Music News

02 Nov 2022

Adele Spent Her Halloween Dancing to Rihanna & Dressed as a ‘Men in Black’ Agent

Call her Agent A. Adele spent her Halloween channeling Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones from Men in Back and dancing to Rihanna.

In a video posted by a fan page on Tuesday, the superstar is seen getting down to RiRi’s 2010 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “What’s My Name?,” featuring Drake, on an empty dance floor with a male pal. As Adele swings her hair over her shoulders, she rocks a chic black suit, white shirt and tie a la the 1997 sci-fi movie starring Smith and Jones.

A separate tweet shows the “Easy on Me” songstress taking a photo with friends at the “Night of Terror” party in Los Angeles on Monday night. In the snap, she wears black shades and wields one of the famous “neuralyzers” that Agent K and Agent J use in the film franchise to erase people’s memories of their alien encounters.

A few days before Halloween, Adele dropped a music video for her latest 30 single “I Drink Wine.” During a Q&A with fans celebrating the release of the visual, she clued the world in on the fact that, apparently, we’ve all been pronouncing her name incorrectly since the start of her record-breaking career. (For future reference, it’s “Uh-del,” not “Ah-del.”)

Turns out the mispronunciation wasn’t the only thing to come out of the Q&A either. While she hasn’t had time to listen to Taylor Swift‘s Midnights yet, Adele praised her fellow superstar in response to another fan’s question, calling her “one of the greatest songwriters of our generation.”

Check out Adele’s Men in Black-inspired Halloween getup below.

02 Nov 2022

Bizarrap & Quevedo Earn Their First No. 1 on Latin Airplay Chart

Both Bizarrap and Quevedo can check off a new career milestone as “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart (dated Nov. 5) — the first No. 1 for both acts. The new achievement lands after their team-up led both, the Billboard Global 200 chart (six weeks) and the Global Excl. U.S. chart (four weeks) starting the July 30-dated rankings.

“Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52” advances to the top slot in its seventh week on Latin Airplay thanks to an 8% gain, to 9 million, earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 30, according to Luminate.

With the move, Bizarrap and Quevedo join four other acts who have notched their first champ through their first showing on the list in 2022. Here are this year’s new winners:

Artist, Title, Accompanied Artists, Peak Date
Victor Cárdenas, “El Incomprendido,” with Farruko & DJ Adoni, Jan. 29
DJ Adoni, El Incomprendido,” with Farruko & Victor Cárdenas, Jan. 29
Lisa, “SG,” with DJ Snake, Ozuna & Megan Thee Stallion, April 2
Megan Thee Stallion, “SG,” with DJ Snake, Ozuna & Lisa, April 2
Bizarrap, “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Quevedo
Quevedo, “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Bizarrap

The collaboration between Argentinian Bizarrap and the Spaniard Quevedo outs another pairing, Romeo Santos and Justin Timberlake’s “Sin Fin,” after its one-week command.  

Meanwhile “Vol. 52” leads Latin Rhythm Airplay for a second week.

Elsewhere, “Vol. 52” steps 12-11 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart despite a decline in both streams and sales. The song dips 5 in U.S. streams with 4.1 million logged in the week ending Oct. 27. It also falls 7% in downloads sold in the same period.

02 Nov 2022

Bocelli Family, Debbie Gibson, Crowder, Thomas Rhett & More Jingle Onto Top Holiday Albums Chart

The Bocelli family, Debbie Gibson, Crowder and Thomas Rhett all continue to ring in the holiday season, leading a parade of debuts on Billboard’s Top Holiday Albums chart (dated Nov. 5).

A Family Christmas by Andrea Bocelli and his children Matteo and Virginia Bocelli enters Top Holiday Albums at No. 2 with 6,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 27, according to Luminate. Andrea Bocelli spent eight weeks atop the chart in the 2009-10 holiday season with My Christmas. While Virginia Bocelli makes her Billboard chart arrival with the new set, Matteo logged 14 weeks at No. 1 in 2018-19 on the Classical Digital Song Sales chart with “Fall on Me,” with his father.

The list’s second-highest debut of the week belongs to Gibson’s first seasonal collection, Winterlicious, at No. 17. Says the pop singer-songwriter, “I put a lot of thought into making a universal album inclusive of non-denominational songs, Christmas songs and even an original Hanukkah song, which highlights the strength and devotion of the Jewish community.”

The set also includes duets “with my two favorite Joes: Daddy Joe [Gibson’s father] on ‘White Christmas’ and Joey McIntyre on ‘Heartbreak Holiday.’ “

Gibson, who broke through with her hit debut single, “Only in My Dreams,” and album, Out of the Blue, in 1987, muses, “Getting the call to say I’ve charted in Billboard never gets old.” 

Also bowing on the latest Top Holiday Albums tally: Crowder’s Milk & Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas (No. 21); Rhett’s Merry Christmas, Y’all (No. 22); XTC frontman Andy Partridge’s My Failed Christmas Career, Volume One (No. 26); and Joss Stone’s Merry Christmas, Love (No. 26).

Meanwhile, the soundtrack to Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas returns to the top of the tally for its 13th week at No. 1. It earned 9,000 units, up 23%, in the tracking week.

The Top Holiday Albums chart ranks the 50 most popular seasonal albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sales, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. The seasonal Top Holiday Albums returned for another festive season with the Oct. 22-dated list and will continue as part of Billboard’s weekly chart menu until it dashes away in January 2023.

02 Nov 2022

Justin & Hailey Bieber Welcome New Puppy Piggy Lou to the Family

Justin Bieber and wife Hailey are growing their family with new puppy Piggy Lou. The couple posted their new pup on Instagram in a now-expired story posted by Hailey.

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A photo posted to Justin’s Instagram on Tuesday featured Piggy Lou as well. The Halloween-themed photo shoot included the couple’s dog Oscar too. Piggy Lou’s older brother joined the Biebers in 2018. The last slide features Justin tenderly cuddling Piggy Lou.

The couple are in costume in the carousel of photos, with Justin dressed as Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster and Hailey celebrating spooky season as a classic vampire.

In Hailey’s Instagram Story, Piggy Lou also appeared appropriately dressed in a pig costume.

The addition to the family comes shortly after Justin and Hailey Bieber’s four-year wedding anniversary. The couple married in September 2018 — the same year they welcomed their dog Oscar.

02 Nov 2022

Selena Gomez Hilariously Recalls Having to Teach Steve Martin Who Dua Lipa Was

Selena Gomez dished on what it was like to work with Steve Martin and Martin Short during an appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Wednesday (Nov. 2), and apparently it’s as amusing as you would imagine it to be.

“It’s so odd, it’s so weird,” she told host Kelly Clarkson of life on the Only Murders in the Building set. “You know, my whole day consists of listening to 70-year-olds talk about news, or Steve was like, ‘Who’s a Dua Lipa?’ And I was like, ‘No, it’s not a thing, it’s a…’ And they’re just so much fun to be around — they’re hilarious, they’re pure and they’re professional, and they keep me wanting to be better.”

Later in the conversation, the “Boyfriend” singer confessed she was apprehensive about how fans will react to her upcoming Apple TV+ documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me, which drops Friday (Nov. 4).

“It wasn’t easy,” she said. “And I think that’s why I wanted the documentary to feel really personal. But I’m kind of scared. Like, a lot of people are gonna see this…whole other side of me and I’m like, [grimaces] ‘I hope they like it.’”

Earlier this week, Gomez posted a video on her Instagram Stories encouraging her fans to vote in the 2022 midterm elections, specifically stumping for her friend Stacey Abrams in the incredibly close race for governor of the state of Georgia, where the politician is running against Republican incumbent Brian Kemp.

Watch Selena’s full interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show below.

02 Nov 2022

Takeoff’s Cause of Death Revealed

Following the death of 28-year-old Migos rapper Takeoff, the Harris County coroner’s office confirmed to Billboard that the late star’s primary cause of death was “penetrating gunshot wounds of head and torso into arm.”

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Takeoff was shot and killed early Tuesday morning (Nov. 1) in Houston, Texas. The rapper— who was one third of the Migos trio alongside his uncle, Quavo, and cousin, Offset — was at a private party at 810 Billiards & Bowling in downtown Houston with Quavo around 2:35 a.m. when investigators say shots rang out during an afterparty attended by around 40 people. Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene, and two other victims — a 23-year-old male and 24-year-old female — checked themselves into a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

During a press conference, the city’s police chief, mayor and homicide investigation committee noted that much of the situation is currently under investigation, and urged witnesses to come forward with any information to help authorities solve the case.  “Anyone who has information on the shooter, let us bring justice to this family,” Mayor Sylvester Turner added during the conference. “We will solve this case. We will find the shooter.”

Following the devastating news, Migos’ label Quality Control Music, took to Instagram to mourn Takeoff’s death. “It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we mourn the loss of our beloved brother Kirsnick Khari Ball, known to the world as Takeoff,” a statement posted to the label’s social media reads. “Senseless violence and a stray bullet has taken another life from this world and we are devastated.”

The statement concluded by asking fans to “respect his family and friends as we all continue to process this monumental loss.” The post was captioned with a dove and broken heart emoji.

02 Nov 2022

Gabby Barrett Gives Birth to Baby No. 2 With Cade Foehner: ‘What a Precious Gift’

Gabby Barrett and her husband Cade Foehner have welcomed their second child, son Augustine Boone Foehner, born on Oct. 27. They are also parents to daughter Baylah May Foehner, who was born in January 2021.

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On Nov. 2, the couple shared a photo on social media of Baylah May looking at her newborn baby brother, who is dressed in a blue onesie and wrapped in a blue blanket. The photo was captioned, “Soaking up newborn days with baby brother. What a precious gift from our Lord!” The couple also revealed his name — as well as its pronunciation — and the little guy’s birthday in the caption.

Barrett and Foehner met while each was competing during the 16th season of American Idol. Barrett went on to finish in third place. The couple wed on Oct. 5, 2019, and recently celebrated their third wedding anniversary, with Foehner decorating the bed of a pickup truck with lights, hay and blankets.

Barrett’s breakthrough song “I Hope” earned her a label deal with Warner Music Nashville. The song went on to reach No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2020, and topped Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart. Last year, she followed it with the sweetly romantic “The Good Ones,” a tribute to her husband. The song became a three-week No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart. At the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, Barrett won three trophies, including top country female artist and she was named Billboard‘s Rising Star in Music recipient in 2022.

In 2020, Barrett released her debut album, Goldmine. Earlier this year, Barrett told Billboard she is working on new music and still determining how it will shape up.

“I don’t know what the theme exactly is going to be,” she said. “I do know that I’m a country gal at heart, and that’s definitely always the kind of music I’m going to make.”

See the birth announcement for baby Augustine below:

02 Nov 2022

Which Song Do You Want Taylor Swift to Perform at The Eras Tour? Vote!

Taylor Swift is heading out on her The Eras tour next spring, and the celebration of her legendary career has got Swifties wondering how the 32-year-old pop star will fit all her albums into one setlist.

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Swift has also dropped six No. 1 albums totaling 86 new or previously unreleased songs since her last roadshow, the Reputation Tour, in 2018. 

Over here at Billboard, we’ve already compiled our dream setlist for the upcoming The Eras tour, and now, we want to know what you think. Check out our setlist here, and let us know which of Swift’s hits you want to see her perform during the 2023 tour. Vote below.

02 Nov 2022

I Prevail Scores Second Mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1 With ‘Bad Things’

I Prevail hits No. 1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for the second time, as “Bad Things” tops the Nov. 5-dated survey.

The song follows the two-week ruler “Hurricane,” the Michigan band’s first leader, in March 2020.

In between “Hurricane” and “Bad,” the band notched an additional Mainstream Rock Airplay entry, the Delaney Jane-featuring “Every Time You Leave,” which reached No. 3 in November 2020.

I Prevail first hit Mainstream Rock Airplay in 2015 with its amped-up cover of Taylor Swift‘s “Blank Space,” and boasts five top 10s to date.

Concurrently, “Bad” lifts 11-10 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 2.3 million audience impressions, up 6%, according to Luminate. It’s the band’s first top 10, having exceeded the No. 13 peak of “Hurricane.” In addition to its mainstream rock radio support, the song is receiving airplay on select alternative stations.

“Bad” also jumps 10-7 on the multi-metric Hot Hard Rock Songs list, after reaching No. 5 in September. Along with its radio airplay, the song earned 818,000 official U.S. streams in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week.

True Power, from which “Bad” is the lead single, debuted at No. 3 on Billboard‘s Top Hard Rock Albums chart dated Sept. 3 and has earned 53,000 equivalent album units since its release.

02 Nov 2022

Here’s How Offset Subtly Paid Tribute to Takeoff

Offset is paying tribute to Takeoff in a subtle but powerful way. The “54321” rapper changed his Instagram profile picture to a photo of the latter Wednesday (Nov. 2), one day after the 28-year-old rapper — Offset’s cousin and fellow Migos member — was killed in a shooting in Houston.

The photo change marks the first time Offset, 30, has publicly addressed the death of his cousin, who was attending a private bowling alley party Tuesday (Nov. 1) with Quavo — Takeoff’s uncle and the third rapper in the Migos trio — when fatal gunfire rang out around 2:35 a.m., according to law enforcement. Takeoff’s death came just hours after he and Quavo had released their “Messy” music video together as Unc & Phew, their side project.

Offset’s new profile picture shows a grinning Takeoff wearing dark sunglasses. A small white heart emoji is pasted onto the photo’s top right edge.

Born in Lawrenceville, Ga., in 1994, Takeoff formed Migos with Quavo and Offset in 2008. They released their debut mixtape Juug Season in 2011 and became rap music game-changers when their single “Versace” took off in 2013. They would go on to drop “Bad and Boujee,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 2017, as well as top 10 hits “Stir Fry” and “MotorSport.”

The group released four studio albums together, the last of which was Culture III in 2021. In the months leading up to Takeoff’s death, however, many suspected that Migos was headed toward disbandment due to Offset seemingly turning his focus to solo projects, as Takeoff and Quavo worked on Unc & Phew.

As Quavo, Offset, fans and fellow hip-hop artists mourn Takeoff, the future of Migos remains unclear. Many, though, will remember the 28-year-old as the heart and soul of the group for years to come.

“He always been workin’ on his craft,” Quavo once said of Takeoff, praising his nephew 2018. “He just masterminded his craft.”