Music News

22 Sep 2023

Here’s How Houston Is Celebrating Beyoncé’s Homecoming Shows of the Renaissance World Tour

For the last few shows of her record-breaking Renaissance World Tour, Beyoncé is headed back home. The Houston-bred megastar is set to play two shows at the city’s NRG Stadium — just two days after gracing Arlington’s AT&T Stadium — and her hometown is pulling out all the stops in her honor.

According to a Sept. 21 KPRC 2 report, the Harris County Commissioners Court passed a resolution to temporarily rename itself “Bey County” in honor of Beyoncé’s first tour stops in Houston since 2016, when she graced the stage for her Formation World Tour.

On Sept. 19, the official X (formerly Twitter) page for the city of Houston tweeted a graphic announcing an event called “Hou Run The World” — a tribute to the “Breaky My Soul” singer in collaboration with Houston First and Central Houston, complete with a “homecoming party on the plaza.”

At her Thursday night (Sept. 21) show in Arlington, Beyoncé squealed, “It feels so good to be home! Texas girl!” Born and raised in Houston, both the city and the larger state of Texas have provided a sturdy foundation for Beyoncé’s personal life and a bevy of musical throughlines for her catalog — from country music to Southern hip-hop.

Beyoncé’s homecoming will also coincide with the launch of the Knowles-Rowland House, which was first teased back in June. On June 27, officials announced that Harris County would be collaborating with Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland to create 31 permanent housing units using $7.2 million in American Rescue Plan funds. “Initiatives like this one I certainly will be supportive of it no matter who’s behind it, but it’s especially interesting… because there are these names of Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland, who, of course, have been supportive of the community for a very long time,” Judge Lina Hildago said during a press conference.

Officials also teased an “even bigger launch” for the project — which will include case managers, peer specialists, service specialists and support services, like transportation, mental health and physical and behavioral health support — upon Beyoncé’s homecoming. Queen Bey was spotted with her mother Tina Knowles at the renovation celebration for the Knowles-Rowland House on Friday morning (Sept. 22).

The “America Has A Problem” singer is riding out the final four shows of the tour’s North American leg. According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Beyoncé earned $141.4 million in the first 12 Renaissance shows in the U.S. and Canada, selling 553,000 tickets and putting the tour’s figures at $295.8 million and 1.6 million tickets (as of Aug. 1). With more numbers yet to be reported, the Renaissance World Tour is already Beyoncé’s highest-grossing tour yet, passing 2016’s The Formation World Tour ($256.1 million) and 2018’s Jay-Z-assisted On the Run II Tour ($253.5 million).

22 Sep 2023

Tony! Toni! Toné! Recounts Band Name Origins, Proclaim ‘R&B Is Not Dead’: Watch

Although Grammy-nominated R&B trio Tony! Toni! Toné! — comprised of Raphael Saadiq, D’Wayne Wiggins and Timothy Riley — has been musically absent for nearly three decades, their impact can still be felt across popular music. One of the group’s members, producer Saadiq, lent a hand to two standout tracks from Beyoncé’s Renaissance album: the ballroom banger “Pure/Honey” and the Grammy-winning Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Cuff It” (No. 6).

From “Anniversary” to “Feels Good,” Tony! Toni! Toné!’s late ’80s to late ’90s run was one of the most seamless in R&B history. With music for every occasion, the trio is cemented not just in music history — but also in the hearts and traditions of Black audiences across generations. Newly reunited for their first headlining tour in 25 years, Tony! Toni! Toné! is in a mode of gratitude and reflection as group returns to the stage as some of R&B’s most beloved elder statesmen. In a new interview with Billboard, the trio recounts the origins of their band name, details the inspiration behind their reunion and surveys the state of new school R&B.

“I think it’s just a lot of nostalgic memories, people having kids to the music,” Saadiq muses when asked why he thinks the group’s music still resonates so deeply today. “We didn’t just put out a record and it was on the radio and we didn’t go to that market. We would stay in that market for, like, three or four days, so we met a lot of people, have a lot of friends. So people probably wanna bring their kids to see these three guys, and they have the opportunity now.”

Wiggins adds, “I guess you could call it the soundtrack to a lot of people’s lives.”

The group’s ability to simultaneously craft music that syncs with pivotal life moments and cultivate a sense of community with their audience has been a large part of why they remain so beloved. Tony! Toni! Toné! plans to continue those intergenerational efforts among their own families with the help of the forthcoming tour. Saadiq notes that while he doesn’t have any children of his own, he has a lot of nieces and nephews who “wonder why” he and his bandmates “might’ve been famous or popular.”

“I think it was time to come together and show them what we did … it’s important to see people come together,” Saadiq says.

Wiggins chimes in, “Twenty-five years later, it’s a lot of kids around us — our kids — that have never seen us together gettin’ down … it’s gonna be special!”

In addition to scoring a slew of seminal hit singles, the trio’s moniker is also an indelible part of their legacy. During the interview, they recounted how Tony! Toni! Toné! came to be. (Hint: It involves a critically acclaimed film.)

Check out the Billboard’s full conversation with Tony! Toni! Toné! — including their thoughts about the R&B scene today and more — above.

22 Sep 2023

Doja Cat, Zach Bryan, Shakira & More: What’s Your Favorite New Music Release of the Week? Vote!

Rap, country and Latin music decorate this week’s new music Friday, which features high-profile releases from Doja Cat, Zach Bryan, Shakira and more.

Doja Cat has made her highly anticipated return with new album Scarlet. After expressing a desire to turn her back on her pop roots — seen on past chart topping hits such as “Say So,” “Kiss Me More,” “Woman” and more — the rapper fully embraces rap on the set, while still keeping the infectiousness of her previous releases on select tracks. “Agora Hills,” much like the LP’s second single “Paint the Town Red,” is ripe for radio play, employing bouncy trap beats and and breathy vocal delivery for an intoxicating listen. “Shutcho,””Gun,” and “F–k the Girls (FTG)” particularly shine on the album, showing the rapper at her most boastful and confident.

Bryan surprised fans with a brand new EP, Boys of Faith, after previously teasing collaborations with Noah Kahan and Bon Iver. Those songs, “Sarah’s Place” and the EP’s title track, sees the steadily rising country star tapping into feelings of wistfulness and vulnerability, while “Nine Ball” serves as the real standout. On the track, Bryan details his complicated relationship with his father while helping him to win a billiards bet.

The highs for Shakira continue. The latest Billboard cover star, who is fresh off winning the Video Vanguard Award at the VMAs earlier this month, teams up with regional Mexican powerhouse Fuerza Regida on “El Jefe” to deliver a vivacious verse on the track, proving no matter the genre, the icon will always continue to soar to new career heights.

Blink-182 and Kylie Minogue also return with new material this week.

Which release is your favorite? Vote in the poll below.

22 Sep 2023

Luck Ra’s ‘La Morocha’ Leads Billboard Argentina Hot 100

Luck Ra secures his second No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart as “La Morocha,” featuring BM, ascends 3-1 to lead the Sept. 23-dated ranking. The song ejects Myke Towers’ “Lala” from the summit, with a 2-1 dip, after six weeks in charge.

Luck Ra previously landed in the penthouse for one week through “Ya No Vuelvas,” featuring La K’Onga and Ke Personajes (chart dated Feb. 18). BM, meanwhile, dominated for three weeks with “M.A. (Mejores Amigos),” with Callejero Fino, La Joaqui and Lola Indigo, in April. 

BM also pushes 5-3 with “Ni Una Ni Dos” for his second top 10 song on the current chart. 

This week’s Hot Shot Debut goes to Emilia’s “GTA.Mp3,” at No. 11. With the new recruit, the Argentinian achieves her 24th entry, the fifth-most among all women. Here’s the recap of the female acts with the most entries on Billboard Argentina Hot 100:

43, Maria Becerra
33, Karol G
30, Nicki Nicole
30, Tini
24, Emilia

Rappers YSY A and Bhavi add three new career entries each, all belonging to their latest joint album, Tu Duo Favorito. “Flechazo En El Centro” with Milo J, leads the debuts at No. 41. Meanwhile, Chilean rapper DrefQuila scores his first entry through the three-way collab “Tuuuyo” at No. 79, while “Sonido del Año” with Duki, bows at No. 81.

Elsewhere, Mesita captures his fourth entry with “Una Foto” at No. 71. 

Further, Ke Personajes score the Greatest Gainer honors as “Entre Beso y Beso” climbs 14 places, from No. 92 to No 78. 

Lastly, Diego Torres returns to the chart with “Mejor Que Ayer” at No. 93. 

22 Sep 2023

FIFTY FIFTY Releases ‘The Beginning’ EP: Stream It Now

After taking the internet by storm with their breakthrough single “Cupid,” FIFTY FIFTY‘s latest EP, The Beginning, arrived on Friday (Sept. 22).

The set — which contains tracks from the group’s EPs The Beginning: Cupid and The Fifty, as well as three tracks that are newly recorded — is available on seven physical variants for the first time. The original version one of the album comes in pink, with version two in orange. Exclusive variants for Target, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Amazon and D2C come in red, green, blue, yellow and purple respectively. Each version of the CD is also packaged with a 196-page booklet with two of four exclusive trading cards included inside.

Single “Cupid” — which is also included on The Beginning — earned FIFTY FIFTY its first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 in March. The track, propelled by its usage in videos on social media platform TikTok, continued to gain on the charts throughout the year before reaching a peak of No. 17 on the tally. In August, the K-pop group — which consists of members Sio, Saena, Aran, and Keena — released a new version of the single featuring Sabrina Carpenter.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

FIFTY FIFTY also participated in a big pop-culture moment earlier this year when the group was included on the Barbie movie’s soundtrack, Barbie The Album. The K-pop group’s contribution was “Barbie Dreams” featuring rapper Kaliii, the final tune on the soundtrack.

Listen to The Beginning below.

. 

22 Sep 2023

Zendaya Confirms She Isn’t Engaged to Tom Holland: ‘You Think That’s How I Would Drop the News?’

Spiderman and MJ won’t be walking down the aisle anytime soon. After sending fans into a tailspin earlier this week by posting a simple photo of her outfit — which she appeared to accessorize with a large engagement band on her ring finger — Zendaya has shut down rumors that she and her longterm boyfriend/ Spider-Man: Homecoming costar Tom Holland are planning on getting hitched.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“I can’t post anything, you guys,” she said in a video shared to her Instagram Story Thursday (Sept. 21), according to E News. “You think that’s how I would drop the news?”

The Euphoria star also emphasized that the ring seen in her photo was actually placed on her right hand, not her left. “I posted it for my hat,” she said, through fits of laughter. “Not for the ring on my right finger, you guys, seriously.”

In the original photo, Z snaps a pic of her reflection on what looks to be the side of a glossy car window. Her face concealed by her phone and a pair of black sunglasses, the 27-year-old singer-actress dons a Golden State Warriors cap, a gray short-sleeve tee and a pearl ring on her selfie-taking hand.

Holland and Zendaya have been dating for at least two years, with the 27-year-old Marvel actor confessing in a June interview that the former Disney starlet used to be his childhood celebrity crush. He also gushed that he was “locked up… happy and in love” and joked that he’d won over his girlfriend by playing the “long game.” “Probably making a movie with each other, definitely helps when the characters you’re playing are falling in love with one another,” he added. 

Later that month, Holland and Zendaya were spotted at Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour concert in Poland, and a video of the couple adorably singing along to “Love on Top” while looking into each other’s eyes went viral soon afterward.

22 Sep 2023

Sophie Turner Seen Hanging Out With Taylor Swift for Second Time in a Week Amid Joe Jonas Split

Taylor Swift and Sophie Turner are hanging out again in New York City, their second outing together this week amid the Game Of Thrones star’s split from Joe Jonas.

Just a couple nights after the two ladies were first spotted arm-in-arm outside Via Carota in the West Village, Swift and Turner were seen arriving separately at a restaurant in Tribeca Thursday evening (Sept. 21).

Fans on Twitter are absolutely living for the ladies’ repeated girls’ nights out. “taylor left dinner with sophie last night and was like ‘you know what? more of the girls need to hear the tea. are you free tomorrow’ and then boom,” joked one.

“Y’ALL. SOPHIE AND TAYLOR WERE TOGETHER AGAIN??” wrote another astonished fan.

It seems the pop star and actress are becoming fast friends IRL following years of supporting each other online, at one point crossing paths in 2019 as co-guests on The Graham Norton Show. The two do have a bit in common. For starters, they’ve both been in relationships with Jonas, who is rumored to be the subject of Swift’s “Mr. Perfectly Fine.” The pop superstar dated the Disney alum for a few months in 2008, and Turner married to him in 2019. After four years of marriage, however, the former couple posted a joint statement Sept. 6 confirming that they’d “mutually decided to amicably end” their relationship.

This week, in between spending time with Swift, Turner filed a lawsuit against Jonas, accusing him of preventing their 3-year-old and 1-year-old daughters from returning with her to their family home in England. Willa and her younger sister, whose name has not been made public, have been traveling with Joe and uncles Kevin and Nick on the Jonas Brothers’ ongoing world tour, a setup Turner insisted in her suit was “temporary.” In her filing, the actress also alleges that Jonas is refusing to relinquish their passports.

A rep for the musician denied Turner’s allegations in a statement to Billboard. “Joe is seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father, and is of course also OK with the kids being raised both in the U.S. and the U.K.,” the rep said. “This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending.”

22 Sep 2023

Dolly Parton Teams Up With Linda Perry For Moving ‘What’s Up?’ Video

Dolly Parton rolled out the latest song from her upcoming all-star debut rock record Rockstar (Nov. 17) on Friday (Sept. 22), a moving cover of the 1993 4 Non Blondes song “What’s Up?” And because the country legend was determined to make her first foray legit, she collaborated on the song with former Non Blondes singer Linda Perry.

The superstar songwriter/producer (Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Adele) also appears in the just-released video for the song, which was filmed at a Nashville elementary school on the hottest day of the year. “First of all, I love Linda Perry. Second of all, I love this song written by Linda,” Parton said in a statement about the song that perennially asks a question with no clear answer about the state of the world today.

“Third of all, I love being a part of this video to try to make people think about what’s going on in this world today,” Parton, 77, added. “Shout out to the little children that helped with the video! If our children don’t make it, then what will? Again, I ask ‘What’s Up?’ Enjoy.”

The visual for the poignant take on the tune finds Parton singing the song on a stage — with Perry gently strumming an acoustic guitar — as children from Nashville’s Eakin Elementary school sit at her feet. Parton has long supported childhood literacy through her Imagination Library project, which has distributed more than 200 million books since 1995.

“How is one supposed to react when the greatest and most prolific songwriter in the world wants to cover a song YOU wrote?,” Perry said in a statement. “Her version of ‘What’s Up?’ is so good. Her spin on it made me feel like it was her song. No surprise there. Being on set making the video was a comfortable easy experience. The vibe on set was chill and Dolly and I got to catch up and laugh a lot. I could go on and on, obviously I’m a fan!” 

The Perry track is the latest preview of the anticipated 30-song collection (21 covers, 9 originals), following last month’s Paul McCartney/Ringo Starr-assisted cover of the Beatles’ “Let It Be,” originals “World on Fire” and “Bygones” (featuring Judas Priest’s Rob Halford), as well as covers of Queen’s “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions”) and Heart’s “Magic Man.”

Among the rock world luminaries joining Parton on the album are: Sting (“Every Breath You Take”), former Journey singer Steve Perry (“Open Arms”), John Fogerty (“Long as I Can See the Light”), Joan Jett (“I Hate Myself For Loving You”), goddaughter Miley Cyrus (“Wrecking Ball”), Debbie Harry (“Heart of Glass”) and Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo (“Heartbreaker”), among many others.

Watch Parton and Perry’s What’s Up? video below.

22 Sep 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Breaks Adult Contemporary Chart Records With 25th Week at No. 1

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” breaks a pair of records on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.

The single adds a 25th week at No. 1 on the ranking (dated Sept. 30), solely claiming the longest command for a song by a woman, surpassing Adele’s “Easy on Me” in 2021-22.

Meanwhile, with both hits on Columbia Records, “Flowers” passes “Easy on Me” for the longest Adult Contemporary reign for a song released by the label over the chart’s history.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Adult Contemporary Chart:

  • 36, “Girls Like You,” Maroon 5, beginning Nov. 10, 2018
  • 35, “Blinding Lights,” The Weeknd, Nov. 7, 2020
  • 28, “Drift Away,” Uncle Kracker feat. Dobie Gray, June 7, 2003
  • 25, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, April 15, 2023
  • 24, “Easy on Me,” Adele, Nov. 13, 2021
  • 24, “Shape of You,” Ed Sheeran, May 6, 2017
  • 22, “Perfect,” Ed Sheeran, Feb. 24, 2018
  • 22, “Hey, Soul Sister,” Train, July 3, 2010
  • 21, “Hello,” Adele, Nov. 28, 2015
  • 21, “Breakaway,” Kelly Clarkson, March 12, 2005
  • 21, “A New Day Has Come,” Celine Dion, March 30, 2002
  • 20, “Memories,” Maroon 5, March 21, 2020
  • 20, “Just the Way You Are,” Bruno Mars, Feb. 5, 2011

The Adult Contemporary chart ranks titles by weekly plays on a panel of 85 adult contemporary radio stations. The tally began in Billboard‘s pages (as the “Easy Listening” chart) on July 17, 1961; once Luminate data began powering the chart exactly 32 years later (July 17, 1993; airplay is now provided to Luminate by Mediabase), lengthy reigns became much more common than before.

“Flowers” previously topped the mainstream top 40-based Pop Airplay chart (which began in 1992) for 10 weeks and the adult top 40-focused Adult Pop Airplay ranking (which dates to 1996) for 17 frames – the most atop the latter list among songs by women.

Notably, the single’s combined 52 weeks, or a full year, atop Adult Contemporary (25), Adult Pop Airplay (17) and Pop Airplay (10) mark the most for a song by a woman. Overall, only two hits have logged longer cumulative reigns on the three charts: The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” (61 weeks) and Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You” (55); 51 songs have led all three lists.

“Flowers” launched at No. 1 on the all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100 in January and ruled for eight weeks. It’s from Cyrus’ album Endless Summer Vacation, which debuted at its No. 3 best on the Billboard 200 albums chart in March, marking her 14th top 10.

All charts dated Sept. 30 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Sept. 26.

22 Sep 2023

Joe Jonas Wishes Parents at Jonas Brothers Concert ‘Best of Luck’ Amid Sophie Turner Divorce & Lawsuit

It’s no secret that Joe Jonas is going through a rough spot in his parenting journey amid his recent split from Sophie Turner, who filed a lawsuit Thursday (Sept. 21), alleging that her estranged husband has “wrongfully retained” their two young daughters and preventing their return to England. That same day the actress’ lawsuit was filed, Jonas performed in concert with brothers Nick and Kevin at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center — and while he didn’t address the drama head-on during the show, he did take a moment to give a shoutout to all the other parents in the room.

“This next one is all about being a parent,” the 34-year-old musician told the Jonas Brothers’ crowd, according to People, as he introduced the band’s song “Little Bird.”

Then, after asking whether there were “any parents in the house,” the DNCE frontman added, “If you’re trying to have kids, best of luck. We’re rooting for you.”

Jonas’ remarks come just weeks after he filed for divorce from Turner on Sept. 5, soon after which he admitted to having had a “tough week” while performing at a Sept. 9 Jo Bros show. “I just want to say, look, if you don’t hear it from these lips, don’t believe it,” he added at the time, speaking to fans in the crowd at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium.

Shortly after the “Sucker” singer’s divorce filing, in which he called his marriage to Turner “irretrievably broken,” he and the Game of Thrones actress posted a joint statement to social media confirming that they’d “mutually decided to amicably end” their relationship following “four wonderful years of marriage.” In the weeks since, however, things have gone from “amicable” to messy, with Turner alleging in her new lawsuit that she found out about Jonas’ divorce filing “through the media.”

The actress also accused Jonas of refusing to give her their daughters’ passports, thus blocking the 3-year-old and 1-year-old from returning to the family’s home in England. Both children have dual citizenship in the U.K. and U.S., but Turner’s suit claims that she and Jonas had both previously agreed to establishing the England estate as their family’s “permanent residence.” Her lawsuit also states that Jonas and Turner agreed “with hesitation” that the kids would travel on tour with their father (and the family’s nanny) because he had more free time during the day than Turner, but that the arrangement was only “temporary.”

In a statement to Billboard, a representative for Jonas denied Turner’s claims, and said that the former couple had met Sunday in New York to discuss an “amicable co-parenting setup.” “Joe is seeking shared parenting with the kids so that they are raised by both their mother and father, and is of course also OK with the kids being raised both in the U.S. and the U.K.,” the said. “This is an unfortunate legal disagreement about a marriage that is sadly ending.”

Meanwhile, Turner has been making waves via her recent public outings with Taylor Swift (who herself dated Jonas more than a decade ago). The two women were spotted out to dinner in New York City twice this week, once on Tuesday (Sept. 19) and again on Thursday (Sept. 21).

Watch a clip of the Jonas Brothers performing “Little Bird” in Philadelphia below: