Music News

24 May 2023

Loreen’s ‘Tattoo’ Leads Eurovision 2023 Rush on Billboard Global Charts

It’s that time of year again! Thirty-seven countries around Europe competed in the 67th annual Eurovision Song Contest, searching for the greatest new piece of songwriting on the continent. On May 13, Sweden’s Loreen took home top honors for “Tattoo,” sending streams and sales for the song soaring. It leads a pack of titles from the competition on Billboard’s May 27-dated global charts.

“Tattoo” debuts on the Billboard Global 200 at No. 15, while shooting from No. 146 to No. 7 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. tally. In the week ending May 18, the ballad generated 32 million official streams and sold 12,000 downloads worldwide, according to Luminate, up by 245% in streams and 737% in sales from the week prior.

Not only is Loreen the first woman to win Eurovision twice (following her victory with “Euphoria” in 2012), “Tattoo” instantly becomes the highest charting Eurovision song in each chart’s two-and-a-half-year history. It surpasses Måneskin’s “Zitti E Buoni,” which hit No. 10 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 22 on the Global 200, following its victory in 2021. The Italian band later reached the top three of both lists with its cover of The Four Seasons’ 1967 hit “Beggin’.”

Finland’s Käärijä follows with this year’s Eurovision runner-up, “Cha Cha Cha.” The song debuts at No. 13 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 27 on the Global 200, with 24.4 million streams and 4,000 downloads sold worldwide. Norway’s “Queen of Kings” by Alessandra is next, at Nos. 29 and 58, respectively (19.5 million streams; 5,000 sold). Israel’s Noa Kirel arrives on Global Excl. U.S. at No. 153, while Italy’s Marco Mengoni’s re-enters Global Excl. U.S. with “Due Vite” at No. 174, after reaching No. 32 following its victory at Sanremo, previewing Eurovision, in February.

Eurovision’s three entries on the Global 200 matches hauls from 2022 and 2021, while the count of five on Global Excl. U.S. marks a decline from last year’s six and 2021’s seven. Still, Loreen, Käärijä and Alessandra boast three of the four top streaming figures for charted competing songs following the contest’s final round in that spain. Below the 32 million for “Tattoo” are Måneskin’s “Zitti E Buoni,” which drew 30.1 million global streams in the week ending May 27, 2021; “Cha Cha Cha” (24.4 million) and “Queen of Kings” (19.5 million).

Meanwhile, this year’s group of chart entries averaged 3.6% of their streams from the U.S. and 96.4% from beyond, with each hitting Billboard European Hits of the World charts. Unsurprisingly, Loreen leads again, as “Tattoo” crowns lists in Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Here is a look at top 10 ranks for this year’s charting Eurovision titles on the latest Hits of the World surveys.

Käärijä is also No. 1 on four lists, including his native Finland, Poland, Iceland and, perhaps unexpectedly, Sweden, despite Loreen’s home-field advantage. There, “Tattoo” is No. 3, while Alessandra’s “Queen of Kings” is No. 7.

Ultimately, Loreen appears on 21 Hits of the World charts, hitting the top 10 on 15. Käärijä follows on 17 charts, in the top 10 on 11. Next is “Queen of Kings,” on 14 rankings (eight top 10 placements), while “Unicorn” is on four international tallies (two top 10s). Plus, Mengoni is No. 19 in Iceland.

On Iceland Songs, the group nearly pulls off a clean sweep, as Käärijä, Loreen and Alessandra line up at Nos. 1-3, with Kirel at No. 5.

24 May 2023

Bailey Zimmerman’s ‘Religiously’ Roars Onto Top Country Albums Chart

Bailey Zimmerman scores his second top 10 on both the Top Country Albums and all-genre Billboard 200 charts dated May 27.

The singer-songwriter’s new LP, Religiously. The Album., which was released May 12, bounds onto Top Country Albums at No. 3 and the Billboard 200 at No. 7. It opens with 47,000 equivalent album units earned through May 18, according to Luminate, a weekly career-high for Zimmerman.

The album follows his nine-song set Leave the Light On, which debuted at Nos. 2 and 9, respectively (32,000 units), in October 2022.

Religiously was produced Austin Shawn, and Zimmerman co-wrote 11 of its 16 songs. The first two singles, “Fall in Love” and “Rock and a Hard Place,” topped the Country Airplay chart for one and six weeks, respectively.

Zimmerman, 23, from Louisville, Ill., made history when “Rock” ruled Country Airplay for its sixth week, on the April 27-dated survey, as he became the first male artist to spend six weeks atop the chart just two or fewer promoted entries, in a lead role, into a career. Only one other act overall has achieved the feat: Carrie Underwood’s first promoted country single, “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” dominated for six weeks in January-February 2006.

Plus, on the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart dated Sept. 3, 2022, Zimmerman became the first artist to place three career-opening entries in the top 10 simultaneously, since the list began as an all-encompassing genre ranking in October 1958: “Rock and a Hard Place,” “Where It Ends” and “Fall in Love.” Zimmerman’s current single is the new set’s title track. On Hot Country Songs, it pushes 18-12 for a new best, with 9.5 million streams (up 34%) and 1,000 sold (up 36%). It leaps 40-29 on Country Airplay, up 62% to 3.9 million impressions.

24 May 2023

Kiss Cancel Opening Date of Farewell U.K. Tour Due to ‘Logistical Problems’

KISS‘ farewell End of the Road tour has hit a snag. The greasepaint rockers were slated to kick off the U.K. portion of the outing on June 3 at Home Park Stadium in Plymouth, but on Tuesday the venue announced that the show has been canceled.

“Sadly, KISS and Robomagic, the show’s promoter, have today announced that they are having to cancel the opening night of the upcoming KISS UK tour,” read a statement from Home Park Stadium. “The show at Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park Stadium on Saturday 3rd June now will not happen due to travel, equipment and logistical complications. Tickets can be refunded or exchanged for other UK shows.”

The statement also included comments from a Home Park Stadium spokesperson, who said, “We are really sorry to hear that Kiss can no longer perform at Home Park Stadium this summer.” At press time no additional information was available on the specific issues that caused the show’s cancellation and it did not appear that the band had commented on the scotched gig.

The band’s next scheduled show is at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, OH at the Sonic Temple Music Festival on Saturday (May 27), where they will share the bill with Rob Zombie, Falling in Reverse, Puscifer, Trivium, Rival Sons and more. Their UK tour will now feature five dates, kicking off with a June 5 show at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, followed by planned show in Newcastle, London, Manchester and Glasgow.

As the Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley-fronted veteran rockers wind down their touring machine they are preparing to revisit their early years in a biopic slated to air on Netflix next year. Longtime manager Doc McGhee said the movie will cover the group’s first four years together.

24 May 2023

Watch Ed Sheeran Blow Florida High School Band Members’ Minds By Crashing Their Practice

Ed Sheeran took a few minutes between gigs in Florida this week to blow the minds of some high school band members when he casually strolled into their practice with his guitar as they performed his latest hit, “Eyes Closed.” The singer — who played Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium on Saturday — not only crashed the band practice last week, but also surprised the students by handing out tickets to all of them for last weekend’s stadium gig in their hometown.

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“I thought I’d come and play some songs for you,” Sheeran told the high schoolers. “I’ve also brought some guitars to give to you guys for [your] music department,” he said to whoops from the room. “Tomorrow is to 72,000 people, but right here I’m gonna play a tiny [unintelligible] if that’s okay.”

As some openly teared up, Sheeran played his new single, “Perfect,” while the Blake High School band captured the shock moment on their phones, then he stuck around for selfies and autographs. In footage on the school’s Facebook page, Sheeran was even seen signing the back of one student’s midnight blue electric guitar. As if that wasn’t enough, Ed provided some expert backing vocals to a quartet of kids playing his hit “Photograph” on acoustic guitars while allowing one of the students to confidently take the lead.

In the midst of his massive North American stadium tour, Sheeran is also sprinkling in more intimate gigs, including a show on Friday (May 26) at the 2,600-capacity Tabernacle club in Atlanta; the next night he will be back to the big time with a gig at the city’s 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Watch the high school drop-in video here.

23 May 2023

Rolf Harris, Disgraced Entertainer Who Once Dominated the Airwaves In U.K. And Australia, Dies at 93

Rolf Harris, the disgraced entertainer who, prior to his downfall, enjoyed hits in the U.K. and his homeland, Australia, and who was once commissioned to paint Queen Elizabeth II, has died at the age of 93.

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Born March 30, 1930 in Perth, Australia, Harris’ life and career will be remembered in two halves.

At the peak of his celebrity, following a relocation to the U.K., Harris enjoyed a-list status on both sides of the globe, a star of TV and popular music, an enthusiast for the wobble board and didgeridoo who had a string of hit singles, and collaborations with The Wiggles and others.

Harris was, for decades, the face of British Paints in Australia, and was lampooned in the popular ‘70s and early ‘80s British comedy series The Goodies. For millions of Australians and Britons, he was a broadcast star from their youth.

He enjoyed a string of U.K. chart hits including “Two Little Boys” (Columbia), which has the distinction of being the very last No. 1 in Britain in the 1960s. “Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport” reached No. 9 in Britain back in 1960, and he had a No. 3 hit with “Sun Arise” in 1962. He enjoyed another U.K. top 10 in 1993, when his cover of “Stairway to Heaven,” a spin-off from the Australian TV show Money or the Gun, reached No. 7.

The Guinness World Records book of British Hit Singles had summed-up Harris as a “lovable Australian musician, artist and presenter.”

Along the way, he was elevated into the highest circles, by being named as Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).

In 2005, another honor, when he was tapped by the BBC to create an oil painting of the Queen for the occasion of her 80th birthday, the sittings for which were captured for a documentary. The following year, in 2006, he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

In 2013, Harris was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), in recognition for his distinguished service to the performing and visual arts, to charitable organizations and to international relations through the promotion of Australian culture, following his induction into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2008.

When his downfall was complete, Harris’ name had been scrubbed from those history books.

His spectacular fall from grace began in 2013, when Harris was questioned and arrested police under Operation Yewtree, the investigation into sexual abuse among members of the English media elite, including the late Jimmy Savile.

Following a trial in 2014, Harris was found guilty of various indecent assaults between 1968 and 1986, and was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison. He was released in 2017, but denied any wrongdoing and never issued an apology to his victims.

According to the BBC, Harris passed May 10, and has already been buried, though details have been kept under lock and key until now. His death certificate, the Corporation reports, notes that he died from neck cancer and “frailty of old age” at his home in Bray, Berkshire.

A statement from his family reads: “This is to confirm that Rolf Harris recently died peacefully surrounded by family and friends and has now been laid to rest. They ask that you respect their privacy. No further comment will be made.”

23 May 2023

Rosalia Slams ‘Disgusting’ Artist Who Shared Photoshopped NSFW Photos of Her

Rosalía is seemingly standing up for herself after artist JC Reyes attempted to benefit from her fame by posting photoshopped nude photos of her on social media.

“Ir a buscar clout faltando el respeto y sexualizando a alguien es un tipo d violencia y da asco pero hacerlo por 4 plays de + lo q da es pena,” the Spanish superstar tweeted on Tuesday (May 23). In English, the tweet translates to: “Going to look for clout by disrespecting and sexualizing someone is a type of violence and it’s disgusting, but doing it for four more plays is embarrassing.”

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According to Rolling Stone, altered versions of this photo set — making the singer look naked — were shared to Reyes’ Instagram Stories, but have since been removed. The publication noted that in a subsequent live stream, Reyes implied that the “Chicken Teriyaki” singer sent the photos to him. “I can’t be posting photos of a woman who sends that to me. That would be shameless. I was just thinking about how bad she felt. It wasn’t for her to get so upset about it,” he said in Spanish during the video.

Rosalía, meanwhile, is happily engaged to fellow Latin star Rauw Alejandro, which she revealed back in March. For a recent Billboard interview, Rauw admitted it was “100 percent, without a doubt, love at first sight.”

“Not at first sight, [but] from the photo I was already in love with you,” he shared, to which the “Despechá” singer replied, “Me too, since I heard your name.”

23 May 2023

Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs Brand Heads to Sephora U.K.

Lady Gaga‘s makeup empire is expanding. The superstar revealed on Tuesday (May 23) that her Haus Labs beauty brand is heading across the pond to Sephora U.K. on June 6.

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In a video shared to social media, the “Bad Romance” singer is seen dancing with various models against a mint-colored background, holding various products from the makeup line. “UK, are you ready for our supercharged artistry makeup? ?? @HausLabs is launching exclusively at Sephora UK in-store and online on June 6, and we can’t wait for you to join us,” the caption reads, before encouraging fans to sign up for the waitlist.

The announcement comes after Gaga teased the news through a cryptic video in which she’s seen tapping a spoon on her cup of tea. She then takes a big sip, before shrugging her shoulders and putting her index finger up to her lips in a “Shhh” gesture. 

The Haus Labs makeup brand relaunched in 2022 and has skyrocketed in popularity ever since. Many of the innovative products go viral on TikTok, including the wide range of foundations and illuminating blushes, colorful lip crayons, glosses and everything in between.

See below for Gaga’s Sephora U.K. announcement. For U.S. customers, Haus Labs is available to shop on Sephora’s website here.

@ladygaga

UK, are you ready for our supercharged artistry makeup? ?? @HausLabs is launching exclusively at Sephora UK in-store and online on June 6, and we can’t wait for you to join us! Sign up for the waitlist on sephora.co.uk to shop the moment we drop! xx, LG

♬ original sound – ladygaga

23 May 2023

Here’s What the Jonas Brothers Almost Named ‘The Album’

Jonas Brothers took to social media on Tuesday (May 23) to reveal the alternate title the band almost chose for their new studio set The Album.

The pop trio shared the nugget after one fan asked on Twitter, “If The Album wasn’t called the album what would you name it,” prompting them to reply, “We actually almost named it ‘Blue Jeans and Marijuana.’”

The line is borrowed from the opening lyrics of album cut “Americana,” on which they sing, “Americana, blue jeans and marijuana/ Type of friends that show their love by picking on ya/ On the phone or on the lawn or on the corner/ Springsteen to Billie Jean,” over plucky acoustic guitar.

Plenty of Jonatics replied to the tweet with their own ideas for The Album’s other titles, including “The 7th Album” in hilarious reference to the bridge of the JoBros’ early hit “Year 3000.” (“I took a trip to the year 3000/ This song had gone multi-platinum/ Everybody bought our seventh album/ It had outsold Kelly Clarkson.”)

Containing singles “Wings” and “Waffle House,” The Album bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 (chart dated May 27) behind Morgan Wallen’s seemingly unstoppable One Thing at a Time and Taylor Swift’s Midnights and also earned the trio their fourth consecutive No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart, following 2008’s A Little Bit Longer, 2009’s Lines, Vines & Trying Times and their 2019 comeback effort Happiness Begins.

On Tuesday night, the JoBros are set to return to their New Jersey roots for a special concert at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City ahead of kicking off their North American tour in support of The Album later this summer with two back-to-back shows at Yankee Stadium.

Check out the Jonas Brothers’ original idea for the name of The Album below.

23 May 2023

Lana Del Rey’s Father Is Loving Being the ‘First Nepo Daddy’

Talent runs in the family! Lana Del Rey‘s 69-year-old father Rob Grant is gearing up to unveil his debut album, Lost at Sea, on June 9.

The boat-loving dad chatted with GQ about working with his superstar daughter while making music. “She’ll start singing and the songs will come together magically, but in a very beautiful, organic, intuitive way,” he shares. “There’s no planning.” 

“It’s so cool to create music with my daughter,” he added. “Because we really are very simpatico.” 

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As for being potentially the world’s first nepo daddy in a world of nepo babies, Rob has no problem with accepting the honor. “The nepo daddy thing I love,” he said, noting that he first saw the phrase in his Instagram comment section. “I thought, ‘My God, this would make really cool merch.’”

He added, “I’m happy to be the first nepo daddy.”

Lana, meanwhile, dropped her ninth studio album, Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, in March and the set went to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, marking her ninth appearance in the top 10. Tunnel was co-produced by Del Rey alongside Mike Hermosa, Jack Antonoff, Drew Erickson, Zach Dawes and Benji, and includes assists from Jon Batiste, Bleachers, Father John Misty, Judah Smith, Tommy Genesis and SYML.

The singer-songwriter also unveiled “Say Yes to Heaven” last week, which was written a decade ago and circulated online for almost two years.

23 May 2023

Fans Are Freaking Out Over BLACKPINK’s Lisa & BTS’ V Posing for Pics Together in Cannes

K-pop stars have officially taken over Cannes. Just hours after BLACKPINK‘s Jennie made her debut at the Cannes Film Festival, her fellow groupmate Lisa got fans talking after posing for pictures with V of BTS.

On Monday night, Celine’s artistic director Heidi Slimane brought together the K-pop stars for a dinner party hosted at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cannes. Lisa and V — who are both ambassadors for the French luxury brand — were in attendance at the event and posed alongside each other for a quick photo. The BLACKPINK rapper dazzled in a sequined, pinstriped suit jacket and matching trouser, while the BTS vocalist donned a black jacket with a sequin bow and black trousers.

Fans, naturally, were excited to see the two K-pop idols together in the same space. One fan wrote on Twitter, “MY TWO FAVS BOTH STUNNING,” while another pondered “how can [it] be possible two people being so beautiful and unique.”

A third Twitter user hilariously commented, “lisa with her brother in law” — a timely comment, considering that Jennie and V are currently the subject of dating rumors and set the Internet ablaze last week when fans believed they were spotted holding hands with each other while out for an evening stroll in Paris. (Representatives for Jennie and V did not respond to Billboard‘s request for comment at the time, and it was never confirmed to be the K-pop stars.)

As for the rest of the of the BLACKPINK members, Rosé made her Cannes debut last week on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the guys of BTS are currently working on the solo endeavors or completing military service.

See Lisa and V’s photo together here.