Music News

24 Jul 2023

Britney Spears Deactivates Instagram

Britney Spears has once again deactivated her Instagram.

While it’s not known why the pop superstar decided to take a break from her social media platform of choice, she’s been known to deactivate her page every few months. Most recently, Spears’ Instagram disappeared in December, with her husband Sam Asghari asking fans to ease up on their scrutiny of Spears’ own Instagram activity. “Social media can be traumatizing,” he wrote. “Sometimes it’s good to take a break. She has her voice and is a free woman.”

Spears is fresh off the release of a Will.i.am collaboration, “Mind Your Business,” which arrived on Friday (July 21). The “Piece of Me” singer hasn’t posted about the song on her social media pages, except for the pre-save link on her Instagram Stories.

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The project was only announced one day ahead of time, with Will.i.am simply tweeting out a 16-second snippet of the electronic dance track. “UH OH!!! You are now NOW rocking with will.i.am and @britneyspears…????????????????,” he captioned the sneak peek.

“Mind Your Business” follows Brit’s 2022 “Hold Me Closer” duet with Elton John. The latter song marked Spears’ first new music release since her 2016 album Glory.

24 Jul 2023

‘SpongeBob’ Voice Actor’s Wife Clarifies That Her Husband Is Not Dating Ariana Grande 

There seems to have been some confusion as to which patty-flipping yellow sponge has reportedly stolen Ariana Grande’s heart — and now the record has been set straight.

For context, the “7 Rings” singer is reportedly dating Ethan Slater, who starred as SpongeBob in Broadway’s The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage. Ari is not dating Tom Kenny, who voiced SpongeBob in the iconic Nickelodeon show.

Kenny’s wife, Jill Talley, clarified that she’s still very much married to the voice actor under an Instagram post about Grande’s alleged new relationship posted by The Cut. “Hi everyone, I’m married to Tom Kenny (who voices SpongeBob on the TV show),” she wrote. “He is not dating Ariana Grande. I don’t know if Ethan Slater (who played SpongeBob in the musical) is or isn’t dating Ariana Grande. However, they’re both adorable and I totally ship it. Just wanted to set the record straight. P.S. as for me and Tom Kenny — we are celebrating our 27th wedding anniversary today.”

Both TMZ and People report that Slater and Grande started dating after both of their relationships were over. Slater is separated from singer Lilly Jay; the two celebrated their four-year wedding anniversary in November 2022. Grande married Dalton Gomez two years ago, but the two separated.

Grande plays Glinda opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba in Jon M. Chu’s upcoming live-action film adaptation of the Broadway show Wicked, which will be split into two parts. In the film, Slater is playing Boq, a munchkin boy who, fittingly, has a crush on Glinda.

24 Jul 2023

What’s Your Favorite Jennifer Lopez Hot 100 Top 10 Hit? Vote!

Birthday wishes are in order for Jenny from the block! Jennifer Lopez turned 54 on Monday (July 24) and marked the occasion with several posts to her Instagram Stories of friends and fans wishing her the best on her special day. To celebrate the multi-hyphenate, Billboard is recapping all of Lopez’s top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

J.Lo made her debut on the Hot 100 in 1999 shortly before the release of her first studio album, On the 6, in June of that year. “If You Had My Love” and “Waiting for Tonight” were the first and third singles from the project, with the former peaking at No. 1 on the chart, while the latter — which would go on to become a New Year’s Eve song for the looming millennium — peaked at No. 8. The singles spent 25 and 20 weeks on the chart, respectively.

The 2000s delivered some of Lopez’s most popular singles. The arrival of her sophomore effort, J.Lo, delivered two more No. 1s with “I’m Real” and “Ain’t It Funny,” both of which featured rapper Ja Rule. “I’m Real” spent a total of 31 weeks on the Hot 100 with five of those at the crown position on the all-genre tally, while “Ain’t It Funny” notched 29 weeks on the chart, with six of the weeks at the No. 1 spot.

Lopez would go on to have six more tracks chart within the top 10 of the Hot 100 throughout the years, but which hit of hers is your favorite? Vote in our poll below.

24 Jul 2023

Spotify Launches ‘Most Necessary Live’ Regional Hip-Hop Shows: Exclusive

Spotify is launching its Most Necessary Live series of live shows highlighting regional rap scenes and rappers in various cities across the U.S., Billboard can exclusively announce Monday (July 24).

Serving as a physical extension of Spotify’s editorially curated Most Necessary playlist — dubbed as “the official voice of the next generation on Spotify” — Most Necessary Live celebrates some of the hottest emerging rappers featured on the playlist in real life and connects them with their top listeners through exclusive performances.

Most Necessary Live kicks off Aug. 2 in Houston, Texas with DeeBaby, Monaleo, That Mexican OT, Mike Dimes, KenTheMan and surprise guests.

rapcaviar, spotify

Courtesy of Spotify

“Regional rap scenes have always been the lifeblood of hip-hop, so we’re thrilled to kick off Most Necessary Live in Houston. As a physical extension of the playlist — it’s another example of how we’re continuing to support emerging artists at Spotify,” said Max Weinstein, hip-hop lead, artist partnerships at Spotify, in a statement. “A major collaborative effort across the music and marketing teams, we’re launching this showcase to highlight local artists and give fans a chance to see their favorite acts perform live. The team has been cooking this up for a while, so we’re excited to finally bring Most Necessary to life.”

Most Necessary Live will take place once a quarter and go through multiple U.S. cities. On-site experiences will also include merch and social-worthy photo moments.

24 Jul 2023

A$AP Rocky Performs Three Unreleased Songs At 2023 Rolling Loud Miami

After turning heads with his Pharrell-produced single “RIOT (ROWDY PIPE’N)” last week, A$AP Rocky dished several teasers from his forthcoming album, Don’t Be Dumb, during his headlining set at Rolling Loud Sunday (July 23). One tentatively titled “Taylor Swift” caught traction on social media because of its name and incendiary lyrics. 

Teased in 2022, “Taylor Swift” sparked questions post-performance after Rocky dished out some hard-hitting barbs leading fans to speculate about who he was addressing. “First you stole my flow/ So I stole your b—h/ Then you stole my style/ I need at least 10 percent/ All due disrespect, I hope you take offense,” he rapped in the viral clip. Fans suspect the volley of shots was aimed at Travis Scott, considering their — no pun intended — rocky history and began comparing the two artists shortly after his performance.

In an interview with Drink Champs last year, when N.O.R.E. broached the subject of Travis Scott allegedly stealing Rocky’s “whole style,” the Harlem polymath nodded and said, “Yeah.” He elaborated and said he “saw similarities, for sure. I saw that he was inspired and s–t like that, but that’s what we in it for.”

In 2016, Rocky spoke more in-depth about his influence on Scott during a chat with Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning. “You’re hearing it from me, let shorty rock,” he stated. “And let the people decide if he a biter or if he authentic. I’m not saying everybody should be allowed to just take [from] whoever got going on. I’m not implying that. I feel like that whole situation sound petty.” 

As for the alleged stealing of a love interest, rumors swirled in 2015 about Rihanna and Travis Scott dating. Rocky and the superstar had their first child last year, and she is currently pregnant with their second. 

Check out a snippet of Rocky’s song and the fan tweets that surfaced after his performance below.

24 Jul 2023

Ed Sheeran Leads Backstreet Boys & One Direction Sing-Along at Nashville Karaoke Bar: Watch

Ed Sheeran is just like anyone else: When he has a new achievement, he celebrates with some drinks and karaoke at the bar.

Following his record-breaking attendance of roughly 73,000 at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium over the weekend, the 32-year-old superstar stopped by at a local bar he once used to frequent during his time as a Tennessee resident a decade ago. “When I lived in Nashville in 2013 I used to go to this karaoke caravan called Santa’s,” he explained in a video posted to his Instagram Sunday (July 23). “It only does $1 PBR and it does karaoke, and it’s the best.”

In the video, Sheeran leads the audience gathered at Santa’s in a round of karaoke, starting with the Backstreet Boys’ iconic “Bye, Bye, Bye.” “Let’s get f–king lit!” he cheers.

He also sang his own 2014 smash “Thinking Out Loud,” which was perfect considering a newly married bride and groom, still in their dress and tux, happened to be there celebrating their wedding. “Make some noise for the happy couple!” Sheeran instructed the crowd.

“Celebrating breaking the attendance record at Nissan stadium in Nashville tonight at Santas pub,” he captioned the video. “When I lived here this was the spot and it still is. Karaoke caravan and cheap beer, what’s not to love x.”

A TikTok video taken by someone at the pub showed that the “Bad Habits” singer also joined the newlyweds in singing One Direction’s breakout single “What Makes You Beautiful.”

Hours before his blockbuster gig at Nissan Stadium, Sheeran took the stage of another Nashville venue that’s just as famous, albeit a lot smaller. Wanting a more intimate venue to play songs from his most recent album, Subtract (stylized “–“), the Grammy winner held a show at the city’s Ryman Auditorium Friday (July 22).

And, with all due respect to Nissan Stadium, Sheeran definitely played favorites between the two Nashville stages. “I genuinely, hand on my heart, believe that this is the best venue in the United States of America,” he said of the Ryman in another video posted to his Instagram.

Watch Ed sing the Backstreet Boys and One Direction below.

24 Jul 2023

Harry Styles Reflects on Love On Tour Following Final Show: ‘Greatest Experience of My Entire Life’

Harry Styles wrapped up a mammoth tour over the weekend, closing out nearly two years of shows with a finale in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

And following his emotional goodbye on stage, the pop star shared a lengthy thank-you message on Instagram to the millions of fans who attended. “It’s been the greatest experience of my entire life,” he wrote in a Monday (July 24) note on his Story. “Thank you to my band, and all the crew who made the last few years so special. It’s been an absolute pleasure.”

“To everyone who came out to see us play, thank you,” Styles continued. “I feel so incredibly full and happy, it’s all because of you. You have given memories that will last a lifetime, more than I could have ever dreamed of.”

Deemed one of the 10 best-selling tours of all time, Love On Tour kicked off — after some delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — in September 2021. More than 4.5 million fans came out to see the show, and the trek brought in nearly $600 million as of a week ago.

The global tour started out as support for Styles’ sophomore record Fine Line, which came out in 2019. When Harry’s House arrived in May of 2022, his shows refocused to serve both albums.

“Thank you for your time, your energy, and your love,” the “As It Was” singer added. “It’s been an honor to play for you, I hope you had as much fun as I did.”

Styles concluded, “Look after each other, I’ll see you again when the time is right. Treat People With Kindness. I love you more than you’ll ever know.” Signed, “-H.”

But that’s not all the Don’t Worry Darling star left his fans with. Styles also shared a video on YouTube and Instagram full of clips from various Love On Tour stops, including shots of the singer traveling to the stage in his infamous box, as well as footage of fans interacting with each other and telling stories of friendships made in the audience.

“To the most inspiring people I know,” Styles captioned the video on Instagram. “Goodbye for now. Love On Tour forever.”

Watch the video above.

24 Jul 2023

Billie Eilish Mourns Beloved Dog Pepper: ‘I Will See You Again Someday Sweet Girl’

Billie Eilish is mourning the loss of her best friend. On Sunday (July 23), the “What Was I Made For?” singer shared that her family dog, Pepper, died recently.

“Pepper. My life long best friend. I will see you again someday sweet girl,” Eilish wrote, captioning a series of childhood photos of her with family spending time with Pepper throughout the years, as well as a recent photo of her crying with the beloved dog on her last day. “You made it 15 years you f–king beast. :’) I love you. Rest easy mama, i’ll miss you forever. This is a really hard day.”

Eilish also posted more childhood photos that featured Pepper throughout the years and called her dog “a girl’s best friend,” and wrote additional goodbyes. “Goodbye my angel. I’ll see you soon,” she captioned some of the images.

Friends of the pop star extended their well wishes in the comments. Lauren Jauregui wrote, “sending you lots of love.” Gracie Abrams said, “Love you so much bil im so so sorry,” while Demi Lovato also added “I’m so sorry” with a sullen face emoji.

Eilish’s brother, Finneas O’Connor, also wrote a message regarding Pepper’s death on Instagram Stories. “Sweet Pepper. Our dog has, at the ripe old age of 15, transcended her mortal form,” he wrote, sharing his sister’s post to his feed. “A good, good dog who gave our family so much love and was loved by us all in equal measure.”

See Eilish’s post below, as well as her and Finneas’ Instagram Stories here and here before they disappear.

24 Jul 2023

Watch Taylor Swift Laugh During This Revenge Song at Her Seattle Concert

She can’t even sing it with a straight face. Taylor Swift dusted off one of her best revenge songs at her Seattle Eras Tour show on Saturday (July 22), during which she had to take a pause to let out some maniacal laughter.

Singing “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” — which has long been rumored to be about her feud with Kanye West, now known as Ye, and Kim Kardashian — as the night’s surprise song, the 33-year-old pop star got all the way through to the bridge without stopping. Then, at the lyric “Here’s to you, ’cause forgiveness is a nice thing to do,” she paused playing completely, taking her hands off her guitar and letting out an uproarious “Ha!”

Swift then took a full 20 seconds to cackle, leaning on the microphone stand for support as the crowd at Lumen Field joined in on the laughter. “I can’t even say it with a straight face,” the singer-songwriter eventually resumed. “This is why we can’t have nice things!”

One fan video from the performance featured Swift’s mom, Andrea, singing along in the audience to the lyric, “Here’s to my momma, had to listen to all this drama,” which the “Anti-Hero” artist sings just before the big laugh.

To be clear, the laughter was all part of the performance and is even featured on the original track, released in 2017 as part of Swift’s Reputation album. But the Grammy winner did take a significantly bigger pause in the Saturday acoustic performance than she does on the recording.

While “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” is rumored to be about the rapper and his now ex-wife, it does contain what are probably the most incriminating lyrics tying the track back to their clash with Swift. “It was so nice being friends again/ There I was giving you a second chance,” she sings. “And therein lies the issue, friends don’t try to trick you/ Get you on the phone and mind-twist you.”

Ye and Swift first fell out in 2009 after the former notoriously stormed the VMAs stage upon the latter’s victory for best female video, taking the microphone and interrupting her speech to declare that Beyoncé should have won instead. Swift later penned “Innocent” about the Yeezy founder and the two reconciled, although things fell apart again in 2016 after Ye released his “Famous” single featuring the lyric: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/ Why? I made that b—- famous.”

Kardashian proceeded to leak video footage of Ye telling Swift about the song before its release over the phone, but Swift maintained she was never made aware of the second half of that lyric, which she took issue with, saying on social media that the clip was “edited and manipulated.”

Flash forward to present day, and Swift is fresh off the release of her most successful Taylor’s Version re-recorded album yet, with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) surpassing 715,000 album unit sales in its first week. She also has two more stops on the U.S. leg of her blockbuster Eras Tour — Santa Clara and Inglewood — before she’ll take the trek global.

Meanwhile, Ye recently lost his billionaire status, with many of his brand partnerships cutting ties following his antisemitic hate speech and endorsement of “White Lives Matter” earlier this year. Kardashian filed for divorce from Ye in 2021.

Watch the moment below:

24 Jul 2023

TikTok Sleuth Appears to Find Jim Crow Era News Story in Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’ Teaser

Jason Aldean dared his audience to “Try That in a Small Town” — so one TikTok user decided to take him up on the offer.

In a TikTok posted on Saturday (July 22), former minor league baseball player Danny Collins did a deep dive on one of Aldean’s promotional TikToks for his controversial song released back in May. Zooming in on a newspaper article in the background of one of the video’s shots, Collins found that it appears to be a piece pulled from a since-discontinued small newspaper from Mississippi.

Finding the original article in an online archive, Collins shared that the clipping used for the video looks to be from a 1956 issue of The Petal Paper in Petal, Miss., in which a public relations consultant for the NAACP wrote to the publication’s editor P.D. East, commending him for using his platform to ridicule white supremacists and criticize the Jim Crow era policy of segregation in schools.

“Never have I seen anything that startled me as much as the March 15 issue of the Petal Paper with its incredible ridiculing of the White Citizens Council crowd. I’m referring specifically to the full-page as I assume you wrote headed, ‘You Too, Can Be Superior,’” the letter read. “I hope I am not congratulating a dead man. This must have taken courage and I hope you are still with us.”

Collins goes on to read portions of East’s response letter, in which the editor detailed being called an “N-lover,” losing subscriptions to his paper and being “bothered and harassed” continually by citizens of his town. In a 1971 column written for The New York Times, East further detailed his experience, saying his open criticism of school segregation led to him losing every subscriber of the Petal Paper, and at one point receiving three death threats in a single week.

In closing his TikTok, Collins pointed back to the accusations against Aldean of including thinly veiled racist dogwhistles throughout his song’s video, saying that the inclusion of this letter to East in the promotional clip felt very on the nose. “Why would this happen to Mr. P.D. East? Because he tried that in a small town,” Collins said. “He challenged the Southern, racist establishment. But let Jason Aldean tell it … and this song has ‘nothing’ to do with race.”

Billboard has reached out to Aldean for comment.

Billboard broke the news on July 18 that CMT had pulled Aldean’s video for the song from their airwaves. In response to the criticism of his song, the country singer shared a comment across his social media accounts, claiming that the accusations of racist songwriting against him were wrong. “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage,” he wrote. “While I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music — this one goes too far.”

“Try That in a Small Town” was written by Kelley Lovelace, Neil Thrasher, Tully Kennedy and Kurt Michael Allison.

Check out Collins’ full TikTok below: