Music News

11 May 2023

Diane Keaton Can’t Live Down Her Viral Dance to Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’: ‘I Am Not a Dancer’

Diane Keaton relived her viral dance to Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” on the Thursday (May 11) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show.

The iconic actress — who was on set with her Book Club: The Next Chapter costars Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen — immediately became self-deprecating when host Kelly Clarkson wanted to talk about her free-spirited backyard moves. “I am not a dancer,” she insisted. “Because’ I’m an idiot, yeah. I was just in my stupid …”

“Are you serious? No, I am not kidding … It’s incredible!” a baffled Clarkson responded before playing the video for the studio audience.

After Keaton rolled her eyes and motioned both “thumbs down” and “cuckoo” with her hands, Clarkson once again tried getting her to see how joyful the video was. “It looks like you feel good when you do it!” the host said, leading Keaton to reply, “Well, I had a fun time, but I’m a moron. I am. Cheers!”

Clarkson then informs the Oscar winner that she’s become a runway hit on TikTok, but Keaton makes clear from beneath her bowler hat that every word of the sentence is a mystery to her, responding, “I have? I had no idea. And what is TikTok? I don’t even know what that is.”

While Keaton’s Book Club sequel hits theaters Friday (May 12), Cyrus’ empowering lead single off Endless Summer Vacation just broke Spotify’s record as the fastest song in the platform’s history to reach a billion streams. It has also spent eight nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

Watch Keaton react to her groovy “Flowers” moves above.

11 May 2023

Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas, Usher & More ‘Voice’ Coaches to Return for Blake Shelton’s Last Episode: Exclusive

The Voice is crowning its season 23 winner next week, and the two-night finale on Monday and Tuesday not only marks the end of a season, but also the end of an era: Blake Shelton will be departing the show after 12 years and 23 seasons as coach.

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To celebrate Shelton’s impact on The Voice, Dolly Parton, as well as previous Voice coaches Miley Cyrus, Usher, Pharrell, John Legend, Nick Jonas, Camila Cabello and Jennifer Hudson will all make special appearances during the finale, Billboard can exclusively reveal.

Additionally, original coach CeeLo Green, Lewis Capaldi and Diplo with Lily Rose will take the stage to perform as well. Of course, the bromance between Shelton and OG Voice coach Adam Levine is still alive and well, so it makes sense that Maroon 5 will also perform their new single “Middle Ground” during the finale as well.

On Monday night, the five remaining contestants will perform a ballad and an uptempo song in front of current coaches Kelly Clarkson, Niall Horan, Chance the Rapper and Shelton to give America one last chance to crown them this season’s winner.

Shelton announced his departure from The Voice back in October. “This show has changed my life in every way for the better and it will always feel like home to me,” he wrote in a statement posted to social media. “It’s been a hell of a ride over these 12 years of chair turns and I want to thank everyone at The Voice from NBC, every producer, the writers, musicians, crew and catering people, you are the best. It takes a lot of work, passion, and adult beverages (Ha!) to pull off a live show twice a week.”

The singer concluded his statement by thanking the contestants and the fans. “It would not happen without you,” he wrote.

11 May 2023

MoneyBagg Yo Announces Release Date for Upcoming Mixtape ‘Hard to Love’

Following the release of his Billboard 200 No. 1 album A Gangsta’s Pain, MoneyBagg Yo is ready to return with his upcoming mixtape Hard to Love. 

MoneyBagg penned a heartfelt letter to his fans explaining his hiatus and decision to return to the music space, with the new music slated for a May 26 release date. “I gained and lost more than I ever thought I would and had no other safe outlet for all the emotions and dark thoughts that came with that other than making music.” 

In 2021, MoneyBagg Yo released his lauded effort, A Gangsta’s Pain. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 110,000 album equivalent units. It scored a bevy of Billboard Hot 100 hits, anchored by the success of his top 20 tracks “Said Sum” and “Wockesha.” The latter commanded a starry remix featuring Lil Wayne and Ashanti. 

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To spearhead his forthcoming mixtape Hard to Love, MoneyBagg released two singles. The first featured his CMG teammate GloRilla on the relationship-fueled “On What U On,” and the previously released single “Sticky.”

“Once Glo’s success started coming in and she was a part of the team, it made sense,” Bagg told Billboard in an interview earlier this year. “We’re both from Memphis, and our chemistry is there anyway.” 

He also elaborated on the mixtape’s title. His explanation for the 22-track project was succinct: “At the end of the day, to love me, you have to understand me.”

Check out Bagg’s Instagram post below. 

11 May 2023

‘Ted Lasso’ Reigns on Top TV Songs Chart Thanks to Bob Marley Singalong

Bob Marley & the Wailers’ ‘70s classic “Three Little Birds” reigns on Billboard’s Top TV Songs chart, powered by Tunefind, for April 2023 after being heard in the latest season of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.

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Rankings for the Top TV Songs chart are based on song and show data provided by Tunefind and ranked using a formula blending that data with sales and streaming information tracked by Luminate during the corresponding period of April 2023.

“Three Little Birds” accumulated 9.6 million official on-demand U.S. streams and 4,000 downloads in April 2023, rising after its synch in the sixth episode of Ted Lasso’s third season, which aired April 19. In the episode, the AFC Richmond team sings the song on its bus, with the original beginning to play as well.

The song appeared on Bob Marley & the Wailers’ 1977 album Exodus, which peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 in August of that year. It’s also found on the Marley greatest hits compilation Legend, which boasts 781 weeks on the Billboard 200 since 1984 and counting, having spent all but one week in 2023 within the tally’s top 100.

“Three Little Birds” is joined on the April 2023 chart by fellow Ted Lasso synch “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” by Peter, Paul & Mary. Added to the season’s fourth episode (April 5), the song — No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in October 1963 — earned 568,000 streams and 1,000 downloads last month.

The new Netflix series Beef, meanwhile, makes the biggest splash on the April 2023 survey, accounting for three of the top four and six of the tally’s 10 entries. The alternative-leaning soundtrack is led by Incubus’ “Drive,” which bows at No. 2 thanks to 9.5 million streams and 2,000 downloads. It’s followed by Hoobastank’s “The Reason” (8.6 million streams, 3,000 downloads) and The Offspring’s “Self Esteem” (7.1 million streams, 1,000 downloads) at Nos. 3 and 4, respectively.

“Drive” was an eight-week No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay chart in 2001, while “The Reason” peaked at No. 1 for a week in April 2004 and “Self Esteem” reached No. 4 in October 1994.

See the rest of the top 10, which also features music from Fire Country and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, below.

Rank, Song, Artist, Show (Network)

  • “Three Little Birds,” Bob Marley & the Wailers, Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
  • “Drive,” Incubus, Beef (Netflix)
  • “The Reason,” Hoobastank, Beef (Netflix)
  • “Self Esteem,” The Offspring, Beef (Netflix)
  • “Hold On,” Alabama Shakes, Fire Country (CBS)
  • “Shine,” Collective Soul, Beef (Netflix)
  • “Eighteen Is Over the Hill,” The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon Prime Video)
  • “Lonely Day,” System of a Down, Beef (Netflix)
  • “Today,” The Smashing Pumpkins, Beef (Netflix)
  • “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right,” Peter, Paul & Mary, Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

11 May 2023

Lizzo Says She’s ‘Officially Shadow Banned’ on TikTok: ‘This App Getting Wack’

Lizzo thinks it’s about d–n time for TikTok to stop excluding her videos from its algorithm. In a recent video, the hitmaker told her followers that she thinks the platform has shadow banned her after noticing that her posts have been performing suspiciously better on Instagram than on TikTok in terms of view counts.

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“I’m officially shadow banned, because how did I post this on Instagram and it already has 135 thousand views?” she said, showing proof that a video of her dancing at one of her concerts raked in hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram within 30 minutes of being posted.

The “Truth Hurts” singer had posted that same concert video to TikTok, where she says it got significantly less attention. At the time of publication, the video has nearly 160,000 views, and many fans commented that they only saw it after being directed from Lizzo’s follow-up video about being shadow banned.

The video posted to her account immediately before the dance video — a vlog in which she talks about recovering from a recent illness — also has just over 100,000 views, considerably less than her usual view count of anywhere between 500,000 and several million.

“This app getting wack,” Lizzo captioned her latest post.

Billboard has reached out to TikTok for comment.

According to The New York Times, “shadow banning” is “the perception — real or imagined — that social media companies are taking stealth actions to limit a post’s visibility.”

The comments on Lizzo’s video on the topic seem to provide some evidence for the singer’s claims, with some followers writing that they haven’t been seeing her videos on their For You pages recently. “I’m definitely seeing you less on here and I don’t like it!” said one fan.

“Seriously!” commented another. “We don’t see you anymore and always have to go to your page or following to see if you have new stuff!”

See Lizzo’s video below:

11 May 2023

Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour: Photos From Opening Night in Stockholm

Beyoncé‘s Renaissance World Tour kicked off in Stockholm on Wednesday (May 10). The star gave a dazzling, three-hour showcase of tracks from recently released LP Renaissance, iconic hits from her solo career across two decades, and even delighted fans with a few songs from her time in Destiny’s Child.

In addition to the hits, the fashion and stage design were at the forefront of the show, with Bey wearing several custom ensembles from luxury fashion houses. She started off the night in a custom Alexander McQueen full bodysuit, and was later accompanied on stage by two robotic arms that formed a metal cube around her body when “Cozy” rolled around in the setlist, following her movements around the stage as she hit her choreography in a futuristic silver bodysuit custom designed by Courrèges.

The high-fashion moments continued in the second half of the concert, when Beyoncé changed into a custom bee costume by Mugler and acted as a news anchor while performing “America Has a Problem.” The stage transformed into a KNTY 4 News desk that featured her backup dancers acting like co-news anchors. The concert concluded with a House of Renaissance vogue dance-off and Beyoncé flying over the stadium in a shimmering Coperni ensemble with help from suspension cords.

The Renaissance World Tour will continue through Europe until July 9, with stops in London, Barcelona, Brussels and Amsterdam before heading to Toronto for a pair of dates at Rogers Centre.

See photos from the Renaissance World Tour’s opening night in Stockholm below.

11 May 2023

Auli’i Cravalho Talks Her ‘Epic’ New Role & Performing the Theme Song for Disney’s ‘Hailey’s On It’: Exclusive

Need an actress whose down to take on an inspiring new role and sing catchy hits at the same time? Auli’i Cravalho‘s on it! The Moana star is set to take on the role of the title character in Disney’s upcoming animated comedy-adventure, Hailey’s On It, which will premiere in early June on Disney Channel and Disney+.

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The series follows a risk-adverse but smart teenager named Hailey as she sets out on a mission to complete a long list of strange, challenging and impressive tasks to save the world. “I love that our show combines heartfelt moments, somewhat cringe-y yet relatable teen fears and epic sci-fi battles,” Cravalho tells Billboard of the series. “Oh, and songs too!”

HAILEY’S ON IT!

HAILEY’S ON IT!

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Speaking of songs, the 22-year-old multi-hyphenate also performs the Hailey’s On It theme song, titled “The Future’s in My Hands.” The upbeat track, shared exclusively via Billboard below, features a slew of crazy tasks that Hailey is ready to take on, including using her earwax to make a candle, win a contest for World’s Cutest Pet Rock and teaching a cat to play piano.

Cravalho’s favorite lyric, however, is in the full version of the track, which you can listen to here. “It goes, ‘Spike my hair and dye it bright neon, take a picture with Celine Dion.’ Hailey — and our songwriters Matthew Wisher and Andrew Underberg — have top-tier rhyming game,” she says.

“I hope that Hailey reminds us that even if our dreams or bucket lists feel improbable, taking small but impactful steps to complete them are what make all the difference in the long run,” she adds of her inspiring new character. “The best version of yourself is simply the version of you that keeps going. It also helps that Hailey has the help of her best friend, family, and witty supercomputer from the future.”

Watch the Hailey’s On It theme song below, and sign up for Disney+ here.

11 May 2023

Ice Spice Reveals She Was Initially ‘Confused’ by Princess Diana Comparisons

After Ice Spice‘s viral ascent to fame due to the success of “Munch (Feelin’ U),” fans on the internet were quick to draw comparisons between her and the late Princess Diana, lovingly calling the drill rapper “The People’s Princess” and often referencing the late British royal when speaking about her online. But Ice Spice admits in a cover story interview with Billboard that the references initially confused her.

“I saw all of my supporters being like, ‘She’s the People’s Princess! She’s Princess Diana!’ ” Ice told Billboard‘s Heran Mamo. “At first, I was confused. I was like, ‘Um, Princess Diana? Out of everybody?’ But [then] I was like, ‘F–k it, she’s iconic.’”

Ice Spice has since embraced being compared to the original People’s Princess, and referenced the meme in her appropriately titled single “Princess Diana.” In the song, she confidently raps, “Nowadays, I be duckin’ them cameras/ And they hype that I’m up on them banners/ Callin’ my phone, but they know I don’t answer (Why?)/ In the hood I’m like Princess Diana” over drill beats.

“Princess Diana” recently crowned Billboard‘s Hot Rap Songs chart after the remix, which features Nicki Minaj, was released on April 14. The collaboration marked the first time in the chart’s 34-year history that a track co-billed women hit No. 1. (Elsewhere, “Princess Diana” peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is currently in its third week on the chart.)

Revisit Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj’s “Princess Diana” in the video below and read the full cover story here.

11 May 2023

Here’s What Fans Think of Rihanna & A$AP Rocky’s Son Being Reportedly Named After a Wu-Tang Clan Member

You know what they say: Wu-Tang is for the children. Almost exactly a year after Rihanna and A$AP Rocky‘s son was born, his name was reportedly been revealed to be RZA, a possible tribute to the legendary rapper, producer and Wu-Tang Clan frontman.

The revelation comes after the Daily Mail claimed that it had obtained the Fenty heir’s birth certificate, which reportedly notes that baby boy’s full name is RZA Athelston Mayers. The last name matches that of his dad’s — Rocky was born Rakim Athelaston Mayers — as does the middle name, save for one missing “A.”

Billboard has reached out to Rihanna and A$AP’s rep for comment.

Now, it’s definitely no X AE A-XII (the name of Grimes and Elon Musk’s son), but RZA is a pretty unorthodox moniker. As some fans pointed out, even the original RZA’s name isn’t actually RZA; the 53-year-old musician was born Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, and he later adopted RZA as a stage name.

So, naturally, fans have some thoughts. Some are all for the Wu-Tang homage and have taken to Twitter to praise the name’s uniqueness, but other people think it’s a little too unique. “Imagine naming your baby after someone else’s stage name,” wrote one naysayer. “Rihanna named her baby Rza. After RZA from Wu Tang. That’s not even HIS name, it’s Robert.”

“Rihanna naming her first born RZA is actually sick as hell,” argued another fan.

Other people, however, are simply taking the name as inspiration for Rihanna (who is expecting baby N. 2 and is in her third trimester) and Rocky’s next child: “so Rihanna son is named RZA and someone said name the new baby Ghostface Killah,” joked one fan, referencing another of Wu-Tang Clan’s members.

See what fans are saying about Rihanna and A$AP Rocky’s reported name choice below:

11 May 2023

50 Cent Says It ‘Was a Mistake’ to Make This Move During His Surprise 2022 Super Bowl Performance

You might find him in the club, but you won’t find him hanging upside down doing crunches. 50 Cent stunned 2022 Super Bowl viewers when he made an unannounced appearance during Dr. Dre’s star-studded halftime show performance, hanging upside down as he does in the “In Da Club” video as he delivered the opening rhymes of the megahit. But in a new interview with USA Today, the rapper says that’s a move fans shouldn’t expect on his upcoming Final Lap Tour.

“I don’t know if I want to do that,” the Grammy winner told the publication when discussing his tour. ” I think that was a mistake for the Super Bowl. Everybody else walked in regular, the songs still went over and they got the trophy, too. They all won an Emmy. They got the same thing I got and I had to put myself upside down.”

In addition to Dre and 50, the 2022 Super Bowl Halftime Show featured performances by Eminem, Mary J Blige, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Anderson .Paak. The big game’s mega show won the 2022 Creative Arts Emmy award for outstanding variety special (live), marking the first time the halftime show had won the category.

As for The Final Lap Tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of his Billboard 200 No. 1 album Get Rich or Die Tryin’, the rapper teased that he’s “changing the show.”

“It’s gonna be a whole new show,” he told USA Today. “I’m gonna make sure I hit the things that I miss. Sometimes, out of habit, you go to certain records and people loved other things on it, on the album, so I want to make sure I touch those things before I don’t do those records anymore.”

As for the album itself, which stayed at the top of the all-genre chart for six weeks in 2003, 50 is still proud of it. “As far as one piece of work, it still stands out … it marks time,” he shared. “It marks that period because it was the best body of work in that time period.” Get Rich or Die Tryin’ earned the rapper multiple Grammy nominations for the 46th annual awards, including best rap album, and best rap song and best male rap solo performance for its hit “In Da Club.”

Joining 50 on The Final Lap Tour will be Busta Rhymes on both North American and European dates, and Jeremih, who’ll open in North America. More guests will be announced later. The tour kicks off July 21 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and wraps Sept. 17 in Detroit before heading overseas.