Music News

05 Jul 2023

Jennifer Lopez Enjoys the Fourth of July Lounging in Pink Swimsuit

Jennifer Lopez spent the Fourth of July in the classic way — relaxing poolside before watching fireworks.

The superstar took to Instagram on Tuesday (July 4) to share a series of photos from her holiday, in which she’s seen rocking a pink one-piece swimsuit paired with big gold-framed sunglasses, gold hoop earrings and a gold necklace that reads “Jennifer.”

In the slideshow, she also gave a glimpse of the colorful fireworks that lit up the sky later that evening and the Delola Spritz cocktails she enjoyed. “Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend filled with love, family, friends and fun,” Lopez captioned her post.

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The multi-hyphenate is gearing up to release her long-awaited album This Is Me … Now, confirming earlier this year that fans can expect her ninth studio record by the end of the summer season. “My upcoming album This Is Me … Now is coming out this summer,” she shared in March for Spotify’s new Countdown Pages feature, without revealing an official release date. “Yes, you heard it here first. I’m super excited.”

This Is Me … Now serves as a companion to Lopez’s similarly titled 2003 record This Is Me … Then, which was dedicated to her partner at the time, Ben Affleck. The two have recently rekindled their romance and tied the knot in August 2022.

Check out JLo’s Fourth of July swimsuit snaps below.

05 Jul 2023

Las Vegas’ Exosphere Lights to Full Capacity for First Time During July 4th Display: See the Photos

On Tuesday in Las Vegas, July 4th fireworks weren’t the only things lighting up the sky. For the first time ever, the external dome of The Sphere — a new venue opening this September on the Las Vegas strip — was animated in a dynamic visual display demonstrating the full capacity of what this dome, Exosphere, can do.

During the display, Exosphere was lit with an American flag motif, lit as the moon, as fireworks and as other wild visuals.

Exosphere

Exosphere

Sphere Entertainment

“The Exosphere is more than a screen or a billboard — it is living architecture, and unlike anything that exists anywhere in the world,” Guy Barnett, The Sphere’s svp brand strategy and creative development, said in a statement. “Last night’s show provided a glimpse of the Exosphere’s captivating power, and the possibilities for artists, partners, and brands to create compelling and impactful stories to connect with audiences in new ways.”

Exosphere is a 580,000 square foot programmable LED exterior made up of roughly 1.2 million LED “pucks,” each spaced eight inches apart. Each puck is made of 48 LED diodes, and every diode is able to to display 256 million different colors. Exosphere’s July 4 show was the beginning of programming that will continue throughout this month.

Exosphere

Exosphere

Sphere Entertainment

Built and operated by Madison Square Garden Entertainment, The Sphere officially opens this September with a residency from U2. This residency, U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere, will feature the band playing its 1991 classic LP Achtung Baby, with shows extending from September through December.

For concerts, the MSG Sphere at The Venetian can hold 20,000 standing spectators or 17,500 seated guests, with 23 VIP suites. Connected to the Venetian Resort via a 1,000-foot-long pedestrian bridge, The Sphere will include 160,000 square feet of video viewing space and state-of-the-art spatial audio.

“Sphere’s Exosphere is a 360-degree canvas for brand storytelling that will be seen around the world, offering our partners an unparalleled opportunity to become part of the greatest show on Earth,” said David Hopkinson, president and chief operating officer of MSG Sports. “There’s nothing comparable to the impact from displaying innovative brand and immersive content on the world’s largest video screen. The extraordinary experiences we can create are only limited by imagination, and we’re thrilled to finally share with the world the spectacular potential of the Exosphere.”

See more photos of the Exosphere below:

Exosphere

Exosphere

Sphere Entertainment

Exosphere

Exosphere

Sphere Entertainment

Exosphere

Exosphere

Sphere Entertainment

05 Jul 2023

YOASOBI’s ‘Idol’ Scores 12th Week at No. 1 on Japan Hot 100

YOASOBI‘s “Idol” continues to rule the Billboard Japan Hot 100 for its 12th consecutive week on the chart dated July 5, dominating three metrics of the chart’s methodology for the sixth week in a row.

The first season of the animated series Oshi no Ko that the track serves as opener ended June 28. While “Idol” is slowing down in terms of overall points, it finishes this week with approximately 1.7 times more than that of the song at No. 2, and continues to rule streaming, video views, and karaoke.

Incidentally, the airing of the season finale has boosted the series’ ending theme as well. “Mephisto” by Queen Bee (aka Ziyoou Vachi) rises 18-15 on the Japan Hot 100 this week with an increase of 8.8 percent from the previous, jumping 12-5 for downloads and 55-18 for video.

Sakurazaka46’s “Start over!” went on sale June 28 and comes in at No. 1 for sales with 523,606 copies sold. The girl group’s sixth single moves 10-2 on the Japan Hot 100, performing relatively well in other metrics including downloads (No. 6), streaming (No. 6), radio (No. 40), and video (No. 44). The CD sold 128,531 more copies than the previous single, “Sakurazuki.”

Kenshi Yonezu’s “Tsuki wo Miteita” dropped digitally June 26 and debuts at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100. Hitting No. 1 for downloads with 29,349 units, the FINAL FANTASY XVI theme is off to a better start than its predecessor, “LADY,” that launched with 20,907. It’s also doing well in other metrics, ruling radio and coming in at No. 21 for streaming.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from June 26 to July 2, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

05 Jul 2023

TWICE Takes Over ‘TODAY’ With Bubbly Performances of ‘Alcohol Free,’ ‘Set Me Free’ & More

TWICE was “ready to be” on a television screen near you with their performances for TODAY‘s Summer Concert Series on Wednesday (July 5).

The K-Pop girl group graced the show’s concert stage with multiple performances of hits from across its catalog, including selections from recently released project, Ready to Be. Ahead of hitting the stage, TODAY Show co-host Craig Melvin hailed them as “the history-making queens of K-Pop.”

Each of the group’s members — Momo, Minatozaki Sana, Nayeon, Tzuyu, Jihyo, Chaeyoung, Jeongyeon, Mina and Dahyun — got an opportunity to introduce themselves to TODAY viewers before lighting up the stage with a series of electric performances “Alcohol-Free,” “Set Me Free” and more, complete with bubbles, a live band and outfits straight out of their music videos.

TWICE is the first all-woman K-Pop group to sell out a stadium in North America. The global phenoms are set to headline 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. The group’s TODAY performance included a rendition of Ready to Be lead single “Set Me Free,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, their highest peak on the ranking. The girl group also performed “Moonlight Sunrise,” their second English-language single and second song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 84).

Ready to Be, the group’s twelfth EP, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with over 153,000 album-equivalent units. Of that figure, 145,500 units came from pure album sales, good enough for the group’s biggest consumption week in the U.S., as well as their highest-charting title in the U.S. to date.

TWICE has earned four consecutive top ten 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 Hot 100 hit (No. 83).

Check out some clips of TWICE’s TODAY performances below.

05 Jul 2023

Cardi B & Offset Attend Paris Fashion Week Together Following Cheating Allegations

It looks like all is well with Cardi B and Offset, who kept things classy at a Paris Fashion Week show Wednesday morning (July 5).

The two rappers looked super stylish in matching luxury black looks at a Balenciaga runway showcase, at one point cozying up for photos together in a video captured on the scene by i-D. The day before, Cardi flew solo at the Thom Browne Haute Couture show, wearing a custom multi-color tweed blazer dress by the designer while sitting in the row with Diane Keaton, Anna Wintour and Baz Luhrmann.

“Custom couture @thombrowne ….I’m a very blessed girl,” the “WAP” musician captioned a carousel of Instagram photos from the Tuesday (July 4) show. “I’m thankful everyday that my work and my lord have me living my dreams.”

Cardi and Offset’s fashion week outing comes on the heels of their brief social media spat, which started when the Migos rapper wrote in a quickly-deleted Instagram Story that his wife had cheated on him with another man. Afterward, Cardi took to Twitter Spaces to shut down the accusation, pointing out how implausible a secret affair would be given her fame.

“So please boy, stop acting stupid,” she addressed Offset in the audio clip last week.
“Stop acting stupid. Going crazy over a f—ing space. Don’t play with me. What the f—. Stop playing. Thats all I’m gonna mother—ing say.”

The “Up” artist and her husband definitely aren’t the only stars in Paris this week. Shakira and Camila Cabello, for instance, were seated together Wednesday at the Viktor & Rolf show, and both Cabello and Latto were present the day prior at Iris Van Herpen’s showcase. Also at the Balenciaga show with Cardi and Offset were Rema, Michelle Yeoh, Natasha Lyonne and more.

See photos of Cardi B and Offset at the Paris Fashion Week Balenciaga show here.

05 Jul 2023

Beyonce Cancels Pittsburgh Renaissance Tour Date Due to Production, Scheduling Issues

Beyoncé‘s planned August 3 show at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium has been canceled. The venue announced the news on Wednesday (July 5) in a tweet, which said that due to unspecified “production logistics and scheduling issues” the Renaissance World Tour date has been scratched from the schedule.

Refunds will be automatically issued at the point of purchase.

At press time Bey had not commented on the Pittsburgh pull and a spokesperson had not responded to Billboard‘s request for additional information on the cause of the cancellation; the show is no longer listed on the roster of dates on the singer’s official site, which now has her playing Boston on August 1 and then moving on to Washington, DC on August 5-6.

The Renaissance tour kicked off on May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden and found the singer performing in stadiums and arenas across Europe through the final show on June 27 at the PGE Narowdoy in Warsaw, Poland; according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Bey grossed $154.4 million and sold 1 million tickets across 21 European shows.

The North American tour is scheduled to kick off on July 8 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto and keep Beyoncé on the road through a Sept. 27 gig at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The North American Renaissance dates will find Bey criss-crossing the U.S. and Canada at the same time as another powerhouse performer, Taylor Swift, fills stadiums on her Eras Tour, with Queen Bey playing a number of the same venues as her fellow Forbes’ America’s Richest Self-Made Women list honoree.

See the announcement below.

05 Jul 2023

Watch BTS’ 10th Anniversary Fireworks Show

Though FESTA has come and gone, BTS fans have another chance at experiencing the group’s 10th anniversary fireworks show online. The Bangtan Boys uploaded the special celebration, which took place live from Seoul on June 17, to its YouTube page on Wednesday (July 6) for fans to enjoy.

The stunning pyrotechnics display occurred at the Han River Park after night fell, and kicked off with Map of the Soul: Persona track “Mikrokosmos” — a fitting selection, as the song’s message speaks of unity and a beacon of hope to those watching. “One light is ambition/ Some light is rebellion/ People’s lights/ All are precious/ This dark night (Don’t be lonely)/ Like stars (We shine)/ Don’t disappear/ ‘Cause you’re a big existence/ Let us shine,” RM and Suga rap on the song’s second verse.

Throughout the light show, special effects were employed to fit the theme of the song playing. For “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey, the sky lit up with smiley faces and red hearts, and during the group’s No. 1 smash “Butter,” several yellow sequences were sent up above the river. The visual display concluded with BTS’ recently released track, “Take Two,” which featured several fireworks in the group’s signature color — purple.

According to Reuters, an estimated 400,000 people — some who traveled across the world — turned up for the event in Seoul. RM was in attendance at the FESTA celebrations, and gave a message to all the fans in attendance, as well as those tuning in. “Time goes by so fast. Everything has changed, and I’ve changed a lot,” he shared. “I’m not sure what I’m going to be doing with what feelings on the 15th and 20th anniversaries, but my love for you won’t change.”

Watch the fireworks display above.

05 Jul 2023

Toby Keith Returns to the Stage for His First Performances After Revealing Cancer Diagnosis

Toby Keith returned to the stage over the weekend, performing two full-fledged concerts at Hollywood Corners in Norman, Okla. — with each clocking in at more than two hours in length.

The shows mark Keith’s first performances since announcing his stomach cancer diagnosis in June 2022, when he revealed that he had spent the past six months undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.

Some videos of his weekend shows have popped up online, including snippets of the country star performing his hits “Made in America,” “I Love This Bar” and “Dream Walking.” Keith performed with his Easy Money Band, as well as with longtime friend and collaborator Scotty Emerick.

The concerts came just before the July 4th holiday, appropriate timing given Keith’s longtime support of the United States military. He’s known for songs including “American Soldier” and “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American),” a song he wrote and recorded following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks carried out against the United States.

In 2022, Keith took a break from recording and performing in order to focus on battling cancer. In a June 2023 interview with The Oklahoman newspaper ahead of his annual Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic, he offered an update on his health and noted that he hoped to return to performing soon.

“I’m feeling pretty good,” Keith said. “Basically, everything is in a real positive trend … you never know with cancer, so you have to prepare.”

He added, “I’ve got more wind. And I’m thinking about bringing the band in and setting up, playing two or three days somewhere just to see if I can get through two hours.” He noted that if that went well, he hoped to be on the road in the fall.

See one of the clips from Keith’s weekend shows below:

05 Jul 2023

Fan Army Face-Off 2023 Begins: Vote for Your Favorite Artist Now

It’s that time of year – the Billboard Fan Army Face-Off is here.

Billboard’s annual Fan Army showdown (which returned last summer) sees 64 artists’ fan armies enters the battle fray to find out – whose fan base is strongest?

Last year was a closely watched showdown, and each fan army deserves a huge shout-out for keeping us guessing. But in the end, only one can win, and for 2022, the winner of the Billboard Fan Army Face-Off was Stray Kids, with STAY pulling out the win on Tuesday, July 19. Past Fan Army Face-Off winners include Super Junior’s E.L.F (victorious twice), T-ara’s Queens (victorious three times) and BIGBANG’s VIPs.

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Now, a new Fan Army battle is upon us. Beginning on Wednesday, July 5, the first round of voting begins. By the following week, on Wednesday July 12 at noon ET, round 2 will begin; at that point, 32 fan armies will compete against each other to determine the most fervent fan base.

Who will the winner be? This year’s competitors include fan armies who support luminaries in pop, hip-hop, K-pop, country, R&B, rock, dance and more. Some of these icons have been around for decades, changing the game and shifting the direction of culture, while others are newcomers, helping push music in bold new directions. More than a handful of them have graced the cover of Billboard magazine (some more than once), and numerous artists here have topped the Billboard Hot 100.

Check out the 2023 Fan Army Face-Off below – and get voting to make sure your favorite artist wins.

05 Jul 2023

Ariana Grande Celebrates Her Birthday on Set of ‘Wicked’: ‘Ozian 30th’

Ariana Grande was definitely the most “Popular” birthday girl on the set of Wicked last week.

In a Wednesday (July 5) Instagram post, the newly 30-year-old pop star revealed that she celebrated her 30th birthday hard at work with her castmates and crew, sharing snaps of all the sweet ways her Wicked live-action colleagues made her feel extra special on June 26. In one video, she goes out to eat with co-star Bowen Yang; in another photo, the R.E.M. Beauty founder poses for a mirror selfie with her makeup team.

“Ozian thirtieth :)” she captioned the post.

More photos reveal that the cast and crew made a compilation of personal video messages for the “Positions” singer, including Jeff Goldblum, who plays the Wizard of Oz in the film. “I LOVE U,” Grande wrote of the actor on her Story.

“My Ozian family made me the sweetest video in the world,” she added of the gesture. “This entire crew. It’s too much. I’m never leaving.”

Grande will play Glinda the Good Witch opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba — aka the Wicked Witch of the West — in the two upcoming Wicked films, the first of which is set to arrive November 2024. The Jon M. Chu-directed project also stars Michelle Yeoh and Bridgerton‘s Jonathan Bailey.

On the actual day of her birthday, Grande shared a sweet throwback photo of herself as a child, dressed up as Dorothy Gale in a blue and white checkered dress. “HBD, tiny!” she wrote to her past self in the caption. “I trust you implicitly & have never been prouder of you.” 

See photos from Ariana’s on-set birthday celebrations below: