Music News

09 May 2023

Dolly Parton’s Star-Studded Album ‘Rockstar’ Finally Has a Release Date

Dolly Parton‘s long-awaited first rock album, Rockstar, has a release date: Nov. 17. The country icon, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2022, brings along a who’s-who of her fellow artist collaborators on the album, including Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Lizzo, Sting, Chris Stapleton, Debbie Harry, Elton John, John Fogerty, Joan Jett, Steven Tyler, Peter Frampton and Kid Rock. The sprawling 30-track album features nine original tracks and 21 rock anthems, including “Free Bird,” “Purple Rain” and “We Are the Champions.”

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Sting joins on The Police’s 1983 hit “Every Breath You Take,” while Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are on the 1988 hit “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” Stapleton and Parton will offer up the Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band classic “Night Moves,” while “Let It Be” will feature Parton with Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Peter Frampton and Mick Fleetwood.

Meanwhile, the cover art features strong ’80s vibes, with Parton sitting on a motorcycle, holding a black guitar and clad in a black, studded-leather outfit slightly reminiscent of the one she wore during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Rockstar will be available as a four-LP set, a two-CD set and via digital download and on all streaming services.

“I’m so excited to finally present my first rock n’ roll album, Rockstar!” Parton said via a statement. “I am very honored and privileged to have worked with some of the greatest iconic singers and musicians of all time, and to be able to sing all the iconic songs throughout the album was a joy beyond measure. I hope everybody enjoys the album as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together!”

On Thursday, May 11, Parton will debut her first single from the album during the 58th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. She will also join Garth Brooks as they host the awards show, which will stream around the world live on Prime Video beginning at 7 p.m. CT from The Ford Center in Frisco, Texas.

See the full track listing for Rockstar below:

  1. “Rockstar” (special guest Richie Sambora)
  2. “World on Fire”
  3. “Every Breath You Take” (feat. Sting)
  4. “Open Arms” (feat. Steve Perry)
  5. “Magic Man” (feat. Ann Wilson with special guest Howard Leese)
  6. “Long As I Can See the Light’ (feat. John Fogerty)
  7. “Either Or” (feat. Kid Rock)
  8. “I Want You Back” (feat. Steven Tyler with special guest Warren Haynes)
  9. “What Has Rock and Roll Ever Done for You” (feat. Stevie Nicks with special guest Waddy Wachtel)
  10. “Purple Rain”
  11. “Baby, I Love Your Way” (feat. Peter Frampton)
  12. “I Hate Myself for Loving You” (feat. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)
  13. “Night Moves” (feat. Chris Stapleton)
  14. “Wrecking Ball” (feat. Miley Cyrus)
  15. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” (feat. P!nk & Brandi Carlile)
  16. “Keep on Loving You” (feat. Kevin Cronin)
  17. “Heart of Glass” (feat. Debbie Harry)
  18. “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” (feat. Elton John)
  19. “Tried to Rock and Roll Me” (feat. Melissa Etheridge)
  20. “Stairway to Heaven” (feat. Lizzo & Sasha Flute)
  21. “We Are the Champions”
  22. “Bygones” (feat. Rob Halford with special guests Nikki Sixx & John 5)
  23. My Blue Tears (feat. Simon Le Bon)
  24. “What’s Up?” (feat. Linda Perry)
  25. “You’re No Good” (feat. Emmylou Harris & Sheryl Crow)
  26. “Heartbreaker” (feat. Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo)
  27. “Bittersweet” (feat. Michael McDonald)
  28. “I Dreamed About Elvis” (feat. Ronnie McDowell with special guest The Jordanaires)
  29. “Let It Be” (feat. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr with special guests Peter Frampton & Mick Fleetwood)
  30. “Free Bird” (feat. Ronnie Van Zant with special guests Gary Rossington, Artimus Pyle and The Artimus Pyle Band)

09 May 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Libianca Arrives With Breakthrough Afrobeats Hit ‘People’

Cameroonian-American Afrobeats singer Libianca is officially a Billboard Hot 100-charting hitmaker, as her breakthrough single “People” debuts at No. 91 on the chart dated May 13, marking her first entry.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The song, released Dec. 5, 2022, via 5K/RCA Records, arrives with 5.9 million U.S. streams (up 33%), 2.7 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 28%), and 1,000 downloads sold (up 40%) in the April 28-May 4 tracking week, according to Luminate. With its growing radio reach, it starts at No. 37 on Rhythmic Airplay and No. 39 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

The song’s streaming gains can be partly attributed to multiple remixes of the track: with Becky G (released April 21); Ayra Starr and Omah Lay; and Cian Ducrot, as well as a sped-up version.

The song also surges into the top 40 of both of Billboard‘s global charts, bounding 41-19 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and 47-25 on the Billboard Global 200.

TikTok has been a big factor in the song’s building popularity, as a portion of the original has been used in over 1.6 million clips on the platform to-date. A piece of the song’s sped-up version has been used in more than 265,000 clips.

For Billboard’s April Chartbreaker feature, Libianca recalled when she first uploaded a snippet of the song to TikTok: “Waking up the next morning to so many people feeling so connected to the song. I saw families sending me videos of their babies singing the song, and women messaging me about the s–t that they go through in their homes and how this song needs to drop ASAP because it’s calling to their hearts.”

Libianca, who was born Libianca Kenzonkinboum Fonji in Minneapolis before relocating to Cameroon, is new to Billboard’s charts. “People” became her first song to appear on a Billboard survey when it opened at No. 38 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart in December. It holds at its No. 2 high on the latest list.

Prior to “People,” Libianca appeared on the 21st season of NBC’s The Voice, in 2021. She reached the top 20 in the competition, with Blake Shelton as her coach, before being eliminated. During her run on the show, she performed SZA’s “Good Days,” The Weeknd’s “Save Your Tears,” Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted” and Doja Cat’s “Woman.”

09 May 2023

The Cure’s Robert Smith Urges Louisiana Legislature to ‘Empower the Artists, Not the Scalpers’

The Cure‘s Robert Smith is not done fighting the good fight on behalf of his band’s fans. The British goth rock legend who is about the launch his Shows of a Lost World North American tour in New Orleans on Wednesday (May 10) posted a series of tweets on Monday (May 8) in which he lashed out at a bill under consideration by the Louisiana legislature (HB 341) that would restrict the resale of tickets between fans.

“THE LOUISIANA LEGISLATURE (HB #341) IS CONSIDERING A RESELLERS-BACKED BILL TO BAN FAN-TO-FAN EXCHANGES (LIKE THE ONE WE ARE USING ON OUR 2023 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR TO TRY AND LIMIT/STOP SCALPING AND BOTS),” Smith said of the bill sponsored by Republican Paula P. Davis that has already passed the GOP-dominated State House which would allow tickets to concerts and sporting events to be legally resold at a profit under specified conditions.

Smith noted that the bill is now headed to the State Senate — which also features a GOP majority — with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning. “LOUISIANA LAWMAKERS! PLEASE DON’T PASS THIS BILL! EMPOWER THE ARTISTS, NOT THE SCALPERS AND THE BOTS!,” the singer wrote. “COMMERCIAL LOBBYING CORRUPTS DEMOCRACY X.”

Am abstract of the bill reads: “Proposed law provides for certain definitions with respect to event ticketing. Additionally, proposed law defines ‘nontransferable ticketing’ as prohibiting the resell or exchange of a ticket or limiting the ticket holder to exchange the ticket exclusively through means provided by the ticket issuer. Proposed law provides that a ticket issuer may use a nontransferable ticketing system only if the ticket holder is offered to purchase the same ticket in a transferable form at the initial time of sale.”

Smith’s issues with the proposed bill make sense given his recent broadsides against what he called Ticketmaster’s exorbitant extra fees on tickets for the band’s tour. Earlier this year the bandleader said he’d hoped to keep seat-buying fair and simple for fans by opting out of TM’s dynamic pricing model while shielding them against scalpers with non-transferable tickets. But when the sale opened mid-March, disappointed customers found that TM had added sky-high fees to tickets that sometimes totaled more than the face-value price of the original tickets.

In a series of follow-up tweets, Smith revealed that approximately 7,000 tickets across more than 2,000 orders had been canceled in early April, with the bandleader claiming those tickets were acquired with fake accounts and/or listed on secondary resale sites.

See Smith’s tweets below.

09 May 2023

Watch Gina Miles Float Through ‘The Voice’ Playoffs With a Chris Isaak Classic

The Voice playoffs on Monday night (May 8) saw eight contestants advance to the next round of the competition. Of the eight, Gina Miles managed to secure her spot with a stunning cover of Chris Isaak‘s hit “Wicked Game.’

Miles took to the stage backed by several instrumentalists while giving an emotional rendition of the track. “What a wicked game you play, to make me feel this way/ What a wicked thing to do, to let me dream of you/ What a wicked thing to say, you never felt this way/ What a wicked thing to do, to make me dream of you,” she powerfully sang, effortlessly switching between vocal registers.

At the end of Miles’ performance, Niall Horan — her coach — as well as Kelly Clarkson, Chance the Rapper and Blake Shelton all gave her a standing ovation.

“Wicked Game” was released as a single from Isaak’s third studio album, 1989’s Heart Shaped World. The track became popular in when it was featured in David Lynch’s 1990 film Wild at Heart (starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Derndebuted) and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in December that year. “Wicked Game” peaked at No. 6 on the all-genre tally, and spent 24 weeks on the chart.

Miles’ performance isn’t the first time a contestant on The Voice has covered Isaak’s “Wicked Game”: Cali Wilson delivered her take on the track during the season 17 knockout rounds in 2019. Wilson’s cover propelled the song to the top of Rock Digital Song Sales, and it became Isaak’s first No. 1 single on a Billboard chart.

Listen to Miles’ cover of “Wicked Game” in above.

09 May 2023

Becky G Announces Her First Headlining Tour: ‘Been Dreaming of This Moment’

Becky G is heading out on her first headlining tour.

“Mi gente… I cannot believe I get to finally announce MI CASA, TU CASA, my first ever headlining tour!!!” the Latin pop star wrote on Instagram on Tuesday (May 9). “I’ve been dreaming of this moment my entire career…I can’t wait to sing & dance with you guys, los quiero mucho mucho mucho y nos vemos pronto!”

The 16-date tour will run through the early fall, starting with a show Sept. 14 at Roadrunner in Boston followed by stops in New York City, Atlanta, Orlando and more. At the tail end of the month, Becky will spend consecutive nights across Texas by performing in Sugar Land, Grand Prairie, San Antonio and McAllen before playing El Paso’s Abraham Chavez Theatre. After three dates through Southern California, the tour then caps off Oct. 14 at the Arizona State Fair in Phoenix.

Tickets for Becky’s Mi Casa, Tu Casa Tour go on sale Friday (May 12) at 10 a.m. local time via the Power Rangers actress’ official website.

Becky is currently riding high with “Chanel,” her latest top 10 hit with collaborator Peso Pluma on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart. In April, the duo debuted the track live for the first time during her Coachella set, which also included a surprise appearance by Natti Natasha, and later performed the song together at the 2023 Latin AMAs.

Check out Becky’s giddy tour announcement, including a complete list of dates, below.

09 May 2023

Taylor Swift Thanks Nashville Fans for Powering Through Rain Delays at Eras Tour Show

With Swifties, she’d dance in a storm in her best dress, fearless. Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour performance in Nashville was delayed more for hours Sunday night (May 7) thanks to severe weather warnings, but that didn’t stop the pop star from eventually getting through her three-hour show underneath a downpour of rain.

Two days later, Swift is thanking her fans at Nissan Stadium for sticking with her. “WELL,” she posted on social media early Tuesday (May 9). “We had our first rain show of The Eras Tour. And it was SO MUCH FUN. The dancers, band, crowd and I all pretty much turned into little kids joyfully jumping in puddles all night.”

“I wanted to thank the crowd again for waiting for the weather to clear,” she continued. “And my amazing crew for keeping the stage, lighting and equipment all dry and working so we could play. That was a late, great night I won’t forget.”

The “Anti-Hero” singer also shared four photos from Sunday’s show, each of them showing a completely drenched Swift looking unbothered by the rain falling around her. The performance didn’t begin until after 10 p.m., hours after the Eras Tour’s usual start time of 7:50. Openers Phoebe Bridgers and Gracie Abrams didn’t get to play at all.

A shelter in place alert was sent out an hour before Abrams was supposed to take the stage, and Swifties were directed to pack into the roof-topped parts of Nissan Stadium, which is an open air venue. It wasn’t until about 9:30 p.m. that fans were allowed to leave shelter and take their seats.

“We’ve been waiting for hours to play for you,” Swift told the crowd after the show was finally underway. “You’ve been waiting for hours. The mutual love between us right now. You waiting and doing that for us is making me feel fantastic, Nashville.”

Sunday’s concert marked the final of three shows at Nissan Stadium, a weekend that unlocked several exciting surprises for Swifties. Not only did the 12-time Grammy winner and Bridgers perform their Red (Taylor’s Version) duet “Nothing New” live for the first time Friday night (May 5), but Swift also announced that her long-awaited Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) re-record will arrive this summer.

“I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20,” she later wrote on Instagram, revealing that the updated version will include six previously unreleased vault songs. “The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness. I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing … and living to speak about it.”

09 May 2023

SEVENTEEN Becomes Seventh K-Pop Group to Hit No. 1 on Artist 100 Chart

SEVENTEEN re-enters the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated May 13) at No. 1 to become the top musical act in the United States for the first time, thanks to the group’s new EP, its 10th mini album, FML.

The set debuts at No. 1 on World Albums and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with 135,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. April 28-May 4, according to Luminate. It becomes the 13-member act’s seventh leader on World Albums and third top 10 on the Billboard 200.

SEVENTEEN is the third K-pop act to top the Artist 100 chart this year, after TOMORROW X TOGETHER in February and Jimin in April.

Dating to the Artist 100’s 2014 launch, SEVENTEEN is the seventh K-pop group to rule the ranking. It joins BTS (21 weeks at No. 1), BLACKPINK, Stray Kids (two each), SuperM, TOMORROW X TOGETHER and TWICE (one each).

Meanwhile, Gordon Lightfoot, who died May 1 at age 84, is the top debut on the Artist 100, at No. 14. Four of his classic songs from the 1970s infuse the Digital Song Sales chart’s top 10, led by “If You Could Read My Mind” at No. 1. The song sold 10,000 downloads, up from a nominal sum, in the U.S. in the week ending May 4. Lightfoot ranks atop a Billboard chart for the first time in 48 years, since “Carefree Highway” ruled Adult Contemporary in May 1975. Also new to the Digital Song Sales top 10: “Sundown” (No. 3; 9,000), “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (No. 5; 7,000) and “Highway” (No. 10; 4,000).

Paced by Lightfoot’s retrospective Gord’s Gold (3,000 sold), his U.S. album sales in the tracking week vaulted by 906% to 6,000; his digital song sales soared by 3,637% to 41,000; his radio airplay audience surged by 317% to 3 million; and his official on-demand U.S. streams jumped by 290% to 14 million.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

09 May 2023

Offset Has a Royal Daddy-Daughter Date With Kulture & Kalea at ‘The Little Mermaid’ Premiere

Offset made sure his two daughters got the ultimate princess treatment Monday night (May 8) in Hollywood. With 4-year-old Kulture Kiari on one arm and 8-year-old Kalea Marie on the other, the rapper adorably escorted his girls to Disney’s world premiere of The Little Mermaid, where they got to wear beautiful ball gowns and feel glamorous walking the red carpet.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Both Kulture (whom Offset shares with wife Cardi B) and Kalea (his daughter with ex-girlfriend Shya L’amour) wore black-and-white dresses adorned with flowers and lots of tulle. The Migos member — who’s also dad to sons Jordan, Cody and Wave — matched his dates in a princely, Michael Jackson-inspired white jacket and black slacks.

In tribute to Ariel’s famous locks, both girls also colored their hair red for the occasion. “Mermaid premiere with my princesses,” Offset captioned Instagram photos from a pre-premiere shoot with Kulture and Kalea.

Though Cardi skipped the premiere, she did post a video of Kulture getting prepped for the photo shoot. From behind the camera, the “WAP” artist can be heard coaching her daughter — who beams up at her — on how to smile for the pictures.

“My gal,” Cardi captioned the video, adding two heart emojis.

On the red carpet, Set opened up about why it was important for him to take his girls to see The Little Mermaid, which stars Halle Bailey in the lead role. “My daughters are very excited to see someone who looks like them as the Little Mermaid,” the musician said. “It’s a special moment in history, and it’s iconic.”

The live action Little Mermaid will be in theaters May 26.

09 May 2023

Jimin Sounds Heavenly Alongside Kodak Black on ‘Angel Pt. 1’ From ‘Fast X’ Soundtrack

BTS‘ Jimin takes center stage on the preview of “Angel Pt. 1,” the new single from the upcoming Fast & Furious sequel Fast X that also features Kodak Black, NLE Choppa, JVKE and Muni Long. The minute-long snippet opens with a wistful piano intro as Jimin and JVKE take turns crooning the track’s hypnotic chorus, “Angel, don’t fly so close to me/ I’ll pull you down eventually/ You don’t wanna lose those wings/ People like me break beautiful things.”

“Angel, don’t fly so close to me/ I’m what you want and what you need,” it continues. “You don’t wanna lose those those wings/ People like me break beautiful things.” The trailer version of the song then spotlights Black chiming in with his signature nasally delivery.

“I give it all up to ease your pain, yeah, I would do that all day/ I step back from the game and keep you out of harm’s way/ Would risk it all for the game, but it take more than one person/ Two people, one ’til I feel the same way you hurtin’/ I was still in middle school when Givens had flipped the whip/
Bodies was droppin’ before we ever knew ’bout the drip,” he raps, before hitting the obligatory Fast familial reference with the line “We gon’ be family no matter what way this go, bruh.”

Fast X is due out on May 19 and features the usual gang of street racing thrill seekers tearing around the planet, including Vin Deisel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jason Momoa, Jordana Brewster and Nathalie Emmanuel, as well as John Cena, Jason Statham, Sung Kang, Daneila Melchior, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson and Rita Moreno.

The first single from the soundtrack was “Let’s Ride,” which dropped in February and featured YG, Ty Dolla $ign and Lambo4oe, followed by “Won’t Back Down,” which dropped last week and features YoungBoy NBA, Bailey Zimmerman and Dermot Kennedy.

Listen to the “Angel Pt. 1” preview below.

09 May 2023

Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Shania Twain & More to Headline 2023 Austin City Limits Festival

Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Mumford & Sons, Shania Twain (weekend one only), The Lumineers, Odesza, Alanis Morissette and The 1975 (weekend two only) will headline this fall’s Austin City Limits festival. The 22nd annual event at Austin’s Zilker Park will take place over two weekends — Oct. 6-8 and Oct. 13-15 — and also feature performances from Hozier, Kali Uchis, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Maggie Rogers, Labrinth, Cigarettes After Sex, Niall Horan, Tove Lo and Thirty Seconds to Mars, among others.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In a release announcing the nine-stage fest, organizers noted that this year’s diverse lineup includes 45% female performers, LGBTQ+ artists, allies and icons as well as a number of Latin stars, including Ivan Cornejo, Kevin Knaarl, Eddie Zuko and others.

Three-day tickets for both weekends go on sale on Tuesday (May 9) at 1 p.m. ET here with layaway plans available starting at $25 down and, new for this year, a promise of no surprise fees at checkout. One-day general admission tickets, one-day Ga+ tickets and one-day tickets will be available at a later date. GA ticket holders will have a new experience this year, with premium cocktails for sale on bar menus throughout the festival and GA+ tickets including a full-service bar with preferred pricing for all beer, seltzers, wine and cocktails.

ACL’s focus on homegrown Texas talent will continue this year, with acts including The Mars Volta, Tanya Tucker, Ben Kweller, d4dv, Jimmy Vaughn, Asleep at the Wheel, Penny & Sparrow, Randall King, Abraham Alexander, Angel White, BigXThaPlug and many more. Hulu will be back as the official streaming partner for the fest, with three days of select live performances, interviews and more available during weekend one; a full broadcast lineup and schedule will be announced at a later date.

Other acts slated to perform at this year’s ACL include: Noah Kahan, Lil Yachty, Mt. Joy, The Revivalists, Portugal. The Man, Death Grips, M83, Rina Sawayama, Tash Sultana, Coi Leray, Glorilla, Little Simz, Chromeo, Tegan and Sara, The Breeders, The Walkmen, Suki Waterhouse, Morgan Wade, Jessie Ware and many more.

Check out the full lineup below.