Music News

21 Feb 2023

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. Named Co-Chair of Harlem Festival of Culture’s Music Advisory Board

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. has been appointed co-chair of the Music Advisory Board for the Harlem Festival of Culture (HFC). Launching the weekend of July 28-30, the inaugural HFC is a reimagining of 1969’s historic Harlem Cultural Festival, which inspired the Academy Award-winning concert documentary Summer of Soul (…Or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).

Mason will be working in tandem with fellow Music Advisory Board co-chair and Grammy Award-winning artist Wyclef Jean. HFC’s executive team also includes Jordan Brand chairman Larry Miller as strategic advisor and artist/business entrepreneur Michael L. Bivins as creative director. 

In the HFC press release announcing his appointment, Mason commented, “I am incredibly honored to join as co-chair of the Music Advisory Board. Not just a music festival, I see this as a movement and an opportunity for the music community to get behind an event that authentically celebrates Black music and that builds on the rich legacy of Black innovation and artistic brilliance. I look forward to working alongside Wyclef and the entire HFC team to help develop something extraordinary and impactful.” 

“We are thrilled to have Harvey on board as co-chair as he is an incredible asset and resource,” said HFC co-founder and technical & talent producer Yvonne McNair. “In addition to his role at the Recording Academy, he is an award-winning songwriter/producer and was literally rooted and grown in music. It’s at the core of his DNA. We couldn’t ask for a better thought partner for the festival and for such a respected figure in the entertainment industry who can also help us galvanize support for it. We are grateful to Harvey for committing his time to this labor of love and look forward to working with him as we move full speed ahead to the festival launch.”

Added Jean, “I’m really happy that Harvey is joining the board. With what we are trying to achieve with this festival, his perspective and expertise in this space are extremely valuable. His appointment really shows the genuine approach that HFC is taking to artist relations. I have never seen a festival seek to have this level of engagement with artists and to have them be such a big part of the journey. The main goal is to create a true partner relationship with artists that will help us to produce a more holistic festival experience for all.”

Mainstage events for the first annual Harlem Festival of Culture will take place on Randall’s Island in New York. Additional activations and events will be staged at the Apollo Theater and throughout Harlem. For more information, visit harlemfestivalofculture.com

21 Feb 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Tops Hot 100 for Fifth Week, PinkPantheress & Ice Spice Surge to Top 10

Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” rules the Billboard Hot 100 for a fifth week, encompassing its entire run on the chart so far, dating to its debut at No. 1.

The song also becomes the most-heard hit on U.S. airwaves, marking Cyrus’ first No. 1 on the Radio Songs chart.

Plus, PinkPantheress and Ice Spice each make their first appearance in the Hot 100’s top 10 as “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” bounds from No. 14 to No. 4.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Feb. 25, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Feb. 22, a day later than usual due to the Presidents’ Day holiday in the U.S. Feb 20). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Flowers,” released on Smiley Miley/Columbia Records, drew 85.8 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 15%, good for the Hot 100’s top Airplay Gainer award for a third consecutive week) and 33.7 million streams (down 13%) and sold 22,000 (down 18%) Feb. 10-16, according to Luminate.

The single jumps 4-1 in its fifth week on Radio Songs, becoming Cyrus’ first leader on the list, among four top 10s. “Flowers” wraps the fastest flight to the top of the chart in nearly seven years, since Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” also needed just five frames to reign in June 2016. Since Radio Songs became an all-format survey in December 1998, only three other songs have hit No. 1 in five weeks or fewer: Adele’s “Hello” (four weeks, 2015), Destiny’s Child “Survivor” (five, 2001) and TLC’s “No Scrubs” (five, 1999).

“Flowers” rebounds for a fourth week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales and dips to No. 2 after four weeks atop Streaming Songs.

As previously reported, “Flowers” also hits No. 1 on the Pop Airplay chart, becoming Cyrus’ third leader and, as on Radio Songs, completing the quickest coronation (five weeks) since “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” in 2016. As Cyrus first topped Pop Airplay with “Party in the U.S.A.” in 2009 and led again with “Wrecking Ball” in 2013, she joins Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift as the only acts with No. 1s on the chart in the 2000s, ’10s and ’20s.

SZA’s “Kill Bill” ranks at its No. 2 Hot 100 best for a sixth week. It returns for a fourth week atop Streaming Songs and leads Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a 10th week each.

Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” rebounds to its No. 3 Hot 100 high, from No. 5.

PinkPantheress and Ice Spice each claim their first Hot 100 top 10 as “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” roars 14-4. The team-up, released Feb. 3, drew 31.1 million streams (up 54%, as it takes top Streaming Gainer honors) and 2.1 million in airplay audience (up 258%) and sold 1,000 (up 58%) Feb. 10-16. The track is a remix of PinkPantheress’ original solo “Boy’s a Liar,” released in November. (All versions of the song are combined into one listing on Billboard’s charts.)

Notably, “Liar” leaps to the Hot 100’s top 10 in just its second week on the chart. It’s the first duet by two acts each making a first top 10 appearance since Nicky Youre and Dazy hit No. 4 with “Sunroof” last September. That song took 10 weeks to hit the top 10; “Liar” is the first song between two acts each scoring a first top 10 to reach the region in two weeks or fewer since Lil Tjay’s “Calling My Phone,” featuring 6LACK, debuted at its No. 3 peak in February 2021.

“Liar” deconstructed: PinkPantheress wrote and produced the 2-minute, 15-second track with Mura Masa (who also appears on the Hot 100 for the first time). Notes Hit Songs Deconstructed, which analyzes the compositional traits of Hot 100 top 10s, “In addition to the strategic pairing of PinkPantheress and Ice Spice, one of the song’s core strengths is how it pushes the boundaries of the Hot 100’s top 10 while at the same time staying in line with current trends. On one hand, it features a unique lo-fi ‘bedroom’ production, classic 8-bit video game-sounding synths and a Jersey club beat, which separate it from many of its mainstream contemporaries and immediately captures the listener’s ear. On the other hand, its super-catchy and repetitive hook structure and troubled-love lyrics impart a sense of familiarity and relatability, along with its under 3-minute runtime, vibrant tempo, omission of a pre-chorus and synth-heavy production, all of which are in line with rising top 10 trends.”

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” dips to No. 5 on the Hot 100 from its No. 3 best. It concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart for a second week.

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” descends 4-6, after it ruled for a week in October; The Weeknd’s “Die for You” rebounds 8-7, after reaching No. 6; Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” retreats 7-8, following a personal-best eight weeks at No. 1; Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” backtracks to No. 9 from its No. 6 high; and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” slips 9-10, after reaching No. 4, as it leads the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 22nd week.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Feb. 25), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Feb. 22).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

21 Feb 2023

Lil Nas X Says ‘Montero’ Follow-Up Could Drop This Summer: ‘I Have to Go Bigger Than Before!’

If Lil Nas X has his way you could have the follow-up to 2021’s Montero by this summer. The “Industry Baby” rapper did a surprise Twitter Q&A with fans on Monday (Feb. 20) in which he answered a series of questions about his second studio album, including when he hopes to drop it.

“Most likely summer,” Lil Nas said about his timetable for the as-yet-untitled collection. He was cagier, however, when there was a question about whether the next collection will have any big features, responding, “ooooooh.” Montero had a number of major features, including tracks with Elton John, Miley Cyrus, Megan Thee Stallion, Jack Harlow and Doja Cat.

As for how many songs it might contain, the MC said he wasn’t sure yet. “idk i love so many songs plus i’m still in the studio making music so it’s gone be hard to pick,” he wrote.

There was some good news too if you are all about the upbeat bangers. When a different fan requested that Lil Nas make another sad song,” the rapper said, fortunately, he’s not in that head space at the moment. “I didn’t make many of those I been too happy lately,” he responded.

Expressing the feelings of many of his followers, when one commented, “take your time but also hurry the hell up,” Lil Nas had the perfect response, writing, “it’s mostly planning now. i could easily just release music but i have to build moments around this s–t. i have to go bigger than before!” And while he hasn’t officially teased any music from the next collection yet, the rapper hinted that the leaked track with Saucy Santana, “Down Souf Hoes,” is slated to be included on the album.

At press time a spokesperson for Lil Nas X could not be reached for additional information on his next album.

Check out Nas’ tweets below.

21 Feb 2023

JoJo Siwa to Co-Star in ‘All My Friends Are Dead’ Horror Movie

JoJo Siwa is headed to the big screen. The 19-year-old Dance Moms veteran, singer and YouTube favorite is slated to co-star in the horror movie All My Friends Are Dead opposite Jade Pettyjohn (Little Fires Everywhere) according to Deadline.

Casting for the movie from Saw 3D co-writer Marcus Dunstan is reportedly still going on and filming is slated to begin in Canada in the spring, with Dunstan directing from a script by Josh Sims and Jessica Sarah Flaum. According to a description, the movie follows a group of close college friends who get a great deal on an awesome Airbnb for the biggest music festival of the year.

“A weekend of partying quickly takes a turn for the worst as members of the group are murdered one by one,” it continues. “They soon discover that each one of their deaths directly corresponds to one of the seven deadly sins.”

In a statement, Siwa said she was grateful for the chance to be in the film, adding, “This is a project that is so different from anything I’ve done previously; however, I absolutely love horror movies and I can’t wait to start production! I’m also excited to work with Jade again. We worked together when we were younger and can’t wait to create this movie together.”

Siwa made news in December when she opened up about her break up with Avery Cyrus, posting a lip-sync video in which she speculated on the reasons for the split. “But I love you Why are you breaking up with me??!!!” she wrote before offering up two different options in the clip using viral sound from “My Brother My Brother and Me” on her YouTube channel. “There’s someone else” and, uh, “You told one of my best friends that you were excited to be dating me bc you’re ‘growing your career and wanna get to the top’…”

At the end of the clip she made it clear that there was not a third party involved. “And when I said I just wanted to be friends so I didn’t lead you on after an unplanned hookup you wanted nothing to do with me because there was nothing to gain anymore,” she wrote.

21 Feb 2023

Oops… Travis Barker Breaks Finger Again Ahead of Blink-182 Reunion Tour

Travis Barker is legendary for hitting his kit with wild abandon. But with the Blink-182 reunion slated to kick off on March 11 in Tijuana, Mexico, the dynamic drummer may want to slow his roll and heal up after suffering yet another injury to his ring finger. Two weeks after revealing that he’d smashed his finger so hard during rehearsals that he dislocated it and tore some ligaments, Barker said he did it again.

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TMZ reported that Barker posted an Instagram Story on Sunday in which he showed off his clearly swollen, bruised ring finger, with what looked like a giant bump on his middle knuckle, captioning the image “again.”

Barker confirmed the news in his Story on Monday, posting two x-ray images of his left middle finger that clearly depicted a serious ding on the ring fing. At press time it was unclear if the injury would have any impact on the band’s touring plans in support of their as-yet-untitled reunion album with twice former singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge; a spokesperson for the group had not returned requests for additional comment at press time.

In January, DeLonge teased that the collection is “the best album we’ve ever made,” assuring fans that they need to “buckle up.” Amping up the excitement, DeLonge added, “I’m personally tripping and so proud of what we have created TOGETHER. As one unified force of fun, eternal youth, and most of all- close friends.”

DeLonge — who rejoined the band in 2022 after leaving for a second time in 2014 — tagged bandmates drummer Travis Barker and singer/bassist Mark Hoppus in the post about the eagerly awaited follow-up to the trio’s 2019 album Nine, their second, and final, studio effort featuring fill-in third member Matt Skiba (Alkaline Trio).

While a release date and title for the new album have not yet been announced, the collection’s first single, “EDGING,” has been a smash at alternative radio.

The reunited trio’s massive world tour is slated to kick off on March 11 in Tijuana, Mexico at the Imperial GNP festival and keep the band on the road in South America and Mexico through April 2 before shifting to North America on May 4 with a show at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota; those dates will run through a July 16 gig in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena and then move on to Europe in September and Australia/New Zealand in early 2024.

21 Feb 2023

Chris Martin, Hugh Jackman Announced as Co-Chairs for Global Citizen NOW Summit

Chris Martin and Hugh Jackman are among the co-chairs set for this year’s Global Citizen NOW, a two-day leadership summit planned for April 27-28 in New York City.

Coldplay frontman Martin — curator of the annual Global Citizen music festival — and actor Jackman will join political, corporate and philanthropic leaders for the program that is “focused on turning ideas into impact and driving urgent action to end extreme poverty,” Global Citizen announced Tuesday morning (Feb. 21).

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Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission; Mia Mottley, prime minister of Barbados; Nana Akufo-Addo, president of Ghana; and Erna Solberg, former prime minister of Norway make up the list of political leaders to co-chair the summit.

Hans Vestberg, chairman & CEO, Verizon; Nir Bar Dea, co-CEO, Bridgewater Associates; Fran Katsoudas, EVP and chief people, policy and purpose officer, Cisco; Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer, P&G; Diego Scotti, EVP, chief marketing officer, Verizon; Tshepo Mahloele, founder & group executive director, Harith General Partners; Edward Skyler, executive vice president, Citi; Dr. Rajiv Shah, president, Rockefeller Foundation; Mark Malloch Brown, president, Open Society Foundation; and Darren Walker, president, Ford Foundation join as co-chairs from the corporate and philanthropic sectors.

Also announced as participants at the event are C.D. Glin, president, The PepsiCo Foundation; Catherine McKenna, former minister of environment & climate change of Canada; climate activist Vanessa Nakate; Alok Sharma, president of COP26; and Yasmine Sherif, executive director, Education Cannot Wait.

“Convening the brightest minds and leading voices across all spheres of society, from world leaders to grassroots activists, Global Citizen NOW showcases the power of cross-sector collaboration to solve the most urgent issues facing humanity and our planet,” a press release from Global Citizen reads.

Additional details about the Global Citizen NOW summit will become available in the coming weeks.

20 Feb 2023

Harry Styles Drinks Out of His Shoe at Australia Concert

Harry Styles treated himself to a big gulp out of his own shoe in Perth, Australia, Monday night (Feb. 20).

While making casual conversation with the crowd in between songs at HBF Park, Styles seems to have decided that this particular Love On Tour stop was the perfect time partake in an interesting Australian drinking tradition: doing a shoey.

To do a shoey, one must pour alcohol into one’s shoe — not water, as Styles learned Monday night — and chug it.

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“Does anybody have a drink that they wouldn’t mind lending?” Styles asked fans in the audience and then pondered, “Can we do a shoey with water or is that against the rules? No?”

Before dumping a drink into his mouth straight from his shoe, which appears to be the Adidas x Gucci Gazelle sneaker, the Harry’s House hitmaker commented, “This is one of the most disgusting traditions.”

Post Malone and Kacey Musgraves are among the fellow music arts to have joined in on the Australian rite of passage on previous tours.

Watch Styles do a shoey in the video clip below, beginning at the 7:07 timestamp.

20 Feb 2023

Madonna Laughs Off ‘Swelling From Surgery’ After Criticism of Her Appearance at 2023 Grammys

Who’s that girl? It’s Madonna, showing off her latest snapshot and a little sense of humor, after the internet criticized how she looked at the 2023 Grammys.

Madonna shared a new photo of herself staring down the camera on Twitter Monday (Feb. 20). The pop icon is dressed casually in the picture, wearing ripped jeans, a jacket and a black cap reading “SPIRITUALLY HUNGRY,” with her hair styled in braids.

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“Look how cute i am now that swelling from surgery has gone down. Lol,” Madonna tweeted about her face, with a crying-laughing emoji.

At the Grammys earlier this month, the singer had introduced Sam Smith and Kim Petras for a performance of their Grammy-winning “Unholy.” Following the telecast, her speech was seemingly overshadowed by her appearance, as people on social media shared their opinions about how different she looks in 2023, throwing out accusations about botched plastic surgery.

Two days later, Madonna fired back at critics with an Instagram post: “It was an honor for me to introduce Kim Petras and Sam Smith at the Grammys,” she wrote. “I had wanted to give the last award which was Album of the year, but I thought it was more important that I present the first trans- woman performing at the Grammys— a History making moment!! And on top of that she won a Grammy!! Instead of focusing on what I said in my speech which was about giving thanks for the fearlessness of artists like Sam and Kim- Many people chose to only talk about Close-up photos of me Taken with a long lens camera By a press photographer that Would distort anyone’s face!! Once again I am caught in the glare of ageism and misogyny That permeates the world we live in. A world that refuses to celebrate women pass the age of 45 And feels the need to punish her If she continues to be strong willed, hard-working and adventurous.”

“I have never apologized for any of the creative choices I have made nor the way that I look or dress and I’m not going to start,” she added at the time.

See Madonna’s new photo on Twitter.

20 Feb 2023

Huey ‘Piano’ Smith, Session Man and Hitmaker, Dies at 89

Huey “Piano” Smith, a beloved New Orleans session man who backed Little Richard, Lloyd Price and other early rock stars and with his own group made the party favorites “Don’t You Just Know It” and “Rockin’ Pneumonia and Boogie Woogie Flu,” has died. He was 89.

His daughter, Acquelyn Donsereaux, told The Associated Press that he died in his sleep Feb. 13 at his home in Baton Rouge. She did not cite a specific cause.

A New Orleans native who performed nationwide but always returned to Louisiana, Smith was one of the last survivors of an extraordinary scene of musicians and songwriters who helped make New Orleans a fundamental influence on rock ‘n’ roll. He was just 15 when he began playing professionally and in his 20s helped out on numerous ’50s hits, including Price’s “Where You At?”, Earl King’s “Those Lonely Lonely Nights” and Smiley Lewis’ “I Hear You Knocking.” Little Richard, Fats Domino and David Bartholomew were among the many other artists he worked with.

In 1957, he formed Huey “Piano” Smith and the Clowns and reached the top 10 with “Rockin’ Pneumonia,” a mid-tempo stomp which featured the vocals of John Marchin and Smith’s buoyant keyboard playing, and the equally rowdy and good-natured “Don’t You Just Know It.” The Clowns also were known for “We Like Birdland”, “Well I’ll Be John Brown” and “High Blood Pressure.”

One Smith production became a major hit and rock standard, for another performer. Smith and his group wrote, arranged and recorded “Sea Cruise,” but Ace Records thought the song would have more success with a white singer — as Smith learned bluntly from local record distributor Joe Caronna — and replaced the Clowns’ vocals with those of Frankie Ford, whose version became a million seller.

“I was crying as he (Caronna) said that,” Smith told biographer John Wirt, whose Huey ‘Piano’ Smith and the Rocking Pneumonia Blues came out in 2014. “I had been drinking a little bit. It hurt me to my heart when he told me he was taking that.”

Artists covering “Sea Cruise” and other Smith songs included John Fogerty, the Beach Boys, Aerosmith and Jerry Garcia. In 2005, Ford would deny “stealing” the song, alleging that he had written the words. “Huey sorta went through a period and ‘forgot’ a lot of things,” Ford told Offbeat Magazine.

Smith’s popularity faded after the Beatles arrived and by 1980 he had quit the business, settled in Baton Rouge with his wife, Margrette, and become a Jehovah’s Witness. Like many rock musicians from the ’50s, he fought to be paid and credited for “Sea Cruise” and other hits and spent decades in legal battles and financial trouble. Local musicians, meanwhile, continued to cite him as an inspiration.

“To me he was the man who got more out of simplicity than anybody in New Orleans,” drummer Earl Palmer told Wirt.

In 2000, Smith received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and he was honored a year later by the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame. Admirers would cite him as one of the most vital performers not to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, 10 children, 18 grandchildren and 47 great grandchildren, his daughter told the AP.

Smith grew up in the Uptown section New Orleans, his father a roofer, his mother a laundry worker. As a boy, Smith took up piano, learning by watching his uncle play, and he soon mastered the eight-bar progression that anchored countless blues songs. He played obsessively, sometimes to the annoyance of his neighbors, and in high school he helped start the band the Joy Jumpers.

He was still in his teens when he met another young New Orleans musician, Eddie Lee Jones, who as “Guitar Slim” influenced countless musicians and gave Smith his “Piano” nickname. Lewis’ own work initially drew upon the blues-boogie woogie of Professor Longhair. But he would eventually absorb a wide range of styles, whether the jazz of Jelly Roll Martin or the rock-rhythm and blues of Fats Domino.

“I took up to tryin’ a variety of music other than just one individual style,” he told Wirt. “I like my own style, but my own style is completely different than rhythm-and-blues, or calypso or any of that. It’s just deep down funk.”

20 Feb 2023

Ariana DeBose Opens 2023 BAFTA Awards With Musical Performance

After winning the BAFTA supporting actress award last year for West Side Story, Ariana DeBose returned to open the 2023 ceremony on Sunday (Feb. 19).

The actress — also known for Hamilton and Westworld — performed an exclusive contemporary song inspired by this year’s nominees on stage at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Richard E. Grant serves as the host of the ceremony.

Alongside DeBose, Mercury Prize-winning artist Little Simz was also set to perform and will sing a track from her album, No Thank You. The pioneering hip-hop artist and actress — who has starred in Top Boy (which also stars this year’s BAFTA best-supporting actor nominee Micheal Ward) — has won MOBO, Ivor Novello and BRIT awards.

Last year, iconic Welsh singer Dame Shirley Bassey raised the curtain on the 75th edition of the BAFTAs with a rendition of the classic James Bond theme “Diamonds Are Forever” in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the film franchise.

All Quiet on the Western Front led the pack of nominees for this year’s BAFTA awards with a record-equaling haul of 14 nominations. Netflix’s acclaimed anti-war epic entered the Sunday ceremony competing for best film, director (for Edward Berger), adapted screenplay and supporting actor (for Albrech Schuch) alongside almost every single below-the-line category.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.