Music News

01 Nov 2023

Usher Says His Super Bowl Halftime Prep ‘Started 30 Years Ago’

While Usher‘s blockbuster Las Vegas residency is one reason he landed the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, he makes it clear in a new interview that his preparation began long before his recent Vegas stint.

“When I got the call, I was like, ‘Man, I’ve been working really hard my entire career,’” he told Extra. “The preparation didn’t start within the last two years of performing in Las Vegas. It really started 30 years ago, and my commitment to it and the journey that I’ve taken musically is why I think I’m given that moment.”

He got that call from Jay-Z — the chairman and founder of Roc Nation, which has produced the Super Bowl halftime show since Jennifer Lopez and Shakira took the stage in Miami in 2020 — and Usher recalled Hov telling him: “It’s your magic moment. This is it. This is your Michael moment.”

“I was like, ‘That’s a lot of pressure, bro,’” Usher laughed. “But so many incredible artists that I respect played that stage, whether it was Beyoncé, Prince. … It’s like, ‘Wow, it’s the most compact 13 minutes of your life.’”

So what can fans expect from the halftime gig? “You’re going to get hit records,” he teased. “I do want to play the songs that people obviously recognize and the ones that I celebrate. I’ve been able to laugh, I have been able to cry, I have been vulnerable, I’ve been telling and honest. … I found really great ways to help us communicate better through my music and that celebration is inside this curation.”

He also hinted that some guests could possibly join him onstage at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. “I’ve also collaborated with a lot of people in the process, so… there’s a celebration there. … I just gave it all to you. You gotta decode it.”

We’ll have to wait until Feb. 11 to fully decode what Usher has planned. “It doesn’t get any bigger,” Usher said of the Super Bowl spot.

01 Nov 2023

Olivia Rodrigo Announces ‘Can’t Catch Me Now’ Song Off Upcoming ‘Hunger Games’ Soundtrack

Olivia Rodrigo is musically joining the Hunger Games universe. The pop superstar announced on Wednesday (Nov. 1) that she wrote a song called “Can’t Catch Me Now” for the upcoming The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Music From & Inspired By) soundtrack.

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“Soooo beyond excited that I got the opportunity to write a song for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” Rodrigo wrote on Instagram alongside a trailer of the film, in which you can hear the singer’s soaring harmonies over the clip. See the post here.  

“Can’t Catch Me Now” is available for pre-order here leading up to its release on Nov. 3, and will serve as the opening track to the 17-song album due out November 17 via Geffen Records, which is also the date the Hunger Games film hits theaters. The soundtrack includes songs performed in the film by The Hunger Games star Rachel Zegler, as well as tracks by young artists in the folk/Americana genre.

The upcoming movie stars Zegler alongside Tom Blyth, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman and Viola Davis, and follows the story of Coriolanus (Blyth), who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. 

See the full The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Music From & Inspired By) soundtrack track list below.

1. Olivia Rodrigo – Can’t Catch Me Now
2. Rachel Zegler – The Hanging Tree
3. Flatland Cavalry – Wool
4. Rachel Zegler – Nothing You Can Take From Me
5. Sierra Ferrell – The Garden
6. Rachel Zegler – The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird
7. Molly Tuttle – Bury Me Beneath the Willow
8. Rachel Zegler, James Newton Howard – The Old Therebefore / Singing at Snakes
9. Bella White – Burn Me Once
10. The Covey Band – District 12 Stomp
11. Rachel Zegler, The Covey Band – Nothing You Can Take From Me (Boot-Stompin’ Version)
12. Billy Strings – Cabin Song
13. Rachel Zegler – Lucy Gray (part 1)
14. Rachel Zegler, The Covey Band – Pure As The Driven Snow
15. Charles Wesley Godwin – Winter’s Come And Gone
16. Josie Hope Hall, The Covey Band – Keep On The Sunny Side
17. Rachel Zegler – Lucy Gray (part 2)

01 Nov 2023

Celine Dion Makes First Appearance in More Than 3 Years Amid Battling Stiff-Person Syndrome

Amid an ongoing battle with Stiff-Person Syndrome, Celine Dion has made her first public appearance in more than three years by attending an NHL game at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Monday night.

The “My Heart Will Go On” singer attended the game — a face-off between her hometown team, the Montreal Canadiens, and the Las Vegas Golden Knights — with her three sons, 22-year-old René-Charles and 13-year-old twins Eddy and Nelson. Following the game, the hitmaker spoke with the Canadiens team, giving them advice on how to persevere and maintain their health, in addition to shaking hands and posing for photos.

The team shared a video of them meeting with Dion to its Instagram page on Tuesday, along with the caption, “When Quebec emblems meet in Las Vegas…”

Fans in the comments section were delighted to see the 57-year-old looking lively and in good spirits. “God we missed her so so bad!! So glad to finally see you again Queen @celinedion!!” one fan wrote, while another user added, “Celine it’s a magic to see you again finally! Stay strong and healthy! We miss you so badly!!!”

The five-time Grammy winner’s appearance comes after she revealed in December 2022 her diagnosis of Stiff-Person Syndrome, a rare condition marked by uncontrolled and severe muscle spasms that affects one in a million individuals.

“As you know, I’ve always been an open book. And I wasn’t ready to say anything before,” she said a Dec. 8 video. “But I’m ready now… ’I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.”

After explaining her symptoms and how her team came to the conclusion of her diagnosis, Dion added, “Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life. Sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to. I have to admit it’s been a struggle. All I know is singing, it’s what I’ve done all my life.” 

As a result, Dion’s 2023 tour dates were either canceled or pushed back to 2024.

See Dion chat with hockey players post-game in the video below.

01 Nov 2023

Little Mix’s Bewitching ‘Black Magic’ Music Video Reaches 1 Billion YouTube Views

Little Mix gave fans a sip of their secret potion with their spellbinding 2015 music video for “Black Magic,” and the magic still exists in 2023 — as the clip has officially hit one billion views on YouTube.

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In the video, the group — consisting of Perrie Edwards, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall and Jesy Nelson — are school outcasts who dream of attracting a romantic partner. Late at night, the girls perform a love spell that makes them irresistible to the men on campus. “Take a sip of my secret potion / I’ll make you fall in love / For a spell that can’t be broken / One drop should be enough,” they harmonize in the chorus.

Little Mix, who came together in 2011 as part of The X Factor, released “Black Magic” in 2015 as the lead single off their third album, Get Weird. The song topped the U.K. Singles Chart for three weeks in August of that year.

The now-trio — Nelson left the band in 2020 — announced their hiatus in 2021. “We wanted to let you all know that after the Confetti tour in April/May next year we are going to be taking a break from Little Mix. It’s been 10 amazing years, a wonderful non-stop adventure, and we feel the time is right to take a break so we can recharge and work on some other projects,” they wrote at the time. However, they assured that they are not splitting up — “Little Mix are here to stay” — and that they have plans for the future. “We’ve made so many incredible memories with you all, and we can’t wait to make so many more.”

Watch the “Black Magic” music video below.

01 Nov 2023

Jung Kook Sets Date for First Solo ‘Tonight Show’ Appearance

Fans will soon be able to bask in all of Jung Kook’s solo glory with a very special upcoming television appearance. The “Seven” crooner will make his solo Tonight Show debut on Monday, Nov. 6, as a guest and performer.

Emmy-winning host Jimmy Fallon took to the official Tonight Show Instagram to reveal the announcement. In a cheeky video clip, Fallon sings the hook of Jung Kook’s record-breaking “Seven” single as he mulls over a calendar for the month of November. The camera then zooms in on Nov. 6, giving way to a disembodied voice to say “Jimmy” in a sing-songy tone. Finally, Jung Kook’s name magically appears in a golden font on the Nov. 6 placard while heavenly chords play in the background. “It can’t be… Jung Kook!” Fallon gasps. “See you soon,” the disembodied voice, presumably Jung Kook’s, teases. Fallon then exclaims, “Can’t wait for next week!” before launching back into singing the “Seven” hook.

Jung Kook’s appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon will come just three days after the release of his debut solo studio album, Golden, which is slated for a Nov. 3 release. The new record will house a pair of Billboard Hot 100 top five hits: the Latto-assisted “Seven” (No. 1) and Jack Harlow collaboration “3D” (No. 5). On Monday, Spotify confirmed that “Seven” became the fastest song to reach 1 billion streams in the platform’s history — doing so in just 108 days.

That’s not the only chart record that Jung Kook has smashed recently. On Friday, the BTS breakout star became the first South Korean soloist to score three U.K. top 10 singles, thanks to “Too Much” (with The Kid LAROI & Central Cee) debuting at No. 10 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.

There’s still some time before Golden — which is set to feature production credits from the likes of BloodPop, Cirkut, DJ Snake, Diplo and Watt — arrives, so Jung Kook may well have yet another new record to talk to Jimmy Fallon about by the time Nov. 6 rolls around.

Check out Jimmy Fallon’s announcement of Jung Kook’s Tonight Show solo debut here:

01 Nov 2023

Ariana Grande Supports Ethan Slater at ‘Spamalot’ Broadway Preview

Ariana Grande is Ethan Slater‘s biggest fan.

The pop superstar was spotted at the St. James Theatre in New York City this week to support her rumored boyfriend in the first preview performance of Broadway’s Spamalot revival. In an Instagram video shared by user Jim Glaub, who was in the audience, Grande is seen smiling and cheering from the audience.

Reports surfaced back in July that Grande is dating her 31-year-old Wicked costar following her recently reported split from husband Dalton Gomez. Both TMZ and People reported that he and Grande started dating after both of their relationships were over. Slater was previously married to singer Lilly Jay, and the two celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary in November 2022. 

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Grande plays Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba in Jon M. Chu’s upcoming live-action film adaptation of the Broadway show Wicked, which will be split into two parts. The movie was initially meant to hit theaters on Christmas Day of next year (Dec. 25, 2024). Wicked Part 1 is now set to be released next Thanksgiving (Nov. 27, 2024).

In the film, Slater is playing Boq, a munchkin boy who, fittingly, has a crush on Glinda.

01 Nov 2023

Fuerza Regida Secure Career-High Debut on Top Latin Albums With ‘Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada’

Fuerza Regida burst in at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart with Pa Las Baby’s y Belikeada on the Nov. 4-dated list and claims its highest debut among eight career entries.

Previously, the quintet’s eighth studio album Adicto had its best start, bowing at No. 4 in 2020. Further, Pa Las Baby’s matches the group’s chart peak on the list, equaling the No. 2 peak of Sigan: Hablando: II in January.

Pa Las Baby’s debuts at No. 2 with 38,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 26, according to Luminate. The expansive 30-track set boasts 14 collaborations, including tracks with Maria Becerra, Marshmello, Manuel Turizo, El Fantasma and Gabito Ballesteros. The album was released Oct. 20 via StreetMob/Rancho Humilde/Sony Music Latin.

Most of the Pa Las Baby’s opening sum derives from streaming-equivalent album units; that sum equals 51.7 million official on-demand streams of the set’s songs. The San Bernardino, Calif.-quintet scores the second-largest opening sum for a regional Mexican album, after Eslabon Armado’s Desvelado, which launched at No. 1 (May 13) with 63.51 million official U.S. streams. While Peso Pluma’s Génesis debuted with fewer streams from only one day of activity (July 1), it claimed the biggest week among regional Mexican albums ever, with 101.2 million streams after its first week of chart activity (dated July 8).

With Pa Las Baby’s debut, Fuerza Regida collect their fifth top 10 entry overall, tying with Junior H for the second-most for a regional Mexican act in 2023 after Eslabon Armado, who have grabbed six top 10s. Among all acts, Bad Bunny leads with eight top 10 albums.

Here’s a recap of Fuerza Regida’s collection of top 10s on Top Latin Albums:

Peak, Title, Peak Date
No. 8, Del Barrio Hasta Aquí, July 20, 2019
No. 4, Adicto, April 25, 2020
No. 3, Pa Que Hablen.: I., April 15, 2023
No. 2, Sigan Hablando.: II, Jan. 28, 2023
No. 2, Pa Las Baby’s Y Belikeada, Nov. 4, 2023

Pa Las Baby’s joins three other Regida albums on Top Latin Albums: Pa Que Hablen.: I. at No. 15, Sigan Hablando.: II at No. 33 and Del Barrio Hasta Aquí, Vol. 2 at No. 40.

Elsewhere, Pa Las Baby’s likewise becomes Regida’s highest-charting debut on the Regional Mexican Albums chart and the all-genre Billboard 200. On the former, it arrives at No. 1 for the group’s fifth chart-topper there, while it starts at No. 14 on the latter.

The album was preceded by two tracks on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart: the No. 5-peaking “TQM” (June 6) and lead single “Sabor Fresa,” which reached its No. 3 high on the July 8-dated list. Meanwhile, the album yields two newcomers: “Sobras y Mujeres” and “Excesos” open at No. 40 and No. 42, respectively.

01 Nov 2023

Dua Lipa Announces ‘Houdini’ Single: Here’s When It Arrives

No, this is not an illusion: Dua Lipa is prepping the release of her brand-new single, and it’s coming much sooner than you think.

On Wednesday (Nov. 1), the three-time Grammy winner took to her social media pages to share the highly anticipated announcement.

“Houdini,” Lipa’s new single, will arrive Nov. 9. The singer shared the single’s cover art — which features a newly ginger Lipa licking her reflection’s tongue — and confirmed the song’s release time. “HOUDINI NOV 9TH 11PM GMT. PRE ORDER IN BIO,” she wrote in the caption (11 p.m. GMT is 7 p.m. ET on that Thursday).

The official “Houdini” announcement comes after weeks of cryptic teasers that the “New Rules” singer frequently posted and deleted, a nod to the slippery nature of Harry Houdini — the iconic Hungarian-American escape artist and illusionist from whom Lipa’s new single sources its title. While her Instagram page only displays the “Houdini” cover art, Lipa’s X timeline still boasts some of those earlier teases, including the original picture she used to debut her red hair with the caption, “Miss me?”

“Houdini” will mark Lipa’s second musical release of the year. On May 25, she unleashed “Dance the Night” for the Barbie soundtrack. The nu-disco banger climbed to a peak of No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped both the Adult Pop Airplay and Pop Airplay charts. On the Warner Bros. “for your consideration” website, “Dance the Night” is listed under the studio’s submissions for the best original song category at the upcoming 96th Oscars.

Dua Lipa has not released an LP since 2020’s Future Nostalgia — the disco love letter that earned her a Grammy win for best pop vocal album, boosted her into pop music‘s upper echelon, and housed the Hot 100 smash hits “Levitating” (No. 2), “Don’t Start Now” (No. 2) and “Break My Heart” (No. 13). In the interim, she notched an additional Hot 100 top 10 hit alongside Elton John and PNAU with “Cold Heart” (No. 7) and released collaborations with Megan Thee Stallion (“Sweetest Pie,” No. 15) and Calvin Harris and Young Thug (“Potion,” No. 71).

Check out Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” announcement below:

01 Nov 2023

Jason Aldean Says He ‘Probably’ Wouldn’t Have Filmed at the ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Courthouse If He Knew the History

Back in July, Jason Aldean came under fire for his controversial “Try That in a Small Town” which features scenes shot at Tennessee’s Maury County Courthouse, where a Black man named Henry Choate was lynched in 1927. The Columbia Race Riot also occurred there in 1946.

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In a new interview with CBS, the country singer says that he might have second guessed the filming location if he had known its racist history. “Knowing what I know now, probably not,” he said of whether or not he’d choose to film there now. “But it’s also — I’m not gonna go back 100 years and check on the history of this building because, honestly, if you’re in the South, you could probably go to any small-town courthouse, you’re gonna be hard-pressed to find one that hasn’t had some racial issue over the years at some point. That’s just a fact. For anybody that thinks that we picked that building specifically for that reason, because there was a lynching there, whatever.”

Aldean added that he also get his “car tags” at that court house every year, and it’s in the county he lies in. “There was people of all color doing stuff in the video. That’s what I don’t understand. There was white people in there, there was Black people. This video did not shine the light on specific group and say, ‘That’s the problem.’ And anybody that saw that in the video, then you weren’t looking hard enough at the video,” he explained. “I thought it was actually a song that said something for a change. Not just, ‘Here’s another song for radio.’ I didn’t expect it to get the kind of heat that it got. And I think that was probably more because of the video more so than because of the song.”

He concluded, “The whole idea behind the video was to show the lawlessness and the disrespect for cops and just trashing cities. … I’m just not cool with that. I feel like the narrative got switched over and became more of a racial type thing. If that’s what you got out of the song and the video, that’s almost on you, because that wasn’t our intention.”

The video, released on July 14, features footage of American flag burning, protesters having confrontations with police, looters breaking a display case and thieves robbing a convenience store. CMT has pulled the video from its rotation after running it for three days, Billboard confirmed.

“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to a comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests,” Jason wrote in a statement at the time. “These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage- and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far.” 

The song went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart dated Aug. 5, 2022.

01 Nov 2023

Cher to Close Out Macy’s Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade

Despite this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade being positively stuffed with performers, the annual holiday celebration fit one more musician into its roster — the Goddess of Pop herself.

On Wednesday (Nov. 1), the company revealed that pop superstar Cher will be joining the list of musicians performing at the live and televised event. The “Believe” singer will close out the official show and appear towards the end of the broadcast, where Santa arrives in his sleigh, marking the official beginning of the Christmas season.

Previously announced performers include Jon Batiste, ENHYPEN, Brandy, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, En Vogue, Pentatoinx, Chicago, Paul Russell, Bell Biv DeVoe, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, Ashley Park, Jesse James Decker, Paul Russell, Amanda Shaw and Alex Smith and Manuel Turizo.

Cher’s addition to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade comes on the heels of two releases for the star: Believe‘s forthcoming 25th anniversary re-release on Nov. 3, and her first-ever Christmas album, Christmas, released Oct. 20. While Cher has not yet confirmed which of her hits she’ll to perform during the broadcast, a new holiday single has a chance of receiving a live debut to potentially ring in the Christmas season at the parade’s end.

“They’re not ‘Christmas Christmas’ songs, OK, they’re just great songs,” Cher said of her recent holiday release in an interview with Billboard. “And I never say that because I almost never like what I do. But I mean people love it and I’m happy. I’m so particular, but I love the songs and everyone who hears them loves them.”

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air on NBC from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 pm ET.