Music News

22 Jun 2023

Watch Harry Styles Pause His Concert So a Pregnant Fan Can ‘Go for a Wee’

As if anyone needed more reasons to love Harry Styles, the British superstar gave fans yet an another thing to swoon over at his Cardiff, Wales, Love on Tour stop on Tuesday (June 20).

The show was filled with Styles’ trademark onstage banter, this time centered on a pregnant fan who wanted the “As It Was” singer to name her child. “That’s a lot of pressure — you don’t really want me to name it,” he said in fan captured video. He then asked the woman “what she was having,” and learned that he would four options to choose from — Stevie, Rafe, Harley, and Caleb. Although Styles did not choose a name himself, the name “Stevie” drew the loudest cheers from the enraptured crowd.

The banter continued when Styles asked the fan, “Do you need to go for a wee? You should go for a wee. I think we all agree it’s important Sian goes for a wee, don’t we?” In a move that was equally endearing and hilarious, Styles said, “You know what I’m going to do this one time? You go for a wee, I’m going to stall.” The “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” singer paused his set and promised the expectant fan that she wouldn’t miss a thing if she hurried.

While he stalled, the One Direction alum read the crowd’s signs to keep the packed stadium entertained. Once the “Sign of the Times” singer spotted the fan returning to her spot, he began chanting, “Here she comes, here she comes!”

Styles’ nearly three-year Love on Tour extravaganza recently topped Billboard‘s Midyear Top Tours and Top Ticket Sales rankings.

Watch a clip of the entire exchange here:

22 Jun 2023

Cardi B Lashes Out at Tasha K Over TakeOff Comments: ‘Don’t Ever Put Takeoff Name In Ya Mouth’

Cardi B posted a fiery response on Wednesday night (June 21) as part of the latest salvos in her ongoing feud with gossip blogger Tasha K, just months after a judge denied an appeal from K (born Latasha Kebe) over the $4 million verdict in Cardi’s defamation suit against Kebe.

“And Tasha K with your despicable ass.. to bring up Takeoff to prove a fake ass point is disgusting. I lost weight, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, me and my man STILL dealing wit that to to this day,” Cardi tweeted, seemingly in response to an earlier tweet from Tasha, in which the blogger wrote, “Wasn’t she posting guns right after Takeoff died? And on the internet, cutting up not long after his sudden takeoff? I’m just asking… Everyone grieves diff..”

The comment about the late Migos member — who made up one-third of the trio that also features Cardi’s husband, Offset — seemed to infuriate Cardi, who continued, “I’m a rapper, we targeted all the time so of course I have guns for protection. But since you wanna be funny for comments, ima make sure your kid don’t go to college. You think my lawyers don’t know you hiding money in Africa? Ima make sure I get every red cent of my 4 mill. DONT EVER PUT TAKEOFF NAME IN YA MOUTH.” TakeOff, 28, was killed in Nov. 2022 in a shooting at a Houston bowling alley.

At press time a spokesperson for Tasha K had not returned Billboard‘s request for further comment on Cardi’s tweet. The blogger, however, was not done baiting Cardi, as a series of further social posts on Wednesday night and Thursday morning (June 22) appeared aimed at taunting the “Be Careful” rapper.

“I’m really missing #themigos, too bad they let a bitter, angry stripper come in between them, drug&rob them of their dreams…. Cause we remember your last words to the late great #takeoff,” Tasha wrote on Instagram, where her signature appeared to be another swipe at her nemesis, as it read “Bank of Africa,” along with a graphic showing that her name was a top trend on Twitter thanks to Cardi.

She tripled-down hours later with a post she described as “an official apology.” The letter to Cardi’s “bardigang” fan group came in the form of what sounded like a tongue-in-cheek mea culpa for the repeated delays holding up Cardi’s long-awaited second full-length studio album.

“It’s my fault as to why y’all don’t have a 2nd album,” K wrote in the note that did not specifically mention Cardi, but heavily alluded to the rapper. “She’s been in court with me for 6 years distracted from her purpose. Now going on 7,” Tasha added, while making some unverifiable claims about the status of Cardi’s label (and finances) and that of Offset’s next solo album.

“I’m so sorry for distracting yall queen!,” K wrote. “It’s all my fault.”

Tasha filed for bankruptcy last month claiming that she has less than $60,000 to her name after a judge ruled that she is personally on the hook for $3.4 million in the defamation judgement about the YouTuber’s salacious claims that the Bronx rapper had an incurable STD, used drugs and was a prostitute.

Last month, Cardi promised that her fans can “expect a lot from me this summer,” a reference to new music and other projects as the Bardi Gang patiently wait for the follow-up to her smash 2018 debut album, Invasion of Privacy.

See Cardi and Tasha’s tweets below.

22 Jun 2023

In 1988, Debbie Gibson’s ‘Foolish Beat’ Hit No. 1 on the Hot 100: Chart Rewind

“I find that people have kept [it] with them. I think it’s because the lyrics are simple, but you can fill in the blanks with your adult experience. I know that I can as a singer now.”

In 2013, Debbie Gibson recounted to Billboard her memories of “Foolish Beat,” which had then topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart 25 years earlier, on the ranking dated June 25, 1988. The song made history for Gibson: As she was 17 years old when the ballad reigned, she became the youngest woman to have written, produced and performed a Hot 100 No. 1, a mark that still stands.

“When I was writing it,” Gibson further recalled in 2013, “I was guessing what love would be like … and then also guessing what it would be like to lose love. Now that I’ve been through all that, I can sing the very simple lyrics and really fill it.”

The song was released as the fourth single from Gibson’s Atlantic Records debut album Out of the Blue, which hit No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Her breakthrough hit “Only in My Dreams” reached No. 4 on the Hot 100, as did follow-up “Shake Your Love,” while the title cut then hit No. 3. (Following “Foolish Beat,” fifth single “Staying Together” became the set’s fifth top 40 hit, rising to No. 22.)

Gibson has continued to expand her Billboard chart history, as she sent her first seasonal collection, Winterlicious, into the top 20 of the Top Holiday Albums in November 2022. It followed her first proper LP of all-new music, The Body Remembers, which hit the Top Current Albums and Top Album Sales charts in 2021.

Upon the 35th anniversary of “Foolish Beat” ruling the Hot 100, Gibson gives Billboard an exclusive countdown of the chart that week in 1988, musing about each song in the top 20 that frame. The song, which became Gibson’s first of two No. 1s, ahead of “Lost in Your Eyes” in March 1989, overcame impressive competition, including fellow classics from Michael Jackson, George Michael, Def Leppard, INXS and Hall and Oates. –Gary Trust

22 Jun 2023

Bon Iver’s ‘Holocene’ Started As This Justin Vernon Song: Hear It Now

On Aug. 18, Jagjaguwar will release a five-album box set titled Epoch, which will include unreleased music along with a 114-page story on the short-lived indie–rock band DeYarmond Edison. The four-piece act boasted Joe Westerlund and Phil and Brad Cook, all of whom later formed the psych-folk band Megafaun, along with Justin Vernon, who went on to form and front Bon Iver.

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On Thursday (June 22), a new two-pack single from the forthcoming release has arrived: “Hazelton B/W Liner.” The stunning and stripped-down songs laid the groundwork for what ultimately became the Bon Iver standout “Holocene,” off the band’s second album, Bon Iver, Bon Iver. “Holocene” received Grammy nominations for record and song of the year a dozen years ago. Bon Iver won best new artist and best alternative music album that year.

“Hazelton B/W Liner” is not only the oldest song that would become part of Bon Iver’s catalog — Vernon first recorded it between July 2005-May 2006 for his third solo album, Hazeltons — but also arguably the song that caused DeYarmond Edison to split. One month after Vernon’s Hazeltons arrived (released only on CD, with just 100 hand-numbered copies made), DeYarmond Edison played its final show. Less than one year later, both Bon Iver and Megafaun would release its respective debut albums.

Hazeltons will be one of the five LPs included in Epoch. The physical edition will include an exclusive live version of “Hazelton” that Vernon recorded with Aaron and Bryce Dessner in Paris. The box set’s other albums include All of Us Free, recorded between November 1998-July 2005 when DeYarmond Edison was a group of high schoolers making music as Mount Vernon; Silent Signs, DeYarmond Edison’s second studio album that has been remastered and pressed to vinyl for the first time; Epoch, Etc., which chronicles the band’s move from Eau Claire, Wisc., to Raleigh, N.C.; and Where We Belong, which houses buried treasures found after the band’s breakup.

As the box set’s executive producer and biographer says of Epoch as a whole, “This is the sound of sorting through an overabundance of new info, mostly for yourself. And, even in the rather fraught process, finding out just where it is you’ve been headed your whole life.”

Listen to “Hazelton B/W Liner” below.

22 Jun 2023

Celine Dion’s 2023 ‘Love Is Love’ Pride Playlist Includes Tina Turner, Madonna, Queen, Britney Spears, Lizzo & More

It’s a few weeks in, but Celine Dion made the wait for her 2023 Pride Month playlist well worth it. The singer posted her “Love Is Love” Pride playlist on Wednesday (June 21), a massive 81-track roster that, of course, includes a few of her new songs and some classics, as well as killer selections from Madonna, Tina Turner, Britney Spears, Queen, RuPaul, Lady Gaga and more.

“Only love, only love, only love, only love is the gift! Love is for everyone, no matter who you are, where you’re from and who you want to love! Be yourself and be loud!” read a tweet from the singer about the super-packed list that runs more than five hours.

The party kicks off with a pair of Dion’s tracks from the recent Love Again soundtrack, “The Gift” and “I’ll Be,” followed by a nod to the late rock goddess Turner (“The Best”), Candi Staton’s 1970s disco classic “Young Hearts Run Free,” Madonna’s “Music” and Robyn’s modern dance classic “Dancing on My Own.”

There’s fellow Canadian Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” Britney’s “Stronger,” and Sam Smith’s cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love,” as well as Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” (featuring Ariana Grande), ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and Lady Gaga’s ultimate pride paean, “Born This Way.”

The list also includes tracks from Harry Styles (“Late Night Talking”), Sia (“Unstoppable”), Queen (“Don’t Stop Me Now”), Cher (“Believe”), Katy Perry (“I Kissed a Girl”) and a few from RuPaul (“Sissy That Walk,” “Supermodel (You Better Work).”

Dion was recently forced to cancel all of her 2023-2024 European tour dates due to her ongoing battle with a rare neurological disease. The affected dates included 2023 shows in Amsterdam, Paris, Antwerp, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki that were slated to take place from late August to early October, as well as 23 European shows booked for March 6-April 22.

The singer performed the first 52 dates of the Courage tour in North America before the pandemic paused it in March 2020. She was then diagnosed with a rare condition called Stiff Person Syndrome, which her team said causes severe and persistent muscle spasms that have prevented her from performing. In December 2022, Dion pushed all her 2023 dates into 2024, and canceled them entirely before initially vowing to reboot the European portion of the tour this summer.

See Dion’s tweet and the playlist below.

22 Jun 2023

Freak Hail Storm During Louis Tomlinson’s Red Rocks Show Hospitalizes 7, Injures Dozens

Fans at Louis Tomlinson‘s show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Wednesday (June 21) were sent scrambling for cover when a freak hail storm struck during the former One Director singer’s solo show. According to Denver’s 9 News, seven people were transported to a local hospital for injuries and dozens more were treated at the scene when hail up to the size of tennis balls rained down on the crowd at the Morrison, CO open-air venue.

“Devastated about the show tonight, hope everyone’s ok, I’ll be back!,” Tomlinson tweeted several hours after the incident that initially delayed the start of the show twice before organizers postponed it following a long delay. “Even though we didn’t play the show I felt all of your passion! Send you all love!”

The West Metro Fire Department reported in a tweet that officers were responding to the historic venue after reports of several people hit by hail and injured at the concert, with the extent of injuries unclear at first. A follow-up tweet a short time later confirmed that seven people were hospitalized with non life-threatening injures, with a total of 80-90 more treated on scene with injuries reportedly including cuts, bumps, bruises, welts and broken bones amid scary social media posts showing attendees screaming and fleeing from the punishing ice storm.

A Red Rocks spokesperson told Denver’s Fox 31 that “several inches of hail” had fallen in the seating area, with one concertgoer saying she and her friends had taken shelter in a bathroom stall for more than an hour to avoid hail she described as “golf-ball” sized.

9 News reported that surprised concertgoers were sent scrambling for cover as the severe thunderstorm passed through around 9 p.m., with venue officials delaying the gig and asking fans to take cover and seek shelter around 8 p.m. The all-clear was given a short time later, but then a second delay was announced around 9:15 p.m.; the venue officially postponed the show at 10:25 p.m. due to a storm that reportedly spawned at least one confirmed tornado in the area. At press time there was no information on a make-up date for the gig.

Tomlinson’s next scheduled tour date is at the Wamu Theater in Seattle on Saturday (June 24).

Check out tweets about the hail storm below.

21 Jun 2023

A$AP Rocky Performs for ‘Beautiful Wife’ Rihanna at Spotify Beach Concert in Paris

After showing up for Pharrell Williams’ Louis Vuitton runway debut during Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were back out in the City of Light on Wednesday night (June 21) too — this time for Rocky’s Spotify Beach performance at the Cannes Lions festival.

Rihanna, who is expecting her second child with Rocky, wore a form-fitting, sheer, diamond-patterned dress over sparkly black lingerie to complement her growing baby bump. In two videos shared on Twitter (watch below), Rihanna can be seen making her way through the crowd as Rocky performs and then stands on a balcony overlooking the Spotify Beach crowd to watch her man onstage.

At one point in his set, Billboard is told Rocky dedicated his 2022 song “D.M.B.” — also called “DAT$ MAH B!*$H” — to his “beautiful wife in the f—ing building. I love her.” There’s no word that Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have gotten married, so he’s likely calling Rih his “wife” as a term of affection — though in the video for “D.M.B.,” the visual seemingly ends with Rocky and a red-veiled Rihanna getting married, as red flower petals are showered on the couple.

On Tuesday, the couple made their way out to Paris Fashion Week in coordinated denim outfits to support Pharrell’s new role as creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton. In February, Williams took over the position previously held by Virgil Abloh, who died in 2021 after a battle with cancer. Tuesday marked Pharrell‘s first runway show in his new role, and the star-studded event was also attended by Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Zendaya and more.

Watch the two videos of Rihanna at Rocky’s Spotify Beach concert below:

21 Jun 2023

Lauren Jauregui Reveals Her Celebrity Crush, Pet Peeve & More on Speed Dating | Billboard News

Singer-songwriter Lauren Jauregui spills about her celebrity crush, pet peeve, favorite movie and more on the fourth episode of Billboard News’ Speed Dating.

Tetris Kelly:
We’re gonna do a little speed date. You got to be quick, though!

Lauren Jauregui:
Oh, you got a little … we got a little card for this one.

Tetris Kelly:
Oh, yeah. I’m ready! Where are you from?

Lauren Jauregui:
Miami.

Tetris Kelly:
What’s your sign?

Lauren Jauregui:
I’m a Cancer.

Tetris Kelly:
You got a little extra? What’s your moon?

Lauren Jauregui:
I’m a Scorpio moon.

Tetris Kelly:
See, you gotta get all the information!

Lauren Jauregui:
And a Virgo rising.

Tetris Kelly:
What was your dream job as a kid?

Lauren Jauregui:
I wanted to be a teacher. I used to like to pretend to do roll call and, like< make my brother and sister be students and give them homework.

Tetris Kelly:
Who’s your celebrity crush?

Lauren Jauregui:
Currently, me.

Tetris Kelly:
I love the confidence.

Lauren Jauregui:
Or Megan Thee Stallion.

Tetris Kelly:
Good answer. I mean, she’s everybody’s celebrity crush. Everything about her, I mean, just run a clip.

What’s your favorite movie?

Lauren Jauregui:
My favorite movie? Across the Universe. I also love like all the Spike Lee’s movies, because I just love his style.

Tetris Kelly:
What’s your favorite fast food?

Lauren Jauregui:
I haven’t been to a fast food place in a minute, but I would say Five Guys.

Tetris Kelly:
What’s your favorite local spot?

Lauren Jauregui:
LACMA.

Tetris Kelly:
Oh, you go to LACMA?

Lauren Jauregui:
Yeah, I love art.

Watch the full video above!

21 Jun 2023

Cardi B Fires Back at Missing Titan Sub Billionaire’s Stepson: ‘You Was Looking For Clout All Along’

Cardi B‘s online feud with the stepson of missing Titanic submersible‘s crewmembers continued on Wednesday (June 21), as the rapper clapped back at his tweets calling her “desperate for attention.”

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“The point was the whole world is praying for these people in the submarine and this man son is online shaking d—s for girls off onlyfans and going to Blink 182 concerts,” she replied to billionaire Hamish Harding’s stepson Brian Szasz’s comment. “You was looking for clout all along, nobody knew who you were until you said that was ya stepdad!!! This is why people hate you spoiled brat billionaires yall soo desensitize.”

Cardi’s tweet was in response to Szasz attending a Blink-182 concert in San Diego as the search to locate and rescue his stepfather as well as five other people aboard the submersible continues. In her clapback, she also referenced an NSFW tweet Szasz posted earlier in the day in response to an OnlyFans model’s bikini photo.

The drama between the two began when the “WAP” rapper shared her thoughts about Szasz attending the Blink-182 concert. “You supposed to be at the house sad. You supposed to be crying for me,” she said in an Instagram Story. “You supposed to be right next to the phone waiting to hear any updates about me. You’re supposed to be consoling your mom and s—.”

Szasz responded on Twitter, tagging the rapper and writing, “What a pos trashy celeb. Cardi B trying to get clout off me and my families suffering. I went to a Blink 182 concert for coping rather than sitting at home and watching the news. Shame on you Cardi get some class!”

While he has yet to respond to Cardi’s latest tweet, Szasz — who is white — has since sent out a post using the n-word. “Quit trippin in my hood I can say N—- without the er of course I’m down like that. On the Set!” he wrote, before posting photos of himself at a Black Lives Matter rally.

21 Jun 2023

Kelly Clarkson Says Mariah Carey Should Get More Credit as a Songwriter

Kelly Clarkson is always celebrating her fellow female powerhouses, and in a new interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, she shared her love for Mariah Carey‘s songwriting skills.

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“People don’t give her enough credit,” Clarkson said. “People give her credit as, like, a singer. I don’t think people give her credit as a writer. I don’t think people realize. She wrote all that s—. Financially, she’s rocking it because of what she’s done. I think people think of her as a songbird and they don’t think of her as the writer that she is. We talk about Carole King, we talk about James Taylor — those are all amazing people, yes, but I’m just saying.”

Clarkson is gearing up to release her tenth studio album, Chemistry, on June 23 via Atlantic Records, which she described as a “relationship album,” not just an album about divorce following her split from ex-husband Brandon Blackstock. “It was very thought out and very much on purpose to have the album not just be a divorce or breakup album. It was more of a relationship album… Chemistry,” she explained. “With ‘Magic,’ it’s like, OK, it’s hard, relationships are hard. This is worth it. I’m willing to get beat up for this. If you can do it, and I’ll do it, if we do this together, I can do it.”

She continued, “It was important to me because I think it’s a waste when somebody says that they jump in and they wash it all off. It’s like, I don’t want to wash it all off. My whole thing is like, yes, there’s parts that you let go of, dreams or hope or things like that, but there is a very big part of that relationship that I never thought I’d experience love like that. I never thought I would ever have that. People are fortunate to have that, to at least experience it. It didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean it was all bad. It just means it didn’t end well.”

Chemistry features previously released track “Favorite Kind of High” as well as double singles “Mine” and “Me.” Watch the full Apple Music interview with Kelly Clarkson below.