Music News

28 Jun 2023

Taylor Swift Invited to Join Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

Taylor Swift has been invited to join a prestigious group of artists and executives around the globe in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

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She’s been invited along with a number of others who have made major contributions to film over the past year, including David Byrne, Austin Butler, Keke Palmer, Ke Huy Quan and many more.

“The Academy is proud to welcome these artists and professionals into our membership,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang said in a joint statement to the publication. “They represent extraordinary global talent across cinematic disciplines and have made a vital impact on the arts and sciences of motion pictures and on movie fans worldwide.”

If all 398 people who were invited this year accept their invitations, the Academy will have a 34 percent female, 18 percent non-white and 20 percent non-American membership.

Swift was shortlisted in 2023 for best original song with “Carolina” from the murder mystery film Where the Crawdads Sing, but she failed to land a nomination, and she’s yet to be nominated for an Oscar.

“Carolina” was nominated for a number of other awards this year, though, including a Golden Globe for best original song, Critic’s Choice Award for best song, Grammy Award for best song written for visual media and more. The track won the MTV Movie & TV Award for best song in May.

28 Jun 2023

Post Malone Unveils Upcoming Album’s Tracklist, Shares Snippet of ‘Something Real’: Listen

Post Malone is gearing up for the release his new record, Austin. Leading up to the LP’s arrival, he gave fans a peek at one of the songs, as well as the tracklist on Monday (June 26).

In a video posted to Instagram, the rapper shared the back cover of the album — which features a photo of a pickup truck in front of a house, with the vehicle cut out — with the 17 song titles listed next to the album’s name. “My new record AUSTIN has 17 songs and drops July 28th ??,” he wrote. “Here’s a snippet of one of em ? I love you!!!”

The video features a clip of “Something Real,” the second song on the album. On the track, Malone sings, “Give me something, I can feel/ Light a cigarette just so I can breathe/ Give me something, something real/ 700 feet off the coast of Greece/ Give me something, I can feel/ No reservation, pull up 20 deep/ Give me something, something real/ I’d trade it all just to be at peace” with the assistance of a choir.

The other song titles are “Don’t Understand,” “Chemical,” “Novacandy,” “Mourning,” “Too Cool to Die,” “Sign Me Up,” “Socialite,” “Overdrive,” “Speedometer,” “Hold My Breath,” “Enough Is Enough,” “Texas Tea,” “Buyer Beware,” “Landmine,” “Green Thumb” and “Laugh It Off.”

Malone first announced Austin in May, and shed some insight on what recording his fifth body of work was like.

“I wanted to say that I love you guys so very f–king much,” he shared via an Instagram Reel at the time. “I’m here on tour in Europe right now, and I wanted to tell you guys that I have an album coming out this summer on July 28. It’s called Austin. Like my name — that is my name.”

He added, “It’s been some of the funnest music, some of the most challenging and rewarding music for me, at least — trying to really push myself and really do some cool stuff. I played guitar on every song on the record, and it was a really, really fun experience, and I’m super, super excited to share it with you.”

Listen to the snippet of “Something Real” below.

28 Jun 2023

Chrissy Teigen & John Legend Welcome Fourth Child Via Surrogate: See the Baby’s Photo

It’s a full house! Chrissy Teigen and John Legend announced that they have welcomed their fourth child, a baby boy via surrogate.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted four children,” the cookbook author began her lengthy Instagram post sharing the happy news on Wednesday (June 28). She went on to recall how as a child, she’d often have “2 glow worms and 2 cabbage patch dolls” in her arms, and how her mom would peek in Pound Puppies packaging before buying to make sure little Chrissy would get a stuffed pooch that had four puppies in its pouch.

“After losing Jack, I didn’t think I’d be able to carry on any more babies on my own,” she continued about losing the little boy when she was 20 weeks pregnant in 2020. “To be honest, I’ve personally blocked out a lot of my mindset during that time, but one clear memory is being surrounded by people who wanted to make sure I wouldn’t go through that pain and loss again.”

The model went on to share that she and husband Legend reached out to a surrogate agency in 2021. Teigen said that after a therapy session one day, she told the singer-songwriter that she wanted to try to carry a baby one more time. “If it doesn’t work, we will be okay. We’ve already seen the worst,” she wrote. “I promised I would be okay no matter what happened. I remember saying I just couldn’t go on wondering my whole life if I should have tried again.”

With the process of IVF — which the couple also employed when becoming pregnant with daughter Luna and son Miles — Teigen became pregnant with baby girl Esti, whom the couple welcomed in January. The TV personality shared that around the time she became pregnant, they met their surrogate, a woman named Alexandra who has since become a close friend.

“As we crept toward the safe zone of my own pregnancy, we were overjoyed to learn Alexandra had become pregnant with a little boy,” Teigen revealed. “Our little boy. We ate hot pot to celebrate, watched Vanderpump Rules with our growing bellies, our families blending into one for the past year.”

“Just minutes before midnight on June 19th, I got to witness the most beautiful woman, my friend, our surrogate, give birth amidst a bit of chaos, but with strength and pure joy and love,” Teigen continued, thanking Alexandra for the “incredible gift.”

“We are so happy to tell the world he is here, with a name forever connected to you, Wren Alexander Stephens,” Teigen concluded. “Our hearts, and our home, are officially full. And to our Jack, we know both their angel kisses are from you.”

The final three images of Teigen’s carousel post were photos of herself kissing Alexandra’s baby bump, the couple snuggling with their newborn, and — saving the best for last — a picture of baby Wren and his glorious spiky mane of hair.

Legend also shared the happy news on his own Instagram account. His post featured a photo of the star with all four of his children — the two youngest in his arms, with Luna doing a high kick behind him, and Miles on his lap. He captioned his post by introducing his new son: “Wren Alexander Stephens, our new love.”

See Chrissy Teigen and John Legend’s post announcing their new arrival below:

28 Jun 2023

Ovy on the Drums & Blessd Drop ‘Billboard’ — Song They Created in 30 Minutes at Billboard Latin Music Week

Ovy on the Drums and Blessd exclusively premiere their new collaboration, “Billboard,” on Billboard today (June 28)—nine months after they first created it at the 2022 Billboard Latin Music Week.

The three-minute and 54-second song is backed by Ovy’s innovative reggaeton beats (where violins and hard-hitting drums meet) and Blessd’s sultry, raspy vocals. “Billboard,” named after the place it was born — during our “Making the Hit, Live!” panel at last year’s LMW conference — tells the story of a man who can’t forget about the girl he likes and how everything is so insignificant without her. 

Though the lyrics are about an infatuated love, the Colombian urban singer born Stiven Mesa Londoño does reference Billboard, chanting toward the end of the track: “Se me fue la musa pa’l Billboard,” which loosely translates to “my inspiration went to Billboard.”

The simple-yet-aesthetic music video also pays homage to music’s leading magazine, showing the two Medellin-born artists performing the song in the recording studio as they take breaks to read the 2021 “Greatest Hit” issue with The Weeknd on the cover.

Watch the exclusive video premiere below:

Making The Hit, Live!

“Billboard” was created in only 30 minutes during the “Making the Hit, Live!” panel held on Sept. 28, 2022, at Billboard Latin Music Week.

With a laptop, microphone and headphones in hand, both Ovy on the Drums (real name: Daniel Echavarria Oviedo) and Blessd got to work while a sold-out venue observed how they create music in real-time. “It’s the first time I produce a song this way, so much pressure,” said Ovy after taking the stage at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach. 

Blessd, on the other hand, felt comfortable as he improvised the lyrics about heartbreak. “I come battling on the streets so my thing is to improvise. I never sit down to write lyrics. Improvising allows me to feel the music,” he said.

Almost nine months after creating the track, Ovy and Blessd released the song — which was mainly finished after reading all the positive feedback on the panel and fans encouraging them to unleash the track. A couple of weeks leading up to the release on June 28, both artists shared snippets of the “Making the Hit, Live!” panel, and shared a preview of the head-bopping reggaeton tune.

“Billboard” is the pair’s fifth collaborative effort, following “Mi Niña,” “Te Extraño,” “Tendencia Global” and “Medallo,” which hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart in 2022. 

“Our chemistry is great,” Ovy said during the panel. “We have a lot of things in common, which was really important when it came to creating music together.”

Revisit the discussion below: 

28 Jun 2023

Maluma’s ‘Hawái’ Video Surpasses 1 Billion Views on YouTube

The video for Maluma‘s 2020 smash hit, “Hawái,” has just hit a new milestone on YouTube.

The visualizer has surpassed the one billion views, according to the video streaming platform. It’s his 10th video as a lead, featured artist or collaborator to achieve this feat after videos such as “Chantaje” with Shakira, the Ricky Martin-assisted “Vente Pa’ Ca,” and “Felices los 4.” Currently, the Colombian star comes in at #59 on Global Top Artists.

“I thank God and the universe every single day for giving me a song that has taken me around the world,” Maluma tells Billboard. “It’s allowed me to achieve new dreams. Now, with more than one billion views, we’re thinking what comes next and what can take my career to the next level. This is just the beginning.”

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The drama-filled music video finds the chart-topping singer-songwriter heartbroken and plotting his next move to get his girl back — even if that means crashing her wedding. Produced by Rude Boyz, the melodious pop song was penned by Maluma, Keityn, Edgar Barrera and Bulle Nene with lyrics set in present day that tell the story of a toxic relationship and the aftermath of a breakup in the Instagram era. “Stop lying to yourself, the photo you put up with him saying he was your everything, I know you only posted it to make me jealous,” Maluma sings.

After releasing “Hawái” in August 2020, Maluma recorded the blockbuster bilingual remix with Canadian star The Weeknd two months later, which spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. It also scored him his highest ranking Billboard Hot 100 hit, where it peaked at No. 12.

“I was in Miami catching up with my close friend Yovanna Ventura [the model in the music video] and she played me the song and I absolutely loved it,” The Weekend previously told Billboard.  “I was inspired so I reached out and it was an easy answer from me when I was asked to get on the track. “Big shout out to Maluma for allowing me to try out my Spanish on the song!” he added.

Revisit the video for “Hawái” above.

28 Jun 2023

Lizzo Recreates Blue Ivy & Beyonce’s Viral Dance at Renaissance Tour From the Audience

Never question how much of a superfan Lizzo is of Beyoncé. While at the Renaissance Tour show in Poland on Tuesday night (June 27), the “About Damn Time” singer showed off a perfect recreation of the viral dance Blue Ivy sometimes performs with Bey during “My Power” on the road.

Filmed by a friend and posted on Lizzo’s TikTok Wednesday morning (June 28), Lizzo made a makeshift dance floor toward the back of the PGE Narodowy stadium in Warsaw behind a sea of fans turned away to watch Queen Bey perform. When the “Break My Soul” musician got to the part in “My Power” where her 11-year-old daughter occasionally takes the stage and joins the backup dancers in performing the song’s choreography, Lizzo started doing that same choreography, nailing every move.

Lizzo is far from the first to recreate the dance, though she definitely gets extra points for doing it at an actual Renaissance Tour concert. Videos of TikTok creators — including JoJo Siwa — trying out the choreography have been viewed millions of times on the platform, as have clips of Blue Ivy performing alongside her mom at recent shows in Paris, London and more cities.

On TikTok, Lizzo also shared a vlog of her day in Poland, featuring her getting-ready process, her outfit, and the Beyoncé merch she got at the show. And in a sentimental clip from the night on Instagram, the Grammy winner cries as Bey sings Lizzo’s name — as well as the names of 27 other groundbreaking Black women artists — while performing “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix).”

“In that moment I was thinking about baby me, listening to Happy Face by destiny’s child and crying myself to sleep because of bullies… I thought about Beyoncé jumping into the room where Tina Turner was waiting to meet her for the first time,” she captioned the post. “I think of what we all mean to people and how cyclical it is. We are all so infinitesimally and maximally connected and significant. It’s an honor. Thank You @beyonce.”

Watch Lizzo recreate Blue Ivy’s dance at the Renaissance Tour below.

28 Jun 2023

Fall Out Boy Updates Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ in Cover That Name-Checks Taylor Swift & More

Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” was the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 the week that Taylor Swift was born in December 1989. Now, Swift gets a name-check in Fall Out Boy’s smart cover of the song released Wednesday (June 28).

Joel’s track was a cascade of news and pop-culture headlines from the middle of the 20th Century to 1989. Fall Out Boy updated the tune with a similar jumble of news and tabloid references from 1989 to the present. Swift is mentioned in tandem with Kanye West, who shared a moment at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards that will live in awards show infamy.

Other music names and moments that are chronicled in the fast-moving new cover include three icons who have died since 1989 – Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson and Prince – plus Woodstock ’99, Fyre Fest, Black Parade and this provocative assertion: “YouTube killed MTV.”

Other pop-culture references include Harry Potter, Twilight, Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, Michael Keaton in Batman, Steven Spielberg, Stranger Things, Avatar, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pokemon and MySpace.

Fall Out Boy structured the song the same way Joel did, steadily building in intensity. Where Joel built to the dramatic line “JFK blown away/ What else do I have to say?,” Fall Out Boy built to “World Trade/ second plane/ What else do I have to say?” Indeed, 9/11 is probably the most stunning historical event since 1989, just as President Kennedy’s assassination was for the previous time frame.

Where Joel sang “Rock and roll/ the cola wars/I can’t take it anymore,” Fall out Boy offers “Bush v. Gore/ I can’t take it anymore.”

The most memorable coupling in the new song may be “Trump gets impeached twice/ Polar bears got no ice.”

Joel’s original version reached No. 1 on Dec. 9, 1989, dethroning Milli Vanilli’s pre-scandal smash “Blame It on the Rain.” It held the top position for two weeks before being dethroned by Phil Collins’ “Another Day in Paradise.”

Joel performed the song on the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards in February 1990, where it received three high-profile nominations – record and song of the year and best pop male vocal performance.

But Joel has been critical of the song, noting it is one of the few songs he has ever written where he wrote the lyrics first and then put them to music. In 1993, when discussing the song with documentary filmmaker David Horn, Joel said, “It’s really not much of a song … If you take the melody by itself, terrible. Like a dentist drill.”

There have been several parodies and takeoffs of the song, including The Simpsons’ parody “They’ll Never Stop the Simpsons” at the end of the 2002 “Gump Roast” episode.

Pop band Milo Greene performed the song in June 2013 for The A.V. Club‘s A.V. Undercover series.

In 2019, the cast of Avengers: Endgame recapped the entire Marvel franchise by singing their own superhero version of the song on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The elaborate sequence involved stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, Danai Gurira, Karen Gillan and Brie Larson.

Fall Out Boy has written the vast majority of their 20 Hot 100 hits, but the group had a big hit in 2008 with a cover version of Jackson’s “Beat It,” which featured John Mayer. (The song reached No. 18 on the Hot 100 in April 2008, 14 months before Jackson’s shocking death at age 50.)

Fall Out Boy is currently on their So Much for (Tour) Dust global headline tour, in support of its eighth studio album, So Much (for) Stardust, which became the group’s seventh album to reach the top 10 on the Billboard 200. The band has topped that chart four times with Infinity on High (2007), Save Rock and Roll (2013), American Beauty/American Psycho (2015) and MANIA (2018).

The band’s tour launched with a sold-out hometown show at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and continues Wednesday in Dallas, along with stops in Phoenix, San Diego and two sold-out stadium shows in Los Angeles at BMO Stadium (formerly Banc of California Stadium) on July 2-3. For all tour dates and details, visit Fall Out Boy’s website.

28 Jun 2023

Christina Aguilera Reveals Why Her LGBTQ Allyship ‘Means the Most’ to Her

With a few decades of working as an LGBTQ ally under her belt, pop superstar Christina Aguilera is happy to make sure her queer fans feel seen this Pride Month.

On the Tuesday (June 27) episode of Nightline, Aguilera sat down with ABC News correspondent Steve Osunsami to talk about her history with the LGBTQ community, which led to her being honored as a headliner at this year’s Stonewall Day in New York City.

“I’m so appreciative for the ability I have to share and to help other people somehow in their lives,” she said. “That’s the stuff that means the most — Grammys are nice, but things like this brings it back to other people. The greater purpose that we’re kind of all here for its to connect and to, hopefully, spread positivity and unity.”

LGBTQ media advocates often point to the music video for Aguilera’s “Beautiful” as a clear example of representation in art — the clip featured same-sex couples and a transgender woman while Aguilera sings the iconic refrain. “I didn’t even think at the time that it was gonna be controversial,” Aguilera said of the video. “I don’t think anything of those things — I look at people as people. That’s why I’m so anti-judgement and criticizing other people, or having no sympathy or compassion for things that don’t fit the norm inside your own box.”

Aguilera also used her platform in 2008 to actively campaign against California Proposition 8, which aimed to ban same-sex marriage in the state. (The resolution was ultimately overturned in court.) Looking back today on all the critics who told her to “shut up and sing,” Aguilera remained clear in her convictions: “So [my music] is not for you, then. You don’t need to subscribe. I’m doing what I feel is intentionally right for me and what I am here as a greater purpose to do as a human being.”

Check out the full segment from Nightline above, including an inspiring message from LGBTQ activist and icon Victoria Cruz calling for acceptance of the LGBTQ community.

28 Jun 2023

Watch ‘America’s Got Talent’ Hopeful Lachune Wow the Judges With Her Cover of Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’

America’s Got Talent judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Sofia Vergara and Heidi Klum received a breath of fresh air on Tuesday night (June 27) when South Carolina native Lechuné auditioned.

“Tell me: Why have you waited so long to do something like this, because something obviously has held you back,” Cowell asked the hopeful, who a moment prior revealed she was a voice teacher and student.

“I grew up in a singing family, I spent most of my life observing them do it,” Lechuné told the judges. “I just never pictured myself actually having the moment to be on stage, and so that held me back, but I started teaching because I learned that if I can’t do the thing, try to work close to it, and so that kept the spark alive.”

She continued, “I am here because I am taking my own advice. As a teacher, I’m always sitting on the opposite side of the piano, and you’re always pouring into them and saying, ‘Yay, take the initiative. Don’t get too comfortable. Go for it. Be yourself.’ And after a while, I started getting a little convicted about it because I was like, ‘Am I doing the same thing?’ And so today is about coming out here, taking initiative, and being along with my students.”

After sharing her touching story, the 31-year-old launched into a cover of Coldplay‘s “Yellow” and made the song her own with a full-bodied tone, multiple high notes and well-placed vibrato. “And your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones/ Turn into something beautiful/ And you know, for you, I’d bleed myself dry/ For you, I’d bleed myself dry/ Look how they shine for you/ Look how they shine for you,” she passionately sang on the ending chorus before receiving a standing ovation from the audience.

Following Lachuné’s performance of “Yellow” — the original Coldplay version of the track peaked at No. 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 — she received four yeses from the judges, and moved on to the next round of the competition.

Watch Lechuné’s performance above.

28 Jun 2023

SZA’s ‘Snooze’ Cruises to No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Chart

SZA achieves her second No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart as “Snooze” ascends to the summit of the list dated July 1. The song advances from No. 3 after a 20% surge to 17.6 million in audience from 14.7 million in the prior frame, making it the week’s most-heard song on U.S. monitored R&B/hip-hop radio stations in the week ending June 22, according to Luminate. Thanks to the nearly 30 million audience gain, the song nabs the week’s Greatest Gainer award for the largest increase among the chart’s 50 titles.

“Snooze” brings at least a temporary halt to the reign of Tems’ “Free Mind,” which logged its 22nd week at No. 1 last week, the longest-running champ by a woman in a lead role in the chart’s history.

Before “Snooze,” SZA scored her first R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay leader with the four-week champ “I Hate U” in 2022.

In addition to leading R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, “Snooze” also captures the No. 1 spot on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, which ranks the most-played songs at U.S. monitored R&B/hip-hop radio stations. There, the single rises from the runner-up rank due to a 15% rally in plays in the latest tracking week.

“Snooze” likewise is SZA’s second career champ on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. She first led with the two-week No. 1 “Shirt” in February.

Elsewhere, “Snooze” is eyeing a third radio chart conquest as it moves 4-3 on Rhythmic Airplay through a 14% boost in plays. The track is also progressing on Pop Airplay, with a 19-18 bump on the new chart and an 18% swell in weekly plays at monitored mainstream top-40 stations.

With increased support from the R&B/hip-hop, rhythmic and pop formats, “Snooze” jumps 13-9 on the all-genre Radio Songs chart. There, it improved 20% in total audience, to 47 million in the tracking week, up from 39.2 million in the previous frame. Radio gains, in turn, push the single to new peaks on multiple multimetric charts, which combine radio airplay with streaming and sales for their calculations. Most notably, “Snooze” lifts 7-6 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 15-13 on the Billboard Hot 100.