Music News

27 Jan 2023

Pamela Anderson Realized Kid Rock Was a Bad Match ‘Right When I Got Married’

Not a match made in heaven. Pamela Anderson looked back on her brief marriage to Kid Rock in a new interview on Thursday (Jan. 26).

Appearing on The Howard Stern Show to promote her upcoming memoir, Love, Pamela, the Baywatch star compared her relationship with the rocker to her first marriage to Tommy Lee. “I don’t think I ever gave myself a chance to have another relationship after that that was of any value,” she said of her high-profile romance with Mötley Crüe drummer. “You know, it was more like trying to put a family unit back together, but I wasn’t really in love — I just was going through the motions and then realizing, ‘I have nothing in common with this person.’

“I was putting people in my life to kind of numb some of the pain or be with someone. — companionship, but nothing … nothing healthy,” she continued before host Howard Stern asked point blank when she knew her marriage to Rock — which lasted for four months in 2006 — was a “tremendous f–king mistake.”

“Right when I got married,” Anderson replied with a laugh. “Well, just after. Obviously not in time. That’s terrible, I know it’s embarrassing, it’s just a flaw, I don’t know. Like, I just jump into something because, you know, Tommy and I did and we had this, you know, incredible connection. But then you jump into something and it’s like, ‘Oh it’s not this incredible connection, it’s this, just … something else.’ Then I slowly try and find my way out.”

Following her divorce from Rock, the actress married poker player Rick Salomon (twice!), film producer John Peters and, most recently, her bodyguard Dan Hayhurst.

Anderson’s memoir is set to hit shelves on Tuesday (Jan. 31). Watch her full chat with Stern below.

27 Jan 2023

Zach Bryan Breaks Record for Most Weeks Spent at No. 1 on Country Songwriters Chart

Zach Bryan spends a 32nd week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart (dated Jan. 28), surpassing Ashley Gorley for the most weeks spent on top since the chart launched in June 2019.

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Bryan, who has ruled for 24 consecutive weeks, breaks the record on the strength of four writing credits on the Hot Country Songs chart, led by his breakthrough single “Something in the Orange.” The track logs a fourth week at No. 1 on Hot Country Songs, after reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Jan. 21 (it stands at No. 13 on the latest chart).

The other tracks contributing to Bryan’s Country Songwriters reign are “Burn, Burn, Burn” (No. 29), “Sun to Me” (No. 32) and “The Good I’ll Do” (No. 42). Bryan has sole songwriting credit on all four of his charting hits, helping boost his chart points on Country Songwriters.

Here’s an updated look at the artists with the most weeks spent at No. 1 on Country Songwriters.

Most Weeks at No. 1 on Country Songwriters:

  • 32, Zach Bryan
  • 31, Ashley Gorley
  • 18, Blanco Brown
  • 15, Luke Combs
  • 14, Morgan Wallen
  • 13, Taylor Swift
  • 10, Josh Thompson
  • 9, HARDY
  • 8, Josh Jenkins
  • 7, Josh Osborne
  • 5, Laura Veltz

Bryan concurrently spends a 21st week at No. 1 on Rock & Alternative Songwriters, tying Twenty One Pilots’ Tyler Joseph for the second-most weeks spent on top (after Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley’s 50), and a 19th week at No. 1 on Rock Songwriters, extending his record for the most weeks at the summit.

On Billboard’s Country Producers chart, Joey Moi continues his record run, as he logs a 92nd week at No. 1. He leads on the strength of seven production credits on Hot Country Songs, via Morgan Wallen’s “You Proof” (No. 3), “Thought You Should Know” (No. 6), “Wasted on You” (No. 8), “One Thing at a Time” (No. 19), “Tennessee Fan” (No. 23) and “Days That End in Why” (No. 40); and HARDY’s “Wait in the Truck,” featuring Lainey Wilson (No. 9).

The weekly Country Songwriters and Country Producers charts are based on total points accrued by a songwriter and producer, respectively, for each attributed song that appears on the Hot Country 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 Country Songwriters and Country Producers charts, in addition to the full genre rankings, can be found on Billboard.com.

27 Jan 2023

Katy Perry, Billy Porter & More Set to Perform on ‘Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love’

Katy Perry, Billy Porter, Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters and Jane Lynch are among the stars who are set to perform on an NBC special, Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. The two-hour special, to be filmed at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, is set to air on Wednesday, April 26 – the actual date of Carol Burnett’s 90th birthday — at 8 p.m. ET/PT. It will also stream the next day on Peacock.

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Perry has shown a flair for comedy in some of her music videos, such as “California Gurls,” that suggests Burnett’s influence. The photo here, from her Katy Perry: PLAY Las Vegas Residency, also shows Burnett’s anything-for-a-laugh ethos.

Special guests on the show include a mix of longtime colleagues such as Julie Andrews, with whom she taped three TV specials, and Vicki Lawrence and costume designer Bob Mackie from The Carol Burnett Show, and comedy stars from a younger generation, including Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig. Steve Carell and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Also set to appear on the show: Aileen Quinn, Cher, Ellen DeGeneres, Laura Dern, Lily Tomlin, Marisa Tomei, Sofia Vergara and Susan Lucci.

“I’m so excited NBC decided to throw me a birthday party and invited all of my closest friends,” Burnett said in a statement. “I can’t wait to look back at so many wonderful moments throughout my career. I feel so lucky to share this night with everyone.”

“It’s hard to imagine anyone in television more beloved than Carol Burnett,” said Jen Neal, executive vice president, live events and specials, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “To throw this wonderful birthday celebration is clearly our honor, and we can’t wait to share the love that we all have for her with all her adoring fans.”

NBC aired a similar special on the occasion of fellow comedy legend (and frequent Burnett co-star) Betty White’s 90th birthday. The show, Betty White’s 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America’s Golden Girl, received two Emmy nominations in 2012, including outstanding variety special.

The musical tributes on the special will include Stephen Sondheim’s “Old Friends,” dedicated to Burnett’s six-decade friendship with Andrews; “Only an Octave Apart,” which Burnett sang alongside opera star Beverly Sills on the 1976 television special Sills and Burnett at the Met; Burnett’s songs from the 1982 film Annie; and a tribute to her famous theme song, “I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together” from The Carol Burnett Show. The song, which was pitch-perfect for Burnett’s voice and persona, was written by Joe Hamilton, her ex-husband and the show’s producer.

The special will share memorable moments from Burnett’s career, including her Broadway debut in Once Upon a Mattress (her first Tony nomination), her work as a regular on The Garry Moore Show (her first Emmy Award), her hit films — The Four Seasons, A Wedding, Pete ‘n’ Tillie and Annie — and of course The Carol Burnett Show (three Emmys for outstanding comedy-variety or music series).

Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love is executive produced by Burnett; her husband, Brian Miller; Steve Sauer, Paul Miller and Baz Halpin, and Mark Bracco & Linda Gierahn of Silent House Productions.

Though Burnett made her mark in comedy, she has sung throughout her career. She put two albums on the Billboard 200 – Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall, an album from her first TV special with fellow legend Andrews, and Carol Burnett Featuring If I Could Write a Song, a 1972 studio album. She has also been featured on other Billboard 200-charting albums, including the original cast albums to Fade Out – Fade In and Follies in Concert, and the film soundtrack to Annie.

Burnett’s many awards include six Emmys, a special (non-competitive) Tony Award in 1969 and a Grammy for the audiobook of In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox, which won six years ago for best spoken word album.

In 1985, she became the second woman inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame – her pal Lucille Ball was (fittingly) the first. In 2003, Burnett received the Kennedy Center Honors; in 2005, the Presidential Medal of Freedom; in 2013, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor; and in 2015, the Screen Actors Guild’s life achievement award.

In 2019, she was the first recipient of the Carol Burnett Award, honoring achievements in television, at the Golden Globes. The award has since been presented to DeGeneres, Norman Lear and Ryan Murphy.

27 Jan 2023

Lil Wayne & SIDEPIECE Debut on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart With ‘A Milli (Remix)’

Lil Wayne, teaming with SIDEPIECE, bows on Billboard‘s multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart (dated Jan. 28) with “A Milli (Remix)” (No. 16). The collab, a remix of Lil Wayne’s 2008 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs No. 1, earned 869,000 U.S. streams from its Jan. 13 release through Jan. 19, according to Luminate.

Lil Wayne’s fifth Hot Dance/Electronic Songs entry, and first as a lead act, marks his highest debut and second-highest rank, after only his featured turn on David Guetta’s “Light My Body Up,” also featuring Nicki Minaj (No. 13, 2017).

“A Milli (Remix)” brings the third appearance — and top-charting — for SIDEPIECE, the duo of Nitti Gritti/Ricky Mears and Party Favor/Dylan Ragland. Previously, the act reached No. 25 with its Diplo collab “On My Mind” in January 2020.

Concurrently, “A Milli (Remix)” debuts on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (No. 21).

’53’ = 1

Bizarrap and Shakira each reign for the first time on Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs (6-1) and Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (2-1), with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” Meanwhile, the team-up jumps 7-2 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, with 20.2 million streams, 7.9 million in airplay audience and 9,000 sold Jan. 13-19 (its first full tracking week, following its Jan. 11 release at 7 p.m. EST). It also crowns the Hot Latin Songs chart (16-1) and enters the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 at No. 9.

‘Clouds’ Breaking

German DJ/producer BUNT. (aka Levi Wijk) and singer Nate Traveller debut at No. 15 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart with “Clouds.” It’s BUNT.’s second and top showing, after “Old Guitar” (No. 45, 2016), and the initial chart appearance for Traveller. “Clouds” starts with 920,000 stateside streams.

Chainsmokers, Giles Debut

Further on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, The Chainsmokers and Cheyenne Giles arrive at No. 17 with “Make Me Feel.” The track, which begins with 899,000 streams, is The Chainsmokers’ 52nd charted title, the fourth-most among all acts dating to the chart’s inception 10 years ago this week. Only David Guetta (73), Kygo (61) and Marshmello (53) have more. “Feel” is the first Billboard chart entry for singer Giles.

27 Jan 2023

Every Grammy Winner for Album of the Year, Ranked

Listen to the 64 Grammy winners for album of the year, and they’ll tell the story of the last six decades of popular music. Except, well, not really, at all. Zoom out on all 64 and squint a little and you might be able to see a general progression from jazz and vocal standards to rock to pop and hip-hop, but the timeline traced by the album of the year winners is really more of a Jeremy Bearimy: constantly curving, skipping around and looping back unpredictably.

That’s part of the fun of the Grammys canon, though: The tale it tells isn’t always the most coherent, but it’s rich with moment-in-time pretzel logic that makes sense when viewed in totality — not to mention fascinating quirks forgotten in most enduring pop narratives of the past. And every so often, the Recording Academy gets it totally right, rewarding an album so undeniably essential that all voting roads lead back to it as the one and only answer. (And then the next year it might very well revert to an entirely WTF selection.)

So before we crown a victor for 2023, let’s look back at the 64 albums that brought home the biggest honor from Music’s Biggest Night so far — hits, misses, and all the many negotiations in between — to see how they stack up against one another. You might need a seatbelt to guard against the sheer whiplash caused by careening through some of these wildly disparate albums, but viewed all together they provide a pretty good representation of the wild ride that the Grammys have taken us on since 1959. 

27 Jan 2023

Harry Styles’ Pants Split Wide Open in the Crotch in Front of Jennifer Aniston During His Concert

Harry Styles‘ concert outfit is definitely not the same as it was 24 hours ago. Right in the middle of his performance at the Forum Thursday night (Jan. 26), the 28-year-old pop star had his own Lenny Kravitz moment — meaning, his pants split open right down the crotch for everyone in the audience to see.

On the upside, this is Harry Styles we’re talking about here, so he was somehow still able to look cool singing his Harry’s House track “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” even with his boxers hanging out of his ripped pants seam. But on the downside, this is Harry Styles we’re talking about here, which means that hundreds, maybe thousands of fans were filming him at the exact moment the wardrobe malfunction happened.

The incident was indeed captured on video from all angles and uploaded to social media shortly afterward. In the clips, he opens his arms and kneels into a deep lunge, at which point his leathery brown trousers burst open. Styles’ eyes widen in shock as he quickly puts a hand in front of his crotch to cover the wardrobe malfunction, before stamping his foot in lighthearted frustration.

Luckily, the Grammy winner was able to laugh it off as he pranced away. Later videos show that he proceeded to tie a Pride flag around his waist to hide his exposed undercarriage, so at least he proved that he’s resourceful.

Less luckily, Styles’ self-professed first celebrity crush (as revealed in a 2020 appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show) Jennifer Aniston was spotted in the audience that night, meaning she likely saw the whole thing.

But, as Kravitz can attest, it could easily have been much worse. In 2015, the rocker famously split the crotch seam of his pants wide open during a live performance in a very similar mishap — except he wasn’t wearing underwear.

See videos from the moment Harry Styles split open his pants during his Thursday night concert at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., below:

@timmy.styless

I LITERALLY CANT WITH HIM HE’S RIPPED ANOTHER PAIR OF PANTS AND NOW HE HAS THE PRIDE FLAG COVERUP AGAIN – “My trousers ripped. I feel I must apologise to a certain few of you right down in the front there. I mean this is a family show. You sir, are you okay? I promise it’s not part of the show. Okay. It’s a family show…or is it is! It is! Or is it.” – Harry at L#LoveOnTourLA via wildflwrlbbh, GRAPEJUICEB00BS #harrystyles

♬ original sound – ✿ Dannie ✿

27 Jan 2023

Sam Smith Is ‘Being Abused … Verbally More Than I Ever Have’ After Coming Out as Non-Binary

With the long-awaited release of their fourth studio album Gloria, Sam Smith is riding a massive high. But as the singer tells it, getting to where they are now took a while.

In a new interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Smith spoke at length about their coming out as non-binary back in 2019, and how they had to manage both the private and public parts of that process in full view of the world.

“In my personal life, there’s not one negative,” they said, pointing out that both their family and romantic lives have thrived since opening up. “Since changing my pronouns, it felt like a coming home. I wish I knew what the words were when I was in school, because I would’ve identified as that in school.”

But when it came to their public life, Smith says it continues to be a struggle dealing with bigotry on a regular basis. “What people don’t realize with trans non-binary people in the U.K. is it’s happening in the street. I’m being abused in the street verbally more than I ever have,” they told Lowe. “So that was the hardest part, I think, was being at home in the U.K. and having people shouting at me in the street. Someone spat at me in the street. It’s crazy.”

Continuing, the singer shared that their experience was one of the better ones by comparison to trans and non-binary people trying to get on with life around the globe. “What I find hard about it is it’s like, if that’s happening to me and I’m famous, I’m a pop star, can you imagine what other queer kids are feeling?” they asked. “And it’s just so sad that we’re in 2023 and it’s still happening. It’s exhausting.”

But it’s not all bad. In December, Smith performed “Stay With Me” at the signing of the Respect for Marriage Act by President Joe Biden at the White House. The new law enshrined marriage equality for same-sex couples into U.S. federal law, protecting against a potential overturning of the Supreme Court’s landmark 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that Justice Clarence Thomas recommended in June 2022.

“I was like, ‘I’m at the White House. I’m surrounded by the gays and the queers and we’re celebrating some good news.’ It’s sad, but it’s a rare thing sometimes within our community,” Smith said. “So it was really beautiful to be able to celebrate that.”

Check out Smith’s full interview with Zane Lowe above.

27 Jan 2023

Priscilla Presley ‘Overwhelmed’ By Support After Lisa Marie Presley Death: ‘Thank You From the Bottom of My Heart’

Priscilla Presley posted a note to thank fans for their kind words and gestures in the wake of her daughter Lisa Marie Presley‘s death on Jan. 12. In an emotional tweet on Thursday night (Jan. 26), Presley wrote, “I’m truly overwhelmed with your words, your prayers, your love and your support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart in trying to help me get through this loss. Every parent who has lost a daughter or son knows what a dark painstaking journey it is,” along with a broken heart emoji.

The tweet came three days after Priscilla — whose only child with Elvis Presley was rushed to a California hospital earlier this month where she died of undisclosed causes — offered her fist public statement on her daughter’s passing. “Thank you all for your condolences, you have touched me with your words. It has been a very difficult time but just knowing your love is out there makes a difference,” Presley wrote on Jan. 23.

Singer/songwriter Lisa Marie was remembered during a funeral service Sunday (Jan. 22) as a loving mother and an “old soul” who endured tragedy but persevered as a dedicated protector of her father’s legacy as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer and pop icon. More than a thousand people gathered on the front lawn of Elvis’ Memphis estate, Graceland, where reclusive Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose shared heartfelt words about his close friend before performing a solo rendition of the GNR classic “November Rain.”

In addition to Rose, the memorial service also included musical tributes from Billy Corgan, who performed an acoustic rendition of the Smashing Pumpkins song “To Sheila,” and Alanis Morissette, who sang her 2017 song about mental health “Rest.”

See Priscilla Presley’s tweet below.

27 Jan 2023

P!nk Dances, Floats Over the Ocean and Promises She’s Got You in Dramatic ‘Trustfall’ Video

P!nk dropped the dramatic video for “Trustfall” on Friday morning (Jan. 27), the pulsing title track to her upcoming ninth album. The clip opens with the solitary image of a person crouching on a cliff overlooking the ocean as the singer solemnly intones, “Are you gonna fall? Is someone supposed to catch you? Or do you catch yourself? There will be something worth falling for,” as the action shifts to a chill house party.

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The Georgia Hudson-directed visual then follows our young protagonist as she burns out into the night on a scooter in what appears to be an emotional state. The scene jumps to P!nk standing on the rooftop of the “Illusion Hotel,” where she sings, “Picture a place where it all doesn’t hurt/ Where everything’s safe and it doesn’t get worse/ Oh my, we see through bloodshot eyes.” As with most P!nk videos, there is some impressive dancing, with choreographer Ryan Heffington adding a layer of emotion to the tune’s message with midnight choreo in the middle of a darkened street that brings to life the mix of hope and fear in the lyrics.

The song, co-produced by Fred and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid — who co-wrote it with the singer — features a driving EDM beat and emotionally fraught lyrics about pushing beyond your fears and putting faith in things you may not be able to see. “Close your eyes and leave it all behind/ Go where love is on our side, it’s a trustfall baby,” P!nk sings on the song’s chorus.

The journey ends with P!nk hugging the clip’s female co-star and offering the sage advice, “You’re s–t scared and your whole body is shaking… go in there and just f–ing do it. Just do it, whatever it is, and then boom, it’s gone. The fear is gone.”

P!nk’s upcoming studio album, also called “Trustfall,” is due out on Feb. 17 via RCA Records. So far the singer has released the undeniable bop “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” and announced the dates for her massive 21-city “Summer Carnival 2023” stadium tour featuring Brandi Carlile and new Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Pat Benatar & Neil Girlado on select dates and Grouplove and KidCutUp on all the shows.

Watch the “Trustfall” video below.

27 Jan 2023

Taylor Swift Says ‘Lavender Haze’ Video Helped Her Tap Into ‘Sultry Sleepless 70s Fever Dream’ Vibe

Taylor Swift pulled back the curtain on the making of her new video for “Lavender Haze” on Friday morning (Jan. 27), revealing in a tweet that the treatment for the Midnights opening track was the first one she wrote out of the three visuals she’s dropped so far from her latest album.

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“This one really helped me conceptualize the world and mood of Midnights, like a sultry sleepless 70’s fever dream. Hope you like it,” she wrote.

In a second tweet, Swift shouted out her “incredible” co-star Laith Ashley, the sultry model and trans activist who she said, “I absolutely adored working with.” The latter also included four behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot, including one of the singer sitting on the floor, and a bed, looking forlorn, dancing in a plume of purple smoke and checking out some shots on a monitor while surrounded by cast and crew.

Swifties have been eagerly anticipating the “Haze” video for months, ever since the “Bejeweled” visual premiered in late October. Swift shared the Cinderella-inspired “Bejeweled” clip just two weeks after dropping the video for the album’s No. 1 lead single, “Anti-Hero.”

The video for “Haze” — which was co-written by Swift, Jack Antonoff, actress Zoë Kravitz, Mark Anthony Spears, Jahaan Akil Sweet & Sam Dew — was also directed by the singer. It opens with Taylor waking up at midnight, naturally, staring at the ceiling while listening to vinyl, burning incense and tracing the outline of the universe on the back of her Ashley’s back. The scene then explodes into Swift dancing through a purple haze and lounging in a retro 70s living room, where she crawls across a carpet blooming with, obviously, lavender.

Check out Swift’s tweets and the “Haze” video below.