Music News

24 May 2023

J-Hope Shares Military Update With New Uniform Photos

J-Hope gave fans a fun military update on Tuesday night (May 23) when he took to his Instagram Stories to share a photo of himself in his uniform.

In the photo, the 29-year-old BTS star is seen giving a soft smile as he salutes the camera. See the photo before it disappears here.

Over on Weverse, J-Hope share two more photos and a message for fans, according to Soompi. “ARMYs!! I’ve completed [the basic training] well. The letters and support you sent me have been a great help and thanks to that I was able to do my best during training,” he wrote. “I will do my best for the rest of my military service period as well and show you the good sides of me! I love you!! Cellphone is fascinating… Hahaha.”

J-Hope’s entrance into the military on April 18 makes him the second BTS member to fulfill the 18-month South Korean mandatory military service after Jin, who started his requirement last year. The remaining BTS members will also be required to complete their service over the next couple of years. 

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In a video shared to the K-pop group’s BANGTANTV last month, Suga, RM, Jung Kook, Jimin and V all arrived at the drop-off location to send off the rapper. After taking several pictures with his fellow BTS members, J-Hope gave BTS ARMY one final message: “Yes, ARMY, I’m off now. I’m fulfilling my duty as an able-bodied Korean man. I’ll be sure to make a safe return and be better than ever and greet you then. Fighting! I love you.”

24 May 2023

‘Una Noche Sin Pensar’ Takes Sebastian Yatra to No. 1 on Latin Pop Airplay Chart

Sebastian Yatra picks up his eighth No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart as “Una Noche Sin Pensar” rises 2-1 to lead the May 27-dated list. The new leader follows the six-week champ “Tacones Rojos,” Yatra’s longest-leading track on the list (two weeks at No. 1 in January, with four earlier weeks at No. 1 in February-March of 2022).

“Una Noche Sin Pensar” hits No. 1 in its 13th week on the ranking with a 20% gain in audience impressions, to 10.2 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending May 18, according to Luminate. It sends Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” to No 2 after four weeks in charge.

With the new champ, Yatra improves his career total of Latin Pop Airplay No. 1s to eight, and enters a tie with Chayanne for the eighth-most No. 1s among Latin pop male acts, a mark helmed by Enrique Iglesias with a total of 25 since the chart began in 1994. Here’s a look at those Latin male artists with the most No. 1 Latin pop songs:

25, Enrique Iglesias
12, Ricky Martin
11, Cristian Castro
11, Juanes
10, Luis Fonsi
10, Luis Miguel
10, Ricardo Arjona
8, Chayanne
8, Sebastián Yatra

At 13 weeks, “Una Noche” ties for Yatra’s second-longest trek to the summit among his eight rulers. “TBT,” with Rauw Alejandro and Manuel Turizo, also needed 13 weeks on its way to a three-week takeover in June 2020. Meanwhile, “Bonita” with Juanes outpaced both tracks, hitting No. 1 in its eighth week in November 2019.

Beyond its Latin Pop Airplay coronation, “Una Noche” climbs to its new No. 3 high, from No. 6, on Latin Airplay, Yatra’s highest ranking since “Tacones Rojos” placed him at the penthouse for one week in February 2022.

Shakira’s ‘Acróstico’ Lands: Elsewhere on Latin Pop Airplay, Shakira captures her 41st top 10 with “Acróstico” at No. 6. The intimate piano ballad, which includes vocals by her sons Milan and Sasha, was released May 11 with a lyric video via Sony Music Latin. According to Luminate, the track generated 2.6 million audience impressions after its first tracking week.

With 41 top 10s on her chart account, Shakira continues to rank third among all acts, only behind Enrique Iglesias, who leads with 45 top 10s, and Ricky Martin’s 42.

Further, “Acróstico” also makes its debut across Billboard charts: No. 11 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S., No. 13 on Global 200, No. 16 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, No. 39 on Latin Airplay, and No. 84 on Billboard Hot 100.

24 May 2023

BTS Announces 10th Anniversary Celebration in Seoul

It’s been an incredible 10 years since BTS’ debut, and the international superstars are celebrating the milestone with BTS 10th Anniversary FESTA.

The annual festival will take place on June 17 in Seoul, South Korea. The announcement was made on Wednesday (May 24) via a teaser video with the slogan “BTS Presents Everywhere” written across a purple sky. According to a release, the slogan has two meanings: “BTS’ presents are everywhere” and “BTS are present everywhere.”

The event at Yeouido, Seoul, will be open to the public, and more information about the FESTA will arrive at a later date.

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BTS made its first Billboard chart appearance in 2013, when “No More Dreams” debuted at No. 14 on World Digital Song Sales (before climbing to No. 2 seven years later). Since then, the group has broken numerous records, including the most Hot 100 No. 1 debuts among groups and the most top 10 debuts among groups. It’s been an exciting few years for the BTS boys individually as well, as all seven members of have now scored solo hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

With BTS having tallied six Hot 100 No. 1s, and Jimin notching his first with “Like Crazy,” BTS joined The Beatles and The Supremes as the only groups with at least six leaders and at least one member having led the list solo.

24 May 2023

Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello Spotted Holding Hands in NYC: Fans React

On again? Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello were photographed in New York City on Tuesday, and fans of the erstwhile couple were thrilled to see them together.

“THEY LOOK SO GOOD,” one fan declared in all-caps on Twitter, while another joked, “Camila cabello and shawn mendes looking like a high school couple with those huge backpacks…(love them),” with a string of crying emojis. A third hyped up the duo’s street-side reunion by writing, “shawn mendes and camila cabello looking like a bada– couple,” with the former wearing a gray tank top and amulet necklace and the latter in a leather moto-inspired jacket.

“To all those who say fairytales are only in books, how do you explain ’em?” a third wrote alongside photos of the Cinderella and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile stars, who originally dated from July 2019 to November 2021. Post-breakup, they were spotted kissing at Coachella in April, though neither has officially confirmed whether they’re back together or not.

As if their Coachella moment wasn’t enough, speculation ramped up in the week following the Indio, Calif.-based festival after Cabello teased a song titled “June Gloom” with lyrics many fans purported to be about reconciling with her “Señorita” duet partner. (“How come you’re just so much better?/ Is this going to end ever?/ I guess I’ll f— around and find out,” she sings on the yet-released track.)

In the meantime, Cabello has enlisted her loved ones to star alongside her in Olipop’s first-ever national ad campaign. “I wanted it to feel authentic and those are the people that really make me who I am,” she told Billboard of working with her family and friends for the commercial.

Check out some of the best reactions to Shawn and Camila’s NYC stroll below.

24 May 2023

Swifties Flip Out Over Taylor Swift ‘Karma’ Remix With Ice Spice: ‘TAYSPICE COMING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD’

Taylor Swift had a major surprise up her sleeve on Wednesday (May 24) when she announced her forthcoming “Karma” remix with Ice Spice, and the Swifties are reeling with the news.

The collab with the rising rapper is only one part of the surprise too: The superstar is also releasing an updated version of “Snow on the Beach” with Lana Del Rey on Midnights (Til Dawn Edition), featuring even more vocals from Del Rey. “Hits Different” — which was originally only available as a bonus cut on the Target edition of Midnights — rounds out the track list on the deluxe edition of the album.

“TAYSPICE COMING TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD,” one Swiftie wrote upon reading the news of the collab’s imminent unveiling on Friday (May 26) at midnight, while another commented, “THIS WAS SO NOT ON MY BINGO CARD I’M-…”

Plenty of Ice Spice’s loyal Munchkins also added their two cents about Swift tapping their favorite rapper for a duet. “& y’all said Ice Spice would be a one hit wonder,” one fan account wrote above a clip from her recent “Princess Diana” music video with Nicki Minaj. A second used a funny gif from Broad City to show how proud they were of the recent Billboard cover star, writing, “ICE SPICE BABY GWORL IM SO PROUD OF YOU. Been rooting for you heavy…THIS IS MONUMENTAL.”

This weekend, Swift will play three sold out shows at MetLife Stadium outside of New York City, where she’ll have a special Midnights CD featuring another vault track titled “You’re Losing Me.”

Read some of the best Swiftie reactions to Tay’s Ice Spice collab below.

24 May 2023

Tina Turner Spoke With Billboard in Early 1984 on the Cusp of Her Big Comeback: ‘I’m Very Optimistic Now’

I had the good fortune to interview Tina Turner in February 1984 when her remake of Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” was climbing the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. The interview ran in the Feb. 25, 1984, issue under the headline “Tina Turner Rocks Back Into Top 40.”

Turner’s remake of “Let’s Stay Together,” which climbed from No. 38 to No. 34 that week, was her first top 40 hit since Ike & Tina’s “Nutbush City Limits” in late 1973. And Turner was then in the midst of a 40-date British tour. So, she was already doing well.

But she could not possibly have imagined how big her comeback would be. On Feb. 26, 1985, almost exactly one year after we spoke, she won three Grammys, including record of the year for “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

Turner credited her improved fortunes to changes she had made in her career, including signing for management with Roger Davies, who was then best known for guiding the career of Olivia Newton-John.  She had decided to focus on rock’n’roll, which was unusual for a woman of color – and a woman of a certain age (Turner was 45 at the time).

“I changed my band and changed a lot of the songs,” she said. “I was doing a high-energy Vegas type of show, because I was working a lot of clubs. I changed that and made it more rock’n’roll. I got into a lot of the rock’n’roll clubs, and a result my audience is getting younger and younger.”  

Turner also attributed her rediscovery by rock fans to recent pairings with The Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart. Turner performed duets with Mick Jagger during The Stones’ 1981 tour and also appeared with Stewart at a 1982 concert that was televised worldwide via satellite.

Though the door to Turner’s comeback was opened by a remake of an R&B classic, rock’n’roll is where her heart was.

“My stage performance is basically rock’n’roll,” she said. “I’m more comfortable with it; the energy is good and I like the words. I don’t really want to do R&B right now. I can’t say that I won’t go back to it, because it’s my roots. I just like to sing uptempo things. I’m very optimistic now.”

“Let’s Stay Together” was only the seventh top 40 hit of Turner’s career, which stretched back nearly 24 years to Ike & Tina Turner’s breakthrough hit “A Fool in Love.”

Asked about pop radio’s seeming reluctance over the years to add her records, Turner said, “I hate to talk about racism, but that has a lot to do with it. When I started my career, you had to hit R&B before you could make the crossover. I understand it’s still that way a lot. In foreign countries, they don’t put a label or color on music. They just program it.”

Of her smooth re-entry after a five-year absence from the recording scene, Turner said, “It wasn’t as if I was constantly putting out records that were losers. I just worked at doing good performances and holding on to my audience, so when I did come out with some material they were all there for it.”

And that stat about “Let’s Stay Together” being just her seventh top 40 hit in a 24-year career? Turner would collect her next seven top 40 hits – from “What’s Love Got to Do With It” to “It’s Only Love” (with Bryan Adams) — by the end of 1985.

The “optimistic” feelings Turner spoke of that day in February 1984 were fully justified.

24 May 2023

Este Haim Dives Into Her Process of Curating a Star-Studded Lineup of Classic Covers for ‘A Small Light’ Soundtrack

When Este Haim was approached to take on the executive music producer role on National Geographic’s limited series A Small Light, she felt ready to step out of her comfort zone and take charge.

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“I’ve always had this saying that people who say ‘yes’ have adventures, people who say ‘no’ play it safe and people who say ‘maybe’ spend their whole life saying ‘maybe.’ So I said yes,” the HAIM vocalist and bassist tells Billboard of the opportunity.

Turns out, she felt a special connection to the show’s story. The series is inspired by the true story of Anne Frank and follows the carefree and opinionated Miep Gies (played by Bel Powley) as she encounters Anne’s dad Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber), who asks her to help hide his family from the Nazis during WWII. “The producers and the writers of the show got in contact with me about doing a show about Miep and I guess they kind of assumed that I didn’t know who she was, but I knew very well who she was because I’ve read the diary of Anne Frank, cover to cover, a handful of times,” Este recalls, noting that she read The Diary of a Young Girl for the first time at just eight years old. “I thought that it was really interesting the way that they were telling the story of Anne Frank and I jumped at the chance to be involved in a TV show that showed the story through Miep’s eyes.”

For the soundtrack, Este was tasked with creating updated versions of classic songs from the 1930s and 1940s with her friends and fellow musicians, something that she was “super jazzed” about. “Pun intended,” she adds with a laugh.

“I’ve been listening to that music since I was a kid,” she says, noting that her great-grandmother, whom she affectionately calls “Bubby Blanche,” would play vinyl records for her as a child when she would visit her home in Palm Springs, Calif. “We would listen to the The Andrews Sisters, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk — she was such an avid music lover and I’ve come from a long, long line of musicians, so I already had a foundation when it came to knowing and understanding the material.”

Her passion for the songs that influenced not only who she is as a musician but also history in general led to a robust Small Light soundtrack that features everyone from King Princess and Orville Peck putting their spin on Bing Crosby‘s “I’m Making Believe” and Angel Olsen’s rendition of Larry Clinton‘s “My Reverie” to Remi Wolf‘s take on Nat King Cole‘s “Autumn Leaves” and Moses Sumney taking on Billie Holiday‘s “I’ll Be Seeing You.”

“Moses’ version of ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ is so f—ing heartbreaking and beautiful,” Este gushes. “He knows how much I love him and his artistry and his songwriting, but his voice is just so incredibly, insanely beautiful. For him to have signed on to this, I was over the moon.”

She adds that there was a few criteria for which artists she chose for the project. “They needed to be a vocalist that could really handle the material because it’s not easy material,” she explains, before jokingly adding, “But also I wanted people that I selfishly just wanted to be friends with and hang out with.”

Este even worked with her sister, Danielle Haim, on a rendition of Doris Day‘s “Till We Meet Again,” which she says was different than a regular HAIM recording session. “We’re all producers in our own right, but this time, Danielle just was kind of looking at me like, ‘Whatever you want to do,’” she said of creating the song with her sibling and bandmate. “It was different in the sense that we go into every session knowing that it’s a three-way democracy. This time, it was like, ‘This is your gig. I’m just here to sing the song.’ Thankfully, I know Danielle’s voice so well, so we finished ‘Till We Meet Again’ in, like, a day.”

She continues, “Danielle is just so f—ing talented and she has the best voice, and there’s a vulnerability to her voice that I knew would really lend itself to that song.”

As for what she hopes fans will take away from A Small Light, Este is rooting for everyday people to stand up for what’s right. “Miep is a shining example of an ordinary woman doing an extraordinary thing,” she says. “Now more than ever, I think that it’s important for people to stand up for what they believe in and to also protect their community.”

Listen to the full A Small Light: Songs From the Limited Series album below, and watch the show over on Disney+ and Hulu.

24 May 2023

Dua Lipa Loves Giving ‘Main Pop Girl Energy’: ‘It’s So Fun for the Fans’

Dua Lipa‘s love for pop music knows no bounds. In the “Levitating” singer’s Wednesday (May 24) cover story for Dazed, she reiterated her love for the genre and shared that it is the perfect medium for her to explore the many facets of her personality.

The three-time Grammy winner was asked about Charli XCX’s comments on her At Your Service podcast, in which the Crash artist stated, “We live in this world where there is desperation and fear for authenticity. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Sell me the dream.’ I want my pop stars to sell me the f—ing dream.”

Lipa seems to agree to an extent. “I love the main pop-girl energy,” she says. “It’s so fun for the fans and the character. I can be that girl; I can do that for the videos, for the red carpet, for the performances. For me, there’s a time and a place to do that. There are so many sides to me that I also love to embody.”

The pop star’s dedication to the genre has certainly paid off — the singer’s most recently released album, 2020’s Future Nostalgia, peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. It charted six singles on the Billboard Hot 100 — “Don’t Start Now” and “Levitating,” which both peaked at No. 2, as well as “Break My Heart” (No. 13), “We’re Good” (No. 31), “Love Again” (No. 41) and “Physical” (No. 60).

Up next for the star is the release of her forthcoming single “Dance the Night” from the Barbie soundtrack. Lipa will also star as Mermaid Barbie in the movie, which hits theaters July 21.

24 May 2023

Ice Spice Calls Taylor Swift the ‘Sweetest Person Ever’ After ‘Karma’ Remix News

Ice Spice has a major fan in Taylor Swift — so much so that the two women are officially collaborators.

On Wednesday (May 24), Swift set the Internet ablaze when she announced that she would be dropping a special remix of her Midnights track “Karma.” In the announcement, the pop star also shared several kind words about Ice. “Um. SO much to tell you. I’m a massive fan of this brilliant artist and after getting to know her I can confirm: she is THE ONE to watch,” Swift wrote in the announcement, which featured the new cover art for “Karma” featuring Ice. “So delighted to say that Karma Featuring the incredible @icespicee_ will be out TOMORROW night at MIDNIGHT ET as a part of the new Midnights (Til Dawn Edition) deluxe album.”

Following Swift’s announcement — which also revealed that a new cut of her Lana Del Rey collaboration “Snow on the Beach” is on the way too — the 23-year-old Bronx native took to Twitter and replied, “sweetest person ever thank u sm i love yuuuu” with purple heart and hand heart emojis.

The new Swift collaboration is one of many recent wins: Billboard crowned Ice the new Princess of Rap in a May 11 cover story. A few short days after, Lady Gaga danced to Ice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princes Diana” remix while trying on Haus Labs lipstick shades and captioned the post, “These NEUTRALS are HOT LIKE THIS RECORD.” Minaj couldn’t contain her excitement at the shout-out, reposting Gaga’s TikTok to her Instagram Story with “GAGGGG!!!!!!” in all caps.

See Ice Spice and Swift’s tweet below.

24 May 2023

Tina Turner’s 20 Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits

Tina Turner, whose gritty vocals and fierce, sizzling performances powered two iconic music careers — first as one-half of husband-and-wife duo Ike & Tina Turner and, later, an internationally revered solo star — died Wednesday (May 24) at age 83.

Turner, who has born Anna Mae Bullock on Nov. 26, 1939, made her Billboard chart debut as the lead singer of the group Ike & Tina Turner with “A Fool in Love” in August 1960. The track launched at No. 10 on the Hot R&B Sides chart (today’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs) and zoomed to No. 2 in just two weeks. It likewise became a hit on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, debuting at No. 87 and reaching a No. 27 that October.

“A Fool in Love” was the first of 20 Hot 100 hits for Ike & Tina Turner, including their biggest success, a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary.” The Turners’ take reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for best R&B vocal performance by a group. A year after their last Hot 100 entry, 1975’s “Baby-Get It On,” a fight en route to a show in Dallas prompted Tina to leave Ike and file for divorce. 

While Tina struggled to find commercial success over the next few years, she launched one of music’s most successful comebacks with 1984’s Private Dancer. The album sparked her first five solo Hot 100 hits, including her first No. 1, “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” which ruled the chart for three weeks. The hits continued for the next decade, with a pair of No. 2 hits, 1985’s “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” and 1986’s “Typical Male,” and the No. 9-peaking “I Don’t Wanna Fight” among the highlights. She last visited the chart with “Missing You” in 1996.

As the world remembers the iconic double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Billboard recaps the legend’s 20 biggest hits on the Billboard Hot 100, spanning both her solo career and time in Ike & Tina Turner.