Music News

08 Jul 2023

Selena Gomez Reflects on July 4th Party With ‘Kick A– Gals’ Taylor Swift and Haim

Selena Gomez is feeling re-energized after spending Independence Day with some close friends.

The Only Murders in the Building star took to Instagram on Saturday (July 8) to reflect on her uplifting 4th of July holiday weekend alongside longtime bestie Taylor Swift, the Haim sisters, and other pals.

“Sometimes you need to be around empowering, kind and kick a– gals. I needed that,” Gomez captioned the post, which included party pics with her A-list friends.

On Friday, Swift shared the same set of Polaroids from her annual patriotic celebration. In one of the pics, Tay hugs a smiling Gomez from behind, wrapping her arms around Selena’s shoulder. A second snap shows the pair preparing to share a red, white and blue Bomb Pop.

The two other photos appear to show the women singing karaoke in the kitchen and piling up for a group hug. The images also featured Este, Alana and Danielle Haim, along with Nashville stylist Ashley Avignone and Sydney Ness, who is the reported girlfriend of Swift’s brother Austin.

Swift has hosted a 4th of July blowout for years, with her crew of models, actors and singers making the trek to the singer’s Rhode Island mansion for pool parties and pics. Other guests over the years have included Ed Sheeran, Nick Jonas, Gigi Hadid, Lena Dunham, Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, and many others.

Earlier this summer, Gomez teased on Instagram that the follow-up to her 2020 album, Rare, is finally underway. The 30-year-old pop star shared several photos of herself working in a recording studio. “Don’t worry guys, it’s coming,” the singer-actress captioned the post. “Even from Paris.”

See Gomez’ July 4th post on Instagram below.

08 Jul 2023

Here’s Why Taylor Swift Fans Think ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ Is Being Teased in ‘I Can See You’ Video

Let the speculation begin! Taylor Swift fans believe the pop superstar is dropping some major Easter eggs about her next re-recorded album following the surprise release of her “I Can See You” music video.

During her Eras Tour concert in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday (July 7), the 33-year-old singer delighted Swifties by sharing the action-packed visual for her newly released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) “From the Vault” track “I Can See You,” starring actors Taylor Lautner, Joey King and Presley Cash.

Written and directed by Swift, the five-minute video finds the songstress and her co-stars pulling off a heist to recover the master recording of her third album. Toward the end of the clip, as the foursome makes their escape in a white fan, they drive across a bridge with a sign that reads “1989 TV.” This has led many to believe that a re-recording of her 2014 album, 1989, could be on the horizon.

“1989 TAYLOR’S VERSION IS NEXT. Easter eggs in the ‘I Can See You’ music video confirms it,” one fan tweeted alongside screenshots from the video.

Other eagle-eyed Swifties have pointed out that the “I Can See You” video features similar imagery to various 1989 visuals, including a close-up of the singer’s bright red lips from her “Style” video and action sequences from the “Bad Blood” video.

During Friday’s show at Geha Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Swift invited Lautner, King and Cash onstage to help introduce the “I Can See You” clip. Lautner delighted the sold-out audience by cartwheeling and backflipping onto the stage.

“WELL. SO. I’ve been counting down for months and finally the ‘I Can See You’ video is out,” Swift tweeted alongside behind-the-scenes photos the visual. “I wrote this video treatment over a year ago and really wanted to play out symbolically how it’s felt for me to have the fans helping me reclaim my music.”

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the newly released re-recording of Swift’s 2010 album, arrived on Friday (July 7). The new set features all of the original recordings, plus six “From the Vault” tracks.

See more fan reactions to Swift’s “I Can See You” on social media below.

08 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Premieres ‘I Can See You’ Video With Taylor Lautner at Eras Tour Show in Kansas City

Taylor Swift surprised fans at her Eras Tour concert in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday (July 7) by premiering the music video for her song “I Can See You.”

The action-packed visual for the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) track finds Swift and actors Taylor Lautner, Joey King and Presley Cash pulling off a heist of her third album. “I Can See You” appears as one of the newly released re-recorded album’s “From the Vault” songs.

During Friday’s show at Geha Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Swift invited the three actors onstage to help introduce the video. Lautner delighted the sold-out audience by cartwheeling and backflipping onto the stage.

“WELL. SO. I’ve been counting down for months and finally the ‘I Can See You’ video is out,” Swift tweeted alongside behind-the-scenes photos from her self-directed video. “I wrote this video treatment over a year ago and really wanted to play out symbolically how it’s felt for me to have the fans helping me reclaim my music.”

The singer continued, “I had my heart set on @JoeyKing, Taylor Lautner and @IAmPresleyCash starring in it. Joey and Presley had been in the video for ‘Mean’ when they were 9 and 13 and they are back and so ridiculously bad ass!! Taytay is INCREDIBLE in this (didn’t have a stunt double!) and shout out to Tay Lautner for being so awesome to hang with on set.”

Swift, who briefly dated Lautner in 2009, concluded her post by noting that she’s “always wanted to direct fight scenes/a heist storyline and had the most incredible time plotting this out.”

Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the newly released re-recording of Swift’s 2010 album, also arrived on Friday (July 7). The new set features all of the original recordings, plus six “From the Vault” tracks.

Lautner shared some kind words about Swift following the debut of the video. “Taylor, I respect you so much. Not just for the singer you are, the songwriter, the performer, but for the human you are. You are gracious, humble, kind and I am honored to know you,” the actor said.

Elsewhere during Friday’s concert, Swift included a performance of “Long Live” to the Speak Now section of her show directly after “Enchanted.” She also played Speak Now song “Never Grow Up” and “From the Vault” track “When Emma Falls in Love” during the surprise songs portion of her set.

Watch the video for Swift’s “I Can See You” below.

08 Jul 2023

Camila Cabello to Receive Special Award at Premios Juventud & More Uplifting Moments in Latin Music

From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

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A Bromance That Endures

After a nearly 10-month hiatus from social media, J Balvin is back in the game. The Colombian artist is not only making the rounds with his comeback single “En Alta” with newcomers Quevedo, Yovngchimi, and Omar Courtz—a trap song about keeping a positive mindset—but he’s also hitting the stage and reuniting with colleagues. 

This week, Balvin performed a show at Ibiza, where, to everyone’s surprise, he was joined on stage by Maluma to sing their 2019 collaborative effort “Que Pena.” “It’s been more than 10 years without sharing a stage,” Balvin expressed on Instagram. “It’s such an honor seeing the big artist you’ve become and even bigger, the person you are. And see how sexy we are, jejeje.” 

Road to Premios Juventud 

This week, Univision unveiled a new wave of performers that will take center stage at the 2023 Premios Juventud, set for July 20. Confirmed acts (so far) are: Camilo, Carin Leon, Danna Paola, Denise Rosenthal, Eslabon Armado, Farruko, Fernando Villalona, Ilegales, Jandy Ventura, Los Hermanos Rosario, Pavel Núñez, Sofia Reyes, and Toño Rosario. 

Additionally, Camila Cabello will receive the special “Agent of Change” award at the awards 20th anniversary for her commitment to the betterment of youth around the world. “I am honored and incredibly excited to receive this esteemed recognition. I can’t wait to see you all on July 20th for an unforgettable show,” she expressed in a press statement. Cabello now joins past “Agent of Change” honorees including Jesse & Joy, Maluma, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Kany Garcia, Jenni Rivera Foundation, Ricky Martin, Becky G, Pitbull, Juanpa Zurita, and Wisin y Yandel. 

Sebastian Yatra & Lang Lang

One of Sebastian Yatra’s dreams came true this week after the Colombian star was invited by renowned pianist Lang Lang to perform a very special rendition of the Oscar-nominated hit, “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto. “What a great privilege it was to sing beside you my friend, please keep inspiring us with your work and magic!! Next time we’ll play it in China!!” Yatra expressed on Instagram. “It was my great pleasure to perform with you and I cannot wait for our next performance together,” Lang Lang responded in the comments. The two artists performed at the National Auditorium in Madrid as part of Lang Lang’s The Disney Book in concert.

Peso Pluma’s Billboard Domination

Peso Pluma is making Billboard history with his third studio album Génesis, which skyrocketed to No. 1 (from No. 35) on the Top Latin Albums chart (dated July 8) after its first full tracking week, and also jumped 10-1 on Regional Mexican Albums. The 14-track set also reached No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard 200. Billboard also reported this week that 10 of the album’s songs debuted on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including “Luna,” with Junior H, leading the new arrivals at No. 5, with 13 million official on-demand streams earned in the U.S. in the week ending June 29, according to Luminate.

Young Miko Takes Over Puerto Rico

At the beginning of this week, Young Miko performed her first-ever concert in Puerto Rico with a sold-out show at the Anfiteatro Tito Puente venue. The rising Puerto Rican rapper, and Billboard’s Latin Artist on the Rise, not only performed her viral hits such as “Riri” and “Lisa,” but she also counted with the support of special guests including Yandel, Jowell & Randy, Omar Courtz, and PJ Sin Suela, to name a few. “I’m never going to get over what we lived together, Puerto Rico,” the artist expressed on Instagram. “My first concert and it was a f*****g dream.” “I can’t thank you enough for the energy and vibes you greeted me with and for kicking with me to the end without ever letting it down! […] This is just the beginning, with God ahead here we will be together until the end,” she continued. See photos of her big night below: 

07 Jul 2023

Britney Spears Says She’s ‘Still a Huge Fan’ of Victor Wembanyama Despite Las Vegas Incident

Britney Spears is reflecting on the Las Vegas incident earlier this week in which she was allegedly struck by NBA star Victor Wembanyama’s security.

The pop superstar took to Instagram to share her thoughts on Friday (July 7) after TMZ shared footage of the situation, where Spears is seen tapping the San Antonio Spurs player on the back outside Catch restaurant — despite Wembanyama claiming she grabbed him from behind — which prompted the Spurs’ Director of Team Security Damian Smith to push the “Womanizer” signer’s arm out of the way, hitting her in the face. Spears is then heard crying out, “F— you all.”

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“I’ve been working in the industry for years and have been with some of the most famous people in the world … NSYNC at one point were like The Beatles … girls would throw themselves at them everywhere we went … not one time in my life has a security guard ever hit another person !!!” Spears wrote on Instagram. “I’m not sharing this to be a victim … I SIMPLY GET IT HONESTLY … my reaction was priceless … BAD ??? YES … I’ve had documentaries done about me and none of which I approved … I have felt helpless in most situations and my experience in Vegas and my reaction was a cry out on all levels … I will say it !!! No, I don’t feel like I have been treated as an equal person in this country … of course when I watched the video myself … the people who actually swarmed around me when they heard me get hit made me feel like I mattered !!! I wasn’t aware of that at the time … all people could hear was me saying f— you all … which was WAY BETTER THAN HITTING HIM BACK ?? ? !!!”

However, Spears said she’s “still a huge fan” of Wembanyama’s. “It’s not his fault his security hit me … s— happens !!! I hope you’re all having a wonderful Friday !!!”

See her post below.

07 Jul 2023

Madison Beer Says She Couldn’t ‘Comprehend’ Lana Del Rey Shoutout: ‘She’s Just Incredible’

Madison Beer is gearing up to release her sophomore album Silence Between Songs on September 15, and the singer-songwriter sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to discuss the inspiration behind her upcoming project.

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“I got started really young doing this, and I feel like I’ve had a very busy 12 years or so in the industry and I kind of convinced myself that the moments where I was making music and when I was on tour and when I was my busiest was when I was growing,” she shared of the metaphorical album title. “As I’ve gotten a little bit older, I realized it’s actually been the moments that I’ve been able to tune out the noise and I’ve been able to be alone, really reflect and be more isolated where I’ve grown the most. So, it’s the silence between songs and when the noise is turned off is when I feel like I’ve learned who I am the most.”

Over the course of her career, Beer has grown a loyal fanbase and even some famous supporters including Lana Del Rey, who expressed how much she enjoys the 24-year-old’s music at Billboard’s Women in Music event back in March.

“She’s so cute and sweet that I was the first person she thought to name,” Beer expressed. “It’s just not something that I think I can comprehend. I think it also goes back to feeling conditioned that no one likes me and I’m not good enough and whatever. Having someone like her validate that I am, and that she’s in any semblance a fan is crazy. Not only do you know who I am, you’ve listened to my music. It’s wild. She’s just incredible. I could gush over her forever.”

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Madison Beer above.

07 Jul 2023

Here’s Why Kim & Kourtney Kardashian Are Fighting About Andrea Bocelli

The ongoing tension between Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian continued to bubble over on the newest episode of Hulu’s The Kardashians, when Kim expressed frustration over her sister’s wedding choices.

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On Thursday’s episode (July 6), the two attempt to figure out the tension surrounding Kim’s Dolce & Gabbana partnership with the same fashion house that designed Kourtney’s wedding.

Kourtney claimed that she chose D&G for her wedding because it “felt really authentic to me,” but Kim went on the defensive for the ongoing conversation on who copied who, calling out similarities between Kourt’s wedding to Travis Barker and her own 2014 nuptials to Kanye West.

“I got married in Italy. Am I saying you copied me by getting married in Italy?” Kim tells the camera. “Who performed at my wedding? Andrea Bocelli. Who performed at Kourtney’s wedding? Andrea Bocelli.”

She continued, “You stole my f—ing wedding country and my wedding performer. Andrea Bocelli is my favorite male singer of all time, but I’m copying her dolce vida lifestyle? Okay.”

Watch the scene below, and catch up on season three of The Kardashians, which is streaming exclusively on Hulu.

07 Jul 2023

Danielle Jonas Says She Sometimes Feels ‘Less Than’ Sisters-in-Law Priyanka Chopra & Sophie Turner

Danielle Jonas got vulnerable while appearing alongside husband Kevin Jonas in a new episode of the LadyGang podcast this week, in which she opened up about comparing herself to Joe Jonas and Nick Jonas’ wives, Sophie Turner and Priyanka Chopra, respectively.

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“The two boys married somebody who, they’re actresses, they’re out there, everyone knows them. And I feel like I’m Danielle, and it’s hard,” she explained to the podcast’s hosts Keltie Knight, Jac Vanek and Becca Tobin, before telling Kevin, “It’s also that I’m out there celebrity-wise because I’ve married you.”

She continued, “And that’s where it’s like, ‘Oh, I wanna have something else to my name too.’ So that it feels … I don’t know, more than or like the other girls. ‘Cause then when I’m with the other girls, I feel just less than sometimes. It’s weird.”

Kevin was quick to assure his wife that he feels the same around his younger brothers. “I feel the same way with Nick and Joe, right? Like solo careers, movies, all this stuff. It’s like everyone has to find their place,” he said, “No matter the situation, right?”

36-year-old Danielle and the 35-year-old Jonas Brothers singer first met on a vacation in the Bahamas back in 2007. They tied the knot two years later at Oheka Castle in Long Island, NY, and have been going strong ever since. The longtime couple share two daughters: nine-year-old Alena and six-year-old Valentina.

07 Jul 2023

Beyoncé Leaves Pittsburgh Mayor ‘Deeply Disappointed’ After Renaissance Tour Cancellation

Pittsburgh has a problem. The entire world is clamoring for a glimpse of Beyoncé’s eye-popping Renaissance World Tour, including the mayor of Steel City.

In a statement posted to social media this week, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey wrote that he was “deeply disappointed” that Beyoncé made the difficult decision to cancel the tour’s stop in his city.

“We were fully prepared to welcome [Beyoncé] to Pittsburgh and honor her with an official day recognizing her visit and accomplishments,” wrote Mayor Gainey. “We are in conversations with the promoter for the event in order to gain an understanding about what led to the cancellation, and if there is anything we can do as a city to find a new date or location for her show.”

On Wednesday, Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium revealed that Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour would not be visiting the venue, citing “production logistics and scheduling issues.” Two other shows — Seattle and Kansas City, Missouri — were rescheduled for the same reasons. With a tour featuring a flying disco horse, giant robotic arms and a life-size tank, Beyoncé’s latest worldwide trek is massive in scale.

Between Queen Bey’s Renaissance Tour and Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, politicians can’t stop themselves from weighing in on the schedules for the year’s most talked-about concerts. Just this week, Swift received personal messages to add more stops to her tour from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Thai PM candidate Pita Limjaroenrat.

Beyoncé kicks off the North American leg of her Renaissance tour on Saturday in Toronto.

Read Mayor Gainey’s full statement here:

07 Jul 2023

‘Fast Car,’ Slow Turnover: Luke Combs’ Hit Is Fifth Straight Multi-Week Country Airplay No. 1

Luke Combs’ cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 pop hit “Fast Car” tops Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated July 15) for a second week. In the tracking week ending July 6, the song increased by 1% to 33.6 million audience impressions, according to Luminate.

Combs claims his 12th Country Airplay No. 1 to dominate for more than a week, among his 16 leaders.

Plus, for the first time in almost 10 years, five consecutive Country Airplay chart-toppers rule for multiple weeks. The run started with Morgan Wallen’s “Thought You Should Know,” which led for its first of three weeks on the Feb. 25-dated chart, and continued with Combs’ Going, Going, Gone” (two, March 18), Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock and a Hard Place” (six, April 1), Wallen’s “Last Night” (eight, May 13) and now “Fast Car.”

The last quintuplet of consecutive multi-week Country Airplay leaders occurred in August-October 2013, encompassing five two-week No. 1s each: Randy Houser’s “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight,” Brett Eldredge’s “Don’t Ya,” Keith Urban’s “Little Bit of Everything,” Florida Georgia Line’s “Round Here” and Jason Aldean’s “Night Train.”

“I think we have a couple things happening,” KBAY San Jose, Calif., program director Bo Matthews tells Billboard about the current streak by Combs and Wallen – who have four of the last five Country Airplay No. 1s – and Zimmerman. “The pop music cycle is not strong currently, and clearly country music is the winner. Consumption is higher with country music, and programmers are being smart, playing what their listeners want and embracing new country stars. What a great time to be in country music. We have the rock stars right now.”

“Country music is in such a good place right now,” echoes Cumulus Media vp of programming Charlie Cook. “The passion for the music is high and with tour season in full swing, fans are connecting with the acts and loving the music. Those one-week No. 1s are often [heavily driven by label promotion]. I like seeing songs finding their way to the top of the chart and settling in for more than one week.”