Music News

14 Aug 2023

Britney Spears Sensually Pole Dances to Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Closer’: Watch

Britney Spears is putting her dance skills to the test with a brand new apparatus. On Sunday (Aug. 13), the “…Baby One More Time” hitmaker revealed that she recently purchased a hot pink dancer pole, and put it to work in a video posted to her Instagram.

The clip finds the 41-year old donning a two-piece, leopard print bikini with matching gloves and black-heeled boots, dancing to Nine Inch Nails’ grinding 1994 industrial rock single, “Closer.” Spears sensually dips and dances around the pole, occasionally using the apparatus to nail a spin or straddle as Trent Rezor’s urgent voice provides the soundtrack for her pole-formance.

“I wanna f–k you like an animal/ I wanna feel you from the inside/ I wanna f–k you like an animal/ My whole existence is flawed/ You get me closer to God,” Reznor sings, as Spears dances with reckless abandon. “Got this pole two days ago and last night was my first time on it !!!” she captioned her post.

The pole dancing video is the latest in Spears’ dance series — last week, she posted a clip of her dancing to Janet Jackson’s 1993 track, “If,” noting that she “was a little pissed” on the day she filmed the video. The week prior, she posted a video of her performing a contemporary dance to Indila’s “S.O.S.” in her living room.

The singer also recently released her latest collaboration with the Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, “Mind Your Business,” her second piece of new music since the end of her 13-year conservatorship and the follow-up to last year’s “Hold Me Closer” duet with Elton John.

Watch Spears’ new pole dance below.

14 Aug 2023

BTS’ V Stars Alongside His Adorable Pomeranian Yeontan in Concept Photos Previewing ‘Layover’ Solo Debut

V may be about to embark on his solo career, but that doesn’t mean he can’t bring a buddy with him. In a couple dozen new concept photos previewing his upcoming debut album Layover, the BTS band member costars alongside his pet dog, Yeontan.

In some of the snaps, V — real name Kim Tae-hyung — poses with Yeontan in his arms, looking adorable in front of the camera. In one, the Pomeranian looks on as his owner strikes a pose with an electric guitar; in another, Yeontan tries on Tae-hyung’s red baseball cap.

“Yeontan is the most happiness dog ?” commented one ARMY member.

And while Yeontan definitely steals the show, Tae-hyung does appear without his sidekick in many of the images. The moody photoshoot alternates between black and white and color pics and shows the 27-year-old singer modeling a variety of looks, from a plaid short suit to a “Funk” sweatshirt.

The concept images arrive as V gears up to release Layover in September, his first full album apart from the K-Pop boy band that made him internationally famous, BTS. Last week, he gave fans a taste of the six-track record by releasing two new singles and music videos: “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days.”

The first song showed off V’s smooth R&B skills, while the second leaned more relaxed pop. Also on the upcoming album: “Blue,” “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing,” “For Us” and a bonus track piano version of “Slow Dancing.” 

V’s solo debut follows individual releases from fellow BTS members, including Jung Kook’s “Seven” featuring Latto — which topped the Billboard Hot 100 — Suga’s April album D-Day and Jimin’s March EP FACE.

See V’s Layover concept images below:

14 Aug 2023

Watch Jennifer Lopez Casually Crush ‘I Will Survive’ at an Italian Bar While on Vacation

Even while chilling in a pub on vacation Jennifer Lopez can’t help being the star of the show. In a video posted by the Taverna Anema e Core (Heart and Soul) in Capri, Italy over the weekend, the singer/actress dazzles the crowd in the crowded bar when she busts into Gloria Gaynor’s 1978 disco anthem “I Will Survive.”

In the clip from Saturday’s impromptu performance, Lopez, casually wearing an awards show-worthy sparkly silver dress, gamely hops into the fun when the song comes on the karaoke machine, holding a tambourine in her left hand and belting out the empowering lyrics while seated alongside a fellow patron.

And, because she’s a pro, Lopez hung on to the mic for a raucous run through one of her own, “Let’s Get Loud” from her 1999 debut album, On the 6.

Though husband Ben Affleck wasn’t anywhere to be seen in the karaoke video, Lopez was clearly having a blast in another video she posted from the summer getaway in which she chows down al fresco on some delicious ravioli while Dean Martin’s “Mambo Italiano” plays in the background.

Lopez has been gearing up to release her as-yet-unscheduled ninth studio album, This Is Me… Now, the sequel to her 2002 This Is Me…Then collection. She recently teased her latest ode to Affleck, “Midnight in Vegas,” an homage to the couple’s 2022 Sin City wedding. It’s at least the third song she’s written to honor her actor hubby, following up on the 2002 album’s “Dear Ben”; “Dear Ben Pt. II” is slated to appear on Now.

Check out video of the wild night out from the tavern’s Instagram below.

14 Aug 2023

Clarence Avant, Former Motown Chairman and ‘Godfather of Black Music,’ Dies at 92

Clarence Avant, whose decades of trailblazing work as an artist manager, mentor, executive and record label owner earned him the title of “Godfather of Black Music,” died Sunday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 92.

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“Clarence leaves behind a loving family and a sea of friends and associates that have changed the world and will continue to change the world for generations to come,” his family said in a statement. “The joy of his legacy eases the sorrow of our loss.”

As a manager early on in his career, the North Carolina native worked with Sarah Vaughan, Freddie Hubbard, Little Willie John, Jimmy Smith and producer Creed Taylor, among others. He went on to broker the sale of Stax Records in the 1960s and notably discovered and signed “Ain’t No Sunshine” singer Bill Withers. In the ’70s, Avant founded KAGB-FM (Avant Garde Broadcasting), one of the first Black-owned radio stations in the U.S.

He also launched two record companies, Sussex and Tabu, cultivating rosters that included Withers, Dennis Coffey, the S.O.S. Band, Wadsworth Mansion, The Gallery and The Presidents.

Avant’s connection with the S.O.S. Band sparked a introduction to emerging songwriting/production duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. Avant played an instrumental role in the pair’s success (as well as that of another hit-making duo, Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds). He was also the promoter of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” tour, Jackson’s first ever solo world tour.

He was named Motown chairman in 1993 and four years later became the first African-American to serve on the International Management Board for PolyGram.

Avant ran his Interior Music Group and Avant Garde Music publishing companies until they were sold in 2018 to Universal Music Group.

Avant was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and in 2019, was honored by the Recording Academy with the Grammy Salute to Industry Icons award. Over the decades he also received a Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award, an NAACP Image Awards Hall Of Fame Award, a BET Honors Entrepreneur Award, and induction into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2008, the Recording Academy honored Avant with its Trustees Award.

Involved in the social and political arenas, his relationships range from the presidential (Bill Clinton, Barack Obama) to the entrepreneurial (Oprah Winfrey). Avant was the subject of the Netflix documentary The Black Godfather (2019), directed by Hudlin and produced by his daughter, Nicole Avant.

14 Aug 2023

Ed Sheeran Sings ‘Lego House’ at the Mall After Working Shift at Lego Store

Maybe Ed Sheeran is just catching up on all the crummy retail and food service jobs the rest of us did in our 20s by cosplaying as customer service during stops on his massive Mathematics tour. A few weeks ago, he was slinging dogs at Chicago’s legendarily salty Weiner Circle and on Saturday he popped in to a Lego store at Minneapolis’ massive Mall of America for a shift at a “brick specialist.”

In a video on his Instagram, Sheeran posts up behind the counter as a shocked mom says, “are you kidding me!? Oh my God, my daughter’s gonna freak out!” Sheeran then turns to the camera to show off his official Lego store uniform, consisting of a blue Lego shirt, the signature yellow smock and, yes, an “Ed” name tag.

“I’m here at the Mall of America in Minnesota and I have my Lego outfit on to be a brick specialist at the Lego store and then play ‘Lego House!,” AFOL Sheeran tells the camera. In a montage, Sheeran helps some young shoppers find the right bricks, pushes stock around on a cart and signs a Lego house set for a young fan. Then, after his shift, Sheeran straps on an acoustic and strums the brick-themed third single from his 2011 debut album, +, for hundreds of Sheerios.

“That was super fun,” he says after the quick food court-adjacent gig, teasing a surprise at the U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis later that night. “I’ve got a bunch of these ‘Autumn Is Coming’ minifigures and I’m going to be giving them out at the gig. See you in a bit,” he says.

At previous stops on the tour, Sheeran popped into a pub to sing the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” slung philly cheesesteaks in South Philadelphia and visited a classroom to jam with some high school band students in Tampa.

Check out Sheeran’s video below.

14 Aug 2023

BTS’ Jung Kook Stars in Playful Calvin Klein Fall 2023 Campaign: Exclusive Video

Jung Kook is showing off his sensual side with Calvin Klein.

The BTS star appears in the brand’s Fall 2023 campaign focused on confidence, playfulness and, of course, feeling sexy. In the 30-second clip shot by fashion-photographer duo Inez & Vinoodh and soundtracked by Gary Numan‘s 1980 Hot 100 top 10 hit “Cars,” the 25-year-old superstar struts around an empty parking-garage ramp, wearing a dark denim jacket and matching jeans, his bare chest accentuated by a sleek black tie. Clips of Jung Kook smiling into the camera with his signature lip ring flash throughout the video.

It’s hardly the first time Jung Kook has teamed up with the sleek designer brand. Back in March, he rocked a denim set in his steamy first campaign as global brand ambassador for CK.

It’s been an exciting year for Jung Kook, who is setting the tone for his upcoming solo album with his smoldering Latto collaboration “Seven.” The track features the BTS star turning up the heat as he sings in the chorus, “You wrap around me and you give me life/ And that’s why night after night/ I’ll be f—in’ you right.” The track debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 following its July 14 release. Before that, he teamed up with Charlie Puth for the catchy “Left and Right” before making his biggest global move as a soloist when he performed the song “Dreamers” at the 2022 World Cup opening ceremony as part of its official soundtrack.

The Fall 2023 campaign and collection are available Monday (Aug. 14) on Calvin Klein’s website here. Watch Jung Kook’s video clip exclusively via Billboard above.

Jung Kook for Calvin Klein

Inez & Vinoodh

14 Aug 2023

Foo Fighters’ ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’ Long Con Joke Pays Off When Michael Bublé Joins Them at Outside Lands

Dave Grohl loves a long con. And on Saturday night at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco he squared the circle on a joke he’s been telling for much of he Foo Fighters‘ current tour. For months at Foos shows, Grohl has been asking if anyone in the audience knows the lyrics to Michael Bublé‘s bouncy pop ditty “Haven’t Met You Yet” from the crooner’s 2009 Crazy Love album.

Aside from loving an inescapable pop hook, the gag is also a nod to the eclectic resume of drummer Josh Freese, a well-traveled studio and live player who, as luck would have it, did a stint playing for Bublé. And if it even has to be said, yes, Freese played the drums on the studio version of “Haven’t Met You Yet.”

Praising Freese’s lengthy resumé, Grohl had keyboardist Rami Jaffee cue up the springy piano intro to the song. “The last couple shows — I always look out [into the crowd] — someone’s like ‘I know the Bublé song,’ ‘I’ll come up and sing,’ ‘I know the f— Bublé song,’” Grohl said to the audience at the festival in a video of the moment.

“And every time someone f— says they know the song, they don’t know the f— song. Do you know the f— song? Who knows the f— song?,” the excitable Foos leader asked the crowd. Then, spotting a superfan in the crowd with an “I love Bublé” sign, Grohl called him up to the stage. “This motherf–er better know the song! Do you know the song? Because people say they know it but they don’t!”

Spoiler alert: it was the Bubes himself, who smoothly dropped right into the first verse as he took the stage in all-black for the perfectly executed gag with his old pal Freese backing him up. After crooning through the chorus (with some help from the crowd) Grohl admitted, “Okay, this guy’s pretty good. This guy’s pretty good,” before jumping in and asking if he could sing the hook.

Second spoiler alert: Grohl did not sing the word “met” in the chorus, substituting a more graphic lyric.

“Oh my God, it’s Michael Bublé!” Grohl said in shock surprise, explaining that every time they did it on tour people would claim to know the lyrics, but never actually did. “This bad-ass motherf—er, and I’m not even kidding, flew in today from Argentina to f–ing sing that song to you guys,” Grohl said. “‘Cause there’s no such thing as taking a joke too far.”

In a backstage bit posted by Bublé, the ultra-smooth singer announces that he’s finally been asked to join the Foos, to which Dave Grohl says, “f–k you Bublé!”

Watch the videos below.

14 Aug 2023

Died Pretty Frontman Ron S. Peno Dies at 68

Ron S. Peno, frontman and co-founder of Died Pretty, which, thanks to combination of his stagecraft, a handful of evergreen singles, and a cult following, had a seat at the front of Australia’s alternative rock explosion in the 1990s, died Friday (Aug. 11) after a years-long battle with cancer. He was 68.

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News of his death was confirmed by the official Died Pretty social accounts.

“With great sadness we announce the passing of our singer Ron S Peno who left us peacefully on Friday evening in the presence of his loving wife Charity and his son Zebadiah, at his home in South Yarra, Melbourne,” the tribute reads.

For the last four and a half years as he battled cancer, “Ron displayed a resolute positivity and a profound depth of character that has proved inspirational to his fellow band members, manager and many friends,” the message continues. “In the face of adversity he was towering.”

Formed in Sydney in the 1980s, Peno and Died Pretty channeled the look and sound of their heroes from New York’s punk scene, including the Velvet Underground and Television, and injected it with psychedelic rock.

As the band built a buzz on the live circuit, their releases would follow the proper trajectory on the ARIA Charts. Early releases merely tickled the tally, though debut Free Dirt from 1986 continues to grow in stature, and cracked Rolling Stone Australia’s list of 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time, published December 2021 (placing at No. 153).

Died Pretty’s Lost from 1988 appeared at No. 99 on the ARIA Albums Chart, and 1990 followup Every Brilliant Eye peaked at No. 79, according to data supplied by the trade body to Billboard. Then, with 1991’s Doughboy Hollow, a first top 40 appearance. Peaking at No. 24 on the national albums survey, Doughboy Hollow was powered by two of the band’s evergreen songs, “D.C.” and “Sweetheart,” numbers that captured the spirit of the time. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s triple j station had embarked on its national rollout in 1989, and those two songs sounded sweet on its airwaves (a 2018 poll of the 50 Best Australian Albums of the 90s, published by triple j’s sister station, Double J, placed Doughboy Hollow at No. 22).

Meanwhile, the late Ken West and Viv Lees were working on a game-changing festival, the Big Day Out, which would kick-off the following year in Sydney, and rapidly grew into a national production, selling 330,000 tickets at its peak. Died Pretty was on the inaugural BDO lineup.

After striking a deal with Sony Music’s Columbia division, Died Pretty enjoyed a career-best chart placing in 1993, hitting No. 11 with Trace, and 1996’s Sold would hit No. 29. While signed to Sony Music, Died Pretty were invited to Europe to showcase their talents for the music major’s international executives.

In 2008, induction into Hall of Fame at the The Age EG Awards, celebrating Victoria’s creative scene.

Peno joined his bandmates on the road for several major tours in the past decade, including the A Day on the Green outdoor concert series in 2016, with Hoodoo Gurus, Sunnyboys, Violent Femmes and Ratcat, and a joint national tour the following year with Radio Birdman.

The singer’s battle with cancer became a public one when, in February 2019, it was announced via the band’s social channels that Peno had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and that all upcoming shows were scrapped as he underwent treatment.

Support Act, the charity for Australia’s music community, rallied behind Peno with the “Help a Mate” appeal.

“For the 40 years Ron entertained us as Died Pretty’s frontman he was never less than always charismatic,” reads the tribute from his surviving bandmates. “He has provided warm and enduring memories for those who shared the stage with him and for his audience. For many he is the soundtrack of their lives. He leaves us a legacy of extraordinary recordings that will continue to be treasured into the future.

“Our hearts go out to Charity, Zebadiah and all his family and friends at this time. Ron will be sorely missed. The world will be a smaller place without him.”

13 Aug 2023

Fans Choose V’s ‘Love Me Again’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

V‘s solo song “Love Me Again” has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 11) on Billboard, choosing the BTS member’s soothing R&B track as their favorite new music release of the past week.

“Love Me Again” brought in 97% of the vote, beating out new music by Olivia Rodrigo (“Bad Idea Right?”), Karol G (Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season)), DJ Khaled featuring Lil Baby, Future and Lil Uzi Vert (“Supposed To Be Loved”), and others.

“Love Me Again” will appear on V’s upcoming solo album, Layover, which is scheduled to drop on Sept. 8. The collection will feature six tracks: “Rainy Days,” “Blue,” “Love Me Again,” “Slow Dancing,” For Us” and a bonus track piano version of “Slow Dancing.”

V is the latest member of the superstar K-pop group to announce a solo album. The announcement about his project comes just after BIGHIT confirmed that Suga has begun his military enlistment process, becoming the third BTS member to enlist in South Korea’s mandatory military service, following Jin and J-Hope.

BTS’ Jung Kook released “Seven” featuring Latto, which crowned the Billboard Hot 100 chart last month, while Suga’s D-Day arrived in April and Jimin’s FACE (including the Hot 100 No. 1 “Like Crazy”) in March.

Trailing behind “Love Me Again” on the poll is Rodrigo’s new single “Bad Idea Right?,” which brought in nearly 2% of the vote.

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

13 Aug 2023

Drake Asks L.A. Crowd to ‘Keep Your Bras On’ Out of Respect for His Son’s First Show

Drake had a simple request for fans at his Los Angeles-area concert on Saturday (Aug. 12): “Y’all keep your bras on.”

While visiting the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., as part of his It’s All a Blur Tour, the 36-year-old Toronto MC asked concertgoers to keep things innocent out of respect for his 5-year-old son, Adonis Graham, who was in attendance.

“Look, to be honest with you, I can’t talk about t—ies tonight in L.A. because my son is at the show for the first time,” Drake told the audience. “So we’ve got to keep this real PG tonight. Y’all keep your bras on.”

Bra-throwing has become a regular occurrence on Drake’s recent tour, which launched in early July at Chicago’s United Center. During his July 21 concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., the “Rich Flex” rapper was taken aback after discovering a large brassiere onstage.

“36G?” he excitedly said while inspecting the undergarment. “Locate this woman immediately.”

The person who threw the bra was, indeed, located and identified as TikToker Veronica Correia. (She later received an offer to appear in Playboy.)

Prior to Saturday’s Kia Forum show, his first of four at the venue, Drake carved out some time from his busy schedule to share an intimate moment with his son. Drizzy took to social media that afternoon to post a cute photo of himself working on Adonis’ braided hair.

“Just because you put a guy in a tuxedo doesn’t make him a good guy,” Drake captioned a photo gallery on Instagram, quoting former NBA star Allen Iverson.