State Champ Radio Music News
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Flavor Flav has no problem uplifting those around him. He’s basically been on a tour giving fellow celebrities he adores their flowers, and now it’s Selena Gomez’s turn. Flav took to X on Monday (Nov. 4), where he applauded Gomez’s strength and how candid she’s been with her mental health publicly. “I don’t know her […]
Sabrina Carpenter said “Please Please Please” and voters definitely listened. According to HeadCount.org, the singer got more voters engaged in Tuesday’s (Nov. 5) election than any other artist the organization works with. HeadCount said that Carpenter, 25, helped inspire 35,814 voter registrations and got another 263,087 voters to take other actions outside of registering (including checking their registration status and polling location).
“Through our partnerships with over 100 top music artists — like Sabrina Carpenter, Green Day, Ariana Grande, and so many others — HeadCount had a record-breaking year, registering over 450,000 new voters and engaging over 3 million more people to make sure they vote,” said the non-profit’s executive director, Lucille Wenegieme, in a statement. “Our model works because musicians and celebrities have a cultural cache and an intimate connection with their fans, especially among young people, whose identity as a fan of a particular artist can be even stronger than other aspects of their identity, including affiliation with a political party or candidate. We are so grateful to our artist partners and their teams for inspiring their fans to take control of their future.”
HeadCount said that it had a presence at more than 3,700 events this year as part of its “Good to Vote” campaign, where they registered nearly half a million new voters, with almost half of them between the ages of 18-24. Carpenter’s impressive numbers on her Short n’ Sweet tour including activating voters through giveaways, in-person activations and video boards and mailers. The partnership also included a sweepstakes offering fans the chance to see the tour by checking their registration status, with winners slated to be flown out to the singer’s Nov. 9 San Francisco show.
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In addition, on their globe-hopping stadium Saviors tour, pop-punk legends Green Day broke HeadCount’s all-time record for the most voters engaged on a single tour, registering more than 7,900 new voters and engaging over 61,000 voters through in-person activations on the outing; those figures nearly double the previous record set by Ariana Grande on her 2019 Sweetener world tour.
HeadCount — which works with hundreds of other touring artists including 5 Seconds of Summer, Brandi Carlile, Alicia Keys, Chappell Roan, Ariana Grande, Fall Out Boy, Billie Eilish, DRake, HAIM, Gracie Abrams, Harry Styles and others — has registered more than 1.5 million voters since 2004. This year, the group said it engaged over three million music fans to take action, another all-time record for the organization, with more than 80% of all voters it registered representing Gen Z or millennials.
More than 80 years after its release, Bing Crosby‘s beloved holiday hit “White Christmas” is getting a Bangtan boost from V of BTS.
As announced Wednesday (Nov. 6), the 28-year-old K-pop star will join the late legend on a remix of his 1942 smash arriving Dec. 6. Released in partnership with the Bing Crosby Estate, Primary Wave Music and Geffen Records, the project is described as an “era-bridging” collaboration and comes 47 years after Crosby’s last cross-generational duet: 1977’s “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy” with David Bowie.
“I’m so grateful to have had the chance to be featured in a song with my all-time favorite jazz artist, Bing Crosby,” V said of the track in a statement. “I grew up listening to his song ‘It’s Been a Long, Long Time’ countless times a day, and I feel incredibly fortunate and honored to have sung along on ‘White Christmas’ with the voice of someone I consider an idol.”
“Being a huge fan of his, I sang with the utmost sincerity and admiration for him,” continued the South Korean superstar, who previously covered “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas,” of which Crosby’s take peaked at No. 30 on the Holiday Streaming Songs, No. 8 on the Holiday Airplay and No. 14 on the Holiday Digital Song Sales charts. “I hope many people enjoy it as much as I enjoyed singing it. Lastly, I wish a lovely holiday season to everyone listening to the song.”
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Originally recorded for the 1942 film Holiday Inn and later heavily featured in the 1954 film White Christmas, Crosby’s enduring hit is widely renowned as the bestselling single of all time. It was released a full 16 years before the inception of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958, but premiered on the chart in December that same year and later reached a peak at No. 12 in 1962.
Crosby died in 1977. His daughter Mary Crosby said in a statement about her father’s new posthumous collaboration, “As a family, we are thrilled to have V and Dad singing together on this ultimate Christmas song. Their voices blend beautifully, capturing the holiday spirit in the best possible way.”
The legendary performer’s son Harry added, “We are happy that V will help share the joy of this timeless Christmas song.”
The holiday team-up will arrive about nine months after the release of V’s solo single “FRI(END)S,” which reached No. 65 on the Hot 100. Last December, he teamed up with Umi for a duet titled “Wherever U R.”
V is currently in the midst of his mandatory enlistment period in the South Korean military, as are four of his BTS bandmates: SUGA, RM, Jimin and Jung Kook. Earlier this year, Jin and J-Hope separately finished their service obligations, and full-band activities are expected to resume in 2025.
See the cover art for Bing Crosby and V’s “White Christmas” below.
Queens recognize queens. Pamela Anderson had nothing but love for Beyoncé‘s Halloween tribute to her Barb Wire character. On Tuesday (Nov. 5), Bey dropped the first music video from her Cowboy Carter era with “Bodyguard,” in which the singer channeled a trio of Anderson’s most iconic looks for what she dubbed “Beylloween” in an Instagram […]
After some fans commented on Selena Gomez‘s posture at a recent red carpet event promoting her upcoming Netflix film Emilia Perez, the singer/actress/entrepreneur reportedly responded by revealing a medical condition that she is struggling with. According to ELLE, after Gomez walked the carpet at the American French Film Festival premiere of the film in Los […]
Oasis continue to expand their anticipated 2025 reunion tour. The Gallagher brothers announced the latest dates on their long-awaited get together on Tuesday (Nov. 5), adding five South American stadium shows for next fall. Singer Liam and guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher will touch down in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Nov. 15 for the first of two […]
Earlier this year, British girl group Girls Aloud reunited for a run of shows in the U.K. and Ireland, their first since 2013. It was their first as a quartet following the death of member Sarah Harding, who passed away in 2021 aged 39, following complications from breast cancer. The group have now shared news […]
Donald Trump has declared victory in the 2024 U.S. Presidential election, after the Associated Press and other major news outlets called the presidential race in his favor.
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Addressing his supporters from his campaign’s watch party in Florida, Trump said, “Every citizen, I will fight for you, for your family and your future.” He added he was going to make people “very happy” and “very proud” of their vote.
“We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly,” Trump said. “We’re going to fix our borders. We’re going to fix everything about our country.”
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At the time of his speech, Trump had 267 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House and is leading in several key races, including Michigan and Wisconsin. The count continues.
Meanwhile, the Harris campaign announced that the Vice President would not immediately deliver a speech and supporters were seen leaving her election night watch party.
While some celebrated, many in Hollywood and the music industry were stunned — including Bette Midler, who quoted journalist and essayist H.L. Mencken in one of the night’s most scathing responses.
“When a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense; he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even of comprehending any save the most elemental…The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.”
The quote continues, “On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
Cardi B kept it short but direct as Trump’s lead grew throughout the evening: “We need a Hail Mary,” she tweeted, clearly shaken by the turn of events after endorsing Kamala Harris. On Instagram, she went a step further, posting to her Story, “I hate y’all bad.”
Marc Rebillet posted on X, “F— DONALD TRUMP.”
According to AP News, Trump would be the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. He also stands to be the first person convicted of a felony to be elected president and, at 78.
Lionsgate have announced that Michael, its Michael Jackson biopic from director Antoine Fuqua, is now slated to hit theaters in wide release on Oct. 3, 2025.
The feature is moving back by six months from its previously planned release on April 18, 2025.
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Starring in the title role is Jaafar Jackson, who is the nephew of the late pop superstar, while Nia Long, Laura Harrier, Miles Teller and Colman Domingo round out the cast. Fuqua helms from a script by John Logan for the project that counts Graham King, John Branca and John McClain as producers.
Lionsgate has also set its comedy Good Fortune for wide theatrical release on Oct. 17, 2025. Writer-director Aziz Ansari stars in the film alongside Seth Rogen, Keke Palmer, Sandra Oh and Keanu Reeves. Ansari, Anthony Katagas and Alan Yang serve as producers.
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Good Fortune centers on a well-intentioned but slightly clueless angel (Reeves), who intervenes in the lives of a frustrated gig worker (Ansari) and a successful venture capitalist (Rogen).
During a San Diego Comic-Con panel in July, Fuqua spoke about his progress on Michael, explaining that he was in the process of editing the film at the time.
“Why I wanted to make it is, Michael,” the filmmaker said. “Michael was a big part of my life growing up, big influence on my career, an incredible artist — but he was a human being, and we’re exploring that. I’m very excited about it.”
Footage from Michael was shared at CinemaCon in April, where King revealed that the movie will include 30 songs and have a lengthy run time, in order to do justice to Jackson’s story.
Jackson’s impact on the Billboard charts is unparalleled. He achieved 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles as a solo artist, with 30 of his songs reaching the top 10. His album Thriller set numerous records, spending 37 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Top LPs & Tapes chart from 1983 to 1984 and became the first album to produce seven Hot 100 top 10 singles.
Jackson is also the only artist to have top 10 hits on the Hot 100 across five consecutive decades (1970s–2010s). In 1983, he made history by simultaneously topping Billboard’s Pop and R&B Album and Singles charts for six consecutive weeks.
Following his death in 2009, Jackson achieved another unprecedented feat when three of his albums claimed the top three positions on Billboard’s Top Pop Catalog Albums and Top Comprehensive Albums charts simultaneously.
Pharrell Williams may be a music mogul today, but his first job at McDonald’s wasn’t exactly a resounding success.
Reflecting on his early days, the 51-year-old—now a Grammy-winning artist and fashion entrepreneur worth an estimated $250 million—recalled how his love for McNuggets landed him in trouble during his fast-food stint.
“McDonald’s was my first and only job,” he told BBC Radio 2. “I got fired three times. I was eating the chicken nuggets.”
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Pharrell admitted that his McDonald’s career was short-lived. “The first two times it was just because I was lazy,” he explained. “The third was like, ‘What are you doing? You’re just sitting there eating nuggets?’”
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While his time in fast food ended quickly, Pharrell would go on to achieve monumental success on the Billboard charts, kicking off his musical career in music production duo The Neptunes with Chad Hugo in 1992. In 1999, Pharrell, along with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley, formed the band N.E.R.D and released their debut album, In Search Of… in 2002.
As one of the defining artists of the 2000s, Pharrell has topped the Billboard Hot 100 four times, including a remarkable run with his single “Happy,” which held the No. 1 spot for 10 consecutive weeks in 2014.
Despite his early struggles at McDonald’s, “Happy” demonstrated Pharrell’s knack for creating a hit, leading Billboard’s Digital Songs Sales chart with 402,000 downloads in one week. It also marked his first No. 1 as a lead artist—a milestone that took 12 years and one week from his debut entry, setting a record for the longest wait for a Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist.
Pharrell’s talent for creating hits extends beyond his solo work. In 2013, he made Billboard history by holding the No. 1 and No. 2 spots simultaneously with “Blurred Lines” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” making him only the 12th artist ever to achieve this feat.
His work on these chart-toppers solidified his reputation, earning him the title of Billboard’s “Producer of the Decade” in 2010. His illustrious career has earned him 1,544 weeks across 68 different Billboard charts.
Beyond music, Pharrell’s influence has reached fashion with his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream labels, and in 2023, he was appointed as the men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton.
