Music News

12 Dec 2023

Jelly Roll, Tyla & Dan + Shay Lead Star-Studded ‘The Voice’ Season 24 Finale Lineup

The Voice sure does know how to go out with a bang! As the reality competition show draws to the close of its 24th season, the Emmy-winning program has announced its star-studded lineup for its finale episode, which is set to air on NBC’s Dec. 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

2024 Grammy nominees Jelly Roll and Tyla are set to take The Voice stage to commemorate the season 24 finale, alongside performances from Earth, Wind & Fire, AJR, Keith Urban and season 25 coaches Dan + Shay. The intergenerational genre-spanning lineup will play a collection of songs that combine major moments in their respective careers, the dominant songs and styles of 2023 and their latest releases.

Jelly Roll, a four-time 2023 Billboard Music Awards finalist, will perform his Grammy-nominated Lainey Wilson-assisted “Save Me,” the second single from his chart-topping album Whitsitt Chapel. Amapiano/Afropop star Tyla will perform “Water,” her breakout single, which recently hit the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 ahead of the release of her forthcoming debut studio album.

Music legends Earth, Wind & Fire will perform a career-spanning medley that previews the band’s upcoming Heart & Soul 2024 Tour, which they are co-headlining with Chicago. Another genre-fusing band, AJR, will perform a medley of its hit single “Bang!” and “Yes I’m a Mess,” which hit No. 28 on Rock Airplay this year.

Keith Urban, a four-time Grammy winner who previously served as a judge on American Idol and a coach on the Australian version of The Voice, will perform “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” his 2016 hit single which ranked at No. 9 on Billboard’s Decade-End U.S. Hot Country Songs (2010-2019). Another superstar country act, Dan + Shay, will grace the stage with a performance of “Bigger Houses,” the title track from their most recent LP.

In addition to these eye-popping guests, The Voice has even more performances in store for the season 24 finale. Season 22 winner Bryce Leatherwood will return to perform “The Finger,” a single from his forthcoming project. Furthermore, this season’s top 12 artists will band together for a special joint performance. In that spirit, this year’s coaching panel — Niall Horan, John Legend, Reba McEntire and Gwen Stefani — will join forces for a bubbly rendition of “Let It Snow.”

This season marks the first in which none of the show’s original coaches — Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and CeeLo Green — from the series’ inaugural season appear on the coaching panel. Shelton departed after last season, which saw One Direction alum Niall Horan emerge victorious.

This week (Dec. 11-12) marks the semifinals for season 24 of The Voice. On Monday (Dec. 11), the remaining contestants each performed a solo song before tackling a few Taylor Swift tunes as trios. The three highlighted T-Swift tracks were “Don’t Blame Me,” “Exile” and “Mean (Taylor’s Version).”

Tune in to NBC on Dec. 19 to see who wins season 24 of The Voice!

12 Dec 2023

Watch a Preview of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Archer’ Performance in Extended ‘The Eras Tour’ Film

Taylor Swift is the ultimate Sagittarius, and her upcoming The Eras Tour extended edition film — out on the singer’s 34th birthday (Dec. 13) — will fittingly include a performance of her Lover track, “The Archer.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In a preview clip of the performance, shared by Today on Tuesday (Dec. 12), the singer is seen in her pink and blue Lover-themed leotard onstage, as she performs the hit in Los Angeles for tens of thousands of fans. Additionally, the extended edition of the film will include performances of “Long Live” and “Wildest Dreams.”

Swifties can finally experience the more than three-hour Eras Tour movie at home when it hits streaming services on Wednesday (Dec. 13). “Hi! Well, so, basically I have a birthday coming up and I was thinking a fun way to celebrate the year we’ve had together would be to make The Eras Tour Concert Film available for you to watch at home!” Swift announced on her social media last month.

Fans can buy or rent the movie for $19.89 through Prime Video, Apple TV+, Xfinity, Vudu, Google Play, YouTubeTV and SkyTV Premiere. Rentals will be available for 48 hours.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour opened in October with more than $92.8 million in grosses, instantly becoming the top-grossing concert film in history after just one weekend. The Eras Tour film was shot over the course of Swift’s first three shows at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where she performed six shows in early August. The film was directed by Sam Wrench, who received a Grammy nomination late last year for directing Billie Eilish Live at the O2, which was a contender for best music film.

12 Dec 2023

Jennifer Hudson Talks Reuniting With ‘Christmas Angels’ Mariah Carey & Ariana Grande

Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande finally got to sing their holiday collaboration live together for the first time. And on the latest episode of her talk show, J-Hud reported back to her audience about the whole experience.

“This is a season full of surprises, y’all,” Hudson said on Tuesday’s (Dec. 12) episode of The Jennifer Hudson Show. “Miss Mariah Carey, she’s always coming up with big great ideas. And she came up with the idea that her Christmas angels, which is Ariana Grande and myself, be a surprise for her Madison Square Garden performance.”

The reunion went down Friday (Dec. 9) at Madison Square, where Carey hosted her final Merry Christmas One and All! show. The three hadn’t gotten together since shooting the music video in 2020 for their version of “Oh Santa!,” a remix of Carey’s original solo track from her 2010 album Merry Christmas II You.

“Nobody knew we were coming,” Hudson continued. “It was so fun, it was like a reunion for all of us… It felt like being with family. It felt like Christmas!”

The “Spotlight” singer also showed off the pearl necklace she and Grande were gifted by Carey, adding: “The crowd, when I say they went crazy — I’m still getting tags on Instagram from that performance.”

Carey recently appeared on Hudson’s show to chat about their shared love for the holidays, with the former superstar revealing that Nat King Cole’s version of “The Christmas Song” is her “favorite all-time Christmas song.” At the time of publication, her 1994 smash “All I Want for Christmas” ranks No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, following close behind Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”

Watch Jennifer Hudson recount her Merry Christmas One and All! performance below.

12 Dec 2023

Watch ‘The Voice’s Top 9 Contestants Cover Taylor Swift Songs

The Voice paid tribute to Taylor Swift on the Monday (Dec. 11) episode, which saw the remaining contestants teaming up in the live semifinals to perform covers of the pop superstar’s songs for a chance to stay in the competition.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The episode spiced things up by making each of the hopefuls perform a solo track and a separate song as trios; the results will be aired on the Tuesday night episode.

Jacquie Roar, Mara Justine and Nini performed “Don’t Blame Me” from Swift’s 2017 album, Reputation. The trio kept its rendition of the track faithful to the original, providing simmering vocals and lush harmonies for the moments in between the verses, when they each took turns adding their unique flair to the performance.

Huntley, Lila Forde and Mac Royals replied with Folklore single “Exile.” Huntley and Mac swapped between the Bon Iver upper and lower register moments, while Forde’s vocals floated over Swift’s vocal parts. The trio performed the track from stools in front of a red window display to complement the moodiness of the song.

BIAS, Jordan Rainer and Ruby Leigh tried a Taylor’s Version track on for size, going for the re-recorded version of Speak Now‘s “Mean.” The team leaned further into the song’s country roots and dialed up the country twang with plucky acoustics, bright vocal riffs and harmonies, and at one point, stepped away from the mic stands for a passionate finish of the track.

Following Tuesday’s results show, The Voice season 24 finale will air next week on Dec. 18 and 19. Watch the top nine finalists covers of Taylor Swift songs below:


https://youtube.com/watch?v=kNJrafAFfBM&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=V2ZCzfJHDpE&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=Gxo8aq2m4QQ&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

12 Dec 2023

Robin Thicke & Jenny McCarthy Think ‘The Masked Singer’ Anteater Is a Rock Legend

The Masked Singer season 10 is heating up, and the judges are trying to narrow down on their guesses for the celebrities behind the mask.

The Group C finals are taking place on Wednesday night (Dec. 13), and in an exclusive clip shared to Billboard, the judges panel tries to figure out who the Anteater is. In the one-minute clip, both Robin Thicke and Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg agree that the Anteater is a rock legend, but they varied on who exactly he might be.

While Thicke opted to guess Jackson Browne, McCarthy-Wahlberg suggested that maybe the singer behind the mask is Steven Van Zandt of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

During the Group C finals, the finalists are set to perform songs representing key moment in their life, including “Georgia on my Mind,” “I’m Going Down” and “Johnny B Goode.” Two celebrities will be unmasked leaving only one to move on to the season finale.

So far, the stars eliminated from this season’s competition include Sebastian Bach, Ginuwine, Ashley Parker Angel, Metta Sandiford-Artest, Luann de Lesseps, Tyler Posey, Billie Jean King, Michael Rapaport, Tom Sandoval, Anthony Anderson and Demi Lovato.

In addition to Anteater, the contestants still in the competition include Candelabra, Cow, Donut, Gazelle and Sea Queen.

Catch the full “Soundtrack to My Life” episode of The Masked Singer on Wednesday (Dec. 13) at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Watch the clip of McCarthy-Wahlberg and Thicke putting in their guesses for the Anteater below.

12 Dec 2023

Watch Olivia Rodrigo Gush Over Her ‘Twilight’ In-Ear Monitors With Robert Pattinson’s Face on Them

Long before she released her hit single “Vampire,” Olivia Rodrigo was repping her favorite fictional blood sucker on tour.  

In a Tuesday (Dec. 11) appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the 20-year-old pop star gushed about the custom in-ear monitors she used while touring in support of her debut album, Sour. On both of her earpieces, a photo of Robert Pattinson’s famous Twilight character Edward Cullen is printed over a purple background.  

“That’s my baby,” she joked to Clarkson. “He’s my guiding light on tour — you know I have to have my lucky charm.” 

The Grammy winner embarked on her Sour Tour in 2022. For her performances this year, Rodrigo said on the daytime talk show that she used in-ears stamped with Kim Cattrall’s Sex and the City character Samantha Jones. 

Following the release of her sophomore album Guts, the “Bad Idea Right?” singer will go on tour again starting in February. But the face she’ll wear on her in-ears for the six-month trek is still up in the air, she told Clarkson, who suggested Betty White. 

Rodrigo’s Kelly Clarkson Show appearance comes on the heels of her Dec. 9 return to Saturday Night Live, where she served for the second time as musical guest and made a cameo in one of the night’s sketches. With introductions from the night’s host Adam Driver, the former Disney star sang “Vampire” and “All-American Bitch.” 

The star also recently made her return to NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, this time performing in the actual Tiny Desk office room instead of the pandemic-necessitated warehouse she sang in two years ago. 

Watch Rodrigo on The Kelly Clarkson Show above. 

12 Dec 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: BigXthaPlug Connects With Breakout Hit ‘Mmhmm’

BigXthaPlug lands his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Dec. 16) as his song “Mmhmm” debuts at No. 93.

The track, released Oct. 6 on BigXthaPlug/UnitedMasters, debuts almost entirely from its streaming sum: 6 million official streams (up 54%) in the United States in the Dec. 1-7 tracking week, according to Luminate. The bump can be partly attributed to a new remix with Finesse2Tymes, released Dec. 1 on BigXthaPlug’s new seven-track set, The Biggest. The cut also enters at No. 17 on Hot Rap Songs and jumps 33-20 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

The Biggest debuts at No. 138 on the Billboard 200 with 11,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week. It’s BigXthaPlug’s first entry on the chart.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

TikTok has been a contributing factor to the song’s recent gains, as the track has been used in more than 20,000 clips on the platform to date.

“Mmhmm” samples the Whispers’ classic single “And the Beat Goes On,” which spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and two weeks at No. 1 on Dance Club Songs in 1980. It also reached No. 19 on the Hot 100.

BigXthaPlug (real name Xavier Landum) hails from Dallas. He scored his first chart appearance in February with his debut studio album, AMAR. The set debuted at No. 34 on Independent Albums and No. 4 on Heatseekers Albums, before spending 13 weeks at No. 1 on the latter list; it ranks at No. 2 on the latest Dec. 16 chart, below The Biggest. He’s just the second artist ever to claim the top two spots of the survey simultaneously, after Slidawg in 2007. AMAR also reached No. 129 on the Billboard 200 in November.

Elsewhere, BigXthaPlug’s single “Whip It” places at No. 34 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, after reaching No. 33. His new collaboration with Offset, “Climate,” also debuts at No. 48 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Outside of his 2023 releases, BigXthaPlug has dropped three other collections: Bacc From the Dead in 2020, and Big Stepper and its remixed version Big Stepper (OG Ron C Chopped Not Slopped), both in 2022.

12 Dec 2023

Taylor Swift Kisses Travis Kelce in Newly Shared Photo

Looks like Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce may have been under some mistletoe recently. In a newly shared photo from the couple’s post-game celebrations Sunday (Dec. 10), the 33-year-old pop star kisses the 34-year-old tight end on the cheek while surrounded by colorful lights – a candid moment that looks straight out of a Christmas card. 

The adorable, slightly blurry snap shows Swift and Kelce wearing the same outfits they left Arrowhead Stadium in following the Kansas City Chiefs’ 17-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The “Anti-Hero” singer was spotted cheering on Kelce from her usual spot in a private box suite during the game, after which the pair headed to a local venue. 

The new kiss photo was shared Monday (Dec. 11) by Patrick Regan, Kelce’s barber, on Instagram. The hairdresser also posted a picture of himself and Swift watching Sunday’s game from their box suite, writing, “Thanks @taylorswift for the Pics of the Gameday Freshy for @killatrav ??❤️ I had an Amazing Time at Yesterdays Game ?” 

Regan told the TODAY show that the picture was snapped post-game at a Christmas-themed Kansas City spot. Posts on social media peg the night’s setting as Miracle Pop Up Bar, where Swift and Kelce previously went on a double date with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany. 

Kelce and the 12-time Grammy winner have been dating since the summer, as confirmed by Swift in her recent TIME Person of the Year cover story. The kiss on the cheek might just become the couple’s signature pose; in October, a photo of the pair in a similar pose shared by Chariah Gordon, who is dating Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman, sent the internet into a frenzy. 

The TIME interview was Swift’s first time speaking publicly about her relationship with Kelce. “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,” she told the publication. “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.” 

See the new photo of Swift kissing Kelce on Patrick Regan’s Instagram account.

12 Dec 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Gracie Abrams Scores First Entry With Noah Kahan Collab ‘Everywhere, Everything’

Gracie Abrams is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist. The singer-songwriter scores her first career entry on the Dec. 16-dated chart thanks to her appearance on Noah Kahan’s “Everywhere, Everything,” released Dec. 1.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The song, which debuts at No. 79, is a remix of Kahan’s original 2022 track from his breakthrough album Stick Season (released via Mercury/Republic Records). All versions of the song combined for 6.2 million official streams and 1,000 downloads sold in the United States in the Dec. 1-7 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The track also jumps from No. 21 to No. 6 on Hot Alternative Songs and 41-9 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, becoming Abrams’ first top 10 on each chart.

Abrams has grown her presence on Billboard’s charts over the past three years. She made her first Billboard appearance on Oct. 17, 2020, when “Friend” debuted at No. 37 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart, eventually peaking at No. 16.

In April 2022, her EP This Is What It Feels Like reached No. 14 on Heatseekers Albums and No. 94 on Top Album Sales, marking her first appearance on Billboard’s album charts.

Abrams’ debut full-length LP Good Riddance, released in February on Interscope Records, debuted and peaked at No. 52 on the Billboard 200 and hit No. 1 on Heatseekers Albums, No. 3 on Vinyl Albums and No. 4 on Alternative Albums. The set’s single “I Know It Won’t Work” reached No. 28 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and climbed to No. 32 on Pop Airplay.

In September, her 2020 seven-track set Minor charted for the first time, reaching No. 73 on Top Current Album Sales. Its breakout song “I Miss You I’m Sorry” is the most streamed song of Abrams’ catalog, raking in 92 million U.S. streams to date.

The Los Angeles native, 24, served as an opening act on Taylor’s Swift’s Eras Tour in April-August. She’s slated to return to the tour next year, from October through December. In 2022, she opened for Olivia Rodrigo on the Sour Tour.

Abrams is nominated for best new artist at the upcoming 66th Grammy Awards — her first nomination — alongside Kahan, Fred Again.., Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Victoria Monet and The War and Treaty.

12 Dec 2023

Jason Aldean Tops Google’s 2023 Trending Musicians List, ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Leads Song Search

Google released its list of the biggest trending searches of 2023 and when it comes to music, Jason Aldean‘s controversial “Try That in a Small Town” led the list of search inquiries for songs, with Aldean also hitting No. 1 as the top trending musician.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In a year when Taylor Swift and Beyoncé were perpetually in the news thanks to their massive tours and the live concert films, the high placement for Aldean was not totally surprising given the weeks of attention he got for “Small Town,” which was  pulled from CMT and labeled by some detractors as being pro-gun, pro-violence and akin to a “modern lynching song” after the release of the track’s video.

The visual found Aldean performing the song in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, TN, the site of the 1927 lynching and hanging of 18-year-old Henry Choate over allegations that he sexually assaulted a white girl, as well as the spot of a 1946 race riot in which two Black men were killed. Aldean rejected detractors’ claims about the song whose video featured images of an American flag burning, protesters clashing with police, looters breaking a display case and thieves robbing a convenience store; the video was later seemingly edited to remove images of a Black Lives Matter protest following the backlash.

Right behind Aldean was buzzy rapper Ice Spice, followed by “Rich Men North of Richmond” country singer Oliver Anthony, Peso Pluma, Joe Jonas, Sam Smith, The 1975’s Matty Healy, Kellie Pickler, Kim Petras and Sexxy Red.

Google’s data shows the top trending searches in the U.S., referring to trending queries as searches that had a major spike in traffic over a sustained period in 2023 versus 2022, which is why despite being a near-ubiquitous search term who has a consistently high search interest, TIME‘s Person of the Year Swift (and Beyoncé) didn’t top the ranking for musicians; click here for Gizmodo‘s explanation.

The year’s most buzzed-about movies, Barbie and Oppenheimer (combined as Barbenheimer by fans) came out on top, followed by the controversial anti-trafficking movie Sound of Freedom and Oscar-winner Everything Everywhere All At Once, as well as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Creed III, John Wick: Chapter 4, Five Nights at Freddy’s and Cocaine Bear. The No. 1 trending actor was Jeremy Renner, who suffered serious injuries in a snowplow incident in January.

Jamie Foxx, who was sidelined most of this year after an unexplained “medical complication” in April, was just behind Renner, followed by disgraced That 70’s Show actor Danny Masterson, comedian Matt Rife, Pedro Pascal, Jonathan Majors, Sophie Turner, Russell Brand, Ke Huy Quan and Josh Hutcherson.

The trending people list had Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin at No. 1 following his scary on-field cardiac incident during a Cincinnati Bengals game in January, followed by Renner and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, likely due to his romance with Taylor Swift; Kelce was also among the top five most-searched athletes.

The TV tally featured mostly Netflix projects, including its originals Ginny & Georgia, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Wednesday, That 90’s Show, Kaleidoscope, Beef and The Fall of the House of Usher. Other shows that got in the mix included Daisy Jones & the Six (No. 4) and The Weeknd’s one-and-done HBO series The Idol (No. 9).

Late Friends star Matthew Perry was No. 1 on searches for celebrity deaths, followed by Tina Turner, Jerry Springer, Jimmy Buffett and Sinead O’Connor, with Lisa Marie Presley coming in at No. 8. The news headlines that we searched the most were those related to the war between Israel and Hamas, followed by the sinking of the Titanic tourist submarine, Hurricanes Hilary, Idalia and Lee, as well as a mass shootings in Maine and Nashville, the Maui wildfire, the Idaho college campus murder trail and the Canadian wildfires.