Music News

03 May 2023

10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Corook, Olivia Barton, CHINCHILLA, Jasiel Nunez & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts on its roster, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 acts who appear on surveys for the first time on the May 6-dated charts.

Corook & Olivia Barton

Both Nashville-based singer-songwriters and Berklee College of Music graduates make their first-ever Billboard chart appearances with their collaboration “If I Were a Fish” (billed as corook featuring Olivia Barton). The song, released April 21 via Atlantic Records after going viral on TikTok, debuts at No. 16 on Hot Alternative Songs, No. 19 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 22 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs with 1.9 million official U.S. streams and 3,000 downloads sold in the April 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also enters Alternative Digital Song Sales (No. 6), Rock Digital Song Sales (No. 7) and the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart (No. 36).

Plus, Corook debuts at No. 46 on Emerging Artists. Corook (real name Corinne Savage), who hails from Pittsburgh, released their debut EP achoo! in April 2022, also on Atlantic. They’ve previously opened in concert for JP Saxe, Jukebox the Ghost, K.Flay and X Ambassadors. Barton — from Orlando, Fla. — has self-released two LPs: I Could Have Smiled at You More in 2019, and This Is a Good Sign in 2022. She’s currently on the road supporting Lizzy McAlpine on her The End of the Movie tour.

CHINCHILLA

The British singer-songwriter starts on Billboard’s charts with her track “Little Girl Gone.” The song, which she released on her own CHINCHILLA label (distributed through Kartel Music Group) on April 21, soars in at No. 3 on Digital Song Sales with 11,000 downloads sold. She also becomes the first female soloist in the Emerging Artists chart’s six-year history to debut at No. 1. (This year, the only other acts to debut atop Emerging Artists are Daisy Jones & The Six and xikers.) CHINCHILLA (real name Daisy Matilda Bertenshaw) self-released her debut solo LP Awakening in 2020. In 2021, she released the EP Moon Maintenance for Dummies via Columbia Records (through Sony Music Entertainment Germany).

Jasiel Nuñez

The Guadalajara, Mexico, native earns his first chart placement thanks to his new collaboration with Peso Pluma, “Rosa Pastel.” The song, released April 20 via Peso Pluma’s Double P Records, debuts at No. 24 on Hot Latin Songs with 5.1 million U.S. streams. It also starts at No. 13 on Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales, No. 25 on Latin Digital Song Sales, No. 18 on Regional Mexican Streaming Songs and No. 25 on Latin Streaming Songs, as well as No. 163 on the Billboard Global 200. Nuñez also arrives at No. 42 on Emerging Artists. Nuñez was one of the first artists that Peso Pluma signed to Double P after launching the label, as CEO and head of A&R, in April.

Hypaton

The 24-year-old Italian producer reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time thanks to “Be My Lover (2023 Mix)” with David Guetta and featuring La Bouche. The song, which updates La Bouche’s dance-floor classic “Be My Lover,” debuts at No. 29 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with 497,000 streams, as well as No. 17 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. Hypaton (real name Giorgio Ortenzi) and Guetta released the track April 21 on What a DJ/MCI/NITRON/Arista Records. Notably, the song earns Guetta his 77th hit on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, extending his record for the most among all acts. La Bouche’s original “Be My Lover” recording reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 in 1996. HYPATON is slated to perform during Guetta’s run of F*** Me I’m Famous! shows, which begin in June at Ushuaïa Ibiza.

Cairo Knife Fight

The Christchurch, New Zealand-based band makes its first chart visit as “Churn” debuts at No. 39 on Mainstream Rock Airplay. The song, which the duo self-released Feb. 14, enters with a 23% gain in plays. The act comprises Nick Gaffaney (vocals, drums, keyboard bass) and George Pajon Jr. (guitar). Pajon has contributed to several other Billboard chart hits prior to “Churn.” He’s credited as a songwriter on four Hot 100-charting songs, all by the Black Eyed Peas: “Request Line” (No. 63, 2001), “Where Is the Love?” (No. 8, 2003), “Let’s Get It Started” (No. 21, 2004) and “Don’t Phunk With My Heart” (No. 3, 2005). (“Started” and “Phunk” won Grammy Awards for best rap performance, duo/group, in 2005 and 2006, respectively.) He also co-wrote Will.i.am’s promotional song for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, “Yes We Can.” Cairo Knife Fight has opened in concert for bands including Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age.

Anna Lapwood

The 27-year-old organist lands on Billboard’s charts for the first time, as her new EP Midnight Sessions at the Royal Albert Hall debuts at No. 9 on Classical Crossover Albums. Lapwood released the set April 21 via Music Productions Limited/Sony Classical/Sony Masterworks. She also serves as the director of music at Cambridge’s Pembroke College. She graduated from Magdalen College in Oxford, England, and became the first woman in the school’s 560-year history to be awarded the Organ Scholarship.

Caleb & John

The Nashville-based duo charts for the first time, as “Hallelujah Feeling” debuts at No. 50 on Christian Airplay (92,000 in radio audience). The pair released the song March 17 via Fair Trade Services — and subsequently celebrated hearing it on the radio for the first time. “The message we want to communicate is hope,” John recently said. “There is hope for you. If God can change somebody like me, He can change somebody like you.”

Myah Marie

Myah Marie notches her first chart appearance as a recording artist thanks to her featured credit on RuPaul’s “Adrenaline.” The song, released in 2014 on RuPaul’s Born Naked album via RuCo Records, debuts at No. 9 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales. Myah Marie has forged an accomplished career as a songwriter, as she’s written or co-written songs for acts including Aaron Carter, Lil Wayne and Britney Spears.

Bruce Katz Band

The group’s LP Connections opens at No. 15 on the Blues Albums chart. The ban — which is comprised of Bruce Katz (piano/organ), Aaron Lieberman (guitar/vocals) and Liviu Pop (drums) — released the set April 21 through Dancing Rooster Records. Katz is a blues veteran, having released his first album as a bandleader, Crescent Crawl, in 1992.

Eric Carr

The late, former drummer of rock legends Kiss (from 1980-91), achieves his first solo chart entry as Rockology debuts at No. 57 on Top Album Sales (4,000 sold). The set was issued as a Record Story Day vinyl and CDexclusive on April 22. Kiss charted 11 songs on the Hot 100 with Carr as a member (following 13 by the group in 1974-79), including the No. 8-peaking ballad “Forever” in 1990. Carr, who took up the persona of “The Fox” in Kiss, died from heart cancer in 1991.

03 May 2023

Sprite and Ryan Tedder Spotlight Fearless Artists From Around the World in Sprite Limelight Season 2

Sprite is back for the second year of its global music program, Sprite Limelight, and they’re bringing the star power. The program was created to bring together an exceptional collective of fearless international artists with focused, creative points of view, to create original songs via an innovative format: one hook and many beats.

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This year sees the brand partnering with 3x Grammy-awarding winning writer, producer, and lead singer of OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder, to kick off the second season, along with a stellar lineup of artists hailing from across the world: Feid, Cassper Nyovest, Lexa, and Lay Zhang.

“I’m so excited to be the lead artist for  Sprite Limelight Season 2,” Ryan Tedder said of the partnership.  “Creating the hook and the theme for Sprite Limelight Season 2 and seeing how other artists around the world take that, run with it, and create something entirely fresh with an empowering message and interpretation – it’s beautiful and I’m genuinely so happy to be a part of it.”

For this year’s program, Tedder provided a central hook and lyric, from which each of the four artists created an empowering original song around Tedder’s hook. 

Designed to support its global brand narrative, Heat Happens, Sprite aims to help Gen Z stay cool  in the face of everyday moments of heat, based on the insight that music is where they go to, to switch off and clear their heads.

Sprite Limelight Season 2 debuts on May 3, 2023 with a program trailer on YouTube, introducing the artists and teasing their song creation journey. 

Subsequently, each artist will bring their personal stories to life in multi-format episodes dropped on their YouTube and Spotify channels along with Sprite’s global channels. The episodic content features an original music track, immersive docu-styled music video and a personal “Heat Confessional” to give fans a deeper view into how the artists stayed cool in the face of heat. 

“Season 2 of Sprite Limelight demonstrates how UMG For Brands continues connecting our partners with some of the world’s most notable and emerging artists to create cultural relevance and resonate with consumers on a global level. We are looking forward to experiencing the music moments our artists are creating for fans, both existing and new, through this opportunity provided by an established brand like Sprite,” says Richard Yaffa, EVP, Global Brands, Universal Music Group.

Sprite Limelight, its fearless artists, and the music they create, will continue to be a catalyst for music fans to overcome their own heated challenges in 2023 and beyond. Stay tuned for more Sprite Limelight coverage on Billboard. 

03 May 2023

The Spinners’ Sole Surviving Founder Reacts to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction

The fourth time is the charm for the Spinners in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The R&B vocal group — best known for its 1970s Atlantic Records hits such as “I’ll Be Around,” “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” “The Rubberband Man,” “Then Came You” with Dionne Warwick — was nominated in the performer category in 2012, 2015 and 2016 without getting the nod. This year it did, however, and will be one of seven performer acts inducted at the 38th annual ceremony on Nov. 3 in Brooklyn.

“It feels great. I really does,” Henry Fambrough, the sole surviving founding member of the group, tells Billboard from his home in Virginia. “I just wish all the other guys were here to see it. It really is a great honor.”

Fambrough, 84, recently announced his retirement from the Spinners, which released its latest album, ‘Round the Block and Back Again, in 2021. The baritone will be inducted along with fellow founding members Pervis Jackson, who died in 2008, Billy Henderson (2007), Bobbie Smith (2013) and Philippé Wynne, the group’s lead tenor from 1972-77 (1984).

Fambrough acknowledged that he’s been “a little disappointed” that the Spinners failed to be inducted on its other nominations. “But you have to carry on, you have to keep going,” he says. “If you’re nominated, at least you know someone is thinking about you.”

The group formed in Detroit during 1954, known at varying times as the Detroit Spinners and the Motown Spinners. It recorded first for former manager and group member Harvey Fuqua’s Tri-Phi Records, then became part of Motown when Fuqua sold his label to Berry Gordy Jr., his brother-in-law. The group’s success at Motown was limited: two top 10s on the chart now known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The group members supplemented their income by working in Motown’s record packaging plant, tour managing other acts or, in Fambrough’s case, serving as chauffeur for Gordy’s mother, who he says was “a great lady.”

After the Stevie Wonder-produced “It’s a Shame” in 1970, the Spinners took Aretha Franklin’s suggestion to sign with Atlantic, where producer Thom Bell took the group to new heights – seven top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (including the chart-topping “Then Came You” collab with Dionne Warwick) in eight years, six of them No. 1 hits on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, along with six consecutive gold albums. “When we signed (Bell) told us, ‘A year from now, you’re gonna be the No. 1 group in the country,’” Fambrough recalls. “And we were like, ‘Yeah. Right. Thank you.’ But it was true.”

The Rock Hall induction is not the Spinners’ first career honor. The group received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1976 and was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. And Fambrough is confident that the current lineup will maintain the group’s pedigree, bolstered by its new Rock Hall props.

“Those guys have the groove down. They’re special,” Fambrough says. “Y’know, we made a pact with each other, back in the beginning; ‘We’re gonna make it or we’re not gonna make it, but whatever we do we’re gonna do it together.’ And when one of the guys would pass away, we would get somebody else to come in who was thinking like we thought and had the idea of the future that we wanted and just keep it going.”

03 May 2023

Nick Cave Responds to Fan Questions about Attending King Charles III’s Coronation: ‘I Am Not a Monarchist, Nor Am I a Royalist’

Nick Cave is attending King Charles III’s coronation on Saturday (May 6). The trip might seem out of character for the midnight-dim singer-songwriter best known for murder ballads, patented jaundiced view of the soul of man and his death’s creep baritone voice. But in a letter on his Red Right Hand Files site posted this week, Cave responded to a series of letters asking why the Australian-born singer was making the trip, including one who wondered what a young Nick would think of the 65-year-old Cave tipping his hat to the new monarch?

“I am not a monarchist, nor am I a royalist, nor am I an ardent republican for that matter; what I am also not is so spectacularly incurious about the world and the way it works, so ideologically captured, so damn grouchy, as to refuse an invitation to what will more than likely be the most important historical event in the UK of our age,” wrote Cave, who noted that he had to be quick because he’s still working out what to wear.

“Not just the most important, but the strangest, the weirdest,” added “The Weeping Song” singer, who said he once met the late Queen Elizabeth at a Buckingham Palace event for an event he thought was titled “Aspirational Australians Living in the UK” (or something to that effect).

“It was a mostly awkward affair, but the Queen herself, dressed in a salmon coloured twin-set, seemed almost extraterrestrial and was the most charismatic woman I have ever met,” he recalled. “Maybe it was the lighting, but she actually glowed. As I told my mother – who was the same age as the Queen and, like the Queen, died in her nineties – about that day, her old eyes filled with tears.”

Cave said that when he watched the Queen’s funeral on TV last year to his surprise he found himself weeping as her coffin was “stripped of the crown, orb and sceptre and lowered through the floor of St. George’s Chapel. I guess what I am trying to say is that, beyond the interminable but necessary debates about the abolition of the monarchy, I hold an inexplicable emotional attachment to the Royals – the strangeness of them, the deeply eccentric nature of the whole affair that so perfectly reflects the unique weirdness of Britain itself. I’m just drawn to that kind of thing – the bizarre, the uncanny, the stupefyingly spectacular, the awe-inspiring.”

As for young Nick, well, like many youngsters, Cave said his teen self was “young and like many young people, mostly demented, so I’m a little cautious around using him as a benchmark for what I should or should not do.” Regardless of what you might think, Cave said he’s looking forward to the event and, yes, he’ll probably wear a suit.

Cave joins a short list of artists attending the event, including Sunday’s Coronation Concert performers Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Take That and Andrea Bocelli. In the months leading up to Charles’ coronation there were a raft of stories about the many artists who had reportedly declined invitations to attend or perform, including such British pop royalty as Harry Styles, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams, Adele and the Spice Girls.

03 May 2023

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Reveals Class of 2023

On Wednesday morning (May 3), the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame revealed the inductees for the Rock Hall’s Class of 2023.

The performer category boasts a stacked lineup of inductees gaining entrance: Kate Bush, the art rock cult fave whose idiosyncratic and undersung impact was propelled into the mainstream by an inescapable Stranger Things sync in 2022; Sheryl Crow, the rootsy yet polished hitmaker who draws on rock, folk, country and pop; Missy Elliott, the forward-thinking hip-hop mastermind behind a string of mind-bending classic albums; George Michael, the blue-eyed soul pop king who died in 2016; Willie Nelson, an outlaw country exemplar turned beloved elder statesman; Rage Against the Machine, a politically motivated rap-rock firebrand force; and The Spinners, a long-running vocal group who achieved their greatest success as a smooth soul outfit in the ‘70s.

That’s not all. The “musical influence award” sees DJ Kool Herc – the Bronx-based DJ whose breakbeat-focused turntable techniques are widely cited as the clearest starting point of hip-hop music – enters the Rock Hall; presumably, it’s not a coincidence his induction aligns with the year the music industry is celebrating as the 50th anniversary of hip-hop as a genre. The same category sees the induction of Link Wray, the distortion guitar rock rebel credited with inventing the power chord.

The “musical excellence award” invites three additional acts: Frequent Rock Hall nominee and funk queen Chaka Khan finally sees induction this year, as does Al Kooper, an invaluable player and/or producer on key recordings from Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blood, Sweat & Tears. In the same category, Bernie Taupin – Elton John’s longtime lyricist whose poetic and imaginative take on American folklore set a new standard for rock songwriting – is also inducted.

Finally, Don Cornelius – who hosted the R&B and Black culture bedrock Soul Train on TV from 1970-1993 – is inducted with the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

The Rock Hall’s Class of 2023 sees four of the seven performer inductees gaining entrance on their first nomination: Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael and Willie Nelson; of those four, Elliott was the only artist eligible for the first time in 2023.

To be eligible for the Rock Hall, an artist’s first commercial release must have come out at least 25 years prior to the nomination year. [Though Elliott’s first album was released in 1997, the nominating committee at the Rock Hall recently started meeting the same year the inductees are honored, as opposed to the year before. This means 2023 is a sort of “make-up year” for artists whose first release was in 1997 or 1998, which explains 2023 being Elliott’s first year of eligibility.]

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Nov. 3. Ticket information will be announced in the future.

02 May 2023

Lil Wayne Visits World Series Champion Astros Ahead of Houston Concert

Grammy Award-winning rapper Lil Wayne visited the World Series champion Houston Astros on Tuesday night (May 2) before their game against the San Francisco Giants.

The Louisiana-born rapper was in town for a show later Tuesday, but stopped by the ballpark to hang with the Astros before taking the stage.

“It meant the world,” Lil Wayne said. “They showed me way too much love and it seemed like they’re a pretty big fan and I’m a fan as well so it was all good.”

He was thrilled to meet Astros manager Dusty Baker and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, who now works as a special adviser to Houston owner Jim Crane.

“I just pulled both of them to the side and had a long speech, a long talk with Mr. October and Dusty,” he said. “It was awesome.”

He also came away with a jersey signed by several players that he said he planned to hang on his wall. He was asked where the experience stacked up in his life.

“I don’t rank them, but this is pretty up there,” he said.

02 May 2023

IVE Discuss the ‘Power and Confidence’ Within Themselves & First Full-Length Album

IVE arrived on the K-pop scene in November 2020 and quickly became the industry’s next reliable hitmaker with three addictive yet distinctly unique singles: the exotically intriguing pop of “Eleven,” the snappy, runway-ready throbber “Love Dive,” and the Gloria Gaynor–sampling disco update “After Like.” But through the differing sounds, the girl group’s identity connected with K-pop fans thanks to undeniable cohesion and confidence to pull off whatever genre or concept that came next. That spirit stays strong in their first full-length album, the multidimensional I’ve IVE, which sees the K-pop stars to watch taking the next big step of their career alongside a new U.S. label partner in tow.

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Even before IVE’s official debut, anticipation was already high for the six-piece led by Yujin and Wonyoung, two of the most popular members from the sensational-but-temporary girl group IZ*ONE (who earned three entries on the World Albums chart and six on World Digital Song Sales during their two-and-a-half years together), as well as fresh faces in eldest member Gaeul, Japan-born Rei, power vocalist Liz, and youngest member Leeseo. From high kicks off the ground to simultaneously spinning and singing, the group developed under Korean super-label Starship Entertainment stood out for moving equally as one, even with varying degrees of original star power between members.

The same substantial stability comes through in I’ve IVE as the girls previewed their LP with the fun and rowdy chant-a-long buzz track “Kitsch” before dropping the power-pop bomb lead single “I Am.”

Within the LP, IVE is keen to present themselves as whatever kind of girl group the listener may enjoy but with their own added bite of self-assurance. The first listen of the sunny “Not Your Girl” recalls any flirty, feel-good ditty until the lyrics make it clear they’re not staying unless there’s a commitment and intention from the love interest. Plus, the opening track, “Blue Blood,” takes a common belief in South Korea that one’s blood type predicts their personality for IVE to declare themselves pure-hearted and exceptional over a dark, marching beat. Other standouts include the bossa nova influences through a plead for honesty on “Lips,” while “Heroine” is an invocation of self-assurance written by Yujin told through quirky electro-pop production, and “Mine” explains adorable infatuation through angelic harmonies and candy metaphors penned by Wonyoung.

Yujin, Wonyoung, Gaeul and Rei all boast writing credits through the LP that IVE says spotlights their belief in self and one another above any style or sound.

“Power and confidence are, outright, the most key concept,” Wonyoung says during an evening Zoom interview with Billboard. The member most comfortable with English, Wonyoung’s warmness is palpable through the screen as she’s eager to speak about the group’s dreams and her perspectives on fame. As untouchable as IVE appear on stage, there’s an undeniable relatability from sitting down to talk with them. Liz has a hilarious, no-bars-held candidness to her responses. At the same time, Gaeul uses her perspective as the oldest to fill in any missing details from her members and ensures everyone gets due credit, including shouting out their leader’s abilities when Yujin prearranged schedule didn’t allow her to join this chat.

“We are very excited to show such a variety of music styles in IVE’s first album,” Yujin says in a statement to Billboard after the interview. “This album is super meaningful to me as it’s our first full-length album and also because I participated in writing the lyrics for the first time. This album is like a package of different versions of IVE, and it has the unique color of IVE. I hope you look forward to our album and many other plans.”

Learn more about IVE’s colors, plans and more below.

Congratulations on this impressive full album, IVe. What’s everyone’s favorite song on the album?

Wonyoung: Mine is “Mine,” I wrote the lyrics too, so, I love it.

Liz: My favorite song is our title track [single], “I Am.”

Gaeul: I like the song “Hypnosis” because me and Rei wrote the lyrics to it, and it was the most fun to write the lyrics for that song.

Leeseo: “Shine With Me” is my favorite song because Wonyoung wrote the lyrics to it to link us to our fans, DIVE. It’s a message to their fans and the melody is especially very emotional to me.

Rei: “Cherish” because when we first listened to the demo, I could imagine how the members would be able to sing the song. And then once I listened to the completed song, I really loved the way it turned out.

We’re only with the five of you today. Does anyone know Yujin’s favorite song?

Wonyoung: “Heroine” or “Kitsch,” maybe?

As you mentioned, you were very involved in a lot of the songwriting on this album, some of you even the sole lyricist. What are your songwriting processes like?

Wonyoung: At first, I just listen to the song, just to get the feeling and set my mind right, usually at my home or in my room. If I get a certain feeling, I just write the whole song first and then just make little mixes, little changes. I love the process and I really love writing lyrics.

Rei: Once I receive the song, it’ll will have a blank portion without the rap, so I just kind of imagine a story and write lyrics according to that.

IVE has been successful with just three singles, but now it’s a full-length album with many more songs. Why was now the right time to make a studio album with “Kitsch” and “I Am” for singles?

Wonyoung: We’ve always had the desire to show a full album and our full power. For “Love Dive,” “After Like” and “Eleven,” I think we just made steps and strides with little-but-strong energy between us and DIVE. Now, we just thought this is the time to show our full-length and full energy to them. We really prepared a lot for this season and, now, we are ready.

Gaeul: We chose “Kitsch” as the pre-release single because we want to show a side of IVE that we haven’t shown before and kind of break free from the image that we’ve always had as a group. We wanted to challenge ourselves. And I feel like “I Am” is the lead single because our album title is I’ve IVE, and we thought that “I Am,” as a track on its own, would fit the most to the concept of the album.

I’ve heard debates about this but, in your own words, what is IVE’s concept or main message?

Wonyoung: I think the most important concept of us is of self-loving and self-love. But not just for us, we always want to say, “Please love yourself” to all of the listeners too. The power and confidence is, outright, the most key concept for us.

There are great messages in the “Kitsch” video too: The “You’re so weird, don’t change” neon sign. Or your jackets with “Books, not gun. Culture, not violence” patches. Can you talk about other messages you’re embracing?

Wonyoung: Mainly, we wanted to say, not just for us, but that you can change like us and can do everything and anything like us. The main [point] was, it’s not just about us—join us, join our culture and join in on everything. We just wanted to give listeners the power of believing in themselves. If we’re honest, the sentence and mottos were a little in cooperation with our director and the director’s ideas too but we worked on it all together.

I want to also congratulate you because IVE just signed with Columbia Records. What can we look forward to with this partnership?

Wonyoung: We’re really honored for that. First, we are really excited to work with another label and with other places like Columbia. We are, right now, really excited, and we’re really looking forward to that right now. For the start with Columbia, we really want to reach out to global fans all over the world. We are, right now, preparing a lot for our global fans.

Are there any plans you can share right now? Any planned visits to the U.S.?

Wonyoung: First, our “Prom Queens” fan-meeting tour will start with the Asia tour, and, hopefully, in the future, we really want to reach out In America, and everywhere else overseas. And not just for fan concerts, but we really want to visit the world to perform our own concerts. So, just keep cheering for us and hopefully you all can join us soon.

I’ve IVE is your first record eligible for the album charts on Billboard. Do you have any chart dreams?

Wonyoung: Even from our first song, we are really honored to have our name on the Billboard chart and really thankful for that. Hopefully, one day, we really want to visit Billboard in America with the six of us. We will prepare a lot in preparation for that day.

You are all very strong and charismatic personalities on your own but also very cohesive as a team—your choreography is seamless even when you spin and kick. What’s your teamwork secret?

Wonyoung: I think it’s the power of believing in each other; we just have a strong sense of belief between us. I let them do everything they want and they let me do everything I want. I think that makes the best cooperation between us; the belief.

Rei: During dance practices, we’ll use counting to match each other. For a really important part, we’ll stop and repeat that part and keep repeating it so that during the actual performances, we’ll think of the practice in our minds. That’s also how we stay so in sync with each other.

Wonyoung: Dance practices are pretty intense. For a long time, we would make and work on the choreographies every day for six hours or something. I think it’s pretty intense, but we’re always enthusiastic to show our fans and DIVEs the performances so I think that is the motivation for us.

Gaeul: Also, Yujin really helps with the details during dance practices and is willing to teach individual members different parts. She really does her part as the leader of the group.

Similarly, how do you stay well? Fans can see you so busy but may also worry about your physical, emotional, and mental health. How do you stay strong?

Wonyoung: If there’s nothing scheduled for the day, I spend time all by myself, just recovering on the outside and, of course, on the inside. Actually, I love to work out and do a lot of different exercises. On an off day, I’ll concentrate on my inside by listening to music; just hanging out by myself and working out helps me too. It feels like I’m healing myself.

Leeseo: I make sure I’m sleeping a lot, making sure I’m taking my vitamins, and taking care of my body physically.

Liz: I believe that you have to be mentally strong, or internally strong, in order for you to be physically or outwardly strong. For me, I really focus on believing in myself and believing in my decisions.

You do show such strength and confidence in yourselves. Wonyoung, you’ve spoken about this in the past, but what would IVE’s advice be for people needing that extra confidence?

Wonyoung: I want to say, you have more of the good times than tough times. Tough times and bad comments do not take away everything that is good: just believe the good, know you’re a good person, and just concentrate on yourself, your positive relationships and the good times. I think that is the important thing—just don’t mind them.

Liz: I like to just focus on the nice people who are saying good things rather than giving attention to the haters or negativity. I think that you have to be certain in yourself so that you don’t get sidetracked by any hate.

Do you have any other messages? Maybe to the international fans hoping to see you soon?

Gaeul: We’re working really hard to reach our global fans, so I wish they’ll just wait a little bit longer for us.

02 May 2023

Jessie Ware Just Wants to ‘Make People Dance’ With Joyful New Album ‘That! Feels Good!’

Jessie Ware had a straightforward goal with her new album That! Feels Good! (released April 28) – “The goal was to make people dance and make them feel sexy and romantic,” the pop singer-songwriter tells the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen to her full interview, below).

The new 10-track set, with production by Stuart Price and longtime collaborator James Ford, is a “delicious disco opus” and follows her warmly received 2020 album What’s Your Pleasure. The latter marked her highest-charting effort on the Official U.K. Albums chart (peaking at No. 3) and garnered Ware her first BRIT Award nomination for British album of the year.

“I wanted [the new album] to feel more live than What’s Your Pleasure?,” Ware continues, “but I still wanted there to be groove, and funk and soul dictating it – and elements of disco, of course. But to feel like a dance record, but a looser dance record, with a bit more color. That was the intention.”

So what’s changed for Ware in the nearly three years between What’s Your Pleasure? and That! Feels Good!? “I feel really centered and excited about putting music out,” she says. “I don’t kind of have that fear like I had before. What else has changed? The podcast [her hit show Table Manners, co-hosted with her mother Lennie Ware] has carried on. I’ve got another baby… I don’t know! I feel like a changed artist since the reception of What’s Your Pleasure?”

Ware will take That! Feels Good! on the road in the United States later this year, with a string of dates beginning in Chicago on Oct. 5. Before that, she’ll play the OUTLOUD @ WeHo Pride festival on June 2 in West Hollywood, Calif. in celebration of Pride Month.

Also on the new edition of the Pop Shop Podcast, we’ve got chart news on how Morgan Wallen continues to lead the Billboard 200 albums chart for an eighth week with One Thing at a Time, how Taylor Swift makes a splash on the list with a stunning 10 albums in the top 100 of the chart, and how for the first time ever, there are two regional Mexican songs in the top five (and 10!) of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)  

02 May 2023

G-Eazy Discusses Time Away From Music, Jay-Z’s Influence & His Return: ‘I Want My Seat at the Table’

G-Eazy is back. The Bay Area artist caught up with Billboard about his time away from the music scene, his come-up and his upcoming album.

“I went through some personal things with losing my mom and there was just a bit of an overall burnout,” he told Billboard R&B/hip-hop reporter Neena Rouhani. “We started aggressively trying to tour and release music independently. That level of grind catches up to you.”

After a soul-searching hiatus, the 33-year-old rapper is back in motion and has no plans of letting up. “I just needed that step back. Once that spark hit it was like, ‘Yeah, it’s over. We found it. Now y’all are in trouble.’”

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His latest single “Tulips & Roses” is all about giving flowers while someone is still here to receive them. The track centers on “human vulnerability,” G-Eazy says, adding, “People put artists on this pedestal where you’re supposed to be the superhero and invincible. But at the end of the day, anybody could have a bad day or catch an L.”

The rapper is pleased with the fan reaction to “Tulips & Roses,” which has over 1 million views on YouTube. “When you make music, you’re making it in the studio with your closest team. When you put it out, all of a sudden, it has this life because it’s impacting all these people,” he says.

G-Eazy reflected on his journey, from a 13-year-old kid who bumped Too $hort, Mac Dre and E-40 in his bedroom to a world-famous artist playing arena shows. “I started making beats and the beats were trash. I started like writing little raps in my notebooks, I didn’t know how to like structure a song or even how to count bars,” he explains of his early years. “I’m just 14 in Oakland, in size 36 jeans and baggy white tees.”

But one day, while listening to Jay-Z’s critically acclaimed The Black Album, everything changed. “I was like, if we’re gonna do this, I want to chase him. I want to aspire to that,” he says today. “If I could go back in time and tell that 14-year-old version of me that we’d be sitting here doing this or that I’ve done these arenas, that’s unfathomable.”

02 May 2023

Megan Thee Stallion Is Gearing Up for Hot Girl Summer With Swimsuit Selfies & Natural Curls

It feels like Hot Girl Summer is just around the corner, and Megan Thee Stallion is kicking the season off with some sizzling selfies.

The “Savage” rapper took to Instagram on Tuesday (May 2) to share a slew of photos in which she’s seen posing in a sleek crochet two-piece set, a colorful maxi dress, a bedazzled cut-out gown, a tropical swimsuit and so much more, all while rocking a gorgeous naturally curly hairdo. The OG Hot Girl captioned the post with a simple camera emoji and, at the time of publication, the post already has more than one million likes.

Back in March, Meg teased a new album at the Vanity Fair Oscar party — much to fans’ excitement. When asked by Entertainment Tonight about the possibility of new music on the way, the rapper replied, “Oh I am, new album, f–k y’all hoes, bye!” before walking away with a laugh.

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A new full-length project would serve as a follow-up to her 2022 sophomore effort Traumazine, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and contained hit singles “Sweetest Pie” with Dua Lipa, “Plan B,” “Pressurelicious” featuring Future, “Her” and the Key Glock-assisted “Ungrateful.”

One person who’d be down to collaborate with Meg on upcoming music is Shania Twain, who revealed at the 2023 CMT Music Awards that the two got acquainted when the rapper presented her with the Equal Play Honor at the show. “I love her… what a sweetheart!” Twain said of the “Thot S—” rapper. “I think that [a collaboration] would really work… I love her whole mind.”