-selling albums to a lucky 13.

Swift’s continued strong sales should come as no surprise, as she was the year’s top-selling act in the U.S., by album sales, in each of the last five years (2019-23). And, she’s done so while an increasing number of music fans have adopted streaming as a primary means of music consumption. Swift, like many acts, has leaned in to creating additional versions of an album for purchase by superfans, which helps increase sales figures. Her albums sold spectacularly on vinyl as well, and was the configuration’s top-seller in 2023 when she accounted for one of every 15 vinyl albums sold.

On Billboard’s latest Top Album Sales chart (dated Jan. 20), 1989 (Taylor’s Version) spends a sixth non-consecutive week at No. 1, with its 17,000 copies sold (down 28%). Swift has a total of seven albums in the top 10, as 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is joined by six other former Swift leaders in the region. She ties her own record for the most concurrent titles in the top 10 by a single act.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Swift’s other six titles in the Jan. 20-dated top 10 on Top Album Sales are: Midnights (rising 3-2 with 11,000; down 14%), Folklore (4-3 with 10,000; down 21%), Lover (6-5 with 9,000; down 25%), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) (8-6 with 7,000; down 30%), Evermore (5-7 with nearly 7,000; down 47%) and Red (Taylor’s Version) (14-10 with nearly 6,000; down 18%).

As for the non-Swift titles in the top 10, they are: Stray Kids’ former No. 1 ROCK-STAR (falling 2-4 with a little over 9,000; down 39%), Olivia Rodrigo’s chart-topping Guts (7-8 with 6,000; down 41%) and ATEEZ’s The World EP.Fin: Will (holding at No. 9 with nearly 6,000; down 34%).

In the week ending Jan. 11, there were 1.195 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 15.6% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 936,000 (down 17.7%) and digital albums comprised 259,000 (down 6.8%).

There were 439,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Jan. 11 (down 13.6 week-over-week) and 492,000 vinyl albums sold (down 21.1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 946,000 (down 25.5% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 1.117 million (down 44%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 2.611 million (down 34.1% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 2.073 million (down 36.9%) and digital album sales total 538,000 (down 20.4%).

18 Jan 2024

Patrick Mahomes’ Dad Gushes Over How ‘Down to Earth’ Taylor Swift Is

Taylor Swift is getting all the love from the Kansas City Chiefs family!

Patrick “Pat” Mahomes Sr., the father of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was asked during a recent interview with Starcade Media about Taylor Swift’s relationship with the team’s tight end Travis Kelce. “She’s down to earth,” Mahomes Sr. said.

“I actually walked up and introduced myself to her, and she said she knew who I was because she had watched the Quarterback series,” he continued, referring to the Netflix documentary about his son and two other NFL quarterbacks.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“Every time I’ve hung out with her, she just acts like a normal person,” Mahomes Sr. concluded.

Swift and Kelce’s real life “Love Story” began back in July, when the football player tried to give a friendship bracelet to Swift during her Eras Tour stop in Kansas City. Since then, the singer has attended countless Chiefs football games and the duo have stepped out together on dates on multiple occasions.

“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Swift told TIME in December, marking her first public remarks of the relationship. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.” 

18 Jan 2024

Selena Gomez, David Henrie to Produce & Appear in ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ Disney Revival

Selena Gomez is casting a time-turning spell with her latest TV venture. On Thursday (Jan. 18), it was officially announced that the 31-year-old singer-actress is stepping back into her iconic role as Alex Russo in the pilot episode of a Wizards of Waverly Place reboot, a nostalgic project she’ll also produce alongside former costar David Henrie.

As first reported by Deadline, the revival will begin after “a mysterious incident at WizTech,” the magical school attended by Gomez and Henrie’s characters — Russo siblings Alex and Justin, respectively — in the original Wizards of Waverly Place series, which aired on Disney Channel from 2007 to 2012. Similar to Alex and Justin’s dad Jerry, played by David DeLuise in the original, Justin has left his wizarding powers behind in favor of a normal, human life with his wife and two sons.

But when a powerful young wizard named Billie shows up at his door in need of training to “ensure the future” of the Wizarding World, Justin must step back into the life he left behind. The Disney-ordered series pilot is being written by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas (Raven’s Home). 

Gomez is so far only confirmed to appear in the reboot’s pilot, while Henrie will be a series regular. The rest of the main cast has also been set: Janice LeAnn Brown will portray Billie, and Justin’s wife and eldest son Roman will be played by Mimi Gianopulos and Alkaio Thiele, respectively.

“So excited!!” Gomez said of the show’s revival in the first of two Instagram Stories. In the second, she shared a picture with Henrie and wrote over it, “WE’RE BACK.”

Henrie was also enthusiastic in sharing the news. “The Russo’s are excited to become apart of your family, once again, but we’ve grown ? 2024, the year magic comes back!” he tweeted.

Former Disney Branded Television head Gary Marsh and director Andy Fickman will produce alongside Gomez and Henrie. Wizards is only the latest kids’ show from the 2000s to receive the reboot treatment, following in the footsteps of Nickelodeon’s iCarly, Zoey 101 and the now-scrapped Lizzy McGuire update.

18 Jan 2024

Paramore Pulls Out of Festival Dates in Latin America, Teases ‘Next Era’ in Progress

Paramore has once again pulled out of upcoming performances due to “unforeseen circumstances,” but worry not — it also looks like Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Zac Farro may have new music in the works, implying that the band is still together and thriving.

In a Thursday (Jan. 18) post on Instagram Stories, a straightforward message said that due to “unforeseen circumstances, Paramore can no longer attend and perform at Vive Latino in Mexico City, Festival Estéreo Picnic in Bogotá, and Lollapalooza Brazil in São Paulo.” The statement also clarified that Nashville indie band Kings of Leon is set to replace the popp-rock trio at all three events.

The announcement comes two weeks after Paramore dropped out of this year’s iHeartRadio ALTer EGO show, also “due to unforeseen circumstances.” The band had also wiped their social media accounts clean around that time, leading some fans to worry about the its future.

Their most recent statement, however, said that Paramore “apologizes for any inconvenience” before teasing, “They will see you in the next era.”

Other than that, Paramore hasn’t addressed its withdrawal from shows or commented about what’s in store for the future. The group did, however, recently tease a Talking Heads tribute cover and music video with A24, with Williams unboxing an oversized David Byrne-esque suit jacket in a snippet from the project that ends with the frontwoman singing part of “Burning Down the House.”

The “Simmer” singer, York and Farro are also still set to support several of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows on the trek’s European leg this summer. And as far as any new music goes, Paramore is freshly finished with its contract with Atlantic Records, meaning the band is now a free agent for the first time in 20 years.

“We’ve been really lucky. We always will have gripes — it’s an industry — but we know that we’ve been really lucky,” Williams said prior to the release of Paramore’s most recent album, This is Why, last year. “It’s more just the fact that it’s time to f—ing finish something. And it’s time to know that we’re not doing the same s–t that we’ve been on since we were teenagers. It’s just going to feel so nice to start a new book. You know, like no more chapters of this one. Whole new book. And I’m excited.”

18 Jan 2024

Billie Joe Armstrong Calls Conservatives’ Hysteria Around Trans Kids ‘F–king Close-Minded’

In 2023, a number of rock icons decided to talk about transgender kids and why they disapproved of giving them access to best-practice healthcare to help with their transition. In 2024, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong would like to break that trend.

In a new interview with The Los Angeles Times, the 51-year-old singer called out the conservative-led moral panic surrounding trans kids having access to gender-affirming care, criticizing those who would stand in the way of progress. “I just think they’re f–king close-minded,” he told the publication. “It’s like people are afraid of their children. Why would you be afraid? Why don’t you let your kid just be the kid that they are?”

Armstrong elaborated elsewhere, saying that seeing kids get to celebrate their identities earlier in life is a net positive, especially considering that his generation didn’t have that same luxury. “Nowadays it’s more common for kids to be LGBTQ, and there’s more support,” he said. “But for us, back in the day, that was like the beginning of when people were able to openly say things like that.”

When speaking about the band’s forthcoming song “Bobby Sox” (in which he nods to his own bisexuality by singing both “Do you wanna be my boyfriend?” and “Do you wanna be my girlfriend?”), Armstrong said it felt “liberating” to be in a place where he could sing about his sexuality. “It became more of a queer singalong.”

While 2023 was a record-breaking year for anti-LGBTQ legislation in the U.S., 2024 is already on track to break that record yet again. As of press time, the ACLU is already tracking more than 200 anti-LGBTQ bills in the 2024 legislative session, with 71 of those such bills aimed focused on “healthcare restrictions.”

Green Day, meanwhile, is gearing up for the release of the 14th studio album Saviors on Friday (Jan. 19). In its interview, the band said that the new album centers more plainly on America’s current political strife ahead of the 2024 election, returning to the socially conscious themes of some of their past albums such as American Idiot and Revolution Radio.

“We purposely stayed away from politics [on 2020’s Father of All…] just because everything was such an easy target,” Armstrong said. “We didn’t want to be like this CNN band. And I think in the back of our minds, we knew that MAGA and the divisiveness was gonna be there four years later anyway.”

18 Jan 2024

Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, Neil Young, Rolling Stones to Headline 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

The 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival will feature headlining sets from The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, The Killers and Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The eight-day fest that takes place across 14 stages over two weekends — April 25-28 and May 2-5 — at the Fair Grounds Race Course, draws nearly half a million music lovers to a sprawling event that includes some of the biggest names in rock, pop, hip-hop, country, funk and jazz, including the usual compliment of homegrown legends.

Among the other acts slated to perform this year are: Hozier, Jon Batiste, Queen Latifah, Vampire Weekend, Greta Van Fleet, Heart, Widespread Panic, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Bonnie Raitt, Earth, Wind & Fire, Celebrating Jimmy Buffett with the Coral Reefer Band, Fantasia, The Revivalists, The Beach Boys, Big Freedia, Kem, Juvenile with Mannie Fresh, Irma Thomas, Joe Bonamassa, Steel Pulse, Cyril Neville, George Thorogood & The Destroyers, Jeffrey Osborne and Rhiannon Giddens, and hundreds more.

This year’s Jazz Fest will also celebrate the music and culture of Colombia at the Expedia Cultural Exchange Pavilion, with 17 bands and a variety of artists sharing the unique sights and sounds from the South American nation, including Colombian salsa, cumbia, champeta, vallenato, chirimia, and currulao. There will also be daily parades honoring Colombia’s vibrant carnival spirit, with attendees getting opportunities to meet Indigenous and Afro-Colombian artisans, purchase their crafts and taste traditional Colombian food and drinks, according to a statement announcing the lineup.

Weekend and VIP packages are available here now, with single day tickets slated to go on sale in February; all tickets are subject to additional service fees and handling charges and an account with AXS is required for purchase. This year’s Jazz Fest will also offer a 4-day GA+ weekend pass for the first time, with access to an exclusive GA+ lounge with private restrooms, a full-service bar and shade. There will be a limited supply of 4-day second weekend passes including admission to the May 2 Rolling Stones set, the group’s only announced 2024 North American festival gig.

Stapleton, Killers, .Paak, Batiste and Vampire Weekend are the top line acts for the first weekend (April 25-28), with the Stones, Foo Fighters, Young, Hozier and Queen Latifah topping the list for the second weekend (May 2-5). Click here for the full day-by-day lineup.

Check out the 2024 lineup poster below.