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Bootsy Collins‘ endless alter-egos — Boot-Tron, Zillatron, King of the Geepies, Bootdullivan, Bedroom Bootsy and, of course, Bootzilla — have always battled for space inside the funk pioneer’s brain. But early in his career, as a teenager in the early 1970s, they hit a wall. “All them boys have wanted to do all kinds of genres, but when I was coming up, I got stuck with James Brown,” the bassist recalls with a laugh. “It’s hard to get out of that funk, you know?”
Collins, now 73, was playing with Cincinnati’s Pacesetters in 1970, when Brown sent a Learjet to fly the band to a Columbus, Ohio, gig, abruptly replacing his own disgruntled road band. The Pacesetters, who’d been hanging around Brown’s King Records studio, knew his songs and could play any of them on demand. “I said, ‘Just call out whatever song you want to go into. We got you,’” Collins recalls. “That’s how we made it through that night — but after that night, we had about two weeks of straight rehearsal, every single day. Which we were used to anyway.”
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Collins and company scrupulously adhered to Brown’s funk orthodoxy for a year. Then, for a gig at the Copacabana in New York, Brown cut the band’s pay and forced them to wear jackets and ties, so they split. Collins went on to join another funk pioneer: George Clinton, whose alternating bands Parliament and Funkadelic were innovating a looser, more improvisational and funnier style that would help define Black music in the ’70s.
In P-Funk, Bootzilla and the rest of Collins’ alter-egos found a receptive home. “By the time I got with George, I got a little more freedom — well, a lot more freedom — to do funk. And the name was Funkadelic,” he says, in an audio-only Zoom from his Cincinnati home, along with his wife and manager, Patti Collins. “So what am I going to do? Am I going to come there and play everything else but funk? No, you’ve got to bring the funk: ‘I’m up to my trunks in P-Funk.’”
Collins — whose bass style “had sap flowing through it, it moved,” according to Brown’s biographer R.J. Smith — was part of a funky bass coalition in the ’70s, including Larry Graham of Sly and the Family Stone and the late Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson, which brought the instrument into the foreground. Collins had unlimited musical creativity, and a weird, say-anything persona that he capped with star-shaped shades, bright-colored suits and spangled ringleader hats. And he made several great albums with his solo outfit Bootsy’s Rubber Band, notably 1977’s Ahh… the Name Is Bootsy, Baby. But even then, he felt limited.
“I just got caught, like, ‘OK, Bootsy’s thing is funk,’ so everybody levitated towards that — except me,” he says. “I wanted to play other music, but it was who I wound up with that solidified what I was going to be and what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Collins’ Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, due April 11, allows all these musical detours and imaginary best friends to do whatever they want. In addition to straightforward funk (“The InFluencers,” with guest star Snoop Dogg, a vocal P-Funk adherent), Collins travels into guitar-shredding metal (“Barbie T & Me”), electronic dance music (the murmuring “I.Am.AI,” with competing robot voices) and hip-hop (“Bootdullivan is Soopafly”). Collins’ solo albums in recent years have been long and varied, unlike the Bootsy’s Rubber Band days, when he hit the studio, jammed with his bandmates and occasionally turned on the recording machines.
“Those jams were just so long. You could only put so much on an album back in the day without it not sounding good,” he says. “I never thought we were going to be doing as many songs as I’m doing now, but that’s where technology has taken us.”
On the Zoom, Bootsy and Patti Collins discuss a number of projects, beginning with Bootzilla Records, the pair’s indie label, distributed through Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation, which puts out Collins’ own albums as well as a roster of young artists he discovers online, such as singers Fantaazma and Myra Washington. Collins is also working on an album for guitarist Buckethead, with whom he collaborated in experimental-music bandleader Bill Laswell‘s band Praxis in the ’90s. He’s working with the Wooten Brothers, jazz, funk and bluegrass stars, on an album. And he’s in touch with his old P-Funk mate, Clinton, for the first time in years, discussing a tour.
The two reconnected last summer, after then-Vice President Kamala Harris bought a George Clinton Funko Pop doll during a campaign stop, then asked reporters, “Do you know P-Funk? No. OK, well there are lessons to be taught. Bootsy Collins. Does everybody know who Bootsy Collins is? OK, there’s some education to be done, I can see that.”
So what education needs to be done? Collins explains that P-Funk made great albums, performed on tour for thousands of fans and became influential for generations of best-selling artists from hip-hop stars like Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube to funk bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone, but never hit that multiplatinum megastar stratosphere. “Of course, we sold some gold and platinum records, but it wasn’t like Prince, it wasn’t like Rick James, it wasn’t like all the big boys that raised all that noise with all those records,” Collins says. “Funk was a bad word when we first brought it. Radio wouldn’t even touch us in the beginning. But it was something that the people stood up for and I would never forget that. And that’s what Kamala was talking about: ‘I’m going to have to educate y’all.’”
From touring with Taylor Swift in 2013 to selling out stadiums on his own in the years since, Ed Sheeran has performed on some pretty big stages in his career — but the Super Bowl Halftime Show probably won’t ever be added to that list, he says.
On the latest episode of Call Her Daddy posted Tuesday (April 8), the “Bad Habits” singer opened up about his friendship with the Eras superstar as well as revealed whether he’d ever headline the biggest American sporting event of the year. When host Alex Cooper asked if he’d ever been asked to play the Super Bowl, he began, “There was a conversation about 10 years ago to go on with someone, and I think that’d be the only way that I would do it at the moment.”
“I don’t think English artists … I mean, there are some that have the pizazz of Super Bowl, fireworks, dancers, blah, blah, blah, but me going up there and being like, here’s ‘The A Team’ and here’s ‘Perfect,’ no one wants to see that,” Sheeran continued, laughing. “Whereas if there was a show with a lot of that, like if it was Beyoncé’s show, and she had all the bells and whistles, and then there was a moment where we sang ‘Perfect’ together, that makes sense to me.”
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The four-time Grammy winner did say that he thinks he could “nail one song” as a guest artist sharing the Super Bowl stage with someone else, but beyond that, he thinks his catalog “doesn’t really lend itself” to the high-energy gameday environment. “Have you seen me play as well? Because it’s with a loop pedal and you have to build the things,” he added. “Doesn’t really lend itself to the Super Bowl. ‘Hey, hang on guys. I’ve just gotta set this up for two minutes.’ You know?”
The interview comes about two months after the 2024 Super Bowl, which Kendrick Lamar headlined with assistance from SZA. In recent years, Usher, Rihanna and The Weeknd have also all added the coveted gig to their resumes.
One star who has generated much speculation over the past few years as to whether she might ever headline is Swift, whom Sheeran has known for more than a decade. Also on Call Her Daddy, the “Shape of You” musician opened up about his longtime friendship with the pop star, sharing that he recently went through their text conversations after being forced to dig out his old devices while preparing his defense for his ongoing legal battle over copyright issues.
“It was really nostalgic going through,” he told Cooper. “I lived in Nashville, and she lived in Nashville, and we used to fly to and from the gigs together and do all sorts of … I don’t know. I literally spent almost every single day with her for about six months, so I think that period of time [was my favorite].”
Sheeran opened for Swift on the North American leg of her global trek supporting 2012’s Red album, on which the pair had a duet titled “Everything Has Changed.” The two singers have since worked together on several more duets, including “End Game” on Swift’s Reputation (2017) and “The Joker and the Queen” on Sheeran’s = (2021).
Now, the British star says he probably sees the “Karma” artist “like, four times a year.” “I see her when I see her,” he said on Call Her Daddy. “Like, instead of catching up the whole time, we have a proper sit-down, six-hour catchups, and I think that’s like a really nice way to do it.”
Watch Sheeran’s full interview above.
Lucy Dacus reaches No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums and Americana/Folk Albums charts for the first time as a soloist, debuting atop the April 12-dated surveys with Forever Is a Feeling. Dacus’ fourth solo LP bows with 30,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending April 3, according to Luminate. […]
All Sheryl Crow wants to do is listen to Kelly Clarkson‘s new cover of “All I Wanna Do” on repeat. After the talk-show host sang a gorgeous rendition of the early ’90s hit for the latest installment of The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s Kellyoke segment, the guitarist had nothing but praise when commenting on a video […]
What is the scent profile of Duran Duran? It’s an intriguing question that, until now, didn’t have a definitive answer. It feels safe to assume that the members of the always well-appointed new wave group would never leave the house with an unbecoming scent (or their hair just so).
But now you can get the actual eau du Duran thanks to the band’s collaboration with Italian luxury perfume house Xerjoff on two unisex perfumes created with Singer Simon Le Bon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes, along with bassist John Taylor and drummer Roger Taylor. Rhodes tells Billboard that the two scents, NeoRio and Black Moonlight, are the perfect parfum essences to encapsulate the long-running group’s dueling musical personas.
“We’ve spent our entire careers dealing with two senses: sounds and vision, which we’ve primarily used to communicate and try to excite other people’s sense,” says Rhodes, 62. “And the thought of adding a third, sense of smell in this case, was enormously appealing.” Rhodes says his band was inspired to work with Xerjoff after the company’s 2021 collaboration with Black Sabbath guitarist, and fellow Birmingham, U.K. native, Tony Iommi on his Monkey Special scent.
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Rhodes says the band approached the idea of a scent just as they would songwriting, with a “blank sheet,” providing the Xerjoff team with a list of smells they liked. “Some people like the smell of freshly cut grass, nobody doesn’t like that,” Rhodes says. “But it doesn’t mean you want to smell like that all day.”
Working with brand founder Sergio Momo, Rhodes says he and Le Bon were counseled to not just think of flowery scents like roses or gardenias, but to instead open their noses to anything from the smell of paint drying on the wall or that unmistakable whiff of a new book when you first crack it open to aromas you might not associate with a fragrance such as petrol or leather.
“It was more abstract, like if you’re in a room at a museum and staring at your favorite painting and getting the essence of that,” he says, with the discussion then moving on to imagery Momo gleaned from the feelings and moods Rhodes and Le Bon described, such as the funk of a nightclub or a field of flowers.
They narrowed their scent preferences down to five or six, three of them dark and mysterious and the other three sparkly, bright and full of energy, which resulted in two “radically different” fragrances, NeoRio and Black Moonlight. Rhodes says the latter — described as “an homage to the eerie and mysterious world that they so often explore through their music and videos, with a scent that oozes intrigue and sensuality” — was closer to his personality, while Le Bon was more tugged toward the sunshine.
That explains why the profile of Black Moonlight promises to wrap you in a “veil of sophistication” thanks to a mix that includes: “Bergamot and mandarin awaken the senses, whilst saffron, lavender, Sambac jasmine and hazelnut envelop you in an intimate embrace.” The scent is also grounded by base notes of patchouli, vetiver, Tonka bean, and benzoin “to create a rich, timeless scent that mirrors Duran Duran’s ability to blend art, innovation, and emotion.”
In an effort to mirror DD’s career-long musical balance of hopeful optimism with a darker, slinky feeling, the exhilarating NeoRio is described as being as “magnetic and unpredictable as the band itself,” [combining] an “irresistible burst of candied fig and rum with the sparkling freshness of elemi absolute, before unfolding with the fiery warmth of saffron and the elegance of soft rose oil, all anchored by the creamy richness of Tonka bean and the timeless depth of balsam from Peru.”
Rhodes says working with chemist Momo was a revelation, as the “Willy Wonka of perfume” brand boss “seems to have this lexicon of every single scent in the world at his fingertips.” In the end, he says the pair followed their instincts like they do when recording an album, with the resulting fragrances so perfectly representing the identity of the band that Rhodes thinks they could be two songs in DD’s catalog.
“Duran Duran have shaped music and style for over four decades, making them the perfectpartners for not just one, but two Xerjoff Blends creations. Their innovative spirit helped inspire every element of this project, from the scent to the packaging,” said Momo in a statement announcing the two fragrances, which are available to buy here now. “Both scents embody the essence of Xerjoff Blends – where artistic visions unite to create a truly unique, multisensory experience. Collaborating with the band members on every detail of this project has been a very special experience.”
As for the most important real-world test, Rhodes confirms that he’s worn his preferred scent out in the world and that at present he and his partner have been at odds over who gets to wear which one. “We have a battle at home because I’ve usually got the one on and my partner’s got the other one on and when we pass in the corridor they intermingle and some days we both end up with the the same one,” he says.
Duran Duran are gearing up for a run of European arena and festival shows this summer beginning on June 3 with the kick-off gig at the Nokia Arena in Tamepere, Finland.
Check out the promo videos for the fragrances below.
Metallica dropped the first trailer for their upcoming fan-focused documentary on Tuesday (April 8). Metallica Saved My Life, directed by the band’s longtime collaborator, Grammy-winner Jonas Åkerlund, will be screened in select cities on the band’s ongoing M72 world tour.
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In a statement, the group wrote, “Not quite finished yet, we want YOU to be among the first to see our latest film project by award-winning director Jonas Åkerlund, all about the lifeblood of this band: the fans. This documentary explores our world through the lives of fans who have supported each other through highs, lows, trials, and triumphs for over four decades.”
In the one-minute preview, drummer Lars Ulrich states, “Metallica is a state of mind” over mournful piano as the band’s other members begin the sentence “Metallica is…” as a series of fans offer up their thoughts on what the group means to them. “Unapologetically real, and vulnerable,” says one man, while a woman adds, “hope, freedom, escape.”
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A montage of long-time die-hards then open up about how the band gave them an identity as they describe themselves, variously, as a “dork… loner… a weirdo,” with one Black fan recalling how people would ask him, “why are you listening to this white people music?”
“I wanna hear ’em, I wanna hear ’em all,” singer/guitarist James Hetfield says of the variety of stories in the film directed by Åkerlund, who was also behind the camera for their 1998 video “Turn the Page,” as well as 1999’s “Whiskey in the Jar” and 2016’s “ManUNkind.” “Whatever you want to put on that… religion, cult, family, whatever label. I don’t care. It’s a gathering of like-minded people that are there to celebrate life.”
In a statement the band said, “As a few of you may know, we’ve been working behind the scenes the last couple of years on a new film that will be released later this year starring you guys! Metallica Saved My Life explores our world through the lives of fans who have supported each other through highs, lows, trials and triumphs for over four decades. And yeah, we’re in it a little bit too.” The full doc, which will feature all four band members as well as actor Jason Momoa, is slated for release later this year.
Click here to find out more details about the locations and dates for the North American screenings of the unfinished film from April through June, which will be phone-free and have a two ticket per person limit.
Metallica will get back on the road for the continuation of the M72 tour on April 19 at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. This week the band also announced a collaboration with the American Red Cross for blood drives on their upcoming 2025 U.S. dates. Donors of all blood types are encouraged to make an appointment to give by clicking here; donors must be 17 in most states (or 16 with parental consent where allowed by state law) and weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health to be eligible to donate.
Check out the trailer for Metallica Saved My Life below.
Nashville based singer-songwriter Jamie MacDonald scores her first chart-topper on Billboard’s Christian AC Airplay survey as “Desperate” ascends three places to No. 1 on the list dated April 12.
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The single increased by 3% in plays March 28-April 3, according to Luminate. MacDonald co-authored it with Jonathan Gamble and Jordan Sapp, the latter of whom produced it.
“It’s been life changing to carry a song that’s not only bringing healing to others, but deeply healing for me, as well,” MacDonald tells Billboard. “That was a promise God gave me for my music, and it’s been incredible to finally see it happening. In my weakness, He is showing Himself to be so strong, and that verse is what I’m clinging to and rejoicing in right now.”
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Meanwhile, as “Desperate” hits the summit in its 12th week, it completes the quickest trip to No. 1 by a female artist (not counting holiday songs) since September 2018, when Lauren Daigle’s crossover smash “You Say” needed just 10 weeks to sprint to the penthouse. It went on to rule for 15 weeks.
Plus, “Desperate” is MacDonald’s first Christian AC Airplay chart entry. It’s the first rookie single to reign since last April, when Seph Schlueter’s “Counting My Blessings” led for four frames. It’s the first freshman No. 1 by a woman since Jordin Sparks’ collaboration with for King & Country, “Love Me Like I Am,” dominated for five frames beginning in February 2023.
On the Christian Airplay chart, “Desperate” pushes 6-5 for a new best (3.4 million in audience, up 1%).
Hammond, Station & Cole Command Gospel Airplay
Three veteran gospel artists – Fred Hammond, Keith Staten and Marcus Cole, joining forces as FKC – ascend to No. 1 on Gospel Airplay with “Change Your Mind.” The single increased by 8% in plays.
The three artists co-wrote the song from their album Time Capsule-The Trilogy, released last August. The LP is the first of a three-part release, with the second expected this summer.
“Change Your Mind” is Hammond’s fifth No. 1 and first since “Hallelujah” led for two weeks in July 2022. He first led with “They That Wait,” with John P. Kee, for 15 frames beginning in December 2009.
As for Staten and Cole, “Change Your Mind” marks their first appearance as solo artists, but all three were part of iconic gospel act Commissioned. The group scored 11 top 10s on Top Gospel Albums, from I’m Going On (No. 5 peak, 1985) through The Commissioned Reunion “Live” (No. 3, 2002).
FanDuel’s Kentucky Derby Party is returning to Louisville this year with Shaboozey headlining the event, Billboard can exclusively reveal. The exclusive, invite-only event is set to take place May 2 at Paristown Arts and Entertainment District in Louisville, Kentucky. “I’m hyped to be part of the Derby this year,” Shaboozey said in a statement. “It’s […]
The death toll from the roof collapse at the Jet Set club in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic has climbed to more than 113 people. According to the Associated Press, the iconic venue was packed with “musicians, professional athletes and government officials,” when dust from the ceiling began to fall into attendees’ drinks before the entire roof collapsed.
In addition to the scores of dead buried under concrete slabs, authorities said more than 255 were injured. Merengue superstar and concert headliner Rubby Pérez — who was on stage performing when the ceiling collapsed — was among the dead, according to emergency operation director Juan Manuel Méndez, who said the 69-year-old singer’s body was found early Wednesday morning (April 9). The collapse happened roughly an hour into Pérez’s midnight performance.
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Pérez’s official Instagram posted a tribute to the late singer on Wednesday morning honoring the beloved star born Arturo Pérez in Hato Mayor. “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved Rubby Pérez. We sincerely appreciate all the love, support, and solidarity we have received from his family, friends, and fans during this difficult time. His musical and personal legacy will live forever in our hearts. May his soul rest in peace.”
As of press time rescue teams from Puerto Rico and Israel had arrived to help local authorities, who said they were still searching for any potential survivors, with Méndez telling the AP that “as long as they report that there is a missing person, we will be there.”
Among the dead were two former Major League Baseball players, pitcher Octavio Dotel and Dominican star Tony Enrique Blanco Cabrera. An Instagram tribute to seven-time MLB All-Star Dotel from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation read: “We deeply regret the passing of former Major Leagues and Immortal of Dominican Sport, Octavio Dotel, 51. His legacy on and off the field leaves an indelible mark on national baseball history. Peace to his soul and strength to his family and loved ones.” Dotel pitched for 13 teams during a 15-year MLB career, including a pennant-winning season in 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Ministry’s tribute to Blanco, 44 — who played in the outfield and as a first and third baseman, spending eight years in the minors, as well as one season with the Washington Nationals (2005) and 16 years in the Japanese baseball league — read, “We deeply regret the passing of former Major Leagues and Immortal of Dominican Sport, Octavio Dotel. His legacy on and off the field leaves an indelible mark on national baseball history. Peace to his soul and strength to his family and loved ones.”
Among the other reported victims were Nelsy Cruz, the governor of the northwestern province of Montecristi, and sister of seven-time MLB All-Star Nelson Cruz, who called DR President Luis Abinader from underneath the rubble to alert him of the disaster and later died at a hospital. The AP reported that Pérez’s saxophonist Luis Solís, who was on stage during the collapse, also died.
The Jet Set club issued a statement on Tuesday morning, sharing condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the roof collapse. “Last night, a tragedy struck that has deeply shaken the hearts of everyone who is part of Jet Set and all Dominicans. The loss of human lives leaves us in a state of profound sorrow and grief,” the venue wrote on Instagram. “In this difficult moment, our prayers are with each of the affected families. We share their pain as if it were our own, as we too are in mourning. We are working fully and transparently with the competent authorities to assist the victims and clarify what happened … We join the country in expressing solidarity during this unexpected and painful situation.”
At press time authorities were still investigating the cause of the roof collapse. Only 32 people have been identified in what is being described as one of the worst disasters to hit the Dominican Republic.
Ed Sheeran joined Jimmy Fallon for the latest “Subway Busking” bit on Tuesday night’s (April 8) Tonight Show. As usual, there were costumes involved in a vain attempt to throw commuters off the scent. In this case, the pair went with an emo theme, with both men wearing all-black outfits and slouchy grey beanies accented […]