Music News

31 May 2023

Drew Barrymore Gushes Over Taylor Swift’s ‘Beautiful’ Eras Tour Show: ‘I Cried So Hard’

Taylor Swift is Drew Barrymore’s anti-hero, minus the “anti.” In a recent Instagram post, the actress raved about the pop star’s Eras Tour after attending the Sunday (May 28) show in New Jersey, revealing that the three-hour event was an emotional experience from top to bottom.

“@taylorswift I cried so hard when you sang welcome to NEW YORK,” Barrymore posted Tuesday (May 30), sharing a carousel of photos from the concert at MetLife Stadium. “I moved here not knowing where my life was going. And I actually found myself so happy in this chapter.”

The Drew Barrymore Show host’s photos showed different shots of Swift and her lit-up stage, snapped from Barrymore’s spot on the floor. In one, the actress — who’s a mom to daughters Olive and Frankie — was captured watching the show with an adoring smile on her face, hands clasped underneath her chin.

“I also cried watching my daughters and cousin Sadie watch and love and sing to someone so admirable,” she continued. “YOU. I LOVE YOU TAYLOR SWIFT!!!!!!!! You are the role model all of us girls and women need. Thank you for one of the best nights of our lives. We are so lucky to have seen your show. Your oh so giving 3 hour show.”

“Ps we listen to you on vinyl every morning to get ready for our day,” Barrymore added. “You transcend. And make life beautiful. Everyone passing beaded bracelets around. Witnessing the good.”

Swift had many treats in store for Barrymore and the rest of her audience at the final of three Eras shows in East Rutherford. In addition to singing 1989 fan-favorites “Welcome to New York” and “Clean” as the night’s surprise songs, Ice Spice joined her onstage to perform the pair’s new “Karma” remix live.

It was also Phoebe Bridgers’ final night as opener for Swift’s North American trek, which the two celebrated by performing their Red (Taylor’s Version) duet “Nothing New” together. “You are my hero,” Bridgers told the “Bejeweled” singer onstage.

Barrymore also wasn’t the only star in attendance at the Jersey shows over the weekend. Aaron Rodgers, Miles Teller, Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Molly Ringwald, Mariska Hargitay, Maren Morris, Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper all made it out to MetLife Stadium to watch Swift shine at some point during her three-night run in East Rutherford.

See Drew Barrymore’s emotional post below:

31 May 2023

Tyler, the Creator Announces Return of Camp Flog Gnaw Festival: Here Are the Dates

After teasing the return of his beloved festival Camp Flog Gnaw during Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar’s “The Hillbillies” video on Tuesday (May 30), Tyler, The Creator granted the wishes of his fanbase by announcing the dates for the forthcoming event on Wednesday. 

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Slated for Nov. 11 and Nov. 12, Tyler, the Creator, will once again bring Camp Flog Gnaw to Dodger Stadium for the festival’s ninth installment. According to a press release, a limited number of sale passes will be available for purchase beginning Friday (June 2) at 12 p.m. local time. 

For $335 plus fees, GA passes will allow fans to attend Saturday and Sunday’s showings, while an advanced price of $595 plus fees will guarantee VIP status. A VIP wristband will enable fans entry on both days along with “a dedicated entry lane, exclusive food and shaded/seating areas, a viewing area at multiple stages, and a VIP merch package including a backpack, water bottle, snow globe, mini helmet, carabiner, baseball keychain, and a pin,” according to the release. Attendees can get Super VIP passes for $1,495 plus fees.

According to the press release, “Super VIP passes will include 1 VIP wristband good for entry to both Saturday and Sunday of Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival with a dedicated entry lane, exclusive food and shaded/seating areas, access to the exclusive Super VIP Clubhouse, a viewing area at multiple stages, and a Super VIP merch package including a custom SE 29″ Big Flyer Bike, Converse x Golf Wang custom shoe, a Camp Flog Gnaw blanket, fanny pack, mug, and pin.” Those with GA and VIP passes will still be able to enjoy carnival rides, while carnival game tickets require a pass, which will be available separately. 

Last year, Tyler canceled the festivities after logging in a lot hours on his on Call Me If You Get Lost Tour. “It’s really not that deep,” says Tyler’s manager Chris Clancy of the Goldenvoice-produced event. “Tyler toured all year and was busy with a number of projects. Reading the tea leaves and what’s happening with festivals coming out of the pandemic, we thought it would be best to come back next year.”

Check out the Camp Flog Gnaw website for more info on the festival. 

31 May 2023

Tyson Ritter Claims Machine Gun Kelly ‘Went Ballistic’ When He Made a Provocative Suggestion to Co-Star Megan Fox

Tyson Ritter is used to making audiences go wild as the frontman of All-American Rejects. But during a chat with radio host Stryker on his Tuna on Toast podcast, the singer-turned-occasional-actor shared an intense run-in he had with Machine Gun Kelly on the set of the recently released low-budget crime drama Johnny & Clyde that sounds pretty wild.

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In fact, Ritter said the confrontation was so fiery he used it as acting inspiration for his role in the upcoming film Prisoner’s Daughter with Kate Beckinsdale and Succession‘s Brian Cox. Ritter said among the plot points in the Johnny film — which he sighed is “kind of an okay… bad movie” — is Fox’s character, Alana Hart, teasing his henchman character Vince about putting a finger in her mouth.

Ritter thought it might be interesting to call back to that moment and put his fingers in Fox’s mouth during her death scene later in the film. “So I go over [to her trailer] and there’s her man in there with her. This Colson guy, who you know as Machine Gun Kelly,” he said of Fox’s rapper/rocker/actor fiancé. “I call him Pistol Pete. So I go over there and I was like, ‘Hey, Megan. I wanted to talk to you about this moment where, when you die, because you’ve been teasing putting my fingers in your mouth, that when you’re dead, I put my fingers in your mouth. And it’s like this sort of resolution to my character getting his revenge.”

According to Ritter, that’s when MGK allegedly lost it and gave him “the greatest gift” for his Daughter role. “Colson just goes from… zero to like awesome rage and awesome super angry… He was super-bummed about me asking if I could put my fingers in Megan Fox’s mouth. He just went ballistic. It kinda went maniac mode,” Ritter said, noting that he kept his cool as MGK was allegedly losing it. “I think the whole experience for me was, ‘What the actual f–k is happening?,’” Ritter recalled. ” He had this baby’s arm of a joint dangling out of his mouth. And he was fully unhinged.”

At press time spokespeople for Fox and MGK had not returned a request for comment.

Though it was off-putting, Ritter said the run-in helped him get into character for the other movie he was shooting at the same time, Prisoner’s Daughter, in which he plays a violent, hostile character. “I was like, this is what I’ve been looking for with my character on Prisoner’s Daughter,” Ritter said he thought while MGK was allegedly shouting at him. “Because the next day I had to shoot this scene in Vegas where this character goes in and confronts Kate Beckinsale, who’s his ex-wife, and he goes from zero to apes–t. And I didn’t, I was really struggling [with] how to flip that switch.”

While Ritter said he originally planned to use his relationship with his father to reach down deep for his character’s motivation, the alleged MGK incident helped him dial it in further. “I remember when Pistol Pete just started going ape on me, I was like, this is really confrontational, but also thank you, dude,” Ritter said. “A lot of my role, in that one moment especially, it’s not only my dad being his drunkest, wildest self, but there’s a little bit of Pistol Pete in my role for Prisoner’s Daughter.”

Johnny & Clyde dropped earlier this month and Prisoner’s Daughter is due out on June 30. All-American Rejects are slated to launch their first major tour since 2017 on June 16 at Phase Fest in Kansas City.

Watch the Johnny & Clyde trailer and the Stryker interview below.

31 May 2023

Watch a Violinist Deliver a Rockin’ System of a Down Cover on ‘America’s Got Talent’

Grammy-winning metal band System of a Down is best known for hair-raising hits such as “B.Y.O.B.” and “Aerials,” and now — thanks to America’s Got Talent contestant Phillip Bowen’s stunning violin cover of “Chop Suey!” on the show’s season premiere on Tuesday (May 30) — the world can enjoy an impressive reimagining of one of the band’s most beloved classics.

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Owning the stage with just his violin and a forest green baseball cap, the season 18 hopeful ripped through a rendition of “Chop Suey!” that retained the verve of System of a Down’s original. The band’s seminal hit peaked No. 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 back in 2002, and earned the California rockers their first Grammy nomination, for best metal performance.

Bowen punctuated his performances with bits of audience banter including “I got it!” and “Let’s Go!” His energy — both as a personality and a performer — was palpable, adding another layer of entertainment to his audition.

The most beautiful moment of Bowen’s performance, however, occurs just as his cover reaches the first intensity peak in “Chop Suey!” As he begins to get more visibly comfortable and lose himself in the music, the camera cuts to his proud mom crying tears of happiness in the audience. By the end of his performance, the audience rewarded Bowen with a fervent standing ovation, while the judges unanimously decided to advance the West Virginia native to the next round.

To date, System of a Down has earned five Hot 100 hits, including “B.Y.O.B.” (No. 27), “Hypnotize” (No. 57) and “Toxicity” (No. 70). The band has also charted five projects on the Billboard 200, including Toxicity, Mezmerize and Hypnotize, all of which have reached the summit.

31 May 2023

Davido Reveals His Favorite Nigerian Slang | Billboard News

Davido chatted with Billboard News and talked about some of his favorite Nigerian slang!

DAVIDO:
Yo, what’s up? It’s your boy Davido, and these are some Nigerian slang. Let’s go!

The first one is “Yawa,” that’s Y-A-W-A, which means, like, “trouble.” So, if somebody hits me up like, “Yo, yawa do,” that mean it’s like, “Oh, there’s trouble.”

Another one is “Comot,” C-O-M-O-T. Basically say like, “Come out,” but like you say it in a different way, broken English.

“Otilo.” Otilo means like, “It’s gone,” like, “It’s out of here,” like, “It’s lit.” Otilo.

Those are some Nigerian slangs. Hope you enjoyed it!

31 May 2023

Taylor Swift Responds to Keke Palmer’s ‘Karma’ Praise: ‘I Love U So Much’

Karma takes all of Taylor Swift‘s friends to the summit — and one of them might now be Keke Palmer. That’s because the two stars recently shared an adorable exchange on Instagram, with the singer-songwriter responding to the Nope actress’ glowing review of her Midnights single “Karma.”

“Omg I love u so much,” Swift commented under a video of Palmer praising the track, posted Saturday (May 27).

In her video, the Broadway star jams out in the car with “Karma” blasting through her speakers. “Karma is me getting everything I want!” she tells the camera. “For anybody that’s ever tried you, anybody that tried to get away with hurting you, taking advantage — YOU get the last laugh.”

In her caption, she wrote, “It’s always going to be miss Swift’s lyricism for me.”

“It’s always some fluffy vibes with weighted a– sentiment!” added Palmer, who in February welcomed her first child with boyfriend Darius Jackson.

The Alice star isn’t the only one giving “Karma” some love these days. Ice Spice recently hopped on the track for a single-ready remix, and joined Swift onstage three nights at a row to debut the collaboration live at the pop star’s Eras Tour shows at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The pair also teamed up for a “Karma” music video, which Swift premiered at the first of the three shows.

“Getting to know her has been so special because I am blown away by her,” Swift later gushed over Ice. “In my opinion, she’s the one to watch. Watching her work ethic and how thoughtfully she approaches her career, she’s like my new favorite artist and I’m so honored that she’s on the song.”

See Keke Palmer’s video, and Swift’s comment, below:

31 May 2023

The 2023 Latin Music Week Website Is Officially Open: Tickets Set to Go on Sale Soon

The 2023 Latin Music Week website is officially open, and it offers up-to-date information on all things Latin Music Week, which is set to return to Miami.

Tickets and lineup announcements are coming soon for the event set to take place Monday, Oct. 2, to Friday, Oct. 6. Billboard‘s Latin Music Week is the longest running and biggest Latin music-industry gathering for more than 30 years. The weeklong event brings together emerging and renowned artists, industry leaders, creators and decision-makers in Latin music from around the world for showcases, networking, exclusive conversations, panels, workshops, activations and concerts.

“We’re beyond excited to return to Miami and celebrate the legacy that has been created by these events,” Leila Cobo, Billboard‘s chief content officer Latin/Español, previously said. “Trends, stars and hits have all been made at Billboard Latin Music Week, and we can’t wait to announce our roster of superstars, super executives and rising talent.”

The event culminates in the Billboard Latin Music Awards, honoring the top artists and performers in Latin music. The 30th annual awards ceremony will be held Oct. 5, and will air live on the Telemundo Network. 

Last year’s star-studded edition featured Q&As, panels and performances from artists such as Christina Aguilera, Romeo Santos, Camilo, Nicky Jam, Wisin & Yandel, Maluma, Chayanne, Ivy Queen, Grupo Firme, Bizarrap, Tokischa and for the first time, an exclusive conversation with all five children of Jenni Rivera.

Visit billboardlatinmusicweek.com for more info, and to stay up-to-date on all things Latin Music Week 2023.

31 May 2023

Sam Smith & Madonna Are Getting ‘Vulgar’ With Their New Single

After giving the world a taste of the “Unholy,” Sam Smith is ready to deliver something even dirtier with their new song — and this time, they’ve got pop icon Madonna on board to help.

On Wednesday (May 31), Smith and Madonna confirmed the release of their upcoming collaboration, “Vulgar.” Madge shared some artwork across her social media, showing a pair of tightly cinched black-and-white corsets underneath the duo’s initials — which were cheekily shortened to a simple “S&M.” “VULGAR…………. new song out Friday June 9th @samsmith,” Madonna captioned the post.

The announcement comes after about a week’s worth of buildup. On May 24, Smith teased that a collaboration with the “Like a Prayer” singer was on its way, sharing a looping audio clip across their social media accounts in which the pair groaned “Sam and Madonna.”

It then appeared that Smith was going to give their fans in Manchester a sneak preview of the new song during their show on May 24. Smith tweeted an image in the same style as their “Sam and Madonna” teaser, saying that “‘Unholy’ won’t be the last song” at their stop. However, fans never got to find out what the last song would have been, since Smith was forced to abruptly end the concert due to vocal issues.

Meanwhile, Madonna has been hard at work preparing for her upcoming Celebration Tour, a globe-spanning production looking back on four decades of hit songs from the pop icon. Set to kick off in Vancouver this July, the tour will also feature RuPaul’s Drag Race season eight winner Bob the Drag Queen as a special guest for each new show.

“Vulgar” is out everywhere Friday, June 9. Check out the official announcement below:

31 May 2023

Guns N’ Roses Adds Carrie Underwood, Alice in Chains, The Pretenders & More to 2023 Tour Dates

Welcome to the jungle! Carrie Underwood is set to join rock band Guns N’ Roses for three shows on the North American leg of the group’s 2023 Global Tour. Alice in Chains, The Pretenders, The Warning and Dirty Honey are also joining the trek.

The country star will open for the rockers during two shows in Canada (Aug. 5 in Moncton, New Brunswick, and Aug. 8 in Montreal, Quebec), followed by a show on Aug. 26 in Nashville at GEODIS Park.

“SO ready for this!” the American Idol season four champ gushed in an Instagram post announcing her addition to the tour. “I CANNOT WAIT!!”

Underwood has long incorporated songs from Guns N’ Roses’ classic rock catalog — such as “Welcome to the Jungle” — into her own concert setlists, and welcomed lead singer Axl Rose as her surprise guest during her headlining set at the Stagecoach music festival in 2022, where the two performed “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and “Paradise City.”

Later that year, Guns N’ Roses later welcomed Underwood to reprise those same songs during Guns N’ Roses’ London concert.

This marks the first time Guns N’ Roses has toured North America since their We’re F’N Back! Tour in 2021. The tour launches overseas on June 5 in Tel Aviv, Israel, and continues through Europe through July 22, wrapping in Athens, Greece. The band then continues on to North America, starting Aug. 5 for the Moncton, NB show at Medavie Blue Cross Stadium. The tour traverses several U.S. states and wraps on Oct. 16 at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Underwood previously told Jimmy Fallon about meeting Guns N’ Roses for the first time, during one of the band’s concerts in Las Vegas.

“I might have, like, hung out with Axl after the show a little bit!” she joked. “I do always say that it’s hard when you meet your heroes, because I do consider him to be somebody who taught me how to sing, because I loved how he could just do different things with his voice. I was like, ‘I don’t know! If I meet him, and he’s not everything I want him to be…’ But he was. It was great. He was super cool and nice, and we talked — we’re best friends.”

See her post announcing her dates on the Guns N’ Roses tour below:

31 May 2023

Machine Gun Kelly Takes Stock of Career on Intense ‘Pressure’ Single

After taking a detour into rock, Machine Gun Kelly is back on his rap game on the new four-minute career retrospective track “Pressure.” Over a laid-back “la-la-la” background, MGK raps, “The diamonds are symbolic of all the pressure they put on me until I shined/ My life is symbiotic with the culture, I could never, ever lose the vibe,” in the opening verse of the song that dropped on Monday.

The accompanying video finds Colson going home to Cleveland to hang with his pals and making sure you know he’s repping his hometown via a white hat that reads, “I’m From Cleveland.” Though he’s risen up from his humble roots, MGK revisits the lean years in the second verse, where he raps, “I was eleven/ Sharin’ a bed with my dad, but didn’t have a bedroom/ In a recession/ Six of us in a Ford Explorer, didn’t have leg-room/ Everything’s destined/ It was inevitable I take on his aggression.”

The visual ping-pongs between MGK and his dancers bopping down the city’s streets, cars and four-wheelers burning out in front of a liquor store and Baker casually sitting on a gold and crimson throne. About a minute and a half in, the hi-hat heavy beat subtly shifts to a molasses-slow chopped and screwed vibe as MGK’s pal, Bupkis star Pete Davidson, makes a brief cameo chilling in front of an ice cream truck.

The third part of the song shifts into a slinky uptempo beat, with MGK turning his attention to flossing about his money, jewels, women and some of his demons. “I slept in the attack, had demon nights/ That’s in the house off Lee Road/ I saw my friend’s eyes change, now he just a body with no soul,” he laments.

“Pressure” is MGK’s return to rap following two rock-leaning albums, Tickets to My Downfall (2020) and Mainstream Sellout (2022) and it comes on the heels of his “Doja Freestyle” and “Renegade Freestyle,” with the latter seemingly taking shots at Jack Harlow.

Check out he “Pressure” video below.