Music News

30 Aug 2023

Charli XCX Explains Why She Unfollowed Rina Sawayama on Instagram

Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama are not fighting. On Wednesday (Aug. 30), Charli took to X, formerly known as Twitter after she was criticized for unfollowing her “Beg for You” collaborator on Instagram.

On social media, fans noticed that Charli — who has openly supported and Sawayama throughout the years — unfollowed the “STFU!” singer on Instagram. On Tuesday, Charli tweeted “messy era,” which then caused feud rumors to circulate online.

Fans suspected that a possible feud between Charli and Sawayama dates back to when Sawayama used her set at the Glastonbury Festival on June 24 to seemingly call out The 1975‘s frontman Matty Healy, who came under fire at the time for making comments that mocked Asians and other marginalized groups on a February episode of The Adam Friedland Show. (Charli’s current boyfriend, George Daniel, is Healy’s longtime friend and is the drummer for The 1975.)

“I wrote this next song because I was sick and tired of these microaggressions. So tonight, this goes out to a white man that watches ‘Ghetto Gaggers’ and mocks Asian people on a podcast. He also owns my masters,” she said during her Glastonbury set. “I’ve had enough!”

After the alleged feud began trending on X, Charli, Sawayama and Healy all became trending topics on the platform Wednesday, which Charli used as an opportunity to clear the air.

“Look – this all got a bit crazy – me and Rina spoke about things on the phone just now. My unfollowing (which happened a couple of weeks ago) was over a personal disagreement between friends which we’ve now spoken about <3>

Neither Sawayama or Healy have commented on the matter.

See Charli’s tweets below, as well as fan reactions to the situation, below.

30 Aug 2023

Trace Cyrus Says He’d Be ‘More Successful’ If He Wasn’t Part of His Famous Family

Trace Cyrus is opening up about his famous family, which includes father Billy Ray Cyrus, and sisters Miley Cyrus and Noah Cyrus.

The Metro Station musician reportedly posted a Q&A to his Instagram Stories on Monday (Aug. 28), where he revealed that he believes his career would have taken off more if it weren’t for his well-known family. “I love my family so much, but I think I’d be much more successful if I wasn’t part of a famous family. People immediately want to judge me and discredit all my hard work because of who I’m related to. But that’s so far from the truth. I got a record deal without anyone from my label even knowing who I was related to ’til after they signed me,” he said of his former pop-rock band.

Trace added that he “never put my last name online anywhere for the first years of my career until people started finding out.”

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Earlier this week, Trace took to Instagram to share a photo from his mother Tish Cyrus’ wedding to actor Dominic Purcell. In the sweet snap, he’s seen smiling with his arms around his mom and sisters Miley and Brandi. “I feel extremely blessed to be part of such an amazing family,” he captioned the post. “Congrats to my my mom on a beautiful wedding. Life is unpredictable & always full of changes. I think the most important thing to do is cherish the past, look forward to the future, & always be happy in the present moment because that’s really all we have. Yesterday is gone & tomorrow is never promised. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my mom so happy & that makes me genuinely happy. I love you @tishcyrus.”

30 Aug 2023

LEO Talks New Single ‘One Look,’ Being Inspired by Drake, Bryson Tiller & More: Watch

LEO’s star is on the rise. The K-pop idol made his first appearance at KCON LA earlier this month, and backstage, he caught up with Billboard News to share who some of his musical inspirations are, his reasons for getting into the K-pop genre and what’s on the horizon for his career.

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Host Tetris Kelly enquired about what LEO’s typical day looks like since signing to 131LABEL, to which the budding star replied, “We’ve been busy just making music. We’ve had a lot of sessions and filmed a music video, song’s out a few days ago so it’s been busy.”

LEO moved from Australia to Korea to kick-start his career in the music industry, inspired by his love for the K-pop genre. “Obviously I was inspired a lot by Korean culture, Korean music, so it was a natural [thing],” he explained.

The Korean music inspiration resulted in his latest single, “One Look,” which he shared has been positively received by his fans. “A lot of people have been showing it a lot of love, so I’m very happy,” LEO added.

As for his American music inspirations, LEO flocks to artists in the R&B and hip-hop genre, stating that his “favorite artists are Drake, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Bryson Tiller, just to name a few.”

LEO concluded the interview with a sweet message to his fans: “Thank you for listening to ‘One Look,’ showing it a lot of love. Thank you for supporting me, and I can’t wait to see you guys on stage.”

Watch his full interview with Billboard News in the video above.

30 Aug 2023

Bad Bunny Celebrates 1 Billion Spotify Streams for ‘Tití Me Preguntó’: ‘Nothing I Say in That Song Is a Lie’

Bad Bunny is the latest artist to celebrate their streaming success by visiting Spotify’s newly launched Billions Club series. The Grammy-winning global superstar stopped by the series to enjoy a “Billions Brunch” with some of his closest friends and collaborators.

“The feeling of having 1 billion streams for this song right now is the same emotion I felt when I got 5,000 plays for the first time,” Bad Bunny said. “For me, it’s just as big knowing that there are people who want to listen and want to enjoy what you make.”

The song in question is “Tití Me Preguntó,” a track from his historic Un Verano Sin Ti album that officially reached 1 billion Spotify streams on Jan. 23. According to Spotify, Bad Bunny has 12 songs with more than 1 billion streams each on the platform — more than any other artist in Spotify history. He has accumulated 58 billion streams on the service, reigning as Spotify’s most-streamed artist of the year for the past three years.

In the video, Bad Bunny feasted on a lavish meal set on several plaques that commemorated his other songs with over 1 billion Spotify streams, including “Yonaguni,” “Dákiti” (with Jhayco) and “MIA” (with Drake). In addition to basking in his recordbreaking streaming success, the “Después de la Playa” singer also recounted the story behind the creation of “Tití Me Preguntó.” When tasked with telling the story of the song in 10 seconds, he replied, “That’s impossible. That’s a lifetime of love and romance.”

“It’s a song that was born very spontaneously,” he added. “All of the people mentioned in the song exist in real life. Nothing I say in that song is a lie, including the part where I say I want to fall in love, but I can’t.”

Nonetheless, Bad Bunny declined to specify which aunt he was singing about, because “they’ll get jealous and create a mess.”

Toward the end of his Billions Club episode, Bad Bunny made sure to thank his fans for their continued support, as well as his mother and father for believing in him “not just in music, but with every decision [he’s] made” in his life.

Bad Bunny has earned 11 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including his sole No. 1 single “I Like It” (with Cardi B & J Balvin). On the Billboard 200, he has notched five top 10 projects, two of which have reached the ranking’s summit: El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo (one week) and Un Verano Sin Ti (13 weeks).

30 Aug 2023

Aerosmith’s New ‘Greatest Hits’ Compilation Reigns on Top Hard Rock Albums

Aerosmith’s latest best-of package, Greatest Hits, debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart dated Sept. 2.

In the Aug. 18-24 tracking week, Greatest Hits earned 19,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., according to Luminate. That sum includes 10,000 units from album sales. (Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums [TEA] and streaming equivalent albums [SEA]. Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album.)

Released Aug. 18, Greatest Hits is the band’s first such compilation that spans Aerosmith’s full discography since its entire catalog was collected at Capitol/UMe. Previously, the group’s catalog was housed at two labels — Sony’s Columbia and Universal’s Geffen. Columbia released the act’s studio albums from its debut in the 1970s through 1982, and again from 1997 through 2012. Geffen released Aerosmith’s studio sets from 1985 through 1993.

The new Greatest Hits is easily confused with the band’s first best-of set, Columbia’s Aerosmith’s Greatest Hits, released in 1980. The latter covered the rockers’ biggest hits to that point, followed by a reissue in 1997 that added more material through 1988.

The newest Greatest Hits is available in multiple iterations, including a standard 10-track edition (on vinyl), an 18-track edition (on CD, vinyl and digital download), a 20-track edition (on vinyl) and a 44-track edition (on CD, vinyl, digital download and streaming services). All versions are combined for tracking and charting purposes. On the 44-track edition, 23 of the band’s 28 Billboard Hot 100 hits are represented, including all eight of its top 10s.

Greatest Hits is Aerosmith’s second Top Hard Rock Albums No. 1 since the chart’s 2007 inception, following Music From Another Dimension, which reigned for a week in November 2012. It’s the band’s final album of new material to date.

The new compilation also starts at Nos. 4 and 7 on Top Rock Albums and Top Rock & Alternative Albums, respectively.

On the all-format Billboard 200, Greatest Hits bows at No. 36. It’s Aerosmith’s 31st entry on the ranking, dating to its first, its self-titled debut, which started at No. 190 in October 1973 and peaked at No. 21 in April 1976.

It’s also Aerosmith’s 21st top 40 on the Billboard 200. Of those, Big Ones (1994, No. 6 peak), O, Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits (2002, No. 4) and Devil’s Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith (2006, No. 33) were also best-of compilations.

Concurrently, “Dream On,” one of the 44 songs featured on Greatest Hits, jumps 7-5 on the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart with 4.2 million official U.S. streams, up 3%, according to Luminate. The song was Aerosmith’s first chart hit, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1976.

30 Aug 2023

Selena Gomez Seemingly Takes Down Instagram Post After Getting Accused of Breaking SAG-AFTRA Strike Rules

Selena Gomez shared a photo this week, in which she tagged her Hulu series Only Murders in the Building, but seemed to have taken it down after she was accused by her followers of breaking SAG-AFRTA strike rules, according to Variety.

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SAG-AFTRA’s strike rules prohibit members from promoting work in interviews or social media posts during the ongoing protests, and while Gomez did share a video of the Only Murders set, she didn’t speak in the video or encourage viewership in the caption (“Missing and wanting,” she wrote alongside the post). She did tag the official account for the TV show. However, it is unclear if that is a breach of the rules.

Billboard has reached out to Gomez’s reps for more information on the post that was up for only 15 hours.

It’s otherwise been an exciting week for Gomez, who released her new song, “Single Soon,” on Friday (Aug. 25), along with a breezy music video. “Y’all have been asking for new music for a while,” she wrote on Instagram announcing the song a week prior to its release, sharing the track’s glamorous cover art. “Since I’m not quite done with SG3, I wanted to put out a fun little song I wrote a while back that’s perfect for the end of summer.” The star hasn’t released a full-length album since 2020’s Rare, though she did drop her all-Spanish EP Revalación the following year. 

30 Aug 2023

Oliver Anthony Music Says Discourse Surrounding ‘Rich Men North of Richmond’ Is ‘Really Funny to Watch’

Oliver Anthony is still reeling off the success of his breakout hit, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” which is currently enjoying its second week atop the Billboard Hot 100 albums chart. In a rare interview, the 31-year-old singer joined the Joe Rogan Experience podcast to share more about how the whirlwind past week has felt.

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“I’m the subject matter the last couple of weeks,” he shared of the political discourse surrounding his song, with both right-wing and left-wing supporters taking stabs at what the song represents. “People are just trying to find out who’s this Oliver Anthony guy, and where does he work, and who did he vote for, and what’s his family like and yada yada. They want to build this image of whatever it is that the person behind the song represents, for better or for worse.

“It’s really funny to watch on my end, because obviously, I know what’s true and what’s not,” he continued. “There’s there’s been hundreds of hours of people’s time wasted probably talking about all these little like things that don’t even exist. Somebody made them up, put them on the Internet. So, I’m just letting it ride. I just think it’s great. At least the last couple of weeks, I think I’ve been able to entertain everyone and get everyone’s mind off like all the all the other horrible stuff that’s going on in the world right now. Like, at least everybody can have a good laugh.”

Anthony also shared more about his background and how he got into music later in life. “The problem for me was I knew that I needed to do this. I procrastinated with music a long time,” he explained. “I mean, I’m 31 and I’ve been playing guitar and singing on and off since I was a kid. My grandma was in a band years ago and, I was like five and I used to sit with my grandma and we’d watch The Dukes of Hazzard  and watch Waylon Jennings pick that guitar — I had no idea who Waylon Jennings was, but I just fell in love with that. I grew up listening to that 70s country and she loved all the old stuff, like the 50s and 60s and even in the 70s, even, you know, Janice [Joplin] and all that. She really introduced me a lot into music when I was a little kid. I just kind of held on to it, but never pursued it the way I should.”

Watch the full interview clip below.

30 Aug 2023

Billboard Español and Michelob Ultra Team Up for Inaugural Latin Music Week Partnership

Today, Billboard Español announced the brand’s first official beer partnership with Michelob ULTRA will kick off at Billboard Latin Music Week, the longest-running and biggest Latin music industry gathering in the world, with events presented by Michelob ULTRA featuring Fonseca, Mike Bahía, and Greeicy. Michelob ULTRA will also serve as the first-ever official beer of the week-long event that will return to Miami, FL on October 2 – 6, 2023 spotlighting Latin’s top artists, actors, influencers, and industry leaders. Registration is now open at BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.

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The inaugural partnership will expand Billboard Español and Michelob ULTRA’s as supporters of the Latin music community. Rooted in Michelob ULTRA’s key messaging “It’s Only Worth It If You Enjoy It” or “Solo Vale La Pena Si Lo Disfrutas,” the partnership will feature a series of unique, music-focused moments with iconic singers that have shaped the Latin music community and paved  the way for the genre’s recent rise in global popularity. These moments will range from bespoke concert experiences, to immersive activations, to artist-led video storytelling that highlight the various ways artists create moments of joy in addition to their music. 

During Billboard Latin Music Week, Michelob ULTRA will present a fireside chat with seven-time Grammy Award winning Colombian singer and composer, Fonseca.  Known for his fusion of traditional Colombian sounds with rock, pop and symphonic music, the beloved artist will unveil another side of himself unveiling his life passions and what brings him joy outside of music.

Michelob ULTRA will also present two En Vivo Concerts during the week:

  • October 2nd – Headlined by Colombian singer and actress Greeicy alongside husband and Latin Grammy Award winning singer and songwriter, Mike Bahia, at the Faena Theatre
  • October 6th – Finale concert headlined by Fonseca at Oasis Wynwood

In addition, Michelob ULTRA will invite attendees to enjoy an interactive video booth to share their favorite moments and what brought them joy during Billboard Latin Music Week.  As the official beer partner, Michelob ULTRA and Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold will be served to guests 21+.

Throughout Billboard Latin Music Week, Billboard Español and Michelob ULTRA will capture exclusive content with Fonseca, Mike Bahía, and Greeicy for custom videos that will convey the spirit of each artist and offer unique insight into the Latin community. The artist-led videos will explore the history of their careers, personal relationships, unpack personal moments where they’ve struggled and felt the most triumphant, and more. Each branded video will be released by Billboard Español as part of the ongoing partnership later this Fall.

“Our partnership with Michelob ULTRA was born from our shared vision to celebrate the very best of Latin music,” said Leila Cobo, Chief Content Officer of Billboard Latin/Español. “Latin music is synonymous with joy and together our two brands have the opportunity to create unique experiences at Latin Music Week that tap into our audience’s passion points, especially the love of music.”

“At Michelob ULTRA, we pride ourselves on creating unique and immersive experiences for music fans to come together and enjoy the artists they love”, said Ricardo Marques, Vice President of Marketing, Michelob ULTRA. “Through this partnership with Billboard Latin Music Week, we’re excited to celebrate Latin culture through music in a way that inspires joy for all.”

The 2023 edition of Billboard Latin Music Week will feature an expansive programming lineup with one-of-a-kind performances at the ‘En Vivo’ Concert Series, exclusive panel conversations, workshops, showcases, networking opportunities, and more. Featured recently announced participants include Arcángel, Chencho Corleone, Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, Edgar Barrera, Eladio Carrión, Feid, Fonseca, GALE, Grupo Frontera, Maite Perroni, Manuel Turizo, Maria Becerra, Myke Towers, Natanael Cano, Nathy Peluso, Nicki Nicole, Peso Pluma, Santa Fe Klan, Shakira, Vico C, Yng Lvcas, and Young Miko, with more to be revealed. For more information on Billboard Latin Music Week and the latest updates, visit BillboardLatinMusicWeek.com.

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ABOUT BILLBOARD 

Billboard is a global music media brand, with a renowned authority among artists, fans, and the industry at large. Billboard powers the ultimate global music destination and magazine, featuring unrivaled reporting on music news, issues, trends, and the industry’s definitive charts, encompassing the most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. Billboard also produces elite conferences and events which regularly convene influential industry stakeholders and consumers around important conversations.

ABOUT MICHELOB ULTRA

Introduced in 2002, Michelob ULTRA is the No. 2 beer in the industry by volume. With just 95 calories, 2.6 carbs and no artificial flavors or colors, it is a superior light beer that celebrates the active, balanced lifestyle of its drinkers that includes both fitness and fun. Michelob ULTRA’s choice of grains and extended mashing process leads to its refreshing taste and fewer carbohydrates. It is brewed with the finest barley malt, rice, hops, and a pure-cultured yeast strain, all of which reflect Anheuser-Busch’s commitment to brewing quality. Michelob ULTRA reminds you to always drink, and sweat, responsibly.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis

Christina Canseco, Pipere Boggio, Ally Maldonado, Jose Saucedo 

BillboardLatinMusicWeek@ssmandl.com 

Billboard 

Hannah Woodard

hwoodard@pmc.com 

Michelob ULTRA

Peter Martin

PMartin@webershandwick.com 

Elayza Gonzalez

EGonzalez@webershandwick.com

30 Aug 2023

Simon Cowell Says His 9-Year-Old Son Is ‘Serious’ About Wanting to Audition for ‘Britain’s Got Talent’

Simon Cowell‘s 9-year-old son Eric has caught the performance bug. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight after the America’s Got Talent season 18 qualifying rounds on Tuesday (Aug. 29), the judge revealed that his son has a passion for music and wants a shot at making it big on a talent contest.

“[He’s] decided he’s going to audition for Britain’s Got Talent … I think he wants to be in a rock band. He loves Green Day,” Cowell told the outlet.

Unfortunately, Cowell is not exactly not thrilled by his son’s career of choice. “That’s going to be total torture,” the former X Factor judge continued. “I mean, of all the things I’ve ever done, this will probably be the hardest, because he does play drums. [He’s] going to drum and sing! I went, ‘Oh God, no.’”

As for Eric’s Britain’s Got Talent aspirations, his father added that “he’s really serious about it. I don’t know what it is. Maybe because all these kids are auditioning and now he wants to be up there with his friends … I think, hopefully, he’ll be sitting there in 10 or less years time.”

Eric has a mentor in his father. Cowell has previously signed artists including Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, One Direction, Fifth Harmony, Labrinth and more to his now-defunct Syco Music label. In the meantime, Cowell says Eric is “a great barometer” for helping his dad find talent on AGT.

“Well, it’s brilliant because he’s to my left, so I always look over, and, you know the really crazy act tonight, who was, like, swallowing swords?” Cowell said. “[Well] he’s jumping up and down in his seat literally and he’s making me laugh so much.”

30 Aug 2023

Paris Jackson Says Trolls Tell Her to ‘Kill Myself’ for Not Posting on Dad Michael Jackson’s Birthday

Tuesday, Aug. 29, would’ve been Michael Jackson‘s 65th birthday, but instead of celebrating it, some have been criticizing his daughter, Paris Jackson, the 25-year-old shared in a video posted to Instagram.

“Today’s my dad’s birthday and back when he was alive, he used to hate anybody acknowledging his birthday, wishing him a happy birthday, celebrating it, nothing like that. He actually didn’t want us to even know when his birthday was because he didn’t want us to throw a party or anything like that,” she began in the clip uploaded Tuesday. “That being said, social media is apparently how people express their love and affection these days, and if you don’t wish someone a happy birthday via social media, it apparently means you don’t love them, you don’t care about them.”

“There are times when I don’t post anything for my dad’s birthday and people lose their f–king minds — they tell me to kill myself, and they’re basically measuring my love for my own father based off of what I post on Instagram,” continued the singer-actress before cutting to a video of herself opening for Incubus at the band’s Cedar Rapids, Iowa, show earlier in the day.

The video-within-a-video reveals that she did indeed pay tribute on the late King of Pop’s birthday, just not how some people think she should’ve. While on stage, Paris tells the audience that the “Beat It” singer would’ve turned 65 this year. “He put 50 years of blood, sweat and tears and love and passion into doing what he did so that I could stand up here on stage in front of you and scream into a microphone,” she shared. “So I owe everything to him.”

The video then cuts back to Paris, who offered some thoughtful suggestions on how fans can honor the 13-time Grammy winner in a way he would’ve loved. “My suggestion would be, you know, there’s always ways to get involved with raising awareness for climate change, doing stuff for the environment, animal rights activism. These were things that he loved and he was very interested in,” Paris said. “And so if you wanna pay homage and honor him on his birthday, that would be my suggestion.”

Michael Jackson died at age 50 on June 25, 2009, of acute propofol intoxication. The autopsy report noted that he was otherwise healthy at the time of his death. His physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was found guilty in the overdose death of the pop superstar, and was sentenced to four years behind bars.

The late musician is also dad to sons Prince and Bigi (formerly known as Blanket).

Watch Paris Jackson’s video addressing her critics below: