Music News

07 Dec 2023

Mariah Carey Sends Brenda Lee Flowers for ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ Topping Hot 100

Mariah Carey has given Brenda Lee an early Christmas gift, from one holiday queen to another.

On Thursday (Dec. 7), the “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” singer revealed that Carey sent her a sweet bouquet of flowers, along with a message congratulating her on her holiday hit scoring the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 this week.

On her Instagram Stories, Lee posted a photo of the flowers, along with the card sent from Carey that read, “Dearest Ms. Brenda, congratulations on your historic No. 1. Have a Merry Christmas. Love, Mariah.”

Lee, who soundtracked the post with Carey’s seasonal No. 1 hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” captioned the post, “Thank you for your sweet note, @mariahcarey! Wishing you the merriest Christmas, too!”

Lee’s No. 1 is, indeed, a historic one. Sixty-five years after the song’s initial release, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” crowned the Dec. 9-dated Hot 100 this week. The past four Christmases, the song had peaked at the No. 2 spot behind Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” The track jumped up seven spots from the week prior, resting firmly within the chart’s top 10 at the No. 8 spot on the all-genre tally. Carey’s Christmas classic sits one spot behind at No. 2.

Lee celebrated the hit’s No. 1 position on the chart via Instagram on Dec. 5. “#RockinAroundtheChristmasTree is officially #1 on the @Billboard #HOT100 charts!” she excitedly shared. “Thank you so much for listening and rockin’ this holiday season! #65YearsLater #Hot100Charts #ARockinChristmas.”

See Lee’s Instagram Story here before it disappears.

07 Dec 2023

Demi Lovato Talks Holiday Special, Upcoming ‘Child Star’ Documentary & New Music in 2024

In a way, 2023 was Demi Lovato‘s reset year. Across myriad projects spanning various genres and formats, the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter spent the year flaunting both their versatility and their distinct star quality — two attributes that make their brand new Roku special, A Very Demi Holiday Special, an effortless winner.

They kicked off the year with “Still Alive,” an original song for the box office-topping Scream VI that earned them a best song nomination at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards. The single soon gave way to the promotional campaign for Revamped, a reclamatory endeavor that found Lovato re-recording their biggest pop hits in the rock-focused style of their recent music. Included on the album were rock-ified versions of Billboard Hot 100 hits such as “Sorry Not Sorry” (No. 6), “Heart Attack” (No. 10) and “Cool for the Summer” (No. 11), all of which were included in Lovato’s MTV VMAs performance, which Billboard ranked as the fourth best of the night.

At that ceremony, Lovato enjoyed a best pop nomination for “Swine,” a blistering protest song they released two days before the anniversary of the fall of Roe v. Wade. The track peaked at No. 12 on Alternative Digital Song Sales.

By September, Revamped — which also featured collaborations with Slash, The Maine, Nina Strauss and The Used’s Brett McCracken — became their ninth career entry on the Billboard 200 (No. 60), reaching the top 10 of Top Album Sales (No. 4), Top Rock Albums (No. 10) and Top Alternative Albums (No. 8) in the process. Nonetheless, the new projects didn’t stop there.

Outside of their own music, Lovato also found time to appear Le Sserafim’s K-pop-meets-Jersey-club “Eve, Psyche & the Bluebeard’s Wife” remix and Luísa Sonza‘s Portuguese-language “Penhasco2,” both of which made the Billboard charts. They also released a cover of “Let Me Down Easy” from the Emmy-nominated Daisy Jones & the Six miniseries. Of course, the multi-hyphenate maintained their presence in the film and television arenas, appearing as Anonymouse on the kick-off show for the tenth season of The Masked Singer and guest-starring as herself in the third season of the FX comedy Dave.

Ready to wind down for the holidays and bask in her delightful new holiday special, Demi Lovato catches up with Billboard for a light-hearted conversation about family traditions, her upcoming Child Star documentary, a potential Christmas rock album and plans for new music next year.

Why was this the year for you to hop into your holiday bag and put on A Very Demi Holiday? 

That’s a good question and I don’t really have an answer for it! [Laughs.] It just was an opportunity that presented itself and I had to take it because I love the holidays! 

What’s your absolute favorite thing about the holidays? 

I love getting to spend time with my family. I think that’s my favorite part of the holidays. 

What are some family traditions that you guys hold near and dear to your hearts? 

Sometimes we wear onesies on Christmas morning. Other times, we have s’mores on Christmas Eve, but those aren’t traditions we do every year. We do do this tradition where we come down the stairs and look at presents, and we’ve been doing that since I was a kid — just having my mom say, “Okay, it’s time for the presents!” and then all three sisters come down at the same time. It’s cute. 

I remember you recounting those moments in the special. When it comes to getting into the Christmas spirit, what’s your personal favorite Christmas song and which performance in the special would be your top pick? 

I’d say that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is probably my favorite Christmas song. My favorite song in the special would probably [also] be “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” because I got to do it with JoJo and we had a really great time performing together. 

You guys have worked together previously. What was it like reuniting for a Christmas cover? 

Oh, it was so great! She’s so sweet and funny and being able to work with her again was such a joy. She’s so talented. She’s such a powerhouse vocally and she’s incredible. 

It’s always a treat to hear two vocalists like yourselves joining forces on a track. In terms of the music in the special, how did you guys decide which of your original non-holiday songs to include, and what was the aim of those arrangements? 

You know, it wouldn’t really fit if I did a rock concert for a holiday special, although it depends on who you who you ask! [Laughs.] I wanted to have a different approach to it, so my band was different than my normal band and they were incredible. We had a really great time. I wanted it to feel more in line with the Christmas spirit, so that’s what I did! 

Do you have plans for this to be a recurring special, or is this one-off thing for you? 

I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see! Wait until next year. 

Between making ugly sweaters and learning the Nutcracker ballet, what was your favorite thing to really sink your teeth into and show out in front of the cameras? 

I think making the meat cakes for my dog was one for the books. Paris and I had a really great time, and I would do anything for my dogs. So, getting to dress them up and see who liked the cake more was really cute. 

Did you look to any past Christmas specials and concerts for inspiration for your own? 

No, I didn’t. I just. I just kind of winged it! [Laughs]. 

What draws you to the holiday season? Why do you think that it’s such an inspiring time of the year for so many artists? 

The holidays inspire so many people because there’s a lot of downtime, so there’s a lot of opportunity to be able to listen to what inspires you during downtime that you wouldn’t have normally throughout the rest of the year. 

There is a segment in the special where you’re consoling this young lady whose grandmother had recently passed away and it was such a beautiful, sentimental scene. What was it like getting to involve fans in this project in such a special way? 

Getting to involve my fans was really fun. It was great to be able to sing with them too, you know? We sang “Joy to the World,” and they seemed really enthusiastic. Getting to surprise my fans was really fun and gave me nerves. I had butterflies to tell each person, but it was fun! 

At the very end of the special there’s this animated thing that comes across the screen and you do a voiceover where you’re talking about aliens and you’re like, “Bye, b—ches, I’m going to Mars!” Did you freestyle that?

Well, the holiday special was trying to show what it would look like if an alien came to Earth and saw what Christmas was like. It would be showing them how absurd Christmas is. How a jolly old man comes down the chimney to give gifts, and there’s a tree that we decorate, you know? So, that was kind of a through-line through the special and I don’t remember how that last line came about! Maybe I freestyled that, I’m not sure. [Laughs.] 

So, for the fans that didn’t get to sing with you in the special, what can they expect from you musically come 2024? 

Hopefully, I’ll have an album by then. I would love to put out new music. I’m kind of just always releasing new music, it feels like, because I’m always trying to top myself or do something that feels fulfilling in the moment. So, hopefully, I’ll have new music out or new music to release next year. But I’m also not putting any pressure on it. 

Do you have any plans to officially release any of these holiday covers for fans to stream? 

I don’t have any plans to do that, but maybe next year I’ll come out with a Christmas album or something! 

Okay if we get a Christmas album, can we get some rock Christmas songs on there? 

Yeah, that would be cool! 

Outside of music next year, you’re also continuing to make some moves in the film world. You’re currently prepping your Child Star documentary, what are some updates you can give fans on that project? 

I’m getting some really great people to participate in the film. I’m really excited about it and — nothing that I can share with you right now! — but it’s turning out great. I’m having some deep and meaningful conversations with people that obviously were child stars previously. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. 

Okay, now it’s time for some “this or that,” holiday edition. Peppermint or Gingerbread? 

Peppermint. 

Eggnog or apple cider? 

Eggnog! 

This is the tricky one: “All I Want for Christmas Is You” or “Last Christmas?” 

“All I Want for Christmas Is You!” [Laughs.] 

What is on your Christmas playlist? What’s playing around your house as you countdown to the 25th? 

This isn’t Christmassy at all, but I’ve become a really big fan of Lola Young. I’ve been listening to her album a lot. 

When you look back on the year, what’s your favorite overall moment? What’s one moment that you’ll always remember from the making of A Very Demi Holiday? 

I think my favorite moment this year — I mean professionally — I would say the VMAs performance was really fun for me. Yeah. also filming the “Swine” music video was really fun, getting to release the Revamped album was awesome. I think, personally, anytime I’ve been able to spend with my best friends, my boyfriend and my loved ones. 

07 Dec 2023

YOASOBI, King & Prince Hit No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s 2023 Year-End Charts

Billboard Japan unveiled its 2023 year-end charts, tallying the weeks from Nov. 30, 2022 to Nov. 26, 2023.

The No. 1 song of the year on the Japan Hot 100 is YOASOBI’s “Idol.” The opening theme song of the anime series Oshi no Ko was released digitally in April and logged a whopping 21 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100, an all-time record in the history of the Billboard Japan charts.

The long-running hit by the male-female J-pop duo also made headlines in Japan for hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. chart on the list dated June 10, a first for a Japanese-language song. “Idol” racked up 509,751 downloads and 527,143,965 streams during the tracking period, taking the top spot on the ranking for the respective metrics.

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“I’m elated. It’s no exaggeration to say I’ve been working hard for this,” says Ayase, YOASOBI’s producer and songwriter. “Of course, I don’t make music for the sake of the charts, but we came in a close second both last year and the year before, and it kind of felt like defeat. I found myself feeling like I had to hit No. 1 (on the year-end charts) to move forward. Looks like my gears will start to move at last.”

Singer ikura adds, “I really feel the same way, and the fact that we were able to reach No. 1 in our third year is the result of YOASOBI having made progress and updated itself. I’m happy to be able to actually feel that.”

At No. 2 this year is “Subtitle” by Official HIGE DANdism, the theme of the popular drama series called silent. Vaundy’s “Kaiju no Hanauta” follows at No. 3, a track that has been charting consistently in the top 10 after being boosted by the 23-year-old hitmaker’s first-ever performance on NHK’s prestigious year-end music show Kohaku Uta Gassen last year.

King & Prince

King & Prince

Courtesy Photo

The No. 1 album of the year on Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums chart is Mr. 5, the greatest hits collection by King & Prince. The set sold 1,408,873 copies total during the tracking period after dropping April 19. “Our best-of album Mr. 5 hitting No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums of the Year 2023 is an honor,” said Ren Nagase and Kaito Takahashi of King & Prince. “While this will be a repeat of what we said when it hit No. 1 on the mid-year chart, again we’d like to sincerely thank everyone who picked it up and everyone who was involved in its production.”

“This year marks our fifth anniversary, and we’re so grateful to receive such major recognition during our milestone year,” they continued. “It proves many people listened to and saw the works and activities that our group has created since our debut. Thank you to our Tiaras (King & Prince fans) for watching over us all these years. We’ll work even harder next year and beyond so that our works and activities will please those who listen to us. Thank you so much.”

Snow Man’s i DO ME comes in at No. 2 and Stray Kids’ Social Path (feat. LiSA)/Super Bowl -Japanese ver. follows at No. 3.

YOASOBI also tops the Artist 100 ranking compiled from the results of the Japan Hot 100 and Hot Albums charts. With “Idol” and “The Blessing” (No. 15 on the year-end list) showing strong performance in streaming and downloads throughout the year, YOASOBI charted a total of six songs and three albums on the respective year-end top 100 lists. Following at No. 2 on the Artist tally is Mrs. GREEN APPLE with ten songs and Official HIGE DANdism at No. 3 with eight songs on the year-end Japan Hot 100.

YOASOBI’s “Idol” is currently the record-holder in Japan for a song that surpassed 500 million streams the fastest and continues to steadily increase that monumental figure. Meanwhile, HIGE DAN’s “Subtitle” was the record-holder for that same milestone before “Idol” came along, meaning the year-end chart for 2023 sees historic chart results with the biggest hits of the century in Japan dominating the top two spots.

With many reports of international successes and achievements by J-pop acts including YOASOBI, Fujii Kaze, XG, imase and more, we can expect more artists to proceed with a global perspective in 2024. The end of the pandemic will likely lead to more Japanese artists expanding their scope of activities outside of their country, and 2024 looks to be a promising year with music by domestic and international acts intermingling in an unprecedented and exciting way.

Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 of the Year 2023

1. “Idol” / YOASOBI

2. “Subtitle” / Official HIGE DANdism

3. “Kaijuu no Hanauta” / Vaundy

4. “KICK BACK” / Kenshi Yonezu

5. “Dai Zero Kan” / 10-FEET

6. “New Genesis (Uta from ONE PIECE FILM RED)” / Ado

7. “Dance Hall” / Mrs. GREEN APPLE

8. “W/X/Y” / Tani Yuuki

9. “Overdose” / Natori

10. “Utsukushii Hiré” / Spitz

Billboard JAPAN Hot Albums of the Year 2023

1. Mr.5 / King & Prince

2. i DO ME / Snow Man

3. Social Path (feat. LiSA) / Super Bowl -Japanese ver.- / SEVENTEEN

4. FML / SEVENTEEN

5. ALWAYS YOURS / SEVENTEEN

6. THE SOUND / Stray Kids

7. SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN / SEVENTEEN

8. Koe / SixTONES

9. POPMALL / Naniwa Danshi

10. SWEET / TOMORROW X TOGETHER

Billboard JAPAN Artist 100 of the Year 2023

1. YOASOBI

2. Mrs. GREEN APPLE

3. Official HIGE DANdism

4. Vaundy

5. Ado

6. back number

7. Yuuri

8. Kenshi Yonezu

9. King & Prince

10. SEVENTEEN

07 Dec 2023

FIFTY FIFTY’s ‘Cupid’ Named TikTok’s Top Song of 2023

FIFTY FIFTY‘s “Cupid” has celebrated another milestone — the K-pop group’s breakout hit, which charted within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this year, was named 2023’s top song around the world by TikTok on Wednesday (Dec. 6).

“With over 20 million creations, “Cupid – Twin Ver” by K-Pop group FIFTY FIFTY is the biggest song on TikTok in 2023,” a rep the group also shared in a press release.

“Cupid” has also seen success on the Billboard charts. The track debuted April 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at No. 17 on the May 20-dated tally. Elsewhere on the charts, the track peaked at No. 1 on the Global Excl. U.S. tally for two weeks, and at No. 2 on the Global 200 tally, where it spent 38 weeks on the chart.

FIFTY FIFTY’s latest achievement comes amid the group suffering a lineup change amid its agency, ATTRAKT, announcing that three out of the four members — Aran, Sio, Saena — had their contracts terminated after filing lawsuits that the company claimed “slandered and defamed the agency” and sought to break their contracts. Keena is currently the sole remaining member of the group after dropping the lawsuit and returning to the agency.

The lineup change comes after all four girls filed a contract dispute against ATTRAKT in June that, according to the Korea Times, alleged the company had breached its contract by “failing to provide accounting data” and neglecting the group’s mental health. ATTRAKT has not shared how FIFTY FIFTY will proceed in the coming months.

07 Dec 2023

Ado’s ‘Show’ Stays Atop Japan Hot 100 for 10th Week as tuki. Breaks Into Top 10 for First Time

Ado’s “Show” continues to rule the Billboard Japan Hot 100, now in its 10th week atop the list dated Dec. 6.

The enigmatic songstress has been ramping up exposure on terrestrial TV as the year-end festivities draw near, kicking off her string of appearances on NTV’s Best Artist 2023, a four-hour music extravaganza broadcast on Dec. 2 featuring some of this year’s biggest acts. She performed “Show” and “Tot Musica,” a track off the ONE PIECE FILM RED soundtrack onstage in an elaborate cage-like set, her face veiled in the shadows the entire time.

The USJ Halloween event theme is at No. 3 for downloads this week with 9,991 units, up 6 percent from the week before. Streaming and video views are on the decline but still at No. 1 — both down by about 7 percent with the former at 10,522,262 streams and the latter at 3,296,075 views. The track also comes in at No. 8 for karaoke and No. 38 for radio airplay.

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The 21-year-old singer’s next scheduled TV appearance will be on the FNS Music Festival Day 1 on Wednesday (Dec. 6), where she is set to perform “Show” and “Ibara,” a song written by 23-year-old J-pop hitmaker Vaundy (whose “Kaiju no Hanauta,” by the way, is at No. 7 this week). As the song continues to hit terrestrial waves during the year-end and New Year’s holidays, it’ll be interesting to keep an eye on how the exposure will be reflected on the Japan charts.

=LOVE’s “Last Note shika shiranai” debuts at No. 3 this week. It’s the 15th single by the group produced by former AKB48 member Rino Sashihara, who also wrote the lyrics of this wistful love song about the lingering notes of a perfume. The track featuring youngest member, Kiara Saito (19), in center position of the choreography achieved the group’s best first-week CD sales with 256,835 copies (No. 1), about 7 percent higher than the 239,196 copies sold in the first week of the previous single, “Natsumatope.” 

Following at No. 4 is KID PHENOMENON’s “Sonzai Shoumei” (“Proof of Existence”). The Exile Tribe boy band’s second single is featured as the ending theme for Season 2 of the new Rurouni Kenshin anime series. The track launches with 67,853 CDs — not quite reaching the 84,185 copies sold in the first week of the group’s debut single “Wheelie” — and bows at No. 2 for sales. It also hits No. 1 for radio this week.

“Bansanka” by tuki. entered the Japan Hot 100 top 10 for the first time at No. 8, giving the 15-year-old singer-songwriter her first-ever top 10 single. Points for both downloads and streaming for the track soared by about 113 percent from last week, the former climbing to No. 7 and the latter to No. 6. Video also rose by about 11 percent to hit No. 13, and karaoke is at No. 38 after gaining 7 percent. The overall increase in points indicates that the song’s popularity is gradually on the rise.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Nov. 27 to Dec. 3, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

07 Dec 2023

Nicki Minaj Reminisces on Some of her Favorite Looks, From ‘Pink Friday’ Cover to 2023 ‘Vogue’ Cover

Nicki Minaj has never shied away from a bold fashion look, and the superstar rapper reminisced on some of her best-known looks from throughout the years with Vogue on Thursday (Dec. 7).

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The clip kicked off with the bubblegum pink-toned cover for her 2010 album, Pink Friday. “This is one of the most important shoots I’ve ever done,” Minaj shared. “What we were going for in this shoot was trying to make me look like a big Barbie doll. Once I saw the photo, I loved it, but I wanted the dress to be more poofy. […] They were like, ‘OK, let’s just draw on the extra lace behind you.’ We did it, and that’s the beauty of some of the best photoshoots, is that you don’t know what the heck you’re going to get and then you leave with something more gorgeous, beautiful and iconic.”

She then went through a number of other beloved looks, including various Fashion Week outfits, Met Gala styles, her Barbie film premiere look and her multiple Vogue covers. She also touched on her upcoming Pink Friday 2 cover. “Well, this made me light up,” she shared, noting that she’s wearing Vetements. “I just loved that it didn’t have to show any skin. I just loved that sometimes women are the most confident when they’re completely covered up.”

Minaj is just a day away from finally unveiling her highly anticipated fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2 on Dec. 8. “If you on my $h!t list, you will never EVER recover. The. Fkng. End,” she wrote to fans about the project last month.

Pink Friday 2 is the follow-up to Minaj’s 2018 album, Queen, which peaked at No. 2 on both the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart upon its release. The upcoming album’s predecessor, 2010’s Pink Friday, topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for six weeks and the Billboard 200 for one week.

Watch the full Vogue outfit breakdown video below.

07 Dec 2023

What’s Your Favorite Song of 2023? Vote!

The pop world looked different than previous years in 2023, with a mix of genres topping the Billboard Hot 100 throughout the year — from country and pop-rap to K-pop and Latin and beyond.

Billboard‘s staff put together our list of our top songs from throughout the year, with SZA’s “Kill Bill” topping the list. The S.O.S. standout track marked the singer’s first Hot 100 chart topper, and launched a groundbreaking year for SZA. The singer leads the pack of Grammy nominees for the 2024 ceremony with nine nominations — including record and song of the year nods for “Kill Bill” and an album of the year nod for her 10-week Billboard 200 chart-topper SOS. She previously won a Grammy in 2022 when her collaboration with Doja Cat, “Kiss Me More,” took home the award for best pop duo/group performance.

Rounding out the top 10 in Billboard‘s list of top songs of 2023 are Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?,” Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red,” boygenius’ “Not Strong Enough,” Troye Sivan’s “Rush,” PinkPantheress and Ice Spice’s “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Get Him Back!” and Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down.”

Now that we’ve let you know our favorites, we want to hear from you. Check out our full list of Best Songs of 2023 here, and let us know which song you’ve had on repeat all year by voting in our poll below.

07 Dec 2023

Sexyy Red on Working With Nicki Minaj & How Drake’s ‘Rich Baby Daddy’ Came Together

Sexyy Red joined Billboard on Instagram Threads on Wednesday (Dec. 6) to speak about the success of “Pound Town 2,” enlisting Nicki Minaj for the song’s remix, touring with Drake, and the deluxe version of her second mixtape, Hood Hottest Princess. 

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The burgeoning St. Louis representative has gained traction for her salacious lyrics, swaggering records, and “I Don’t Give a F–k” persona. See what Sexyy had to say below during her conversation with Billboard on Threads. 

On the Success of “Pound Town”:

What started as a freestyle became a breakthrough for Sexxy Red when she released “Pound Town” last January. After receiving numerous cosigns, the song’s explosion put her on the map and became viral gold on TikTok.

“I think it’s because the song is catchy and its real life sh-t. We done all been to pound town before, so I think its just a fun way of talking about it,” she revealed. “I feel like Nicki also matched my energy of what it means to go to pound town on her verse, so it was fire.”

On Working With Nicki Minaj: 

After the scorching success of her viral single “Pound Town,” Red enlisted the rap’s original Barbie, Nicki Minaj for the song’s remix. Minaj had kind words for Sexxy, saying last May on Instagram Live: “This is only the f–king beginning for her. This is what I told her. Yo, people like you. People like what you have to say, they like your sound. So, make sure a whole bunch of people aren’t coming around trying to help you do this and help you do that.”

“It was such a good experience! She’s a sweet person, and you can really tell she’s really serious about her music,” Sexxy said on Threads. “She gave me some of the best advice that I know I’ll always come back to. I really appreciate her for being supportive and kind.”

On Joining Drake & SZA For “Rich Baby Daddy”: 

Courtesy of her sizzling features, Sexxy’s stock skyrocketed and caught Drake’s attention, so much so that the 6 God brought her to open up on the remaining legs of his It’s All a Blur Tour. Following the trek, Sexyy joined Drake and SZA for Drizzy’s For All the Dogs standout, “Rich Baby Daddy.” Sexyy’s titillating hook and fun energy made the song a magnetic bop. 

“Me and Drake already was cool ever since he brought me on his tour,” she said. “We talked about doing songs then he put SZA on it.”

On Releasing Her Hood Hottest Princess Deluxe Project:

Last June, Sexyy released Hood Hottest Princess, which featured her Hot 100 singles “Pound Town 2” and “Skeeyee.” After receiving acclaim for her latest mixtape, Sexyy upped the ante and returned with the project’s deluxe version featuring Summer Walker, Chief Keef, and more. 

“If people thought the first one was lit, they gonna love this deluxe! I love it bc I got to collab with some people that I’ve always wanted to work wit. It’s just fun and I’m sure that everyone is gonna be rockin wit it!”

07 Dec 2023

Tom Nitti Explains Heart-Wrenching Reason He Suddenly Left ‘The Voice’: ‘I Chose My Family’

When Tom Nitti, 31, unexpectedly left The Voice last month during the playoff rounds citing “personal reasons,” the Team Reba country singer didn’t provide a lot of information about why he unexpectedly had to bounce.

But in a new interview with the Utica Observer-Dispatch, Nitti finally opened up about the difficult situation at home that forced him to make the decision. “It’s always been a dream of mine to pursue music full time, but I can’t do that without a cushion,” said Nitti, a New York State trooper and former Airborne Cavalry Scout who suffered a serious brain injury in a mortar attack in Afghanistan that earned him a Purple Heart. “As a dad, I need to make sure my children will be supported,” he said.

Performing in front of thousands of people has “always been my dream” Nitti told the paper. But once he became a dad, his goal adjusted to being known locally and serving his community. “The biggest misconception is when people think I went on the show knowing that I’d leave,” said the father of two young children who lamented leaving his kids when he deployed to Afghanistan for several rotations and during his stints in airborne school and a warrior leader course. “It all happened so quickly and I needed to make a fast decision. I chose my family and I’ll tell you why.”

After turning heads, and chairs, with his covers of Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” in the blind auditions and winning the battle rounds with his Cody Johnson “Til You Can’t” cover — and then getting saved by McEntire in the knockout round thanks to his take on the Temptations’ “(I Know) I’m Losing You” — Nitti became one of Team Reba’s six finalists.

Nitti — who was slated to appear on season 23 of The Voice but said he had to defer a year because he hadn’t given the state police enough of a head’s up — told the paper that even though pursuing music full time was his long-time goal, his priority was making sure his children, Rayleigh and Brently, were well-supported.

Then, five months before season 24 aired, Nitti filed for divorce. After going up against Jacquie Roar during the knockout rounds, Nitti said she asked him what was wrong when he seemed glum despite McEntire saving him from elimination. “I spilled my guts,” he said. “I told her about how I had just received an email from my lawyers urging me to come home because my ex-wife was going after primary custody.”

The “gut-wrenching” moment pushed Nitti to make the difficult choice to leave the show, “not because I missed my kids, but because I couldn’t imagine losing them,” he told the paper. “I am happy with the decision I made, but should it have come to that point? Absolutely not,” he added. Though he left before the shows went live, Nitti said he was not prepared for the reaction to his leave-taking during the pre-taped portion of the season.

“I never believed that things were meant to be until this all happened,” Nitti said. “The most positive thing from my experience on the show was the camaraderie I found among other vocalists.”

Shortly after leaving the show, Nitti acknowledged his split in an lengthy Instagram post, in which he wrote, “As much as it absolutely stings to say, I had to make probably one of the hardest yet easiest decisions ever and ultimately at the end of the day, my kids will always come first and if I had to make the same decision again I’d do it over and over.” He also promised at the time that, “This isn’t the end of me and I’ll do what I do best for everyone to see which is keep my head down and move forward playing music and raising/creating new memories with a family I will continue to grow.”

Earlier this week, Nitti dropped the new original, “One Night Stand,” with fellow contestants Bias and Lennon VanderDoes. “There’s a hole in the wall dive bar/ It’s downtown/ Can’t believe a girl like you would come around/ Strut keeps turning heads/ Gotta get you outta here,” Nitti sings on the country ramble. Bias is still on the show, but VanderDoes was sent packing after the playoff round after Gwen Stefani used a Super Save to bring him back. Nitti told the paper he’s also written a new song about his journey called “Redemption Road.”

“I’m hoping one day my kids will be able to see why I did what I did instead of just thinking that I quit,” he said.

07 Dec 2023

P!nk Shares Heartbreaking Video for ‘Trustfall’ Deluxe Single ‘All Out of Fight’: Watch

P!nk‘s Trustfall era continues. Following the release of the album’s expanded tour deluxe edition on Dec. 1, the singer released a new music video for the set’s latest single, “All Out of Fight,” on Thursday (Dec. 7).

The video follows a couple that is head over heels in love, traveling across the country and starting their lives together by moving into a home. The pair spends its time searching for sparkling gemstones, even finding a precious rock hidden at the end of the rainbow, but the activities come to a sudden halt when the woman falls ill. Upon realizing that her partner is struggling with her being sick, she takes him to their shared greenhouse, where their gemstones are illuminated.

“I’m all out of fight/ My heart will always know your name/ I’m all out of love/ But look at all the love we made/ I’m all out of life/ Oh, babe, it’s killing me to say/ I’m all out of love, I’m all out of life/ I’m all out of fight,” P!nk sings on the chorus.

P!nk released the original version of Trustfall in March. The set peaked at No. 2 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, and spent a total of eight weeks on the tally. Trustfall (Tour Deluxe Edition) also features “Irrelevant” and “Dreaming” with Marshmello and Sting, in addition to live versions of “Cover Me in Sunshine,” “What About Us,” “Just Like Fire” and more.

Watch the visual for “All Out of Fight” in the video above.