Music News

07 Apr 2023

Drake, Suga, YoungBoy Never Broke Again & More: Which New Music Release Is Your Favorite? Vote!

Rap fans are in luck for the first new music Friday of April, as genre heavyweights Drake and YoungBoy Never Broke Again, as well as BTS rapper Suga, have all released new tracks this week.

While Drizzy’s new track, “Search & Rescue,” may cause fans to wonder if he’s taking a shot Kanye West — the song features a sample of Kim Kardashian talking about her relationship with the Yeezy founder, who now goes by Ye — the initial hype hides a deeper meaning. The vulnerable track, produced by Sad Pony and BYNX, sees Drake wanting an assist from his closest friends to take him out of his usual haunts (the club, the trap) so he can finally find an uncomplicated love to make him feel complete.

Suga — who is now releasing music under his other stage name, Agust D — is the latest BTS member to release solo material, providing a follow-up to one of the strongest tracks in his catalogue with “People Pt. 2.” Complete with hip-hop, R&B and hooks worthy of a top 40, Suga shares his reflections on connection and loss with stunning clarity and support from fellow K-pop star IU.

YoungBoy Never Broke Again continues to deliver puns and rhymes in his signature vocal style, as heard on his album I Rest My Case from earlier this year, in new track “WTF” featuring Nicki Minaj. While YoungBoy dominates the top half of the song, Minaj goes in for the guttural on the latter half, warning listeners if they “Cross YoungBoy, then you cross the Queen,” before finishing off her verse with a vocal run.

Jonas Brothers, NF and Labrinth also return this week with new music. Which release is your favorite? Vote in our poll below.

07 Apr 2023

Lewis Capaldi Surprises Audience With Jonas Brothers Encore at Radio City Music Hall

Lewis Capaldi had quite the surprise up his sleeve at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night (April 6): the Jonas Brothers!

The Scottish crooner let the JoBros to take the stage during his encore, shocking the ecstatic crowd as Joe Jonas joked, “We are Lewis Capaldi, thank you for being here with us tonight.”

“We actually won a contest as Lewis Capaldi’s biggest fans to come up here and play a song for you,” Nick Jonas said, continuing his brother’s bit before launching into the band’s much-loved 2008 single “Lovebug.” After running through the first verse alone, Capaldi finally ran on stage to join the siblings for the rest of the song, singing, “I can’t get your smile out of my mind/ I think about your eyes all of the time/ You’re beautiful but you don’t even try/ Modesty is just so hard to find.”

After the show, the “How I’m Feeling Now” singer posted his own clip of the number taken from the wings of the stage, writing, “I can’t believe I’m now a Jonas brother” and captioning the video, “The bonus bonus jonas.”

The Jonas Brothers crashing Capaldi’s encore came just hours before they released “Waffle House,” the second single off their forthcoming ’70s-inspired studio set The Album. The boys are currently back in New York following their sold-out five-night Broadway residency to serve as musical guests in Studio 8H for this weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by Molly Shannon.

Watch Capaldi jam out to “Lovebug” with Joe, Kevin and Nick below.

07 Apr 2023

Kelly Clarkson Is Way Better Than Good on Powerhouse Preview of ‘Chemistry’ Track ‘Me’

Kelly Clarkson‘s upcoming Chemistry album is shaping up to be a divorce LP for the ages. After previously dropping a preview of the upcoming collection’s first single, “Mine,” Clarkson offered up another tantalizing breadcrumb on Friday (April 7) with a 30-second clip of the emotional ballad “Me.”

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The a cappella sneak peek is classic Kelly, her powerhouse voice unadorned as she opens up about taking care of business on her own, thank you very much. “I don’t need somebody to hold me/ Don’t need somebody to love me/ Don’t need somebody to pick these pieces up,” she wails.

“I put together my broken/ Let go of the pain I’ve been holdin’/ Don’t need to need somebody,” she declares forcefully, dragging out the second syllable of the final word before adding the ice-cold self-reliance coda, “When I got me.”

“Mine” is due out on April 14, while the release date for Chemistry has not yet been revealed. The upcoming collection will be Clarkson’s first original studio album of non-holiday music since 2017’s Meaning of Life; during that time she also released her second holiday song collection, 2021’s When Christmas Comes Again… and a 2022 Kellyoke EP.

“I’ve been working on this project for close to three years now. I wasn’t sure I was going to release it, but I am,” she said announcing the new album on her socials in late March. “This album is definitely the arc of an entire relationship. That whole relationship shouldn’t be brought down to one thing. There’s the good, the bad and the ugly kind of thing going on. Chemistry can be a really amazing, sexy, cool, fun thing, but it can also be very bad for you. So that’s why I named it Chemistry.”

Check out Clarkson’s tweet below.

07 Apr 2023

BLACKPINK Is Joining James Corden for One of the Last Ever Carpool Karaokes on ‘Late Late Show’

BLACKPINK is set to be one of the final three acts for The Late Late Show With James Corden‘s popular “Carpool Karaoke” segment ahead of the end of the show’s run, CBS announced on Friday (April 7).

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The piece will air in one of the late-night show’s final 12 episodes, which will conclude April 27. The other two musical guests rounding out the trio of “Carpool Karaoke” farewells have not yet been announced, but other confirmed segments include a “Take a Break” segment featuring the Kardashian family and a “Crosswalk the Musical” performance.

The K-pop girl group has previously appeared on Corden’s show over the course of its eight years on CBS. In 2019, Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé performed their 2019 single “Kill This Love” and partook in a game of “Flinch,” all four of them good sports as the late-night host shot exploding fruit at their faces.

Also booked to make appearances on The Late Late Show‘s remaining episodes are Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Tom Cruise, Josh Gad, Jennifer Garner, Brett Goldstein, Kate Hudson, Mila Kunis, Seth Meyers, Billy Porter and Sharon Stone. Plus, Allison Janney will celebrate having the most guest appearances on the program, with 15 prior visits.

Corden first announced his plans to leave the show last year, admitting in a monologue that it was the “hardest decision” he’d ever had to make.

“When I started this journey, it was always going to be just that. It was going to be a journey, an adventure,” he said at the time. “I never saw it as my final destination, you know? And I never want this show to overstay its welcome in any way. I always want to love making it. And I really think in a year from now that will be a good time to move on and see what else might be out there.”

The Late Late Show With James Corden airs weeknights at 12:37 a.m. ET/PT on CBS.

07 Apr 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Scores Rare Triple Triumph on Pop, Adult Airplay Charts

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” has grown into a rare concurrent multi-format No. 1 on Billboard’s pop and adult airplay charts, as it crowns the Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and Adult Contemporary surveys dated April 15.

The song, released on Smiley Miley/Columbia Records, tops the mainstream top 40-based Pop Airplay chart for an eighth week, the adult top 40-fueled Adult Pop Airplay ranking for a seventh frame and AC for the first time. It became Cyrus’ third No. 1 on Pop Airplay and her first on Adult Pop Airplay, and now marks her second leader on AC, after “The Climb” reigned for 15 weeks in 2009.

“Flowers” becomes just the seventh song to have led Pop Airplay, Adult Pop Airplay and AC concurrently in the 27 years that the three charts have coexisted. (AC launched in July 1961; Pop Airplay in October 1992; and Adult Pop Airplay in March 1996.)

Here’s a look at the select seven songs popular enough across all three formats at the same time to rank at No. 1 on the three charts simultaneously. “Flowers” is the first since Adele’s “Easy on Me” last year, and the second in a row on Columbia, which has promoted four of the seven such hits, including three by Adele.

  • “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, one week (to-date), 2023
  • “Easy on Me,” Adele, three weeks, 2022
  • “Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran, one week, 2015
  • “Hello,” Adele, four weeks, 2015
  • “Stay With Me,” Sam Smith, one week, 2014
  • “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele, two weeks, 2011
  • “Because You Loved Me,” Celine Dion, five weeks, 1996

“Flowers” is from Cyrus’ new album, Endless Summer Vacation, which debuted at its No. 3 best on the Billboard 200 albums chart dated March 25, marking her 14th top 10. The set’s newest radio hit, “River,” rises to No. 19 on Adult Pop Airplay and No. 20 on Pop Airplay.

All charts dated April 15 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, April 11.

07 Apr 2023

Gordo Spent $100K to Build a School in His Native Guatemala: ‘I Feel Lucky to Be Able to Give Back to the Countries That Raised Me’

Gordo‘s tour schedule makes him a citizen of the world, but his roots are in Guatemala.

The producer’s mother and grandmother were undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. from the Central American country before he was born. The pair were detained and separated at the Texan border before making their way to Washington, D.C., where Gordo was born Diamanté Blackmon in 1991. The trio soon thereafter returned to Guatemala, where Blackmon spent most of his childhood.

Now the producer is giving kids in the country a jump on life by funding an elementary school near Guatemala City. This school, Edificio Taraka, is the third he’s helped build in Central America, with the first two in Nicaragua. The project was completed in collaboration with Seeds Of Learning, a Nicaragua-based non-profit launched in the late ’80s after the Nicaraguan civil war, and with whom Blackmon has had a decade-long partnership.

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Edificio Taraka


Edificio Taraka

Courtesy of Edificio Taraka

“As someone who considers himself to have lived the American dream,” Blackmon tells Billboard, “I really do not take anything for granted, and want to give back more than take in. My grandmother risked everything to get to this country and I just try to make her proud.” (Blackmon’s grandmother now resides in a house in Hawaii he bought for her, and where he also lives while not on tour.)

His $100,000 donation to Edificio Taraka has covered the cost of construction, staffing and learning materials. But, he says, these efforts are just the beginning of his work with the school, and that together, the Taraka team is working on an athletic program, a stage for school recitals, a meal program and naturally, music classes, “even,” he says, “if it’s a basic piano lesson.” The school will also teach English, a particularly meaningful lesson plan for Blackmon.

Edificio Taraka

Edificio Taraka

Courtesy of Edificio Taraka

“English is my second language and adapting to the United States school system was very difficult for me,” he says. “Personally I love that these kids in Guatemala will have the chance to learn English.”

As the producer has recently transitioned out of the longstanding Carnage project that made him an electronic world star into his house- and techno-focused project Gordo, so, too, is he also intending to expand “my time and money across education, immigration and music.” 

“Most people don’t know this side of me,” he says, “but I am looking forward to shedding light on a variety of philanthropic initiatives this year.”

On the music front, Gordo also announced on Friday (April 7) his new Las Vegas residency across the Strip’s Tao Group properties, Hakkasan, Marquee and Tao Beach. This seven-date residency launches on April 30 and extends through October.

Edificio Taraka

Edificio Taraka

Courtesy of Edificio Taraka

07 Apr 2023

Jessie J Has a Feeling Haters Peeked at Her Arty Pregnancy Pics Before Calling them ‘Inappropriate’

Jessie J had a pointed message for any of the looky-loos who checked out her recent baby bump pics before deeming them too racy. “I just want to remember this feeling forever,” wrote the singer who revealed that she’s expecting her first child in a January post.

“And anyone who has commented ‘inappropriate’ on this post. I bet you zoomed before you commented ?,” she added. The snaps that appeared to offend included one in which the singer sat naked in a bathtub — her hand covering her breasts — in a selfie in which her baby bump is on prominent display in a reflection in the shower valve.

A second shot came from the other angle, with Jessie again showing off her bump and legs in the tub, followed by a video chronicling the baby moving around in her belly and a final snap providing a mirror selfie in which the singer smiles in a sports bra and leggings.

Jessie also got some love in addition to the haterade, including from one commenter who wrote, “they are not photos, they are works of art,” with fellow British singer Paloma Faith adding, “Amazing pics… Welcome to superhero territory.”

Last month J shared a sweet message for her unborn son in a U.K. Mother’s Day post. “Thank you for coming to me. Thank you for trusting me that my body can keep you safe. Thank you for gifting me with the most special experience already so far and with the most important role I will ever play in my entire life,” she captioned an image of her ultrasound in which the unborn baby appeared to be smiling.

“I love you so hard it blows my mind this is real. I’m yours forever my son. I cannot wait to meet you. And see this smile in real life,” she added. She also gave props to her baby boy’s father, basketball player Chanan Safir Colman. “I love your Daddy so much, you wouldn’t be on your way without him,” she wrote. “He is the most patient, calm and good looking man. You are going to LOVE him when you meet him.”

Jessie shared the baby news more than a year after she revealed that she’d suffered a pregnancy loss in November 2021.

Check out Jessie’s pics below.

07 Apr 2023

Paul Cattermole of S Club 7 Dies at 46

S Club 7‘s Paul Cattermole died at his home in Dorset, England, on Thursday (April 6). He was 46 years old.

The singer’s bandmates announced the news on Friday (April 7) via the official S Club 7 social media channels. “We are truly devastated by the passing of our brother Paul,” the other six members wrote alongside a smiling black-and-white photo of Cattermole. “There are no words to describe the deep sadness and loss we all feel. We were so lucky to have had him in our lives and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. He will be so deeply missed by each and every one of us. We ask that you respect the privacy of his family and of the band at this time.”

Cattermole’s death is a devastating loss for the British pop act — whose members also included Rachel Stevens, Hannah Spearritt, Tina Barrett, Jon Lee, Jo O’Meara and Bradley McIntosh — who had just announced in February they’d be reuniting for a 25th anniversary tour of the U.K. and Ireland this fall, including three already sold-out performances at London’s O2 Arena. As of press time, there’s no word on how the singer’s death might affect those plans.

While S Club 7 earned only a single Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 over the course of their teen pop heyday with 2000’s “Never Had a Dream Come True,” their success was exponentially larger in their native U.K., scoring three top three albums on the Official Albums chart. Additionally, all 13 of their singles peaked within the top five on the U.K.’s Official Singles chart, including four No. 1 hits.

Over the course of the group’s first three studio sets, Cattermole provided lead vocals on fan-favorite album cuts such as “Love Train,” “Good Times” and “Summertime Feeling.” He also dated bandmate Hannah Spearritt — once in 2001 and again briefly in 2015 — with their relationship being written into the band’s TV series Hollywood 7.

Cattermole left the band in 2002 to start the short-lived nu-metal band Skua, while his former bandmates dropped the “7” from their name and continued on for another year as simply S Club before disbanding in June 2003.

For much of the next two decades, Cattermole continued dabbling in his pop roots, joining O’Meara, McIntosh and, eventually, Barrett to form the spinoff group known as S Club 3. In late 2014, he and the other six members officially reunited for their first reunion tour, Bring It All Back 2015. The pop star also struggled financially in the 2010s, even publicly auctioning off two of his BRIT Awards on eBay to keep himself afloat.

Read S Club 7’s tribute to Cattermole below.

07 Apr 2023

Molly Shannon Recalls the Time Courtney Love Was ‘Hunting’ Her Down Over ‘SNL’ Impression

Don’t let her last name deceive you. Courtney Love definitely didn’t “love” Molly Shannon’s impression of her on Saturday Night Live, according to the comedian.

Shannon reminisced on The Tonight Show Thursday (April 6) about the time the rocker tracked her down within minutes of a sketch airing live on Saturday Night Live, during which the former cast member stumbled around onstage and chain-smoked cigarettes to portray the Hole frontwoman. “The real Courtney Love showed up live, and she was mad,” Shannon said.

“She was like, ‘Where’s Molly?’” the A Good Person star snarled, sharing that she was still dressed up like Love when the real deal stormed in. “She was going around the studio hunting me down, ready to maybe punch me or something. I was like, ‘I’m scared.’ Maybe not punching, but definitely looking for me.”

Luckily, the situation ended without either star getting under the other’s “Celebrity Skin.” “She smelled like witchy oils and she was tall, she was tough,” continued Shannon, who is returning to host SNL on April 8. “She gave me a cigarette and then we smoked together. I told her why it’s such a compliment, you know when somebody does an impression of you, that’s, like, cool. She was really nice, we bonded. I’m a big fan of hers. She’s Courtney Love.”

Shannon’s story comes just two days shy of the 29th anniversary of when the outspoken singer’s husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead. Love married the Nirvana rocker in 1992, and the two share daughter Frances Bean.

Now 30 years old, Frances posted a moving tribute to her father on Instagram Stories on April 5, the anniversary of his death. “Life is like a wave crashing upon the shore & death is like the wave returning back to the ocean, back to its most natural state,’” she wrote. “I forget exactly where I heard this quote but hearing it makes loss seem less scary and more like a return to the collective consciousness of loving awareness. Free from pain or human worry. Death serves a purpose. It is what makes life so precious, in the same way pain is purposeful because we wouldn’t know joy without it.”

Watch Molly Shannon recall the time Courtney Love confronted her above, and the comedian as the rocker on SNL below.

07 Apr 2023

Peso Pluma Scores First Global Chart Top 10 With Yng Lvcas Collab ‘La Bebe’

While Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” continues its rule atop the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts – it’s now up to 10 weeks at No. 1 on each tally – activity throughout the surveys shows a variety of artists making impacts. One of those is Peso Pluma, who blasts into the top 10 of both April 8-dated rankings for the first time.

“La Bebe,” by Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma, climbs to No. 6 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 7 on the Global 200. In the week ending March 30, the reggaetón track drew 61 million streams, up 90%, according to Luminate. It’s the first global chart entry for YNG Lvcas. For the latter, it builds upon many months of momentum.

Peso Pluma first reached the global charts with “Siempre Pendientes,” a collaboration with Luis R Conriquez. That song spent three weeks on both lists last September, peaking at No. 155 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 174 on the Global 200.

The track dropped off both charts seven months ago, but Peso Pluma now counts six songs on each April 8-dated global ranking, none lower than No. 60. And while that haul started just two-and-a-half months ago with the debut of “AMG” with Gabito Ballesteros and Natanel Cano, the best could be yet to come.

Just last week, “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armando debuted in the top 20 of both charts; it jumps to No. 11 on this week’s Global 200 and No. 12 on Global Excl. U.S. One spot away from becoming his second top 10 in two weeks, rising into either charts’ upper echelon would mark the first time a Mexican act would double-up in the same week.

Further, “El Azul,” Peso Pluma’s collaboration with American producer Junior H, zooms to No. 53 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 59 on the Global 200. Rising 39 positions on the former chart and 42 on the latter, the song nears each list’s top 40, on track to become Peso Pluma’s sixth title to reach the region.

Peso Pluma has buffed up his global portfolio in 2023 with a wide range of collaborations, but his solo prowess shouldn’t be underestimated. “Por Las Noches” is his first solo chart hit, holding in the top 40 of the Global 200. And even his top 10 duet with Yng Lvcas shows evidence of his contribution to the song’s high rank: “La Bebe” originated as a solo Yng Lvcas track, released in 2021. Picking up momentum at the top of the year, the song hit both global charts, climbing among the lower half of each list last month. The remix featuring Peso Pluma arrived March 17, propelling the song from No. 103 to No. 21, and now to No. 7 on the Global 200, and similarly from No. 74 to No. 6 across two weeks on Global Excl. U.S.

Peso Pluma’s wide-ranging global success can, in part, be attributed to his musical flexibility. Most of his globally charting hits fit the mold of regional Mexican tradition, while “La Bebe,” his first top 10, aligns with reggaetón. Both have become increasingly popular, both globally and in the U.S., where he counts five songs on this week’s domestic-based Billboard Hot 100.

And while reggaetón might first appear to be the more U.S.-friendly genre with its production sharing elements with American pop and hip-hop, it’s one of Peso Pluma’s regional Mexican tracks that leads the way on the Hot 100. “Ella Baila Sola” hangs at No. 31, over “La Bebe” at No. 34. This week, All of his regional Mexican songs skew 27-28% of their worldwide streams from the U.S. and 72-73% international, while “La Bebe” splits 22% U.S. and 78% beyond.

As for Peso Pluma’s global standings, all five of his charting regional Mexican songs rank among the top 10 of Billboard’s Mexico Songs chart, logically enough, but don’t appear on any other Hits of the World tallies. “La Bebe,” however, with its top 10 placement on both global charts, finds itself on rankings for Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, in addition to its No. 1 status on Mexico Songs.