Music News

14 Jul 2023

Lauren Spencer Smith Details Lessons Learned While Writing Debut Album ‘Mirror’ & Meaning Behind Title

Lauren Spencer Smith‘s debut album, Mirror, has finally arrived. The singer released the project on Friday (July 14), and leading up to its release spoke with Billboard News about the meaning behind the project’s interesting title, as well as the lessons she took away from writing the LP.

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“Initially when I first wanted to title the album, I wanted it to be something about reflecting because everything that’s on the album is a personal experience to me,” she explained to Billboard staff writer Rania Aniftos. “Then throughout realizing no one had been by my side other than the mirror seeing every cry sesh, happy sesh, came back from the first date with my boyfriend and feeling excited, it was the only thing that was a constant throughout the rollercoaster of emotions that I had to go through to write the album, but it felt so fitting calling it Mirror.”

Smith continued, “When I first started writing the album, I would never have imagined that I was going to end the album with that title. I definitely think it was something that I randomly started thinking of one day, like ‘Wow, I literally would not where I am today if everything didn’t happen to me.’ And as much as sometimes I still look back being very annoyed and sad that things like that happened to me, it just has made me who I am. It’s the reason I written all the songs. I remember thinking one day to myself, ‘I think I should thank the person that hurt me,’ because they kind gave me this trajectory of a career at this point.”

Mirror features breakthrough singles “Fingers Crossed” and “Flowers,” “Fantasy” with GAYLE and Em Beihold, “That Part” and more. The 20-year-old will embark on a tour in North America, U.K. and Europe starting on July 14 to support the album.

Reflecting on Mirror, Smith also shared that writing the LP has allowed her to feel more comfortable within her craft: “Throughout songwriting I just realized to say whatever I want, it doesn’t have to have a bad intention to it, it’s just something that I want to say in the song and allowing myself to be honest in all of my songs and really be true to myself.”

Watch Smith’s full interview with Billboard News in the video above.

14 Jul 2023

Beyoncé Supports Jay-Z’s ‘The Book of Hov’ Exhibit in Stunning New Selfies

Beyoncé was a proud wife this week, supporting Jay-Z as the Brooklyn Public Library unveiled an honorary exhibition for the billionaire superstar.

The “Break My Soul” singer took to Instagram on Friday (July 13) to share a series of snaps from the grand opening event, in which she was rocking a sunset red vinyl skirt and matching mesh top, complete with a sky-high ponytail and brown shades. Throughout the snaps, Bey is seen posing with Jay and the couple’s daughter Blue Ivy.

See the post here.

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“The Book of HOV” exhibition — based on the rapper’s lyric in DJ Khaled’s 2022 Grammy-nominated anthem “God Did” — features “archived objects, including original recording masters, never-before-seen photos, iconic stage wear, prestigious awards, and recognitions, as well as videos and artifacts from every facet of Jay-Z’s professional life.”

Billboard was on site at the opening event, and you can read the full recap here.

14 Jul 2023

Trippie Redd Announces New Album ‘A Love Letter to You 5’

Trippie Redd fans just keep on eating. The Billboard 200-topping rapper is set to release A Love Letter To You 5, his new studio album, on August 4. The new release marks the fifth entry in the rapper’s Love Letter series, and the first since 2019’s A Love Letter To You 4. Details regarding the new album are scarce, but Trippie shared the record’s official artwork on his Instagram and Twitter pages.

A Love Letter To You 5 is the second full-length release of the year for Trippie Redd. The Sky Morales-featuring “Took My Breath Away,” which Trippie released last month (June 16), is set to appear on the tracklist for the new record. In January, the rapper surprised fans with Mansion Musik, a sprawling 27-track mixtape. The project debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, his seventh consecutive top five debut, and featured collaborations with Travis Scott, Rylo Rodriguez, Future, Lil Baby, Ski Mask the Slump God, and more. Trippie later revealed that he was forced the rush-release the project because all of the tracks were being “held for ransom” by unidentified hackers.

Trippie Redd has landed nine titles on the Billboard 200, seven of which reached the top five dating back to 2018’s Life’s A Trip. He has also sent four projects to No. 1 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. On the Billboard Hot 100, the rapper has earned 35 entries, reaching as high as No. 11 with 2021’s “Miss the Rage” (with Playboi Carti). Recently, Spotify named Trippie Redd as one of the 50 most-streamed rappers in the platform’s history.

Check out the cover art for A Love Letter To You 5 here:

14 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Was in Attendance at Questlove’s Massive UNO Game Night

Questlove hosted a star-studded game night this week, bringing together some huge celebrities for a good old game of UNO.

“I’m always having Movie Night, Food Salons, Jam Sessions, Karaoke Madness anything communal with my peers et al,” The Roots member wrote on Instagram alongside a series of photos from the bash, in which Taylor Swift is seen checking her cards at the table. Other superstars in attendance included Jason Sudeikis, Michael Che, Mike Birbiglia and more.

See Questlove’s post here. Sadly, the musician did not reveal the winner of the massive tournament.

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Swift’s appearance at the UNO game night comes amid her wildly successful The Eras tour, which kicks back up at Denver’s Empower field for two back-to-back shows on Friday (July 14) and Saturday (July 15).

In celebration of her arrival, Colorado Governor Jared Polis shared a letter to his official Instagram account, tying in dozens of Swift’s song lyrics and titles to welcome the Grammy winner. “I know your performances will be Gorgeous and have our heartbeats skipping down Colfax Avenue,” he wrote. “I’m confident 140,000+ concert goers will look back and say your concert was The Best Day, straight out of their Wildest Dreams.”

After the “Anti-Hero” singer — who recently released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the third of her six re-recorded albums — wraps up in Denver, she’ll head to just three more U.S. cities on the Eras Tour before she takes her bestselling trek global. Featuring support from Paramore and Sabrina Carpenter, the international tour dates have Swift set to begin in Latin America before making her way through Asia, Europe and Australia.

14 Jul 2023

Bunnie XO Introduces Jelly Roll’s 6-Year-Old Son to Fans in Sweet Video

Jelly Roll has previously introduced his fans to his daughter, Bailee Ann, even bringing her onstage during a concert in Houston last year to sing with him on the song “Tears Could Talk.” And his wife, Bunnie, has introduced fans to the country star’s 6-year-old son, Noah.

In the video clip, which Bunnie posted to TikTok, she invites Noah to sit with her.

“My name is Noah, and my favorite color is red,” he tells the camera before stating his full name and indicating his age by holding up six fingers.

“You’re going to be seven!” Bunnie says, as Noah states that he will indeed turn seven on Aug. 23.

Bunnie asks Noah what his favorite sport is and he first says, “Pokemon,” laughing and answering with “soccer.” He also talks about his love for animals and his older sister Bailee, and says he loves going to the beach to “play in the water and let the waves catch me.”

To date, Jelly Roll has primarily kept Noah out of the spotlight out of respect for Noah’s birth mother. In the video’s comments, one fan stated, “I remember when his [birth mom] didn’t want to bring Noah into the spotlight. I’m so happy for y’all!” and telling Bunnie, “You’re a great bonus mom!”

Bunnie responded by confirming, “We asked, and she said it was OK. Always mama-approved first.”

Jelly Roll, who was recently a Billboard cover star and released his latest album, Whitsitt Chapel, last month, just earned his first Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs No. 1 with “Need a Favor,” which also peaked atop the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart and is rising on the Country Airplay chart.

See Bunnie’s TikTok introducing Noah below:

14 Jul 2023

Friday Dance Music Guide: The Week’s Best New Tracks From Tycho, Shouse & More

This week in dance music: Disclosure announced a new album, out today (July 14), and a boatload of other new music also dropped alongside it. Let’s get into it.

Shouse feat. House Gospel Choir, “Your Love”

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The Label: Hell Beach

The Spiel: Yes, the Australia/New Zealand-born duo is indeed following up their massive hit 2017 “Love Tonight” — which was sent into ubiquity via David Guetta’s 2021 remix — and this year’s second Guetta collab “Live Without Love” with another ode to romance. Featuring the House Gospel Choir (who also figured in The Blessed Madonna’s recently released “Mercy”), the song takes a moody, sort of celestial house production and adds a sort auto-tuned alien voice and then a swarm of very human vocals, which are altogether likely to hit you in your similarly human feels.

The Vibe: What’s not to love?

Tycho, “Time To Run”

The Label: Mom + Pop

The Spiel: The venerable Tycho drops his first track of the year via the chipper, punchy “Time To Run.” Taking influence from the producer born Scott Hansen’s real life love of running — and coming with a sweet and simple running-centric video — the song layers a looped guitar riff and drums with effervescent and quintessentially Tycho electronic elements, building to a quick clip with a smart, bright mood.

The Artist Says: “Music has always served as a kind of meditation for me, long before I started creating it,” says Hansen. “As a competitive runner throughout my early life, I would play back loops of songs in my head to cope with the stress of races, focusing on rhythmic elements to help pace myself and stay calm. There is a unique form of clarity that I have found through the meditative practice of running, it is a fundamentally human experience, and when I feel the deepest connection between the mind, body, and nature. ‘Time to Run’ is my attempt to translate these ideas into music. My goal was to approach the composition from a new angle and let the rhythmic elements take the lead. I cast the melodic elements that have come to define the Tycho sound in a new light by juxtaposing them against a new foundation that takes cues from funk music.”

The Vibe: Runner’s high.

Joel Corry, Icona Pop & Rain Radio, “Desire”

The Label: Atlantic Records

The Spiel: The eternally productive Joel Corry links with Swedish favs Icona Pop and Rain Radio — the secret-ish duo from Fred again.. and his brother Benjy — for a compact (just two minutes and 39 seconds!) but nonetheless full throttle ’90s style house anthem, with a singalong bridge and an earworm melody that’s sure to get lodged in your head, but which is good enough that you won’t actually be annoyed about it.

The Artist Says: “I’m so excited to finally release ‘Desire’ with Icona Pop and Rain Radio”, Corry says in a statement. “It’s been the most requested track ID in my sets for months and always goes off wherever I play it across the globe.”

The Vibe: When the only thing you really desire is to just be dancing hard with your eyes closed in a dark club in the middle of the night.

Baauer feat. Betsy, “Nothing’s Ever Real”

The Label: LuckyMe

The Spiel: Baauer’s house era continues with the bright, piano-heavy “Nothing’s Ever Real.” The track features vocals from Welsh singer Betsy, who insists “’cause nothing’s ever real enough, takе what you want,” and comes with a video in which Baauer revives the sound recording guy character from the video for 2022’s “Let Me Love You” — extending both this persona and the facets of real world romance he captures.

The Vibe: Pretty real, actually.

Duke Dumont feat. Nathan Nicholson, “Losing Control”

The Label: Astralwerks

The Spiel: Duke Dumont never misses and certainly isn’t starting today — with the release of another slice of the dark, transportive, larger-than-life club club fare that is his calling card. Featuring interestingly paced vocals from Nathan Nicholson of The Boxer Rebellion, “Losing Control” is urgent, sophisticated immersive and in possession of a deeply satisfying wind up and release that will surely help any given listener let go at least a little bit.

The Artist Says: “I made this record alongside Nathan Nicholson with my live show experience in mind,” Dumont says in a statement. “Strobe lights, iconic visual, anthemic synth leads, and a vocal hook that conjures paranoia or liberation, depending how you interpret the song. At the festivals I’ve been paying it’s been a big moment for the set.”

The Vibe: Liberation, for sure.

14 Jul 2023

Demi Lovato Says a Collaboration With Kelly Clarkson Is a ‘High Possibility’: ‘We Just Have to Find the Right Song’

Demi Lovato has one major collaboration on her bucket list. In a Friday (July 14) interview with Andy Cohen for his SiriusXM show, the “29” singer revealed that Kelly Clarkson is on her dream list and noted that the pair have talked about working on a song together sometime in the future.

“I’ve never worked with Kelly Clarkson, and I love her so much and I grew up idolizing her,” the singer told Cohen. Lovato idolized the American Idol alumn so much that “my first email was littlekelly@yahoo.com with some numbers. I won’t tell you which ones.”

Lovato asserted that working with Clarkson is a “life goal” of theirs, but the song in question would have to be perfect. “We just have to find the right song. We’ve definitely talked about it in the past, so it’s like not in the works, but it’s a high possibility. It’s just like finding the right song that the both of us can belt on would be dope,” they said.

In the meantime, the former Disney Channel star will be releasing REVAMPED, collection of her previous hits reimagined as rock music. “Breathing new life into the songs that played such a huge role in my career has allowed me to feel so much closer to my music than ever before. I can’t wait for you to hear REVAMPED,” Lovato announced on Friday.

She continued, “With REVAMPED, I wanted to pay homage to the songs that resonated the most with fans and played a big role in my career by breathing an exciting new life into them. Creating this project has been incredibly fun and allowed me to express my passion for rock music in a new way, and I feel so much closer to my older music because of it. I can’t wait for everyone to hear more!”

REVAMPED — which will include “Sorry Not Sorry (Rock Version),” “Heart Attack (Rock Version)” and “Cool for the Summer (Rock Version)” — will arrive on Sept. 15. 

Watch Lovato talk about working with Clarkson in the video above.

14 Jul 2023

The Clipse, Rick Ross & Wale to Perform at NYC’s Pier 17 for Amazon Music’s ’50 & Forever’ Series

Amazon Music is looking to give back to the culture in a massive way as hip-hop’s 50th anniversary inches closer. Beginning July 17, Amazon Music will launch its celebration 50 & Forever, which includes a string of performances, in-depth discussions and broadcasts from live festivals. 

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Fans can enjoy various performances in NYC on July 20 and July 28. The first date will feature a live performance from Wale and a special guest at The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport. The second will spotlight The Clipse and Rick Ross at the same location, with tickets to both events available on Ticketmaster for $10. The livestream performances will reside on Amazon Music’s channel on Twitch. The proceeds will go toward the artists’ charity of choice. 

Fans will also enjoy Group Thread conversations hosted by Speedy Morman every Monday, and Breakthrough Live performances from rising hip-hop talent each Tuesday. Lastly, episodes of Rotation Roundtable featuring Morman, Nyla Symone, Gabe P and Rob Markman will air every Wednesday. Then, Rolling Loud Miami will air on Amazon Music’s channel on Twitch July 21-23.

Check out the entire schedule below.

  • July 17 – Group Thread: The Blog Era Live from the Seaport
  • July 18 – Breakthrough Live: New Voices in Hip-Hop Live from the Seaport
  • July 19 – Rotation Roundtable: Live from the Seaport
  • July 20 – Wale & Special Guest – City Sessions New York: “50 & Forever” Live from The Rooftop at Pier 17
  • July 21 – Rolling Loud: Day 1
  • July 22 – Rolling Loud: Day 2
  • July 23 – Rolling Loud: Day 3
  • July 24 – Group Thread: The Brick Tape Live from the Seaport
  • July 25 – Breakthrough Live: New Voices in Hip-Hop Live from the Seaport
  • July 26 – Rotation Roundtable: Live from the Seaport
  • July 28 – City Sessions New York: “50 & Forever” Live from The Rooftop at Pier 17
  • July 31 – Group Thread: The South Has Something To Say Live from Atlanta
  • Aug. 1 – Breakthrough Live: New Voices in Hip-Hop Live from Atlanta
  • Aug. 2 – Rotation Roundtable: Live from Atlanta
  • Aug. 3 – City Sessions Atlanta: “50 & Forever”
  • Aug. 7 – Group Thread: Ladies First Live from the Seaport
  • Aug. 8 – Breakthrough Live: New Voices in Hip-Hop Live from the Seaport
  • Aug. 10 – City Sessions New York: “50 & Forever” Live from The Rooftop at Pier 17

14 Jul 2023

Demi Lovato Reveals She Still Has Hearing Loss & Vision Impairment Following 2018 Overdose

Demi Lovato was lucky to survive her 2018 drug overdose, immediately after which the musician suffered three strokes and a heart attack. But in a raw new interview with Andy Cohen for SiriusXM, Lovato shared that almost exactly five years out from the near-fatal incident, they still experience hearing loss and vision impairment as a result.

“I wouldn’t change my path because I don’t have any regrets,” the 30-year-old “Cool for the Summer” singer began. “When I think about things, the closest thing that I get to a regret is when I overdosed … that overdose caused me a lot of … it actually caused a disability. I have vision impairment and hearing impairment to this day.”

“I don’t drive because I have blind spots in my vision,” she continued. “It’s a daily constant reminder. You know, anytime I look at something, like, I have blind spots in my vision when I look at your face, and so it’s a constant reminder to stay on the right path because I never want that to happen again.”

Lovato was rushed to the hospital July 24, 2018, after overdosing on heroin, having relapsed earlier that year after six years of sobriety. The former Disney star is now sober, revealing last year they completed another round of treatment in 2021 before starting work on 2022 album Holy Fvck.

“Luckily in the mind state that I’m in now — you know, being sober, having a clear head — I just think in a more positive mind space and I’m not focusing on the shame at all,” she reflected. “I know I have a lot of sympathy for where I was at that time and the choices that I made and I understand why it happened and what happened, but there’s no shame that comes with it because it was just a life lesson that I had to learn.”

In recent years, Lovato has pivoted from pop to rock music — even holding a “funeral” for their former genre — and recently announced that an album of rockified versions of older pop hits such as “Heart Attack” and “Sorry Not Sorry” called REVAMPED is dropping in September. But Lovato also told Cohen that she’s not necessarily done with pop music forever and even dreams of collaborating with Kelly Clarkson someday.

“I never say never because you never know what’ll happen, but I’ve just been really influenced by rock music and it’s what I have fun performing live,” Lovato shared. “It was just the path that I took at that time and then when I started, I got sober and I was reevaluating everything in my life including my music and I was like, ‘What makes me happy?’ Like, that’s the most important question and I was like, ‘What makes me happy is listening to rock music and performing rock music.’”

Watch Lovato on SiriusXM above.

14 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Ties for Most No. 1s on Pop Airplay Chart Thanks to ‘Karma’

Taylor Swift ties the record for the most No. 1s in the history of Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, as “Karma” ascends to the top of the list dated July 22. The song becomes her 11th leader on the list, matching the marks of Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Rihanna.

(Justin Bieber, with 10 Pop Airplay No. 1s, is the only other act with a double-digit total.)

Meanwhile, dating to the Pop Airplay chart’s inception in October 1992, Swift and Maroon 5 are the only acts to have reigned in the 2000s, ‘10s and ‘20s.

Here’s a recap of Swift’s 11 No. 1s on Pop Airplay, which measures songs’ weekly plays, as tabulated by Mediabase and provided to Billboard by Luminate, on over 150 U.S. mainstream top 40 radio stations.

Title, Weeks at No. 1, Year(s):

  • “Karma,” one (to date), 2023
  • “Anti-Hero,” three, 2022-23
  • “Delicate,” one, 2018
  • “Look What You Made Me Do,” one, 2017
  • “Wildest Dreams,” two, 2015
  • “Bad Blood” (feat. Kendrick Lamar), five, 2015
  • “Style,” three, 2015
  • “Blank Space,” six, 2014-15
  • “Shake It Off,” two, 2014|
  • “I Knew You Were Trouble,” seven, 2013
  • “Love Story,” one, 2009

Also notably, “Karma” is the second Pop Airplay No. 1 from Swift’s 2022 album Midnights, following “Anti-Hero.” The set is her third to generate multiple leaders, after Reputation (two, 2017-18) and 1989 (five, 2014-15).

Contributing to airplay for “Karma,” which gained by 1% in plays on Pop Airplay reporters July 7-13, is its remix featuring Ice Spice. The song (all versions combined) hit a No. 2 high on the all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100 in June. It originally debuted, at No. 9, on the Hot 100 100 dated Nov. 5, 2022, as Swift made history as the first artist to monopolize the chart’s entire top 10 in a single week, with all tracks all from Midnights.

Swift concurrently ascends to the Pop Airplay top 10 with “Cruel Summer,” which surges 14-8 as the list’s Greatest Gainer (up 29%). The song becomes her 22nd top 10, tying Maroon 5 for the second-most, after Rihanna’s 30.

Originally released on Swift’s 2019 album Lover and now being promoted by Republic Records as a new single, the song has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, as Swift has been performing it on her current The Eras Tour, her first in which she’s been able to spotlight songs from Lover, which was released shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each concert on the tour is divided into 10 acts, encompassing nine of her LPs; the Lover era kicks off the show, with “Cruel Summer” performed in the opening set.

The song becomes the third Pop Airplay top 10, and second-highest-charting, from Lover, joining lead single “Me!,” featuring Brendon Urie (No. 7 peak, May 2019), and “You Need to Calm Down” (No. 9, August 2019). The set spun off two other top 20 hits: the title track (No. 16, November 2019) and “The Man” (No. 20, April 2020).