Music News

27 Mar 2023

Taylor Swift Has 7 Albums in the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 Chart for the First Time in Her Career

For the first time in her career, Taylor Swift has seven albums in the top 40 at the same time on the Billboard 200 chart (dated April 1).

Since the Billboard 200 was combined from its previously separate mono and stereo LP charts into one all-encompassing list in August 1963, Swift is only the second act — and first living artist — to have at least seven albums concurrently in the top 40. Previously, the feat was achieved only once in that span, after the death of Whitney Houston, when the late superstar also had seven in the top 40 on the chart dated March 17, 2012.

In the top 40 of the April 1-dated Billboard 200 chart, Swift holds the following titles:

  • No. 3 – Midnights
  • No. 13 – Lover
  • No. 14 – Folklore
  • No. 19 – 1989
  • No. 22 – Red (Taylor’s Version)
  • No. 26 – Reputation
  • No. 31 – Evermore

For good measure, Swift has two further albums on the April 1 chart: Fearless (Taylor’s Version) at No. 52, and Speak Now, at No. 69.

The Swift domination on the latest chart, which reflects the tracking week of March 17-23, coincides with the launch of her massive The Eras Tour on March 17 in Glendale, Ariz. The stadium tour is promoted as a career-spanning retrospective. On opening night, Swift played more than three hours, and the show’s setlist contained more than 40 songs.

As previously reported, Midnights, released in October 2022, jumps 6-3 on the Billboard 200 with 61,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending March 23 (up 31%), according to Luminate.

Earlier in 2023, Swift had 10 concurrently charting albums on the Billboard 200 for the first time – a rarity in the list’s lengthy history.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new April 1, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 28. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

27 Mar 2023

John Mayer Extends U.S. Solo Acoustic Tour: Here Are the New Dates

Missed out on a chance to score tickets to John Mayer‘s 2023 solo acoustic tour? Fans are in luck, as the musician announced on Monday (March 26) an extension of his current trek into the fall, with a series of additional dates across the United States.

“Announcing new fall dates for the Solo tour. As a dear friend once told me, ‘never block a blessing.’ Something very special is happening out here and I want to keep it going – It’s too good for my soul. Thank you for making it such an incredible run so far,” Mayer shared on Instagram, along with the new dates included on a poster.

The fall leg of Mayer’s Solo tour will kick off on Oct. 3 at New York City’s famed Madison Square Garden, and will make stops in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville and more before concluding on Nov. 10 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. JP Saxe will be the special guest for the new dates. “Deeply overjoyed we get to keep doing this. thx for bringing me along,” Saxe commented under the tour announcement.

The “Daughter” singer’s post also included details on how fans can buy tickets. “Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, March 31 at 9 AM local time,” he shared. “An exclusive fan presale will be available starting Wednesday, March 29, at 9 AM local time and end Thursday, March 30, at 10 PM. Sign up to access your unique presale code now at johnmayer.com. UK and Europe dates coming soon.”

See Mayer’s announcement, as well as the full list of tour dates, below.

27 Mar 2023

John Legend Jokes About Harry Styles & Emily Ratajkowski’s Kiss to His Song: ‘Happy to Be Helpful’

Naturally, John Legend could help but react when footage surfaced on social media over the weekend of Harry Styles locking lips with Emily Ratajkowski to one of his songs.

The crooner hilariously retweeted the video — which shows the Harry’s House star kissing the model on the streets of Tokyo — on Sunday (March 26), writing, “Making out to Dope. So dope” with a cool, sunglass-wearing emoji. (Featuring a guest assist from JID, “Dope” was released as the lead single off the singer’s 2022 self-titled album Legend.)

Legend’s friends and fans flooded his replies with amusing appreciation over the post. Rapper D-Dot wrote, “You must be stopped” with a laugh-crying emoji, to with the singer reiterated, “Happy to be helpful.” Meanwhile, one Twitter user declared, “I’ve been looking for the name of the song it’s a bop” while another chimed in, “They can just blame it on @johnlegend, lol.”

The Voice coach wasn’t the only celebrity to offer his take on Styles and EmRata’s viral PDA, either. Lewis Capaldi also posted a TikTok using his own song “How I’m Feeling Now” in response to the hook-up. “Me after seeing the video of Harry and emrata,” he wrote on the clip as his voice wails, “So here’s to my beautiful life/ That seems to leave me so unsatisfied.” Of course, Capaldi is hysterically in his feelings over the smooch considering he recently got his own kiss from the “As It Was” singer at the 2023 BRIT Awards.

Check out Legend and Capaldi’s respectively amusing reactions to seeing Styles and Ratajkowski’s public make-out session below.

27 Mar 2023

Morgan Wallen Hit By Thrown Drink During Melbourne Show, Asks Security to Boot Fan

Morgan Wallen kept his cool when someone in the audience at Saturday night’s (March 25) show at Melbourne, Australia’s Rod Laver Arena chucked a full cup of liquid at him on stage, narrowly missing a direct hit on the country star while he was singing “Everything I Love” from his Billboard 200 #1 double album One Thing at a Time.

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In video posted on TikTok by a fan who attended the show, Morgan looks irritated at the attempt to interrupt his show by launching the cup, with a few droplets hitting him, but the majority, and the cup, avoiding a direct hit. In fan Chloe Donovan’s video of the incident, Wallen doesn’t miss a beat and keeps singing, but looks in the direction of the liquid launcher and gives them a sideways glance.

In a follow-up clip, Wallen stops the music and stares at the area where the cup came from while the crowd shouts “kick them out! kick them out!” Wallen, pointing, says, “Go ahead. One of y’all own up to it or I’m gonna kick your whole f—in’ group out. One of y’all go ahead and say ‘I did it.’ All right, kick that kid out of here then.”

A spokesperson for Wallen confirmed that a cup of liquid was thrown on stage and that the person who tossed it was removed from the venue.

Meanwhile, One Thing at aTime will notch its third straight week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart (dated April 1) after earning 209,500 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending March 23. It debuted at No. 1 with 501,000 units, then tallied 259,000 in its second frame.

Check out Donovan’s video of the incident below.

27 Mar 2023

Jonas Brothers, Karol G Booked as ‘Saturday Night Live’ Musical Guests

Saturday Night Live will roar back in April with three back-to-back shows, including an April 8 episode with SNL three-timers the Jonas Brothers performing alongside former cast member Molly Shannon (A Good Person) in her second hosting gig.

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On April 15, Karol G will take the 8H stage for the first time with Oscar nominee Ana de Armas (Ghosted), who will also make her SNL debut that night. They join the previously announced April 1 episode topped by Emmy winner and Abbott Elementary star/writer Quinta Brunson in her SNL hosting debut alongside fellow first timer Lil Yachty.

It’s been a season 48 to remember so far this year for the long-running sketch show, which welcomed Aubrey Plaza and Sam Smith on Jan. 21 to kick off the year, followed by Michael B. Jordan (Creed III) and Lil Baby on Jan. 28 and a memorable turn by The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal with five-timers Coldplay on Feb. 4. The hot streak continued with Woody Harrelson (White House Plumbers) and Jack White on Feb. 25 and Super Bowl LVII winner Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and Kelsea Ballerini on March 4, followed by the most recent episode, which paired Wednesday‘s Jenna Ortega and The 1975 on March 11.

Saturday Night Live airs live on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET and streams live on Peacock at the same time.

Check out the Instagram promo for the April SNL episodes below.

27 Mar 2023

Jeremy Renner Sings ‘House of the Rising Sun’ in ‘Rennervations’ Clip: Exclusive

Jeremy Renner‘s reality docuseries Rennervations is coming to Disney+ on April 12, and ahead of the premiere, Billboard is sharing an exclusive clip in which the Hawkeye star shares how music has impacted his life.

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Following a haunting piano cover of The Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun,” Renner is heard explaining over a piano melody, “Music has always been my first love. It’s a very personal thing for me, something that I fell into when I was younger to get me out of trouble. Becoming an adult, it still is. Any time I get overwhelmed with personal problems or my job, music is such a therapeutic outlet for me.”

He added that his decision to share his own music over the past few years was life changing. “In doing so, it opened my eyes and opened my heart,” he revealed. “It gave me a sense of belonging. Music unites people and that, to me, is exciting.”

Jeremy Renner, Rennervations

Jeremy Renner, ‘Rennervations’

The series follows Renner in his hometown of Reno, Nevada, as well as three other cities — Chicago, Illinois; Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; and Rajasthan, India — where he works with a team of builders to identify decommissioned vehicles that can be rebuilt to serve a new purpose.

Rennervations comes just two months after a terrifying accident in which Renner’s 14,000-pound PistenBully snowplow ran him over on his Mt. Rose Highway-area property while he was trying to divert it away from his nephew while clearing the snow, leaving him with more than 30 broken bones.

Watch the exclusive Rennervations clip below, and sign up for Disney+ here.

27 Mar 2023

‘American Idol’ Contestant Cam Amen Scores Platinum Ticket With Stunning ‘Hallelujah’ Rendition

American Idol judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan became visibly emotional when contestant Cam Amen sang a rendition of Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah” during Sunday night’s (March 26) auditions.

Before launching into his passionate version of Cohen’s track, the judges asked Amen about his back story, in which he revealed that he and his siblings lost their mother and ended up in the foster care system. Once 18, Amen took care of his brother and sister until it was time for them to graduate, and tearfully shared he is now chasing his dream on Idol.

Accompanied by a piano player, he sang, “Now I’ve done my best, I know it wasn’t much/ I couldn’t feel, so I tried to touch/ I’ve told the truth, I didn’t come here to London just to fool you/ And even though it all went wrong/ I’ll stand right here before the Lord of song/ With nothing, nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah/ Hallelujah, Hallelujah/ Hallelujah, Hallelujah.”

All three of the judges were noticeably moved by Amen’s rendition of the song, with Bryan visibly tearing up. “This is our sixth year here. Stylistically … your style is so beautifully unique. I don’t have anybody that I’ve seen in this chair to compare you to, and every time I wanted you to do something amazing, you did it,” he said. “It was just incredible. You came out of being upset and crying and just started singing like that. You didn’t even have all the tears dry.”

Richie added, “Cam, do you believe in divine guidance? It just happened, for whatever reason, that divine guidance brought you to us. And my friend, you are going to have one heck of a ride.”

After requesting Amen bring his girlfriend in the room, Bryan told his fellow judges, “He might be the best soul singer we’ve ever had.”

Bryan then revealed that Amen was the winner of a platinum ticket, allowing the hopeful to sit out the first round of Hollywood week. “This is the first time I ever went for something for myself, and it’s a dream,” Amen shared following the audition.

Watch Amen’s platinum ticket story unfold in the video above.

27 Mar 2023

Nick Cannon Addresses His Past Antisemitic Comments, Calls Backlash a ‘Growth Moment’

Nick Cannon addressed his history of anti-semitic comments and what he learned from the public backlash over them in a new interview that published Friday (March 24).

Speaking to All Hip-Hop, the host of The Masked Singer reflected, “I’m going to be super honest with you, man. That process was a growth moment for me, on so many levels as a man,” after the reporter lumped his past remarks about Jewish people in with similar antisemitic rhetoric from the likes of Kanye West and Kyrie Irving.

Cannon cited his podcast Solutions: To Hate or Not To Hate with Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, as a way he’s shown growth on the issue. He said of the podcast: “It’s really talking about the equation of our two communities from two different perspectives. We voice our side, or the perspective as a Black man, and then he voices his side from a Jewish man. Just even that alone is helpful and educational for both communities. And again, because that’s the thing, we can sit up here and be enraged, but if we don’t engage, what are we really doing, if we can’t even learn from one another? And clearly, we all know the issues, we all know the tropes, we all know the stereotypes.”

The singer-actor also said he’s “no longer about just talk.”

“I’m really putting my money where my mouth is and my energy to where my heart is,” the father of 12 said. “To me, that situation says, ‘All right, I’m done talking. Everybody talk. Let’s figure it out, let’s solve it. What’s the problem?’ The next people who say something in front of a microphone can have an understanding of what it is, so they don’t stumble and fumble and have to lose opportunities or get so-called canceled and all of that stuff on the next go around. Really, it’s just about bringing people closer together. Ultimately, nobody’s monolithic, but we’re all one organism that allows this thing to keep pumping.”

Back in the summer of 2020, Cannon perpetuated controversial conspiracy theories about Jewish people on his now-axed podcast Cannon’s Class during a conversation with former Public Enemy member Professor Griff.

While he issued a public apology at the time, he was fired by ViacomCBS from his long-running MTV improv show Wild ‘N Out. (The media company has since resumed its working relationship with the star.)

27 Mar 2023

Shawn Mendes Goes Shirtless to Show Off His Red Hot Sunburn

Shawn Mendes got a little too much sun on his recent trip to Mexico. The 24-year-old pop star posted a series of photos from his time in the country Sunday (March 26), including a couple snapshots showing off his buff upper body glowing a painful-looking shade of red.

One of the captionless photos shows the “Señorita” singer from the front, laughing off the sting of his scorched skin. Another shows him in the same spot, facing away from the camera, the outline of a tank top temporarily stamped on his back.

Mendes also shared photos of the sights he explored in Mexico City, including the pyramids of Teotihuacan, a street musician and a cluttered bookstore. The sunburn photos definitely got the most attention from friends and followers though, with One Republic’s Ryan Tedder commenting, “Protek that skin bruhhhh.”

The Grammy nominee’s brush with strong UV waves isn’t the first time he’s faced the elements recently. Shortly after the winter holidays, he took an underwear-only dip into an ice cold river and posted a video of the adventure to Instagram.

The musician’s trip to Mexico comes just a few days after he denied rumors he’s dating Sabrina Carpenter, with whom he’s been photographed a couple times in the past month or so. “We are not dating but I think we should talk about Tommy Hilfiger probably more than Sabrina,” he reportedly told RTL Boulevard during an interview about his recent Tommy X Shawn Classics Reborn collection with the designer.

27 Mar 2023

Meek Mill, Tom Brady Join Robert Kraft’s $25 Million Antisemitism Initiative

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has enlisted a pair of his celebrity friends to help spread the word about his family’s new multi-million dollar effort to fight back against an unprecedented wave of antisemitism in America.

People reported that the 81-year-old billionaire is investing $25 million in a multi-level campaign to fight antisemitism through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS), teaming up with the Patriots’ former QB legend, Tom Brady, as well as rapper Meek Mill to help spread word about their efforts.

The Foundation has been promoting stories about efforts to combat anti-Jewish hate on its social feeds and is launching a campaign with a blue square emoji that Kraft said he hopes will “educate all Americans” on the rise of hateful acts against Jewish Americans. “What’s happening in America today, it is a big part of my life,” Kraft told People. “There’s been work done that shows that 50% of Americans do not realize that antisemitism is any problem, and the Jewish population is roughly 2.4% of the population in the US but yet receives over 55% of the hate crimes.”

Kraft said the American Jewish community — which numbers approximately 7.6 million per most recent estimates — needs the help of “all Americans” to combat the highest level of antisemitism in the country in a quarter century; the ADL recently reported that antisemitic incidents increased 36% in 2022.

The Patriots owner said he’s already reached out to recently re-retired QB Brady about the blue emoji symbol in advance of the new campaign’s launch. “He and I are still very tight and he will be using this blue emoji when we kick off again,” Kraft said, noting that he hopes the emoji will become a “symbol of solidarity” that will help fight anti-Jewish hate and other forms of discrimination.

Mill — who has received funding from Kraft to build his REFORM Alliance to push for parole/sentencing/probation reform — is also on board with the team owner’s cause. In fact, People reported that Meek (born Robert Rihmeek Williams) will fly with Kraft to Poland next month, where the NFL boss will lead the this year’s annual March of the Living event that takes thousands of visitors on a walk between the remains of concentration camps in the country.

The billionaire said he wanted Meek to join him in Poland to “see what went on” in Holocaust death camps. “So when I tell you there are 15 million Jews in the world today, what happened 75, 80 years ago with the killing of 6 million, they would’ve represented 60, 70 million people today,” Kraft said. “And it is really horrible.”

Check out FCAS’ YouTube video for its #StandUpToJewishHate campaign below.