Music News

14 Mar 2023

Diplo Gets Candid About His Sexuality & Intimate Experiences With Men

Diplo is Emily Ratajkowski’s most recent guest on her High Low podcast, and the duo delved into an open discussion about sexuality and the DJ’s hesitation to put a label on himself.

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“I’m sure I’ve gotten a blowjob from a guy before. For sure,” the producer told the model. “I don’t know if it’s gay unless you like may eye contact while there’s the blowjob happening.”

He added, “Getting a blowjob’s not that gay, I think.”

Ratajkowski went on to mention an off-air conversation they had, before Diplo officially set the record straight on his sexuality. “I think the best answer I have is I’m not not gay,” the 44-year-old musician explained, adding that he is attracted to “vibe” more than a specific gender. “There are a couple guys… I could date, life partner-wise.”

Listen to the full podcast conversation here.

Throughout his career, Diplo has been romantically linked primarily to women, including Katy Perry, whom he dated briefly in 2014. In 2020, the DJ also went on a PDA-filled vacation with model and fellow producer Chantel Jeffries, though the two never made any public claims about their relationship.

Diplo also has three children. He shares sons — 13-year-old Lockett and nine-year-old Lazer — with his ex Kathryn Lockhart and also announced that he welcomed a baby boy named Pace in 2020 with former Miss Universe pageant contestant Jevon King.

14 Mar 2023

Paris Hilton Says Demi Lovato Documentary Inspired Her to Share Past Abuse: ‘I Envied That Acceptance’

Paris: The Memoir, released Tuesday (March 14), sees heiress Paris Hilton opening up about several of the misconceptions around her life and career in the public eye.

Of the many topics covered, Hilton revealed that Demi Lovato gave her inspiration to come forward about her own story of abuse, shared her thoughts about being parodied in the music video for P!nk‘s 2006 hit “Stupid Girls,” and shed some additional light on what led to the now-infamous photograph of her, Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

Released in 2017, Lovato’s Simply Complicated documentary covered the singer’s personal struggles with abuse and coping in the public eye. “I was as stunned as the rest of the world by how real, vulnerable, and courageous she was in the Demi Lovato: Simply Complicated documentary in 2017,” Hilton recalled in the memoir. “In the doc, Demi shared a painful reckoning with a difficult past; in person, I saw her in the midst of an intense journey of self-acceptance and discovery. I envied that acceptance. I wanted that discovery for myself.”

As for P!nk’s “Stupid Girls,” Hilton said the pop star made the explicit decision to sing “about ‘outcasts and girls with ambition’” and chose “not to see it in me.”

“When everyone was buzzing about a sex tape of a certain teenage girl from a soon-to-be-hit TV show — a girl who said emphatically over and over that she did not want the tape out there — the takeaway was ‘Stupid Girl,’” Hilton said of P!nk in the book. “The whole video is a not-at-all-subtle send-up of ‘porno paparazzi girls’ in general and, specifically, me, in a parody of my infamous sex tape.”

She continued, “[The tape was] made when I was not legally old enough to be served a rum and coke in a bar, was released and monetized against my will, but when that thing hit the internet, the full weight of public outrage, scorn, and disgust came down on me instead of on the massive crowd of people who bought and sold it.”

The same year that “Stupid Girls” was released, Hilton was under media scrutiny again for what the media dubbed the “bimbo summit” — a photograph of her alongside Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan squeezed into a two-seat Mercedes-Benz. According to Hilton, she and Spears escaped a party through a bathroom window to not be rude to the hosts; Lohan was also leaving the same party days after she allegedly bit Hilton on the arm.

“[Lohan’s publicist] Elliot [Miltz] brought her over to the car and opened the door. To get her out of the rain, maybe? Or maybe to clear up any crazy rumors that might be flying around?” Hilton wrote. “And then Lindsay got in the car, which was kind of awkward because I was driving a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren that had only two seats.”

Following the memoir’s release, Hilton took to Instagram to share her excitement about its arrival. “Today is the day. My book, “Paris: The Memoir” is available NOW!” she captioned a series of photos of her posing with the book. “Writing this book has been one of the most terrifying yet rewarding things I’ve ever done. I can’t wait for you to get to know the real me.”

Paris: The Memoir is available for purchase now.

14 Mar 2023

Jimin Drops Bombastic Teaser for Solo Single ‘Set Me Free Pt.2’

Jimin unveiled the first teaser for his “Set Me Free Pt.2” music video on Tuesday (March 14) via HYBE LABELS.

In the 30-second clip, the BTS member eyes the camera before wandering slowly through a troupe of backup dancers. The squad bursts into explosive choreography in a circular room ringed in giant squares of flashing light as the song’s chords come booming through the speakers. As the screen cuts to black, it reveals the song’s title and Friday release date at midnight ET/1 p.m. KST as Jimin can be heard crowing, “Set me free.”

“Set Me Free” will mark the first song from Jimin’s forthcoming debut solo album FACE, which is slated for release March 24. The same day the full-length drops, the K-pop idol will also share the music video for second single “Like Crazy,” which was co-written by Jimin’s BTS bandmate RM. Last week, Jimin also shared the first set of concept photos for the studio effort, showing off his titular face with sleek silver studs running down each side of his neck.

Most recently, Jimin scored his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 by joining Taeyang for the BIGBANG member’s new single “Vibe.” Earlier this month, the singer also gave ARMY an early gift by uploading his solo tracks “Promise” and “Christmas Love” to streaming services for the very first time. (The pair of songs had previously only been available to listen to on the official BTS Soundcloud or YouTube accounts.)

Watch Jimin’s “Set Me Free Pt.2” music video teaser below.

14 Mar 2023

Shenseea Says Second Album Will Showcase Dancehall That American Fans ‘Can Love & Understand’

Shenseea is gearing up to drop some heat in the coming months. Billboard News caught up with the dancehall star at Rolling Loud LA — which took place March 3 to 5 — to discuss what’s to come from her forthcoming music and her reaction when she found out about the joke that Prince Harry listened to her music in difficult times.

Speaking with Billboard News host Tetris Kelly, the “Blessed” singer talked about her plans to follow up her debut studio album, Alpha. “I’m about to shoot my very first single from my second studio album real soon and I’m really excited about that. I think it’s going to be amazing,” she said, adding that people can expect “dancehall that Americans can definitely love and understand” on the project.

Shenseea revealed that she had the privilege to meet Kanye West and said that if she ever had the chance to, “It would be amazing to work with him again. I absolutely loved Kanye from even before I met him.” Kelly asked Shenseea and Ye have hopped on a project together, which she remained tight lipped about.

Following the release of Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, rumors circulated that an excerpt from the novel read, “In the times I felt alone and separated from my family, I always took time to myself to sit back and listen to Shenseea. Her lyrics resonated with me and got me through a lot.”

While the rumor was never confirmed, Shenseea briefly touched on it in the interview, saying, “That was very much unexpected to be honest, but big up to Prince Harry for tuning in.”

Up next for the dancehall star is a performance at Coachella next month, in which she’ll perform several of her hits for festival attendees. Watch Shenseea’s interview with Billboard in the video above.

14 Mar 2023

New-‘Found’ Success: Stephen Sanchez Crowns Hot Rock & Alternative Songs

Stephen Sanchez’s “Until I Found You” hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart for the first time, topping the list dated March 18.

The song, steeped in the tradition of early rock ballads from the 1950s and ’60s, lifts 2-1 in its 51st week on the chart on the strength of 30.1 million radio audience impressions, 9.3 million official streams and 2,000 downloads sold in the United States March 3-9, according to Luminate.

Concurrently, the track, released on Mercury/Republic Records, tops the Rock Digital Song Sales chart for a second week. (Sanchez recently mused, “I just love that it’s under Mercury Records, an old-school label, and this is an old-school song. That’s just so cool.”)

The 51-week trek of “You” to No. 1 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs is the second-longest in the ranking’s history, behind only Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves,” which reached the top in its 60th frame in September 2021.

Most Weeks Between Debut & First Week at No. 1, Hot Rock & Alternative Songs:
60 weeks, “Heat Waves,” Glass Animals (Sept. 11, 2021)
51, “Until I Found You,” Stephen Sanchez (March 18, 2023)
47, “Ride,” twenty one pilots (June 25, 2016)
43, “Let Her Go,” Passenger (Jan. 25, 2014)
40, “Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan (Feb. 4, 2023)
40, “Pompeii,” Bastille (March 1, 2014)
39, “Hey Look Ma, I Made It,” Panic! at the Disco (July 6, 2019)
39, “Whatever It Takes,” Imagine Dragons (April 7, 2018)
35, “Stressed Out,” twenty one pilots (Jan. 9, 2016)
32, “Ex’s & Oh’s,” Elle King (Oct. 31, 2015)

“You” is Sanchez’s first Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ruler, having become his first entry on the survey. It debuted at No. 34 on the March 12, 2022, chart and has steadily risen thanks to its virality on such shortform video services as TikTok (which does not presently contribute directly to Billboard’s charts), as well as its continued rise at radio.

The song peaked at No. 4 on the Adult Alternative Airplay chart in September and reached No. 10 on Pop Airplay in December. Still growing at adult radio, it bullets at its No. 6 high on Adult Pop Airplay and ranks at No. 14 on Adult Contemporary (boosted by a duet version with Em Beihold). On the all-format Radio Songs list, it rebounds 28-23.

“You” appears at No. 29 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, after hitting No. 23 in January.

Sanchez’s follow-up single, “Evangeline,” debuted at No. 39 on Adult Alternative Airplay (dated March 11). Meanwhile, he has over 40 tour dates scheduled through December.

“I grew up on ’50s music,” Sanchez recently told Billboard. “My grandpa has this amazing property in San Jose, California, and there are two barns on either side and the house in the middle. It’s on top of this hill, and you can oversee all of San Jose. In the mornings, [growing up, my family] would make me breakfast, and then they would tell me to go out in the barn and pick through vinyl. My grandpa is 85 years old at this point, so the only records he has are from the ’50s and ’60s. I would pick through vinyl and just get inspired. Even now, I still do that every time I go up there.”

14 Mar 2023

Lil Nas X Apologizes to Trans Community After Joking That He Transitioned: ‘It Was Not Cool’

While Lil Nas X is well-known for being a comedic firebrand on social media, even the “Montero” rapper is ready to admit that a recent joke went a bit too far.

In a tweet posted on Wednesday (March 14), Lil Nas X offered an apology to the trans community after the rapper made a joke that he had transitioned. “apologies to the trans community i def handled that situation with anger instead of considering why it was not cool,” he wrote. “much love to you guys. sorry.”

The “That’s What I Want” singer was responding to critics of a since-deleted tweet, in which the rapper posted a photo of a woman bearing a slight resemblance to him. Captioning the post, Lil Nas appeared to claim that he had transitioned, writing, “The surgery was a success” next to a heart emoji. Many of the rapper’s followers quickly called out his post for being insensitive to a community that is currently being attacked by state legislatures around the U.S. with over 400 anti-trans bills currently in circulation.

While Lil Nas X officially apologized, he had choice words for one fan who asked him to do more. When told over Twitter that his apology was “fake as hell” and that he needed to show support for the community “in material ways that include money, sharing your platform to raise a [sic] awareness,” Lil Nas X quote tweeted the user, simply writing, “girl eat my a–.”

Representatives for Lil Nas X have not yet respond to Billboard‘s request for further comment.

The latest tweets come after a series of teasers from the star back in February, where he claimed that the follow-up to his debut album Montero could arrive as early as this summer. “it’s mostly planning now,” he wrote at the time. “i could easily just release music but i have to build moments around this s–t. i have to go bigger than before!”

Check out Lil Nas X’s apology tweet below:

14 Mar 2023

Louis Tomlinson Says He’s ‘Proud’ of Having the Most One Direction Writing Credits: ‘That Makes Me Feel Important to the Band’

Louis Tomlinson is opening up more than ever on his upcoming documentary, All of Those Voices, and in a first look released on Tuesday (March 14), the “Two of Us” singer discussed how he insisted on writing songs as a member of One Direction.

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“It had always been in my mind that it’d be cool if we weren’t just the standard boy band who just got given songs and sang them. Like, maybe we should be writing our own songs,” he shared in the one-minute clip. “Once I got to feel stuff bubbling for us and I could see that we got people’s attention, I realized that we might be able to make a few of our own decisions.”

Tomlinson added that being a songwriter in the group was the first time he “felt ownership” in his career. “All of a sudden, I felt in control again. The first two and a half years, I just felt like I wasn’t in control of myself or certainly had an influence on the band,” he continued. “When I think about how proud I am of One Direction, I think of us as a collective. When I think about what makes me most proud as me as an individual in that band, is definitely having the most writing credits. That makes me feel important to the band, and that’s all I ever wanted when I was a lad.”

The now-31-year-old has writing credits on a number of One Direction hits, including “No Control,” “Night Changes,” “Perfect,” “Last First Kiss” and “History.”

The Charlie Lightening-directed All of Those Voices, out in theaters on March 22, will delve into Tomlinson’s life and musical journey, complete with never-before-seen home video footage and behind-the-scenes access to the star’s 2022 world tour.

Watch the first look below.

14 Mar 2023

Fuerza Regida Lands Its First No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay With Grupo Frontera Collab ‘Bebe Dame’

Fuerza Regida continues its good fortune across Billboard’s Latin charts as “Bebe Dame,” with Grupo Frontera, jumps 2-1 on the Regional Mexican Airplay chart (dated March 18). The song’s new coronation lands after it dominated Hot Latin Songs for two weeks.

“Bebe Dame” rises to the top of Regional Mexican Airplay thanks to a 15% increase in audience impressions, to 9.2 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending March 9, according to Luminate. The collab was released Dec. 16 and belongs to Fuerza Regida’s Sigan Hablando album, which earned the five-member ensemble its highest peaking set on Top Latin Albums (No. 2, Jan. 28) and a two-week reign on Regional Mexican Albums.

“Bebe Dame” is the second collaborative effort by Regida and Frontera, following “911” which reached the top 25 on the multimetric Hot Latin Songs chart last December.

Back on Regional Mexican Airplay, as “Bebe Dame” leads the 29-year-old ranking, Regida secures its first champ. Previously, the San Bernardino, Calif-based group reached the top five through the No. 5-peaking “Sigan Chambeando” in August 2019.

Frontera, meanwhile, claims its second leader in less than two months. The group replaces itself at No. 1, sending “Que Vuelvas,” with Carin León, to No. 5 following its six-nonconsecutive-week run on top, which began on the Jan. 28-dated list.

Further, “Bebe Dame” holds at No. 2 on Hot Latin Songs for a seventh frame after two weeks atop, despite dips in both streams and digital sales. It also leaps 6-2 on the all-genre Latin Airplay tally, granting Regida its first top 10 there. Frontera picks up its third straight top 10.

Los Dos Carnales Score a Second Top 10 on Latin Airplay

Elsewhere on the Latin charts, Los Dos Carnales earn its second top 10 among six entries on Latin Airplay as “Se Me Soltó El Hocico” flies 14-6.

“Se Me Soltó” advances to the upper tier boosted by a 24% gain in audience impressions, with 7.6 million, earned during the March 3-7 tracking week.

14 Mar 2023

Jennifer Hudson Celebrates Common’s Birthday Amid Romance Rumors: ‘One of the Brightest Lights’

Jennifer Hudson took to social media on Tuesday (March 14) to wished Common a happy birthday amid chatter the pair may have sparked a romance.

“Team Jhud pls help me wish one of the brightest lights, a Chicago and hip hop legend, the one and only @common a very happy birthday on today!” the Jennifer Hudson Show host captioned a March 13 Instagram post alongside a smiling photo of herself and rapper.

Fans were quick to speculate about the pair’s prospective relationship status in the comments. “Is that a ‘Soft Launch Insta Offical,’” one wrote using a trio of winking emojis, while another questioned, “Is this confirmation or naw[?]”

“Oh so he BEEN in the picture huh,” a fan page speculated. A separate follower commented, “I don’t know but I heard on TMZ that Common is your new bew.” (Back in late February, the gossip site reported that Hudson and Common were spotted going out on a dinner date at Malibu hot spot Nobu.)

Common, who the American Idol alum tagged, shared her post in his Instagram Stories. “Thank You!” he wrote.

On her eponymous talk show, which has been renewed for a second season by Warner Bros. Discovery, Hudson has recently welcomed both DJ Khaled and Paula Abdul. The We the Best producer dished on picking the title for his most recent album God Did after receiving a particularly disappointing phone call, and the original American Idol judge looked back on Hudson’s controversial elimination from the reality juggernaut in seventh place back in Season 3.

For his part, Common most recently made his Broadway debut at the end of 2022 in Between Riverside and Crazy at Second Stage Theater.

Check out Hudson’s sweet birthday post for Common on her Instagram.

14 Mar 2023

NF’s ‘Motto’ Premieres Atop Hot Trending Songs Chart

NF’s “Motto” makes a splash on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart upon release, debuting at No. 1 on the March 18-dated tally.

Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running March 3-9.

“Motto” is the second taste of NF’s upcoming fifth studio album Hope (April 7), following the title track.

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Released March 9 (the final day of the March 18 Billboard charts tracking week), the song nonetheless garnered 1.2 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads toward the latest rankings, according to Luminate, with more chart appearances possible for the song on the March 25-dated surveys.

“Motto” reigns over Poze do Rodo’s “Metflix,” which bows at No. 2. The Brazilian act’s song was initially released in July 2022, but its latest boost is owed to a remix released March 7 that adds L7NNON.

Music from Jay-Z, ONEW and Anuel AA round out the top five.

Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.