Music News

02 Feb 2023

LE SSERAFIM’s ‘Fearless’ Tops Japan Hot 100

LE SSERAFIM’s “Fearless” hits No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Feb. 1, preventing Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle” from extending its all-time record for weeks at No. 1.

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The six-member girl group’s first single in Japan ruled physical sales with 321,717 copies sold in its first week. In other metrics of the chart’s measurement, the single came in at No. 7 for video views, No. 14 for radio airplay, No. 41 in downloads, and No. 55 in streaming, leading this week’s song chart with 9,376 points overall.

After scoring its 12th week at No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100 last week, Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle” slows down in all metrics besides radio and slips to No. 2 for the first time in nine weeks with 8,687 overall points, down by about 8 percent from the previous week.

This week saw the breakthrough of girl groups on the Japan Hot 100. TWICE’s “Moonlight Sunrise” jumps 20-5, fueled by streaming (No. 5, up 127 percent from last week) and video (No. 2, up 12 percent). Rising five-member K-pop group NewJeans’s “Ditto” also breaks into the top 10 after crawling up the list these past several weeks (12→18→13→12→11→10). The track was powered by streaming, coming in at No. 4 for the metric.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, YouTube and GYAO! video views and karaoke data.

Check out the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Jan. 23 to Jan. 29, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

02 Feb 2023

The Weeknd Announces ‘Live at SoFi Stadium’ Concert Special for HBO Max

The Weeknd will be coming to HBO Max sooner than you think.

While his original series The Idol is set to premiere on the streaming platform in 2023, the superstar announced Thursday (Feb. 2) that his “Live at SoFi Stadium” concert special will arrive Feb. 25.

The Ethiopian-Canadian performer posted the concert special’s poster on his socials, which featured his masked persona clutching a microphone in one hand and raising his other against the blood orange backdrop.

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He originally scheduled two back-to-back dates at the Inglewood venue for his After Hours Til Dawn Tour in September, but The Weeknd canceled his second show in the beginning of his set after he lost his voice. The “Sacrifice” singer then rescheduled the shortened show to November and added a second date during Thanksgiving weekend.

The Weeknd’s last music TV special, The Weeknd x The Dawn FM Experience, arrived on Amazon Prime Video in February 2022, which served as a theatrical expansion of his last studio album Dawn FM that topped charts across the globe. Dawn FM follows his critically acclaimed fourth LP After Hours, which debuted and remained at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for four consecutive weeks.

His upcoming series The Idol, which The Weeknd is starring in and co-writing with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, will follow a female pop singer who sparks a romance with an enigmatic LA club owner who doubles as a leader of a secret cult. Starring Lily-Rose Depp, the show also features Troye Sivan, BLACKPINK‘s Jennie, Mike Dean and more.

See The Weeknd’s announcement below.

02 Feb 2023

Beyoncé Reveals Extension to Renaissance World Tour Due to Fan Demand

Fans in seven cities will get an additional chance to score tickets to Beyoncé‘s long-awaited Renaissance World Tour 2023, as the superstar revealed on Thursday (Feb. 2) a slew of additional shows due to high demand.

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Second shows have been added in Toronto on July 9, Chicago on July 23, East Rutherford on July 30, Washington, DC on August 6, Atlanta on August 12, Los Angeles on September 3 and Houston on September 24.

According to a press release from Live Nation, fan demand has already exceeded the number of available tickets by more than 800% based on current registration numbers. However, even with these added dates, “it is still expected that the majority of interested fans will not be able to get tickets because demand drastically exceeds supply.”

The 48-show global trek will launch in Stockholm on May 10 and feature a mix of stadium and arena shows across Europe through June 27 before picking up in North America at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on July 8; that leg is currently slated to run through a Sept. 27 gig at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

Ticket sales for the Live Nation-promoted tour — produced by Parkwood Entertainment — will kick off with a TM Verified Fan Registration for the North American dates, which is open now and closes at different times based on the city (click here for details on Verified fan and on-sale dates for European shows.) There will also be a Citi presale using Verified Fan as well as a Verizon Up presale.

02 Feb 2023

Finn Wolfhard Is Texting Winona Ryder About the Rock Stars She Dated in the ’90s

Finn Wolfhard is getting all the tea from Winona Ryder. In a new interview published on Wednesday (Feb. 1), the actor revealed he’s been asking his Stranger Things costar everything he could possibly want to know about her famous relationship history.

“She dated Dave Grohl and MCA from Beastie Boys, and all these people,” the 20-year-old frontman of The Aubreys said in a new GQ profile. “I could literally ask her what it was like knowing Kurt Cobain, and she just tells me everything.”

Wolfhard also described Ryder as “one of the funniest texters ever” who will often leave him on read for days on end. “She’ll text you and then you’ll text her back and then she won’t text you ever again,” he added. “She’ll text you whatever, say something like, ‘Oh, have you ever seen this movie?’ And I’ll be like, ‘No, I haven’t. How are you?’ And then just, nothing.”

It should be noted that, throughout the 1990s, the Little Women actress was also engaged to Johnny Depp and later dated both Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum and Matt Damon. While linked to Pirner, she even starred in the music video for his band’s 1993 single “Without a Trace,” the follow-up to their Grammy-winning breakout track “Runaway Train.”

These days, Ryder has been with longtime love Scott Mackinlay Hahn since 2011, though the pair have not yet married. Meanwhile, last month Wolfhard — as Ziggy Katz — unveiled new solo track “Pieces of Gold” from his upcoming A24 feature film When You Finish Saving the World.

02 Feb 2023

Matty Healy Says Oasis Needs to ‘Grow Up’ & ‘Get Back Together’: ‘Stop Messing Around’

Brothers and Oasis bandmates Liam and Noel Gallagher have had some walls up — one could even say, Wonderwalls — between the two of them for quite some time. Matty Healy, however, has had enough.

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In an impassioned rant on CBC’s Q With Tom Power, the 1975 frontman made it very clear how he feels about the wildly successful but internally troubled rock band’s 2009 breakup. “What are Oasis doing?” he said in a clip from the show posted to Instagram Thursday (Feb. 2). “Can you imagine being in potentially, right now, still the coolest band in the world and not doing it because you’re in a mard [tantrum] with your brother?”

“I can deal with them dressing like they’re in their 20s and being in their 50s, but acting like they’re in their 20s — they need to grow up,” Healy continued. “They’re sat around in Little Venice and Little Highgate, crying because they’re in an argument with their brother. Grow up, headline Glastonbury.”

If you though all that was harsh, wait until you see what the “Somebody Else” singer said next. “There is not one person going to a High Flying Birds gig, or a Liam Gallagher gig, that wouldn’t rather be at an Oasis gig,” Healy added. “Do me a favor: Get back together; stop messing around. That’s my public service announcement for today.”

It’s been about 13 years since Oasis — whose final lineup included the Gallagher brothers, guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell — formally disbanded in 2009 after Liam and Noel had an argument before a performance in France. “It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight,” Noel, who afterward formed his band High Flying Birds, wrote on Oasis’ website in August 2009. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”

As recently as last year, however, Liam said that he’d be game for an Oasis reunion, meaning Healy will maybe — just maybe — get his wish someday.

“I’d love Oasis to get back together,” the “Wall of Glass” musician said in an interview. “If it happens, it happens. But I’m quite happy doing [my solo career]. We should never have split up, but we did, and this is where we’re at.”

Watch Matty Healy rant about Oasis below:

02 Feb 2023

Kylie Jenner Shares Sweet Video Montage on Son Aire’s First Birthday: ‘You Complete Us My Angel’

Kylie Jenner is celebrating her son Aire’s first birthday on Thursday (Feb. 2), and the makeup mogul took to Instagram to share an adorable video montage of the year she’s had with her bundle of joy.

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“AIRE. my son, my moon, my stars. best year of my life with you,” Jenner wrote alongside a series of clips, in which she’s seen laughing, cuddling and spending time with her son. “you complete us my angel. mommy loves you. happy 1st birthday. may God always bless you.”

See her post here.

Upon his February 2022 birth, Jenner and Travis Scott originally announced their son would be named Wolf but retracted the decision weeks later after thinking it over. (“FYI our son’s name isn’t Wolf anymore,” the Kardashians star wrote on her Instagram Stories at the time. “We just really didn’t feel like it was him. Just wanted to share because I keep seeing Wolf everywhere.”). Last month, Jenner officially revealed that he’s named Aire Webster.

Scott and Jenner are also parents to Aire’s big sister, Stormi, who turned five on Feb. 1. The Kylie Cosmetics founder posted an equally heart-melting post on Instagram for her daughter’s birthday, writing, “i gave you the gift of life and life gave me the gift of you. the most special girl. this little face. i will miss it as it keeps changing. 5 years of loving you and forever more to go. i will always be there for you storm girl.”

02 Feb 2023

Drake Wants Artists to ‘Get Bonuses Like Athletes’ When They Reach Spotify Streaming Milestones

Drake reportedly became the first artist in Spotify history to surpass 75 billion collective streams, and used the moment to call out the streamer and advocate for artists.

“We should get bonuses like athletes to motivate the future artists to be consistent and competitive,” he wrote in an Instagram Story resharing a graphic that looks to be from Spotify, but which the streamer does not appear to have shared on its official accounts. “So feel free to send me a LeBron sized cheque[,] I have enough dinner plates.”

To drive his point home even further, the rapper punctuated the thought with a laughing emoji and heart with an arrow running through it, and made sure to tag Spotify’s Instagram handle, too.

Billboard has reached out to Spotify for comment.

The superstar’s streaming success has been fueled in part by his latest string of singles and guest features, including No. 1 hit “Jimmy Cooks” and follow-up “Circo Loco” — both with 21 Savage — as well as Popcaan’s “We Caa Done,” DJ Khaled’s “Staying Alive” also featuring Lil Baby and Future’s “Wait for U” with Tems.

Meanwhile, Drake and 21 Savage’s latest hit “Rich Flex” recently ascended to the dual summits of both the R&B/Hip-Hop and Rhythmic Airplay charts — the collab’s latest No. 1 tallies after also peaking atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts as well.

Next week, Drizzy is set to hit the stage at the private jet complex Scottsdale Hangar One in Scottsdale, Ariz., for h.wood Homecoming ahead of Super Bowl LVII.

Check out Drake’s message to Spotify here before it expires.

02 Feb 2023

Harry Styles Smiles From Ear to Ear as Palm Springs Concert Crowd Sings Him ‘Happy Birthday’

Harry Styles celebrated his 29th birthday on Wednesday (Feb. 1) with the final show of his Love on Tour North American run. The “Late Night Talking” superstar took the stage at Acrisure Arena, Southern California’s newest venue in Greater Palm Springs to honor his next year of life with 11,000 of his lucky fans.

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The show had plenty of birthday-themed moments, including when the crowd broke out into the “Happy Birthday” song. While Styles tried to playfully hush his fans at first, he ultimately gave in to the love and is seen smiling wide on videos captured and posted on Twitter.

“Obviously, I have a fear of people not coming to my birthday party. So, I just thought I would do a show and maybe you might come,” the Grammy winner told fans in another clip. Later on, Styles blew out candles on a cake and even sported a floppy birthday hat.

The superstar is nominated in Big Four categories at the 65th annual Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 5 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. He’s up for six awards total, including album, record and song of the year for Harry’s House and “As It Was,” respectively.

Styles will also be performing at the Grammy Awards, along with Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy and Sam Smith & Kim Petras. Styles performed “Watermelon Sugar” on the Grammy telecast two years ago. He also won his first Grammy for the track  – best pop solo performance.

02 Feb 2023

Who Should Win Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammy Awards? Vote!

The 2023 Grammy Awards are nearly upon us, and of the biggest questions that fans and spectators are waiting to have answered is who will win in the coveted best new artist award, one of the Big Four categories. This year’s best new artist has 10 contenders: Anitta, Måneskin, Wet Leg, Latto, Omar Apollo, Muni Long, Molly Tuttle, Domi & JD Beck, Samara Joy and Tobe Nwigwe.

Anitta had a breakout year in 2022. The Brazilian star’s album Pieces of Me was released in April and spawned a viral hit with “Envolver,” which allowed her career to ascend to heights in the time since. (See: tracks with Cardi B and Missy Elliott, appearing onstage alongside Snoop Dogg at Coachella.)

Italian rock band Måneskin found success following the success of breakthrough track “Beggin,” originally a cover of the classic 1967 Four Seasons song of the same name; the band’s take went viral on TikTok. Since then, the rockers have delivered a much-talked-about performance of “Supermodel,” a brand new album titled Rush, and now have a best new artist nom under their belts. “When they said our name I started screaming,” vocalist Damiano David said on the Tonight Show of the moment he found out about the band’s nomination. “We were actually shooting a video for this because we wanted to share the reaction but we couldn’t because it was too vulgar, too aggressive.”

British duo Wet Leg has also made waves over the past year, and secured an alternative hit with the heavily memed track “Chaise Lounge.” Not soon after, they started gaining the attention of hitmaker Harry Styles, who covered the duo’s “Wet Dream.” Now, the two-piece, in addition to being nominated for best new artist, is also up for best alternative performance, best alternative album, best engineering, nonclassical and best remixed recording.

Who do you think should win best new artist at the Grammys? Vote in our poll below.

02 Feb 2023

Samsung NXT 2.0 Finalists Move Onto Mentorship Sessions Ahead of Grand Finale

The Samsung NXT 2.0 competition has advanced to the next stage with one-on-one mentorship sessions with celebrity mentors Mariah Angeliq, Flo Milli and BIBI. 

Since beating out their competitors over the course of three challenges using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4, finalists Julian King, Nyla XO and Kyn Rose have moved onto the mentorship portion of the competition. Ahead of the grand finale, which will take place in Los Angeles later this month, the trio have been matched with buzzworthy females for intimate sessions, where they’ll seek advice and tips on taking home the winning title. While King has been paired with Angeliq, Nyla has been coupled with Flo. Meanwhile, Rose has been matched with BIBI. The sessions precede the live affair, which will see the contestants perform in front of a panel of A-list judges and a live audience. Additional details surrounding the event will be released in the coming weeks.

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The winner of Samsung and Billboard’s NXT 2.0 competition will land on the cover of a special digital issue of Billboard, receive a meeting with a record label, studio time to record their first single, funding for a music video and tickets to the 2023 Billboard Music Awards. 

Scroll on below for a quick refresher on this season’s finalists and click here to follow along for the latest in the Samsung NXT 2.0 competition. 

Julian King

An alum of Philadelphia University of the Arts, where he graduated with a BA in Vocal Performance, King touts himself as a “purveyor of heartfelt next-gen R&B” with the dance moves to pair. With his church upbringing and a debut album under his belt, the Philly native’s blend of R&B, with pop sensualities, can be heard across his social media, with nods to his all-time favorite artist, Jazmine Sullivan. Throughout the competition, he’s positioned performance charisma and choreography at the forefront of his submissions.

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Nyla XO

Nyla XO puts her efforts into both vocals and the behind-the-scenes action. The Chicago-based singer/songwriter/producer, who was born in Los Angeles, can often be found behind the lens shooting and editing her own videos, or designing visuals for her music projects. Focusing her music on the human experience, she hopes to encourage listeners to find connection throughout her songs. Her submissions have shined a light on smooth vocals and creative editing skills.

Kyn Rose

Born in Toronto, Canada, Rose is quick to bring you into a dreamy headspace, courtesy of his freestyling on social media. With an instrument typically in-tow, the singer/producer, who also serves as an audio engineer, added his ethereal R&B/pop to this year’s competition. In his trio of submissions, Rose’s silky vocals and tender demure remained at the spotlight.