Music News

Pantera’s Rex Brown Drops Off South American Reunion Tour Gigs Due to ‘Very Mild’ COVID Case

Pantera‘s first major tour in more than two decades is getting off to a rough start after bassist Rex Brown has been forced to sit a string of South American dates due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis. “I caught a very mild strain of Covid, but because of our own protocols, I simply do not wanna risk getting my brothers or the crew sick!!” Brown wrote on Instagram on Monday (Dec. 12).

“I’m feeling better & am on my way to a speedy recovery. Merry Fckn Christmas & see you all next Year!” Brown thanked Cattle Decapitation bassist Derek Engemann — who also plays with Pantera singer Phil Anselmo in his Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals side project — for filling in for him after the bassist missed the band’s gig at Knotfest in Bogotá, Colombia on Dec. 9.

The group’s South American tour kicked off with a gig at the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in Toluca, Mexico on Dec. 2, followed by the Dec. 6 Monterrey Metal Fest, the Bogotá Knotfest show, a Knotfest Chile appearance on Sunday (Dec. 11) and a headlining show at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile on Monday night (Dec. 12). The final shows on the swing are slated for Thursday (Dec. 15) at the Vibra São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil and a Dec. 18 Knotfest in Sao Paulo.

Pantera will get back out there again in late May in Europe, then return to the U.S. in August before opening some North American dates on Metallica’s 2023-2024 72 Seasons global tour. In addition to Brown and singer Anselmo, the reunion tour also features drummer Charlie Benante — filling in for late original Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul — and longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, who is playing late guitarist “Dimebag” Darrell’s parts.

Check out Brown’s post below.

Mariah Carey Celebrates Returning to No. 1 For Holidays: ‘Such an Amazing Surprise’

What better way to celebrate being No. 1 by setting an enormous table for one? Mariah Carey had a lot to be excited about this week thanks to her perennial holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” climbing back to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The song logged its ninth total week atop the Hot 100, becoming the first song to lead in four distinct runs on the tally.

“YAYYYYYYY!!!!,” the singer wrote followed by 12 party hat emoji in a post in which she sat at the end of a very long dining room table with her hands in the air in triumph. “Such an amazing surprise and an early Christmas gift!!!,” she added along with a string of more celebratory emoji (heart, Christmas tree, snowflake, present, purple heart, and, of course, butterfly). “Thank you so much!!!”

Carey said she could not wait to see her Lambily for the first of two shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night (Dec. 13).

“All I Want” was first released on Carey’s 1994 Merry Christmas album and as streaming has grown and holiday music has become more prominent on streaming services’ playlists, it hit the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in December 2017 and the top five for the first time in the 2018 holiday season. It went on to rule the holiday charts in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two) and 2021 (three).

The song is not just a single chart smash, it’s all over the top spots. It also hit No. 1 on the official U.K. Singles Chart this week, and it is ruling both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Exlu. U.S. charts.

See Carey’s tweet below.

BTS’ Jin Shares Photo of Buzzed Haircut Ahead of Military Enlistment

Jin shared a private moment with fans ahead of his mandatory military enlistment on Tuesday.

The superstar uploaded a selfie to BTS’ fan-community WeVerse site showing his new buzzed haircut. Gone are his long signature locks that were on full display in his recent “Astronaut” music video and instead, the 30-year-old is rocking a super-short style, commonly known as the “induction cut,” as the hairstyle used by many country’s armed forces including the United States. Jin captioned the photo laughing, saying that he found the new cut “cuter than I thought.”

Unlike a buzzcut from the barber, the military haircut doesn’t keep regard for length or facial features but is cut equally all around one’s head. All recruits in South Korea must have their hair cut short before weeks of basic-training programs at the start of their service. Per national law, all able-bodied South Korean men must serve in the armed forces for at least 18 months with varying lengths of service time. While the draft begins once they turn 18, men may postpone it until age 28. In December 2020, the Korean National Assembly passed a motion (nicknamed the “BTS law”) to allow top K-pop stars to postpone service until age 30 with a recommendation from the culture minister.

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BTS’ management label BIGHIT MUSIC recently shared a notice to fans that there will be no “official event” to mark the star’s enlistment.

“Jin will fulfill his required time with the military by enlisting in the army,” read a note from BIGHIT on BTS’ Weverse. “Please note that we will not be holding any kind of official event on the day of his recruitment. The entrance ceremony is a time to be observed by military personnel and their families only. In order to prevent any issues that might occur from crowding, we ask fans to please refrain from visiting the site. Instead, we ask you to keep your heartwarming words of support and farewell in your hearts.”

Jin is the first of the seven BTS members to fulfill his mandatory obligations.

Click here to see Jin’s new photo.

Caroline Polachek Announces 2023 North American & European Tour

Just a week after Caroline Polachek announced that her new album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You will be arriving in February, the singer revealed her list of 2023 tour dates on Monday (Dec. 12).

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The North American and European run, called the Spiraling Tour, features a number of opening guests that will take part in certain dates of the tour, including Doss, Alex G, Ethel Cain, Sudan Archives, Magdalena Bay, George Clanton and Toro y Moi.

The tour will kick off on February 10 in Brighton, England, and stretch through February 27 in Antwerp, Belgium. The live shows will then head across the pond on April 14, when Polacheck will begin her North American tour in Philadelphia, Penn. The “Hit Me Where It Hurts” singer will perform in major cities across the continent including Boston, Mass.; Austin, Texas; Los Angeles, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; Nashville, Tenn. and more before wrapping up in New York City on May 20.

Fans can sign up for ticket pre-sale via Polachek’s website here beginning on Wednesday (Dec. 14) at 10 a.m. local time. General onsale goes live on Friday (Dec. 16).

Polacheck’s upcoming album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, arrives on Feb. 14, 2023, and follows her 2019 album, Pang, which featured singles “Door,” “Ocean of Tears,” “Parachute” and “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings.”

See Polachek’s announcement, which includes the full list of tour dates, below.

Lizzo Is ‘100% That Grinch’ in Festive Bondage Outfit

‘Tis the season to get sexy. Lizzo took to Instagram over the weekend (Dec. 10) to share her spicy take on a popular holiday character.

“100% THAT GRINCH,” she captioned a video in which she’s dressed as The Grinch, rocking a green wig and matching smokey eye, along with a bondage-style jumpsuit, with fur and chains all down the bodice. In the clip, she twerks along to the chorus of Shelby Swain’s “Mrs. Grinch,” in which she raps, “I’m a bad b—-, Mrs. Grinch / I’m a real one, I don’t f— with them / All wrapped up in designer, from n—-s I don’t got time for / Mrs. Grinch, Mrs. Grinch.” Swain also created Lizzo’s hair look for the Grinch transformation.

Lizzo is set to step in for previously announced performers Yeah Yeah Yeahs on next weekend’s Saturday Night Live as the final musical guest of 2022, as the band had to cancel because guitarist Nick Zinner is still recovering after contracting pneumonia last month. When the “About Damn Time” singer joins host Austin Butler on the Dec. 17 episode, it will mark the third time the pop-rap star has performed on the show.

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“SURPRISE,” Lizzo wrote on her Instagram on Dec. 11 announcing the news. In April, the three-time Grammy winner pulled double duty on Saturday Night Live, hosting and performing the self-love anthem “Special” and “About Damn Time.”

Say ‘Arriverderci’ to ‘White Lotus’ Season Two With This House Edit of the Show’s Theme Song

As we collectively process yesterday’s season finale of The White Lotus — What happened between Ethan and Daphne on Isola Bella? Will Greg still inherit Tonya’s money? Did Cameron ever get his suitcase? — the show’s theme song has gotten a house remix from Los Angeles-based producer Enamour.

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On the edit, which you can listen to here, Enamour artist adds layers of percussion and a house bounce to the already hypnotically strange original, “Renaissance (Main Title Theme).” The remix extends the track to six and half minutes, making good use of the source material’s spooky turkey gobble vocals.

The Enamour remix has gotten rinsed by Mikey Lion, who played it during a set last weekend in Los Angeles. Forthcoming Enamour releases are coming via Factory 93, Anjuadeep, Days Like Nights.

The original White Lotus season two theme was composed by Cristobal Tapia De Veer, a Chilean-born Canadian film and television composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist who’s also worked on the scores for Utopia, Black Mirror and the first season of White Lotus, the theme song for which was a variation on that for season two.

For the second season, Tapia De Veer beefed up the theme’s beat and added some primal urgency to the shrieking vocals, with this original serving as something of a dance track in and of itself.

In related news, White Lotus star Jennifer Coolidge took part in a conversation with Ariana Grande during which she credited the pop star for helping launch her recent career renaissance.

“I’m curious if you know that when people ask about how my life has changed … Yes, I got to do White Lotus, but I think it really started with you asking me to be in the ‘Thank U, Next”‘ video,” the actress told Grande as part of her Entertainment Weekly Entertainers of the Year cover story published today (Dec. 12).

“I mean, from there I got Promising Young Woman and this whole thing,” she continued. “You were sort of the instigator. I really believe that. I think if you hadn’t put me in ‘Thank U, Next’ and done that imitation, I don’t think I would be here where I am.”

Rihanna, Tems & More React to Golden Globes Nominations: ‘God Be Showin Out!’

The Golden Globes revealed its list of jam-packed nominees for the 2023 ceremony on Monday (Dec. 12), and Rihanna, Tems, Taylor Swift, Selena GomezZendaya, Lady Gaga and Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) are among the artists nominated for awards.

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Rihanna and Tems are nominated for best song – “Lift Me Up” from Wakanda Forever; Lady Gaga is up for an award in the same category – “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick; Gomez is nominated for best actress in a television series – musical or comedy for Only Murders in the Building; Zendaya for best actress in a television series – drama for Euphoria and Glover for best actor in a television series – musical or comedy for Atlanta.

Jerrod Carmichael is set to host the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards. The three-hour telecast will air live coast-to-coast on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., on NBC and Peacock.

Following the nominations announcement, a number of stars took to social media to express gratitude and excitement over the honor. See reactions from Rihanna, Tems, Hugh Jackman and more below.

Jewel Takes Over ‘Kellyoke’ for ‘Merry Little Christmas’ Cover

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Jewel to take the reins at The Kelly Clarkson Show. With Kelly Clarkson home sick, the pop star stepped in to deliver a “Kellyoke” cover of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” on Monday (Dec. 12).

“As always, we’re gonna dive straight in with music,” the host announced via satellite from her home, “except this is a little different — I’m very excited. Instead of a standard ‘Kellyoke,’ I have a good friend and super talented singer, she’s right there to lift you up with a signature song of the season.”

From there, Jewel launched into a wistful, jazz-tinged rendition of the holiday standard, singing, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas/ Let your heart be light/ From now on, our troubles will be out of sight/ Through the years, we all will be together/ If the fates allow/ So hang a shining/ Hang a shining star upon the highest bow/ And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.”

(Billboard can confirm that Jewel’s episode was taped on Dec. 2 and a fully recovered Clarkson is now back on set.)

Right after Jewel’s performance, Clarkson interviewed her fellow singer remotely about holiday traditions, music, Dolly Parton and more. “We grew up without television, without radio,” The Masked Singer champ said. “And so singing was, like, our main tradition. So tons of Christmas songs and folk songs and Swiss-German songs, all kinds for the holidays.”

Watch Jewel soar through “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” below.

Kaskade & Deadmau5 Shrug Off ‘Exploding Generators’ at Debut Kx5 Stadium Show

Not even a power outage caused by a generator fire or an impending rainstorm could slow down Kx5 from taking over the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday.

Kx5 – a collaboration between Kaskade and Deadmau5 — did their second stadium show of the year in Los Angeles, following Kaskade’s inaugural public concert in July 2021 at the new SoFi Stadium, when Kaskade invited the Mau5 to open the show and the Kx5 project was first teased.

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The Coliseum concert, which Kx5 representatives say drew 46,220 fans, marks the biggest ticketed global dance event of 2022 for a headline artist, according to Billboard Boxscore.

The scheduled two-hour show was marred by a power outage to the stage around the midpoint that forced a nearly half-hour delay. When the duo retook the stage, Deadmau5 told the crowd that “a generator caught fire” and the duo poked fun at the power company. “A little fire is not going to stop a good time,” Deadmau5 said. “I’m actually kind of surprised how quickly we got that back up, considering.”

(Deadmau5 later posted an all-black screen on his Instagram, quipping that “here’s some footage of the stage production when the generator caught fire,” drawing a “hahahahahahahaha” from Kaskade.)

A spokesperson for Deadmau5 and Kx5 tells Billboard that the main generator powering the stage production “caught fire due to overheating, and due to safety reasons they had to wait until flames were put out before the backup generators kicked in.” (The spokesperson adds that the Coliseum allowed the duo to play past their curfew to complete the show.)

The temporary loss of power only impacted the stage production and had no effect on the rest of the venue, Kevin Daly, the Coliseum’s assistant general manager, tells Billboard.

The stadium show capped a year in which Kx5 released several singles together, including “Escape,” “Alive” and “Take Me High.” They plan to release an album together in 2023, a spokesperson confirms to Billboard

Joel Zimmerman, the Toronto-based producer known as Deadmau5, and Ryan Raddon, the Chicago-born and LA-based Kaskade, have a long history of producing together, dating back to the 2008 dance hit “I Remember” and 2014’s “Move for Me,” songs that helped define the EDM explosion in the U.S. They also performed as Kx5 at this year’s Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.

Saturday’s event featured a mix of Kaskade and Deadmau5 hits, including “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” and “The Veldt,” and their Kx5 collaborations. It ended with an encore of “Escape,” the Kx5 track that topped the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart in April. British singer Hayla emerged onstage in a glittering silver dress to sing along as fireworks burst from the top of the stage for nearly a full minute. A steady drizzle finally kicked in just as fans were exiting the venue.

Aside from their new musical productions, the duo’s onstage performance on Saturday showcased high-level production, including frequent fireworks and other pyrotechnics and several aerial drone-writing moments, including one depicting the entrance to the Coliseum and another of the outline of the state of California. 

The production also leaned into elements of Deadmau5’s previous live appearances featuring the Cube v3 – which he designed and helped write code for — that have earned the Canadian DJ-producer a reputation as a live-event technical innovator. For the Kx5 show the duo took the stage atop separate cubes that moved side-to-side on tracks, spun 360 degrees and could elevate about 10 feet in the air. The cubes occasionally joined up together where the DJs could interact with each other and appear on camera together for the audience.

Saturday’s show also marked the first time that Kaskade had performed in the Coliseum since 2010, when he headlined the last Electric Daisy Carnival to be held in Los Angeles. The two-day festival was scarred by the death of 15-year-old Sasha Rodriguez, who died of a suspected drug overdose after attending the event, leading Insomniac to move EDC to Las Vegas in 2011, after 13 years at the LA Coliseum.

“What was that, a gap of 12 years?” Deadmau5 asked Kaskade in Saturday’s waning minutes. “Holy shit.”

Who Do You Want to Win Season 22 of ‘The Voice’? Vote!

It all comes down to five. The season 22 finale of The Voice kicks off Monday night (Dec. 12), and Billboard wants to know which hopeful you’re rooting for going into the big night.

The five singers performing for the crown only represent three of this season’s four coaches, with Gwen Stefani‘s final contestant being knocked out in the semifinals.

That leaves John Legend with Omar Jose Cardona, freshman coach Camila Cabello with Morgan Myles and OG coach Blake Shelton with a whopping three finalists — bodie, Brayden Lape and Bryce Leatherwood — for his chance to win a ninth and final trophy before he leaves the show.

Bodie impressed early in the competition, earning a four-chair turn with his cover of The Fray’s “You Found Me.” Cardona’s mile-high voice, meanwhile, has soared on everything from Journey’s “Separate Ways” (another four-chair audition) to Foreigner’s classic “I Want to Know What Love Is.”

Floppy-haired heartthrob Lape has proven his country prowess all season long on tracks like Niall Horan’s “This Town,” Kenny Chesney’s “Come Over” and Jordan Davis’ “Buy Dirt,” and Leatherwood has donned his trusty black nine-gallon hat for every round of country crooning on covers of Conway Twitty’s “Goodbye Time,” Zac Brown Band’s “Colder Weather” and more.

As the lone female artist in the finals, the Nashville-based Myles has a one-in-five chance to become the first solo female to win the crown since season 16’s Maelyn Jarmon and also to bring Cabello a win on her rookie season in the show’s famous red chairs.

Part 1 of The Voice season 22 finale will air Monday night on NBC. Vote for the singer you want to win below.