Music News

13 Dec 2022

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Moves to MTV for Its Biggest Season Yet: Meet the Queens of Season 15

If RuPaul’s Drag Race were an actual, real-life drag race, then its latest announcement would rival the Grand Prix itself.

On Monday (Dec. 12), the long-running franchise announced a “global expansion” of the Drag Race brand, which includes a new deal that will see the flagship show move over from VH1 (its home for the last six years) to MTV for its long-awaited 15th season. On Tuesday (Dec. 13), the franchise unveiled the full cast for season 15, revealing the most queens on one season of the main series than ever before.

In alphabetical order, season 15 of RuPaul’s Drag Race will see Amethyst, Anetra, Aura Mayari, Irene Dubois, Jax, Loosey LaDuca, Luxx Noir London, Malaysia Babydoll Foxx, Marcia Marcia Marcia, Mistress Isabelle Brooks, Princess Poppy, Robin Fierce, Salina EsTitties, Sugar and Spice all compete for the title of America’s Next Drag Superstar — as well as a newly increased cash prize of $200,000.

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RuPaul’s Drag Race isn’t the only show benefitting from the franchise’s new development. As part of the expansion, MTV also announced three brand new Drag Race spin-off shows that will be arriving in Brazil, Germany and Mexico via MTV and Paramount+. All of this will also culminate in the first-ever season of Drag Race Global All Stars, in which fan-favorite queens from many of the different Drag Race franchises will come together for a head-to-head battle on Paramount+.

RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 will premiere with two back-to-back episodes on Friday, Jan. 6, at 8 p.m. ET. Check out the official “meet the queens” livestream below:

13 Dec 2022

‘The Voice’ Finalist Bodie Puts a Soulful Spin on Harry Styles‘ ’Late Night Talking’: Watch

The Voice is down to its final contestants ahead of tonight’s live finale. During the Monday (Dec. 12) episode, Bodie dialed up the soul for his rendition of Harry Styles‘ “Late Night Talking” and turned the hit into a sultry pop track that fit his unique style.

Bodie kicked off the performance on The Voice stage solo with trilling piano notes to accompany him, and started by singing the track’s chorus, and then going into the first verse. The singer injected the lyrics with several immaculately placed vocals runs before upping the ante — and the tempo — halfway through the showcase, when dancers clad in monochrome blue and orange suits, much like Styles’ fashion.

“We’ve been doin’ all this late night talkin’/ ‘Bout anything you want until the mornin’/ Now you’re in my life/ I can’t get you off my mind,” Bodie sang, clad in a gray suit decorated with sequined stars.

“Late Night Talking” was released as the second single from Styles’ third album, Harry’s House, on June 21. The track peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September, and spent a total of 24 weeks on the chart.

Bodie is on Team Blake, and is currently up against contestants Morgan Myles, Brayden Lape, Bryce Leatherwood and Omar Jose Cardona. On Tuesday’s finale of The Voice, the singer will perform a duet with Blake Shelton and will see if he becomes the season 22 champion.

Watch Bodie’s performance in the video above.

13 Dec 2022

Hear an Exclusive Clip From Soulwax’s Score for ‘Grand Theft Auto Online: Los Santos Drug Wars’

The themes are heavy, but Soulwax is keeping the vibe light with their contributions to the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto Online: Los Santos Drug Wars.

A sprawling update to the game, out Tuesday (Dec. 13), is accompanied by a flurry of original compositions by artists including Soulwax. The duo’s work on the game includes “Autoclown,” a bouncy production by the Belgian electronic icons that mimics the psychedelic themes of the game itself. Hear an exclusive clip from this track below.

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“When Rockstar approached us to be a part of Grand Theft Auto V, we were really excited about the opportunity,” Soulwax tell Billboard in a joint statement. “We had such a great time making and selecting tracks for the original Soulwax FM that we ended up creating a ton of ideas that we couldn’t fit in the final mix. So when the team came to us again to work on GTA Online, we went back to those initial ideas and started shaping them into a new score for Los Santos Drug Wars.”

Soulwax FM refers to a radio station featured in Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online, with GTA developer Rockstar Games having heavily incorporated electronic music into the game over the years, with appearances, radio stations and soundtrack contributions by prestige artists including The Blessed Madonna and Moodymann. In 2021, the game Rocktstar Games also partnered with Ibiza-based club brand CircoLoco for its joint venture, CircoLoco Records.

“We’re so excited to be working with Soulwax again,” Ivan Pavlovich, vice president of music at Rockstar Games, tells Billboard. “Soulwax FM’s driving dance and left field lost gems have made it such a classic station, and their music is the perfect vibe for the wild, psychedelic experience that is Los Santos Drug Wars.”

Part two of Los Santos Drug Wars is set for release in early 2023.

13 Dec 2022

Here’s the Date & New Location of the 2023 Tony Awards

The 2023 Tony Awards will be held on June 11, 2023, from a new venue – the United Palace in New York. With nearly 3,400 seats, the United Palace is Manhattan’s fourth largest theater. It opened in 1930 as one of five Loew’s “Wonder Theatres,” premiere vaudeville and movie houses.

“We are excited to bring the Tony Awards to the historic United Palace for the first time,” Heather Hitchens, president and CEO of the American Theatre Wing and Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, said in a statement. “As we celebrate the best of this Broadway season and 76 years of the Tony Awards, we look forward to ushering in a new golden age for the show from this majestic, golden age theater.”

Radio City Music Hall has been the Tony Awards’ home in all but five years since 1997. The show was held at the Beacon Theatre in 2011-12 and 2016, The Gershwin Theatre in 1999 and the Winter Garden Theatre in 2021.

The 76th Annual Tony Awards will air on CBS, its network home since 1978. The show will also stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

The Tony Awards eligibility cut-off date for the 2022-23 season is Thursday, April 27, 2023.  Nominations for the 2023 Tony Awards will be announced on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

The Tony Awards are produced in collaboration with Tony Award Productions, a joint venture of The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing, and White Cherry Entertainment. Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss are executive producers for White Cherry Entertainment. Weiss will serve as director. 

Ariana DeBose hosted the 75th annual Tony Awards, which were held at Radio City on June 12. A Strange Loop was the top nominee with 11 nods. The Lehman Trilogy and a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s 1970 classic Company were the top winners, with five wins each.

The Antoinette Perry “Tony” Awards were founded by the American Theatre Wing in 1947.    

13 Dec 2022

Offset Is Paying Tribute to Takeoff in an Epic Way Using a Classic Jackson 5 Song

Offset has found a moving way to pay tribute to his late cousin and Migos bandmate Takeoff during his live shows. The rapper posted a video of his homage on Sunday (Dec. 11) in which he kicks off a recent concert by projecting a giant image of Takeoff (born Kirshnik Khari Ball), 28, on the screen behind his DJ while the Jackson 5’s 1971 classic heartbreak ballad “Never Can Say Goodbye” blasts over the PA.

“Before every who I love you bra,” Offset wrote in the caption to the post, which elicited some additional words of support from Tyrese (“Praying for you bro everyday… So sorry this all happened I’m so sorry”), Rich The Kid (“I love you bro this beautiful”) and Ty Dolla Sign (Love king !!!!”), among others.

Takeoff was killed in Houston on Nov. 1 while attending an afterparty at a local pool/bowling alley also attended by his uncle and fellow Migos member Quavo. On Dec. 2 Houston Police announced that 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark was arrested on the east side of Houston and charged with murder, while another man, 22-year-old Cameron Joshua, was arrested and charged with the unlawful carrying of a weapon; Clark is being held on a $2 million bond.

Houston PD’s Sgt. Michael Burrow said during the news conference that Takeoff was an “innocent bystander” of the argument at the party that led to the shooting. “The event was a private party, there was a lucrative dice game that went on at the event, there was an argument that happened afterwards outside the bowling alley which led to the shooting,” he explained.

Last week, Clark’s attorney said the deadly shooting was a tragedy, but that his client says he’s innocent of the crime. Court records indicate Clark was arrested as he was preparing to leave the country for Mexico after getting an expedited passport and that he had a “large amount” of cash. TMZ reported on Tuesday (Dec. 13) that Clark asked a judge to reduce his bail to $100,000 so he can afford to be out as he awaits trial; Clark also reportedly wants to stay with his parents if his bond is reduced and has agreed to wear a GPS monitor and abide by any curfew imposed by the judge.

Check out the tribute below.

13 Dec 2022

Hot 100 First-Timers: BTS’ RM & Youjeen Land Solo Entries With Collab Single ‘Wild Flower’

South Korean rapper and BTS member RM and rock singer Youjeen each score their first solo entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Dec. 17), thanks to their new collaboration, “Wild Flower.”

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The song debuts at No. 83 with 4.1 million official streams and 29,000 downloads sold in the U.S. in its first tracking week (Dec. 2-8), according to Luminate. It opens as the top-selling song of the week, at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart.

BTS has logged 26 entries on the Hot 100 with RM (real name Kim Nam-joon) as a member, including six No. 1s among 10 top 10s.

“Wild Flower” is from RM’s debut solo studio album Indigo, which launches at No. 15 on the Billboard 200 with 31,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week. Prior to Indigo, RM released two mixtapes: RM in 2015 and Mono in 2018; the latter reached No. 2 on the World Albums chart and No. 26 on the Billboard 200.

Before this week, RM charted 13 solo tracks on World Digital Song Sales, including three No. 1s: “Winter Flower” (by Younha featuring RM, in 2020), “Don’t” (Eaeon featuring RM; 2021) and “Sexy Nukim” (Balming Tiger, Omega Sapien, BJ WNJN and Mudd the Student featuring RM; 2022). This week, he ups his career total to 21 entries, as eight songs from Indigo blanket the entire top eight positions on the chart.

RM Songs on the Dec. 17-dated World Digital Song Sales chart:

  • No. 1, “Wild Flower,” feat. Youjeen
  • No. 2, “Still Life,” with Anderson .Paak
  • No. 3, “Yun,” with Erykah Badu
  • No. 4, “Lonely”
  • No. 5, “All Day,” with TABLO
  • No. 6, “Hectic,” with Colde
  • No. 7, “No.2,” with Park Ji Yoon
  • No. 8, “Forg_tful,” with Kim Sawol
  • No. 13, “Bicycle” (down from its No. 3 peak)

The only other acts to command the entire top eight positions of the World Digital Song Sales chart are BTS (on five occasions) and members J-Hope (this July 30) and Agust D, aka, Suga (June 6, 2020).

BTS made its first Billboard chart appearance in 2013, when “No More Dreams” debuted at No. 14 on World Digital Song Sales (before climbing to No. 2 seven years later). Since then, the group has broken numerous records, including the most Hot 100 No. 1 debuts among groups (five) and the most top 10 debuts among groups (nine). BTS notched its six Hot 100 leaders to-date over just a year and a month in 2020-21, the quickest accumulation of six since The Beatles earned six over a year and two weeks in 1964-66.

Meanwhile, RM is the sixth member of BTS to score a solo entry on the Hot 100. J-Hope first earned the honor in October 2019 with “Chicken Noodle Soup,” featuring Becky G (No. 81 peak). Suga followed with “Daechwita” (billed as Agust D; No. 76 peak, June 2020) and “Girl of My Dreams,” with Juice WRLD (No. 29, December 2021). V was next with “Christmas Tree” (No. 79, this January). Jung Kook followed with “Stay Alive” (No. 95, February) and as featured on Charlie Puth’s “Left and Right” (No. 22, July). Jin then debuted with “The Astronaut” in November (No. 51 peak).

As for Youjeen, “Wild Flower” is her first song to appear on a Billboard chart. Similar to RM, much of her career has been as a member of a group: She’s served as the lead singer of South Korean alternative rock band Cherry Filter since its formation in 1997, save for a brief departure in 2001 to begin her solo career.

Youjeen has released two solo albums outside of Cherry Filter: 2001’s The Doll and 2002’s Bewitch.

13 Dec 2022

Vanessa Hudgens Is Unrecognizable After Transforming Into a Pop Superstar: See the Photo

Is this the start of something new? Vanessa Hudgens just stunned Instagram followers with the ultimate Transformation Tuesday selfie, in which she looks just like Mother Monster herself, Lady Gaga.

The 33-year-old actress snapped the photo of herself outside wearing a shiny black pleather jacket, stacked, chunky gold choker necklaces and muted red lipstick. With teased platinum hair, light brows, and makeup accentuating her cheekbones, Hudgens bares more than just a passing resemblance to Miss Stefani Germanotta.

“Who even is she,” the High School Musical star captioned the photo — not that it was even a question for the fans in her comments.

“She’s giving Lady Gaga for sure!” wrote one.

“Haus of Hudgens,” commented another.

Hudgens didn’t indicate whether the Gaga glam was a purposeful tribute to the pop star or just a coincidence, nor did she say if she was all dressed up for a specific project. It’s not the first time this year the Princess Switch actress has teased followers on Instagram. In June, she posted a photo from the grounds of Salt Lake High School East — aka the instantly recognizable filming site of the High School Musical movies — without giving away any details as to why she was there.

Gaga, on the other hand, also recently tried out a new persona. Following the TikTok-generated resurgence of her 2011 Born This Way track “Bloody Mary,” which creators have been using to make videos inspired by Netflix’s hit new show Wednesday, the “Rain On Me” singer posted a video of herself getting dressed up like the show’s titular character (played by Jenna Ortega) and recreating some of the kooky character’s dance moves.

See Vanessa Hudgens’ Lady Gaga transformation selfie below:

13 Dec 2022

SZA Announces Dates For First Arena Tour

SZA announced the dates for her first-ever arena tour on Tuesday (Dec. 13). The 2023 S.O.S North American Tour — named after the singer’s just-released sophomore album — is slated to kick off on Feb. 21 in Columbus, OH at the Schottenstein Center and swing through Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Okland, Seattle, and Vancouver before wrapping up on March 22 with a gig at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum.

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She will be joined on the 17-date Live Nation-promoted tour by Grammy-nominated singer Omar Apollo. Tickets for the outing will go on sale beginning Friday (Dec. 16) at 12 p.m. local time here.

On Friday (Dec. 9), SZA‘s hotly anticipated 23-track sophomore album SOS finally arrived after a five-and-a-half year wait. Preceded by lead single “Shirt” and a tease of “Nobody Gets Me,” the studio set follows the recent Billboard cover star‘s smash 2017 debut album Ctrl, which spawned hits like “Drew Barrymore,” “Love Galore” and “The Weekend.”

Check out the dates for the SZA 2023 S.O.S. North American tour below:

Feb. 21 – Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center

Feb. 22 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

Feb. 24 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

Feb. 25 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena

Feb. 27 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena

Feb. 28 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden

March 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center*

March 4 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

March 7 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena

March 9 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center

March 10 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

March 13 – San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena

March 14 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena

March 16 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

March 18 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center

March 19 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena

March 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum

13 Dec 2022

Morgan Wallen Makes History at Nos. 1, 2 & 3 on Hot Country Songs Chart

Morgan Wallen becomes the first artist to rank at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 simultaneously on Billboard‘s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart (dated Dec. 17), since the survey began as an all-encompassing genre ranking in 1958.

“You Proof” hits 17 weeks atop the tally, tying Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” (2015-16) for the 10th-longest reign. Just ahead is Florida Georgia Line’s “H.O.L.Y.” (18 weeks, 2016), while FGL and Bebe Rexha’s crossover smash “Meant To Be” dominated for a record 50 weeks in 2017-18.

“You Proof” corralled 28.3 million all-format airplay audience impressions and 12.6 million official U.S. streams and sold 2,000 downloads Dec. 2-8, according to Luminate.

Plus, Wallen debuts three songs on Hot Country Songs in the top 10: “One Thing at a Time” (No. 2), “Tennessee Fan” (No. 5) and “Days That End in Why” (No. 7) – while his former 11-week No. 1 “Wasted on You” holds at No. 3, granting him his unprecedented triumph in the top three.

On Country Digital Song Sales, “Thing,” “Tennessee” and “Days” – all released Dec. 2 – arrive at Nos. 1, 2 and 3 with 13,000, 12,000 and 10,000 sold through Dec. 8, respectively. Wallen ups his career count to 17 top 10s on Hot Country Songs, and eight No. 1s among 19 top 10s on Country Digital Song Sales.

All three new Wallen songs are slated to appear on his next album. Wallen is the second act to infuse the Country Digital Song Sales top three with debuts, after Taylor Swift did so twice, in November 2010 and November 2011.

Wallen, thus, owns five of the Hot Country Songs top 10 – a feat that only he has achieved. The record is six songs in the tier, set on the Jan. 23, 2021, chart as Dangerous: The Double Album began its 81-week-and-counting command on Top Country Albums. He also claimed half the Hot Country Songs top 10 the following two weeks.

Meanwhile, “You Proof” rebounds from No. 2 to top Country Airplay for a seventh week (23.9 million, down 7%). It joins five other titles for the second-longest reign since the chart started in 1990. The record is eight, shared by Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett’s “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” (2003) and Lonestar’s crossover ballad “Amazed” (1999). “You Proof” now solely boasts the longest No. 1 stay of the 2020s, surpassing Dustin Lynch’s “Thinking ‘Bout You,” featuring MacKenzie Porter (starting last December), and Luke Combs’ “Forever After All” (starting in June 2021).

“You Proof” is additionally the first Country Airplay No. 1 with multiple other leaders amid its command. After it ruled for five weeks (Oct. 15-Nov. 12), Tyler Hubbard’s “5 Foot 9” topped the Nov. 19 chart, followed by Thomas Rhett’s “Half of Me,” featuring Riley Green (Nov. 26), and – after “You Proof” led again on the Dec. 3 tally – Bailey Zimmerman’s “Fall in Love” (Dec. 10).

“We are finding that the smash hits are hanging on much longer than the labels anticipate or want,” muses Charlie Cook, Cumulus Media vp of programming. “Research indicates that big songs are rarely finished when they peak on the chart.”

Among songs enduring past their Country Airplay peaks, Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” up 3-2, spends a 10th week in the top five following its four-week reign, rewriting two longevity records: the most weeks totaled in both the top three (14) and the top five (17).

Kane & Katelyn Climb

Elsewhere, Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God” hits the Country Airplay top 10 (12-10, 18.1 million, up 6%). The former adds his 10th top 10, with eight of his nine prior top 10s having hit No. 1. Wife Katelyn claims her first top 10 in her initial chart appearance.

13 Dec 2022

Cardi B Drops New Song Snippet As Early Christmas Present For ‘Starving’ Fans

Cardi B offered fans an early Christmas present on Monday night (Dec. 12) when she dropped a seven-second snippet of a new song to slake the Bardi Gang’s thirst for her music as they await the follow-up to her Grammy-winning debut studio album, 2018’s Invasion of Privacy.

“HERE some scraps since yall STARVING,” Cardi wrote in a tweet featuring the scant bars from an unnamed song she never finished. “They be watchin’ every time that I post (that I post)/ Posted nothin’, always gotta do the most/ B—-es sound like you broke,” she raps over a hard-hitting beat. When a fan asked why the song was scrapped, Cardi responded, “I just don’t love it.”

“I have no choice, I have to put it out,” Cardi told The Breakfast Club earlier this month when asked about when fans can expect new music. “I have like a couple of songs that are like definite, I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on with me. I need to just make up my mind and put it out.” She also revealed that even though it’s time for her to return to the radio, Cardi thinks the project is still “missing something,” even as she confirmed that the fresh tunes are coming in 2023.

As the wait continues, Cardi and her family are gearing up for Christmas, as evidenced by another post on the rapper’s socials in which she revealed the multiple glittery trees in her home. In a video featuring a cameo from one-year-old son Wave Set, Cardi showed off her children’s towering Disney-themed tree — as she yelled at the little ones to “stop running around the Christmas tree!! — as well as the impressive light array outside her house.

Check out the new song snippet and the Christmas display below.