Music News

18 Aug 2023

Quavo, Hozier, Doechii, Addison Rae & More: What’s Your Favorite New Music Release of the Week? Vote!

Rap, soul and pop are all at the forefront of this week’s new music Friday, which features long-awaited releases from Quavo, Hozier, Doechii, Addison Rae and more.

The remaining Migos members continue to feel the grief over the passing of Takeoff. The weight of the loss is ever present on Quavo’s new album, Rocket Power — Takeoff was nicknamed “The Rocket” — and its sprawling 18 tracks. The rapper’s soulful side is highlighted on “Hold Me,” which takes its listeners down memory lane, but the set isn’t only about reflection — it also celebrates life as a whole, as seen on the Future-assisted hit “Turn Yo Clic Up” and “Stain” with BabyDrill. Quavo goes beneath the surface of the project, making it one of — if not his best — releases as a soloist.

Hozier also returns with new album Unreal Unearth, the follow-up to his first No. 1 effort, Wasteland, Baby! The new release had some of his fans worried for its accessibility, pertaining to its Dante’s Inferno inspirations and passages sung in Irish Gaelic, but in the final result, both diehards and casual alt-rock listeners aren’t left out, with tracks such as “Eat Your Young,” the Brandi Carlile duet “Damage Gets Done” and stunning closer “First Light” decorating the tracklist.

If there’s anything that Doechii knows how to do, it’s make a dance-ready banger. “Shawty, what it is?/ Bring that a– to the club,” Doechii demands on new single “Booty Drop,” which serves up a dose of party vibes before the summer comes to a close. It’s a release that fits in nicely with the opening spots she has on Doja Cat and Ice Spice’s upcoming tour.

Addison Rae, Anitta and FIFTY FIFTY alongside Sabrina Carpenter also return with new material this week. With so much new music to choose from, we want to know which is your favorite. Vote in our poll below.

18 Aug 2023

Rapper Young Capone Dead at 35 After Being Reported Missing

Young Capone, known for songs “What It Iz,” “Lights, Camera, Action,” “Dope Boy Fashion” and more, has died at 35. The rapper’s death was confirmed dead by his publicist, Aleesha Carter, on Wednesday (Aug. 16) via Instagram.

“This is with a heavy heavy heart that I’m even posting this. We made magic when we strategically put out projects, always,” she wrote, sharing a series of videos from Capone’s career. “‘Young Capone, aka Dopeboy Ra, aka Rara, was one of my first Hip Hop/ Rap clients, and I can’t believe the news I just got of his unexpected passing! A friend…a client and just huge in East Atlanta. This is not the easiest post at all. Rest easy, RIP.”

The news comes after the rapper — a protegé of Jermaine Dupri — was reported missing, and was last seen in Chicago. No cause of death was shared in Carter’s statement.

After news broke of Young Capone’s death, Dupri shared a picture of the rapper on Instagram and captioned it with four dove emojis, tagging the late artist’s Instagram account. He also soundtracked the post with the rapper’s Daz Dillinger collab “I’m Hot.”

Capone, real name Rodriguez Smith, earned a name for himself in East Atlanta during the mid 2000s in the underground hip-hop scene, working with Daz Dillinger and Dupri on material before getting signed to Dupri’s So So Def record label. After his signing, he released 2006’s “Lights, Camera, Action.”

As Young Capone, he released two mixtapes: 2010’s Look Who’s Back and 2011’s Paper and Politics. Under Dopeboy Ra, he collaborated with T.I.’s Hustle Gang collective on its 2017 album We Want Smoke. Capone’s final release, SlumMade 2.0, was released in December.

See Carter’s statement below:

18 Aug 2023

Madonna Says It’s ‘Great to Be Alive’ After European Birthday Celebration

Madonna celebrated her 65th birthday this week, and the Queen of Pop is bouncing back better than ever after her recent hospitalization.

The iconic pop star took to Instagram on Friday (Aug. 18) to share a montage of clips from her birthday celebration in Portugal. “It’s great to be Alive………… .. and Amazing to Be able to put on my dancing shoes and Celebrate my Birthday!” she captioned the post. “I’m So Grateful. Thank you Lisbon and to all who made it possible!”

“I’m going to wreck the place with my jewels. Be in my background, live in my background, stay in my background,” Madge tells the camera in the video, rocking big diamond-encrusted sunglasses before a montage of her luxurious birthday activities rolls to the tune of her 1990 classic, “Vogue.” She’s seen with her friends enjoying a boat day, riding horses on the beach, dancing, having dinner and singing to Elton John’s “Your Song.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

See the post here.

In June, Madonna spent several days in the hospital due to a bacterial infection. The hospitalization has forced the star to put her massive, career-spanning Celebration tour on pause, though rescheduled dates have already been announced.

Madonna released her first statement after her hospitalization in July, thanking fans for their positive energy and assuring that she’s feeling better. “I have felt your love. I’m on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life,” wrote the 65-year-old singer

18 Aug 2023

Anitta, Mon Laferte & More: What’s Your Favorite New Latin Music Release? Vote!

This week, our New Music Latin roundup — a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums, and videos recommended by Billboard Latin and Billboard Español editors — is powered by new music from Mon Laferte, Maluma, RBD, Ha*Ash and Anitta, to name a few.

Chilean singer-songwriter Mon Laferte delivered a slow, deep, sad song about a young woman who leaves her hometown to pursue her dreams and promises her mother to come back for her, as described by the singer herself. “This story is my story,” she explained in a press statement. “I juggled through a lot to be here in Mexico for years. Just a year after my grandmother died, things started to go well for me, so I was never able to fulfill that promise.”

The cumbia track, which was leaked ahead of time, is the first single off her upcoming album.

Separately, Anitta has unleashed her carioca funk trilogy: Funk Generation: A Favela Love Story. On the three-track release, the Brazilian superstar brings all back to her foundations with “Funk Rave,” “Casi Casi” and “Used To Be” for the ultimate trifecta.

Other notable releases this week include Ha*Ash and Reik’s first collaborative effort in “Te Acuerdas,” Maluma and Carin Leon’s “Según Quién,” Carlos Vives and Juanes’ new anthem “Las Mujeres” and RBD’s “Cerquita De Ti” — the group’s new single, which drops ahead of their tour kicking off Aug. 25.

Last week, Karol G’s “Mi Ex Tenía Razón” won the reader poll with more than 57 percent of the votes. What’s your favorite new Latin music release of the week? Vote below!

Purchase tickets to the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week here.

18 Aug 2023

These Taylor Swift Songs Were Used in ‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ Season Finale & Fans Are Devastated

The emotional season two finale of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty definitely hurt to watch — but it was especially painful if you’re Team Conrad, and even more so if you’re a Swiftie.

Two of the most devastating songs in the Taylor Swift canon were used in Thursday night’s (Aug. 17) season closer — Folklore‘s Bon Iver collaboration “Exile” and Midnights deluxe track “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”– making moments where leading lady Belly breaks Conrad’s heart or says goodbye to a dying Susannah all the more gut-wrenching. And while the episode definitely had its fair share of happy moments (particularly for Jeremiah supporters, iykyk), one of the only things fans could talk about afterward was the evil genius of using Swift’s songs so strategically.

The use of “Exile” was a particular standout, simply because of how perfectly it described the scene at hand. Belly, played by Lola Tung, ends things for good with her ex-boyfriend, Chris Briney’s Conrad, and instead chooses to be with his brother Jeremiah, portrayed by Gavin Casalegno. Belly and Conrad’s main issue as a couple was their inability to communicate or fully understand each other, as reflected in each word of “Exile”: “I never learned to read your mind (never learned to read my mind)/ I couldn’t turn things around (you never turned things around)/ ‘Cause you never gave a warning sign (I gave so many signs).”

“actually footage of me when exile started playing in the summer I turned pretty,” tweeted one fan, sharing a video of someone literally plunging a knife into their TV screen.

“THEY DID NOT PUT ‘bigger than the whole sky’ OVER THAT SCENE,” wrote another, referencing the moment in the episode when Belly visits her unofficial second mom Susannah, played by Rachel Blanchard, for the last time shortly before Susannah passes away from cancer.

In the song, Swift describes a loss that’s just as indescribable and hard to process as Belly’s loss of her close family friend: “Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye/ You were bigger than the whole sky/ You were more than just a short time.”

This is far from the first time The Summer I Turned Pretty music supervisors have used Swift’s discography this season; in fact, the “Anti-Hero” singer’s music has been featured heavily throughout both installments of the show, which is based on Jenny Han’s novels of the same name. Tracks like “Lover,” “False God” and “The Way I Loved You (Taylor’s Version)” were included in the series’ debut season, while season two has boasted “august,” “Back to December (Taylor’s Version),” “Snow On The Beach,” “Sweet Nothing,” “Last Kiss (Taylor’s Version),” “Delicate,” “This Love” and more.

Luckily, fans have some time to recover before the next season of The Summer I Turned Pretty arrives, almost inevitably bringing with it more sad, beautiful, tragic Swift synch placements. The show was officially renewed for a third season, though work on the next chapter won’t begin until the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes are resolved.

See the best reactions to The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s double Swift knockout below:

18 Aug 2023

TWICE’s Jihyo Releases Debut Solo EP ‘ZONE’: Stream It Now

Jihyo is in the zone. On Friday (Aug. 18), the TWICE vocalist released ZONE, her debut solo EP featuring collaborations with 24kGoldn and Heize.

Jihyo had been steadily teasing and promoting the release of her debut solo project. The EP’s lead single, “Killin’ Me Good,” saw two snippets of its production process released in late July, along with the tracklist and another teaser by the end of the month. By Aug. 10, Jihyo had shared a video on YouTube that found her performing live snippets of each ZONE track on stage. “Killin’ Me Good” eventually saw its official release on Aug. 18.

ZONE features production contributions from the likes of J.Y. Park and Shawn Wasabi, as well as three self-penned songs. Jihyo also celebrated the release of her solo EP by debuting the official music video for “Killin’ Me Good,” which has already racked up more than three million views in less than a day at press time.

The arrival of ZONE comes in the midst of an already successful year for Jihyo. With TWICE, she was a part of the first female K-pop group to headline NFL and MLB stadiums. The global phenoms played and sold out New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium as a part of their Ready to Be World Tour, which boasts nearly 40 dates across Asia, North America, Europe and Australia.

TWICE has earned four top 10 titles on the Billboard 200, dating back to 2021’s Taste of Love. “The Feels,” their first original English-language single, is their highest charting Billboard Hot 100 hit (No. 83). Ready to Be, the group’s 12th EP and highest charting title in the U.S. to date, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with over 153,000 album-equivalent units.

Listen to ZONE below:

18 Aug 2023

ITZY, Mammoth WVH & TOMORROW X TOGETHER Debut in Top 10 on Album Sales Chart

ITZY, Mammoth WVH and TOMORROW X TOGETHER all debut in the top 10 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Aug. 19) with their latest efforts, while Mac Miller’s Swimming surges 77-10 after the release of its fifth anniversary vinyl reissue.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

At No. 1 on Top Album Sales, Travis Scott’s Utopia holds for a second week (37,000; down 85%) after bowing atop the list a week ago. NewJeans’ 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ is a non-mover at No. 2 with 27,000 (down 31%).

ITZY’s Kill My Doubt bows at No. 3 with 23,000 copies sold, marking the Korean pop act’s fourth top 10-charting set. As is typical with many K-pop projects, the set was issued in collectible CD packages (14 different versions in all) that contain branded merchandise (including randomized elements).

Rock act Mammoth WVH scores a No. 4 debut with its second album, Mammoth II. It launches with just over 20,000 copies sold and follows the act’s self-titled set, which debuted and peaked at No. 2 in 2021.

Taylor Swift’s chart-topping Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) rises 4-5 with 20,000 sold (down 14%) and the Barbie soundtrack is a non-mover at No. 6 with 14,000 (down 30%).

TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Sweet starts at No. 7 with 14,000 sold. The Japanese-language project was issued in four collectible CD iterations and grants the Korean act its sixth top 10-charting title on Top Album Sales.  

Rounding out the top 10 on the new Top Album Sales chart are two former No. 1s from Swift (Folklore moves 9-8 with 11,000; up 5% and Midnights rises 10-9 with 10,000; up 11%) and Mac Miller’s Swimming. The latter flies 77-10 with 10,000 sold (up 409%) after the release of a fifth anniversary vinyl edition of the album. The set debuted and peaked at No. 2 in 2018.

In the week ending Aug. 10, there were 1.788 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 13% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.447 million (down 9.8%) and digital albums comprised 341,000 (down 24.2%).

There were 655,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Aug. 10 (down 9.7% week-over-week) and 782,000 vinyl albums sold (down 9.9%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 21.59 million (up 3.1% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 28.728 million (up 20.9%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 62.069 million (up 7.6% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 50.651 million (up 12.5%) and digital album sales total 11.418 million (down 9.8%).

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

18 Aug 2023

Olivia Rodrigo Becomes Youngest Artist to Receive BRIT Billion Award Recognizing 1 Billion U.K. Streams

At 20, Olivia Rodrigo has become the youngest artist receive a BRIT Billion Award by the BPI. The award celebrates artists who have reached one billion career U.K. streams, as calculated by the Official Charts Company. RAYE, 25, had been the youngest artist to receive the honor.

Rodrigo was presented the award while in London promoting her latest single, “Bad Idea Right?,” as fans await her second album GUTS, due for release on Sept. 8.

Rodrigo won best international song at the BRIT Awards in February 2022 with “Good 4 U.” She was also nominated for international artist of the year, but lost to Billie Eilish. Rodrigo gave her first live TV performance of her breakthrough smash “Drivers License” at the Brits in May 2021.

Rodrigo is the 19th artist to receive a BRIT Billion Award. The first batch of 13 artists to receive award — which was launched on May 4 — consisted of global icons ABBA, Coldplay, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston; pioneering rap and hip-hop artists AJ Tracey and Headie One; and contemporary pop stars Anne-Marie, Ellie Goulding, George Ezra, Lewis Capaldi, RAYE, Rita Ora and Sam Smith.

The award has subsequently been presented to Lana Del Rey, who received the award backstage at her BST Hyde Park headline show; James Arthur, who was presented with his award live on BBC’s The One Show; Queen, Wizkid and Becky Hill.

The BRIT Billion award reflects the extent to which streaming has transformed the music landscape over the past decade. More than 85% of the UK’s recorded music consumption now takes place through streaming. In 2022 there were a record 160 billion audio streams in the UK. 

18 Aug 2023

Friday Dance Music Guide: The Week’s Best New Tracks From PEEKABOO & Skrillex, Michaël Brun, Anne-Marie & Becky G & More

This week in dance music: We premiered exclusive Northern Nights 2023 sets from Big Gigantic, Megan Hamilton and Forester, and celebrated 20 years of the Dance Mix Show/Airplay chart. Friendship 2024 dropped a lineup featuring Skrilex, Chris Lake and many more, while Loud Luxury, Two Friends and Bebe Rexha ascended to the peak of Dance Mix Show/Airplay.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

And yes, we’ve got new music, too. These are the best new dance tracks of the week.

PEEKABOO, Skrllex, G-Rex & Flowdan, “BADDERS”

The Label: OWSLA/Atlantic Records

The Spiel: PEEKABOO has been one of the best bass music producers in the scene for awhile, and today his profile gets another well deserved lift via “BADDERS,” a collaboration with Skrillex, Flowdan and G-Rex. The track brings a constellations of artists back together, as PEEKABOO collaborated on “Hydrate” from Skrillex’s Quest for Fire, and Flowdan of course delivered vocals for QFR’s “Rumble.”

Introduced to the mix here is PEEKABOO’s longtime friend, the producer G-Rex. Together they deliver a dark, wobbly production that’s the result of some kismet, with Flowdan having heard it during a studio session and coming up with lyrics and Skrillex later getting in touch with PEEKABOO to put his own touch on it. The efficacy of this group effort was demonstrated when the group played it seven times in a row during a recent b2b in London.

The Artist Says: “G-Rex, one of my best friends, was going through some personal hardships, so I invited him to Detroit,” says PEEKABOO. “I thought we could channel that emotion into our music, and that’s when we created ‘Badders.’ Working with Flowdan was an incredible experience; he’s such a wizard at creating lyrics… The same goes for Skrillex; he genuinely cares about music.”

The Vibe: Not bad at all.

Michaël Brun, Anne-Marie & Becky G, “Coming Your Way”

The Label: BAYO MIZIK

The Spiel: Consistently great Haitian producer Michaël Brun delivers what’s likely to be one of the biggest songs of his career thus far via “Coming Your Way,” a collaboration with power-lunged British singer Anne-Marie and global sensation Becky G. The song is slinky to the max, with Brun putting the track on slow burn, then layering up horns, percussion and a hot-to-the-touch verse from Becky G. The song comes on the heels of Brun’s FAMI Summer EP, which featured collaborations with J Balvin, Anthony Ramos, Kes, King Promise and more.

The Artist Says: “I wanted to cap the summer off with one of my favorite songs I’ve ever produced,” says Brun. “‘Coming Your Way’ is a mix of so many genres that have influenced me across the years, from electronic music to Caribbean and Latin sounds. It’s also an honor to have global superstars Anne-Marie and Becky G present on this one. It feels like a global anthem.”

The Vibe: Yes, the makings of a global anthem, but also the feel of a really good house party.

Roosevelt, “Rising”

The Label: Counter Records/Ninja Tune

The Spiel: Berlin-based producer Roosevelt, who dropped an official remix of Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” last winter, keeps the momentum going with “Rising.” The lush production goes heavy on the lightness, with passing clouds of synths and a zippy build creating a peppy and yes, uplifting, vibe. The track is the second single from Roosevelt’s forthcoming album, Embrace, coming September 22.

The Vibe: Unlimited mimosa brunch effervescence.

Hannah Wants, “Hard To Breathe”

The Label: Defected Records

The Spiel: It’s Hannah x two here, with British producer Hannah Wants and British vocalist Hannah Boleyn (who’s previously worked with artists including John Summit) teaming up for the deep house cut “Hard to Breathe.” “Don’t worry ‘bout me baby, it only hurts when I breathe,” Boleyn declares over Wants’ club-focused production, which progressively gets more urgent and anticipatory, much like holding your breath.

The Artist Says: “It’s features an insane hook / vocal from Hannah Boleyn and it’s been slappinggg in clubs for me around the world,” Wants wrote on Instagram — alongside a video of the song slappinggg, indeed.

The Vibe: Like taking in oxygen.

Armand van Helden, “I Won’t Stop”

The Label: Parlophone Records/FFRR

The Spiel: One of Boston’s coolest-ever exports, Armand Van Helden, celebrates the 25th anniversary of his classic “You Don’t Know Me” with a fresh production that brings the same mildly heartbroken but still giddy ’90s energy. A tight, two minute wind-up toy of a track, “I Wont’ Stop” is pure ebullience, bouncing merrily along with sirens blaring, until Van Helden ends it with a hard-hitting build that serves as a reminder that while his work has always been really fun, the reason it’s worked so well for decades is the foundation of grit it’s all built upon.

The Artist Says: “I’d been experimenting with American freestyle music and trying to tap into the sound for a long time, so this record is a mash-up of American freestyle and old, big New York club music from 1993 — that’s what I was trying to spin with this track. It’s a song that is ridiculous and I want people to be lit up and live in the ridiculousness when they hear ‘I Won’t Stop’.” 

The Vibe: Lit up and ridiculous in the best way.

18 Aug 2023

Lizzo Is Living Her Best Life ‘With Love’ From Japan in First Post Since Statement on Harassment Lawsuit

Lizzo appears to be going about her business as usual in the aftermath of the harassment lawsuit filed against her by former dancers, allegations she denied in a statement earlier this month. In her first Instagram post since then, the 35-year-old hitmaker sings, dances and poses her way through the streets of Japan, showing off her glam outfit and unbothered attitude.

“Shabooya, sha, sha, shabooya roll call,” she sings at the beginning of the clip posted Friday (Aug. 18), a play on the area she appears to be exploring in Japan: Shibuya, located in Tokyo. Wearing a spiky blue-green-yellow dress with her hair done in space buns, Lizzo flashes peace signs and poses with a pair of shades in a series of photos that cycle through following the first clip, set to “Shabooya” by Hitkidd, Gloss Up & K Carbon, Slimeroni and Aleza.

“From Shibuya, with Love ?” she captioned the post.

The update marks the “About Damn Time” singer’s first post on social media since she addressed the allegations of sexual harassment and hostile work conditions levied against her in a lawsuit by former dancers, taking to social media two days after it was filed to issue a response. In her Aug. 3 statement, she said the dancers’ complaints were as “unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.”

“These sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional,” she added.

Lizzo didn’t detail or address any specifics of the accusations in her statement, which plaintiffs Crystal Williams, Arianna Davis and Noelle Rodriguez called “disheartening” and “incredibly frustrating” in an interview with CNN This Morning later that day. On the show, the three women rehashed and doubled down on their allegations that Lizzo had pressured them to inappropriately touch nude dancers at a sex show in Amsterdam, overworked them in an “excruciating” hours-long re-audition process, “called attention” to a dancer’s weight gain and more.

In the weeks since, the dancers’ legal team has said that six more people have come forward with similarly disparaging stories about Lizzo. The Grammy winner’s Big Grrrls dance team also shared a group statement on Thursday (Aug. 17) in support of their boss.

“We had the time of our lives on The Special Tour,” read the statement on the Big Grrrls’ Instagram account. “The commitment to character and culture taking precedence over every movement and moment has been one of the Greatest lessons and Blessings that we could possibly could ask for.”