Music News

20 Dec 2022

Janelle Monáe to Receive SeeHer Award at 2023 Critics Choice Awards

Janelle Monáe will receive the seventh annual SeeHer Award at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. The show, hosted by Chelsea Handler, will broadcast live on The CW.

The SeeHer Award honors a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries. SeeHer is a global movement for accurate portrayals of women and girls in media.

Monáe is the third recipient of the award who is both a film and music star, following Kristen Bell (2020) and Zendaya (2021). The other SeeHer recipients have been Viola Davis (2017), Gal Gadot (2018), Claire Foy (2019) and Halle Berry (2022).

Monáe has been nominated for eight Grammys, though she has yet to win. Her top nominations are album of the year for Dirty Computer (2018) and as a featured artist on fun.’s Some Nights (2012) and record of the year as a featured artist on fun.’s “We Are Young” (2012).

Monáe currently stars in Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, alongside Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, and Leslie Odom Jr. She also starred in Lionsgate’s Antebellum, Focus Features’ biopic Harriet and Disney’s Lady and the Tramp.

Other acting credits include Moonlight, the 2016 Oscar winner for best picture, and Hidden Figures, a nominee in that category that same year.

Monáe was recently honored as the Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year by The Trevor Project. She is a co-chair for When We All Vote, and also spearheads the Fem the Future initiative.

Monáe published her first book, The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer, in April.

The Critics Choice Awards will broadcast live on The CW on Sunday, Jan. 15 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 pm ET (delayed PT). Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment will executive produce the show.

As previously announced, actor Jeff Bridges will receive the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award.

20 Dec 2022

The Game Defends Preteen Daughter’s Outfit: ‘Before the Internet Gets to INTERNET’n…’

The Game used social media to preemptively shut down critics of his 12-year-old daughter’s choice of outfit on Monday (Dec. 19).

Sharing a current snap of Calilynn Dream next to one of her as a toddler, the rapper wrote, “Somebody please tell the LORD to help…. She was just 2 years old like a week ago…. Now my baby is 12 years old, growing up & it won’t stop.”

In the first photo, the preteen crouches on the ground, staring down the camera in a strappy silver dress and furry white coat, and The Game made sure to put any trolls in their place before they even started. “[DISCLAIMER: before the internet get to INTERNET’n, me & her mother both agreed to let her do her make up for the young & beautiful @the_combs_twinssweet 16 birthday party],” he wrote, explaining that the grown-up party dress was for a special occasion celebrating Diddy’s daughters Jessie and D’Lila Combs. (He also added the hilariously protective hashtag “#YesIWillDieOrDoLifeInPrisonOverHerWithoutThinkinOrBlinkin” just to really drive his point home.)

While his daughter keeps getting older, The Game also continues advancing his storied career. In August, he released Drillmatic — Heart vs. Mind, which included the 10-minute Eminem diss track “The Black Slim Shady” as well as collabs with Kanye West (controversial single “Eazy”), Fivio Foreign (“Burnin’ Checks”), Chlöe Bailey, Chris Brown and Cassie (“Universal Love”) and more.

At the time, he and executive producer Hit-Boy sat down with Billboard for an exclusive interview, discussing how Nas’ classic Illmatic inspired the album title and revealing Amy Winehouse as his dream collaborator.

Read The Game’s parental word of warning below.

20 Dec 2022

TOMORROW X TOGETHER Embraces the ‘Devil’s Voice‘ in ’The Name Chapter: Temptation’ Teaser

With the release of TOMORROW X TOGETHER‘s forthcoming EP, The Name Chapter: Temptation, drawing closer, the K-pop boy group unleashed one of the many concept teasers to come from the project on Tuesday (Dec. 20) — and it’s an ominous one.

The short, 15-second clip features an animated drawing of a window decorated with a sheer curtain. From behind it, a shadowy figure appears and walks across to the other side as the window floats in space. By the end of the short, Korean text comes into view and reads, “The devil’s voice I met at the window at midnight was sweet.”

The new teaser comes after TXT confirmed the release date and official title of The Name Chapter: Temptation. The EP will be released on Jan. 27, but leading up to the mini album’s arrival, several concept teasers will be rolled out in early January. The mini album’s tracklist and official poster will be dropped on Jan. 19, while the album preview will arrive on Jan. 22. Two teasers for the project’s lead single will be shared on Jan. 24 and 25. Following the EP’s release, the K-pop group will perform a special showcase on Jan. 28.

The Name Chapter: Temptation will be the group’s first music release since the arrival of its fourth mini EP, minisode 2: Thursday’s Child. That project was a hit for the K-pop stars. It spent a total of 14 weeks on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, where it peaked at No. 4. Thursday’s Child achieved even more success on the Top Current Album Sales chart, where it spent 20 weeks on the tally and hit No. 1.

See TXT’s new concept teaser in the video above.

20 Dec 2022

JoJo Siwa Claims She Was Used ‘for Clout’ After Avery Cyrus Split: ‘I Got Played’

Trouble is brewing for JoJo Siwa and ex-girlfriend Avery Cyrus. The former Dance Moms star recently claimed that she had been “used” for internet fame by someone she thought she was “in love” with, harsh words presumably aimed at Cyrus, who revealed only days prior that she and Siwa had broken up after dating briefly.

On Monday (Dec. 19), JoJo’s mom Jessalynn Siwa posted a video to her own Instagram Stories of her daughter talking heatedly. In the video, the “Boomerang” singer paces back and forth as Jessalynn asks, “Why are you mad?”

“Because I got used!” JoJo responds.

When asked by her mom what exactly she was used for for, JoJo keeps going. “For views and for clout,” she continues, still pacing, though never naming Cyrus. “I got tricked into being told I was loved and I got f–king played.”

The next day, Cyrus addressed JoJo’s claims in a Tuesday (Dec. 20) statement to E! News. “From my perspective, me and JoJo left on great terms and are still friends,” she said. “The relationship was very real, and I have nothing but love for JoJo and her family.”

“I’m still very hurt that JoJo broke up with me,” added the influencer, who boasts 8.4 million followers on TikTok. “And I’m saddened and confused by the situation.”

This most recent breakup update isn’t the first time Cyrus has spoken about their split. After it was confirmed that the two had parted ways, she explained in a TikTok comment:  “We decided that we are better off as friends! We are both so young and still just trying to figure our stuff out!”

Siwa initially confirmed her romance with Cyrus back in September with a video of her posing with Cyrus in a photo booth, the two smiling before leaning in for a kiss. “Happiest girl,” the dancer had captioned the post.

20 Dec 2022

Rick Anderson, The Tubes Bassist, Dies at 75

The Tubes has lost another member. Rick Anderson, bassist and founding member of the San Francisco rock band, died at 75 on Dec. 16, the group shared in a statement on social media.

“We lost our brother on 12/16/22,” the band captioned a series of photos on Sunday (Dec. 18). “Rick brought a steady and kind presence to the band for 50 years. His love came through his bass. RIP.” The statement did not offer any additional details regarding Anderson’s death, which comes after the April passing of Re Styles, who sang with the group.

The Tubes formed on March 22, 1972, in San Francisco, and was the combined forces of two Phoenix bands that came from the city to California in 1969. The first band, called The Beans, included Anderson as well as other members Bill Spooner, Vince Welnick and Bob McIntosh. The second band, the Red White and Blues Band, featured members Prairie Prince, Roger Steen, and David Killingsworth.

With The Tubes, Anderson opened for Led Zeppelin in 1973. Rick Wakeman of the band Yes was instrumental in helping the band get signed, suggesting to the group’s A&R to pitch to A&M Records. After getting signed, The Tubes released its self-titled debut album in 1975. Tracks “White Punks on Dope” and “What Do You Want From Life?” became staples in the band’s catalogue, with the former being covered by Mötley Crüe in 2000.

See The Tubes’ announcement about Anderson’s death below:

20 Dec 2022

Xman Xmas: Ed Christman’s Christmas Classics, Deep Cuts & Oddities

Christmas is a time for music and memories. In that spirit, this playlist is an excerpt from Ed Christman‘s yesteryear Xman Xmas mixtapes, compiled circa 1986-1988.

The Xman XmasTape

The Xman XmasTape

Ed Christman

Encompassing well-known classics by Burl Ives and Bobby Helms, long-lost gems (e.g. The Gems’ “Love for Christmas”) and surreal oddities such as Edd “Kookie” Byrnes’ “Yulesville,” here are some Christmas classics to revisit and deep cuts to discover. In particular, Christman, Billboard senior editor/analyst, would like to call your attention to Dean Martin’s reference of Rudolph as “Rudy, the red-beaked reindeer.”

Andy Williams, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

The Crystals, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt Kickers, “Monster’s Holiday”

The Trashmen, “Dancin’ With Santa”

Bobby Helms, “Jingle Bell Rock”

Chuck Berry, “Run Rudolph Run”

Plan 9, “Merry Christmas”

Elvis Presley, “Blue Christmas”

Al Green, “White Christmas”

Otis Redding, “Merry Christmas Baby”

The Partridge Family, “My Christmas Card to You”

The Cheepskates, “Christmastime With You”

The Wailers, “She’s Comin’ Home”

The Turtles, “Christmas Is My Time of Year”

Milton DeLugg & The Little Eskimos, “Hooray for Santa Claus”

The Sonics, “Don’t Believe In Christmas”

Brenda Lee, “Papa Noel”

Chris Stamey, “Christmas Time”

The Rockfield Chorale, “Jingle Jangle”

The Galaxies, “Christmas Eve”

Cliff Richard, “Little Town”

Frank Sinatra, “Mistletoe and Holly”

Isaac Hayes, “Mistletoe and Me”

Nat “King” Cole, “The Christmas Song”

Fay Lovsky, “Christmas Was a Friend of Mine”

The Beach Boys, “Little Saint Nick”

Barry Richards, “Baby Sittin’ Santa”

Three Aces and A Joker, “Sleigh Bell Rock”

Jack Scott, “There’s Trouble Brewin’”

Yard Trauma, “Christmas Tyme”

Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, “Yulesville”

Percy Faith & His Orchestra, “Joy to the World”

Burl Ives, “Holly Jolly Christmas”

NRBQ, “Christmas Wish”

Rosemary Clooney, “Suzy Snowflake”

Dean Martin, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

Stan Freberg, “Nuttin’ for Christmas”

Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, “Jingle Bells”

Louis Armstrong, “‘Zat You Santa Claus?”

Brenda Lee, “I’m Gonna Lasso Santa Claus”

The Drifters, “White Christmas”

Santo & Johnny, “Twistin’ Bells”

The Tryfles, “Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)”

Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, “Christmas Night In Harlem”

James Brown, “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto”

Solomon Burke, “Christmas Presents”

The Gems, “Love for Christmas”

Wednesday Week, “Christmas Here”

Darlene Love, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, “Deck the Halls/Bring a Torch”

Alison Moyet, “The Coventry Carol”

Chris de Burgh, “A Spaceman Came Traveling”

Sting, “Gabriel’s Message”

The Supremes, “Born of Mary”

Mike Oldfield, “In Dulce Jubilo”

Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, “The Carol of the Bells”

Glad Singers, “Three Kings”

The Platters, “Jingle Bells Jingle”

Aztec Camera, “Hot Club of Christ”

Crocodile Shop, “December Mourning”

The Ravers, “(It’s Gonna Be A) Punk Rock Christmas”

Nadroj & the Wolrats, “Forget It”

Andy Paley, “Sleigh Ride”

The Ronettes, “Sleigh Ride”

John Lennon & Yoko Ono, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”

Bing Crosby & David Bowie, “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy”

The Kinks, “Father Christmas”

The Turtles, “Santa and the Sidewalk Surfer”

The Fools, “Rockin’ In a Christmas New Year”

Billy Squier, “Christmas Is the Time to Say ‘I Love You’”

Roy Wood, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday”

The Waitresses, “Christmas Wrapping”

Kurtis Blow, “Christmas Rappin’”

James Brown, “Let’s Make Christmas Mean Something This Year”

Paul McCartney, “Wonderful Christmastime”

Bing Crosby, “Christmas In Killarney”

The Ronettes, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”

Brenda Lee, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

Elvis Presley, “Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me”

Billy West, “Jingle Bell Rock”

The Royal Guardsmen, “Snoopy’s Christmas”

XTC, “Thanks for Christmas”

Davitt Sigerson, “It’s a Big Country”

Pretenders, “2000 Miles”

Slade, “Merry Xmas Everybody”

The Crystals, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”

Bing Crosby, “White Christmas”

The Dickies, “Silent Night”

Cristina, “Things Fall Apart”

20 Dec 2022

SZA Debuts 20 Songs From ‘SOS’ on Hot 100, Rules Artist 100 for First Time

SZA debuts a whopping 20 songs from her sophomore LP SOS, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Dec. 24), including two in the top 10. The set launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking her first leader and sparking her first week atop the Billboard Artist 100 ranking.

SOS arrives at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 318,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate. That’s the seventh-largest one-week total of the year and the second-biggest among R&B albums, after only the first week of Beyonce’s Renaissance (332,000, Aug. 13).

SZA scores her third Billboard 200 entry, after her debut LP Ctrl reached No. 3 in 2017 and EP Z peaked at No. 39 in 2014.

Of the 23 tracks on SOS, 20 debut on the Hot 100, including two in the top 10: “Kill Bill” (No. 3) and “Nobody Gets Me” (No. 10). Meanwhile “Shirt” jumps from No. 62 to No. 18 after reaching No. 11 in November. The two other songs on the album, “I Hate U” and “Good Days,” peaked at Nos. 7 and 9, respectively, in 2021.

Here’s a recap of SZA’s songs on the latest Hot 100 (all of which are debuts except where noted):

Hot 100 Rank, Title

  • No. 3, “Kill Bill”
  • No. 10, “Nobody Gets Me”
  • No. 12, “Blind”
  • No. 18, “Shirt” (up from No. 62; reached No. 11 in November)
  • No. 21, “Love Language”
  • No. 24, “Seek & Destroy”
  • No. 29, “Snooze”
  • No. 30, “Used,” feat. Don Toliver
  • No. 32, “SOS”
  • No. 37, “Special”
  • No. 40, “Ghost in the Machine,” feat. Phoebe Bridgers
  • No. 43, “Gone Girl”
  • No. 44, “Notice Me”
  • No. 52, “Smoking on My Ex Pack”
  • No. 54, “Open Arms,” feat. Travis Scott
  • No. 55, “F2F”
  • No. 58, “Conceited”
  • No. 61, “Far”
  • No. 62, “Too Late”
  • No. 76, “Forgiveless,” feat. Ol’ Dirty Bastard

“Kill Bill” and “Nobody Gets Me” earn SZA her sixth and seventh Hot 100 top 10s. She also ups her career totals to 23 top 40 hits and 37 overall entries. She first charted in July 2017 with “Love Galore,” featuring Travis Scott (No. 32 peak).

Among the new album’s featured artists, Phoebe Bridgers notches her first top 40 Hot 100 hit, after reaching No. 43 in 2021 as featured on Taylor Swift’s “Nothing New (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” and No. 57 in 2020 with Maggie Rogers on their cover of Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris.” Plus, Ol’ Dirty Bastard returns to the Hot 100 for the first time since 2004, adding his eighth solo entry in a history on the chart (he earned two additional chart hits as a member of Wu Tang Clan — “Method Man” in 1993 and “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)” in 1994).

Meanwhile, SOS spurs SZA’s 42-1 vault on the Artist 100, as she rules as the top musical act in the U.S. for the first time. Also contributing to her reign is Ctrl, which rises 35-28 on the Billboard 200 (23,000 units, up 17%). With 288 weeks to-date, it’s the second-longest-charting R&B album by a woman in the list’s history, after Rihanna’s ANTI (346 weeks and counting).

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

20 Dec 2022

Martin Duffy, Primal Scream Keyboardist, Dies at 55

Martin Duffy, the keyboardist for iconic Scottish alt-rock band Primal Scream, has died. He was 55.

Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie announced his bandmate’s death in a lengthy social media tribute on Tuesday (Dec. 20), revealing that Duffy had died from a brain injury after falling at his home on Sunday (Dec. 18) in Brighton, England.

“We in Primal Scream are all so sad,” Gillespie wrote on Instagram, noting that he had known Duffy since he was a teenager in the indie band Felt. “He played keyboards on every album of ours from the first to the last. Finally joining the band in 1991. Martin was a very special character. He had a love and understanding of music on a deep spiritual level. Music meant everything to him.”

Duffy was born on May 18, 1967, in Birmingham, England. He joined Felt at the age of 16 in the mid-1980s before the group signed with Creation Records. Duffy was a member of the band until its split in 1989.

During his time in Felt, Duffy also joined recording sessions for Primal Scream’s first two albums, Sonic Flower Groove (1987) and Primal Scream (1989). He was a full-time member of the U.K. rock outfit by the release of its critically acclaimed 1991 album, Screamadelica. Decades later, Duffy contributed to frontman Gillespie’s 2021 collaborative album, Utopian Ashes, with Savages singer Jehnny Beth.

Following the death of The Charlatans‘ founding member Rob Collins in 1996, Duffy stepped in to perform with the veteran groove-rockers when the band supported Oasis at a concert in Knebworth that summer. He also contributed to the Charlatans’ 1997 album, Tellin’ Stories.

“Another tragic loss of a beautiful soul,” Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess wrote on Twitter. “Martin Duffy stepped in to save The Charlatans when we lost Rob – he played with us at Knebworth and was a true friend. He toured with me in my solo band too – he was a pleasure to spend time with. Safe travels Duffy.”

Duffy collaborated with numerous other musicians during his career, including Beth Orton, Chemical Brothers, Paul Weller and Jessie Buckley. He also released a solo album, Assorted Promenades, in 2014.

“Martin was the most musically talented of all of us,” Gillespie wrote. “His style combined elements of country, blues and soul, all of which he had a God given natural feel for. He never played the same thing twice, ever. He was all about ‘the moment’, better have that ‘record’ button on when Duffy was on fire. His timing was unique, funky and ALWAYS behind the beat.”

See Primal Scream’s full tribute below.

20 Dec 2022

Shania Twain Excited About ‘Queen of Me’ Ushering in ‘Renaissance’ Period: ‘I Feel a Renewed Confidence’

Shania Twain‘s been knocked down, several times, but she’s gotten up again. And as she prepares to release her first album in more than five years, Queen of Me (Feb. 3), the queen of country pop is feeling like her old self. After an extended break in the early and mid 2000s due to battles with Lyme disease and dysphonia that nearly robbed the singer of her voice — as well as a break-up with her producer/husband Robert John “Mutt” Lange — Twain told People that she’s found love, and her signature shimmering vocals, again.

“I really found such a wonderful life,” Twain told the magazine about her loving relationship with second husband Frédéric Thiébaud, whom she married after learning that husband of 14 years Lange was having an affair with her close friend, Thiébaud’s ex-wife, Marie-Anne. “It’s like a renaissance period for me. To be experiencing it as a relevant artist still, that’s rewarding,” added the singer who is also preparing to launch a global tour in April 2023. “I feel a renewed confidence. I don’t have anything to prove anymore, and I feel freedom in that.”

Twain, 57, the best-selling female country artist of all time with record sales of more than 100 million worldwide thanks to such indelible hits as “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much” and “You’re Still the One” hasn’t released a full-length album since 2017’s Now. After taking an extended break from music for nearly 15 years due to the devastating effects of Lyme disease on her voice, Twain started re-emerging with her “Let’s Go” Las Vegas residency (Dec. 2019-Sept. 2022) and now the first album since her 1993 debut that was not co-written or produced by ex Lange.

“I may not be able to [sing] forever, but right now I’m just enjoying where I am,” said Twain, who was told by doctors that a 2004 tick bite may have led to the Lyme disease that damaged nerves in her vocal cords. After re-learning how to sing and adding in extensive warm-ups and physical therapy, Twain had open-throat surgery in 2018 to strengthen the damaged nerves and the results are an album People said is a testament to her newfound happiness and comfort.

Described as “upbeat [and] empowering,” Queen of Me began as a project to escape the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also the first part of a slow-rolling return to form that included a pop-up cameo with Harry Styles during his Coachella set in April and a summer Netflix documentary, Not Just a Girl, that shone a light on her history-making career.

“All these years later, I’m still here, almost in a bigger way,” said Twain, “and I’m embracing it.”

20 Dec 2022

Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck Sing a Romantic Duet at a Holiday Party

‘Tis the season of Bennifer. This year, celebrating their first ever Christmas as husband and wife, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez threw a huge Hollywood holiday bash Saturday (Dec. 17), at which they treated guests to a romantic duet of John Legend’s “By Christmas Eve.”

The adorable moment, captured on video by one of the partygoers, begins with the Gone Girl actor going at the song solo — and earning laughs from his guests when he, struggling slightly to keep up, instructs an accompanying pianist to “go slow.” That’s when J. Lo, dazzling in a sparkly dress, joins in.

“Make a wish, close your eyes and believe,” the pair sings into the same microphone, the final lines of Legend’s A Legendary Christmas track. “I’ll be home, home, home, home, home by Christmas Eve.”

Afterward, the Marry Me actress wraps Affleck in a tight hug and kisses him. In another video taken of the moment, she’s seen telling the other guests: “That’s my baby’s favorite Christmas song.”

A third video reveals that a group singalong of “Jingle Bells” also went down. And, per E! News, Lopez also sang her own hit song “On the Floor” as guests helped themselves to pizza, hot cocoa and a gingerbread replica of the couple’s house.

Everyone from Kim Kardashian to Billie Eilish to Doja Cat was in attendance at Bennifer’s big bash, according to People.

Affleck and Lopez’s first Christmas party as married couple has been long in the making. The two were originally engaged in 2002 before breaking up in 2004, only to get back together in 2021. They tied the knot in July of this year, and had a second wedding ceremony in Georgia the next month.