Music News

06 Sep 2023

NCT U’s ‘Baggy Jeans’ Tops Hot Trending Songs Chart

New music from NCT U, Nicki Minaj and ONE OK ROCK complete the top five of Billboard’s Sept. 16-dated Hot Trending Songs chart, powered by X.

Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by X (formerly known as Twitter), track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across X, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running Aug. 25-31.

NCT U’s “Baggy Jeans” leads the latest chart following its Aug. 28 premiere alongside the rest of NCT’s Golden Age – The 4th Album, a 10-track release largely comprised of songs from NCT U plus one (“Golden Age”) from NCT 2023.

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In the Aug. 25-31 tracking week, “Baggy Jeans” earned 555,000 official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

Two other NCT U songs make the top five in “Alley Oop” and “Kangaroo” at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively. “The Bat” (No. 6) and “PADO” (No. 7) also appear in the top 10.

The top-charting non-NCT U release, meanwhile, is Nicki Minaj’s “Last Time I Saw You,” which debuts at No. 2. Though it was released in full on Sept. 1, the song was teased via Minaj’s social media accounts beginning Aug. 25.

At No. 5 comes ONE OK ROCK with “Make It Out Alive.” The latest song from the Japanese rockers came out Aug. 29 and helps the band to its first Hot Trending Songs appearance.

Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.

06 Sep 2023

Drake Flaunts Massive Bra Collection From His It’s All a Blur Tour: See It

As Drake continues to truck his way through his It’s All a Blur Tour, he’s stockpiled a vast collection of bras thrown at him during his time on stage along the way, so much show that he flaunted them all in an Instagram post Wednesday morning (Sept. 6).

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An assortment of bras in different sizes and colors was on display, while in his Instagram Story, Drake showed members of his team emptying a bin filled with them. Of course, the 6 God quipped about his trophy case of bars on his feed and punctuated the post with unreleased lyrics: “Remember when we both forgot who the f–k I was in unison…that wavelength was def a foolish one.”

Recently, Drake showered a fan in Las Vegas with tremendous love when he gifted them $50,000 after learning they spent their furniture money to attend his concert over the weekend. “My manager is my DJ, right. Is he over there? He’s right there? You know what? My man, your furniture money, imma give you 50 bands tonight cause’ I love you,” Drake said after spotting the fan’s sign. “Make sure he gets his money tonight.”

Before his show in Las Vegas, Drake gave two female fans spendy bags — one got a Birkin, the other a Chanel — at different Los Angeles shows.

Check out Drake’s collection of bras from his It’s All A Blur Tour below.

06 Sep 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Sierra Ferrell & The War And Treaty Debut With Zach Bryan Features

Sierra Ferrell and The War And Treaty are both officially Billboard Hot 100-charting artists, thanks to their featured appearances on Zach Bryan’s new smash LP Zach Bryan.

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The set debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 200,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week (Aug. 25-31) in the U.S., according to Luminate. It’s the third No. 1 country album of 2023, so far, after Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time and Taylor Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and the first rock No. 1 of the year. (The set is categorized as both a country and rock album.)

Bryan’s “Holy Roller,” featuring Ferrell, debuts at No. 37 on the Hot 100 purely on the strength of its first-week streaming sum: 12.1 million U.S. streams earned. That total helps the song open at No. 20 on the Streaming Songs chart. Genre-wise, it also starts at No. 14 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and No. 17 on Hot Country Songs. (The Hot 100, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and Hot Country Songs charts all blend streams, sales and airplay data for their respective rankings.)

Ferrell, from Charleston, West Virginia, is a newcomer to Billboard’s charts. The country/folk/bluegrass singer-songwriter scored her first overall chart appearance in September 2021, when her third, and most-recent LP, Long Time Coming, reached No. 15 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart and No. 25 on Top Album Sales.

She’s returned to Billboard’s charts once since then with her featured appearance on Ray LaMontagne’s “I Was Born To Love You.” The song climbed to No. 38 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart in June 2022.

Outside of the charts, she’s released two additional solo LPs: Pretty Magic Spell in 2014, and Washington By The Sea in 2016. She’s also collaborated with Diplo (“Rain on My Mind,” also with Paul Cauthen), Shakey Graves (“Ready Or Not”), and Old Crow Medicine Show (“Belle Meade Cockfight”).

Next year, she’s scheduled to open for Bryan on his stops in Las Vegas and Denver on his Quittin Time Tour.

Bryan’s “Hey Driver,” featuring The War And Treaty, debuts at No. 14 on the Hot 100, also largely on the strength of its first-week streaming sum: 18.3 million U.S. streams, plus 1,000 downloads sold. The streaming sum also generates a No. 5 debut on the Streaming Songs chart. It concurrently debuts at No. 2 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and No. 5 on Hot Country Songs.

The War And Treaty are a husband-and-wife duo, based in Albion, Mich., comprising Tanya and Michael Trotter Jr.

The pair are relatively new to Billboard’s charts. The act first appeared on a chart in 2018 with its second studio album Healing Tide. The set climbed to No. 11 on the Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 26 on the Independent Albums chart. Two years later, in 2020, the couple notched its first song entry on Billboard’s charts with “Five More Minutes.” It peaked at No. 20 on Adult Alternative Airplay.

Since then, the act’s third and fourth albums both charted on the Top Current Album Sales ranking: Hearts Town reached No. 70 in October 2020 and Lover’s Game peaked at No. 56 in March.

Aside from the charts, the War And Treaty have also collaborated with Shovels & Rope (“Tomorrow”), Blues Traveler (“Need Your Love So Bad”), Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (a star-studded cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin,” also with Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle and Jason Isbell), and Dierks Bentley (a live cover of U2’s “Pride (In The Name of Love)”).

Outside of the War and Treaty, Tanya Trotter (née Blount) forged a successful career as a solo act in the ‘90s. She charted three solo songs on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list (billed as Tanya Blount): “I’m Gonna Make You Mine” (No. 57 peak in 1994), “Through The Rain” (No. 27; 1994) and “Hold On” (No. 66; 1995).

“Through The Rain” also crossed over onto the Hot 100, reaching No. 90 in October 1994. The track appears on Trotter’s sole solo album, Natural Thing (released via Polydor Records), which climbed to No. 58 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

She first rose to prominence after she was cast in the 1993 Whoopi Goldberg film Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit—as the role of Tanya. She has a breakout moment in the film, when she sings “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” alongside future No. 1 Hot 100 artist Lauryn Hill. The duet appears on the soundtrack to the film, which reached No. 74 on the Billboard 200 in 1994.

06 Sep 2023

The Chainsmokers Recreate NSFW Photo of Justin & Hailey Bieber in Their Underwear

Don’t ever say The Chainsmokers never took a creative risk. In anticipation of their upcoming single “Summertime Friends,” groupmates Alex Pall and Drew Taggart stripped down to their underwear to recreate a steamy photo originally taken by Justin and Hailey Bieber for a 2019 Calvin Klein campaign.

The picture finds Pall straddling Taggert, sitting on his bandmate’s lap as Taggert grips Pall’s rear-end. Tinted black and white, the snap shows the two men wearing no shirts, their Calvin Klein undies peeking out past the waistbands of their jeans.

“Summertime friends comes out this week and this was supposed to be the cover art but it came out ridiculous,” the pair joked in an Instagram post, sharing the photo alongside their reference photo of Mr. and Mrs. Bieber. “we are so upset. firing creative director immediately. never trusting our team again.”

The “Closer” band also shared a video of the photoshoot in action, writing in the caption: “it came out okay i guess.”

The photo parodies one of several shots from Calvin Klein’s 2019 50th anniversary campaign, which also starred Kendall Jenner, A$AP Rocky, Troye Sivan and more. The Biebers posed for content showing them dancing together and enjoying a makeout sesh for the campaign, all while modeling CK pieces.

At the time of publication, neither Justin nor Hailey have reacted to the tribute. The couple was recently spotted together at an event for the Rhode founder’s new lip product, after which the “Peaches” singer proudly posted photos of his wife on Instagram. “???baby girl with the @rhode @krispykreme STRAWBERRY GLAZEEE,” Justin captioned his post.

See The Chainsmokers’ hilarious parody of Justin and Hailey Bieber below.

06 Sep 2023

Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, The War and Treaty & More to Perform at 2023 Stand Up for Heroes

Stand Up for Heroes — New York’s annual event that honors the veterans, as well as their families, who have served in the in the military — has set its date and revealed star-studded list of performers for 2023. The event will return this fall on Nov. 6, and will take place the David Geffen Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

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The night will feature performances from Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, The War and Treaty and more. Stand Up for Heroes is presented by the Bob Woodruff Foundation and the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), and will additionally feature sets from comedians Jimmy Carr, Ronny Chieng, Shane Gillis, Tracy Morgan, Jon Stewart and actress Rita Wilson.

“I’m thrilled to announce the 17th annual Stand Up for Heroes, an amazing night of hope, healing, and laughter to honor our nation’s veterans and their families,” Woodruff said in a statement. “The evening will include a fantastic lineup of comedic and musical performances. Beyond that, Stand Up for Heroes will shine a light on the incredible service and sacrifice of our veterans, service members, and their families, and raise important funds to support the men and women who have had our back and who now need us to have theirs.”

Tickets for the event are offered in tiers, with the third tier tickets prices starting at $175 and going up to $5,000 for orchestra seating. Military personnel can purchase tickets using a GOVX discount; tickets can be purchased on the Bob Woodruff Foundation website or at Lincoln Center box office.

06 Sep 2023

A.I.-Generated Song That Mimics Drake & The Weeknd Submitted for Grammy Consideration

After the anonymous artist Ghostwriter went viral with their A.I.-generated track “Heart on My Sleeve” — which mimics Drake and The Weeknd — earlier this year, representatives for the unknown act recently disclosed in an interview with The New York Times that they submitted the controversial song for next year’s Grammy awards. 

Submitted for best rap song and song of the year, “Heart on My Sleeve” was eligible despite the use of A.I. technology on the record, Harvey Mason, jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, told The New York Times. “As far as the creative side, it’s absolutely eligible because it was written by a human,” he noted.

Billboard has reached out to Drake and The Weeknd for comment. 

Last April, “Heart on My Sleeve” was pulled from streaming services after generating more than 600,000 plays on Spotify and 275,000 views on YouTube. Following the outrage, Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, TIDAL and Deezer yanked the song from their respective platforms. In a statement to Billboard, UMG denounced the track and usage of A.I. by saying the viral postings “demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists.”

Mason told the paper that he sent Ghostwriter a direct message on social media after the song’s explosion and organized a virtual roundtable discussion with the Recording Academy to understand further the powers of A.I. Ghostwriter attended the meeting with a distorted voice, further hiding their identity. 

“I knew right away as soon as I heard that record that it was going to be something that we had to grapple with from an Academy standpoint, but also from a music community and industry standpoint,” said Mason. “When you start seeing A.I. involved in something so creative and so cool, relevant and of-the-moment, it immediately starts you thinking, ‘OK, where is this going? How is this going to affect creativity? What’s the business implication for monetization?’”

The Recording Academy announced Artificial Intelligence “protocols” earlier this year. “Only human creators are eligible to be submitted for consideration for, nominated for, or win a Grammy Award,” the Academy stipulated. “A work that contains no human authorship is not eligible in any category. The Academy may disqualify any entry in a particular category if it determines, in the Academy’s sole discretion, that such entry does not incorporate meaningful and more than de minimis human authorship that is relevant to such category. {The Academy offered a definition of that term: “De minimis is defined as lacking significance or importance, so minor as to merit disregard.”

On Tuesday (Sept. 5), Ghostwriter returned with a new A.I.-generated song titled “Whiplash,” featuring vocals that sound like Travis Scott and 21 Savage. The record mimics both artists and pokes fun at Ghostwriter’s detractors with lines such as “Me and Writer raise a toast/ Trying to shadowban my boy but you can’t kill a ghost.”

Billboard has reached out to reps for Scott and Savage. Listen to the song below.

06 Sep 2023

Miley Cyrus Says Her Divorce From Liam Hemsworth Came From ‘A Place of Love’

Miley Cyrus has clearly been having a good time revisiting some of the peak moments of her long career in the ongoing TikTok video series “Used to Be Young.” She’s reminisced about not making a dime on her Bangerz tour, the real story behind the “stripper pole” during her 2009 Teen Choice performance and recalled how Beyoncé and Rihanna treated her like a “little sister” the year before.

But in the latest clip posted on Wednesday morning (Sept. 6), Miley said she wanted to get serious for a moment while discussing the dissolution of her marriage to actor Liam Hemsworth. She revealed that around the time she was getting ready to headline England’s Glastonbury Festival in June 2019, the decision had been made that “me and Liam’s commitment to being married, just really… came from of course a place of love first because we’d been together for 10 years,” she said in part 37 of the series.

But, Cyrus added, it also came from a place of “trauma and just trying to rebuild as quickly as we could.” Cyrus said the day of the show was the same day she decided that “it was no longer going to work in my life,” in reference to the couple’s marriage.

“That was another moment when the work, the performance, the character came first,” she added, noting that since that time she’s dedicated herself to not prioritizing those professional things over the personal. “The human comes first,” she said.

Cyrus, 30, and Hemsworth, 33, met while filming her movie The Last Song in 2010 and got married in 2018, the split in August 2019 after less than one year as man and wife. In a “Used to Be Young” video posted last week, she reacted to a photo in which she was kissing Hemsworth, which sparked memories about the origins of their love.

“I think one of the elements that made that movie feel so special was it was watching two very young people fall in love with each other, which was happening in real time and real life,” she said. “So, the chemistry was undeniable and that was the beginning of a long, 10-year relationship.”

Watch Cyrus talk about her divorce below.

06 Sep 2023

Beyoncé Improvised a Voices Reference for Tia Mowry at Renaissance Show: See How She Reacted

Tia Mowry was left blown away by Beyoncé after the pop superstar improvised an impressive tribute to the 45-year-old actress’ childhood singing group Voices, just seconds after spotting Mowry in the Monday (Sept. 4) Renaissance World Tour audience.

The on-the-fly tribute came as Bey was singing “1 + 1” onstage, during which she clocked Mowry enjoying the show. After blowing Mowry a kiss, she seamlessly inserted a snippet of Voices’ 1992 song “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!” into her performance without even a second of pause: “Yeah, yeah, yeah, the boy makes me say.”

“From the beginning, Beyoncé’s undeniable talent is only rivaled by her incredible kindness and generosity,” Mowry wrote on Instagram after the concert, sharing a Destiny’s Child era photo of her meeting Bey with her twin sister and Voices bandmate Tamera Mowry. “You can truly see how amazing and detailed an artist she is, and how much thought and love was put into this show.”

The Sister, Sister alum also shared a snap of her metallic concert outfit, as well as a clip of her dancing along to the show. “The highlight of the night was when she saw me in the crowd, and she gave me a smile and a hello, and then started singing ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ from when @tameramowrytwo and I were in the singing group, Voices!” she continued. “I was so touched by her gesture, and I still can’t believe that it truly happened!”

“She’s a true icon, who continuously inspires me with her talent, dedication, humility, and beautiful spirit,” Mowry added.

The Twitches actress was just one of many stars who showed up to Beyoncé’s Monday concert in their best silver attire, with Lizzo, Kim Kardashian, Katy Perry and Adele all spotted by fans in the audience that night at SoFi Stadium. Some of Hollywood’s most famous couples were also in attendance, including Zendaya and Tom Holland, Justin and Hailey Bieber, and, making their public debut as a pair, Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner.

The show just so happened to coincide with Bey’s 42nd birthday, for which none other than Diana Ross came onstage as a surprise guest to help celebrate. The 79-year-old legend led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to the “Break My Soul” musician, who also commemorated the night with an emotional speech thanking her fans, family and former Destiny’s Child bandmates.

See the moment Beyoncé spotted Tia Mowry in the crowd at the Renaissance Tour below:

06 Sep 2023

Warner Music Group’s Interval Unveils New Podcast Series ‘Amplify Color’

Interval Presents, Warner Music Group’s in-house podcast network, is announcing the launch of its latest series. Amplify Color, premiering Sept. 13, will chronicle the history of Black radio in 14 episodes hosted by veteran Atlanta DJ, two-time Emmy winner and Black Radio Hall of Fame member Ryan Cameron.  

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“Stepping into the world of Amplify Color has been an electrifying experience,” said Cameron in a statement. “As someone deeply rooted in the radio industry, I’m honored to host this incredible series that unravels the dynamic stories of radio luminaries. This podcast is not just about radio history, but about the unbreakable spirit that has driven change and inspired countless individuals. Join us as we journey through the remarkable tales that have woven the fabric of Black radio.”

You can listen to it here.

The cast of radio luminaries delving into Black radio’s past, present and future includes pioneers and contemporary stars such as Jack L. Cooper, Petey Greene, Cathy Hughes, Dyana Williams, Tom Joyner, Mr. Magic, Stretch and Bobbito, Robin Quivers, Big Boy, Sway Calloway, Wendy Williams and Charlamagne tha God. Also on tap: a bonus episode featuring the aforementioned Cameron and Allan Coye, senior vp, digital strategy & business development and GM of Interval Presents at Warner Music Group.

“This series embodies our commitment to amplify diverse voices through premium storytelling and is a great overlap with the industry that Interval Presents lives in,” commented Coye. “It underscores the vital contributions of icons who shaped the radio industry by shedding light on their lasting impact.”

As noted, the first episode of Amplify Color will premiere Wednesday, Sept. 13, on all major podcast platforms. Subsequent episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays. The series is produced by audio-first media company Double Elvis.

Amplify Color Show Art

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06 Sep 2023

Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour Birthday Concert: Stars at the Show

When it’s the queen’s birthday, you make it to her performance by any means necessary. And that’s exactly what Hollywood’s biggest and brightest stars did when they descended upon SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., for the final night of Beyoncé’s three-night Renaissance World Tour mini residency.

With a seemingly endless guest list that included the likes of Meghan Markle, Viola Davis, Adele, Kerry Washington, Timothée Chalamet, Angela Bassett, Kim Kardashian, Lizzo, Zendaya, Quinta Brunson, Chris Rock and the legendary Diana Ross, a slew of stars came decked out in their finest silver and chrome fashions to help Beyoncé celebrate her 42nd birthday.

The superstar opened the show as usual with a stunning rendition of several of her signature ballads, including “Dangerously In Love,” “1+1,” and a stirring cover of Tina Turner’s “River Deep, Mountain High.” Before launching into a performance of “Flaws and All,” Beyoncé delivered an impromptu, tearjerking speech, in which she thanked her parents, her children, husband Jay-Z and her fans for all of their love and support throughout her life and career. “I just wanna say, I feel so full. My heart is full. My soul is full,” she gushed. “I’m so thankful, Imma tryna not to cry. I’m thankful to be alive. I’m thankful to be on the stage … I’m thankful to be able to provide a safe place for all of y’all. I’m thankful for music, and for the ability to heal myself through music, which then heals all of you.”

“America Has a Problem” remix co-star Kendrick Lamar appeared for the very first live performance of the track, donning a worker bee outfit to match Queen Bey’s custom Mugler bee bodysuit. The night’s other special guest? The Boss herself. Ms. Diana Ross took the stage to perform “Love Hangover” — a 1976 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit and ballroom staple that Beyoncé’s backup singers perform at each show — and sing “Happy Birthday” to the most awarded act in Grammy history.

“I’m thankful that I’m here, at f—n 42!” Beyoncé exclaimed. And aren’t we all?

In celebration of Queen Bey’s birthday, enjoy this gallery of all of the celebrities attendees at her very special Sept. 4 Renaissance World Tour show: