Music News

18 Apr 2023

Jamie Foxx Remains Hospitalized a Week After ‘Medical Complication’

A week after Jamie Foxx‘s daughter revealed that he 55-year-old actor/singer had been hospitalized for an undisclosed “medical complication,” Foxx is reportedly still in hospital. CNN reported that Foxx remains in a Georgia hospital getting treatment for an as-yet-unnamed medical issue, an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation told the network.

Last week, the Oscar-winning actor and singer’s daughter, Corinne Foxx, shared in an Instagram post that her dad “experienced a medical complication” and that he was “already on his way to recovery.”

At press time there was still no additional information available about what sent Foxx to the hospital or what treatment he received and a spokesperson had not returned requests for comment . But CNN reported on Friday that that Foxx was still in hospital and undergoing undisclosed tests. Foxx has been filming Back in Action with Cameron Diaz in Atlanta and the source told the network that the medical incident didn’t take place on the set and Foxx was not transported to the hospital by EMS. It was unknown at press time if Foxx had wrapped his portion of the shoot before the incident.

Corinne Foxx has not posted an update on her father’s condition since her initial comment. Foxx’s most recent social media post came just days before the revelation of his illness and it included a short video cued to Rick Ross’ verse from Nicole Bus’ “You” in which he was seen chilling on a megayacht. At press time it did not appear that Foxx had commented on his health issue on his socials.

18 Apr 2023

Fugees Rapper Pras Launches Defense in Campaign Finance Trial

A Fugees rapper on trial in a multimillion-dollar campaign finance and foreign influence case was trying to reinvent himself as he entered the political arena, not break any laws, defense attorneys said Monday (April 17).

Prakazrel “Pras” Michel became a best-selling, Grammy-winning artist with the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees, but in the years after its breakup was looking for his next chapter, attorney David Kenner said as he began making the defense case.

Michel surrounded himself with people to help with his transition to politics and eventually entered the orbit of a wealthy Malaysian “playboy” but didn’t engage in “James Bond … cloak and dagger stuff,” he said.

“There was no agreement to do anything in an unlawful way,” Kenner said.

Michel is charged in political conspiracies under two different U.S. presidents. Federal prosecutors say he funneled money from the fugitive Malaysian financer through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. He’s also accused of trying to squelch an investigation into the businessman and persuade then-President Donald Trump’s administration to return to China a “vocal critic of the government.”

The Justice Department says Michel conspired with Low Taek Jho, usually known as Jho Low. The fugitive financier is accused of masterminding a money laundering and bribery scheme that pilfered billions from the Malaysian state investment fund known as 1MDB. Low has maintained his innocence.

Looted money paid for jewelry and luxury art and helped finance Hollywood films like The Wolf of Wall Street. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio testified that Low had appeared to him to be a legitimate businessman and had mentioned wanting to donate to Obama’s campaign.

When Michel first met Low at a nightclub in 2006, the businessman “appeared and acted as though he had unlimited amounts of money,” Kenner said. Michel would later make money himself through his association with Low, but “making money, even if you consider it greedy, is not a crime.”

Prosecutors, on the other hand, say Low directed millions to Michel, who funneled the money to straw donors to give to the Obama reelection campaign in 2012. He later tried to lean on the donors to keep them from talking to investigators, prosecutors said.

In 2017, prosecutors say, the Grammy-winning rapper worked with a Republican “fixer” to try and shut down a U.S. investigation into Low and embezzlement from the Malaysian fund. He’s also accused of pushing the Trump administration to send a Chinese person who had fled to the U.S. back to China.

The defense says he tried to set up a meeting on that issue, but no one ever told him he should have registered as a foreign agent before doing so, Kenner said.

“What he was trying to do was go through the proper channels,” he said.

18 Apr 2023

Bad Bunny Team Clarifies Apparent Harry Styles On-Screen Diss During Coachella Headlining Set

Bad Bunny‘s team had a simple message for upset Harry Styles fans on Monday: no se pretende faltar al respeto. After Benito appeared to shade Harry during his historic headlining Coachella set on Friday night, the reggaeton superstar’s team said a tweet that appeared behind Bunny during the performance was not what it seemed.

The tweet stated: “goodnight benito could do as it was but harry could never do el apagaon.” The latter is a reference to the song “El Apagón” from Bunny’s acclaimed Un Verano Sin Ti album and the former was just confusing. On Monday (April 17) a rep for Bunny told Rolling Stone that the singer had no comment, adding that Benito did not approve of the message in the tweet.

The visual content company that produced the images for his set, Sturdy.co, also reportedly confirmed that Bunny did not approve the Styles-dissing tweet and said it also did not intend to throw shade at the British singer/actor.

“Our intention is to create light hearted designs that embody Bad Bunny’s personality and amplify the experience he presents as a performer,” Sturdy.co reportedly said in an Instagram Story statement on Monday. “The request from the artist during the visuals for ‘El Apagón’ performance was to use the image only and not text from the tweet, which we take responsibility for and correct it for [this] Friday’s performance. These visuals are a celebration of Bad Bunny and his dedication to empowering his native island, Puerto Rico.”

While Bunny has not reacted to the viral tweetstorm set off by the apparent Harry shade, fans speculated that it suggested he could easily have penned Style’s hit “As It Was,” while there was no way Styles could have written “El Apagón”; Bunny’s Un Verano album was up for record and song of the year at this year’s Grammy Awards and was bested by Styles’ Harry’s House for album of the year.

Bad Bunny became Coachella’s first-ever solo Latino headliner on Friday, during which he shared a poignant message about life in the celebrity bubble. “Humbly speaking, people think they know the lives of famous people, but they don’t,” he told his crowd. “They don’t know what we feel, what we live through,” he continued. “They will never know what a heart can feel. Don’t believe everything you hear. You won’t get to know the real me through a video on Instagram, an interview or a TikTok.”

At press time it did not appear that Styles has reacted to the tweet’s display during Bad Bunny’s action-packed two-hour set, which included special guests Jhayco, Jowell & Randy and Ñengo Flow, Post Malone and a jet ski.

18 Apr 2023

Justin Bieber Sends Supportive Message to Frank Ocean After Divisive Coachella Set: ‘His Artistry Is Simply Unmatched’

By most accounts Frank Ocean‘s first live performance in six years and eagerly anticipated headlining set at Coachella was confusing at best and not really what Oceanographers expected. But one person who had nothing but high praise for the elusive singer’s live presentation was Justin Bieber, who posted an effusive Instagram tribute to the artist he said “deeply” moved him.

Next to an image of Ocean’s face blown up on the stage’s massive screens, Bieber wrote, “I was blown away by Frank Oceans Coachella performance. His artistry is simply unmatched, his style, his taste, his voice, his attention to detail.. I was deeply moved. It made me want to keep going and get better as an artist. He continues to set the bar high and gave me a night I will never forget! Thanks Frank.”

Bieber’s plaudit was a rare voice of support about the performance that reportedly confused and disappointed many fans when the livestream of the show was cancelled at the last minute, the artist offered no merch for sale and Ocean took the stage an hour late to sing what was described as a low-energy set of reworked songs from his catalog. Videos showed a seated Ocean and his band mostly obscured by a group of dancers walking in circles around the stage.

On Monday, Ocean’s team confirmed to Billboard that the enigmatic singer suffered an unspecified ankle injury during on-site rehearsals in the week before the show that required the last-minute scrapping of a planned on-stage ice rink that was built for Sunday night’s headline performance. The skaters cast for the show then still joined Ocean onstage and wore custom Prada puffer jackets, acting as impromptu backup dancers.

Ocean was originally slated to headline the 2020 Coachella, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s unclear how the reported injury will impact Ocean’s weekend 2 performance on Sunday (April 23).

See Bieber’s post below.

17 Apr 2023

CMT & mtheory Reveal New Members of Equal Access Development Program

CMT and management services company mtheory have revealed the six new candidates selected to take part in the Equal Access Development Program, its yearlong artist and management training program designed to support underrepresented voices and communities in country music, including Black, Native and Indigenous, Latino, LGBTQ+ and women.

This year’s participants are artists Angie K, Camille Parker and Denitia, as well as music industry executives Ahsaki LaFrance-Chachere, Alex Evelyn and Roberto Martinez.

The Equal Access Program launched in April 2022, spearheaded by mtheory CEO Cameo Carlson and Tiffany Provenzano, as well as CMT senior vp of music & talent Leslie Fram. The program provides funding and training, as well as access to industry leaders, with the goal of creating a multifaceted pipeline of diverse talent in country music.

Angie K previously competed with Team Blake on NBC’s The Voice and is part of CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2023. Her music often blends country with her Latin roots, such as her bilingual release “Real Talk,” which made her a Highway Find on SiriusXM. Parker, a member of CMT’s Next Women of Country Class of 2022, also recently competed on AppleTV+’s My Kind of Country. Parker is also currently recording her debut EP with producers Chris McClenny and David Phelps. Texas native Denitia is a multi-instrumentalist who has played saxophone, trumpet and guitar and has roots in a myriad of musical genres, including gospel, folk and alternative rock.

LaFrance-Chachere is a Diné (Navajo) tribal member and African-American woman, who aims to demonstrate that Native Americans/Indigenous people are diverse despite stereotypical depictions. Her LaChachere Management & Publishing represents country music artists Dzaki Sukarno, C’ing Jerome and Jay Brown. Evelyn is CEO/founder of management and development company Big Al Management, which includes clients YSA and Khrys Hatch. Evelyn also serves as radio/TV producer/show host at YoCo 96.7 FM in Nashville. Martinez has worked as a songwriter, producer and recording engineer. After a five-year stint at Warner Music Group, Martinez manages artists in multiple genres as CEO of The Exos Group and is partner in Coco’s Backstage.

Carlson, CEO of mtheory, said via a statement, “Research continues to show the enduring racial and gendered hierarchy within the industry, and its ripple effect throughout every facet of the business: radio airplay, songwriting, publishing, streaming, record label signings, artist development, touring and more. Only through deliberate, consistent efforts like Equal Access, will we begin to see stronger representation of underserved groups in the format, and we’re committed to helping this new group of exceptionally talented individuals successfully prepare for careers in country music, particularly in this current legislative environment that has become an increasingly prohibitive place for creativity to grow and flourish. Thank you to all of our supporters for making this program possible, particularly our title sponsors at CMT and across the Paramount companies.”  

Fram added, “CMT, along with Paramount Global and its Content for Change initiative, is proud to partner with mtheory once again and is committed to leading the industry in igniting systemic change. Equal Access accentuates our roster of groundbreaking initiatives including CMT Equal Play and CMT Next Women of Country, and contributes significantly towards leveling the playing field in country music. We look forward to collaborating with this amazing new group of artists and managers to amplify their work to CMT audiences and beyond.” 

The inaugural 2022-23 Equal Access cohort included artists Madeline Edwards, Miko Marks and Valerie Ponzio and music management professionals Charlene Bryant, Kadeem Phillips and Marques Vance.

Over the past year, the 2022-23 Equal Access class members have reached numerous goals. Edwards signed a publishing deal with Sony Music Publishing, a recording deal with Warner Music Nashville and has toured with Chris Stapleton and Ingrid Andress. Marks released the album Feel Like Going Home with music reaching the top five on the Americana Radio Albums chart, while her single “One More Night” reached the top 20. Ponzio released her EP Frontera and had her music featured on the Times Square billboard and on CMT. Marks and Edwards both made their Grand Ole Opry debut performances.

Bryant now manages artist Harper Grae and is a consultant for Universal Music Nashville. Vance began a full-time job with a major label and launched a website to feature his work as a manager and marketing consultant. Phillips launched the Empower the Block website to showcase his work as a manager, publisher, distributor and studio owner, and launched a monthly showcase, Spirit of Country, to highlight country artists of color.

17 Apr 2023

James Corden Teases BLACKPINK’s Carpool Karaoke Segment

Fresh off their jaw-dropping headlining set during Coachella’s first weekend, BLACKPINK is hitting the road with James Corden for one of the talk show host’s final Carpool Karaoke segments.

To tease the upcoming episode, Corden took to Instagram to share a video in which he’s seen in the car asking for “someone to help me get to work.” He then pans the camera to the passenger and back seats, where the stunning girl group is seen smiling and saying in unison, “BLACKPINK in your area!”

The Carpool Karaoke segment featuring Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa and Rosé, airs on Tuesday night (April 18) during CBS’ The Late Late Show With James Corden. The piece will air in one of the late-night show’s final 12 episodes, which will conclude April 27. 

On Saturday (April 15), the global superstars became the first Korean act to headline Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. “So… let me start off with, four years ago we were invited to perform here for you at Coachella at the Sahara tent and that made a mark in all of our hearts,” Rosé told the crowd during their set, which featured performances of hits like “Pink Venom,” “Lovesick Girls,” “DDU-DU DDU-DU” and many more. ”I must say, this is a dream come true … the reason all four of us are here is because of you.”

Read Billboard‘s full recap here.

17 Apr 2023

Did Doja Cat Just Unveil Her Next Album’s Track List?

Fans have been wanting new music from Doja Cat ever since the success of her 2021 album, Planet Her, and their wishes are finally coming true.

The 27-year-old superstar took to her Instagram Stories on Monday (April 17) to drop what looks like a 19-song track list for her upcoming album. Tracks include titles like “Attention,” “Love Life,” “97,” “Wet Vagina,” “Can’t Wait” and an “unfinished” song called “Ouchies.” She has yet to confirm if the post is actually a track listing for her upcoming project.

See her Story before it disappears here. Doja’s Planet Her peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart dated July 10, 2021, and produced a number of long-lasting hits including “Need to Know,” “Woman,” “Ain’t S—” and “Get Into It (Yuh).”

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Earlier in the day, Doja went live on Instagram, where she played one-second snippets of songs set to appear on her forthcoming rap album, tentatively titled Hellmouth, according to TMZ.

In other music news, Doja recently teamed up with her “Kiss Me More” collaborator SZA for a remix of the latter’s S.O.S. hit, “Kill Bill.” The original version of the track reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, between January and the most recently published April 15-dated chart, and its parent LP has logged 10 weeks atop the Billboard 200.

17 Apr 2023

Bebe Rexha Calls Out TikTok Over Weight-Related Search Suggestion: ‘It Just Sucks’

Bebe Rexha is calling out TikTok for highlighting a suggested search questioning her weight.

“Seeing that search bar is so upsetting,” the pop star tweeted above a screenshot from the social app showing “bebe rexha weight” written into the related search history. “I’m not mad cause it’s true. I did gain weight. But it just sucks. Thank you to all the people who love me no matter what.”

The 2023 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards performer had already gotten support from fans in the very screenshot she posted, with one writing, “I [love] her for being so unique and real, she loves herself inside and outside and we can see it” with a heart-hands emoji. Another simply added, “Beautiful she is” to the hundreds of comments on TikTok.

Other Twitter users called out TikTok’s interface for suggesting the search terms in the first place. “Someone at @tiktokus’s policies team need change what comes up on the related search bar, right now! This is toxic and terrible!” wrote popular YouTuber Kandee Johnson. “@TikTokSupport you need to do better. Care about the people on your platform and not making it toxic like this.”

Meanwhile, Rexha’s self-titled third album BEBE is due April 28 via Warner Records, preceded by the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 David Guetta collab “I’m Good (Blue)” and the follow-ups “Heart Wants What It Wants” and “Call on Me.”

Check out Rexha’s tweet about TikTok below.

17 Apr 2023

Ariana Grande Talks ‘Wicked’ & Leaked Demos During R.E.M. Beauty Makeup Tutorial

Ariana Grande is celebrating one year of her makeup brand R.E.M. Beauty being sold at Ulta Beauty, and treated fans to a little makeup tutorial while answering some fan questions.

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The blonde-haired “Positions” singer is in the midst of filming the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of Wicked, in which she plays Glinda the Good Witch. “Life is beautiful and surreal. I’m learning so much and I’m growing so much right now and I’m working my a– off and I’m enjoying and savoring every moment of it,” she shared of her current feelings, putting together a cut-crease eye look using her Midnight Shadows eyeshadow palette in the shade Smitten Kitten.

“It’s weird because it’s exhausting but I’m not tired,” she added of the filming process. “I will do it again right now. Every single thing — I don’t want to stop, I don’t want to do the weekends, I don’t want to go home, I don’t want to leave ever. So, Cynthia [Erivo] and I are — this is the phrase we keep saying — husks. We are shells of people, and I’m savoring every single second humanly possible.”

And yes, Glinda will soon be seen wearing some R.E.M. Beauty products, even though Grande told her makeup artist that she shouldn’t feel pressure to wear makeup from her line. “I don’t want to go into this with any rules or requests,” she explained. “I want us to find [Glinda] from the ground up. I just want to sit down and let you play and we’ll find her together. I wanted to be a new girl.”

Grande even addressed some of the unreleased demos that have been spreading on TikTok, as well as the leaked news that R.E.M. is working on foundations. “You guys have heard every bad song and bulls— demo I’ve ever made,” she said. “Hilarious! It’s impossible to keep things from you. You gotta take some swings and misses.”

Watch the full tutorial and Q&A below.

17 Apr 2023

Billy Joel Brought His Adorable Daughters to Watch (And Meet!) Taylor Swift at The Eras Tour in Tampa

Billy Joel has a pair of Swifties on his hands. The Piano Man took his two young daughters to see Taylor Swift during her Eras Tour stop in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday night, much to their excitement and delight.

The “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” singer shared a carousel of photos to his personal Instagram page on Sunday, which included images of his wife, Alexis Roderick, and their two little girls, Della Rose, 7, and Remy Anne, 5 — who appeared to be dressed in outfits inspired by the folklore/evermore and Lover eras — posing for pictures before the show and later dancing along as Swift sang “Are You Ready for It?”

“Rockin’ into our new ‘era’ thank you @Taylorswift we loved the show! #swifties #taylorswift #theerastour,” the veteran musician captioned the images. The girls also got an extra special treat: They were able to meet Swift herself backstage alongside their mom and dad.

Joel and his family are far from the first celebrities to geek out at Swift’s Eras tour. Selena Gomez, Jack Antonoff, HAIM, Aaron Dessner, Marcus Mumford, Diplo and Shania Twain are among a handful of the tour’s celebrity attendees (see a full list of all the famous guests at The Eras Tour here).

The Eras Tour is scheduled to continue with a trio of dates at Houston’s NRG Stadium this weekend, with Beabadoobee and Gracie Abrams opening. The tour will make stops in Nashville, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and more before concluding at Inglewood, Calif.’s SoFi Stadium on Aug. 9.

See Joel’s pictures from The Eras Tour below.