Music News

20 Dec 2023

Travis Kelce Reflects on ‘Insane’ Moment Gillette Stadium Erupted for Taylor Swift at Chiefs Game

Travis Kelce was feeling the love for Taylor Swift at Gillette Stadium on Sunday (Dec. 17). On the latest episode of his New Heights podcast, the 34-year-old tight end opened up about the pop star’s triumphant return to the Massachusetts venue, this time as a fan instead of a headlining musician.

“They showed Taylor at the game — you don’t see an entire home team fanbase go insane for somebody wearing the opposite team’s colors,” Travis told his brother and podcast co-host, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, on the Wednesday (Dec. 20) episode. “Just shows you how amazing that girl is. They went absolutely insane when they showed Taylor on that screen.”

Swift, of course, was there to cheer on Travis and the Kansas City Chiefs as they faced off against the New England Patriots, ultimately winning 27-17. This time, she brought along her dad, Scott Swift, and friends Alana Haim and Ashley Avignone.

As Travis mentioned, the “Anti-Hero” singer — sporting a Chiefs sweatshirt and beanie — appeared on the jumbotrons before the game started. And while almost everyone erupted with excitement over the superstar’s attendance, videos from the afternoon prove that a few people in the crowd responded with boos.

“There might’ve been a few Brads and Chads that were booing, but for the most part, everybody was f–king screaming their tail off for her,” Travis said on New Heights, using the phrase used by Swift in her TIME Person of the Year interview earlier this month. (“I’m just there to support Travis,” she said in the cover story. “I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads.”)

“I was trying to keep it cool,” Travis added. “I was like, ‘Don’t show your cards, don’t show your cards …’ Taylor, she’s on record saying that stadium’s one of the funnest that she’s played at. For them to show her is just showing her some love. Shout out to the Patriots for doing that.”

Watch the latest New Heights episode above.

20 Dec 2023

Honey Dijon, Peggy Gou & KAYTRANADA to Play Apple Music NYE Livestream: ‘A Celebration for Getting Through the Whole Year’

If you don’t have New Year’s Eve plans, you do now.

In the final hours of 2023, Apple Music is hosting a dance-extravaganza livestream featuring sets from Honey Dijon, Peggy Gou, KAYTRANADA and a crew of other selectors including Apple Music’s Tim Sweeney, Brooklyn collective Papi Juice, French legend Laurent Garnier and more.

The stream was pre-recorded in a sold-out Brooklyn warehouse and will debut on Sunday, Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. PT exclusively through Apple Music and the Apple TV app. See a sneak preview of the show here.

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 “A New Year’s Eve mix is a fresh start, we’re going into a new chapter,” Honey Dijon says in a statement.
“So I try to bring that sense of lightness, freshness, joy, renewal, and fun. I just try to really bring my culture and my sound. I stand on so many incredible shoulders of black queer people who have created house music, so I always like to teach, entertain, and bring joy.” 

“When it’s a New Year’s mix, it’s more of a celebration, you know, for getting through the whole year—whether it was hard or not, you have to celebrate making it through the year,” adds KAYTRANADA. “It’s a different approach than other mixes I do. The way I approach the mix tonight is to go toward more of a house direction.” 

The show will close with a set by Gou, whose “(It Goes Like) Nanana” was a huge 2023 hit. “I try to always go to my sets or my shows half an hour before to get the vibe and see how other DJs are playing, and I’m very sensitive to the crowd’s energy and I try to read that as much as I can,” says Gou, who will release her debut album in 2024.

After the stream is over, fans can stream the performances on demand on both Apple Music and Apple TV+ and listen to the sets on Apple Music’s DJ Mixes dedicated space.

20 Dec 2023

Merry Christmas, Barbie! Ryan Gosling Drops Holiday Version of ‘I’m Just Ken’ & Music Video

Billboard Hot 100-charting musician and occasional actor Ryan Gosling hasn’t tied a bow on his time as Ken just yet.

To celebrate the holidays, the star temporarily stepped back into his role for a festive performance and music video of his hit Barbie ballad “I’m Just Ken” alongside Mark Ronson, with whom he also released a four-track project titled Ken the EP Wednesday (Dec. 20). In the video, Gosling sports a dark green suit while drinking from a Santa Claus mug in a studio decked out with Christmas lights, while Ronson — who oversaw the Greta Gerwig film’s soundtrack — directs the show with a large candy cane in hand.

Putting on his sunglasses just before diving into the song, Gosling jokes, “The world can have Ken’s voice, but only Barbie can have his eyes.”

One of four versions of “I’m Just Ken” on Ken the EP, the Christmas remix incorporates a symphonic arrangement of festive-sounding instruments including “Carol of the Bells”-esque chimes. “Merry Christmas, Barbie,” Gosling says at the end.

The 43-year-old actor’s portrayal as the under-appreciated sidekick of Margot Robbie’s Barbie, as well as his performance of “I’m Just Ken” in the Barbie movie, were a cultural phenomenon upon hitting theaters in July. Soon after the film’s release, “I’m Just Ken” debuted at No. 87 on the Hot 100.

The ballad is also one of three Barbie soundtrack pieces nominated for best original song at the 2024 Golden Globes, with Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” also in the running. All three songs are also being considered for the best song written for visual media category at next year’s Grammys, as is Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World [From Barbie The Album].”

Watch the “I’m Just Ken – Merry Kristmas Barbie” music video above, and stream Ken the EP below:

20 Dec 2023

Doja Cat’s ‘Agora Hills’ Climbs to No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay Chart

Doja Cat’s “Agora Hills” grabs the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Rhythmic Airplay chart on the list dated Dec. 23. The new champ jumps from No. 3 after a 12% gain in plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored rhythmic radio stations in the tracking week of Dec. 8 – 14, according to Luminate.

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“Agora Hills,” released on Kemosabe/RCA Records, gives Doja Cat her 11th Rhythmic Airplay leader and pushes the rapper/singer into a tie for ninth place on the overall count among all acts. Thanks to her latest No. 1, she breaks out of a tie with Post Malone and equals Nicki Minaj’s mark. Here’s an updated look at the leaderboard for most Rhythmic Airplay No. 1s:

  • 39, Drake
  • 17, Rihanna
  • 13, Bruno Mars
  • 13, Chris Brown
  • 13, The Weeknd
  • 13, Usher
  • 12, Beyoncé
  • 12, Lil Wayne
  • 11, Doja Cat
  • 11, Nicki Minaj
  • 10, Post Malone

With “Agora Hills,” Doja Cat recaptures the Rhythmic Airplay crown just five weeks after she last reigned; her previous single “Paint the Town Red” wrapped a seven-week run atop the chart dated Nov. 18, the longest stay at No. 1 for any song this year. Both tracks feature on Doja Cat’s newest album, Scarlet, which was released in September.

Beyond rhythmic radio, “Agora Hills” — whose title is a nod to Agoura Hills, Calif., where Doja Cat spent some of her youth — expands its reach on other radio formats. The track leaps 20-14 on the Pop Airplay chart following a 14% boost in weekly plays at mainstream top-40 stations and 7-6 on the Rap Airplay survey, where it jumps 14% in audience compared with last week’s total.

The growing radio swell drives “Agora Hills” 19-15 on the all-genre Radio Songs list, with a 21% improvement to 32.8 million in audience. From that surge, the single nabs the chart’s weekly Greatest Gainer prize, given to the song with the largest increase in audience numbers each week among the chart’s 50 titles.

19 Dec 2023

Brandy Talks First Christmas Album & Working With Daughter Sy’Rai: Watch

Brandy‘s latest album, Christmas With Brandy, arrived just in time for the holiday season on Nov. 10. Featuring soulful takes on holiday classics — “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” — and a teamup with her 21-year-old daughter, Sy’Rai, the Moesha star sat down with Billboard News to talk about the latest addition to her discography.

“I love Christmas, and I love Christmas carols and so I can’t believe it’s my first [Christmas album],” she tells Gail Mitchell, Billboard‘s executive director, R&B/hip-hop. “I had a great team of people to work with me, producers … one of the writers is Sebastian Cole, Tatiana Clark, India Carney. They helped me put my own spin on the classics and help me put together some originals that I’m really proud of.”

The albums contains 12 tracks, but according to Brandy, there’s some material that didn’t make the cut that could lend well to another project. “There will be songs left on the table for sure that can be part of a regular album that doesn’t necessarily have to be a Christmas album,” she explains.

Brandy’s daughter Sy’Rai makes a cameo on the record in “Christmas Gift,” a song that the 44-year-old feels proud of, as her daughter wants to follow in her footsteps. “I love the melody and I just thought our voices would sound great together,” she gushes. “And I just love working with her. I love seeing her blossom into this beautiful flower, this beautiful artist and just someone that really loves music.”

Speaking of her daughter’s musical aspirations, Brandy notes that she feels “so complete just knowing [Sy’Rai’s] doing something she loves, and she has so much passion. Music is her life, and I’ve never met that in anyone else like that but myself. It means everything to her, just like how much it meant to me.” It helps having a recording artist for a mother to glean advice from, and in the interview, Brandy says she’s advised Sy’Rai to not follow anyone — “she has her own path, her own destiny created for her by the most high, and she just needs to follow that.”

As for her follow up to 2020’s B7, Brandy says that she’s looking to get started on her next project sometime soon. “I would love to start working on B8, that’s in the plan for sure,” she shares.

Watch Brandy’s full interview with Billboard News above.

19 Dec 2023

Pentatonix Talk Curating Their ‘Greatest Christmas Hits’ Album & Why ‘Kiss From a Rose’ Works as a Holiday Song

When you’ve released nearly 100 holiday songs, as Pentatonix has, it’s no easy task having to narrow down that hefty list to a concise greatest hits album. But that’s just what the vocal group has done on its latest release, the 31-track The Greatest Christmas Hits.

“We put all the bangers” on the album, says the group’s Scott Hoying. And there’s “basically a whole new album [on Hits] as well, with eight new songs” added. In total, the album sports 23 previously released favorites plus eight new tunes. The set has found chart success on Billboard’s tallies, as it marked the act’s 10th top 10-charting effort on the Top Holiday Albums chart and its 12th top 20-charting set on the all-genre Billboard 200.

The vocal group (comprising Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola and Matt Sallee) has supported the new album on the road with The Most Wonderful Tour of the Year, which wraps on Dec. 21 in Austin, Texas. Fans who missed the trek can tune in to The Most Wonderful Tour of the Year: Live From Orlando on Dec. 22, exclusively on Veeps.

With so many holiday albums in its discography, how does Pentatonix select songs when planning a new holiday project?

“Honestly, there’s only so many Christmas songs, and we’ve released 94 of them,” Hoying tells the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen to our interview, below). “So we do the ones that are popular that we haven’t done yet. But then also we like to get creative and do songs that are more wintry and have lyrics that involve the wintertime, like ‘Kiss From a Rose.’ I don’t think anyone’s ever thought of that as a holiday song, but in the pre-chorus it does say ‘when it snows,’ and we were like, ‘That sounds good to us!’ So we get creative like that.

“When curating [the songs on] The Greatest Christmas Hits … from so much touring and releasing so many albums, we’ve [done] subconscious internal research of what moves people and what moves us and what we love to sing, and what we feel would make the best soundtrack for people’s Christmas festivities and opening presents.”

Among the new songs on The Greatest Christmas Hits is the original song “Please Santa Please,” co-written by Karen Kosowski and Emma Lee along with the group’s Olusola and Maldonado. The song, which served as the lead single from the album, recently hit the top 10 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart, landing the group its seventh top 10 hit.

Classics They’ve Yet to Record: While Pentatonix has recorded nearly 100 holiday songs, there are still familiar favorites they haven’t put their spin on… yet. “I have this new obsession with ‘A Holly Jolly Christmas,’” Hoying says, “because I realized it’s one of the top streaming [and] selling Christmas songs of all time, in the top five or something, and we haven’t done that song yet, weirdly.”

“Or like ‘Silver Bells,’” Olusola adds. “We’ve never done that one either. There’s definitely songs we haven’t done, but you know we also have to pace ourselves, because there are only so many Christmas songs left. [Laughs] And we also want to get creative about how we go about Christmas songs.”

Looking to the future, Olusola says, “We’ve done pop Christmas albums, and so we’re thinking ‘are there different directions we can go that create a theme that allows for us to have a different feel on Christmas than we normally do?’ Which I think will be cool, so, I think we’re thinking about that right now, as we think about the future.”

A Dozen Years of Hits & a New Grammy Nom: 2023 marks the 12th consecutive year Pentatonix has released at least one new album, stretching back to its chart debut with PTX: Volume 1 in 2012. Through those years, the act has topped the Billboard 200 twice (with its self-titled full-length album and A Pentatonix Christmas) and won three Grammy Awards (among four nominations). The act scored its fifth Grammy nomination just last month for best traditional pop vocal album for its 2022 album Holidays Around the World. The set saw Pentatonix collaborate with a bevy of guest artists to highlight sounds and voices from all over the globe.

“We put so much heart and time and effort into this album,” Hoying says, “and we got to collaborate with the most iconic artists from all over the world. It was just such a beast to make … the logistics alone. It was such a creatively fulfilling project — to see it honored in this way [with a Grammy nomination] is really beautiful.”

“You never go into an album project thinking about Grammys,” Olusola adds. “You just want to make the best possible product that you feel speaks to your heart at that time and hopefully reaches people. … So I feel so thankful and honored and blessed that we could even have that opportunity to be recognized by the Recording Academy again.

‘Candy Cane Lane’ & Home for the Holidays: Pentatonix makes an appearance in the new holiday film Candy Cane Lane, starring Eddie Murphy, which premiered Dec. 1 on Prime Video. In the comedy, Pentatonix portray, naturally, carolers. But there’s magic afoot, and the group is seen mostly as enchanted miniature figurines in the film.

“The director [Reginald Hudlin] had been a fan of ours for a while,” Olusola says. “He gave us the premise of what he wanted us to do and we were in. … I don’t think we realized the magnitude of what we were creating. … It was really cool to see the end product. It was cool how they actually created us [as figures].”

“Because we’re figurines,” Hoying says, “it was a really easy process. We just went into the studio and sang these 10-second clips, knocked it out in a couple hours. But then we get to be in so much of the movie because we’re animated. It was a perfect scenario too, because we obviously would want to be on set and have our real likeness in the movie, and we got to do that at the end. So it was so special all around, and I’m just so happy it’s doing so well and people are loving it. The whole cast and crew and director and everyone were so kind and such good vibes. You just want good things to happen to good people, so it’s awesome to see it thriving.”

As families watch Candy Cane Lane during get-togethers this season, certainly many will also be playing holiday songs by Pentatonix around the house too. With so many households soundtracking their holidays with Pentatonix’s tunes, what does Pentatonix itself play around the house during the season?

“When I go home,” Hoying says, “my parents always put on Pentatonix, because they just are so excited that I’m home. I honestly listen to a lot of Pentatonix too during the holidays. But my go-to is a playlist of classic old songs from old Christmas movies, [like] Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. Anything that’s orchestral and one-track, mono. It really puts me in the Christmas spirit. If I’m looking at Christmas lights with [my husband] Mark or we’re driving around or something, we’ll put on the oldies.”

Olusola, too, has Pentatonix playing around the house at home, but for a different reason. “I have a 2-and-a-half-year-old and she’s obsessed with our band. Truly obsessed. She loves watching [the videos for] ‘You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,’ ‘Please Santa Please,’ ‘12 Days of Christmas.’ She asks for it all the time during this time of the year. So in our house, it really is mainly Pentatonix during this time of the year. … I think also its kind of subliminally a way for her to stay in contact with dad, especially while he’s gone on tour. So I really love that. My wife has texted me so many times, where she goes, ‘She said, ‘I miss daddy, play Pentatonix.”‘ I love that. That really means something to me that I have such a close bond with her that she actually yearns for me, and so I’m very very thankful to be playing Pentatonix in our household because that keeps the connection.”

Also on the new edition of the Pop Shop Podcast, we’ve got chart news on how Nicki Minaj lands her third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the female rapper with the most chart-toppers in history, and how Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” jingles its way back to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)  

19 Dec 2023

‘BLACKPINK: A VR Encore’ Trailer Highlights the Power of the K-Pop Superstars’ Concerts

BLACKPINK is in your area — this time in virtual reality.

A new trailer for the upcoming BLACKPINK: A VR Encore arrived on Tuesday (Dec. 19), catapulting fans right into the heart of Seoul, South Korea, getting a first-hand, virtual look at the BLACKPINK World Tour [Born Pink] finale show at the Gocheok Sky Dome.

The 70-minute concert special is set to feature the superstar girl group’s most popular hit songs from the BLACKPINK World Tour [Born Pink] including “Shut Down,” “Pink Venom,” “How You Like That” and many more. 

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“Filming our upcoming VR concert in the heart of Seoul has added an extra layer of magic to this project. It’s where it all began for us, and being able to share this unique experience with our fans around the world feels incredibly special,” said BLACKPINK in a press statement. “It’s great to break down geographical barriers with The Diamond Bros and Meta, bringing back the memory of ‘BLACKPINK World Tour [Born Pink]’ finale straight into your home.”

BLACKPINK: A VR Encore will premiere for free in VR on Tuesday (Dec. 26) at 5 p.m. PT in Meta Horizon Worlds. Attendees can RSVP on the event page here. If you’re not able to join the event when it starts, replays will be available until the end of January in Meta Horizon Worlds after the concert.

Watch the trailer below.



19 Dec 2023

Kelly Clarkson Is Having a Very Cher Christmas With ‘DJ Play a Christmas Song’ Kellyoke Cover

With less than a week until Christmas, Kelly Clarkson sunk her teeth into a newer holiday track for her Tuesday (Dec. 19) Kellyoke segment on her namesake talk show, trying on Cher‘s “DJ Play a Christmas Song” for size.

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Accompanied by her band Y’all, Clarkson slipped into the track with ease, effortlessly hitting high notes and peppering her signature vibrato throughout the track. “DJ, play a Christmas song/ I wanna be dancing all night long/ It’s cold outside, but it’s warm in here/ And that’s the only thing I want this year,” she sings on the chorus.

Cher released “DJ Play a Christmas Song” as the lead single from Christmas, her first holiday album. “DJ Play a Christmas Song” topped the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart last month — giving Cher a Billboard chart-topper in the last seven decades — while its parent album, Christmas, debuted atop Billboard‘s Top Holiday Albums chart earlier this month.

Speaking with ET about the Christmas album, Cher revealed she was not particularly excited to put out the holiday record, though fans were begging her to do one. “I just didn’t want to do a Christmas album. I wanted to do an album with a Christmas theme that would make people feel happy during the holidays, but I wanted to do a Cher album,” she explained.

Expect more Christmas covers from Clarkson in the coming days: She kicked off Tuesday’s talk show with unique takes on Elvis Presley’s “Blue Christmas,” “O Holy Night” and her own Christmas track “Wrapped in Red.”

Watch Clarkson’s rendition of Cher’s “DJ Play a Christmas Song” in the video above.

19 Dec 2023

Jack Antonoff Reveals Which Taylor Swift Song Punched Him in the Gut

Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff have been a team since first working together in 2013, and in the years since, the producer revealed that there is one track by Swift that gets him in his feelings every time.

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Speaking with Vulture in an interview published Monday, the Bleachers frontman dove into his production credits and shared what shocks him the most when working with a fellow musician. “I’m not easily shocked, but the stuff that shocks or surprises me is often the most beautifully written stuff,” he told the outlet.

Antonoff further explained that “someone’s vulnerability in a song” personally stands out to him the most, which led him to point to a track from Swift’s 2022 album Midnights as an example. “The end of “You’re On Your Own, Kid” is one of those moments for me. I remember, she wrote that right in front of me and then we put it down, and I was completely punched in the gut. Beautiful.”

The eight-time Grammy winner also discussed which of Swift’s tracks was the hardest for him to create, and he discussed a fan-favorite track from 2020’s Folklore. “The end of ‘August,’ the strings and twangy guitar — that was one where it was really in my head, production-wise, for a long time,” he explained. “The end has to be so euphoric. She’s talking about, like, ‘Meet me behind the mall’ and ‘Back when we were living for the hope of it all.’ I kept attaching to all of her lyrics and being like, This crescendo at the end has to feel like all of that, on fire.”

Antonoff has no plans to stop working with Swift anytime soon, assuring fans that the pair “will continue working together till 2089.” 

19 Dec 2023

Eva Mendes ‘Ken Not’ Wait for ‘I’m Just Ken’ Holiday Version

Eva Mendes can not get “kenough” of Ryan Gosling’s Barbie film character.

The Hitch actress took to Instagram on Monday (Dec. 18) to show excitement for her husband’s upcoming holiday rendition of his Barbie soundtrack standout power ballad, “I’m Just Ken.” She fittingly captioned the teaser video, “Ken not wait for this,” along with a Christmas tree emoji. See her post here.

Earlier in the day, the official Barbie Instagram page shared a preview clip, in which Gosling and producer Mark Ronson are seen in the studio with a Christmas tree in the background. The duo play around with the soundboard, working on what seems to be a festive version of Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken.”

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“I’m Just Ken (Merry Kristmas Barbie)” is set to arrive on Wednesday (Dec. 20). 

Gosling, who played Ken in the film released in July, notched his first Billboard Hot 100 hit with the original version of “I’m Just Ken,” which entered the tally at No. 87 upon its release. While “I’m Just Ken” was Gosling’s first entry on the Hot 100, it was not his first overall chart appearance. He’s charted once before, with “City of Stars” from his 2016 film La La Land. His solo version spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Jazz Digital Song Sales chart, while a version with co-star Emma Stone reached No. 8 on the Hot 100’s Bubbling Under ranking and No. 45 on Digital Song Sales.