Music News

16 Dec 2022

TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s New EP ‘The Name Chapter: Temptation’ Finally Has a Release Date

TOMORROW X TOGETHER‘s EP officially has a release date and a longer title to match. After teasing the mini album in a surreal concept trailer on Dec. 2, the K-pop group — which consists of members Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and Hueningkai — revealed on Friday (Dec. 16) when The Name Chapter will be released through a handy schedule of events.

The project, officially titled The Name Chapter: Temptation, will be released on Jan. 27. Leading up to the mini album’s arrival, several concept teasers will be rolled out in early January. The 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. 24-25. Following the album’s release, the K-pop group will perform a special showcase on Jan. 28.

The Name Chapter: Temptation will be the first music release the quintet has released 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. The project achieved even more success on the Top Current Album Sales chart, where it spent 20 weeks on the tally and hit No. 1.

Speaking about Thursday’s Child in a May interview with Billboard, Soobin looked ahead to the future. “As we have more years and even more albums under our belts, we’re getting better outcomes and better numbers,” he said. “We have [also] tried many genres in music. As we work on more and more albums, [I feel like] we don’t have any limits. We’ve taken this musical journey step by step.” 

See the full schedule of event for TXT’s The Name Chapter: Temptation below.

16 Dec 2022

From Rosalía & Cardi B to The Weeknd, What’s Your Favorite New Music Release of the Week? Vote!

We’re officially less than 10 days from Christmas, and new music remains the gift that keeps on giving. This week, everyone from Rosalía and Cardi B to The Weeknd dropped new songs, and we want to know which release you love the most.

The Weeknd unveiled “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” just in time for the premiere of Avatar: The Way of Water. The grandiose ballad, which plays over the end credits of the long-awaited alien sequel from James Cameron, was produced by Swedish House Mafia and takes a sonic cue from Gerard McCann’s “Cry Little Sister” from the 1987 cult classic The Lost Boys as The Weeknd sings, “I thought I could protect you from paying for my sins/ And I been walking this earth long enough that that’s a gift.”

Rosalía reinvents her MOTOMAMI smash “DESPECHÁ” by enlisting none other than Cardi B on the official remix. Cardi jumps into the groove headfirst, taking over both of the song’s verses and the cooing, dual language refrain of “Baby, please don’t call me/ Why you on my line? ‘Cause I got a new body?/ I have decided que voy pa’ la calle/ With all my motomamis y no hay quién me pare.“

As far as new albums go, Little Simz followed up her 2021 breakthrough Sometimes I Might Be an Introvert with her fifth studio album NO THANK YOU. Meanwhile, Juice WRLD‘s latest posthumous release arrives in the form of “Face 2 Face,” rising girl group FLO builds on the momentum they’ve earned throughout 2022 with their latest single “Losing You,” and PinkPantheress finally crosses the three-minute mark with new synth-pop banger “Take Me Home.”

Vote for your favorite new release in Billboard‘s weekly poll below.

16 Dec 2022

Watch Billie Eilish & Dave Grohl Honor Taylor Hawkins With a ‘My Hero’ Duet at Her L.A. Show

Warning: You may experience strong emotions once you see the surprise performances Billie Eilish treated her crowd at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum to Thursday night (Dec. 15). The 20-year-old pop star carved out time in her Happier Than Ever, The World Tour setlist to bring out Dave Grohl for a stunning tribute to his late Foo Fighters bandmate Taylor Hawkins, and later, Phoebe Bridgers for a duet of “Motion Sickness,” one of the indie rocker’s biggest tearjerkers.

Eilish first welcomed Grohl onto her stage. “I would like to invite a friend of mine,” she said, while thousands of fans cheered as the former Nirvana drummer walked on stage.

Grohl went on to share with the crowd how he, his Foo Fighters bandmates and their families gathered earlier this year to watch the Grammys, at which Eilish — who wore a Taylor Hawkins T-shirt at the ceremony — was one of the performers. “The room was filled with real tears of love and gratitude,” Grohl recalled of the night, which was just over a week after Hawkins’ shocking death. “Let’s sing it for Taylor.”

Sitting on stools with Grohl playing guitar, the two went on to duet Foo Fighters’ 1998 track “My Hero.”

Later in the show, Bridgers came out on stage, nothing but an acoustic guitar in tow. “This is so cool. I’m, like, shaking,” the L.A. native confessed. “Everybody close their eyes and I’ll be way less nervous.”

She then started strumming her 2017 breakthrough hit “Motion Sickness,” with Eilish adding soft harmonies to Bridgers’ lead vocals. When the “Everything I Wanted” singer took the lead on the song’s second verse, her crowd let out a brief cheer of wild excitement before quieting down so that everyone could properly hear the performance.

The show marked the second of three concerts Eilish has lined up at the Kia Forum this December, with the final show slated for Friday (Dec. 16). At the concert prior to Bridgers’ and Grohl’s appearances, she invited Labrinth onstage to sing “I’ve Never Felt So Alone,” a song from the Euphoria soundtrack.

Watch clips from Eilish’s duets with Grohl and Bridgers below:

16 Dec 2022

BLACKPINK Takes Over the VMAs in Third ‘Born Pink Memories’ Video: Watch

BLINKs, the newest episode of BLACKPINK‘s “Born Pink Memories” has finally arrived. The Friday (Dec. 16) episode sees members Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé preparing to make their debut at the VMAs — which took place at New Jersey’s Prudential Center in August — and sharing their excitement leading up to the show.

“We are now at the Incheon International Airport. Lisa went to check her bag for a second. Our cute plane … see its head over there? We’re headed to New York! For the VMAs!” Rosé says as she kicks off the video, appearing to be near the plane’s boarding gate.

The video then cuts to Jennie and Jisoo seated next to each other on the plane, taking turns explaining the purpose of the trip. “BLINKs, we are on a flight to the VMAs,” Jennie starts, with Jisoo adding, “It’s been a while since we’ve been to New York, so I’m very excited.”

Jennie reveals BLACKPINK’s appearance at the awards show was a big deal because “this is our first time presenting ‘Pink Venom’ on a big stage besides last week’s music show, so we’re very much looking forward to it.”

Jisoo also expresses her happiness at attending the VMAs. “It’s exciting to perform in front of a large audience after such a long time,” she shares in the cli. “We’ll make sure to have a good time on stage. I hope I won’t be crying while watching this video in the future!”

After a brief stop in NYC, the girls then head to Prudential Center to rehearse their performance for “Pink Venom.” Lisa had fun backstage showing off her VMAs talent badge before rehearsal kicked off; Jennie experienced trouble with her microphone staying in place, but was able to pull it together when it was time to hit the stage.

The video then cut to footage of the K-pop quartet attending the VMAs red carpet. Reflecting on the rehearsal experience backstage, Jisoo says, “During yesterday’s rehearsals, I got excited because it felt like we were doing a concert.”

Other highlights from the video include BLACKPINK meeting up with fans and fellow musicians Anitta and Khalid, the group’s performance of “Pink Venom” and Lisa’s win for best K-pop.

Watch the third installment of BLACKPINK Memories in the video above.

16 Dec 2022

Sam Asghari Defends Britney Spears‘ NSFW Photos, But Would ’Prefer’ She ‘Never Posted’ Them

Sam Asghari may not always agree with Britney Spears‘ choices, but you can count on him to defend her right to make them. After the 41-year-old pop star posted a string of mostly nude photos on Instagram Thursday (Dec. 15), attracting many concerned comments from her followers, Asghari has added his perspective to the ring.

“The only person in the world that gets bullied for posting things like this,” the 28-year-old actor wrote in an Instagram comment, which he also reposted to his Stories on Friday (Dec. 16). “I personally preferred she never posted these but who am I to control someone that’s been under a microscope and been controlled for most of her life.”

The photos in question appeared on Spears’ account a few hours before Asghari’s Story, and featured the “Toxic” singer staring straight into the camera and holding her bare breasts in her hands. Strategically placed emojis — pink flowers and lips — were placed over her chest in most of the photos, while the snaps cut off right above her crotch area.

Many of the pop star’s followers replied to the photos with worried questions about the singer’s health or safety, some of them even slamming Asghari. “Something is not ok! Who is handling this account?” wrote one fan. “Someone is messing with her. Not normal. Why does Sam say ‘the media can be very traumatizing’ yet you’re ok with this?”

“She’s not posting this and you know it deep down,” another wrote. “Something is very wrong. Pay attention.”

The comments theorizing someone else may be handling her posts recall ones directed at Spears’ posts a couple years ago, when concern for her social media content, among other things, spurred the #FreeBritney movement. Fueled by the movement’s support, the “Hold Me Closer” artist successfully had her conservatorship terminated last year.

The NSFW photos and Asghari’s statement come just a week after the personal trainer pleaded with fans to respect Spears’ privacy online after some of them noticed she’d previously deactivated and reactivated her account. “Social media can be traumatizing,” Asghari wrote in a lengthy statement posted to his Stories. “Sometimes it’s good to take a break. She has her voice and is a free woman.”

“I’ve always respected and supported her privacy with everything I’ve had,” he’d added. “I ask of you supportive and protective fans to do the same. Sometimes being over protective can cause more stress and damage.”

16 Dec 2022

Margot Robbie Is a Monolithic ‘Barbie’ in ‘2001’-Like First Trailer: Watch

Barbie was a giant part of the childhoods of millions of boys and girls. But in the bonkers first trailer for the big screen adaptation of the eternally popular Mattel doll directed and co-written by Greta Gerwig that dropped on Thursday (Dec. 15), the iconic pink panthress of womanhood literally looms very large in a 75-second tribute to Stanley Kubrick’s iconic 1968 outer space psychological drama 2001: A Space Odyssey.

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From the brief photographic glimpses that have leaked out so far of the film starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as her super-smooth forever boyfriend Ken, Gerwig (and co-writer filmmaker Noah Baumbach) appear to be leaning heavily into kitsch and visual overload. And the trailer is proof that they are going for it in a major way.

“Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been… dolls,” says a narrator over sunrise scenes in the desert. Then, as Kubrick’s haunting 2001 theme, Strauss’ “Also sprach Zarathustra” bubbles up in the background, we see a group of girls playing with their baby dolls in the dusty expanse. Our narrator intones darkly, “But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls… until,” at which point Strauss’ horn stabs crescendo and we see the first glimpse of the towering, monolith-like Barbie posing in white sunglasses and a striped one-piece bathing suit, tilting her shades down to give the girls a cheeky wink.

Cue the smashing on the boring babies (shades of Kubrick’s apes bashing apart human bones) as one of the toys is tossed into space and a disco soundtrack explodes into Barbie’s technicolor. We then get the first moving look at Gosling’s Ken in his ab-baring, fringed green jacket, chilling with his equally buff pals in Barbie’s all-pink-everything dream universe.

The film slated to open on July 21 also features America Ferrara, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman and Will Ferrrell as Mattel’s CEO.

Check out the Barbie trailer below.

16 Dec 2022

First Spin: The Week’s Best New Dance Tracks From Zeds Dead & GRiZ, DJ_Dave, Subtronics & More

This week in dance music: We talked to nightlife promoters about how they kept crowds on the floor this year, we chatted with Dutch producer Mau P about his hit “Drugs From Amsterdam,” the Rüfüs Du Sol guys dropped the lineup for the festival in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula this May, Kaskade and deadmau5 didn’t let an exploding generator stop them from playing a historic show at the L.A. Coliseum, we said arrivederci to the second season of White Lotus with this house edit of the show’s theme song, we heard an exclusive from Soulwax’s soundtrack for the latest Grand Theft Auto Online update, Diplo teased the return of his country project, Fabric London enacted a lifetime ban on an attendee who shared a video of a fellow clubgoer, Chris Lorenzo was announced as the headliner for Monster Energy’s 2023 Up & Up tour, Sony Music sued Ultra Records Founder Patrick Moxey over his continued use of the Ultra name and Fred again.. made moves on Top Dance/Electronic albums.

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And last but not least, we assembled lists of our 50 favorite dance tracks and 25 favorite dance albums of the year.

Is there more? There’s always more! Here, in the final First Spin of 2022, are the best new dance tracks of the week.

Zeds Dead & GRiZ, “Ecstasy of Souls”

The mere thought of a collaboration between melodic bass masters Zeds Dead and GRiZ elicits cinematic grandeur and an epic mood — but who could have known it would come to life in Ennio Morricone proportions?

“Ecstasy of Souls” is built on the dramatic back of the late Italian composer’s iconic theme for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. This track inherits all those traits; building a divine feast of sound and texture over a beat so bad (in the Run D.M.C. sense) it’ll set your dance floor on fire. Once the drop hits, you’ll be making ugly faces in pure astonishment.

“We were doing a big back-to-back set in Arizona and wanted to create something super epic for the intro,” the Zeds Dead guys are quoted. “We tossed around a few ideas and finally decided to try something with a version of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly theme. Something about the Wild West and the new frontier seemed to be calling our name. GRiZ is the best, and this was a lot of fun to work on. It brought us back to our old remixing days. We’ve been playing it at every show since, and it’s gotten the most insane reactions. Stoked to finally put it out!” – KAT BEIN

DJ_Dave, “Break”

While the rest of us are planning for 2023, DJ_Dave is already raving in 3023. The future-facing algorave producer is back with her latest single “Break,” a wistful track somewhere between pop, electronic and cyberspace. Its drum patterns softly pitter-patter like tears spilling onto concrete, while Dave begins over solemn synths and layers of pitched vocals: “I’m burning out/ Asking too much, losing my touch.”

“I made this song so long ago when I was messing around with Sonic Pi for the first time and I’m so excited to finally get to share it,” she wrote on Instagram. The single arrives in the form of a video involving both a live code edit and live performance. “my first time singing + coding in a vid alone because I really wanted to showcase everything that goes into the process of performing.” — KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ

Deorro feat. Lost Boy, “Nobody Like You”

Successfully cycling through genres (including the Latin sounds of his heritage) throughout his career, Deorro has now found a house groove in “Nobody Like You.” Out via Ultra Records, the bouncy track has a melancholic edge, with vocals from L.A. singer Lost Boy proclaiming “I don’t want to be nobody like you,” while illustrating the frayed end of a romance gone wrong. The track got major shine during Deorro’s recently completely 60 (!) date Tour De ORRO, and additional play during his Dec. 8 halftime show during the L.A. Rams game at SoFi stadium, in which he got his hometown crowd on their feet with his signature celebratory and sound-traversing style. — KATIE BAIN

Skepsis & Raphaella, “Know What It Means”

Is there anything better in life than a bangin’ drum and bass beat with a strong female vocal and a kickin’ hook? It’s hard to imagine a more pure alternative when jammin’ to Skepsis’ latest. “Know What It Means” is the U.K. bass producer’s first official taste of d’n’b, and we’re hoping this is the start of a strong trend. Persian-British singer-songwriter Raphaella delivers a top-notch performance over the chune so hyphy that our sneakers might catch blisters. The music video is pretty pro as well: Directed by Ranvia Kaur Johal and Eleanor Grace Hann, its story of a young couple that falls out of love will get ya right in the (very true-to-life) feels. – K. Bein

Jackie Queens, “I’ll Find a Way”

Perseverance is at the heart of Jackie Queens’ new song “I’ll Find A Way.” The South African house heavyweight brings a simultaneous determination and comfort through her rich vocals, which breeze over an Afrohouse rhythm that chugs towards a chest-swelling crescendo. With lyrics about strength and taking pride in warrior roots, the song is described in a press release as a “tribute to Black women’s courage.” “I’ll Find a Way” comes from the soundtrack for YE! A Jagun Story, the first part of a forthcoming film trilogy from Nigerian-American filmmaker John Oluwole Adekoje and Bomb Squad producer/composer Hank Shocklee. — K.R.

Subtronics, ANTIFRACTALS

Philly-based producer Subtronics ends 2022 with a nod to both the year that was and the year ahead with the release of ANTIFRACTALS, a batch of deliciously dirty, rail-riding edits of his already hard-hitting LP FRACTALS, released this past January. The new LP is packed with remixes from what feels like half the bass music community, with contributions from PEEKABOO, Virtual Riot, Jantsen, Wooli and Grabbitz, and edits from Subtronics himself. “I’m honored to have so many top-tier producers put their spin on my vision, it really means the world to me, and I’d like to extend a huge thank you to all of them,” says the producer born Jesse Kardon. “Over the last year, I have continued to evolve as an artist, so ANTIFRACTALS has been an awesome journey for me to refine FRACTALS even further. I think I like these versions better than the originals.” Surely much of both LPs will be heard on the producer 27-date North American tour, which launches on January 13 and takes him to venues including L.A.’s 17,000-person Kia Forum. — K. Bain

16 Dec 2022

Casablanca Records ‘Spinning Gold’ Biopic Trailer Features Wiz Khalifa, Jason DeRulo, Ledisi & More: Watch

The stories about Casablanca Records are legendarily insane. Some center around the tall tales of the wildly successful independent label founded by producer Neil Bogart in 1973 that briefly shot to global dominance during the disco era thanks releasing landmark albums by everyone from Kiss to Donna Summer, the Village People, George Clinton’s Parliament and Cher. They also, invariably, lead to equally bonkers accounts of shady accounting, mountains of debt (and cocaine) and wild accounts of the lengths Bogart would go to promote his acts.

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Sounds like a movie, right? Well, on March 31 that biopic, Spinning Gold, will hit theaters with an all-star cast of characters re-telling the improbable tale of Bogart’s rocket ride to the heights, and depths, of the music business. The film’s official trailer dropped on Thursday (Dec. 15) and it gives just a little taste of the whirlwind ride Bogart took the industry on while providing sneak peeks at Wiz Khalifa as Clinton, Jeremy Jordan as the label boss, Ledisi as Gladys Knight, Jason DeRulo as Ronald Isley, Pink Sweat$ as Bill Withers and Tayla Parx as Summer.

The trailer for the film directed and written by Bogart’s’ son, Timothy Scott Bogart, opens with Casablanca’s jaw-dropping sales figures (200 million records), while showing a frizzy-haired Jordan strutting through the label’s chaotic offices while ticking off a list of the famous roster, including Summer (born LaDonna Adrian Gaines), who blanches at her new bosses’ decision to change her name because “everything is hotter in the summer.”

With Kiss’ 1975 hit “Rock and Roll All Nite” blasting in the background, the fairy tale story quickly begins to unravel, though, as Bogart is seen facing more than $7 million of red ink, which, of course, inspires him to punch out the bearer of bad news, as one’s boss does. There are briefcases full of cash, threats of a hit put out by rival Motown Records, phone calls to the mafia to ask for a little help with that whole situation and Bogart placing a giant bet on a couple of kids from Queens (Kiss’ Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons) who had dreams of being the biggest rock stars in the world.

“Their mix of creative insanity, a total belief in each other and the music they were creating, shaped our culture and ultimately defined a generation,” reads a description of the film. “In a story so unbelievable that it can only be true, comes the motion picture event of the musical journey of Neil Bogart and how his Casablanca Records created the greatest soundtrack of our lives.”

Watch the Spinning Gold trailer below.

16 Dec 2022

Crush at Asake Concert in London Leaves Four Fans in Critical Condition

LONDON — A number of people were injured, including four who were taken to hospital with what are described as critical injuries, during an apparent crowd stampede at a concert by Nigerian singer Asake on Thursday (Dec. 16) night at London’s O2 Academy Brixton.

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The Metropolitan Police has launched an urgent investigation into the incident, which is understood to have occurred after a large crowd gathered outside the venue.

In total, eight people were taken by ambulance to hospital to treat injuries “believed to have been caused by crushing,” said the police in a statement. Four of those eight people remain in a critical condition, said officers. Two other less seriously injured people were treated at the scene by ambulance staff.

Police said they were called to the venue, which can hold nearly 5,000 people, at 9.35pm local time following reports that a large number of people were attempting to force entry to the venue.  

Videos shared on social media show a chaotic scene with large crowds filling the streets that immediately surround the O2 Academy Brixton. 

Some videos appear to show people trying to force their way past security to gain entry to the venue. One witness speaking to the BBC said they estimated that more than 1,000 people had turned up to the gig without tickets. 

Before the concert, which was the third of Asake’s three sold out shows at O2 Academy Brixton, the artist had posted a statement on Twitter asking fans not to come to the venue if they didn’t have a valid ticket. “The show is completely sold out and there are no tickets for sale at the venue,” said the statement.  

“My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort,” said Asake, also known as Mr Money, in a statement posted on his Instagram account following Thursday night’s concert, which was abandoned midway through. “I pray you get well soonest.” 

This is a developing story.

16 Dec 2022

Hayley Williams Sees Her Younger Self in Billie Eilish: ‘She Does It On a Level We’ve Never Experienced’

Hayley Williams is well-acquainted with the rigors of stardom in your teens. Which might explain why the Paramore singer — who was signed to her first production deal at 14 — can relate to the mind-bending journey Billie Eilish has been on over the past five years.

“We’ve spoken throughout the years since she kind of came onto the scene,” Williams, 33, told Sirius XM’s Alt Nation in a chat about her interactions with Eilish, 20. “The first thing I experienced or I witnessed of her was [2018’s] ‘When the Party’s Over,’ that video. And then I watched an interview with her and I felt like there was something inside of me that was watching me — slash us — as teenagers doing interviews and navigating this world.”

Williams was just 17 when Paramore’s All We Know Is Falling came out in 2005, while Eilish was 14 when she uploaded “Ocean Eyes,” the song that would catapult her to fame. Hayley said that’s one of the reasons watching Billie’s rise has felt very familiar to her.

“She does it on a level we’ve never experienced, but I just feel such a love towards her and her family and I think they’re so special,” said Williams, who recalled going to Billie’s house for Thanksgiving last year for a delicious meal of vegan cinnamon rolls made by Eilish’s mom. “We had already connected, I had connected with her mom too, just about their organization that they have. But ever since that Thanksgiving cinnamon roll treat, just, I mean… The rest is history. I feel like I would do anything for them,” she added, shouting out Eilish’s older brother and producer, Finneas, as well.

And as someone who has been doing it for more than half her life, Williams predicted, “I think they’re going to be around for a really long time.”

The mutual admiration society isn’t just virtual, either. Williams and Eilish teamed up earlier this year when they performed Paramore’s “Misery Business” and Billie’s “Happier Than Ever” together at Coachella.

Watch Williams’ interview below.