Music News

20 Dec 2022

Meghan Trainor Wants to Get Pregnant in 2023: ‘I’ve Got to Get on It!’

Meghan Trainor opened up in a new interview on Tuesday (Dec. 20) about wanting to expand her family in 2023.

“Hopefully, I’ll be pregnant,” the pop singer told People when asked what she was manifesting for the new year. “I’m trying to make four children, so I’ve got to get on it!”

Trainor and her husband Daryl Sabara are already parents to son Riley, who will ring in his second birthday early next year, and she says the experience of becoming a mom made her raise her sights when it comes to setting goals.

“After having a baby, I was like, there’s nothing I can’t do,” she continued. “So now I’m just trying to knock off all my dreams on my dream list.”

Motherhood also impacted Trainor’s music, with her newest album, Takin’ It Back, featuring a return to the throwback doo-wop sound that made her famous — all while addressing this new chapter in her life on tracks like “Don’t I Make It Look Easy,” “Superwoman” and “Mama Wanna Mambo” featuring Natti Natasha and Arturo Sandoval.

The studio set also includes her latest single, “Made You Look,” which she recently explained in an exclusive interview with Billboard helped her get her confidence back after giving birth. “Especially after having a baby, I was already struggling to love my body,” she said. “I was covered in a C-section scar crossing over all my stretch marks and I was really struggling to like myself, but also like myself in front of my own husband.”

“So, I was in the shower one day and I was like, ‘Yeah, they could dress me in all these fancy clothes, but when I’m at my grungiest and at home, that’s when my husband is like, ‘You’re the prettiest girl in the world. You’re the hottest,’” Trainor went on. “I wanted to put that in a song, and I wrote the chorus in the shower.”

Read Trainor’s full interview about her hopes to add to her family here.

20 Dec 2022

Lea Michele’s ‘Funny Girl’ Breaks Broadway Box-Office Record

Leading up to the lucrative holiday weeks, the Lea Michele-led Funny Girl broke a box office record at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway. 

The revival brought in just above $2 million across eight shows last week, which also marked a record gross for the production. Michele joined the revival in September, following the departure of Beanie Feldstein, in a move seen to help boost grosses for the then-struggling show. 

Since Michele joined the production on Sept. 6, Funny Girl has seen that boost, with the musical bringing in more than $1.6 million a week, and recently closer to $2 million, after more modest returns in the spring and a drop to less than $1 million over the summer. 

Mean Girls, which played the August Wilson Theatre from March 2018 until the theatrical shutdown, previously set the house record at the theater in 2018 with a gross of $1.99 million.

The recent box office record was set as Funny Girl played to a capacity of 96 percent and commanded an average ticket price of $213.28, the second highest of all shows for the week. Only The Music Man had a higher average ticket price, at $267.99, which helped the show continue its reign as the highest-grossing show of the week, bringing in $3.25 million. 

Ain’t No Mo‘ was another notable standout in the week ended Dec. 18, as the new play saw its grosses triple to reach $499,303 from $164,592 the previous week and play to a capacity of 93 percent. The surge came as creator Jordan E. Cooper waged a campaign to stop the show from closing and received help along the way from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, Tyler Perry, Shonda Rhimes, Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Queen Latifah and Sara Ramirez, all of whom bought out performances. The show has now extended through Dec. 23 after initially being told it would close on Dec. 18.

Grosses remain high for the standard top performers on Broadway, with The Lion King bringing in $2.4 million, Wicked bringing in $2.2 million and Hamilton bringing in $2.3 million. Phantom continues to see elevated interest, after extending its closure to April after a run of 35 years.

But many Broadway newcomers continue to struggle, with productions such as Topdog/Underdog, a Pulitzer Prize-winning play starring Corey Hawkins and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, grossing $257,217 last week and playing to a capacity of 52 percent, which has been the trend for several weeks. Almost Famous, which just announced a Jan. 8 closing, played to a capacity of 68 percent and grossed $703,714, down about $61,000 from the previous week.

These grosses are still a welcome reprieve from last December, when a surge in omicron cases among cast and company members caused the cancellation of dozens of performances across the industry and led to the permanent closure of some shows. Coming up, the weeks around Christmas and New Years Eve often bring in the biggest grosses productions see all season.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

20 Dec 2022

These 12 Songs Will Compete at 2023 Viña Del Mar Festival

Twelve songs from countries including Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, and Peru will compete next year for the Silver “Gaviota” at the 62nd edition of the Viña del Mar International Song Festival, scheduled from Feb. 19 to 24.

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On Tuesday (Dec. 20), the Chilean festival’s organizers revealed the list of participants, which includes six for the Folkloric competition and six for the International competition. In addition to the Silver “Gaviota,” the winning song in each of the categories will receive a prize of about $15,000.

The list consists mostly of emerging artists like Argentine singer Mila Manes, Mexican Ely Blancarte, and Colombian band Bazurto All Stars, but also includes veteran Panamanian rock band Los Rabanes, which will participate in the Folkloric competition with “La Patineta.”

Co-written by Los Rabanes vocalist Emilio Regueira and Dominican singer Henry G, the song was recorded by Colombian duo 123 Andrés with Los Rabanes, Rubén Blades and Roberto Delgado & Orchestra, and forms part of 123 Andrés’ 2021 Grammy-nominated album Actívate.

“Taking ‘La Patineta’ to Viña del Mar is going to be a unique experience because this song contains roots of the Panamanian cumbia from Santeño, along with the murga from Panama, which was the arrangement that Los Rabanes provided for this song,” Regueira said in a statement published on the Instagram account of his Latin Grammy-winning group. “We are a fusion rock band, but the folklore is the backbone of what we do. We know very well the foundations of Panamanian culture and folklore. We are Chitreanos (Chitré), we are from the interior of Panama, and for this reason, this is not the first time that Los Rabanes bring Panamanian folklore to the world.”

Here is the complete list of songs chosen by the commission of the LXII Viña del Mar Festival, by category, along with the artist or group performing them and their country of origin.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION:

“No Me Haces Falta,” Mila Manes, Argentina

“Viento,” Yorka, Chile

“Chocolatico,” Teo, Colombia

“Lo Siento,” Tres Dedos, Ecuador

“Como Puedas,” Zelaya, Guatemala

“After Party,” Ely Blancarte, Mexico

FOLKLORIC COMPETITION:

“De A Poquito,” Camilú, Argentina

“Camino,” Laia, Chile

“La Manguera,” Bazurto All Stars, Colombia

“La Última Gota,” Frank Di, México

“La Patineta,” Los Rabanes, Panamá

“Warmisitay,” Milena Warthon, Perú

Viña del Mar previously announced that renowned Latin stars including Karol G, Maná, Alejandro Fernández, Christina Aguilera and Camilo are confirmed to perform at the festival, with additional artists to be announced.

Launched in 1960, the Viña del Mar International Song Festival is held annually at Quinta Vergara, a 15,000-capacity amphitheater located in the Chilean city of Viña del Mar, in the central coast region of Valparaíso.

Over the course of five days, the event features a mix of superstars, emerging singers and local artists competing for the Silver, Gold and Platinum “Gaviotas,” the name of its awards. These are decided by a jury with the help of viewers from their homes, although the so-called “monster” — the audience present at Quinta Vergara — undoubtedly has a great power of influence with its ovations and occasional boos.

The Viña del Mar Festival reaches millions of viewers around the world. Next year, it will be broadcast in Chile on TVN and channel 13, and will be available throughout Latin America on STAR Channel and its streaming platform Star+.

Tickets to attend in person can be purchased on the PuntoTicket website.

20 Dec 2022

Lily Allen Defends ‘Nepo Babies,’ Says Kids With Famous Parents ‘Crave Stability and Love’

Lily Allen is offering up her two cents about nepotism babies.

The singer and actress, 37, defended “nepo babies” in a series of tweets on Monday and Tuesday (Dec.19-20), arguing that children with famous parents are often “starved” of basic emotional needs and “crave stability” while growing up surrounded by the constant demands of the entertainment industry.

Allen, the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen, tweeted that the nepotism babies people “should be worrying about” are those with parents working in legal, political and banking careers.

“We’re talking about real world consequences and robbing people of opportunity,” Allen wrote. “BUT that’s none of my business.”

In response to her tweet, she added, “And before you come at me for being a nepo baby myself, I will be the first to tell you that I literally deserve nothing.”

Allen’s comments arrive in the wake of New York magazine’s “Year of the Nepo Baby” cover story on Monday, which examines the offspring of famous actors and musicians, including Dakota Johnson, Lily-Rose Depp and Zoë Kravitz.

The former Lily Allen and Friends host, who has acted in many of her parents’ projects over the years, acknowledged that she is a nepotism baby who had a “privileged upbringing” that “created so many opportunities for me.” She added that the entertainment industry is not “parent friendly” and often has a negative impact on kids who grow up around it.

“In childhood we crave stability and love, nurturing,” Allen tweeted. “We don’t care about money or proximity to power yet. Many of the nepo babies are starved of these basic things in childhood as their parents are probably narcissistic.”

“And entertainment business is not parent friendly eg. Touring/months away shooting. It can be hard to see one’s own privilege when you’re still processing childhood trauma, and a lot of these kids haven’t figured that out yet.”

See Allen’s comments on Twitter below.

20 Dec 2022

Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ Becomes Her 10th No. 1 on Pop Airplay Chart

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” ascends to No. 1 on Billboard’s mainstream top 40-based Pop Airplay chart (dated Dec. 24). The song becomes her milestone 10th leader on the survey, dating to her first, “Love Story,” in 2009.

Swift becomes the first woman to have topped Pop Airplay in the 2000s, ’10s and ’20s and the second act overall to achieve the feat, after Maroon 5.

Here’s a recap of Swift’s 10 Pop Airplay No. 1s:

Title, Weeks at No. 1, Year(s)

  • “Love Story,” one, 2009
  • “I Knew You Were Trouble.,” seven, 2013
  • “Shake It Off,” two, 2014
  • “Blank Space,” six, 2014-15
  • “Style,” three, 2015
  • “Bad Blood” (feat. Kendrick Lamar), five, 2015
  • “Wildest Dreams,” two, 2015
  • “Look What You Made Me Do,” one, 2017
  • “Delicate,” one, 2018
  • “Anti-Hero,” one (to-date), 2022

Swift moves to within one of the record for the most Pop Airplay No. 1s since the chart began in 1992. Maroon 5, Katy Perry and Rihanna have all notched 11 leaders, while Swift ties Justin Bieber, also with 10.

“Anti-Hero” blasted in atop the all-genre, multi-metric Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Nov. 5, as Swift made history as the first artist to monopolize the chart’s entire top 10 in a single week, with all tracks all from her new Republic Records album Midnights. The song reigned in its first six weeks on the Hot 100, becoming just the 10th single to have spent at least its first six weeks on the chart at No. 1.

The set’s “Lavender Haze,” which opened at No. 2 on the Nov. 5 Hot 100, is the second Midnights single at pop radio and rises to a new No. 16 high on Pop Airplay.

20 Dec 2022

Rappers Rinne, Kubota Kai & Anatsume Featured in Billboard Japan & TikTok’s ‘Next Fire’ December Edition

The December edition of Billboard Japan and TikTok’s hybrid program Next Fire featured a fresh roster of Rooftop artists including Anatsume, Kubota Kai, and award-winning rapper Rinne.

Next Fire is a show on TikTok Live that highlights the rising J-pop artists of the moment, based on Billboard Japan’s TikTok Weekly Top 20 chart. The collaborative project streams live performances and pre-recorded interviews by the featured act of the month to give fans an in-depth look at their artistry.

Rising rapper Anatsume was the first to appear in the studio decorated with a Christmas tree and lights for the December mini-festival. He kicked off his three-song set with “Stay True,” a song with lyrics that touch on the theme of determination expressed through the young rapper’s gentle voice over an airy sound. Next, he brought out a special guest, the vocalist Ai from the all-female band Haku, for a performance of the collaborative track “Aoi tobari” that features the band. “This song is about a precious time in your life and your youth,” said Anatsume before the male-female vocals depicted a wistful, sentimental scene that tugged at viewers’ heartstrings.

The 19-year-old artist closed his showcase set with “Tokyo no Fuyu” (Winter in Tokyo), a song based on the ABEMA romantic reality show he appeared in called Koisuru Weekend Homestay 2020 Winter Tokyo. “The next will be my last song,” he said, introducing the number. “It’s a really valuable song for me because it let me meet a lot of people. I wrote it for the person I was in love with when I was in high school.” The warm, genuine lyrics and the feel-good groove got the audience swaying naturally.

Anatsume

Anatsume

Masanoi Naruse

Next up was Kubota Kai, who took over the stage and immediately launched into the up-tempo and funky “Midnight Dancing.” The young artist hyped up the audience with his speedy rapping over the powerful groove from his backing guitar and keyboards, while drawing them in with his boisterous stage presence. Kubota — his name is stylized in Japanese order, surname first — then slowed things down a bit with a performance of “Seikatsu,” accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar. As the title suggests, the lyrics depict the minutiae of daily life over a gentle track. Kubota finished his set with his hit song “Piasu” (Pierced Earrings) that charted on the TikTok Weekly Top 20 for four weeks in a row. Many viewers seemed familiar with this song that showcases Kubota’s versatile vocal techniques, and the speed of the comments being sent in visibly increased during the performance.

Kubota Kai

Kubota Kai

Masanoi Naruse

Last but not least on the roster was rapper Rinne, who kicked off his set with “heaven town.” The Japan Record Awards New Artist winner for 2020 then segued into “Blue Diary,” performing twosongs off his latest album cloud achoo back-to-back. The melodious chorus exuding emotion in its tranquility left a lasting impression.

The 24-year-old then took a moment to introduce himself and his backing DJ, ShunMaruno, and addressed the audience watching the livestream. “I first came across the incredible culture of hip-hop and rap through my cell phone, kind of like today’s TikTok. I’m sure you’ll also find your own thing through such means someday,” he said. “My buddies from the same agency are here today. We’ve made a lot of history together, and I’m looking forward to  performing with them tonight.”

Rinne first invited Kubota Kai back into the studio. “‘Kubokai’ and I have been friends for a long time,” he shared about his label mate. “Ever since we first met at a freestyle rap battle, the timing for everything we do has been the same, like our first concerts and the like.” The two rappers performed “Haru ni furarete” (Dumped in Spring), a collaborative track released last year featuring catchy rap phrases that highlight the differences in their styles and a chorus that displays the chemistry of their voices.

Then Rinne brought back Anatsume for a performance of “raspberry,” also a collaboration from last year. The bright and cheerful beat featuring brass and other instruments filled the studio with a cheery vibe.

Before the next song, Rinne paused again to encourage fans. “Four or five years ago, I was the one doing the chasing, but now I have a junior colleague like Anatsume and a friend like Kubokai. My old dreams are coming true little by little,” he said. “But what led to my current position was just a tiny opportunity that was lying right at my feet. So if you’re a younger person watching TikTok now, or someone my age, or even someone older, I think it’d be a waste to give up on your dreams too soon. The reason why I say this is because many of my own dreams have come true, partly by luck and partly by coincidence. Like recently, I was asked to write theme song for a TV drama series. It’s a dream that came true thanks to everyone’s support. I was so moved when I was offered the opportunity.”

He then performed the theme he wrote for the NTV drama series Sister, entitled “qualia.” The lyrics, which he said he made a little easier to listen to while retaining the emotional weight of the suspenseful drama depicting a messy love triangle, was delivered over a melodious track.

The last number of the evening was Rinne’s biggest hit to date, “snow jam” from 2020. “I met so many people through this song and I’m still singing it like this. I hope this winter becomes a wonderful one for you all,” he said before performing the smash hit, which struck a chord with students during the early days of the pandemic. Viewers shared their excitement in hearing the live version of the number perfect for winter, featuring a chill vibe that makes you want to lose yourself in the laid-back flow of sound.

A pre-recorded interview by Rinne, Kubota Kai, and Anatsume will stream on Billboard Japan’s TikTok channel (https://www.tiktok.com/@billboard_japan). Excerpts from the Dec. 9 livestream can be seen on each artist’s TikTok account.

20 Dec 2022

Mariah Carey’s Christmas Looks: See All Her Best Outfits

The Queen of Christmas, dahhlings! Mariah Carey has had an undisputed hold on the holidays since the release of her 1994 album Merry Christmas, and each year, her reign gets grander and more festive.

It may have taken “All I Want For Christmas Is You” 25 years to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100, but ever since it first accomplished the feat in 2019, the modern yuletide classic has been as reliable as Santa Claus himself in making its annual return to the chart’s summit as Carey’s record 19th No. 1 hit.

Whether she’s performing the beloved song at Christmas residencies and full-blown tours or star-studded events such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting, Mariah has also proved time and again that not only is she a modern holiday icon, she’s also the Queen of Christmas couture!

Over the years, the Elusive Chanteuse has rocked nearly every shade of red for the season’s fashions, from plunging gowns and floor-length coats to ensembles inspired by Santa, Mrs. Claus and The Nutcracker‘s toy soldiers. She’s also a pro at pulling off winter white, whether she’s wearing a snow-white dress covered in crystals or a fluffy hood tailor-made for keeping the December chill at bay.

Click through the gallery for a look at Mariah’s Christmas fashions past and present.

20 Dec 2022

Dolly Parton Wants to ‘Dig Up’ the Secret Song She Stashed in a Time Capsule: ‘It’s Really Good’

Mark your calendars, country fans! Dolly Parton‘s new song comes out in… 23 years. In a newly released clip from the country music icon’s appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show a couple weeks ago, Parton opened up about the top-secret song she wrote and buried in a time capsule seven years ago — and confessed that she really, really wants to go dig it up.

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Sitting down with Kelly Clarkson a few weeks ago, Parton talked about how the song, written and recorded for the 2015 opening of her Dollywood DreamMore resort, has driven her crazy for years. “You have no idea how that has bothered me,” the “Jolene” singer told Clarkson on Dec. 1. “I wanna go dig that up so bad. It’s a really good song!”

“I don’t know whose damn idea that was,” she joked. “They weren’t expecting me to be there at all, and I probably won’t be. I might be there, who knows. I figure it’ll probably disintegrate and nobody will ever hear it, that’s what bothers me. If it rots in there before they open it.”

Parton first announced the song’s existence in her 2020 book Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, revealing that it will come to light when her theme park staff opens up the time capsule on the resort’s 30th anniversary in 2045 — meaning, she will be 99 years old when people finally hear it. The “Jolene” singer wrote that putting the mysterious track in the capsule felt “like burying one of my kids, putting it on ice or something, and I won’t be around to see it brought back to life.”

“It’s just burning me up inside that I have to leave it in there,” she added at the time.

The 10-time Grammy winner’s Kelly Clarkson Show appearance also featured a surprise live performance of “9 to 5,” sung as a duet with Clarkson after the two recorded a new version of the 1980 hit for the movie Still Working 9 to 5. During the show, Parton also opened up about the very first time she ever heard Whitney Houston’s iconic cover of her classic hit “I Will Always Love You.”

“I was just driving along, and I had the radio on,” Dolly recalled. “It’s one of those things, it was like a dog hearing a whistle. ‘What is that?’ That’s the first time — they hadn’t sent it to me or nothing. When it went into, ‘And I …,’ I just freaked out.”

“I had to pull over to the side, because I honestly thought I was going to wreck,” she added. “It was the most overwhelming feeling, and you know how great that was.”

Watch Parton chat with Clarkson about her secret track in the video above.

20 Dec 2022

Pusha T Says He’s No Longer President of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music

Pusha T seems to be cutting all ties with Kanye West.

The Virginia rapper revealed in an interview with XXL, published on Monday (Dec. 19), that he is no longer president of Ye’s G.O.O.D. Music Inc. imprint with Def Jam. Pusha had served in the leadership role since 2015.

“At the end of the day, s— is being said today that’s beyond disappointing,” Pusha said of Ye’s ongoing antisemitic remarks. The former Clipse rapper — who worked with Ye on his 2022 album, It’s Almost Dry, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — told XXL that he will continue releasing music through Def Jam and his own label.

This isn’t the first time Pusha has spoken out against Ye, who has been spreading hate speech against Jewish people on social media and during interviews in recent months. “It’s definitely affected me. It’s been disappointing,” Pusha told the Los Angeles Times in late November. “As a Black man in America, there is no room for bigotry or hate speech. So yeah. It’s been very disappointing.”

After receiving backlash for wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt in early October at Paris Fashion Week, Ye tweeted that he was going to go “death con 3” on Jewish people on Oct. 16. This began a string of hate-speech-filled interviews, which reached an even more disturbing level when he appeared on Alex Jones’ InfoWars and said “I see good things about Hitler,” among other hateful rhetoric.

Pusha, whose history with Ye dates back to 2010, told XXL that he and his former collaborator are no longer on speaking terms.

“If you ain’t with it, you ain’t down,” the rapper said. “And I ain’t with it. I’m not budging on that. I’m not with it. I heard about this new stuff [on InfoWars]. I don’t know. It’s something that just sort of tells me he’s not well, at the same time. I will say that. It’s going to places where it’s no way to move around it.”

20 Dec 2022

Ultra Music Festival to Host Its Debut Middle Eastern Event in 2023

For the first time in its 23-year history, Ultra Music Festival is heading to the Middle East.

The globally known electronic music fest announced on Tuesday (Dec. 20) that it will be touching down in the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi on March 4-5, 2023. The event will host two stages — a big room focused main stage and a house-centric Resistance stage — with a lineup to be released in the coming months.

The event marks Ultra’s debut in the U.A.E. after the 2020 version of Ultra Abu Dhabi was cancelled due to the pandemic. The event will happen on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, a leisure and tourist destination that also annually hosts the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Tickets are on sale now.

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Ultra Abu Dhabi will mark the first time that the Miami-based company — or any other U.S.-based dance festival brand — has hosted a show in the Middle East. After launching in Miami in 1999, Ultra has become a global leader in delivering electronic music to markets the world, with iterations of the show happening in Peru, Colombia, South Africa, Singapore, China, Australia, Spain, Croatia and beyond over the years.

Meanwhile, Ultra’s flagship festival returns to Miami’s Bayfront Park on March 24-26, 2023 with a lineup that includes Swedish House Mafia, Armin van Buuren, Carl Cox, Claude VonStroke, CloZee, Eric Prydz, Grimes, Gryffin, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Zedd, REZZ,a double appearance by deadmau5 — who’ll be performing as part of his Kaskade collab Kx5 and alongside Oliver Heldens’s alias Hi-Lo during a b2b as his own techno alter-ego Testpilot — and other genre stars.