Music News

28 Aug 2023

Iggy Azalea Says She Had to Cut Show in Saudi Arabia Short After Serious Wardrobe Malfunction

Iggy Azalea had to cut short her headlining set in Saudi Arabia on Friday night at the Gamers8 e-sports event after suffering a wardrobe malfunction. According to People, in a since-deleted X post, the “Money Come” rapper said that local authorities told her she could not finish her show after her pants split mid-performance.

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“Saudi Arabia please know to everyone at the show tonight… I LOVE YOU,” the “Fancy” rapper wrote. “And I’m soooooo sorry I wasn’t allowed to finish my show. It’s not the promoter who put on the show’s fault so show them kindness because they are amazing people and we all wanted to continue but were not allowed by authorities because of my pants splitting.”

In a follow-up, Azalea responded to a fan’s question about why she wasn’t allowed to just change pants by explaining that she did change her bottoms, but then accompanied that with an onstage comment that allegedly “sent authorities over the edge.”

The statement in question, Azalea said, was her imploring, “‘Ladies, make some noise, it’s a woman’s world.’” The rapper assured her fans she was fine either way. “I’m cool I just didn’t want the fans to be sad or angry at the show organizers cause it wasn’t their control or mine it was the police at the side of stage,” she added. According to People, Azalea also briefly shared a clip of the pants splitting on Instagram and an image of the ripped pants.

A video posted by a fan appeared to show the incident, in which Azalea knelt down on the stage on her knees in black vinyl leggings, with the left leg appearing to split from mid-shin to her upper groin. Saudi Arabia’s immigration website states that the official dress code for women in the predominantly Muslim country calls for them to “cover as much flesh as possible to avoid drawing unwelcome attention.” The Visit Saudi Arabia site adds that tourists are not expected to wear the same attire as locals, or to cover up to the same extent, “but it’s highly recommended that you dress modestly.”

The performance came right after Iggy dropped her new single, “Money Come,” which was accompanied by a video in which Azalea and her female cohorts stage a hostile takeover of an office, blasting the male corporate structure and making the men in office mud wrestle for her entertainment.

See one of the tweets below.

28 Aug 2023

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Donates $1 Million to Jackson State University: ‘I Wouldn’t Be Here If It Wasn’t For HBCUs’

Sean “Diddy” Combs never forgot the advice his grandmother gave him, and over the weekend he put her words into action with a major donation to an HBCU (historically black college or university). “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for HBCUs,” Combs wrote on Instagram on Sunday (Aug. 27), along with a video of the hip-hop mogul presenting a $1 million check to the Jackson State University Development Foundation in honor of in Jackson, Mississippi.

“It is my honor and my responsibility to support the HBCUs! The work they are doing is to be commended! My grandmother raised me to sow my seed in my community and that’s what I’m going to continue to do!!” he added in the caption to the video taken between the first and second quarters of Jackson State’s decisive victory on Saturday against South Carolina State.

Combs, 53, had pledged the donation at the 2022 BET Awards while accepting a lifetime achievement award, saying he planned to donate $1 million to another HBCU, Howard University — where he was a student for two years before leaving to intern at Uptown Records — as well as Jackson State; in 2016, Diddy pledged $1 million to his alma mater to establish the Sean Combs Scholarship Fund.

“As someone who went to Howard University and understands the invaluable experience of attending historically Black colleges and universities, it’s important that we all do our part to protect and preserve their legacy,” said Combs of the donation. “This contribution to Jackson State isn’t just about making a financial donation, it’s about giving back to a part of our culture that has changed countless lives and assuring HBCU’s receive the support they deserve.”

“This contribution by one of the world’s greatest and most influential entertainers and businessmen is another historic moment in the legendary history of Jackson State University,” said JSU’s director of athletics/VP Ashley Robinson. “Beyond the financial investment, it’s what it represents that is paramount – the belief in the value of our football student-athletes both on and off the field, which provides an elite pathway to current and future successes.”

Watch the check presentation below.

27 Aug 2023

Florence Welch Reveals She Had Emergency Surgery: ‘It Saved My Life’

Florence Welch, the lead vocalist of Florence + The Machine, has shared that she has undergone life-saving, emergency surgery. The news comes after the band canceled its festival appearances that were scheduled for this weekend.

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“I’m so sorry that I had to cancel the last couple of shows. My feet are fine, I had to have emergency surgery for reasons I don’t really feel strong enough to go into yet, but it saved my life,” Welch wrote on Sunday (Aug. 27) in an update posted on Instagram.

She told fans, “And I will be back to close out the Dance Fever tour in Lisbon and Malaga. (Maybe not jumping so much but you can do that for me.)”

“Suffice to say I wish the songs were less accurate in their predictions,” said Welch. “But creativity is a way of coping, mythology is a way of making sense. And the dark fairytale of Dance Fever, with all its strange prophecies, will provide me with much needed strength and catharsis right now.”

Florence + The Machine had called off an Aug. 25 performance at Zurich Openair and an Aug. 26 performance at Rock en Seine due to medical advice, the band previously announced to fans.

The group unfortunately also had to cancel tour dates last fall, when Welch broke her foot and was told not to perform in order to prevent further damage.

See her latest note below. Florence + The Machine’s most recent album, Dance Fever, was released in May.

27 Aug 2023

Bad Bunny Shares Steamy Shirtless Selfie and More Recent Photos

“Benito” was trending all over social media after Bad Bunny shared several personal photos on Sunday (Aug. 27). The picture that had most people talking? A selfie in which the Puerto Rican star bares almost everything.

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In the pic, Bad Bunny has a cell phone blocking his face, but his bare chest, arms, abs and even part of his groin are on display. The mirror selfie as posted is dark and shadowy — more of a silhouette of Benito — but little was left to the imagination when fans started lightening the image and reposting it.

Bad Bunny’s photo dump on Instagram Stories also included shirtless workout and baseball-playing pictures and snapshots from a trip out in nature. There’s a clip of someone, whose voice some are guessing is Kendall Jenner’s, chasing a squirrel.

The Un Verano Sin Ti hitmaker has reportedly been dating Jenner since early this year, with their relationship heating up in the spring.

The pair looked cozy in April while at Coachella together, and in May, they were seen sitting courtside at a Lakers game together. Earlier this month, Bad Bunny and Jenner were captured on video in full couple mode at a Drake concert in Los Angeles.

Scroll through Bad Bunny’s latest photos via Instagram Stories here.

27 Aug 2023

Adele Stops Show to Scold Security Bothering a Fan: ‘Can You Leave Him Alone, Please?’

Adele will stop singing to stand up for her fans.

The superstar paused her Las Vegas concert in the middle of performing “Water Under the Bridge” Saturday night (Aug. 26) to question what was happening in the crowd at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

“What is going on there with that young fan who’s been bothered so much since I came on for standing up?” she called out to the Weekends With Adele audience, as seen in fan footage from the show. “What’s going on with him? Yes, you, with your hand up, yes you!”

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“Why are you all bothering him?” she asked. “Can you leave him alone, please? They won’t bother you anymore, darling. You enjoy the show. Leave him alone.”

She then addressed the rest of her fans in attendance, saying, “Sorry, guys. He’s been bothered the whole show by security and other people sitting behind him. He’s here to have fun. All of you are here to have fun.”

“Let’s start again,” Adele announced, and the band started from the top of “Water Under the Bridge.”

Taylor Swift also came to a fan’s defense in the middle of a performance on her current tour. At her May 13 Eras Tour stop in Philadelphia, Swift interrupted her performance of “Bad Blood” to shout “She’s fine!” and “She wasn’t doing anything!” between song lyrics. “Hey! Stop!” she yelled out to a reportedly aggressive security guard, before continuing on with the song.

Watch Adele’s moment in Vegas below.

27 Aug 2023

Fans Choose Miley Cyrus’ ‘Used to Be Young’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

Miley Cyrus‘ latest song “Used to Be Young” has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 25) on Billboard, choosing the 30-year-old superstar singer’s reflective single as their favorite new music release of the past week.

“Used to Be Young” brought in nearly 42% of the vote, beating out new music by Selena Gomez (“Single Soon”), BLACKPINK (“The Girls”), Ariana Grande (Yours Truly 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition), Zach Bryan (Zach Bryan), and others.

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The past decade of Cyrus’ life has been filled with highs, lows and criticisms — all for public consumption. Such is the subject of her latest ballad, “Used to Be Young.” The vulnerable track sees the Disney Channel alum reflecting on her headline-worthy past, while allowing herself much needed forgiveness to move on to the next phase of her life.

“You tell me time has done changed me / That’s fine, I had a good run,” she admits, tapping into the pop balladry that she’s utilized her entire career, from “The Climb” to “Wrecking Ball” to “Flowers.”

Cyrus gave some insight into writing the song in an Instagram post revealing the lyrics, writing, “I have spent the last 18 months painting a sonic picture of my perspective to share with you. The time has arrived to release a song that I could perfect forever. Although my work is done, this song will continue to write itself everyday. The fact it remains unfinished is a part of its beauty. That is my life at this moment … unfinished yet complete.”

“Used To Be Young” marks the singer’s first piece of new music since the release of her eighth album, Endless Summer Vacation, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 in March, and arrived alongside its own Backyard Sessions via Disney+.

Trailing behind “Used to Be Young” on the poll is Gomez’s new track “Single Soon,” which brought in 33% of the vote. The Rare Beauty founder shows off her fun and flirty side on the song, as she muses on the many ways to break up with her lover — notes, phone calls and ghosting are all options — so she can be carefree, untethered and most importantly, unbothered.

See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.

27 Aug 2023

P!nk Pays Tribute to Her Late Dad on 2nd Anniversary of His Passing: ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’

P!nk is honoring her loving father on the second anniversary of his death.

The 43-year-old pop veteran took to social media on Saturday (Aug. 26) to share some heartfelt words about her late dad, Jim Moore, who she lost to cancer in August 2021. He was 75.

“I miss you, Dad. The kids do too. Sometimes I hate how time flies,” P!nk, whose real name is Alecia Moore, captioned a video on Instagram. “Sometimes I hate how we have to be funny in order to avoid the hurt. Today it isn’t funny. Today it just hurts. I’m glad you don’t anymore though. You don’t hurt.”

The brief clip shows P!nk’s jovial father playing in a restaurant alongside what looks to be the singer’s 6-year-old son, Jameson Moon Hart, when he was a toddler.

She continued in her post, “I hope they still call you twinkle toes and that you’re still getting out of line. I hope you’re singing along. I hope you’re making everyone laugh. I hope you feel this love … gone but not forgotten, Daddy Sir.”

P!nk — who also shares a 12-year-old daughter, Willow, with husband, former motorcross star Carey Hart Carey Hart — revealed two years ago that her dad passed away following a battle with prostate cancer.

Earlier this year, P!nk paid tribute to her father in a sentimental post on Valentine’s Day that included a snippet from her latest album, Trustfall.

“Sometimes love leaves us too soon. On Valentine’s Day — I cherish the love I have that I can touch — and the love I have in my heart for those who have gone on to the next adventure,” she wrote alongside a 30-second video preview of the song “When I Get There.”

“This one’s for you, Daddy Sir,” she added, using her affectionate nickname for the Vietnam veteran, who provided voiceover for the clip. “I thought it would be nice if you had some memories of how it all began and where you all came from,” Moore said over images of P!nk hugging her dad, as well as a montage of school pictures of the singer from childhood through her teen years and film of her parent’s wedding.

“It’ll always be so important to all of us,” Moore said before revealing footage of the singer on her first birthday as the song’s majestic piano bed swells up. “I think of you when I think about forever,” P!nk sings amid a montage of video of her and her dad together. “I hear a joke, and I know you would’a told it better/ I think of you out of the blue.”

See P!nk’s tribute to her late dad on the second anniversary of his death below.

27 Aug 2023

Travis Scott’s ‘Utopia’ Spends a Month at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart

Travis Scott’s Utopia makes it a month at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated Sept. 2), as the set spends a fourth total and consecutive week in the lead. The effort earned 161,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 24 (down 13%), according to Luminate. Utopia surpasses Astroworld as Scott’s album with the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

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Utopia is also the first rap album to spend its first four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in five years, since Drake’s Scorpion logged all five of its weeks at No. 1, from its debut frame (July 14-Aug. 11, 2018). The last rap set with four weeks at No. 1, in total, was Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, which tallied five nonconsecutive frames at No. 1 between Sept. 18 and Nov. 6, 2021.

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, Hozier scores his third top 10-charting album as Unreal Unearth launches at No. 3, while J-Hope’s year-old Jack in the Box album reaches the top 10 for the first time, as it re-enters the list at No. 6 following its expanded reissue and debut on CD in multiple collectible iterations.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. 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. The new Sept. 2, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Aug. 29. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Utopia’s 161,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Aug. 24, album sales comprise 92,000 (down 7%), SEA units comprise 69,000 (down 20%, equaling 92.07 million on-demand official streams of the streaming set’s 19 songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum (down 19%). For a second week in a row, the album’s sales profit from a promotional offer in Scott’s official webstore, which deep-discounted the Utopia vinyl LP (available in multiple variants) from $50 to only $5 for a limited time. Of Utopia’s 92,000 sales for the week, vinyl accounted for 89,000.

Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 91,000 equivalent album units earned (down 4%).

Hozier captures his third top 10-charting set — all of which have reached the top five — as Unreal Unearth debuts at No. 3. The album bows with 62,000 equivalent album units earned. Of that sum, album sales comprise 39,000, SEA units comprise 23,000 (equaling 29.58 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 16 songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album was preceded by the hit single “Eat Your Young,” which marked Hozier’s third No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart (May 20-dated list).

Unreal Unearth’s first-week album sales were bolstered by vinyl sales, which accounted for 60% of its opening-week sales figure (23,000 of 39,000). The album was released in five different vinyl iterations, including exclusive color variants for Amazon, independent record stores and Hozier’s official webstore.

The Barbie soundtrack is steady at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 55,000 equivalent album units (down 15%), while Taylor Swift’s former leader Midnights climbs one spot to No. 5 with 53,000 units (down 8%).

J-Hope’s year-old Jack in the Box album bounces back onto the list for its first week in the top 10 (and second week on the chart), as it re-enters at No. 6 with 50,000 equivalent album units earned (up 5,107%). The album was originally released on July 15, 2022, and debuted and first peaked at No. 17 on the July 30, 2022, chart. It was reissued with additional bonus tracks on — and on CD for the first time — on Aug. 19, 2023. The set initially was released only as a digital download album and through streaming services.

Of the set’s 50,000 units earned in the week ending Aug. 24, album sales comprise 47,000 (up 13,238%), SEA units comprise 2,000 (up 250%, equaling 2.99 million on-demand official streams of the set’s tracks) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (up 44,125%). The CD edition of the album was available in four collectible editions, including exclusive versions for Target and Walmart, all containing assorted branded merchandise (some of which was randomized).

J-Hope is the third member of BTS to score a top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200, following his bandmates RM and Jimin. RM reached the top 10 in 2022 with Indigo (peaking at No. 3) and Jimin reached No. 2 with Face earlier this year. BTS itself has logged seven top 10s, with six reaching No. 1.

Two more chart-topping Swift sets follow J-Hope, as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) falls 5-7 (48,000 equivalent album units earned; down 21%) and Lover dips 7-8 (46,000; down 14%). Peso Pluma’s Génesis descends 8-9 (nearly 45,000; down 4%) and Wallen’s former No. 1 Dangerous: The Double Album is steady at No. 10 (43,000; down 3%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

27 Aug 2023

Ariana Grande Shares ‘Baby I’ Live Performance from London in Celebration of ‘Yours Truly’ 10th Anniversary: Watch

Ariana Grande is continuing her week-long celebration of the 10th anniversary edition of her debut album, Yours Truly, with a brand new live performance.

On Sunday (Aug. 27), the 30-year-old pop star and actress released a newly recorded live version of “Baby I,” filmed alongside a full band and mini orchestra in London. The new clip follows similar live recordings of Yours Truly core tracks “Honeymoon Avenue” and “Daydreamin’.”

Released as the second single from her debut album, “Baby I” debuted at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 2013. It followed the top 10 track “The Way,” featuring Mac Miller.

At the time of its release, Grande told Billboard that she wanted the “Baby I” video to recall the breeziness of early ’90s music videos from TLC and Will Smith. The “Baby I” clip does just that, showing the singer sporting some choreographed moves, belting in front of graffitied walls and even wearing white overalls. There’s also a house party with giant Crayola crayons.

More Yours Truly live performance videos are on their way, with “Tattooed Heart” and “Right There” arriving on Tuesday (Aug. 29) and “The Way” on Wednesday (Aug. 30). Grande also answered fan questions in a Q&A video on TikTok over the weekend.

The audio tracks for all six of the live performances have already been released as part of the Yours Truly anniversary edition, which dropped Friday (Aug. 25). Grande also uploaded all the tracks to YouTube, after which fans quickly noticed a subtle tribute to Miller, her “The Way” collaborator and late ex-boyfriend.

Released Aug. 30, 2013, through Republic Records, Yours Truly served as the world’s proper introduction to the pint-sized star with major pipes who, up until then, had only been familiar to tweens as the star of Nickelodeon’s Victorious, its spinoff Sam & Cat and Broadway’s 13.

Watch Grande’s “Live From London” performance of “Baby I” below.

27 Aug 2023

Killswitch Engage’s Tour Bus Collides With Elk in Sweden: ‘Take Nothing for Granted’

Killswitch Engage‘s tour bus collided with an elk as the rock band was driving to an appearance at In Flames’ Dalhalla Brinner festival in Rättvik, Sweden, on Friday (Aug. 25).

Frontman Jesse Leach took to Instagram shortly after the terrifying experience to share a video of the large vehicle’s shattered windshield and pen a deep reflection about the incident.

“You never know what tomorrow holds take nothing for granted,” Leach began his post. “This is the scene I woke up to yesterday morning around 6am. Thankfully no one was seriously injured.”

The vocalist goes on to say that the group’s driver “sustained some torn ligaments and was shaken up for sure but he is ok,” and that the elk sadly didn’t survive the collision.

Leach continued, “I don’t carry fear with me when I travel as it would do me no good. However seeing this definitely put some fear in me, not so much for my safety but thought of losing some one I love (or someone being injured seriously). It washed over me as we pulled away in a passenger bus. I felt the tears fall on my face as I thought about the ‘what could’ve been.’”

The frontman also reflected on other touring bands that have gone through similar incidents while on the road.

“I think of my friends out here who do this and the hardworking crews who are out here away from family and loved ones. Sleeping in a vehicle on highways of the world,” Leach wrote. “The cost can be high when living this life. The moments of beauty and triumph can be suddenly interrupted by suffering and loss.”

The singer concluded his heartfelt message by encouraging fans to keep in mind the difficult conditions that musicians and their crew members go through while on tour.

“We live a different life and it isn’t always easy. Rock n Roll can take its toll and often times it comes to collect when you least expect it,” he wrote. “Just so grateful it wasn’t worse than it could’ve been.
Don’t take life for granted you never know what tomorrow holds for you.”

See Leach’s full post about the incident on Instagram below.