Music News

22 Nov 2023

Karol G & Mariah Angeliq’s ‘El Makinon’ Powers Its Way to One Billion Views on YouTube

Karol G and Mariah Angeliq’s girl-power anthem “El Makinon” has hit a new milestone.

Two years after its music video was unleashed, the three-minute clip has surpassed the billion-views mark on YouTube. According to the platform, this marks Karol G’s seventh entry to the Billion Views Club as a lead, featured artist or collaborator. She also claims No. 10 on YouTube’s Global Top Artists and No. 15 on U.S. Top Artists. 

Featured on Karol’s 2021 KG0516 album, the infectious head-bopping, hip-swaying reggaetón song produced by Neo is about breaking all the rules with the girls. “Makinon,” slang for a “big machine,” tells the story of a girl who’s been independent since she was 16 years old, and now that she’s older, she still depends solely on herself. “El Makinon” debuted at No. 9 on Hot Latin Songs and later peaked at No. 6 on the tally.

Most recently, Karol G performed a medley (“QLONA,” “Labios Mordidos” and Ojos Ferrari”) at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 19. She also won two awards: top Latin female artist and top Latin touring artist. During her acceptance speech, she thanked her loyal fanbase.

“These awards mean the connection is there between all of you and me. I think you’re more than fans — you’re part of the team and the family. I give you half of all this because nothing would’ve been possible without you,” she said. “I always say awards are special because they’re an extra validation to what we do, but like I said before, to have your unconditional love, with or without music, with or without a tour, that will always be the best present ever and that’s what I hope will never fail or go away.”

Watch Karol G and Mariah Angeliq’s “El Makinon” video below:



22 Nov 2023

Jack Harlow’s ‘Lovin on Me’ Leaps Into TikTok Billboard Top 50’s Top 5

Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” ranks atop the TikTok Billboard Top 50 yet again, while Jack Harlow’s viral hit “Lovin on Me” makes a major move into the Nov. 25-dated tally’s top five.

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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Nov. 13-19. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.

“My Love Mine All Mine” appears at No. 1 for the second straight week and fifth overall, extending its standing as the longest-running No. 1 in the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s two-month history. It concurrently lifts 3% to 12.5 million official U.S. streams in the U.S. on traditional streaming services, according to Luminate, begetting its new No. 14 peak on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart.

Checking in on the sound nearly two months after its initial debut on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 (Sept. 30), “My Love Mine All Mine” continues to be utilized in largely the same way, with users uploading videos showcasing love or budding friendships.

Lil Mabu and Chrisean Rock’s “Mr. Take Ya B-tch” remains at No. 2, while Kanye West’s “Runaway” featuring Pusha T vaults onto the ranking at No. 3. The 2010 song, featured on West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, sports a sizable bump on TikTok, led by an upload showing when West changed the lyrics of the song to address his divorce from Kim Kardashian.

Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me” jumps to No. 4 after debuting at No. 23 on the Nov. 18 survey, its first full week of tracking after being released Nov. 10. The viral tune, which was teased on TikTok prior to its release, concurrently debuts at No. 2 on the Hot 100, as previously reported, largely via 22.2 million streams across all streaming services that report to that chart.

Usages of the song on TikTok mostly center on its opening refrain of “I’m vanilla, baby,” with perhaps the most viral upload featuring user quinickle doing a Rubik’s cube while lip synching – with many subsequent videos referencing him, as well as other so-called “vanilla” men.

Rounding out the top five, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” reaches a new peak of No. 5 after breaking into the top 10 the previous week at No. 6. It’s one of three holiday songs on the latest ranking, with Carey followed by Wham!’s “Last Christmas” at No. 17 and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at No. 25.

Outside of “Runaway,” the chart’s next highest debut of the week belongs to Colbie Caillat’s “Bubbly,” which bows at No. 12. The 2000s hit has taken off thanks in large part to uploads in which posters use the song to soundtrack other musicians dancing at their own concerts, from Lil Uzi Vert and Justin Bieber to Kiss and NLE Choppa.

“Bubbly,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100 in October 2007, sported a gain of 29% to 1.5 million streams.

See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.

22 Nov 2023

‘The View’ Hosts Point Out What They See as Travis Kelce’s ‘Red Flags’ After His Interview About Taylor Swift

The women of The View had a lot to say concerning Travis Kelce following the football player’s recent Wall Street Journal interview about Taylor Swift.

On the Tuesday (Nov. 21) episode of the talk show, hosts Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin took turns calling out “red flags” they found in Kelce’s candid interview, in which he gave details how he and the “Anti-Hero” singer first started dating, and shared he worries about how his relationship with the media might make Swift uncomfortable.

“Some of the things he said raised some red flags for me,” said Hostin. “He said, ‘The biggest thing to me: Make sure I don’t say anything that would push Taylor away.’ What is he hiding? … He’s sending in his representative so he doesn’t offend her in any way — that’s not real life. People offend you sometimes.”

“My red flag is this,” added Griffin, who wondered whether the Chiefs tight end is simply a “palate cleanser” for Swift following her longterm relationship with Joe Alwyn. “My only concern is she got out of a seven-year relationship and really jumped into this. You tend to want to give some time to get over the previous relationship. I root for them, I want to see her happy, I think she’s one of the most talented musicians of my lifetime by far, but it seems like a little bit of a rush.”

Haines, however, suspected that Kelce is using his newfound fame from the relationship as a stepping stone to a post-NFL career. “He is huge in the football world, and then you go to Taylor Swift Land, and I think that if you were thinking about next chapters, this would be lovely,” she theorized. “I think he’s looking for his second act.”

The new View segment comes about a week after the ladies discussed Kelce’s decade-old tweets, many of which recently resurfaced as fans and brands alike started combing through his Twitter account. While many of the Ohio native’s (often misspelled) posts were innocent musings about Taco Bell or feeding bread to squirrels, the View hosts took issue with a few in which Kelce reportedly insulted girls for being “ugly.”

“He’s illiterate,” Behar said at the time, adding that she didn’t want Swift to be “stuck with this idiot.” 

Not all of the hosts had negative things to say about Kelce, though. On the Tuesday episode, Griffin pointed out how it can be “hard at that level of celebrity to find people with the right intentions.” “He seems like a very nice guy and I root for them,” she added. “But I do think [Taylor] has to be careful.”

Watch The View hosts’ takes on Travis Kelce’s “red flags” above.

22 Nov 2023

Taylor Swift Sends ‘All My Love’ to ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Contestants on Her Theme Night

It was a love story dedicated to Taylor Swift on Dancing With the Stars Tuesday (Nov. 21). ABC’s long-running ballroom bash featured a night of cha-chas, tangos, rumbas and more set to the pop superstar’s vast category of hits. Before the competition kicked off, Swift herself sent in a video message to encourage the contestants.

“Hey guys! It’s Taylor! I just wanted to say thank you so much for having this me themed night on Dancing With the Stars!” she began happily. “I so wish I could be there to see what you and your amazing choreographers and my friend Mandy Moore have put together. I wish I could be there, but I’m on tour in Brazil, but I’m sending you guys all my love, and best of luck to all the contestants!”

Moore, who is Swift’s lead choreographer for her ongoing Eras Tour, was the guest judge for the evening, joining regulars Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough.

Six remaining pairs competed on Taylor Swift Night. Actress Alyson Hannigan and pro partner Sacha Farber showed off their cha-cha moves to “You Belong With Me” and earned a score of 29 out of 40. Vanderpump Rules star Ariana Madix and pro Pasha Pashkov did a rumba to “Cruel Summer,” and despite battling back pain, she impressed the judges and got a 37. Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach tangoed to “Don’t Blame Me” and redeemed themselves for last week’s lackluster performance, this time snagging a perfect 40. Too Hot to Handle‘s Harry Jowsey rumba’d with Rylee Arnold to “August” for a 30; The Bachelorette’s Charity Lawson tangoed with Artem Chigvintsev to “Look What You Made Me Do” for a 38; and Xochi Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy did a quickstep to “Paper Rings” and earned a 38.

After the competitors delivered a few relay dances for potential extra points, the judges’ scores were combined with fan votes to determine who would be out. The unlucky hoofer this week was Jowsey.

Swift — who is a big fan of the ballroom bash and has previously performed on the show — is currently wrapping up the South American leg of her megahit Eras Tour. She has three remaining shows in Sao Paolo, Brazil, happening Nov. 24-26. After that, she’ll take a quick break before kicking up the international leg of her tour again, starting with concerts in Tokyo in early February.

The 12-time Grammy winner also recently won big at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, earning 10 trophies, including top artist and top female artist. The victories put her in a tie with Drake for the title of winningest artists at the BBMAs, with 39 each. She has also been named Billboard‘s top artist of 2023.

22 Nov 2023

Cardi B Blasts Hater Calling Out Influencers Who Get Plastic Surgery ‘Acting Like They Really Be in the Gym’

Cardi B had some pointed words for a commenter on X (formerly known as Twitter), who appeared to take shots at the “Bongos” rapper after a recent post in which Cardi posed at the gym in butt-hugging leggings that showed off her famous backside.

“I hate influencers who do this get all the surgery acting like they really be in the gym when really if they gain more weight they will just get surgery again smh,” wrote the commenter. Cardi, 31, who has not shied away from discussing her plastic surgeries in the past, reminded the hater that she’s an open book, as well as a gym rat.

“How vocal have I been about my procedures??? The thing is I don’t gain weight much so I’m trying to gain MUSCLE cuz it’s hard for me to maintain fat,” Cardi tweeted. “Also there’s this thing called visceral fat… It’s fat that grows under the muscle and you can’t lipo it only thing you can do is work it out! THATS WHY YOU SEE POUCHES ON LIPO GIRLS. YOU HAVE TO MAINTAIN IT!”

Back in 2019, after postponing some shows after complications from a boob job and lipo, Cardi said she was never going under the cosmetic knife again. “I been working out for the past 2 weeks cause b—h I ain’t getting surgery again???,” Cardi tweeted at the time. “But let me tell you I haven’t got a headache ever since.”

Cardi recently teased that she’s thinking of dropping “a lil’ something something” before year’s end, giving fans hope that her long-promised follow-up to 2018 debut studio album Invasion of Privacy might finally be on the horizon.

Check out the posts below.

22 Nov 2023

BLACKPINK Hit Buckingham Palace For a Royal Visit With the King and Queen

BLACKPINK are K-pop royalty used to playing to massive crowds or adoring fans. But on Tuesday night (Nov. 21) Jennie, Jisoo, Rosé and Lisa were happy to share the spotlight with some actual nobles when they attended a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.

The quartet were the guests of England’s King Charles and Queen Camilla at a glitzy state dinner in honor of South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee during their visit to the UK. The Royal Family’s X account posted footage of the King greeting the four women and giving them awards for their roles as advocates at last month’s COP26 global climate summit in Glasgow.

“The King, joined by The President and First Lady of the Republic of Korea, has welcomed @BLACKPINK to Buckingham Palace, as they are awarded Honorary MBEs,” read the statement. “The K-pop band have been awarded the honours in recognition of their role as Advocates for the COP26 Summit in Glasgow.” In the accompanying video, King Charles presents each member with their royal honor as they curtsy and shake the monarch’s hand.

In a second tweet, the four hold up their MBEs and smile alongside the message, “First appointed to the role by the UK Government in January 2021, @BLACKPINK encouraged millions of young people to engage with the global UN climate change conference and the top of climate action. Congratulations to Rosé, Jennie, Jisoo and Lisa!”

The royal account also posted a pic of the band posing with the King and the South Korean president as well as footage of a royal musical regimen performing a BLACKPINK instrumental outside the palace. BLACKPINK were among the more than 170 guests on hand for the event, during which King Charles shouted out the group, while praising the UK’s close relationship with South Korea and the nation’s — and BLACKPINK’s — commitment to increased sustainability, one of Charles’ longtime causes.

“It is especially inspiring to see Korea’s younger generation embrace the cause,” Charles said at the royal gathering also attended by Prince William and Kate Middleton. “I applaud Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé, better known collectively as BLACKPINK, for their role in bringing the message of environmental sustainability to a global audience as Ambassadors for the U.K.’s Presidency of COP 26, and later as advocates for the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.”

“I can only admire how they can prioritize these vital issues, as well as being global superstars,” Charles added in a speech that also touched the global impact of director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite), the Netflix series Squid Game and, of course, BTS. In July, BLACKPINK made history when they became the first South Korean band to headline a major festival in the UK when they took the stage at the BST Hyde Park Festival.

According to Vogue, the always-stylish quartet brought their fashion A-game for the visit, with Jisoo wearing a “black, textured puff-sleeved dress from Christian Dior’s resort 2024 collection, which hails from Maria Grazia Chiuri’s ode to Frida Kahlo,” partnered with a monogrammed Dior top-handle purse. Rosé wore a “black strapless velvet dress with a sweetheart neckline,” matched with a hair bow and a black pointed-toe pump.

Jennie switched it up, contrasting with her bandmates in a simple, long-sleeved, off-the-shoulder “sweet, bridal ensemble” with a black platform sandal and a sparkly clutch. Lisa went neutral in beaded tulle “aquamarine dress with a regal, cape dress from Georges Hobeika,” accessorized with a metallic gold platform shoe and diamond necklace.

It was the second time this week BLACKPINK met with dignitaries, following on the heels of Rosé joining U.S. First Lady Jill Biden for a mental health event at Apple’s HQ in Cupertino, CA.

See footage and photos from the visit below.

22 Nov 2023

BTS’ RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook Begin South Korean Military Enlistment Process

All the members of BTS are now either preparing to enlist in the South Korean military or already doing their mandatory service. The K-pop supergroup’s label, Big Hit, announced on Tuesday (Nov. 21) that the final four singers awaiting the start of their enlistment — RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — have begun the process.

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“We would like to inform our fans that RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook have initiated the military enlistment process,” read the statement. “The artists are preparing to fulfill their military service duties. We will inform you of further updates in due course.”

South Korean requires an 18-month military service stint for all able-bodied men by the time they turn 28. BTS announced a pause in their group work in October 2022 to allow all the singers to enlist, with eldest member Jin the first to suit up. J-Hope and Suga put on their camo earlier this year. With all seven men now going through their paces, BTS is expected to reconvene in 2025 when all have completed their duty to country.

“We ask for your continued love and support for RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook until they complete their military service and safely return,” read the Big Hit statement. “Our company will spare no effort in providing support for our artists.”

The four men were busy in the run-up to their enlistment, with Jimin recently dropping his Production Diary documentary about the making of his mini-album Face, Jung Kook issuing his debut solo album, Golden, several weeks ago and V issuing his Layover album in September; RM released his Indigo LP last December.

22 Nov 2023

50 Cent Surprises London Fans With Ed Sheeran Cameo at O2 Date

50 Cent had a very special, surprise guest for the fans at his “Final Lap” show at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday night (Nov. 21). During his performance a giant box on stage flashed the message “there’s a monster in this box,” as the familiar strains of Ed Sheeran‘s “Shape of You” filled the arena and Fiddy said “turn it up even more!”

Ed then popped out from under the box — without his signature acoustic guitar — and began singing his 2017 smash while dapping up 50 who added some ad libs and joined the clearly excited Sheeran on the chorus. Sheeran chronicled the special moment on his Instagram Story, writing, “50 Cent has invited me to the O2 to sing ‘Shape of You,’” along with footage of himself walking around beforehand backstage singing to 50’s “21 Questions.”

Though they were in all-white on stage, 50 posted some backstage images of the men in all black yukking it up with the message, “My man came through for me tonight, [bomb emoji], BOOM [wind blowing emoji] LONDON went crazy! It don’t get bigger than this.”

Sheeran also previewed his walk-out in an Instagram Live video shared by 50, in which the singer tells the camera, “50 Cent has invited me to the O2 to sing ‘Shape of You,’ and I’m going to walk on stage and go, ‘Who likes ‘In Da Club?… Here’s ‘Shape of You.’” Ed then sings a bit of 50’s “21 Questions” before a stagehand loads him into the lift that positions him inside the box as he yells “In Da Club!”

Afterwards, a hyped Sheeran can’t stop yelling “In Da Club!” as he leaves the stage and retreats to a sky box to watch the show and rap along to “Many Men” and, of course “In Da Club.”

The old friends collaborated with mutual pal Eminem on the song “Remember The Name” from Sheeran’s 2019 album No. 6 Collaborations Project; earlier this summer, Em also hopped on stage with Sheeran in Detroit to perform “Lose Yourself” during a stop on Ed’s Mathematics world tour.

50’s Final Lap tour will hit the Al Dana Amphitheatre in Zallaq, Bahrain on Thursday night (Nov. 23) and Mumbai, India’s DY Patil Stadium on Saturday (Nov. 25).

Check out footage of Sheeran joining 50 below.

21 Nov 2023

Drake & Taylor Swift Are Tied for Most Billboard Music Awards Wins — Who Will Break the Tie?

It’s the most wonderful time of the year — when Billboard unveils the year-end charts! And this year, for the first time in a long time, the chart unveiling coincided with the 2023 Billboard Music Awards.

If you tuned in Sunday, you know that Morgan Wallen was our big winner, taking home 11 prizes, while Taylor Swift was the top female winner with 10 awards. Over on the year-end charts, which hit Billboard.com on Tuesday (Nov. 21), Wallen is our Top Billboard Hot 100 Artist and his “Last Night” is the Top Hot 100 Song, while Swift is the Top Artist — just like she was at the BBMAs.

But one of the most surprising outcomes of Sunday’s show was that Swift’s 10 wins and Drake‘s five wins put the two chart titans in a tie for the winningest artist of all time at the BBMAs, with their totals lifted to 39 apiece. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are reviewing this year’s awards and 2023 chart-toppers, and wondering: Will Taylor or Drake break the tie next year?

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Stray Kids meet Alicia Keys in the Billboard 200 chart history books; how Jack Harlow, Tate McRae, Dua Lipa and Chris Stapleton all makes waves in the top 15 of the Hot 100; and how Mariah Carey jingles her way back to the Hot 100, as “All I Want for Christmas Is You” re-enters the chart, along with a few other festive favorites.

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.)

21 Nov 2023

Landon Barker Says Dad Travis Barker Doesn’t Sugarcoat Musical Feedback: ‘He’s Always Transparent’

Landon Barker kicked off his music career two months ago with the release of “Friends With Your Ex.” In the latest episode of Billboard News, Barker details what the song is about, shares insight into its writing process and reveals the advice he got from from his rock star dad, Travis Barker.

The 20-year-old musician says that “Friends With Your Ex” is “about falling in love with somebody you’re not supposed to but still seeing things through and having a good outcome.” While the track certainly had a positive outcome — it racked up over two million streams on Spotify and has made the rounds on TikTok thanks to a Charli D’Amelio cameo in the video — Landon explained that writing the track required a shift in perspective.

“I was in a session [with] somebody I work with often, and he was like ‘Dude, I think you keep on writing songs about the same thing. Why don’t we incorporate something that’s actually happening in your life?’” he recalls. “I guess I would always shoot to a song about heartbreak, or a song about a girl, or a song about being sad, he was like, ‘Let’s dive in and let’s write something about your life right now,’ and that’s kinda how that came about.”

Landon’s dad Travis helped out with the song and is listed as a co-producer for the track. The 20-year-old says that he “definitely shoot[s] for his advice whenever I can get it,” as he doesn’t have to wonder if his dad will minimize his feedback.

“If I was talking to somebody else and they didn’t like the song, they would let me down easy,” he explains. “I feel like he doesn’t let me down easy. It’s good — I so appreciate it because I love authenticity, and I love the transparency, and he’s always transparent and supportive. It works very well.”

As for what’s next for Landon? The singer says there’s plenty more music on the horizon. “Honestly it’s amazing, and especially all the stuff that I have saved up for everybody and the stuff in the vault … I’m glad I got this one out, but I’m excited to share so much.”

Watch Landon’s full Billboard News interview above.