Music News

24 Feb 2023

Rihanna Super Bowl Halftime Show Spurs (Weirdly Specific) FCC Indecency Complaints

Rihanna‘s Super Bowl LVII halftime show made headlines for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the singer’s surprise pregnancy reveal. But, according to a long list of comments received by the Federal Communication Commission, it also resulted in more than 100 complaints from across the country about what some viewers deemed an overly sexual performance.

“Inappropriate touching and dance moves, very raunchy for a family to watch. Little kids do not need to see this,” read one note from a complainant in Rockton, Illinois, even as another described it as “sick sick sick.” A number of other notes referred to “sexualization, genital grabbing, sniffing of her fingers,” as well as “gyrating… and rear end… grabbing,” “filth,” “perpetual air humping… glorifying being a stripper” and a description of dancers “holding their hands up the cracks of their butts and pumping,” in a note from Plainwell, Michigan that misidentified the performer as Shakira; the latter shared the stage with Jennifer Lopez in 2020 in a performance that, not for nothing, derw more than 1,000 FCC complaints.

One all caps screed from Depew, New York went deep, with the writer lamenting, “FRIENDS AND FAMILY GATHER TO WATCH THE SUPERBOWL. WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO HAVE TO BLACK NOISE YEAR AFTER YEAR. THEY CAN’T SING OR WRITE ANY DESCENT MUSIC. ALL I HEARD WAS WORD WORD WORD WORD WORD WORD WORD WORDWORD WORD WORD WORDG. BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK AND GO DOWN ON ME, GO DOWN ON ME GO DOWN ON ME OR GO DOWN ON YOU ETC. I DEFINATELY [sic] DON’T CONSIDER THIS MUSIC., AND I DON’T APPRECIATE SEEING HER AND HER DANCERS GRABBING THEIR CROTCHES ON NATIONAL TV!. THE NFL SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF WHAT THESE 1/2 TIME SHOWS HAVE BECOME.”

Another one from Brush Prairie, Washington pleaded, “Can we please have a half time show where the artist doesn’t grab their crotch or try to dry hump the lead singer. I really don’t want to see 30 back up dancers doing pelvic thrusts. Ew. Also, twerking should rank up there with the F bomb,” while a viewer from Colorado Springs, Colorado suggested, “If I were to go to a place where children were present and did these same motions, I would probably be arrested. Therefore, I don’t see how it is fair for it to happen on television against our will and without warning. Quite infuriated that things like this continue to be
permitted.”

Yet another from Ellicott City, Maryland, said they were literally sickened by the show, writing, “The halftime show was disgusting. Scratching your crotch and anus and the sniffing your fingers makes me puke. The devil sequence was blatantly anti Christian and so inappropriate. Why is this trash allowed on television?”

And while a handful of complaints were focused on the commenters calling the game and the ASL interpreter, nearly all were squarely focused on RihRih’s performance and the writers’ beliefs that the content was not family friendly.

At press time a spokesperson for the NFL declined to comment for this story and a spokesperson for halftime show producer Roc Nation had not returned a request for comment.

The Super Bowl halftime show is no stranger to controversy and pearl-clutching complaints, from those who were offended by Eminem taking a knee during the 2022 show to viewers overstimulated by the site of Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine’s nipples in 2019, and, of course, the many complaints following the 2004 show where Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s nipple in an incident dubbed “Nipplegate.”

24 Feb 2023

Latto: Photos From the Billboard Women In Music Shoot

Rushing from elementary school with handwritten raps in her pocket, 10-year-old Alyssa Michelle Stephens would hop in her father’s “old-school cars with [24-inch] rims” and head straight to the recording studio — first in his friends’ homes, but soon enough, in professional spaces. “When we started paying for sessions, he’d say, ‘You ain’t gon’ be in here all day,’ ” the artist now known as Latto recalls. “ ‘You better have that song ready, top to bottom, one take, in and out!’ ” Even then, the Atlanta-raised aspiring MC — today a chart-topping, Grammy-nominated rapper with more than 1 billion on-demand streams in the United States, according to Luminate — was preparing for her destiny, winning high school writing competitions as a fifth grader.

Nurtured by her accountant mother and “hustler” father — both of whom she recalls living off ramen noodles during her early years — the self-proclaimed “daddy’s girl” stayed ahead of the curve, accompanying him to video shoots where rising acts like Dem Franchize Boyz and Ciara used his cars. “I just remember being so mesmerized by the whole process,” she says. “I loved the fast-paced hustle and bustle.” At 16, Latto competed on (and won) the first season of Lifetime’s hip-hop reality show, The Rap Game, under the moniker Miss Mulatto. Already, she had the foresight to recognize a bad career move when she saw one and, citing a less-than-adequate payout, turned down the show’s grand prize — a record deal with Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Recordings — and remained independent until she signed to RCA Records in 2020, following the success of her breakthrough single, “B–ch From Da Souf.”

Read Latto’s Billboard Women in Music profile here.

24 Feb 2023

Edgar Barrera Rules Latin Songwriters & Producers Charts Simultaneously

Edgar Barrera spends an 18th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Songwriters chart (dated Feb. 25), and hits No. 1 on Latin Producers for the first time, thanks to six writing and production credits on the latest Hot Latin Songs survey.

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Dating to the charts’ launch in 2018, Barrera is just the fourth talent to top both Latin rankings simultaneously.

Tainy first achieved the feat in November 2020, and has since doubled up 24 times. Ovy on the Drums led both charts simultaneously for two consecutive weeks in May 2022 and MAG ruled both on three occasions last November and December.

Here’s a look at all of Barrera’s credits on this week’s Hot Latin Songs chart (he’s credited as both a songwriter and producer on each song):

Rank, Artist Billing, Title

  • No. 2, Fuerza Regida X Grupo Frontera, “Bebé Dame”
  • No. 3, Carin León X Grupo Frontera, “Que Vuelvas”
  • No. 8, Manuel Turizo, “La Bachata”
  • No. 16, Grupo Frontera X Grupo Marca Registrada, “Di Que Sí”
  • No. 32, Fuerza Regida X Grupo Frontera, “911 (En Vivo)”
  • No. 43, Maluma + Marc Anthony, “La Fórmula”

Barrera’s 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Latin Songwriters chart mark the third-most in the chart’s history, after only Bad Bunny (95) and Tainy (24).

The weekly Latin Songwriters and Latin Producers charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot Latin Songs chart. As with Billboard’s yearly recaps, multiple writers or producers split points for each song equally (and the dividing of points will lead to occasional ties on rankings).

The full Latin Songwriters and Latin Producers charts, in addition to the full genre rankings, can be found on Billboard.com.

24 Feb 2023

Dionne Warwick Talks Meeting Dolly Parton for the First Time — And Why America Needs Inspirational Music Right Now

What happens when two beloved legends meet for the first time?

“Well, it was more laughter than anything else,” Dionne Warwick says of meeting Dolly Parton. “We had a wonderful, wonderful meeting. It was as if we’d known each other for years.”

Though both women have been fans of each other’s work for many years, the occasion that finally brought them together was a video shoot for their new gospel duet “Peace Like a River.” Written by Parton and produced by Warwick’s son/manager Damon Elliott, the song is the first taste of Warwick’s forthcoming inspirational album, coming via Warwick and Elliott’s Kind Music Group.

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Parton and Warwick recorded their vocals for the single separately then met at Parton’s production facility outside Nashville to film the video. Sitting in a downtown Nashville hotel room for this interview, Warwick is both elegant and energetic — the excitement she feels over the collaboration with Parton is palpable.

“We were there to take care of our business, but along with that, we found time to not only smile but outright laugh,” Warwick says of the filming the clip, which was directed by Elliott and Nick Pres. “Dolly is very, very grounded — which I was thrilled about — but she’s also very business, which I happen to be about as well. So, it felt like two peas in a pod. It wasn’t like we were working at all. It was more like two friends meeting for lunch.”

“I was honored to get to sing with one of my idols, Dionne Warwick,” Parton said in a statement. “I have loved her since we were younger and getting to sing with her was one of the highlights of my career. I loved that she loved my song, and I loved singing it with her.”

Parton sent the song to Elliott in hopes that Warwick would be interested in recording it. When she heard it, she was immediately impressed by the lyrics and Parton’s vocals. “She asked if I’d like to do it as a duet. She’s testifying on this song, which she knows how to do,” Warwick tells Billboard of Parton’s fiery gospel delivery. “She felt that I was her voice of choice to do this with. She feels that the world needs it, as I do, and she said, ‘We’ve got a hit song.’ It’s so beautifully written. [These are] beautiful words to sing and I’m truly honored that she asked me to record it.”

Warwick plans to title her upcoming album Songs of Inspiration and is hoping to recruit Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin and some of her other favorite gospel singers to participate in the project. The new album will be Warwick’s first inspirational collection since Why We Sing was released in 2008 on Rhino Records. “It’s so important for this time and so much needed,” Warwick says of releasing the inspirational set. “I don’t know what’s going on with our country.”

Though “Peace Like a River” marks Warwick’s first collaboration with Parton, Elliott recently produced another project involving the country icon when he recruited Dolly for “Gonna Be You,” a Diane Warren song performed by Parton, Cyndi Lauper and Belinda Carlisle featuring Gloria Estefan and Deborah Harry (which comes from the 80 for Brady movie starring Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin). “Diane had this great song that she wrote, and she came to me and said, ‘I’m working on this song for this movie, and I want you to produce it,’” says Elliott, who produced Warren’s Oscar-nominated “Applause” from the film Tell It Like A Woman.

“It was a lot of fun,” Elliott says of working on “Gonna Be You.” “It took me back to when I produced ‘Lady Marmalade’ [with P!nk, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim and Mya for Moulin Rouge!] many moons ago. Working with extraordinary talented artists — in this case living legends — is just something… I can’t put words to it.”

In addition to working on her upcoming inspirational album, Warwick and Elliott are co-executive producers for Hits! The Musical, a 50-city national tour featuring 29 young artists, ages 10 to 22, delivering 80 of America’s most iconic songs. Elliott is currently planning a Las Vegas residency for the show after the tour concludes.

When Elliott first became involved in the musical, he knew it would appeal to Warwick. “I called mom and said, ‘This is probably going to resonate with you,’ because she does stuff to help propel future artists,” he explains.

“Anything that has to do with kids, you’ve got me. Especially if it’s dealing with music, which I think I know a little bit about,” Warwick says with a smile. “It is absolutely phenomenal. The talent is enormous. They take five decades of music. Every time I think about it, I get tongue-tied. It’s something I think everybody should see.”

At 82, Warwick — whose Dionne Warwick: Don’t Make Me Over documentary recently hit HBO Max — shows no signs of slowing down. In addition to the new duet with Parton, touring the country, working on her inspirational album and co-executive producing Hits! The Musical, the five-time Grammy winner (who was honored with the lifetime achievement Grammy in 2019) is considered the “Queen of Twitter.” “After seeing some of the things that were being said on Twitter when I first got involved, [I thought] it’s time for a grownup to be present and let these kids know that there is another way to do all this,” Warwick quips.

She says she has no plans to retire anytime soon. “I’ve got a long, long time just to sit and be doing nothing,” she says. “I’m not ready for that yet.”

24 Feb 2023

Lana Del Rey: Photos From the Billboard Women In Music Shoot

Lana Del Rey practices “automatic singing.” Using the improvisational songwriting technique, she lets her voice carry over accompaniments, not commandeering where her words or melodies take her, accepting all ideas she has in the moment and editing them later. Lately, her voice has led her home, back to memories of her childhood in Lake Placid, N.Y., and to ruminations on relationships with her family and the divergent paths they’ve taken.

That subject underpins her upcoming ninth album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (out March 24). Del Rey, 37, says she hesitantly began to unpack this subject matter with her previous album, Blue Banisters — but now, she’s ready to dig deeper. “At first I was so uncomfortable,” she says of the more personal material. “Then, by the grace of God, I just felt completely unburdened.”

As a singer-songwriter, this year’s Visionary honoree has embodied that word for over a decade. Her 2012 major-label debut, Born To Die, made her a star and defined music’s Tumblr era, as a young Del Rey toyed with both the romantic and the darker sides of the American dream. Her “world building,” as she calls it now, for her early work created a collage of beautiful and disparate images, pairing hip-hop aesthetics with references to the Kennedy family, Elvis Presley with John Wayne, and old Hollywood glamour with biker gang grit.

Since then, Del Rey has pushed musical boundaries — seamlessly peppering an album with features from Stevie Nicks to Playboi Carti (2017’s Lust for Life), reworking a Sublime cover into a contemporary Billboard Hot 100 hit (2019’s “Doin’ Time”), for instance — while achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success.

Read her full Billboard Women in Music profile here.

24 Feb 2023

Lana Del Rey’s Father, ‘Accidental Musician’ Rob Grant, Prepping Debut Album, ‘Lost At Sea’

Lana Del Rey isn’t the only one in the family with chops. Her dad, Rob Grant, is getting into the music business this summer when he drops his debut album. “Rob Grant here! And the rumors are true! My new album Lost At Sea is coming out on June 9th,” wrote Grant on Instagram along with an image of the album cover, on which the hale and hearty singer stares out over the ocean as seagulls swarm around him.

Grant also released the collection’s first single, the majestic instrumental piano ballad “Setting Sail on a Distant Horizon,” which was co-produced by Del Rey’s frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff along with Luke Howard. While Lana does not appear on that song — though she reportedly adds vocals to two other songs on the album — the singer makes a smiling cameo in a promo video Grant posted.

According to label Decca Records Grant’s compositions are the work of an admitted amateur with a passion for music. “An accidental recording artist, Grant has never had a lesson on any instrument in his life. No kind of formal musical training at all. He can’t read sheet music. But when he sits down at a piano, something magical happens,” reads a description on the label’s site.

“Notes flow from him and out pours composition after composition. The father of international icon Lana Del Rey, he enlisted an array of talent to contribute to the making of the album.” The collection promises features and writing assistance from his famous daughter, as well as production from Antonoff, Howard, Laura Sisk, and Zach Dawes.

Del Rey’s new album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, is due out on March 24.

Check out Grant’s album announce and listen to “Setting Sail” below.

24 Feb 2023

Brad Paisley Drops Song Featuring Ukrainian Pres. Zelenskyy on Anniversary of Russian War

A year ago, country star Brad Paisley watched the news on television as Russian troops invaded Ukraine and, like many people around the world, he felt helpless at the images of people fleeing their homes.

“The world felt like it was in a new place that it hadn’t been in decades,” the three-time Grammy winner recalls.

On Friday (Feb. 24), the one-year anniversary of the war’s start, Paisley is releasing a new song called “Same Here,” featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking proudly about his country and people.

The song is Paisley’s first from his new record, Son of the Mountains, to be released later this year on Universal Music Group Nashville. The West Virginia native wrote the song with Lee Thomas Miller (co-writer on Paisley hits “The World” and “Perfect Storm”) and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith. It’s a three-part narrative that reflects on universal similarities, despite distance and language.

While it doesn’t mention Ukraine specifically, the song ends with Paisley and Zelenskyy in conversation, recorded during a video call. Zelenskyy talks about Ukrainians’ desire for freedom, adding “There is no distance between our two countries in such values.”

“There’s just no differences,” Paisley told The Associated Press. “You can put us in different places with different flags and different languages, but we have so many similarities.”

Paisley is one of several celebrity ambassadors for Ukraine’s United24 crowdfunding effort, and has donated his time for other fundraising efforts to assist Ukrainians. But even he thought it would be a long shot to have the direct involvement of Zelenskyy, who has traveled the world advocating for Ukraine’s military and recovery efforts.

“I think he understands that art is how you reach the most people, especially in the heart,” Paisley said of Zelenskyy, who was an actor and comedian before becoming president. “He can give as many speeches as he can give, but it’s a lot easier to hear something with a melody maybe.”

Zelenskyy didn’t just sign off on the song; he also suggested some changes to it, Paisley said.

Paisley’s royalties for the song will be donated to United24 to help build housing for thousands of displaced Ukrainians whose homes were destroyed in the war, he said. Using his platform to advocate for causes important to him has always been part of his career, whether it was opening a free grocery store in Nashville with his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, or fighting hunger by donating 1 million meals during the pandemic.

“I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t sort of swing for the fence with things like this,” Paisley said. “For me, I’m happiest dealing with stuff as a songwriter that’s very true and very, very passionate. And sometimes I don’t know if you’d call it risky, but it’s more like it’s bigger than me.”

Paisley brings his passion on stage during live shows. He’s been changing the lyrics to his hit song “American Saturday Night,” for instance, to replace a reference to the U.S.S.R. to “There’s a Ukrainian flag hanging up behind the bar.”

The new record will be his debut on UMG since moving from Sony’s Arista label, and he said “Same Here” reflects the kinds of big universal themes on it.

“We do deal with stuff going on in the world,” Paisley said. “How do you sing about things that are truly big — a big deal right now — that also don’t feel like maybe they’re the type of thing that you would be singing about typically? And yeah, on this album I have kind of really dug deep and tried to say something.”

Paisley, who has visited U.S. troops in Afghanistan, said he’s been invited to visit Ukraine, which he’d like to do. In the meantime, he hopes the song’s message will bolster the country now facing down year two of the war.

“That’s where it gets really rewarding… feeling like maybe the heart of this helps paint the picture they want to paint,” Paisley said.

24 Feb 2023

Fellow Five-Timers Woody Harrelson and Jack White Tell Chloe Fineman to Back Off in ‘SNL’ Promo

Woody Harrelson and Jack White will both join the five-timers club when they appear on Saturday Night Live this weekend. But before they hit the stage, the pair had to clear up a few things with cast member Chloe Fineman in this week’s promo for Saturday’s (Feb. 25) show.

In the first of two bits the trio shot, Harrelson does his job and hypes up White’s appearance, while a thirsty Fineman tries to get something going on the side with the Woodman. “Woody and Chloe back at it again,” she says with sass, snapping her fingers over her head, as White interjects, “Oh, I didn’t know you guys worked together before.”

“Oh, it’s a figure of speech, like ‘Woody and Chloe back at it,’ or ‘Woody and Chloe starring in a hit movie,’” Fineman adds nervously as Harrelson reminds the feature player to stop asking him to cast her in his next movie.

In the second promo Fineman tries to get her groove back and tells Harrelson he’s “the best” host. “Am I?,” he wonders, noting that considering that White is the musical guest, a better pairing might have balanced things out a bit. “Wouldn’t the best host be Jack Black?” he asks.

“You know, white-black, yin-yang, you know I think it could really help bring America together,” he suggests, as Fineman just double-checks to make sure the famously toke-loving actor understands that he does actually have to host this week.

“Stop tearing this country apart, Chloe!,” White implores her.

Harrelson — who appears in the upcoming basketball drama Champions and the HBO political series White House Plumbers — previously hosted Saturday Night Live in 1989, 1992, 2014 and 2019. White who dropped two albums in 2022, April’s Fear of the Dawn and July’s Entering Heaven Alive, has performed on the show five times as well, dating back to his White Stripes days.

The show airs every Saturday live on NBC at 11:30 p.m. ET/8:30 p.m. PT. For those without cable, the broadcast will also stream on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, which you can sign up for at the link here. Having a Peacock account also gives fans on demand access to previous SNL episodes as well.

Check out this week’s SNL promo below.

23 Feb 2023

Adam Lambert Unleashes ‘High Drama’: Stream It Now

Adam Lambert is certainly not making his highly anticipated new musical era a subtle one, unveiling his aptly titled fifth studio album, High Drama, via BMG on Friday (Feb. 24).

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The album is a impressive journey through Lambert’s skillset as a cover artist, as he delivers his own versions of songs such as Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero,” Sia’s “Chandelier,” Billie Eilish’s “Getting Older” and many more.

“Even when I was doing American Idol, thinking of ways to bring a fresh slant on really well-known songs was always paramount in my mind. So when the idea came up for me to do a covers album, I thought, Well, why not?” he told Dig! of the inspiration behind the project.

He added, “The brief was to take a bunch of really great songs from all genres and completely remold them. For me, it’s been really challenging to twist these songs into completely different arrangements and make them sound brand new. It’s exciting, and if our new takes of these wonderful songs can surprise the artists who recorded the originals, then the record’s definitely succeeded.”

Listen to High Drama in full below.