Music News

26 May 2023

Beyoncé Honors Tina Turner at Paris Show: ‘I Wouldn’t Be on This Stage Without Tina Turner’

Beyoncé took some time at her Renaissance tour stop in Paris, France, on Friday (May 26) to honor one of her biggest musical influences, Tina Turner, who died Wednesday at age 83.

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“I just want to take a second and honor Tina Turner,” Beyoncé told the crowd at the Stade de France, as seen in videos shared to social media. “If you’re a fan of mine, you’re a fan of Tina Turner. I wouldn’t be on this stage without Tina Turner, so I want you guys to just scream, so she can feel your love. I feel so blessed that I was allowed to witness her brilliance.”

Earlier in the week, Bey paid tribute to Turner with a heartbreaking message on her website. “My beloved queen. I love you endlessly,” she wrote in her message. “I’m so grateful for your inspiration, and all the ways you have paved the way. You are strength and resilience. You are the epitome of power and passion. We are all so fortunate to have witnessed your kindness and beautiful spirit that will forever remain. Thank you for all you have done.”

Bey and Turner have publicly showered each other with love over the years, and even collaborated at the 50th annual Grammy Awards in 2008 for a high-energy performance of “Proud Mary.”

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tina Turner. With her music and her boundless passion for life, she enchanted millions of fans around the world and inspired the stars of tomorrow,” a statement posted to her Instagram account read. “Today we say goodbye to a dear friend who leaves us all her greatest work: her music. All our heartfelt compassion goes out to her family. Tina, we will miss you dearly.”

See Bey’s touching tribute from the Paris show below.

26 May 2023

The Return of Dogstar: Why Keanu Reeves’ Rock Trio Was Resurrected

Keanu Reeves dismisses the idea that playing bass in his long-defunct rock trio, Dogstar, was a passion project that he hoped to make time for in between a prolific Hollywood career. “It’s not ‘make time for it,’” he tells Billboard, his hair shagging into his eyes, during a Zoom call earlier this week. “It’s something that’s part of my life.”

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Although Dogstar hadn’t released an album in over two decades — 23 years and four John Wick films ago — Reeves says that a proper reunion with his pals Bret Domrose and Rob Mailhouse had been on his mind for a while. “I missed playing together, I missed writing together, I missed doing shows together. It’s something I’ve always missed,” he admits. “We came to a spot where we weren’t playing anymore, and I missed it … Once we started to play, and it felt good, and really positive and creative, that’s when it was like, ‘Okay, let’s make this happen.’”

The reunion of Dogstar — which has been teased since last July, when their Instagram account declared, “We’re back” — finally comes into focus this weekend, when the trio takes the stage for their first public performance together at BottleRock Napa Valley music festival on Saturday (May 27). The band will play a mix of older songs from their previous studio albums, 1996’s Our Little Visionary and 2000’s Happy Ending, as well as unveil cuts from a forthcoming, as-yet-untitled album — which was always part of the plan when the reunion became official.

“I think all three of us just said, ‘Well, if we’re going to do this, let’s make a record,’” says Reeves. Singer-guitarist Domrose adds, “We just knew that there was ‘X’ amount of time, and we needed to make the most of it. We just locked on as wanting to make this record, and it happened pretty quickly.”

Reeves, Domrose and Mailhouse kept in touch over the years after Dogstar played its final show together in 2002. “We’ve sort of been sporadically getting together, because we’re all friends,” Mailhouse explains. The three would occasionally meet up in the rehearsal space of drummer Mailhouse’s home in Silver Lake to jam, but would seldom come up with new song ideas.

During the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, however, those jam sessions became a bit more concentrated: house visits turned into shared quarantining, and with travel restricted, soon the trio were “stuck together, like we were at camp,” as Mailhouse puts it, and logging eight-hour rehearsal days together. Reeves adds, “We played the catalog songs, and then we can’t help it — we just started writing.” Within two and a half months, the guys had written more songs than they needed for Dogstar’s third studio album.

The timing and release details of the Happy Ending follow-up have yet to be announced, although the band members are confident that they and producer Dave Trumfio (Wilco, Built To Spill) have located a sound that will satisfy new listeners as well as longtime fans who have been waiting for their return. “[Dave] understood where we were coming from,” says Mailhouse, “and worked really well with Bret, layering guitars and doing lots of different sounds and ambient things — things that weren’t just hard rock, in-your-face music, [but] a little more textural.”

Dogstar has played private performances since reuniting, but Saturday’s set at BottleRock marks their years-in-the-making return to the spotlight, and the first of what they hope to be many more shows. The trio says that they’re too excited to feel jittery. “I’m sure as the hour grows closer, I’m gonna get much more nervous,” Domrose says with a laugh.

For Reeves, who joined the band as a rising Hollywood star and returns to it as one of the most consistent leading actors of the century, Dogstar represents a passion that he’s thrilled to return to in a real way after all these years. “It’s a space that I love,” he says, “and a space that I tried to protect.”

26 May 2023

Doja Cat Says She Keeps Changing Her Album Title Due to Her ADHD

Doja Cat is working on a follow-up to her 2021 groundbreaking album, Planet Her, and over the past few months, she’s been teasing fans with snippets and hints about the upcoming project.

However, one thing she keeps switching up is the album title. Back in March, the “Woman” singer suggested that the album would be called Hellmouth, but soon changed her mind and revealed that the title is First of All in a since-deleted tweet. Less than a week later, she posted another since-deleted tweet noting that she’s changing the album title once again.

Doja opened up about her creative process to Insider at a Patrón El Cielo launch part on Wednesday (May 24). “I put my ADHD kind of on display — by accident, I guess,” she said about selecting album titles. “I thought that Hellmouth was the name of the album, but then it wasn’t. But I’m good at doing things last minute. So I’ve been firing off random stuff and reading comments and seeing how people receive it and then, you know, saying ‘no’ a lot. ‘Just kidding.’”

She did however, say that she “finally” has an album title, adding, “It’s not First of All.“

The Grammy winner has previously opened up about her ADHD with Rolling Stone, revealing that she dropped out of high school at age 16 due to her struggles with the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. “It felt like I was stuck in one spot and everybody else was progressing constantly,” she shared.

According to the CDC, ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders that is usually first diagnosed in childhood. Symptoms include having trouble focusing or controlling impulsive behaviors or becoming overly active.

If you or someone you love is struggling with ADHD, see the National Resource Center on ADHD for more information and links for help, as well as a call center (1-866-200-8098) with trained staff to answer questions about ADHD.

26 May 2023

Friday Dance Music Guide: The Week’s Best New Tracks From Swedish House Mafia, Folamour, Jungle & More

This week in dance music: We got the backstory of the new Donna Summer doc from the film’s creators, broke down why not one but two Avicii documentaries are currently in production, saw Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories return to the No. 1 spot on Dance/Electronic Albums via the release of its 10th anniversary edition and chatted with the producer’s of the one and only Movement festival, which launches today (May 26) in Detroit.

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And guess what. There’s more. Let’s get it into it.

Swedish House Mafia, “See The Light”

The Artists: The no-introductions-necessary Swedes.

The Label: Republic Records

The Spiel: As Fred again.. has made “emotion” one of the predominant trends of commercial dance music over the last year-plus, the producer’s good pals and collaborators Swedish House Mafia get overtly blissful with “See The Light.” (In fact Fred’s actual fingerprints seem to be on this one, with Sebastian Ingrosso thanking Fred for his help on “See The Light”s arrangement via Discord.) First teased during their Ultra Music Festival set back in March, the song is a gently propulsive dancefloor hymn that sounds a lot like light itself and features spirited vocals from Philly rapper Fridayy. The track arrives as part of EA Sports’ Formula 1 soundtrack, released in conjunction with the Monaco Grand Prix happening this weekend.

The Vibe: Hugging everyone in your immediate vicinity while crying uncontrolled happy tears at the end of the set.

Folamour, “Poundland Anthem”

The Artist: Marseille-based house producer Folamour.

The Label: Columbia France/Ultra/ FHUO Records

The Spiel: A standout from the producer’s seventh studio album Manifesto, the nearly six-minute “Poundlound Anthem” is a lush and maximally effervescent thrill ride that effortlessly incorporates brass, disco strings and a persistent synth reminiscent of Chemical Brothers’ “Swoon,” and which throughout remains as sleek as it is joyous.

The Producer Says: “At times fearlessly,” the artist write in the actual manifesto he wrote in conjunction with the album, “we manage to knock down walls which conceal our hopes. We overlook the boundaries which are forced upon us, along with the difficulties strewn on the path we take to achieve feat. We head towards the other and share who we are, our values, our ideas, we create new families. We open our minds to new music, smells and stories. We fill the world with new colors and sounds, we trigger new opportunities towards what is possible. This way, the freedom of not being compromised, not letting anyone impose who we are and remaining true to what we believe, gives us wings to find the beautiful and extraordinary, a feeling of being alive, not to mention, the fire within us, a gem in the making.”

The Vibe: Beautiful, extraordinary, a feeling of being alive.

Hamdi, “Counting”

The Artist: Oxford-born producer Hamdi, who’s been rinsed by everyone from Porter Robinson to Skrillex to Fred again.. to Knife Party and Zeds Dead.

The Label: Deadbeats

The Spiel: After much hype and a breakout set at EDC Las Vegas last weekend, the rising U.K. producer drops “Counting,” which pairs a jittery buzzsaw bassline with rapper Princess Superstar declaring, on repeat, “One, two, three, four, let me hear you scream if you want some more,” with the high pitch of these vocals playing deliciously off the low-end they’re laid on.

The Vibe: Like a Jane Fonda workout for wooks.

Jungle, “Dominoes”

The Artists: The ever-consistent and always artful U.K. duo Jungle.

The Label: Caiola Records

The Spiel: Jungle’s latest gives light Khruangbin vibes, with a stoney guitar riff layered up with soft percussion and soul vocals, altogether creating a warm sunbeam of a track that comes with one of the duo’s signature choreographed dance videos, this one featuring a single elegantly arranged tracking shot. The song is from the duo’s forthcoming LP, Volcano, out August 11.

The Vibe: Lazy Sunday with the object of your affection.

Kungs & Carlita, “Shadows”

The Artists: Club world queen bee Carlita and French producer Kungs.

The Label: Val Production

The Spiel: Lifting lyrics straight from the bible (check Psalm 23:1–6’s “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..”), the pair indeed deliver peaks and valleys with a build/release club track built from a steady kick, tough electro and one big wind up that will legit have you fearing no evil.

The Vibe: Cups runneth over.

London Grammar, “Baby It’s You” (Dot Major Remix)

The Artists: The venerable U.K. indie electronic trio, as remixed by its own Dot Major, who’s entered his solo career phase.

The Label: Ministry of Sound Recordings

The Spiel: London Grammar’s supremely dreamy 2021 track “Nothing Else Matters” is pared way down by Majors, who keep the mood lush while adding a darker and decidedly sexier vibe while making space for Hannah Felicity May Reid’s stunner of a voice. The song is the first release from a remix package of the group’s work coming July 21 that will feature edits by Joris Voorn, Jamie Jones, Goddard and more.

The Vibe: Making eyes across the dancefloor.

26 May 2023

Taylor Swift x Ice Spice, Dua Lipa & More: What’s Your Favorite Music Release of the Week? Vote!

It’s the final new music Friday of May, which marks the unofficial start of summer with Memorial Day weekend. Taylor Swift with Ice Spice, Dua Lipa and more have all offered up brand new songs that are perfect for adding to cookout playlists and beyond.

Swift surprised fans earlier in the week when she revealed that Midnights track “Karma” would be getting a remix featuring Billboard‘s current cover star Ice Spice, along with a new version of “Snow on the Beach” with Lana Del Rey, both on the extended Midnights (Til Dawn Edition). And the surprise did not disappoint: The updated version of “Karma” finds Ice also relishing in the “what goes around, comes around” philosophy that Swift preaches on the song: “It’s OK, baby, you ain’t gotta worry, karma never gets lazy/ So, I keep my head up, my bread up, I won’t let up,” she raps.

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie is scheduled to be released later this summer, but fans got the first official taste of the soundtrack with the arrival of Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night.” The pop star offers up stylish synth instrumentals and disco elements that send a surge of dopamine to the brain, while serving as an extension of her wildly successful Future Nostalgia album run. Complicated romances, broken hearts and tears do not stand a chance when Lipa’s burning up the dance floor.

Lil Durk and d4vd both released new albums and Peso Pluma returned with new single “Bye.” There’s plenty of new tunes to choose from, but we want to know: What’s your favorite release this week? Vote — or enter in your pick — in the poll below.

26 May 2023

Moneybagg Yo Delays New Album: ‘Ima Let My Baby Taylor Swift Drop’

Moneybagg Yo can read the writing on the wall. And on Thursday night (May 25) it read Midnights (Til Dawn Edition), which is, of course, the name of the second deluxe version of Taylor Swift‘s 10th album that debuted last night.

So while earlier this month the rapper pledged to drop his new Hard to Love mixtape last night as well, the avowed Swiftie had a last-minute change of heart and decided to give it another week to breathe to avoid being Swift Yo-ted. In a video posted on his socials Thursday night, Yo sat in his custom red Ferarri and burned one down while singing along to Swift’s song “Lover,” crooning the lyrics about leaving the Christmas lights up until January as if he was in the crowd at an Eras Tour stop.

“I just got the news my little baby Taylor dropping tonight,” the Bagg man said. “I ain’t gonna lie, you know how I feel about Taylor, so I think I’m gonna push Hard to Love back just a few days. Ya’ll be patient with me, man.”

He then continued singing as he roared off the screen and said he was happy to let Swift have the spotlight while Hard to Love will now drop on June 2. The new mixtape is the follow-up to 2021’s acclaimed A Gangsta’s Pain album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts. Moneybagg had good reason to step aside for a week, as Swift’s latest deluxe edition will likely flood the zone thanks to a remix of “Karma” featuring Ice Spice, a different take of her Lana Del Rey collab “Snow on the Beach” and the previously unheard track “You’re Losing Me.”

Checkout Moneybagg’s announcement below.

26 May 2023

Cardi B Urges Fans to ‘Protect Your Brothers and Your Family’ In Tribute to Takeoff

Cardi B had some emotional words to share Friday (May 26) about her late friend. Nearly seven months after TakeOff was killed in a shooting in Houston, the “Up” rapper posted a tender tribute, urging fans to keep friends and family close while they still can.

“What a angel god [blessed] this earth with,” Cardi began, sharing a photo of the late Migos rapper on her Instagram Story. “Protect your brothers and your family.”

Her post comes hours after TakeOff’s alleged shooter, Patrick Xavier Clark, was formally indicted on murder charges by a Texas grand jury Thursday (May 25). The fatal Nov. 1, 2022, shooting went down at a private party at 810 Billiards & Bowling in downtown Houston, which TakeOff had attended with his uncle and Migos bandmate, Quavo.

“I know you see the tears I know you see them looking at the sky asking why…,” Cardi added in her post. “What a beautiful soul to take.”

Cardi’s husband, Offset, was the third member of Migos. She has opened up about her and her family’s grief several times since the young rapper, who would have turned 29 this June, passed away.

“I have been feeling so hopeless trying to make my husband happy,” she confessed in a voice note a few weeks after TakeOff’s death. “Trying to make him crack a smile, f—in’ seeing him randomly cry, see him trying to distract his mind completely, f—in’ schedules been changing, trying to keep up with work after everything that he’s been going through these past couple of weeks.”

Offset himself recently addressed how hard Takeoff’s death has been on him. “Talking about Take is hard, man. Talking about all this s–t is hard. That’s why I don’t, to be honest. That s–t hurts,” he told Variety. “He’s not here. That s–t feels fake, bro. I get through my day thinking it’s fake. And I don’t say nothing to nobody about it.”

26 May 2023

Lindsay Lohan Shows Off Her Baby Bump in a Swimsuit: See the Photo

Lindsay Lohan is continuing to soak up her baby bliss. The Mean Girls actress shared a picture of her baby bump on Thursday (May 25).

The snap features Lohan reclining in a black bathing suit and aviator sunglasses, smiling at the camera. She captioned the photo with a smiling, sunglasses-wearing emoji.

Her account followers shared their delight in the comments. “You’re exuding such love, peace, and happiness! Truly happy to see this!” one person wrote. Another user added, “Absolutely glowing! Don’t know why this reminds me of The Parent Trap when Halle is by the pool but it does! You look amazing.”

The new photo is the latest pregnancy snap Lohan has shared. In April, the star — who is expecting her first child with husband Bader Shammas, whom she tagged in her new Instagram photo — showed off her bump on two separate occasions, the first while wearing a crochet maxi dress, and the other while posing in photos with her close friends and family.

Following Lohan’s pregnancy announcement in March, her mother, Dina, shed some light on how the “Confessions of a Broken Heart” singer is feeling about becoming a mom. “Lindsay has always loved kids, because I love kids and my mother loves kids; I’m one of four,” Dina explained at the time. “We have a big family, so she’s always wanted children. And she’s so maternal. Isabelle, her niece, just runs to her when she sees her.”

“She’s been trying and then it happened, that little stick came up positive,” Dina added. “It’s the right time for her, and Bader is an angel. Her husband is so sweet and they’re just so happy. They’re just really happy and ready.”

See Lindsay’s new baby bump photo below.

26 May 2023

Noel Gallagher Had Some Predictably NSFW Thoughts on Matty Healy’s Oasis Reunion Wishes

When there are absolutely zero f’s left to give, somehow Noel Gallagher always finds a way to give one less f. A prime example is a new interview in Spin about Gallagher’s latest album with his band the High Flying Birds, Council Skies, that veered into a very on-brand takedown of the latest calls for an Oasis reunion.

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When the interviewer asked Gallagher, 55, if he’d heard about the Feb. interview in which The 1975 singer Matty Healy said Noel and his estranged brother Oasis singer Liam Gallagher owe it to their fans to get over their squabbles and reunite, well, Noel got went supersonic on Taylor Swift’s reported current boyfriend.

“Oh, that f–king slack-jawed f–kwit. What did he say?” Noel asked when the subject came up. To wit, the interviewer quoted Healy saying, “Can you imagine being in potentially, right now, still the coolest band in the world and not doing it because you’re in a mard with your brother?”

Noel’s response was as barbed as you’d expect. “He would never be able to imagine it. He needs to go over how s–t his band is and split up,” Gallagher said. Sounds like yet another hard no from the man who penned “Don’t Look Back in Anger.”

And, Healy being Healy, back in Feb. he also had much more to say about his dreams of a comeback from the sibling group that split in 2009 and who’ve spent the past decade-plus endlessly sniping at each other while pursuing their solo careers.

“I can deal with them dressing like they’re in their 20s and being in their 50s, but acting like they’re in their 20s — they need to grow up,” Healy said at the time. “They’re sat around in Little Venice and Little Highgate, crying because they’re in an argument with their brother. Grow up; headline Glastonbury. There is not one person going to a High Flying Birds gig, or a Liam Gallagher gig, that wouldn’t rather be at an Oasis gig. Do me a favor: Get back together; stop messing around. That’s my public service announcement for today.”

In good news for Oasis fans not named Matty or Healy, Noel said he’s still planning to play some Oasis songs on the Birds’ upcoming North American tour, which kicks off on June 2 in Seattle. “I’m digging out some old songs this time, and they do sound good. So yeah, I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

As for that AI Oasis album that dropped earlier this year, yeah, you can imagine Noel’s thoughts. “F–king embarrassing. I just think people clearly have too much time and money on their hands if they’re f–king around with that for a laugh,” he said of the one-off from British band Breezer, who wrote an Oasis sound-alike album during lockdown that features their playing and an AI voice that mimics Liam’s classic vocals. “I mean, who wants to f–king hear Ringo Starr singing ‘She’s Electric’ and Freddie Mercury singing ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger?’,” Noel huffed. “Life’s too short for that s–t.”

For the record, in predictable contrarian Gallagher fashion, Liam dubbed the AISIS album “mad as f—k,” bragging that “I sound mega.”

26 May 2023

Lil Nas X Mocks Conservative Outrage Over Target’s Pride Month Merch: ‘I’m Never Shopping There Again’

Leave it to Lil Nas X to find the most hilarious way to smack down the conservative freakout over Target’s Pride Month products. Days after the mega-retailer removed or moved some Pride merch following backlash from conservative activists and media — which reportedly included some threats against the safety of its workers — the “That’s What I Want” rapper clowned the criticism with a hysterical tweet of his own parodying the tempest in aisle 20.

“Can’t believe target is supporting this nonsense, im never shopping there again, my son is not ‘too cool for school’ these shirts are ridiculous,” Lil Nas joked in a post that did not specifically mention the backlash, but instead alluded to it using the his signature arch comedic voice. “He is going to school and he WILL learn.”

In the midst of a wave of conservative legislation targeting the LGBTQ community — from bills restricting attendance at drag shows to laws banning gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors and adults — Target became the latest business to come under scrutiny after outrage from right-wing media over some of its pride products. According to NBC News, some Target customers posted TikTok videos showing Target Pride merch displays that had been moved to less visible locations, including in the back of some stores.

On Tuesday (May 23), a Target spokesperson told NBC News the company had “offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month” for more than a decade. But since rolling out this year’s collection, “we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and wellbeing while at work.”

“Given these volatile circumstances,” the spokesperson added, “we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year.”

After Target rolled out some of this year’s products for June’s Pride Month — which includes rainbow tops, tees that read “Trans People Will Always Exist” and more — it reportedly began to get pushback on items from the LGBTQ brand Abprallen, which offers items featuring “spooky, gothic imagery, such as skulls and Satan, in pastel colors.” The AP reported that among the items conservatives were outraged about was a “tuck-friendly” women’s swimsuit that allows adult trans women to hide their genitalia.

One tweet showed a man tossing a Pride display to the ground and stomping on it. Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson reacted to the latest culture war firestorm with a tweet featuring a dire warning: “Extremist groups want to divide us and ultimately don’t just want rainbow products to disappear, they want us to disappear.”

In April, transgender actor-activist Dylan Mulvaney reacted to a Fox News story over Bud Light sending one-off, not-for-sale commemorative cans to Mulvaney that spurred musicians Kid Rock, Travis Tritt and John Rich to swear off the popular brew.

“I think it’s OK to be frustrated with someone or confused, but what I’m struggling to understand is the need to dehumanize and to be cruel. I just, I don’t think that’s right. Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history, ever,” said Mulvaney, 26, in a video to her 13 million followers. After describing her childhood in a conservative family and in the church, Mulvaney said she still had faith, but that it’s been a struggle to hold on to it in the midst of attacks that reminded her of similar criticism she faced as a child for being “too feminine.”

“Now I’m being called all those same things, but this time it’s from other adults,” she said. “And if they’re going to accuse me of anything, it should be that I’m a theater person and that I’m camp. But this is just my personality and it always has been.”

See Lil Nas’ tweet mocking outrage over Target’s Pride Month products below.