Music News

19 Jan 2023

Elevation Worship’s ‘Same God’ Tops Hot Christian Songs & Christian Airplay Charts

Elevation Worship earns its second No. 1 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart and its third leader on Christian Airplay as “Same God” ascends to the top of both lists dated Jan. 21.

The song increased by 10% to 8 million audience impressions among Christian Airplay reporters in the Jan. 6-12 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also drew 1.5 million U.S. streams and sold 1,000 downloads.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based collective previously ruled Christian Airplay with “Rattle!” for a week in September 2021 (as it also hit No. 4 on Hot Christian Songs), and “Graves Into Gardens,” featuring Brandon Lake. The latter also topped both charts at once, on the tallies dated Feb. 6, 2021. It dominated Hot Christian Songs for two frames, while pacing Christian Airplay for a week.

Elevation Worship now sports two of the three select instances in which a track has dominated both charts simultaneously. Prior to “Same God” and “Gardens,” Mandisa first achieved the feat in September 2013 when “Overcomer” spent its first of 10 weeks atop Hot Christian Songs and its first of 12 frames in the Christian Airplay penthouse.

Notably, the act has released a studio version and a live version of “Same God,” the latter of which credits Jonsal Barrientes, a member of the group, in a featured role. Chris Brown, Elevation Worship frontman, sings lead vocals on the studio mix. (Both renditions contribute to the song’s singular chart listing.)

Brown co-wrote the track with Pat Barrett, Steven Furtick and Brandon Lake.

19 Jan 2023

Here’s Why Sadie Sink Thought Working With Taylor Swift on ‘All Too Well: The Short Film’ Was ‘Bizarre’

Sadie Sink is used to acting alongside demogorgons and shadow monsters on Stranger Things, but it was working with Taylor Swift that she thought was “bizarre.” During her Wednesday (Jan. 18) appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, the 20-year-old star opened up about how she was scouted for the singer’s All Too Well short film, which Sink explained was one of the most unexpected roles she’s ever been offered.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“I was a fan of hers before,” she recalled. “Her team reached out and I guess she had me in mind for this video. I said, ‘Yes, of course.’”

When asked by Meyers whether Swift’s invitation had been the “trippiest” offer she’s ever told friends and family about receiving, she immediately said it was. “You would never think that our paths would really cross, someone being in the music industry and then in the film industry,” she explained.

“It was like two different worlds,” she added. “It was kind of a bizarre mashup, but everyone was very excited.”

The Whale actress starred alongside Dylan O’Brien in Swift’s All Too Well: The Short Film, which was released on YouTube in November 2021, and marked the longest motion picture project the “Anti-Hero” singer had yet directed. The short went on to win video of the year at last year’s VMAs, and Swift has since signed a deal with Searchlight Pictures to write and direct her first feature-length film.

The 11-time Grammy winner explained how important it was to her to get Sink onboard the All Too Well project when she made her own appearance on Late Night in 2021. “The only two people I imagined playing the two characters, it was Sadie and Dylan,” she told Meyers.

“If Sadie had said no, I don’t think I would have made it, I don’t think I would have made the film,” she continued. “I think I would’ve just been like, this is a sign.”

Watch Sadie Sink talk about working with Taylor Swift on Late Night With Seth Meyers above.

19 Jan 2023

Dolly Parton’s 15 Best Songs: Critic’s Picks

Since releasing her debut solo album, 1967’s Hello, I’m Dolly, more than 50 years ago, Dolly Parton has changed the face of the entertainment industry. Kicking down doors for female performers in both country and pop music, she has soared in the worlds of books, television, philanthropy and movies — and pretty much whatever else she tackled.

On top of it all, her expansive roster of hits reads like a “best of” list of the 1970s and 1980s, and it remains one of the strongest song catalogs of any singer-songwriter in any genre. As a writer, she has penned everything from poignant, detailed ballads about life in the Smoky Mountains, where she grew up, to some of the most defining love songs of all time.

Her prowess as a songwriter and performer is so great, it earned her a historic induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022 — an accomplishment she almost didn’t accept, telling Billboard at the time that she didn’t feel like she “measured up” to past inductees. A legacy like hers, however, deserves the title of “rock star” no matter what style of music she makes, and the world agreed. She went on to become the second female country artist to be inducted in both the Rock and Country Music Halls of Fame.

“People usually [say] ‘Dolly rocks’ or ‘you rock’ or ‘you’re a rock star,’” she said. “I thought they just meant that I was cool, and I took that as a great compliment. But now I’m going to have to take it literally!”

In choosing our favorite Dolly Parton songs, we chose fifteen. Many of them came from her own pen, and all of them will “Always” have staying power. To be fair, we could do a list of our favorite Dolly duets, too, but wanted to keep this one solo focused.

Keep reading to see Dolly Parton’s 15 best songs to date below.

19 Jan 2023

Lainey Wilson’s ‘Heart Like a Truck’ Rumbles Into Hot Country Songs Chart’s Top 10

Lainey Wilson’s “Heart Like a Truck” ascends to the top 10 on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay and sales based Hot Country Songs chart, giving the singer-songwriter her fourth career-opening hit in the tier. On the chart dated Jan. 21, it climbs from No. 12 to No. 8.

Wilson co-penned “Truck” with Trannie Anderson and Dallas Wilson, and it was produced by Jay Joyce.

The song drew 8.8 million official streams (up 1%) and sold 4,000 downloads in the U.S. in Jan. 6-12, according to Luminate. On Country Airplay, it rolls 13-12 for a new high (16.4 million impressions, up 14%, in the same span).

Concurrently, Wilson’s featured turn on HARDY‘s “Wait in the Truck” ranks at No. 11 after hitting No. 7 in November. On Country Airplay, it pushes 14-13 (15.3 million, up 12%). Plus, it attracted 9.9 million clicks and sold 4,000 in the tracking week.

Wilson debuted with “Things a Man Oughta Know,” which reached No. 3 on Hot Country Songs and led Country Airplay for a week in September 2021. Sophomore single “Never Say Never,” with Cole Swindell, peaked at No. 2 last April, while dominating Country Airplay for two frames in April-May. As Wilson scored her second of two Country Airplay No. 1s, Swindell earned the 11th of his 12 to-date.

‘Gone’ Goes Top 10

On Country Digital Song Sales, Luke Combs banks his 27th top 10 as “Going, Going, Gone,” jumps 16-10, up 9% to 2,000 sold. His haul of top 10s includes eight No. 1s, most recently “The Kind of Love We Make” for three weeks after opening atop the ranking last July.

On Hot Country Songs, “Gone” ranks at No. 7, after reaching a No. 6 high, with 9.9 million streams. On Country Airplay, it holds at No. 11 (18.9 million, up 18%).

19 Jan 2023

The Kid Laroi Reflects on Past Wrongs in Introspective New Song ‘I Can’t Go Back to the Way It Was’: Listen

The Kid Laroi is gearing up to release his debut studio album, The First Time, and to drum up anticipation, the “Stay” singer gave fans a taste of the LP with new single “I Can’t Go Back to the Way It Was (Intro)” on Thursday (Jan. 19).

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The track sees Laroi sharing intimate details about his life, such as his relationship with his mother and father, and the difficulties that life often holds. The 19-year-old also struggles to keep up with the fast pace of his existence, and feels bad for the bridges he’s burned in the process.

“I did things I that knew were wrong/ But time just keeps movin’ on/ And no matter which way I run/ I can’t go back to the way it was/ I broke bones and I shed some blood/ I talked to a few friеnds I love/ No matter which way I run/ I can’t go back to the way it was, no,” the Australian rapper spits over atmospheric instrumentals.

At the end of the song’s accompanying video, The Kid Laroi reveals that the next track will be “Love Again,” which arrives Friday, Jan. 27.

“I Can’t Go Back to the Way It Was (Intro)” arrives after the artist shared a teaser trailer for the album on Jan. 12. In the 30-second visual, Laroi’s voice is heard over a series of vintage-looking clips of everyday life, saying, “You never forget the first time: the first time you fall in love, the first time you get caught, the first time you feel shame, the first real kiss.”

The new single marks the first track that Laroi has released since April’s “Thousand Miles,” which charted at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Prior to “Thousand Miles,” Laroi’s Justin Bieber collaboration “Stay” was a massive hit, and crowned the Hot 100 in August 2021.

Listen to “I Can’t Go Back to the Way It Was (Intro)” in the video above.

19 Jan 2023

BTS‘ Jin Posts Uniformed Pic Following Basic Training, Assures ARMY ’I’m Having a Good Time’

Take heart ARMY, Jin says things are going okay. The 30-year-old BTS singer recently became the first member of the septet to begin his mandatory stint in the South Korean army and this week he gave fans a positive update on how things are going so far alongside some photos in uniform.

In one image the singer shared on Weverse on Wednesday, Jin is seen standing at attention in the snow in his military camo, clunky brown boots and beret, hands firmly by his sides, as he stares forward with intent. In a close-up from the singer’s first message since enlisting, Jin flashed a peace sign and in a third look he wore a white face mask while looking directly into the lens.

In an accompanying message (translated from Korean) he wrote, “I’m having a good time. I’ll posting a photo with permission from the military. ARMY, always be happy and stay well.” The oldest member of BTS was the first one to enlist for the nation’s mandatory 18-month military service; able-bodied males from 18-35 are required to perform compulsory military stints, but at press time it had not yet been announced when Jin’s bandmates — Jung Kook, Suga, Jimin, RM, V and J-Hope — will begin their service.

According to CNN, Jin has completed his five weeks of basic training and after entering the Yeoncheon training center on Dec. 13, he’s since been selected to serve as an assistant instructor at the Yeoncheon army base in northern Gyeonggi province. In October, the group’s label, BIGHIT Music, said all seven members would serve in the military; last year the group announced that they would take a hiatus until 2025.

See a tweet with the Jin pics below.

19 Jan 2023

Jennifer Lopez Talks ‘PTSD’ Before Ben Affleck Wedding, Embracing ‘Bennifer’ Nickname on ‘Kimmel’

Jennifer Lopez stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night (Jan. 18) to plug her new rom-com, Shotgun Wedding. And while the movie starring Lopez and Josh Duhamel alongside Golden Globe winner Jennifer Coolidge, rocker Lenny Kravitz and Callie Hernandez looks very cute, let’s be honest, the real wedding Jimmy wanted to talk about was Bennifer’s take two.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Kimmel congratulated the singer/actress/dancer on the six month anniversary of her Las Vegas wedding to actor Ben Affleck as JLo unfolded the tangled tale of how she and Affleck finally made it to the aisle after months of angst and agita. “We were planning to get married in August in Savannah [Georgia],” she said of the proper nuptials the couple were arranging for friends and family at the actor’s southern estate.

“And it was so stressful,” she said. “And a month before… and I don’t know if you guys know this, but 20 years ago we were supposed to get married and it all kind of fell apart back then and this time we, I absolutely had a little PTSD.” Though they were both happy that their decades-long love affair was finally going to be official, Lopez said the planning was so nerve-wracking that one day Affleck said, “‘f–k it, let’ just go to Vegas and get married tonight.’”

So, of course, they did… but only after Lopez finished her rehearsals that day and Affleck took care of all the details. “It was amazing, it was the best night of our lives,” she said of the Sin City wedding that featured two of their five shared children from previous marriages as witnesses and which found the A-listers waiting in line at the county clerk’s office with some normies just before midnight waiting their turn for the proper paperwork. Most importantly, after two decades, Lopez confirmed that not only was there a new wedding ring, but Affleck had to ask her to marry him all over again to make it official.

Kimmel also wondered if Lopez was okay with the celeb portmanteau Bennifer and JLo said she’s learned to embrace it after initially being meh on it. “Actually it wasn’t a bad thing even years ago but I think it became a thing where people made fun of it,” she said, noting that other couples were subject to the same treatment in the years after as blending celeb couple names became a thing.

Luckily for them, the famed Little White Wedding Chapel agreed to stay open late for them and even offered to have their Elvis impersonator officiant do the deed, which the couple politely declined. And even though Kimmel griped that he was not invited to any of the couple’s weddings, he still got them a very appropriate gift, a pair of sterling silver bride and groom Dunkin’ Donuts cups in keeping with Affleck’s love of the chain.

In addition to talking about the “Dear Ben Pt. 2” song on her upcoming This Is Me… Now album, the singer was also surprised when Kravitz dropped in unexpectedly (via a fake helicopter landing on the roof bit) to invite the entire studio audience to that night’s Shotgun Wedding premiere.

Watch Lopez on Kimmel below.

19 Jan 2023

Cardi B Says She Didn’t Submit ‘WAP’ For Grammy Consideration Because of the Internet: ‘That Is Insane’

Remember the summer of 2020 when Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion‘s “WAP” was inescapable? The first female rap collaboration to debut at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 had the nation (and the world) entranced, even as the true meaning of the acronym resulted in some embarrassed mumbling when grannies asked us what it stood for.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The latter might explain why the dynamic duo didn’t submit the song for Grammy consideration that year. In fact, during a sit down with Jason Lee for his REVOLT show this week, Cardi — never shy about sharing her most intimate feelings and thoughts online — said she held the song back because she was worried about what the internet would say.

“You know what? This is something that — it’s like, I need to stop letting the internet control my life,” Cardi told Lee. “Because I didn’t want to submit ‘WAP’ because I was afraid that if I win or if I… You know what’s so crazy? The internet got me even afraid of winning. That is insane.”

Lee said when he heard that Cardi was shy about submitting the sex-positive anthem for potential Grammy gold, “I wanted to jump through the phone and scream at you. Because what I loved about this song is that it united two superstars.” The song, which was Cardi’s fourth No. 1 and Megan’s second in the U.S., spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first No. 1 on the inaugural Billboard Global 200.

Watch the “WAP” talk below.

19 Jan 2023

Fall Out Boy Perform ‘Love From the Other Side’ on ‘Kimmel’ as Trio Following Joe Trohman’s Hiatus Announcement

Hours after co-founder guitarist Joe Trohman announced that he was taking an indefinite hiatus from Fall Out Boy due to mental health issues, the group performed as a trio on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night (Jan. 18). The band, with singer Patrick Stump playing lead guitar, stormed the stage foe the live debut of “Love From the Other Side,” the first single from their upcoming eighth album, So Much (For) Stardust (March 24).

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The song began with just Stump and drummer Andy Hurley bashing away on stage as bassist Pete Wentz robotically strolled through the Kimmel backstage area followed by an army of dudes in black jeans and matching hoodies wearing wigs aping Wentz’s page boy cut. Once they reached the studio, the instant audience began pogoing in place and punching the air as Wentz ripped off his wig to reveal a blonde ponytail.

“Sending my love from the other side of the apocalypse/ And I just about snapped, don’t look back/ Every lover’s got a little dagger in their hand,” Stump yelped urgently on the chorus of the first taste from the band’s upcoming album. Trohman plays on the new album but appears to be stepping away ahead of promotion around the project; at press time a spokesperson for the group had not returned a request for information on a possible temporary replacement.

Trohman has been with the band since its early 2000s formation in the suburbs of Chicago, alongside singer Stump, Wentz and Hurley and in an Instagram post on Wednesday he said, “Without divulging all the details, I must disclose that my mental health has rapidly deteriorated over the past several years. So, to avoid fading away and never returning, I will be taking a break from work which regrettably includes stepping away from Fall Out Boy for a spell.” 

As for whether he plans to return, the 38-year-old guitarist said, “Absolutely, one-hundred percent. In the meantime, I must recover which means putting myself and my mental health first.”

Watch FOB perform “Love From the Other Side” below.

18 Jan 2023

Bonnie Raitt Remembers Renee Geyer: ‘There Was No One Like Her’

Bonnie Raitt has reflected on the “inspiration” and “staggeringly great singing” of Renée Geyer, the celebrated Australian soul and blues singer who died earlier this week, aged 69.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Geyer enjoyed solo success in Australia in the ‘70s with covers “It’s a Man’s Man’s World”, “Heading in the Right Direction” and with the bouncy ’80s pop number “Say I Love You,” though never reaped the commercial rewards that her talents deserved.

Later, she would relocate to Los Angeles, where she contributed to recordings for many stars, including Raitt.

“Shocked and so saddened to hear of the sudden passing of another friend and one of the greatest singers I’ve ever known, Australia’s incomparable Renée Geyer,” writes Raitt on her social pages.

“Her husky, powerful and deeply soulful voice and phrasing has blown me away since I first heard her back in 1980 in LA, while making her So Lucky album,” with Bump Band and producer Rob Fraboni, she writes.

Raitt “was so knocked” out that she tapped Fraboni and the band members oh her own, next album, 1981’s Green Light. The album cracked the top 40, peaking at No. 38 on the Billboard 200.

Geyer possessed an “impossibly low growl, unearthly high swoops but mostly, staggeringly great singing, there was no one like her,” Raitt enthuses. “She was feisty, fiercely independent and faced a lot being a strong woman in this music business. She was also my good friend and will remain an inspiration and in my heart always.”

Geyer cemented her icon status in 2005, when she was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame alongside Split Enz, Normie Rowe, Smoky Dawson, The Easybeats, Hunters & Collectors and Jimmy Barnes. Then, in 2013 she was the first woman to be inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame; and in 2018 received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Women in Music Awards.

While attending University Hospital Geelong to undergo hip surgery, specialists discovered that Geyer also had inoperable lung cancer. She died Tuesday (Jan. 17), “in no pain” and “peacefully amongst family and friends,” reads a family statement.

After the sad news broke, the music community paid tribute to the talented, late artist, including Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett, Colin Hay, Kate Ceberano, Marcia Hines, Sarah McLeod and Troy Cassar-Daley. “The U.S. had Aretha, the U.K. Dusty Springfield. We had Renée. She taught us all so much,” explains Hay, former singer and songwriter with Men at Work. “She knew not only what music was, but where it came from. We had an inkling, but so much of it was so far away.”

Since launching her own recording career in 1971, Raitt has effortlessly melded music and activism, inspiring generations and earning “icon” status — she was bestowed the Icon Award at the 2022 Billboard Women In Music event.

Her 21st and latest album, 2022’s Just Like That, is nominated for four Grammy Awards.