Music News

25 Jan 2023

Did Selena Gomez Tease Her New Album on Instagram?

Selena Gomez had fans buzzing with a mysterious Instagram post she shared on Wednesday (Jan. 25).

The star posted a series of film snaps that look like they were potentially taken at a recording studio. In the two photos, Gomez is seen jamming out with blonde hair, and cleaning up a spilled drink on the floor. She simply captioned the post “3,” leading fans to speculate that the singer is working on her third studio album.

The IG post comes just a week after Gomez replied to a fan comment on another one of her photos, noting that an album is, in fact, on the way. When a fan asked the very pertinent question, “Where is the album,” Gomez responded with some very exciting news: “Oh, it’s coming,” she wrote. Back in May 2022, she shared on the Crew Call podcast that she’s in the studio working on the record.

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Gomez’s most recent album, Rare, was released in 2020 and featured “Look at Her Now” and “Lose You to Love Me.” Rare gave Gomez her third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart, as both her previous solo albums, 2015’s Revival and 2013’s Stars Dance, also topped the tally. Meanwhile, her 2021 Spanish-language EP Revelación marked the multi-hyphenate’s first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.

At press time there was no additional information on the new album or its release date.

25 Jan 2023

Lewis Capaldi Performed Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ During The 1975 Concert

Lewis Capaldi is the latest celebrity to make a surprise appearance during The 1975‘s tour, and he hopped onstage at the band’s Newcastle, England, show on Tuesday (Jan. 24) to deliver a cover of Taylor Swift‘s “Love Story.”

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“I was going to sing one of my songs next, but I thought it would just be better to play a Taylor Swift song,” the Grammy nominated artist told the crowd in a video he shared to TikTok, before delving into the opening lines of Swift’s Fearless hit. He also performed The 1975’s fan-favorite track, “Antichrist,” off the group’s 2013 self-titled album.

Capaldi’s cover comes just two weeks after Swift herself joined The 1975 at the O2 Arena in London on Jan. 12, where she live-debuted her latest hit single, the eight-week Billboard Hot 100 chart topper, “Anti-Hero.” She also performed The 1975’s “The City” on acoustic guitar.

Among the string of stars who have also joined the British rock band on their global tour over the past few months are Charli XCX, Phoebe Bridgers and Jack Antonoff. The 1975’s UK tour continues until Jan. 30, before they head off to South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand in the spring.

25 Jan 2023

Janelle Monáe Teases Return to Music With Breezy New Single ‘Float’

Janelle Monáe offered fans a sneak peek at her new single “Float” via social media on Wednesday (Jan. 25).

“No I’m not the same/ I think I done changed/ See, somethin’ not the same/ I used to walk into the room head down/ I don’t walk, now I float/ Float all of my/ Float all of this/ Float,” they sing in the 30-second clip posted to her Twitter account.

Monáe previously teased the themes of “Float” on her 35th birthday in December with a separate tweet from the recording studio that read, “Best way to describe how I’m feeling on this birthday. It’s float season for me baby. Floating in gratitude…feeling much lighter. F—ed around and got more FREE. I’m not the same n—a. I just … Float…Love you.”

Though Monáe didn’t share an official release date for the track along with the snippet, “Float” will mark the R&B star’s first new song since starring in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery alongside Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline and more. Earlier this week, the Netflix murder mystery sequel earned an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay.

While the Screen Actors Guild Award winner’s most recent studio set remains 2018’s Dirty Computer, they released two singles in 2021: “Stronger” (from Netflix’s We the People) and protest anthem “Say Her Name (Hell You Talmbout).” Next, the nonbinary star will appear on Friday’s (Jan. 27) episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she’ll guest judge the season 15 queens on the runway in a fashion design challenge.

Hear a preview of Monáe’s “Float” below.

25 Jan 2023

Cordae & Anderson .Paak Hit the Club, Ponder Relationships in ‘Two Tens’ Video: Watch

Cordae and Anderson .Paak are a dream team on “Two Tens” — kind of.

The “So With That” rapper released the new track Wednesday (Jan. 25), but the flashy video sees .Paak soaking up all the attention that comes with new girls in his orbit, while Cordae ponders if the extra attention, time and money required is even worth it.

The video sees Cordae pulling up to a club where he meets the Silk Sonic member, something that he didn’t necessarily want to do in the first place. “Me and my n—a Anderson decided to pull up to the club, and I don’t even like going out, but if my n—a tell me pull up, I pull up easy, you know?” the rapper narrates the video before officially launching into the sleek visual.

The J. Cole-produced track, which borrows elements from ’90s-era hip-hop in the instrumentation, tells a story, with Cordae attempting to be a voice of reason for .Paak, who can barely control his excitement.

“Man, I love this b—h/ We gon’ travel and fill up the bucket list/ Have ’bout 10 kids on the ranch on some southern sh–,” the “Leave the Door Open” singer spits, infatuated with a girl who showers him with attention in the club bathroom.

“You mean sucker sh–/ Slave to the p—y since you discovered it/ Ten bands on Chanel purse, that’s bad budgetin’/ Plus you n—as always together, it’s mad smotherin’/ You simpin’ over b—-es, I never thought it would come to this,” Cordae replies, judging — and lamenting — his friends’ actions.

“Two Tens” is not the first track that Cordae and .Paak have dropped together: The pair’s “RNP” collaboration, released in 2019, just became certified platinum.

In other Cordae news, the rapper is expecting his first child with tennis star Naomi Osaka, who announced the news on Jan. 11. “I know that I have so much to look forward to in the future,” she wrote in her Twitter announcement. “One thing I’m looking forward to is for my kid to watch one of my matches and tell someone, ‘that’s my mom,’ haha.”

Watch the video for “Two Tens” above.

25 Jan 2023

This Current ‘Bachelor’ Contestant Once Starred in Taylor Swift’s ‘Fifteen’ Music Video

Talk about “Fifteen” minutes of fame! It turns out one of the contestants on the new season of ABC’s The Bachelor has a surprising connection to Taylor Swift.

Eagle-eyed viewers realized during the season 27 premiere that Christina Mandrell once starred in the superstar’s music video for 2008 Fearless single “Fifteen,” exactly 15 years before she was vying for Bachelor Zach Shallcross’ heart. In the clip, Swift recounts her freshman year of high school with longtime best friend Abigail Anderson, and at the very end, she stands outside in the rain as a young Mandrell glances over at her while chatting with her own bestie.

For her part, Mandrell poked fun at both her music-video past and dating-show present on social media, writing, “Apparently I look at Zach the same way I look at Taylor Swift. New Conspiracy theory, first I stared at Taylor, then stared at Zach, which inevitably leads to me crying on the STAIRs.”

Of course, in the decade-plus since Swift tapped the Bachelor contestant for her “Fifteen” video, she’s released Fearless (Taylor’s Version) as the very first album in her grand plan to re-record her back catalog. The 2021 version of “Fifteen” became an instant fan favorite, with many Swifties remarking that the bittersweet nostalgia of the track has only grown stronger since Swift first recorded it at 18.

Time will tell how far Christina Mandrell — niece of Hot Country Songs chart-topper Barbara Mandrell — gets on The Bachelor.

Swift’s recent clash with Ticketmaster over ticketing for The Eras Tour has already launched a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee over the debacle, complete with baked-in lyrical references to “All Too Well” and “Anti-Hero” from Senators Amy Klobuchar and Richard Blumenthal during questioning.

Relive Mandrell staring down Taylor in “Fifteen” below.

25 Jan 2023

Lizzo Shows Off New Short Haircut & Sips Latte Art of Herself: ‘It’s Giving Bobbiana’

Lizzo took to social media Tuesday (Jan. 24) to reveal that she’d gotten a chop and is now sporting a chic new bob.

“ITS GIVING BOBBIANA,” the pop star captioned the carousel of selfies on Instagram, which show that, in addition to the cut, she’d lightened her famous tresses with blond highlights. In the first two photos, she smizes down the camera, looking over the top of her sunglasses from the front seat of a car while wearing a black trench coat. The next video gives fans a peek at the hairstyle in motion as she touches up her locks with her fingers.

Following her stop at the salon, it appears Lizzo also dropped into a coffee shop to enjoy a latte featuring a rather meticulously detailed re-creation of her portrait in its foam. “I want Lizzo latte or cappuccino art only & forever,” Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye commented after seeing the artsy espresso, while SZA performed her requisite hypeman duties for her close pal by writing, “Ur so pretty and cool Marsha” in the comments section with a heart-eyes emoji.

Next month, Lizzo is set to take the stage at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for the 2023 Grammy Awards. Other musicians performing during the telecast include Sam Smith and Kim Petras, Mary J. Blige, Bad Bunny, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs and Steve Lacy. At the ceremony, the Yitty shapewear designer is nominated for a total of five awards including record of the year, album of the year, song of the year and best pop vocal album.

Get a look at Lizzo’s shorter, blonder locks below.

25 Jan 2023

Chloe Bailey Teases New Single ‘Pray It Away’ With Stunning Candlelight Photos: Here’s When It Arrives

Chloe Bailey‘s highly anticipated debut solo album, In Pieces, is finally on the way. The singer, one-half of sister duo Chloe x Halle, revealed her album plans this week, and she followed up the announcement with news about the LP’s lead single on Wednesday (Jan. 25).

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The “Treat Me” singer shared a stunning image of herself draped in white and sheer fabric, holding her hands up in prayer. Bailey is seen at the center of a religious space and kneels in the middle of a floor surrounded by glowing white candles. “1ST PIECE. #PRAYITAWAY. JAN 27TH,” the 24-year-old wrote, indicating that her album’s first single is arriving this Friday.

Fans in the comments section were more than excited for the upcoming release. SZA hopped in the conversation and wrote, “I cannot WAIT !!!” while another user gushed over the visuals and said, “brooo this is sickening!!!”

Though there are currently no other details about In Pieces, Bailey’s Tuesday announcement revealed that the record will be released in March; an exact release date has yet to be shared.

In an interview with Essence, Chloe explained that the album is “everything that I’ve been going through, all the tearing down, people underestimating, telling me I can’t do it — all of those things have gone into the music.” She added, “The album is me picking myself up and talking myself out of any little place or space that the world has tried to put me in, that people and personal relationships have tried to put me in, and even [doing that to] myself. It’s me breaking free.”

See Bailey’s announcement for “Pray It Away” below.

25 Jan 2023

Official HIGE DANdism’s ‘Subtitle’ Breaks Record for Most Weeks at No. 1 on Japan Hot 100

Official HIGE DANdism’s “Subtitle” makes history on the latest Billboard Japan Hot 100, released Jan. 25, extending its record to 12 weeks at No. 1 (8 of those weeks consecutively) to break the all-time record for longest-leading single on the chart.

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The records for both consecutive and non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 were previously held by Gen Hoshino’s “Koi,” which hit No. 1 seven times consecutively and 11 times in all.

“Subtitle” racked up 12,610,115 streams this week, down from 13,481,602 last week, to rule the metric for the 14th consecutive week. The grand total for the track is currently at 259,611,559 streams. The song is at No. 4 for downloads (7,654 units, down from 8,709) after topping the metric 8 times and totaling 273,438 units to date. It racked up 1,839,544 views (down from 2,044,575) to come in at No. 3 for video views, and while it never hit No. 1 for this metric, it stayed at No. 2 for 9 weeks and currently totals 36,927,130 views.

While “Subtitle” continues to gradually slow down (7.2 percent down in total points from the previous week), it’s still around 2,000 points ahead of the song at No. 2 — “KICK BACK” by Kenshi Yonezu — and it’ll be interesting to see if it can extend its record next week and beyond.

KinKi Kids’ “The Story of Us,” the third single marking the 25th anniversary of the Johnny’s duo’s CD debut, bows at No. 3 on the Japan Hot 100 this week. The track written by the two members launched at No. 1 for physical sales with 178,502 copies sold in its first week, but couldn’t supplement that advantage with other metrics of the chart’s methodology.

back number‘s seventh album Humor, the three-man band’s first studio set in four years, blasted in at No. 1 on Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums chart this week. The song “I Love You” off the set rises 15-7 this week on the Japan Hot 100 after collecting points in streaming and radio airplay. Other songs by the popular band, including past hits such as “Takane no Hanako-san,” also surged in points and a total of eight tracks by the band is charting on the Japan Hot 100 this week.

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

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Jan. 16 to Jan. 22, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account. 

25 Jan 2023

Miley Cyrus Earns First Streaming Songs No. 1 Since 2014 With ‘Flowers’

For the first time since 2014, Miley Cyrus is No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart.

“Flowers,” the lead single from Cyrus’ upcoming album Endless Summer Vacation, starts atop the Streaming Songs list dated Jan. 28.

In the Jan. 13-19 tracking week, “Flowers” earned 52.6 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

The song is Cyrus’ fourth No. 1 since the chart began in 2013 and her first ruler since “Adore You” led for a week in 2014.

Previously, she led for 11 and 13 weeks, respectively, in 2013 with “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball.”

With four rulers, she moves into a four-way tie for the fourth-most No. 1s in chart history, alongside Cardi B, Lil Baby and Travis Scott. Drake leads all acts with 15 No. 1s.

Most No. 1s, Streaming Songs Chart
15, Drake
6, Justin Bieber
6, Taylor Swift
4, Cardi B
4, Lil Baby
4, Miley Cyrus
4, Travis Scott

Her latest No. 1 comes virtually nine years to her previous week atop the chart, as “Ball” spent its last week at No. 1 on the Jan. 25, 2014, list. Her nine-year wait is the longest break between No. 1s in chart history, exceeding Nicki Minaj’s nearly eight-year respite between “Anaconda” (2014) and “Super Freaky Girl” (2022) achieved last year.

Not only is “Flowers” Cyrus’ first No. 1 since 2014, it’s also her first top 10 since “Adore.”

Between “Adore” and “Flowers,” she rose as high as No. 11 twice with “Malibu” in 2017 and as part of “Don’t Call Me Angel (Charlie’s Angels),” with Ariana Grande and Lana Del Rey, in 2019.

She isn’t the only act to return to the top 10 after a long break on the Jan. 28 survey. Shakira, as part of Bizarrap’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” is back at No. 3 (20.2 million streams), her first appearance in the top 10 since “Can’t Remember to Forget You,” featuring Rihanna, reached No. 2 in 2014.

Concurrently, as previously reported, “Flowers” debuts at No. 1 on the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100, Cyrus’ second ruler. Endless Summer Vacation, her eighth studio album, is due March 10.

25 Jan 2023

Here’s Why Diddy Believes Mary J. Blige Changed Music ‘Forever’

Diddy is giving Mary J. Blige her flowers. The R&B and hip-hop producer spoke about the “Family Affair” singer — who earned six Grammy nominations this year for album Good Morning Gorgeous — for an interview with People published on Wednesday (Jan. 25), in which he detailed Blige’s impact on the music industry and women in R&B.

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“Mary J. Blige is one of the greatest storytellers in R&B history,” the “Bad Boy for Life” rapper, whose real name is Sean Combs, told the outlet. “She created a lane for women around the world to speak their truth to power, so nobody deserves this success more than her.”

“More than being my sister and my best friend, she will forever be a pioneer and the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, who remains an unstoppable force that can accomplish anything she sets her mind to,” he added.

For Blige, the admiration is equal. “Puff was a huge inspiration for me,” she shared. “He wanted all of this for me more than I wanted it myself.”

Blige and Diddy’s working relationship and friendship extends back to the ’90s, when the producer — then known as Puff Daddy — worked with her at Uptown Records, and was instrumental in the production of her 1992 debut studio album, What’s the 411?, and its follow-up, 1994’s My Life. 411 peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, with My Life just one spot behind at No. 7.

The “Amazing” singer reflected on her upbringing with the magazine, and revealed that she initially was afraid of being hopeful about her music career. After meeting Diddy, she said, her feelings soon changed.

“I was not as ambitious as Puff. When I met him, I was afraid of success, afraid to do anything that could put so much attention on me. When you come from where I come from, you’re scared to be ambitious. You’re scared to want more,” she explained. “And then when I met him, he was the complete opposite. He was such a good thing for me because I needed what he had, to be excited to be seen, to have the lights on him. But it took some years to grow into that.”

Blige’s apprehension toward success is now a thing of the past. Single “Good Morning Gorgeous” is nominated for record of the year, best traditional R&B performance, best R&B song at the 2023 Grammy, while her album of the same name is up for best R&B album and album of the year. Album track “Here With Me” featuring Anderson .Paak is nominated for best R&B performance.

“When people reject you God selects you. #stillhere,” Blige wrote of her nominations via Instagram in November.