Music News

15 Nov 2023

Jason & Travis Kelce Get Into the Holiday Spirit With ‘Fairytale of Philadelphia’ Duet

‘Tis the season of Kelce! Jason Kelce recruited his brother, Travis Kelce, to take part in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ upcoming holiday album, A Philly Special Christmas Special, on Wednesday (Nov. 15) with a fitting tribute to the City of Brotherly Love, “Fairytale of Philadelphia.”

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“Fairytale of Philadelphia” is a reimagining of The Pogues’ holiday classic, “Fairytale of New York,” and features the athletic siblings trading verses as they talk about what makes Philly so special. “I’ve got a feeling, this year’s for me and you / So happy Christmas, I love you brother / I can see a better time, when all our dreams come true,” Jason croons to his baby bro in the duet.

The full holiday album by Jason and his Eagles teammates Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, titled A Philly Christmas Special, is out December 1, and also features a collaboration with Patti LaBelle. The trio previously released their rendition of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” earlier this month. The album, which marks the trio’s sophomore festive project, features 10 holiday classics and an original track by Kelce called “Santa’s Night.”

A Philly Special Christmas Special is available now for vinyl preorder here. This year, proceeds from the vinyl sales will benefit Children’s Crisis Treatment Center’s Toy Drive and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Snowflake Station.

Listen to the Kelce brothers’ “Fairytale of Philadelphia” below.

15 Nov 2023

BLACKPINK to Gift Fans an Immersive Concert Experience in ‘A VR Encore’: Exclusive First Look

BLACKPINK is up for the 2023 Billboard Music Awards‘ newly established top K-pop touring artist honor thanks to the success of its Born Pink World Tour. Whether or not the quartet takes home the trophy Sunday (Nov. 19), the group will still give fans a reason to celebrate with a gift just after the Christmas holiday.

Billboard can share the exclusive first look and details for BLACKPINK: A VR Encore coming to fans this holiday season. For BLACKPINK’s first concert in virtual reality, viewers can return to the Born Pink World Tour’s special finale show held in Seoul’s massive Gocheok Sky Dome that featured their Billboard Hot 100 hits such as “Pink Venom,” “Kill This Love” and “How You Like That” live, but also solo performances from Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa.

Emmy Award-winning production company The Diamond Bros. is producing and directing the 70-minute concert custom-made for VR in partnership with Meta. Exclusively available in VR inside the Meta Horizon Worlds’ Music Valley, Meta Quest VR headset owners in select regions get a front-row ticket to the social experience.

“We’re thrilled to embrace the dynamic world of VR because it allows us to reach an even wider global audience and share our music in an entirely new, immersive way,” BLACKPINK said in a statement. “This VR concert is not just a show; it’s an extension of the tour we poured our hearts into. We can’t wait for you to see the magic we’ve created with The Diamond Bros and Meta, and thank you to our incredible BLINKs for your endless support.”

Josh Diamond, director and executive producer at The Diamond Bros, echoes the excitement for the major collaboration. “BLACKPINK is an iconic, groundbreaking group, and being able to capture them in VR in Seoul, South Korea, for the final performance of their Encore tour was incredible,” he says. “We couldn’t be more excited to have partnered with Meta on this amazing opportunity. We can’t wait for everyone to experience it!”

Meanwhile, Vishal Shah, VP of Metaverse at Meta, points out how A VR Encore changes a typical concert viewing.

“Artists like BLACKPINK are transforming how music fans experience performances and connect with their favorite artists,” Shah adds. “We’re excited to feature this creative, social VR experience from The Diamond Bros in Horizon Worlds and can’t wait for Meta Quest owners to take a front-row seat for this amazing show.”

BLACKPINK: A VR Encore premieres in VR on Tuesday, Dec. 26, at 5 p.m. PT in Meta Horizon Worlds. Attendees can RSVP for the event now, with replays available for a month in Meta Horizon Worlds after the concert.

Get your first look at the teaser and concert poster art below, and tune into the Billboard Music Awards Sunday, Nov. 19, at 8 p.m. ET via BBMAs.watch or Billboard and the BBMAs social channels.

BLACKPINK

15 Nov 2023

BLACKPINK’s Lisa Enjoys Her Favorite Thai Meal on Her Spotify Billion Streams Plate

Lisa is celebrating in style! The rapper’s “Money” is the first K-pop track by a solo artist to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify, and the BLACKPINK superstar had some fun when she received her plate-shaped plaque.

In a video posted to Spotify’s Instagram account on Wednesday (Nov. 15), Lisa opens her plaque in Paris, noting that she immediately knew what meal she would like to eat on it. Heading over to a kitchen set-up, Lisa began cooking her “favorite Thai dish” called khai jiao, which is a Thai-style shrimp omelette topped with some spice. She went on to enjoy some dessert, another favorite of hers called itim khanom pang, a coconut ice cream sandwich with sticky rice.

“I feel like it’s something unbelievable that my songs have this many people who have listened to them,” the 26-year-old star reflected. “It makes me proud of myself and makes me want to keep making music. I would like to thank everybody who has made my dreams come true.”

The song — released as the second track from her 2021 solo EP Lalisa — marks Lisa’s fourth solo achievement with Guinness World Records. Earlier this year, the rapper became the first solo K-pop winner at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2022. She was also the first solo K-pop winner at 2022’s MTV Europe Music Awards, after being nominated twice in the category due to a nod alongside BLACKPINK. Lisa also has the most followers for a K-pop artist on Instagram, with a then total of 86.3 million Blinks. At the current time of publication, she has skyrocketed to 98.7 million followers.

Watch Lisa eat off her Spotify billion streams plate below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=JiMY2wdkBAw&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&start=125&wmode=transparent

15 Nov 2023

Usher Completes R&B Radio Trifecta as ‘Good Good’ Tops Adult R&B Airplay

Usher completes an R&B/hip-hop radio takeover as “Good Good,” featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage, ascends to No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart. The track climbs from No. 3 to lead the list dated Nov. 18, after a 20% improvement in weekly plays that made it the most-played song on U.S. monitored adult R&B radio stations in the week ending Nov. 9, according to Luminate.

With the coronation, “Good Good” has now topped all three of Billboard’s core R&B/hip-hop airplay charts. Prior to its Adult R&B Airplay reign, the single ruled the plays-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and audience-based R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts for two weeks each. It’s the second song this year to pull off the triple-play, following Tems’ “Free Mind.”

Thanks to “Good Good,” Usher achieves his eighth No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay, pushing him into a five-way tie for the second-most champs among male artists in the chart’s history. He now equals Bruno Mars, Kem, Maxwell and Tank’s career totals on the radio ranking, with all just one behind Charlie Wilson’s nine leaders. Among all acts, Alicia Keys ranks first, with 14 No. 1s.

As “Good Good” brings Usher more good news on the charts, here’s an updated review of his No. 1 collection on Adult R&B Airplay:

“Here I Stand,” seven weeks at No. 1, beginning Dec. 6, 2008
“Papers,” three, Jan. 2, 2010
“There Goes My Baby,” one, July 31, 2010
“Climax,” one, July 7, 2012
“Don’t Waste My Time,” featuring Ella Mai, two, June 13, 2020
“Bad Habits,” one, Dec. 5, 2020
“GLU,” two, June 24, 2023
“Good Good,” featuring Summer Walker & 21 Savage, one (to date), Nov. 18, 2023

Summer Walker claims her third Adult R&B Airplay No. 1. She first led through another guest spot on Trey Songz’ “Back Home,” a three-week champ in 2020, and followed with her own “Unloyal,” with Ari Lennox, which led for one frame in 2022.

21 Savage, meanwhile, nabs his first Adult R&B Airplay champ with his first entry on the list.

“Good Good” will appear on Usher’s next album, Coming Home, which will be released on Feb. 11, the same day that the superstar will headline the halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, Nev.

15 Nov 2023

Nigerian Rapper Oladips Dies at 28

Nigerian rapper Oladips has died at 28, his management team confirmed in a statement shared to Instagram on Wednesday (Nov. 15). A cause of death for the rapper was not revealed publicly.

“We are saddened to inform the general public that Oladipupo Olabode Oladimeji aka OLADIPS has passed away on Nov. 14 Tuesday evening at exactly 10:14 p.m. We are still in shock as we speak,” the statement read. “For over two years he has kept his battles within himself, his body is now with his family and funeral services will be announced as soon as it is concluded! The family asked that we respect their privacy in this trying time. May god give us all the fortitude to bear this great loss.”

Oldadips first rose to prominence in 2015 after winning an online rap competition called The King is Here, hosted by Nigerian rapper D’Banj.

The rapper’s death comes before the anticipated release of his album, SUPERHERO ÀDÚGBÒ (The Memoir), originally scheduled to arrive on Thursday, Nov. 16 according to the BBC. In February, Oladips shared a fan tweet that begged for the record’s release, to which he responded he was “out here all day in the studio with my sick self [sick emoji] rounding this album up still!” The post was edited and updated three days prior to his death announcement, with the project’s official title.

The rapper’s most recent single, “Die Young,” was released last month on Oct. 6.

Read the statement regarding Oldadips’ death below.

15 Nov 2023

Keke Palmer Named Host of Soul Train Awards 2023

Emmy Award-winning actress-artist Keke Palmer will host the upcoming Soul Train Awards 2023. Tagged as the “house party of the year,” the awards ceremony will premiere Nov. 26 on BET and BET HER (8 p.m. ET/PT).

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“Keke Palmer is a globally recognized multihyphenate talent who embodies confidence and positivity, and is one of the most engaging and lovable personalities working in entertainment today,” stated Connie Orlando, BET exec. vp specials, music programming & music strategy, in the press release announcement. “We can’t wait to have her host the Soul Train Awards house party. BET gave Keke her first talk show, where she made history as the youngest talk show host in television, and today we are honored to have her back on the Soul Train Awards stage. As always, expect our star-studded slate of soulful artists and can’t-miss moments to illuminate your screens for a night dedicated to soul music.”

Palmer will also be among the awards show’s slate of performers, which includes BJ The Chicago Kid, Coco Jones, Danté Bowe, Fridayy, Muni Long and SWV.

Soul Train Awards 2023 is being taped in Los Angeles at an undisclosed location. Leading this year’s tally of nominees are Summer Walker, Usher and SZA — all of whom are in a three-way tie with nine nominations each. Orlando is overseeing the annual show and executive produce for BET with Jamal Noisette, vp specials & music programming. Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment, will serve as executive producer along with Jesse Collins Entertainment’s Jeannae Rouzan–Clay and Dionne Harmon.

15 Nov 2023

Dua Lipa Invites Fans to LA’s Houdini Estate for Escape Room & Disco Party: ‘Let’s Have a Dance!’

When Dua Lipa announced a trio of release-week fan events for her new single “Houdini,” taking place in London, Los Angeles and Tokyo, she kept the exact locations a secret. But was there ever any doubt where the LA party had to be held?

Lipa invited hundreds of her biggest fans to the mysterious Houdini Estate in the winding hills of Laurel Canyon Boulevard on Tuesday night to navigate an escape room (fitting for the famous illusionist and the slippery new song) and to dance the night away at an open-air disco party.

“Wow, the energy is insane!” Dua Lipa said to the roaring crowd as she made her way behind the DJ booth after 8 p.m. “Have you guys had a chance to go into the escape room? Was it fun?” she asked to a resounding “yeah!” “Was it hard?” she asked, getting a “no!” in return. “All right, I’m going to be having a word with someone then,” she said with a laugh.

After hits from Jamiroquai, Grace Jones, Human League and, of course, Lipa herself, we finally got to the track of the hour. “You guys wanna hear the song? All right, let’s f—ing do it! Let’s have a dance!”

Lipa pressed a button to launch “Houdini” — “I’ll play DJ,” she laughed — and kicked the party into overdrive as she danced and sang along to the single that kicks off her post-Future Nostalgia era.

According to early numbers reported to Luminate, “Houdini” drew 14 million all-format airplay audience impressions in its first four full days (Nov. 10-13) and will debut on the Radio Songs chart (dated Nov. 25, reflecting airplay Nov. 10-16), perhaps in the chart’s upper half, with pop and adult pop airplay leading the way. It could be Dua’s highest Radio Songs debut, previously set when her Barbie soundtrack cut “Dance the Night” started at No. 28 in June.

Fans right next to the DJ booth passed their phones up to Lipa so she could shoot selfie videos and pics along with the song, and when “Houdini” wrapped up, Lipa agreed to a fan request for a repeat spin. “One more time? Let’s f—ing go!”

When the second go-round wrapped up, Lipa teased that she wouldn’t be leaving the estate just yet. “You guys are the f—ing best, thank you so much! I want you guys to stay, enjoy your time, those that haven’t, try the escape room. I’m going to do a little walk around. I’ve got to go and see this spooky-a– place.”

True to her word, the pop star popped up in the escape room, offering a magical surprise to the lucky fans inside.

Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa hosts an exclusive “Houdini” LA fan event at The Houdini Estate on Nov. 14, 2023 in Los Angeles.

Dua Lipa’s London fan event took place on Thursday at the English National Ballet, where the “Houdini” music video was filmed. She gave fans a sneak peek at the visual before its official release. The next event is in Tokyo, and fans can still sign up to attend here.

Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa hosts an exclusive “Houdini” LA fan event at The Houdini Estate on Nov. 14, 2023 in Los Angeles.

–Additional reporting by Gary Trust

15 Nov 2023

Sabrina Carpenter Says Opening for Taylor Swift Is a ‘Childhood Dream Come True’

Sabrina Carpenter is in the midst of opening for Taylor Swift on the Latin American leg of the popular Eras tour, and the “Nonsense” singer reflected on the pinch-me moment she found out about the gig in a new interview with Who What Wear.

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“I’m not gonna say I peed my pants because that sounds really graphic and maybe not sanitary, but I think it really just caught me off guard,” she recalled of hearing the news. “It was very much a childhood dream come true.”

She added, “I still probably have not processed it if I’m being completely honest with you.”

Carpenter says that she first met Swift backstage at a show when she was just 17 years old. “She had her cats with her,” she said. “I have older sisters, so if anything, it felt like that type of a relationship.”

Carpenter will again join the 12-time Grammy winner to open a series of February and March shows in Australia and Singapore. “That is one of my main inspirations ever since I was a little girl, and now to just be able to watch that show every night is going to be so special,” Carpenter previously told Billboard of touring with Swift. “Watching her in and of itself is how you learn. I admire her work ethic and her talent and she’s just so amazing.”

Last month, the pop singer covered Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” for Spotify Singles. “Well she nailed it,” Swift wrote on a screengrab of the Disney actress’ take on the Red hit.

15 Nov 2023

Sabrina Carpenter Says Opening for Taylor Swift Is a ‘Childhood Dream Come True’

Sabrina Carpenter is in the midst of opening for Taylor Swift on the Latin American leg of the popular Eras tour, and the “Nonsense” singer reflected on the pinch-me moment she found out about the gig in a new interview with Who What Wear.

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See latest videos, charts and news

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“I’m not gonna say I peed my pants because that sounds really graphic and maybe not sanitary, but I think it really just caught me off guard,” she recalled of hearing the news. “It was very much a childhood dream come true.”

She added, “I still probably have not processed it if I’m being completely honest with you.”

Carpenter says that she first met Swift backstage at a show when she was just 17 years old. “She had her cats with her,” she said. “I have older sisters, so if anything, it felt like that type of a relationship.”

Carpenter will again join the 12-time Grammy winner to open a series of February and March shows in Australia and Singapore. “That is one of my main inspirations ever since I was a little girl, and now to just be able to watch that show every night is going to be so special,” Carpenter previously told Billboard of touring with Swift. “Watching her in and of itself is how you learn. I admire her work ethic and her talent and she’s just so amazing.”

Last month, the pop singer covered Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” for Spotify Singles. “Well she nailed it,” Swift wrote on a screengrab of the Disney actress’ take on the Red hit.

15 Nov 2023

SEVENTEEN Prepping Live Concert Movie ‘SEVENTEEN Tour ‘Follow’ to Japan: Live Viewing’ For Holiday Release

K-pop band SEVENTEEN will return to movie theaters around the world on Dec. 16 with their live concert film SEVENTEEN Tour ‘Follow’ to Japan: Live Viewing. The film will be broadcast from Japan’s Fukuoka PayPay Dome and broadcast live to Australia, South Korea, the U.S. and Canada, Brazil and European territories; all the participating countries will be announced on the band’s official site on Nov. 21.

According to a release, the 13-member group’s largest-scale dome tour since their debut, the movie promises to share the band’s “electrifying blend of dynamic performances and enchanting melodies live on the big screen with CARATs all around the world.”

“We’re excited to join forces with HYBE once again to bring K-pop icons SEVENTEEN to the big screen, this time broadcast live from Tokyo, Japan,” said Trafalgar Releasing COE Marc Allenby in a statement. “2022’s SEVENTEEN POWER OF LOVE : THE MOVIE, was a hit with the group’s devoted fanbase and we’re proud to present them with the opportunity to experience this highly anticipated concert event as a global community. We hope this event further demonstrates the enduring appeal of K-pop in cinemas.”

The movie will spotlight special unit performances by the group’s vocal unit (Woozi, Jeonghan, Joshua, DK, Seungkwan), their performance unit (Hoshi, Jun, The 8, Dino) and hip-hop unit (S. Coups, Wonwoo, Mingyu and Vernon).

Global tickets for the film will go on sale here on Nov. 22 at 10 a.m. ET; tickets for Korean cinemas will go on sale on Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. KST.

SEVENTEEN released their 11th mini album, SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN, last month.

Check out the concert poster and a promo video below.

SEVENTEEN

SEVENTEEN