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Travis Scott is one of music’s most exciting live performers, but even he can’t deny the allure of stepping inside the squared circle. The Houston rapper made headlines over the weekend when he reportedly ruptured Cody Rhodes’ eardrum and gave him a black eye during John Cena‘s Elimination Chamber heel turn. And he couldn’t contain […]
As Carrie Underwood‘s career is about to come full-circle, the onetime American Idol hopeful is looking back to where she started.
In a new episode of the reality show’s Icon to Idol series posted to YouTube on Tuesday — just days ahead of the season 23 premiere, on which Underwood will make her debut as a judge — the country star rewatches her 2005 audition and gets emotional. In the old footage, a much younger version of herself sings Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” for the O.G. panel comprised of Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, who unanimously push her through to Hollywood.
“I have no idea how that 21-year-old Carrie was able to muster up enough guts to walk into a room and audition in front of Simon, Paula and Randy, and the world,” Underwood says after the footage ends.
“At my audition, I think I was just trying to hold in all my emotions — literally, hold them into my body,” she continues, revealing that she still has her audition number memorized: “It’s tattooed in my brain. I should actually get a tattoo of that somewhere on my body. Because I will always be 14887.”
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A few months after her tryout, Underwood would go on to win the fourth season of Idol and kickstart a long, successful career in country music, complete with four top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200. She’ll soon experience what it’s like to be on the other side of the Idol auditions process once the next season of the show officially premieres Sunday (March 9), taking over Katy Perry’s vacant spot on the panel next to co-judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.
She’ll also be the only judge to know exactly what it’s like to go through the show’s wringer. After rewatching her audition on Idol to Icon, Underwood also looked through the two-decade-old journal she kept while she was a contestant on the show and got choked up.
“I don’t even know if I could tell her what she’s about to experience,” she says in the video, fighting back tears. “Seeing myself, 21 years old, the world ahead of you. Obviously, it’s overwhelming, but you’re gonna do fine, kid. You’re gonna be OK. Just hold on.”
Watch Underwood get emotional after rewatching her Idol audition above.
Speaking with Saint Levant feels like encountering two personalities at once. One moment, you hear Marwan Abdelhamid (his real name), his intimate voice carrying the warmth of distant days spent with his father in Gaza. He recalls them in detail, as if each melody holds a story refusing to fade. The next moment, the more widely known artistic persona of Saint Levant takes over, exuding charisma and absolute confidence in front of the camera. The seamless blend of personal memory and stagecraft, nostalgia and defiance, defines his presence.
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As Billboard Arabia’s February cover star, Saint Levant’s artistic journey has taken him from Jerusalem and the alleys of Gaza to global stages from The Olympia in Paris and Coachella and Lollapalooza. Born into several cultures and languages, his identity is a fusion of Arabic, English and French, shaped by his Palestinian-Serbian father and Palestinian-Algerian mother. His migration to France and the U.S. further enriched his artistic outlook, injecting his work with a globally intertwined essence. This diverse background enables him to merge different musical styles, from funk to traditional Eastern rhythms, making him a rising star in Arabic music.
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When discussing the Arab artists who inspired him, Saint Levant looks back to his time in Gaza. He reminisces about road trips with his father, who played music in the car, filling the air with the voices of global stars like Lenny Kravitz and Michael Jackson. “Before any singer, my father was my inspiration,” he says. Yet, diving deeper into memory, he adds with nostalgia, “But if we’re talking about Arab singers, definitely Cheb Khaled. We used to listen to his albums, especially Sahra and Khaled, with songs like “El ‘Arbi” and “Wahran”—those are incredible. To me, Cheb Khaled is the top.”
Saint Levant’s first professional track carried his real name. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he released “Jerusalem Freestyle,” a rap song about the Palestinian cause. “That was my first real track where I put my name —on Spotify, I was Marwan Abdelhamid.”
Hussein Mardini
What sets Saint Levant apart are his multicultural roots, which grant him a broad perspective on music. He seamlessly sings in three languages, English, French and Arabic, within a single song. Explaining his unique lyrical structure, he says, “From my very first song, I was using three languages because that’s just how I talk. The same goes for my music. Now, I’ve learned to separate them more. Before, I used to mix all three languages in one sentence, but I realized not everyone is like me—they can’t follow that. So now, I do one chorus in English, one in Arabic and one in French, which makes it easier. But it all happened naturally. I never planned to be a trilingual artist.”
This cultural foundation also influences the structure of his music. When asked to define his genre, Saint Levant explains that his work transcends classification. He blends 1980s funk with traditional Palestinian and Algerian sounds, making it difficult to stick a single label to it. His team frequently revisits this question, reflecting the fluid nature of his artistic identity. Instead, he describes his music as part of a “New Wave Arab” movement, blending futuristic Arab sounds.
Hussein Mardini
His latest project, the album Love Letters, is an open letter to love in all its forms, released in February to align with Valentine’s Day. Elaborating on the title, he says, “Each song is a love letter in its own way. ‘Daloona,’ which I did with Qassem Alnajjar, Shadi Borini and 47Soul, isn’t a romantic love letter. It’s a love letter to my country and my people. I brought together seven Palestinian artists in one track, so it’s a love letter to Palestine. ‘Diva’ is a love letter to the golden girl and to Algeria. ‘Wazira’ is a tribute to the minister of love and ambassador of emotion. And ‘Wayn Ma’addi Wayn’ is a Libyan song, a love letter to Libya, and also a song for broken hearts. So to me, they are all different love letters.”
Explaining the album’s structure, he says, “I divided it into two sides: Side A and Side B, because there’s a difference. Songs like ‘Daloona,’ ‘Wazira’ and ‘Carmentina,’ those are love letters from Marwan. But ‘Diva’ and the rest are love letters from Saint Levant, the persona. Of course, I feel more comfortable as Marwan, but I have to play Saint Levant.”
Speaking about his collaborations, Saint Levant highlights his long-anticipated project with Marwan Moussa. “I’ve wanted to work with Marwan Moussa for a while. Since 2020, in interviews, whenever they asked me which rappers I’d like to collaborate with, I always said Shabjdeed and Marwan Moussa. To me, those two played a big role in my journey. So finally meeting him and being in the studio together was an insane experience.”
Before this project, Saint Levant released his debut full-length album, Deira, in 2024, following the success of his 2023 EP From Gaza with Love. The latter gained widespread attention for its raw and heartfelt expression. Deira is named after the hotel his father built in Gaza in 2000 when their family moved there. The hotel bore witness to many tragedies before being completely destroyed in the recent war. Singing about “Deira” became a celebration of Palestinian daily life and Gaza’s landmarks through a deeply personal lens, reflecting Saint Levant’s lasting bond with his hometown and how that bond has endured over time, adding a profoundly personal and emotional dimension to his work.
In Deira, he worked with prominent artists from different musical landscapes to expand its impact and make it a shared experience. His collaboration with Cheb Bilal on “Let Her Go” and the standout track “Allah Yihmeeki” with global artist Kehlani, who has publicly supported the Palestinian cause, are among the highlights. The album also features tracks that capture Saint Levant’s mix of defiance and emotion, alongside romantic ballads like “Forgive Me” and “Qalbi.”
Saint Levant has secured a consistent presence on the Billboard Arabia Top 100 Artists chart, holding a spot for 46 consecutive weeks. His single “Wazira” released before “Love Letters” entered the Hot 100 last week, with more songs from the album expected to follow in the coming weeks.
This article was originally published by Billboard Arabia, written by Omar Bakbouk.
Adidas split from doing business with Ye (formerly Kanye West) in October 2022 following his antisemitic remarks, and nearly 2.5 years later, the apparel giant says it has finally sold the last of its Yeezy supply.
Adidas hosted an earnings report on Wednesday (March 5) when chief financial officer Harm Ohlmeyer revealed that the Yeezy stock has run dry. “There is not one Yeezy shoe left,” he said, per Rolling Stone. “It has all been sold and that episode is behind us.”
Billboard has reached out to reps for Adidas and Ye for further comment.
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Ye and Adidas joined forces for a lucrative partnership in 2013, as the Yeezy footwear line was reportedly worth $1.5 billion at the time of the termination.
Adidas and other companies such as Balenciaga, Gap and Def Jam cut ties with West in late 2022 following the debut of his “White Lives Matter” T-shirt and his social media rant that included a promise to go “death con 3 on Jewish people.”
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech,” an Adidas spokesperson said at the time. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
The split left Adidas with $1.3 billion worth of unsold Yeezys, which contributed to a loss of $655 million in sales for 2022’s fourth quarter. The company went on to donate a portion of Yeezy sales to the Anti-Defamation League and the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.
All subsequent litigation between Ye and Adidas came to a close in October when both parties reached a settlement. The terms were not disclosed.
“Both parties said we don’t need to fight anymore and withdrew all the claims,” Adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden said that neither side would pay the other as part of the settlement. “No one owes anybody anything anymore. So whatever was is history.”
In other Ye news, he once again caused a stir on X on Wednesday when he professed his appreciation for Drake and hopes that the 6 God will speak at his funeral when the time comes. “I SAW A VIDEO OF DRAKE WALKING THROUGH HIS HOUSE AND SHOWING HE HAD A LIBRARY OF RYHME BOOKS MAN I WISH I COULD HAVE SEEN AND REMEMBERED THIS WHEN MY JEALOUSY OVERTOOK ME,” he wrote. “I LOVE DRAKE IMA SAY THIS WHEN I DIE I NEED YOU TO SPEAK AT ME FUNERAL.”
While he’s repeatedly dissed Drake in the past and throughout the Kendrick Lamar feud, Kanye has turned a new leaf when it comes to Drizzy and showed him love. Even earlier this year, West said that you can’t ever count out a Drake comeback in the rap game.
“You can’t ever count out Steph Curry. That man might get 200 points in one song,” he said. Kanye credited Drake with adding “something to the algorithm to our frequency. He advanced us. Future advanced us and now Kendrick advanced the frequency.”
Well, here’s a surprise: The audience for the Oscar telecast on Sunday (March 2), where indie film darling Anora led with five awards, showed a slight uptick from last year, when two certified blockbusters, Oppenheimer and Barbie, went head-to-head for best picture. Updated Nielsen data released Tuesday showed that the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre […]
Michael Arkinson, the Sag Harbor Police Department officer who arrested Justin Timberlake on suspicion of driving while intoxicated last summer, has been awarded for his work. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The cop was named officer of the year by Chief Rob Drake in a recent ceremony, per […]
Remember when Bill Murray and Kelis were allegedly an item? Well, the legendary actor and comedian cleared those rumors up during a recent visit to SiriusXM’s Sway in the Morning to promote his new movie Riff Raff. When the subject turned to Murray’s relationship to hip-hop, the actor brought up Kelis and how much he loved […]
JoJo threw the crowd at her recent Los Angeles concert back to the 1990s and early-aughts by performing her version of SWV’s “Weak,” for which she also enlisted guest Tori Kelly to help with vocals. In a clip from her sold-out show Tuesday night (March 4) at The Wiltern, the “Too Little Too Late” singer […]
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Pharrell Williams‘ ability to merge music, fashion, and cultural storytelling has made him one of the most influential creatives of our time. Whether it’s through his groundbreaking production in hip-hop and R&B or his game-changing collaborations in fashion, Pharrell has consistently pushed boundaries. His latest project with adidas continues this legacy, as he reimagines the classic Superstar silhouette with the bold and innovative Superstar 92 collection.
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Pharrell’s fashion collaborations have always mirrored his musical innovation, bridging the gap between artistic expression and everyday wear. His long-standing partnership with Adidas has already delivered some of the most unique designs in sneaker culture, and with the Superstar 92, also known as the Double Wide, he brings a fresh, oversized twist to one of Adidas’ most celebrated silhouettes.
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This new silhouette is all about proportions and nostalgia. Inspired by the exaggerated aesthetics of the ‘90s and the functional build of snowboard boots, the Superstar 92 blends heritage with modern design. The sneaker features thick padding around the ankle for comfort, a chunky sole for a bold stance, and premium materials that elevate its look and feel. With “Virginia” emblazoned on the tongue, Pharrell once again nods to his hometown roots — a theme that remains a central part of his storytelling.
Clipse modeling the Adidas Superstar 92
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Staying true to his origins, Pharrell tapped fellow Virginia hip-hop icons Clipse to lead the Superstar 92 campaign. The duo, made up of Pusha T and No Malice, played a pivotal role in shaping early 2000s rap, and their inclusion in this campaign highlights the deep cultural connections between music, sneakers, and personal identity. Shot in Virginia, the campaign reinforces the idea that the Superstar 92 is more than just a sneaker — it’s a symbol of legacy, authenticity, and evolution.
As someone who already owns six pairs of Superstars, this latest iteration feels like an instant classic, so it’s a flex for me! The chunky build, premium materials, and Virginia tribute make it more than just another sneaker drop — it’s a true reflection of Pharrell’s vision and legacy. With the Superstar 92, he’s continuing a conversation between music, fashion, and culture, one step at a time. So, where do you stand? Is this collection a Flex, a Trade, or a Fade?
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With iconic hits like “Manic Monday,” “Walk Like an Egyptian” and “Hazy Shade of Winter,” The Bangles have been going strong as a pop band for nearly 45 years. And now the band is telling their story in their own words in a new book.
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On sale for $27 (reg. $30) on Amazon, Eternal Flame: The Authorized Biography of The Bangles is a chronicle of the band’s first meeting in 1981 to their meteoric rise to stardom during the late ’80s. The book follows The Bangles’ first eight years in Los Angeles’ diverse and vibrant music scene.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can order now and Eternal Flame: The Authorized Biography of The Bangles will be delivered to your home in less than two days once it’s released, thanks to Prime Delivery.
Not a member? Sign up for a 30-day free trial to take advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer, including access to Prime Video, Prime Gaming and Amazon Photos; fast free shipping in less than two days with Prime Delivery; in-store discounts at Whole Foods Market; access to exclusive shopping events — such as Prime Day and Black Friday — and much more. Learn more about Amazon Prime and its benefits here.
The biography is also available at BookShop.org for $27. 90 (reg. $30), while Eternal Flame: The Authorized Biography of The Bangles is buyable at Barnes & Noble priced at $30.
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‘Eternal Flame: The Authorized Biography of The Bangles’
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In addition, Eternal Flame: The Authorized Biography of The Bangles features new interviews, stories and insights from the band’s founding members Debbi Peterson, Susanna Hoffs and Vicki Peterson.
During their career, The Bangles won a BRIT Award for best international group in 1987. The band was nominated for a number of MTV Video Music Awards for the music video for “Walk Like an Egyptian,” while they won best video for a film for “Hazy Shade of Winter,” a cover of a Simon & Garfunkel song, in 1988.
In the meantime, Eternal Flame: The Authorized Biography of The Bangles is available for $27 (reg. $30) right now at Amazon.
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