Music News

11 Oct 2023

Billy Ray Cyrus & Firerose Are Married: ‘Long Live Love’

Congratulations are in order for Billy Ray Cyrus and singer-songwriter Firerose, who tied the knot on Tuesday (Oct. 10).

The newlyweds shared a series of photos from their rustic wedding on Wednesday (Oct. 11), in which they are seen posing among a scenic grass landscape. “10/10/23 will always be the beautiful, joyous day that our two souls united as one in holy matrimony. It was the most perfect, ethereal celebration of love we could have ever imagined,” the joint caption reads. “For both of us to hear the preacher say, ‘Billy Ray and Firerose Cyrus… I now pronounce you husband and wife’ that was the sacred moment our new forever began. Long Live Love!”

See their post here.

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Cyrus and Firerose confirmed the engagement to People last fall, noting that Firerose moved into Cyrus’s Tennessee home during the summer. Cyrus proposed in August. Firerose said that there was no traditional proposal. “Billy looked at me and said, ‘Do you, do you wanna marry me?’ And I was just like, ‘Of course I do. I love you.’ He said, ‘I love you. I wanna make this official. I wanna be with you forever.’” Firerose later selected a diamond and designed her ring.

Cyrus and Firerose first met on the set of the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana 12 years ago and stayed in touch over the years.

Billy Ray was previously married to Tish Cyrus from 1993 to 2022, and the two share children Miley, Braison and Noah Cyrus. Tish also remarried this year, tying the knot with actor Dominic Purcell in August.

11 Oct 2023

Ivy Queen Performs Reimagined Versions of Her Reggaetón Anthems in NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Ivy Queen performed her reggaetón anthems for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts on Wednesday (Oct. 11). And, she wasn’t alone; backed by a live orchestra including a violin, cello, viola, double bass and a piano, the Puerto Rican superstar sang from “La Vida Es Así” to “Menor Que Yo” and “Quiero Bailar.”

“Let me take you to my motherland — Puerto Rico, that is,” she said at the beginning of her 24-minute set. She went on to belt out the lyrics to her first song, “Reza Por Mí,” and afterwards added: “I’m more nervous than you are, believe me. Singing here isn’t the same as singing in the studio. There are songs that transcend time and my songs have always been a message for us all. And there are songs we didn’t dare dedicate to anyone. Sing this one with me if you know it.”

She was talking about her ultra-empowering “La Vida Es Así.” Later, after explaining that the lyrics she writes narrate her life, she delivered a poignant message any women listening to her intimate set. “We have the right to be happy, we have the right to change, to take care of ourselves, to protect ourselves.” She wrapped her set with “En Que Fallamos” and “Quiero Bailar.”

Ivy Queen’s Tiny Desk concert comes just days after being honored with the Icon Award at the Billboard Latin Music Awards on Oct. 5. “I’m so happy, but at the same time I’m feeling so many emotions,” the reggaetón star told Billboard after accepting her special award. “There’s a lot of things going through my mind because it’s been a long journey. God has blessed me with so much stuff; with work, people that love me and talent has no expiration date.”

Other Latin stars that have recently recorded Tiny Desk concerts include DannyLux, Yahritza y Su Esencia, Kany García, Karol G, Carla Morrison, Carin Leon, Farruko and Tokischa, among others.

Watch Ivy Queen’s Tiny Desk concert above.

11 Oct 2023

Sam Smith Shares a New Song Snippet & Fans Think It’s a Charli XCX Collab: Watch

Fans of Sam Smith were left scrambling on Wednesday (Oct. 11) when the singer shared a snippet of a new song that seems to be a collaboration with fellow pop singer Charli XCX.

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In a post to their Instagram, Smith teased a new song with a street-side lip-synch video. Dressed in a structured black-and-white sweater and a white skirt, Smith strutted down an alleyway in Osaka, Japan, singing over a glittering dance-pop track. “I knew the night that I met you/ Underneath the New York City lights,” he sang. “Baby, don’t matter what I do/ There’s an angel standing by my side.”

Listeners quickly noticed the striking similarity between Smith’s verse and a track that Charli XCX teased on Oct. 6, which Smith responded to with a side-eye and skyline emojis. Titled “In the City,” Charli’s upcoming song bears a near-identical tempo and melody as Smith’s verse shared via Instagram. Moreover, Smith’s caption for the clip was simply three emojis of a city skyline, apparently pointing to the title of Charli’s upcoming single.

Billboard has reached out to reps for both Smith and Charli for confirmation.

Fans of the pair also pointed to a recent cameo Smith made in Charli XCX’s video for “Speed Drive” off the Barbie soundtrack as a potential teaser for their work together. In the video, Smith interrupts Charli mid-verse with a video call, asking if she’d had a chance to “listen to the mix.” When Charli responds that she’s on set for a music video, Smith apologizes, but reminds her to take a listen when she gets a chance. “It’s just, we’ve got to submit it so we can get it out,” they say.

Check out Smith’s new teaser below:

11 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift, Dave Matthews & More Donate Signed Items to Charity Auction for Veterans

Raven Drum Foundation is back for its third year raising funds for veterans, first responders and other trauma survivors, and has enlisted the help of some A-list musicians.

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In addition to RDF co-founder, Def Leppard’s Rick Allen, among the stars who have donated signed items and experiences to the auction include Taylor Swift, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Todd Sucherman and Styx, Matt Sorum, Fred Armisen and many more.

Additionally, via a partnership with Musicians on Call, Dave Matthews’ guitar featuring his hand-drawn artwork is offered to help fund an ongoing partnership with Raven Drum to bring live music to bedsides in countrywide hospitals.

“I recently had the chance to attend a Raven Drum Foundation event and was really impacted by the healing effect the drum circle and joining together in a shared rhythm with a community of people had on me,” Sixx said in a press statement. “I’m happy to support Raven Drum’s mission by donating one of my signature bass guitars, along with a few other items, including a scarf worn on stage with Mötley Crüe, some signed books, and my custom picks.” 

Over the past three years, the annual 12 Drummers Drumming auction has raised more $120,000 through various events and efforts. 

With new items added regularly, the auction will be live until Nov. 11 at 12 p.m. PST. To bid, visit the website here.

11 Oct 2023

Billie Eilish Calls ‘Bad Guy’ the ‘Stupidest Song In The World’: Watch

From “Happier Than Ever” to “Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish has collected a bevy of hit singles since she unleashed her blockbuster debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Of her hits however, just one single has reached the No. 1 spot of the Billboard Hot 100: 2019’s “Bad Guy.”

Billie shared some thoughts about her 2019 hit during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with her brother Finneas Tuesday night (Oct. 10).”Well, objectively ‘Bad Guy’ is like the stupidest song in the world,” Billie said. “But it’s really good! Oh my God, don’t gasp,” she told the audience as she picked up on their shocked reactions to her comment. “You have to understand — you have to have humor in it … That song is supposed to be goofy, but it’s funny ’cause I’m like ‘It’s dumb!”

“Bad Guy” served as the fifth single from Billie’s debut album. The song spent one week atop the Hot 100 and 49 total weeks on the ranking. A trap-pop banger that showed off Billie’s sarcastic side — thanks in large part the “duh” ad-lib that she cheekily derided during her interview — “Bad Guy” ended up taking home Grammys for record and song of the year.

After Kimmel gushed about how his kids love the “duh” part of “Bad Guy” and spoke about the phenomenon of outsmarting yourself, Billie said, “Finneas and I, we simultaneously both really disagree with when an artist is very hateful towards their own music.” She continued, “We’re both big fans of what we make and I love my own music. It definitely changes and morphs, and with me it becomes whatever, but I still cringe. I appreciate it though.”

Since “Bad Guy,” Billie has released a plethora of music to much acclaim and commercial success. In 2021, she released her sophomore album, Happier Than Ever, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Hot 100 top 10 singles: “Therefore I Am” (No. 2), “My Future” (No. 6) and “Your Power” (No. 10). This summer, the Oscar winner penned and sung a new original song for the Barbie movie titled “What Was I Made For?” The wistful ballad peaked at No. 14 on the Hot 100.

Check out Billie’s conversation with Jimmy Kimmel above.

11 Oct 2023

TOMORROW X TOGETHER Goes on an Inner City Adventure in ‘Chasing That Feeling’ Teaser: Watch

The arrival of TOMORROW X TOGETHER‘s lastest song and music video is imminent. The K-pop group released a teaser for its forthcoming single, “Chasing That Feeling,” on Wednesday (Oct. 11) to drum up MOA’s anticipation for the release of The Name Chapter: Freefall.

The visual kicks off with Yeonjun, Soobin, HueningKai, Beomgyu and Taehyun staring each other down in what appears to be an underground tunnel, with flashes of colored light headed toward each member. The clip then cuts to Yeonjun hitching a ride on the back of a yellow taxi and Taehyun standing atop a traffic light in the middle of the day. The group then hits intricate choreography as the upbeat poppy track begins to play. The teaser cuts to black while the group sings the title of song, and the video concludes with the video’s release date — Friday, Oct. 13.

“Chasing That Feeling” is the follow-up to TXT’s most recent single, “Back for More (feat. Anitta).” The K-pop group debuted the track with a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12; the song received an official release less than a week after their performance on Sept. 18.

The Name Chapter: Freefall is the second installment in the K-pop group’s “name” series — the first installment was The Name Chapter: Temptation. The EP was released in January, and marked TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s highest charting album release to date. The set debuted and peaked at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, and spent a total of 19 weeks on the chart. “Sugar Rush Ride” was released as the single from the project, and peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Global 200.

Watch the teaser for “Chasing That Feeling” in the video above.

11 Oct 2023

Pharrell Williams Reflects on 10 Years of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’: ‘I Thought I Was Writing For Someone Else’

10 years ago, Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams enjoyed one of the biggest hits of their respective careers with “Get Lucky” — which spent five consecutive weeks at a peak of No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. On Wednesday (Oct. 11), the Oscar-nominated hitmaker is reflecting on the creation of that smash hit.

Williams appears in the latest episode of Daft Punk’s Memory Tapes series — a collection of interviews with key Random Access Memories collaborators in commemoration of the record’s 10-year anniversary. In his interview, Williams recounts his journey from being invited to be one of the album’s songwriters to eventually providing vocals for two songs on the final tracklist.

“When they brought me in to write on the album, I thought I was just writing for someone else,” Williams mused. “So, in my mind, I’m like, ‘Oh, okay, I’m writing this for someone. Okay, I think this is Michael-esque…’ It’s all feeling.”

That feeling resulted in “Get Lucky,” a seismic hit single that won two Grammys — including one for record of the year — and reached the top 10 of eight different Billboard airplay genre charts. Williams noted that while the songwriting process was fairly seamless, the recording process was particularly meticulous, with Daft Punk members Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo urging him to re-record certain sections several times over. “Now I understand the value of taking the time to iron it out, it could be perfection,” he says. “That’s the difference between a human and a robot.”

Williams also revealed that the road to “Get Lucky” was a bit longer than some might think. “By the time the song was done, I didn’t know who was gon’ end up singing it,” he recounted. “I didn’t hear it for a year, I forgot what the song sounded like — both of them.” “Both” is in reference to “Lose Yourself to Dance,” the other Random Access Memories track that Williams provided lead vocals for.

The rest of Williams episode also included footage of him hearing the final mixes of his Random Access Memories cuts and more reflective musings about what working with Daft Punk taught him about himself and the universe. “We must remember, we are part of the universe,” he said. “We don’t run the universe.”

Random Access Memories peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and won five Grammys, including the award for album of the year.

Additional guests in Daft Punk’s Memory Tapes series include album collaborators Julian Casablancas, Chilly Gonzales, DJ Falcon, Todd Edwards, Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams and Chris Caswell. Rodgers’ episode will debut on Oct. 25, while an interview with Williams & Caswell is set for Nov. 8.

Watch Pharrell Williams reflect on the making of “Get Lucky” above.

11 Oct 2023

Cher Denies Allegations She Plotted to Kidnap Her Son: ‘That Rumor Is Not True’

Cher is addressing the allegations that she hired men to kidnap her adult son Elijah Blue Allman.

Speaking to People about the claims made last year by his estranged wife, Marieangela King, in divorce documents, which alleged that the pop icon had sent four men to kidnap Allman from a New York City hotel room, Cher simply said, “That rumor is not true.”

The star declined to comment further on the event described by King, but she did tell the magazine that the family matter was related to her son’s substance abuse issues, which he has previously spoken about. “I’m not suffering from any problem that millions of people in the United States aren’t,” Cher said.

“I’m a mother,” she continued. “This is my job — one way or another, to try to help my children. You do anything for your children. Whenever you can help them, you just do it because that’s what being a mother is. But it’s joy, even with heartache — mostly, when you think of your children, you just smile and you love them, and you try to be there for them.” 

Though the kidnapping plot accusations were first made in court documents filed in December, the allegations recently surfaced amid ongoing divorce proceedings between King and Allman, whose father is late rock star Greg Allman. King alleged in her filing that Cher, concerned for Elijah’s well-being, hired four men to get her 47-year-old son out of the hotel where he was staying with King as the two worked to reconcile their marriage.

This holiday season will hopefully be more cheerful than last year for Cher and her family, especially as the Burlesque star gears up to release her festive upcoming album, Christmas. Her first ever Christmas album, the project will feature Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé, Cyndi Lauper and Tyga.

“They’re not ‘Christmas Christmas’ songs, OK, they’re just great songs,” she recently told Billboard of the LP. “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.”

11 Oct 2023

Britney Spears Shouts Out Backup Dancer Willie Gomez Before His ‘The Voice’ Audition

Willie Gomez may be used to dancing backup for Britney Spears, but on the Tuesday (Oct. 10) episode of The Voice, it was the star’s turn to support his moment in the spotlight.

Ahead of his blind audition, NBC’s long-running singing competition aired a video message from the Princess of Pop herself for the 37-year-old Miami native. “Willie is a dancer of mine, and not only is he a great dancer, but he is an amazing singer,” Spears gushes in the clip.

“I’m sending all my kisses to you,” the “Toxic” singer added, blowing a kiss. “Love you!”

Gomez has also danced for Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, Kesha and more pop icons, per his IMDb page. He seems particularly close with Spears, though, and even shared photos from her wedding to now estranged husband Sam Asghari last year on Instagram.

But on the latest episode of The Voice, it was Gomez’s turn to be the star. And no, he didn’t sing a Britney Spears song to impress coaches John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and Reba McEntire — all four of who turned around for his lively performance of Latin music star Manuel Turizo’s 2022 hit “La Bachata.”

“You can do all the things you need to do to be a big star,” raved Legend after Gomez finished the song. “It sounded like, ‘Oh, I can hear this guy making a record that would be huge.’ Latin music right now is just so big. It is pop music in a lot of ways.”

“I really think that you’re super gifted, super talented,” Stefani told Gomez, after which Horan jokingly accused her of flirting with the dancer-turned-singer.

“Blake, she is flirting his pants off,” the former One Direction star pretended to text Stefani’s husband, Voice veteran Blake Shelton.

Ultimately, Gomez went with Legend as his coach. Watch his full audition above.

11 Oct 2023

Watch BLACKPINK’s Jennie Deliver a ‘Jazz Version’ of ‘You & Me’

Less than a week after dropping off her second solo single, BLACKPINK star Jennie has unveiled a new “jazz version” of the lovestruck track. Released in a live performance video to the official BLACKPINK YouTube channel, the new version of “You & Me” shifts the song closer to an acoustic vibe than its dance-pop foundation.

Wearing a chic baby pink and black dress, Jennie sits atop a black stool in the center a dusky moonlit room as she delivers a heartfelt stripped-back rendition of “You & Me.” The song’s blaring synths are traded for twinkling piano keys and a less fussy arrangement that grants the singer ample space to show off her vocal chops. “I love you and me dancing in the moonlight/ Nobody can see, it’s just you and me tonight,” she croons as she performs for the camera.

Jennie released “You & Me” on Friday (Oct. 6). It’s her first solo release since 2018’s aptly titled “Solo,” which peaked at No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales. The K-pop star first performed the track almost exactly one year ago at the Oct. 15, 2022, opening concert of BLACKPINK’s Born Pink World Tour; the song went on to be a staple in the show’s setlist. A performance featuring an updated arrangement followed at Coachella this April.

In addition to touring with her bandmates and releasing new solo music, Jennie has also made major moves in the acting world this year. She starred alongside The Weeknd and Troye Sivan in Max’s music industry drama The Idol — which was co-created by The Weeknd, Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim, and directed by Levinson. Although Max decided not to renew the controversial show for a second season, fans will always have JENNIE’s contributions to its accompanying soundtrack. She joined forces with The Weeknd and show lead Lily Rose-Depp for an R&B-inflected track called “One of the Girls”; the song peaked at No. 183 on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart, becoming Jennie’s first entry on the ranking as a soloist.

Watch Jennie perform her jazzy version of “You & Me” above.