Music News

08 Jun 2023

P!nk’s Daughter Willow Joins Her Onstage for ‘Cover Me in Sunshine’ Performance

P!nk kicked off her fun-filled Summer Carnival tour at the University of Bolton Stadium in Bolton, England, on Wednesday (June 7), and she surprised the audience with a performance of “Cover Me in Sunshine” with her 12-year-old daughter Willow.

In a video the singer retweeted from the show, Willow shows off the impressive vocal ability she got from her mom as she belted the second verse. The duo released the song back in 2021 in the height of COVID-19. “This past year has been so many things for us. Sad, lonely, scary, yes. It’s also been quiet, reflective and a great teacher,” P!nk said in a statement at the time. “Willow and I find comfort in music, so we’re putting this song out for no other reason than that we hope it brings you sweetness, sunshine and comfort, too.”

After the show, P!nk also expressed her gratitude on Twitter, writing, “BOLTON!!!!! G-ddarn we have fun, don’t we? Tour kick off was INSANE and I am counting the seconds until we go for ROUND TWO TONIGHT. it feels so good to be back together.”

Following her trek across the U.K. and Europe, the “Just Give Me a Reason” superstar will bring her tour across the pond to North America. The Live Nation-produced Summer Carnival tour will kick off its North American run on July 24 in Toronto at the Roger Centre and hit Cincinnati, Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, San Antonio, San Diego and Los Angeles before wrapping up on Oct. 9 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Watch P!nk sing “Cover Me in Sunshine” with Willow below.

08 Jun 2023

Jana Kramer Expecting First Child With Fiancé Allan Russell

Jana Kramer will soon welcome her third child and her first with fiancé Allan Russell.

Kramer said via social media, “We’ve been keeping another secret from you guys…but I’m pregnant!!!! Beyond blessed and grateful for this baby to be a part of our story.”

Kramer also told People, “I didn’t think it would ever happen again, if I’m being honest. I’ve been through a lot, so this has just been a really beautiful thing. I’m letting it all sink in. It’s everything I’ve wanted and more. Allan was so sweet. He wrote me this little sticky note saying, ‘You deserve the happy ending.’”

She added to People, “I’ve had miscarriages, so I didn’t even know if it was possible. I’m like, yes, it’d be beautiful for us to create something because I love this man. It would be the silver lining with everything that happened, but I’d always get kind of down about it because I didn’t know if I was capable of carrying a pregnancy again. I was like, well, I’m going to be 40 in December, so I was like, we have one month to try. Literally one month.”

Kramer has two children — Jolie, 7, and Jace, 4 — with her ex-husband, former NFL player Mike Caussin, while Russell is father to a 15-year-old son from a previous relationship.

The former One Tree Hill actress revealed her engagement to Russell in May on an episode of her Whine Down With Jana Kramer podcast.

“I’ve got an announcement today,” Kramer said during the podcast episode. “Allan and I have been dating for six-and-a-half months and he asked me to marry him.”

Kramer and Caussin filed for divorce in 2021 after six years of marriage.

08 Jun 2023

Lindsay Lohan Shares the Encouraging Parenting Advice Jamie Lee Curtis Gave Her

Lindsay Lohan is ready to be a mom, and the pregnant star recently sat down with Allure to share her feelings as she embarks on her new motherhood journey.

For advice, the actress turned to her onscreen mom, her Freaky Friday co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, who told her to simply “bring the baby with you and everything will be fine.”

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“I can’t wait to see what the feeling is and what it’s like to just be a mom,” she continued, nothing that she’s been crying a lot throughout her pregnancy. “Happy tears. That’s just who I am,” she clarified. “Though now, it’s probably baby emotion.” 

Lohan revealed back in March that she and husband Bader Shammas are expecting their first child. “We are blessed and excited!” she wrote alongside a surprise Instagram photo of a white onesie with the words “Coming Soon …” written on it. “We are very excited for our new family member to arrive and we are looking forward to this next chapter of our lives,” she later shared in a sweet statement to TMZ.

Following her announcement, in April, Curtis showered Lohan with love on Instagram. “My friend and film daughter @lindsaylohan is growing up! So thrilled for her. What a mama she will be,” the Everything Everywhere All at Once star captioned a repost of photos Lohan shared a day prior, in which she’s seen holding her growing stomach, as well as smiling with friends and family at a variety of recent events. 

Back in February, Curtis told Variety that a Freaky Friday sequel is “going to happen” at the Producers Guild Awards. “It’s going to happen,” she said. “Without saying there’s anything officially happening, I’m looking at you in this moment and saying, ‘Of course it’s going to happen.’ It’s going to happen.”

08 Jun 2023

Official HIGE DANdism and King & Prince Lead Billboard Japan’s 2023 Mid-Year Charts

Official HIGE DANdism and King & Prince top Billboard Japan’s 2023 mid-year charts, tallying the weeks from Nov. 28, 2022, to May 28, 2023.

On the Japan Hot 100 songs chart, hitmakers Official HIGE DANdism rule with “Subtitle.” The four-man band’s record-breaking single, featured as the theme of the popular TV series silent, was streamed 287,706,788 times during the tallying period after dropping digitally on Oct. 12 last year. In May it sailed past 400 million streams, breaking the previous record for the time it took for a song to reach that milestone. It also became the record-holder for most weeks at No. 1 after the topping the survey 13 times.

“We’re so very grateful that so many of you have listened to our music,” the band says in a statement. “We’ll keep working hard on our songwriting and live shows, and enjoy being in this band so we can continue delivering music we think is great. Thank you so much!”

Two popular anime series openers follow on the mid-year Japan Hot 100: the Chainsaw Man opener “KICK BACK” by Kenshi Yonezu at No. 2 and the Oshi no Ko opening theme “Idol” by YOASOBI at No. 3. The latter recently made headlines in Japan for becoming the first Japanese-language song to top Billboard’s Global Excl. U.S. list.

The No. 1 album on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums mid-year chart is King & Prince’s greatest-hits collection Mr.5. The boy band’s best-of set sold over a million copies (1,376,802) during the surveying period and dominated the physical sales metric as well.

King & Prince

King & Prince

Courtesy Billboard Japan

Ren Nagase and Kaito Takahashi of King & Prince shared a heartfelt statement expressing gratitude to their fans for their undying support: “We’re thrilled to hear King & Prince’s first best-of album Mr.5 finished first in the album category on [Billboard Japan’s] mid-year charts of 2023. Thank you so much to everyone who picked up a copy and to everyone who was involved in its making!”

“This album was created to reflect upon our journey so far as a group, made together with our fans who walked with us along the way,” they added. “It made us so happy to receive so many votes when we were selecting the tracks, seeing how much people loved our songs. We’re sure we were able to achieve this result because so many of you supported us. We’ll continue to stay true to ourselves and keep delivering our best performances and songs. Please look forward to it!”

The album at No. 2 is Snow Man‘s i DO ME and SEVENTEEN‘s FML follows at No. 3.

Official HIGE DANdism is the top act on the mid-year Japan Artist 100 chart, compiled from the results of the Japan Hot 100 and Hot Albums lists. The band has eight songs in the top 100, including former chart-toppers “Mixed Nuts” and “Pretender.”

The artist at No. 2 is young singer-songwriter Vaundy, whose performance of his long-running hit “Kaijuu no Hanauta” on last year’s New Year’s Eve live music extravaganza Kohaku Uta Gassen stole the show. Following at No. 3 is veteran three-man band back number, with five songs in the top 100 including the hits “I Love You” and “Suiheisen.” 

While the synergistic effects of major tie-ins with popular TV series and anime have led to the accumulation of more points than ever in the digital realms of the chart’s methodology — streaming, video views and downloads — the breakthroughs of hits independent of tie-ins such as Vaundy’s “Kaiju no Hanauta,” Tani Yuuki‘s “W/X/Y” and Natori’s “Overdose” should also be noted.

Billboard Japan Hot 100 Mid-Year Chart 2023

1. “Subtitle” / Official HIGE DANdism
2. “KICK BACK” / Kenshi Yonezu
3. “Idol” / YOASOBI
4. “Kaijuu no Hanauta” / Vaundy
5. “Dai Zero Kan” / 10-FEET
6. “New Genesis (Uta from ONE PIECE FILM RED)” / Ado
7. “W/X/Y” / Tani Yuuki
8. “Overdose” / Natori
9. “Mixed Nuts” / Official HIGE DANdism
10. “I Love You” / back number

Billboard Japan Hot Albums Mid-Year Chart 2023

1. Mr.5 / King & Prince
2. i DO ME / Snow Man
3. FML / SEVENTEEN
4. THE SOUND / Stray Kids
5. Koe / SixTONES
6. Kessoku Band / Kessoku Band
7. Awakening / INI
8. FACE / JIMIN
9. Humor / back number
10. POWER / Johnny’s WEST

Billboard Japan Artist 100 Mid-Year Chart 2023

1. Official HIGE DANdism
2. Vaundy
3. back number
4. YOASOBI
5. Ado
6. Mrs. GREEN APPLE
7. Yuuri
8. King & Prince
9. Snow Man
10. Kenshi Yonezu

08 Jun 2023

‘Little Mermaid’ Tops Soundtracks Chart, Swims Past Peak of Original Album on Billboard 200

The soundtrack to the new live action The Little Mermaid film jumps 4-1 on Billboard’s Soundtracks chart (dated June 10), while also surging 103-21 on the overall Billboard 200 chart. On the latter tally, the new set swims past the peak of the original soundtrack to the 1989 animated The Little Mermaid, which topped out at No. 32 in 1990.

The new album earned 22,000 equivalent album units in the United States in the week ending June 1 (up 174%), according to Luminate.

The Little Mermaid’s coronation on the Soundtracks chart is the latest live-action remake of a Disney animated classic to lead the tally. Previously, the companion albums to Aladdin (in 2019), The Lion King (The Lion King: The Gift, credited to Beyoncé and various artists; also in 2019), Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Alice in Wonderland (2010).

The new Little Mermaid soundtrack features new renditions of familiar classics (such as “Part of Your World,” the Academy Award-winning “Under the Sea,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Kiss the Girl”) as performed by the cast members, along with a few newly penned tunes.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. Billboard’s Soundtracks chart ranks the most popular soundtracks of the week based on equivalent album units.

08 Jun 2023

YOASOBI’s ‘Idol’ Continues Japan Hot 100 Reign as MAN WITH A MISSION × milet Rise to No. 2

YOASOBI’s “Idol” adds another week to its No. 1 streak on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, now at eight straight weeks on the chart released June 7.

The latest hit by the Japanese duo of Ayase and ikura continues to dominate the same four metrics it ruled last week — streaming, downloads, video views, and karaoke — and holds at the top of the Japan charts with a huge lead. Eight weeks at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100 ties with the record held by LiSA’s “Homura,” which inconsecutively led the list beginning in October 2020 into the following year.

The Oshi no Ko opener also moved 6-1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart dated June 10, scoring the first chart-topper on the survey for the J-pop duo, and also becoming the first-ever Japanese-language track to hit No. 1 on this tally. (Incidentally, LiSA’s “Homura” peaked at No. 2 in 2020, the highest position for a Japanese-language track until now.)

MAN WITH A MISSION × milet’s “Kizuna no Kiseki” rises 7-2 this week after the CD version of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba opener went on sale. The enigmatic wolf-masked band and singer received extensive media exposure ahead of the CD’s release and the collaborative single launched with 44,287 copies to come in at No. 4 for sales. The track also rose 5-3 for downloads with 13,828 weekly units (up from 8,114 units last week).

TWICE’s “Hare Hare” soars 69-3 as Hey! Say! JUMP’s “DEAR MY LOVER” debuts at No. 4 on the Japan Hot 100. The latter sold 240,161 copies in its first week to rule sales and came in at No. 3 for video and No. 5 for radio, but the former came out on top after selling 163,367 CDs (No. 2 for sales) and adding points from downloads and streaming into the mix. 

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 May 29 to June 4, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

08 Jun 2023

Kylie Minogue Notches First Top 10 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart With ‘Padam Padam’

Kylie Minogue achieves her first top 10 on Billboard’s multimetric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart, which began in 2013, as “Padam Padam” rises from No. 12 to No. 10 on the tally dated June 10.

The track, which introduces Minogue’s album Tension, due Sept. 22, earned 1.6 million official streams (up 15%) and sold 1,000 downloads in the United States in the May 26-June 1 tracking week, according to Luminate.

Previously, Minogue hit the chart’s top 20 with three hits, among 15 appearances, since Hot Dance/Electronic Songs originated: “Real Groove,” with Dua Lipa (No. 15, 2021), “Magic” (No. 17, 2020) and “Say Something” (No. 18, 2020).

Minogue first entered Billboard’s charts in 1988 and has tallied two top 10s on the Billboard Hot 100: “The Loco-Motion” (No. 3 peak that year) and “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” (No. 7, 2002).

A week ago, “Padam” became Minogue’s first No. 1 on the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart.

Additionally on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, fellow genre cornerstone Swedish House Mafia debuts with “See the Light,” featuring rapper Fridayy (No. 22). The track, premiered during the Ultra Music Festival in Miami March 26 but not released commercially until May 26, starts with 709,000 streams. It’s the 15th appearance for the trio of Steve Angello, Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso, and Fridayy’s first.

Speaking of Swedes, on the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, production duo NOTD and singer Maia Wright, with all three performers from Sweden, each notch a third top 10 with “AM:PM” (13-10). The track is collecting core-dance airplay on Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, iHeartRadio’s Pride Radio and iHeartRadio’s Evolution network, among other outlets. (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 60 top 40-formatted reporters.)

08 Jun 2023

Blake Shelton Didn’t Congratulate Niall Horan on ‘The Voice’ Win: Here’s What He Said Instead

Blake Shelton might have been a little bit of a sore loser after Niall Horan‘s team won this season of The Voice — but to be fair, it was the country crooner’s final turn behind the red button before retirement, so one last victory would’ve been sweet.

Regardless, Shelton apparently left the former One Direction star without a single word of congratulations following the Voice newcomer’s win with contestant Gina Miles, according to Horan.

“When we left the seat, they announced the winner and I stood up, and then he came for a big hug,” Horan told People of the moments following his triumph. “I gave him a big hug, and he said, ‘I taught you everything you know.’ That’s all he said, not congratulations or anything.”

Shelton and Horan have had a jokey friendship from the very beginning of their first and last season together, a dynamic the “Slow Hands” singer confesses he’ll miss going forward.

“I’m going to miss him,” he told the publication. “He is not one of those famous friends, in my eyes. I think if I had met him outside of The Voice, I would have probably been friends with him anyway,” Horan said. “Weirdly enough, we’ve got a lot in common, we’re quite similar people. Though not in dress sense.”

And while season 23 was Shelton’s last, his wife will be returning to The Voice in his place. After taking a break from the the show this past season, Gwen Stefani is set to coach alongside Horan, John Legend and Reba McEntire for Season 24.

“I’m going to miss [Blake], but I get to work with the other half of that marriage,” Horan said of returning for next season. “I met Gwen at the afterparty for this season’s Voice. She came and surprised Blake on the last night, and she was so funny and so cool, so I’m excited.”

08 Jun 2023

Blur Returns to Alternative Airplay Chart After 20-Year Break

After 20 years away, Blur is back on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart.

“The Narcissist,” the lead single from the Damon Albarn-led band’s upcoming album The Ballad of Darren, debuts at No. 37 on the list dated June 10.

The band last made the chart in 2003, when “Crazy Beat” peaked at No. 22 that April. The song was last on the chart dated May 24, 2003.

The 20-year, two-week break between Alternative Airplay chart appearances for Blur marks the longest for any band in the tally’s nearly 35-year history. It surpasses the 13 years, five months and three weeks between visits by Sublime (“Doin’ Time” in December 1997 and “Panic,” credited to Sublime With Rome, in May 2011).

The all-time longest respite between charted songs on Alternative Airplay belongs to Debbie Harry, whose “Kiss It Better” wrapped its run in January 1990, followed by the Blondie frontwoman’s featured credit on Just Loud’s “Soul Train” in December 2018 – nearly 29 years later.

As Harry’s record ties into a featured credit, the longest break for an act credited as the lead artist on both bookending songs is Kate Bush, who went over 28 years between January 1994 (“Rubberband Girl”) and “Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)” in June 2022, the latter due to its resurgence sparked by its synch in Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Back to Blur, “The Narcissist” is the band’s sixth appearance on the ranking. Three have reached the top 10, led by “Girls & Boys” at No. 4 in July 1994.

In between 2003’s Think Tank, on which “Crazy Beat” is included, and this year’s The Ballad of Darren, Blur released one album: 2015’s The Magic Whip, which hit No. 2 on the Top Alternative Albums chart.

Albarn has made Alternative Airplay eight times in the meantime as part of Gorillaz. In fact, Albarn appears on the latest list twice, as Gorillaz’s “New Gold,” featuring Tame Impala and Bootie Brown, ranks at No. 15.

Concurrently, “The Narcissist” bows at No. 29 on Adult Alternative Airplay, marking Blur’s first appearance on the tally, which began in 1996.

On the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart, “The Narcissist” premieres at No. 39 with 711,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate.

Blur’s The Ballad of Darren is set for release July 21.

08 Jun 2023

Bebe Rexha Now Boasts Longevity Records Atop Dance/Electronic & Country Charts

Bebe Rexha has now claimed a pair of records reflecting her success in both the dance/electronic and country genres on Billboard’s charts.

Rexha’s EDM collab with David Guetta, “I’m Good (Blue),” rules Billboard’s multimetric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 37th week, granting her the longest leading No. 1 by a woman dating to the survey’s 2013 inception, as it passes Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” (36 weeks at No. 1, 2021-22). Overall, it now trails only Marshmello and Bastille’s “Happier” for the most weeks on top (69, 2018-20).

Rexha already achieved the longest leading No. 1 among all acts on the Hot Country Songs chart (since the list became an-encompassing genre ranking in 1958), as her Florida Georgia Line duet “Meant to Be” dominated there for 50 weeks in 2017-18.

Rexha also sports songwriting credit on both songs. Along with original composition “Meant to Be,” “I’m Good” is a reimagination of Eiffel 65’s early 2000s classic “Blue (Da Ba Dee).”

“Songwriting is my passion, no matter the style of music,” Rexha tells Billboard. “I’ve been blessed to have hit songs in different genres throughout my career. Finding this kind of success within both the dance/electronic and country charts is something I’m really proud of! To have my music resonate with so many people and top charts across multiple genres is amazing and means a lot to me, as I’ve never wanted to be put in a box.”

Select other artists have received warm welcomes in both dance/electronic and country, including Maren Morris, whose collab with Zedd and Grey, “The Middle,” logged 33 weeks atop Hot Dance/Electronic Songs in 2018. She also ruled Hot Country Songs for 19 weeks in 2020 with “The Bones.”

Florida Georgia Line, meanwhile, has notched six No. 1s on Hot Country Songs and hit a No. 2 high in 2018 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs as featured, with Watt, on Hailee Steinfeld and Alesso’s “Let Me Go.”

Such core country stars as Dolly Parton, LeAnn Rimes and Wynonna Judd have also scaled both country and dance/electronic charts — with Rexha’s new album, Bebe, released in April, including a duet with Parton, “Seasons.”

“I’m Good” drew 39.2 million radio airplay audience impressions and 7.4 million official streams and sold 2,000 downloads in the United States May 26-June 1, according to Luminate.

The track adds a 33rd week at No. 1 on the Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart, also passing John and Lipa’s “Cold Heart” for the most weeks at the summit for a song by a woman. On the Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales survey, “I’m Good” rebounds for a 28th week at No. 1.