Music News

14 Apr 2023

Emilia, Big One & Callejero Fino’s ‘En La Intimidad’ Adds a Seventh Week Atop Billboard Argentina Hot 100

Emilia, Big One and Callejero Fino celebrate another week in command as “En La Intimidad” adds a seventh week at No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart (dated April 8). With seven weeks up top, the song continues its longest-leading run in 2023 thus far, moving away ahead of its closest competitor, Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” which ruled for four weeks.

Karol G and Shakira’s “TQG” claims a sixth week at No. 2, encompassing its entire run on the chart. Luck Ra, La K’Onga and Ke Personajes’ “Ya No Vuelvas” rebounds 7-3, after the song topped the 100-deep tally for one week in February. 

Ke Personajes also places a second top 10 with “Pobre Corazón,” featuring Onda Sabanera, which rises 12-9, while Luck Ra and La K’Onga concurrently take home the Greatest Gainer trophy with a 33-rank surge as “Te Mentiría” rallies from No. 68 to No. 35.

Further, TINI’s “Cupido” falls 3-4, and BM’s “M. A. (Mejores Amigos)” holds at No. 5 for a sixth week. Meanwhile, Argentinian Milo J scores his first top 10 as “Rara Vez,” with Taiu, climbs 11-8. It’s a second top 10 for Taiu after he led for four weeks through his featured turn in Trueno and Nicki Nicole’s “Mamichula,” which also features Bizarrap and Tatool. 

Elsewhere, Duki and C.R.O earn the Hot Shot Debut of the week with “Harakiri” at No. 22. With 39 career entries, Duki breaks from a tie with Maria Becerra for the fourth-most among all acts, trailing Bad Bunny’s 57 entries, J Balvin’s 49 and Bizarrap’s 43 total entries. 

Emilia concurrently adds a new charting title as “Jagger.mp3” opens at No. 30.

Lastly, the week features five other debuts: Feid and Young Miko’s “Classy 101” at No. 53; Big One, FMK and Ke Personajes’ “Un Finde | CROSSOVER #2” at No. 70; Yami Safdie’s “De Nada” at No. 73; Tiago PZK’s “Que Se Parezca A Ti” at No. 79 and BM’s “Ven Mami” at No. 81. 

14 Apr 2023

Katy Perry, Lionel Richie & Andrea Bocelli Lead King Charles’ Coronation Lineup

King Charles’ coronation concert officially has its lineup, with Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Andrea Bocelli leading the pack, according to People.

The BBC Studios Productions-organized event will also feature pop group Take That, Sir Bryn Terfel, Freya Ridings and Alexis Ffrench, and is set to take place on the grounds of Windsor Castle on May 7, one day after King Charles and Queen Camilla are crowned at Westminster Abbey. The Coronation Choir, which brings together singers from the Portishead RNLI sea shanty choir, farmers, cab drivers and reggae groups, will also deliver a special performance.

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“The concert will celebrate a new chapter in the nation’s history, with themes of love, respect and optimism, celebrating the four nations, their communities and the Commonwealth,” the BBC said in a statement to the publication.

It’s no surprise that American Idol judges Perry and Richie are performing at the coronation concert, as they’ve had ties to the royal family for years. The “Roar” superstar is an ambassador of The British Asian Trust, while Richie was appointed the First Global Ambassador and First Chairman of the Global Ambassador Group for The Prince’s Trust in 2019. 

The coronation concert will stream on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.

14 Apr 2023

BTS Sing as a Full Group on Soundtrack for Animated Film ‘Bastions’: Listen to a Preview

While the BTS members are focusing more time on their solo careers, the pop icons are keeping their promise to deliver special group projects in the meantime.

Korean animated film Bastions announced on Friday, April 14, that BTS sings the theme song to its upcoming 3D superhero movie. According to a Korean media report shared by BIGHIT MUSIC, the single features BTS as a full group. Other reports shared the track was recorded before Jin enlisted in his mandatory South Korean military service last December.

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Bastions also shared a 30-second preview of the track alongside clips from the flick described as a “K-pop action hero 3D animation” to tell a story of superheroes fighting environmental-pollution villains. Jung Kook and Jimin‘s unmistakable vocals were featured prominently in the clip of the bouncy K-pop song that sounds like it should fit nicely alongside bright BTS hits like “Boys With Luv” or “Butter.”

The Bastions soundtrack will be a star-studded K-pop affair with songs also by BTS’ HYBE label mates LE SSERAFIM, chart-topping female troupe Brave Girls, American Song Contest winner AleXa, soul-pop songbird Heize, rising K-R&B star P.Cassady and more.

The official Bastions websites shares the song’s release is “coming soon,” pointing to a May 12 release date, with the movie premiering on the public Korean TV channel SBS on May 14 at 7:30 a.m. local time. Bastions has shared plans to broadcast the film worldwide as well.

The new Bastions single will be BTS’ first song credited to the full group after last year’s “Bad Decisions” from August with Benny Blanco and Snoop Dogg. The track peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100 and No. 26 on Pop Radio. Worldwide, the star-studded collab reached No. 6 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 7 on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart.

14 Apr 2023

Suga Gives Stripped Back Performance of ‘People’ Ahead of ‘Road to D-DAY’: Watch

Just one more week until Suga’s album D-DAY arrives! To further drum up anticipation for its release, as well as its corresponding SUGA: Road to D-DAY Disney+ documentary, the BTS rapper shared a snippet from the film of him giving a stripped back performance of his 2020 track “People” on Friday (April 14).

The video sees Suga looking relaxed and laid back in double denim, backed by instrumentalists on the keyboard, guitar and drums. The BTS rapper passionately delivers the track’s pre-chorus “Why so serious?/ Why so serious?/ Why so serious?/ (Hmm-hmm-hmm) I’m so serious/ I’m so serious (I’m so serious), I’m so, I’m so,” in English before rapping the rest of his song, which appears on his D-2 mixtape, in his native Korean.

Seeing Suga performing — as well as working on music throughout the rest of the documentary — is likely a relief for BTS ARMY. The rapper previously expressed desire to quit music altogether in the film’s first official trailer.

“I believe that wounds and scars are the results of our actions. It takes a lot of guts to let go of something. The day I’m free from all the negative thoughts, I’ll set it as D-Day and start all over again,” he says. “I think of quitting music more than a hundred times a day, but when everyone comes together like this, I can do it because it make me feel like making music is fun.”

SUGA: Road to D-DAY will arrive on April 21, the same day that Suga’s debut solo album is set to arrive. Watch his stripped back performance of “People” in the video above.

14 Apr 2023

Suga’s Agust D Radio Is Coming to Apple Music for ‘D-DAY’

Apple Music announced on Thursday night (April 13) that Suga will be launching Agust D Radio in support of his debut solo album D-DAY.

“Set your alarms, #SUGA is coming to Apple Music Radio!” the streamer tweeted. “Get ready for the release of his debut solo album #D_DAY and tune in to #AgustDRadio weekly at 7PM PT Mondays / 11AM KST Tuesdays.”

The BTS member’s first radio show, titled “Ep. 1 Dream,” will premiere next Monday (April 17) just days ahead of D-DAY’s unveiling the following Friday (April 21) via BigHit Music. (For now, the themes of the five episodes to follow the full-length’s release remain a mystery to be revealed at a later date.)

ARMY from all across the world couldn’t hold back their excitement at the news, flooding the replies with tweets like “AgustD Radio and 5 eps ??? OH YESSS IM READY LETSGO” and “Yes! As an AM user for years and BTS fan and Yoongi biased, I appreciate it.” Others showed their dedication by vowing to listen to each episode even if they aired as early as 4 a.m. in their time zone, with one fan in particular declaring, “I WILL BE WAKING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT FOR YOONGI ONLY.”

In other BTS news, Suga was recently named an official ambassador for the NBA, a role that will play into his upcoming world tour for D-DAY. Meanwhile, the boy band’s traveling exhibition Proof is headed to Los Angeles to commemorate the septet’s 10-year anniversary as a group.

Check out Apple Music’s announcement of Agust D Radio below.

14 Apr 2023

Drake Calls AI-Generated Cover of Him Rapping Ice Spice’s ‘Munch’ ‘The Final Straw’

Drake is in his feelings.

On Friday (April 14), the chart-topping artist took to Instagram to voice his opinion about AI-generated versions of his voice, particularly a video that features him rapping Bronx artist Ice Spice’s “Munch.”

“This is the last straw,” he wrote on his story, along with a post about the AI clip. The pairing of Drake with Ice Spice is particularly interesting, given the rappers’ history. While Drake was an early advocate of Ice Spice, born Isis Gaston, he unfollowed her on Instagram, something Gaston had no explanation for in interviews. However, shortly after, he re-followed her.

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Drake’s complaint comes after Universal Music Group asked streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music to prevent artificial intelligence companies from accessing their copyrighted songs. AI companies would use the music to “train” their machines, something that is becoming a cause for concern within the music industry.

In an email sent to Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms, UMG said that it had become aware that certain AI services had been trained on copyrighted music “without obtaining the required consents” from those who own the songs.

“We will not hesitate to take steps to protect our rights and those of our artists,” UMG warned in the email, first obtained by the Financial Times. Billboard confirmed the details with sources on both sides. Although there isn’t clarity on what those steps would be or what streaming platforms can do to stop it, labels and artists alike seem aligned about a needed change.

UMG later issued a statement regarding the email sent to DSPs. “We have a moral and commercial responsibility to our artists to work to prevent the unauthorized use of their music and to stop platforms from ingesting content that violates the rights of artists and other creators. We expect our platform partners will want to prevent their services from being used in ways that harm artists,” it read.

Other AI covers making the rounds include Rihanna singing Beyoncé’s “Cuff It,” which sounded relatively believable, aside from a glitch during a melodic run.

While the implications of artificial intelligence poking its head into music can be scary for artists and labels alike, it’s hard not to smirk at Drizzy rapping, “A– too fat, can’t fit in no jeans.”

14 Apr 2023

SEVENTEEN Fight for Their Lives in Cinematic ‘FML’ Trailer

SEVENTEEN unveiled “F*ck My Life: Life in a Minute,” the intense trailer for their upcoming mini-album FML, on Friday (April 13).

“How do you define the world that surrounds you?” an unseen narrator asks over dramatic, dystopian visuals of security officers wielding orange batons and a car crash. “In the middle of this f–king world. You’re not allowed to feel happy. But you deserve to be happy. So fight. Fight for your life.”

As one member drops a pin emblazoned with the latter phrase, the rest of the idols do just that — smashing a television with a baseball bat, gazing up at the stars surrounded by telescopes and sitting on a serene beach as the narration continues: “Be an explorer. Be spontaneous. Break free from the perfectly unhappy world. Where are we going? How’s it going to end?”

The clip ends with all 13 members ecstatically racing down a beach towards an awaiting speedboat before the scene fades to black and the narrator concludes, “Inspired by everyone around the world. Coming soon.”

FML is set to be released April 24, just nine months after the boy band’s most recent full-length SECTOR 17. According to the tracklist released earlier this month on Twitter, the mini-album will contain six tracks including “F*ck My Life,” “Fire,” “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U,” “Dust” and “April shower.”

Sub-unit BSS, made up of Seungkwan, DK & Hoshi, also dropped their new single album Second Wind back in February with guest appearances by Korean hip-hop star Lee Youngji (lead single “Fighting”) and Norwegian singer-songwriter Peder Elias (“7PM”).

Watch SEVENTEEN chase happiness in the trailer for FML below.

14 Apr 2023

Morgan Wallen Scores His Ninth Country Airplay Top 10 — And Makes Chart History

Morgan Wallen notches his ninth top 10 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, as “One Thing at a Time” rises to No. 10 on the list dated April 22.

In the week ending April 13, the song gained by 9% to 17.3 million impressions, according to Luminate.

The track is the title cut to Wallen’s latest LP, which has spent its first five weeks at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart, as well as the all-genre Billboard 200. It drew 173,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 6.

Meanwhile, Wallen becomes the first artist to post three solely-billed songs simultaneously in the top 15 since Country Airplay began in January 1990. “Thought You Should Know,” which ruled for three weeks in February-March, ranks at No. 5 (22.8 million, down 4%) and “Last Night” leaps 17-13 (16.1 million, up 28%, good for Greatest Gainer honors).

Two other artists have charted three songs at once in the Country Airplay top 15 but with other credited acts: Tim McGraw, for two weeks in 2016 (thanks to collaborations with Big & Rich and Florida Georgia Line), and Kenny Chesney, for two frames in 2004 (Jimmy Buffett, Uncle Kracker).

The No. 1 song on the April 15-dated Billboard Hot 100, for a second nonconsecutive week, “Last Night” also pushes to No. 20 on Pop Airplay and No. 21 on Adult Pop Airplay and debuts at No. 27 on Adult Contemporary (all dated April 22).

‘Rock’ Steady

Meanwhile, Bailey Zimmerman’s “Rock and a Hard Place” becomes the first song to lead Country Airplay for four weeks in 2023 (34.2 million, down 1%).

The track is Zimmerman’s second straight career-opening Country Airplay No. 1, after “Fall in Love” led for one week in December. Plus, his new single, “Religiously,” ranks at No. 56 (980,000, up 3%).

14 Apr 2023

Katy Perry Says She’s ‘Due’ for a Tour

While Katy Perry spent a good portion of 2022 dazzling The Theatre at Resorts World for her Las Vegas residency, it’s been six years since her last world tour in support of her fifth studio album, Witness.

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In a new interview with Out, Perry said that it’s about time she hits the road again. “I still love making music. I still love spreading light and love,” she told the publication. “I know there’s a lot of people who couldn’t make it to Vegas. The last time I was on tour was in 2018. I’m… due. How about that? I’m due to go out and see the kids that couldn’t make it to Vegas.”

As for her extravagant Vegas residency, titled Play, the 38-year-old superstar looks back on the experience fondly and with empowerment. “I’m just so proud of the show that we created and we put on. It is such a spectacular show that we love so much,” she shared. “It’s almost like the greatest hits show! I call it all thriller, no filler. I wish I could bring it to the rest of the world, but it’s just not technically possible to cart around OTT toilets and bathtubs. Closing a chapter on Play allows me to start a new chapter. I’m so excited for the potential of my story to continue.”

The power-packed set list kicked off with “ET,” “Chained to the Rhythm,” “Dark Horse” and “It’s Not the End of the World,” and included hits like “California Gurls,” “Hot N’ Cold/Last Friday Night,” “Waking up in Vegas,” “Bon Appetit,” “Daisies,” “I Kissed a Girl,” “Lost/Part of Me/Wide Awake,” “Swish Swish,” “When I’m Gone/Walking on Air!,” “Never Really Over,” “Teenage Dream,” “Smile” and Roar.”

14 Apr 2023

Japan’s Fujii Kaze Announces First International Tour

J-pop singer-songwriter Fujii Kaze announced his first world tour, entitled “Fujii Kaze and the piano Asia Tour,” set to hit six cities in the region starting in Seoul, South Korea June 24.

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Fujii suddenly went viral in Thailand last July with his song “I’d Rather Die” (“Shinunoga E-Wa”) from his first album HELP EVER HURT NEVER from May 2020. This song has since gone global, spreading from Asian countries to Europe, Latin and North Americas, reaching No. 1 on Spotify’s viral charts in each region.

As the tour title suggests, the 25-year-old artist’s first international trek will feature an intimate set with just the star and a piano. After kicking off in Seoul, the singer will travel to Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, and Hong Kong for a total of eight shows. 

The official tour image, teaser and new artist photo also dropped, featuring the young star with a new look. Vinyl editions of Fujii’s first album and sophomore set LOVE ALL SERVE ALL will be released in the touring markets and re–released in Japan in conjunction with the tour.

See the tour dates and teaser below:

June 24 – Seoul, South Korea Kwangwoon University Donghae Culture & Arts Center
July 1 & 2 – Bangkok, Thailand KBank Siam Pic-Ganesha Theatre
July 7 – Jakarta, Indonesia Kasablanka Hall
July 9 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Zepp Kuala Lumpur
July 22 – Taipei, Taiwan Taipei International Convention Center (TICC)
July 29 & 30 – Hong Kong Academic Community Hall, HKBU