Music News

24 Sep 2024

The Weeknd Now Has the Most Songs to Reach 1 Billion Streams on Spotify

The “After Hours” title track from his blockbuster fourth album breaks his 17-song tie with Drake.

The Weeknd

The Weeknd

Eddy Chen

The Weeknd now has the most songs to hit 1 billion streams on Spotify, the streaming service announced Monday (Sept. 23).

He broke the 17-song tie with Drake with the title track from his blockbuster fourth studio album, After Hours, bringing The Weeknd’s new total to 18. After Hours‘ Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Blinding Lights” remains the most streamed song on Spotify, with nearly 4.5 billion streams. Here’s every song by The Weeknd that has surpassed 1 billion streams:

  • “After Hours”
  • “One of the Girls” with JENNIE and Lily-Rose Depp
  • “Often”
  • “Reminder”
  • “Stargirl Interlude” with Lana Del Rey
  • “Creepin’” by Metro Boomin with 21 Savage
  • “Heartless”
  • “Die For You”
  • “I Was Never There” with Gesaffelstein
  • “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)”
  • “Call Out My Name”
  • “The Hills”
  • “Starboy” with Daft Punk
  • “I Feel It Coming”
  • “Can’t Feel My Face”
  • “Save Your Tears” with Ariana Grande
  • “Save Your Tears”
  • “Blinding Lights”

The Canadian-Ethiopian superstar (real name Abel Tesfaye) has also been putting up numbers at Billboard, with his latest single “Dancing in the Flames” debuting at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated Sept. 28. The song earned The Weeknd his 29th top 20 hit. “Dancing in the Flames” also debuted at No. 10 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. It’s the lead single from The Weeknd’s forthcoming LP Hurry Up Tomorrow, which is also the third and final installment of his After Hours/Dawn FM trilogy. He performed “Dancing in the Flames,” “São Paulo” (sans featured Brazilian star Anitta) and more songs at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival over the weekend.

24 Sep 2024

Linkin Park Drop Epic League of Legends World Championship Anthem ‘Heavy Is the Crown’: Listen

Linkin Park are going back back to the start. The rock band dropped the hard-hitting new single “Heavy Is the Crown” on Tuesday (Sept. 24), a rager that will be the official anthem for the League of Legends World Championship. The follow-up to the band’s first new music in seven years — the previously released “The Emptiness Machine” — has the revived LP line-up leaning into its patented rap/rock attack, while new singer Emily Armstrong pays tribute to classic LP on the song’s screamed chorus.

“This is what you asked for, heavy is the crown/ Fire in the sunrise, ashes rainin’ down,” yowls Armstrong, the former Dead Sara vocalist who has stepped into late singer Chester Bennington’s co-lead singer spot. “Try to hold it in, but it keeps bleeding out,” she adds in a touching homage to one of LP 1.0’s most beloved hits, the 2007 Minutes to Midnight single “Bleed It Out.”

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The song is the band’s first collaboration with Riot Games, the company behind multiplayer online battle game League, and it serves as the latest taste of LP’s first album since 2017, From Zero (Nov. 15). In addition, co-founders singer/rapper Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, turntablist Joe Hahn and bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, as well as Armstrong and new drummer Colin Brittain, have announced three additional stadium dates to their current six-show From Zero World Tour, which lands at London’s O2 Arena on Tuesday night.

After hitting South Korea on Sept. 28, the band will play a pair of newly announced shows in Paris at the La Defense Arena on Nov. 3 and Globe Life Field in Dallas on Nov. 8 before flying down to Bogota, Colombia for a previously announced gig at the Coliseo Medplus on Nov. 11 and wrapping things up on Nov. 15 at Allianz Park in São Paulo, Brazil in the final of three just-added dates.

As they gear up for their album release, LP are celebrating “The Emptiness Machine” jumping from No. 24-to-No. 1 in its second week on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay chart; the song has also shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Hard Rock Songs chart dated Sept. 21.

Listen to “Heavy Is the Crown” and watch a preview of the video below.

24 Sep 2024

Dolly Parton & Goddaughter Miley Cyrus Are Related by Blood, Ancestry Reveals

As Dolly Parton‘s goddaughter, Miley Cyrus was already part of the country legend’s family — but according to new research from Ancestry.com, the pair also share a family tree.

The genealogy-tracking website revealed Monday (Sept. 23) that the 78-year-old country legend and 31-year-old pop star are distantly related, with the pair connected by a man named John Brickey. Born in 1740, Brickey was a Tennessee resident who lived about 20 miles away from what is now Parton’s theme park, Dollywood, before he died in 1806.

Brickey is apparently Parton’s sixth great-grandfather and Cyrus’ seventh great-grandfather, making the two women seventh cousins, once removed.

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“Is that true? That’s amazing!” the “Jolene” singer reacted to the news during an interview with Access Hollywood posted Monday. “We’re so close, Miley and I. I would’ve thought we’d have been at least third cousins, 10 times removed. I’m sure she’ll get a kick out of that.”

“It doesn’t surprise me because she does feel like family,” Parton added of the “Flowers” artist.

The revelation makes for timely news as Parton’s new album Dolly Parton & Family: Smoky Mountain DNA – Family, Faith & Fables, is set to arrive in November. The expansive project will revolve around the icon’s paternal and maternal ancestral lines settling in the Smoky Mountain area and feature performances from loved ones representing multiple generations of Parton’s family.

Parton is also planning an accompanying docuseries of the same title investigating her family’s history, featuring performances filmed at Knoxville’s Bijou Theater.

The “9 to 5” musician and Cyrus have long been close, both as friends and collaborators. The former appeared a couple times as the latter’s “Aunt Dolly” on episodes of Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana, and the duo recently teamed up for a reimagined duet of Cyrus’ hit “Wrecking Ball” for Parton’s 2023 album, Rockstar. That same year, they cohosted Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party for NBC.

24 Sep 2024

SG Lewis, Mary Droppinz, Chris Lorenzo & More to Compete in Dance Industry Charity Soccer Tournament

Goals will be scored for a good cause on Thursday, Oct. 3, when the annual electronic world charity soccer tournament Copa del Rave returns to Los Angeles.

The tournament will include seven teams made up of employees from UTA, Red Light Management, Beatport, Infamous, Circa, Downtown Music and Symphonic Distribution. DJ players include SG Lewis, Mary Droppinz, Chris Lorenzo, Lupe Fuentes and XIE, with more to be announced.

This fifth edition of Copa del Rave will take place at Evolve Project LA, an indoor events complex in Los Angeles’ Frogtown neighborhood. Happening from 3 to 7 p.m. PT, the 21+ event is free (with donations encouraged) and open to the public.

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“We’re super proud to be celebrating the fifth edition of Copa del Rave, and a huge thanks to Adidas for their help this year,” Copa del Rave co-founders Alastair Duncan and Jonathan McDonald said in a joint statement. “There have been some epic goals and gaffs over the years, some money raised for great causes, and a lot of fun on the field. We may all be five years older, and a yard or two slower but we can’t wait to get back out there!”

The money raised this year will go to a charity of the winning team’s choice.

Over its past four iterations, Copa del Rave has raised more than $50,000 for charities including the L.A. Mission, MusiCares and Give a Beat. Capitol Music Group won the 2023 tournament, with past years featuring DJ players including Diplo, GG Magree, Wax Motif, The Chainsmokers, Totally Enormoux Extinct Dinosaurs and more.

24 Sep 2024

Lady Gaga Announces ‘Joker 2’ Companion Album ‘Harlequin’: Here’s When It Arrives

Lady Gaga just threw fans a major curveball. After leading fans to believe that she was teasing her upcoming seventh album with a string of cryptic posts on Instagram, the superstar has announced that she’ll soon be dropping Harlequin, a companion album to new movie Joker: Folie à Deux.

On Instagram Tuesday (Sept. 24), Gaga revealed that Harlequin — named after her character in the upcoming Joker sequel, Harley Quinn — is set to drop Friday (Sept. 27). She also shared the LP’s cover, which features her standing in a shower fully clothed, the water washing away bits of clown makeup.

The musician included what looks to be the album’s tracklist, which appears on the back of a Gayle Valley Farms milk carton in a second photo. The 13-title listing features a number of recognizable song titles, including “Get Happy,” “Oh When the Saints” and more.

Trending on Billboard

Billboard has reached out to Gaga’s reps for more information.

The news comes one day after fans noticed mysterious billboards reading “LG 6.5″ and ‘LG Six.Five” in Los Angeles and New York City. The red lettering on the advertisements matched the scrawl on a slew of cryptic posts that Gaga has been sharing on Instagram over the past few days, the first of which read “I’m ready for my interview.”

Since then, the star has updated her feed with several more messages, including “Moon dust gets everywhere” and “Still not October.” The two new messages also each feature snippets of music fans hadn’t heard before. The first is a wobbling Western guitar riff and the second is a faster-paced rock progression.

Gaga didn’t say in her post whether Harlequin is indeed “LG 6.5,” but that definitely seems to be the case. The 13-time Grammy winner previously confirmed that her seventh studio album is coming in February, led by a lead single in October. Billboard has reached out to Gaga’s reps for clarification.

See Gaga’s announcement and the “LG 6.5” billboards below.

24 Sep 2024

Hot 100 First-Timers: Country Upstart Zach Top Debuts With ‘I Never Lie’

Zach Top charts his first song on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Sept. 28) as “I Never Lie” debuts at No. 95.

Released in April on Leo33, the song enters with 4.9 million U.S. official streams (up 16%), 261,000 radio audience impressions and 1,000 downloads sold in the Sept. 13-19 tracking week, according to Luminate.

“I Never Lie” also ascends 26-23 for a new high on the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart. It’s one of two Top songs on the survey, as “Sounds Like the Radio” rises 41-37, becoming his second top 40 hit.

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“I Never Lie” appears on Top’s debut full-length, Cold Beer & Country Music. In a February interview with Billboard, in which he was named Country Rookie of the Month, he explained co-writing the album with Carson Chamberlain, formerly the late Keith Whitley’s bandleader and steel guitar player. “How we met was kind of hilarious,” Top shared. “In late 2018, he emailed me and said he wanted to work with me. I had archived the email, and my girlfriend at the time – now my wife – called me a few weeks later and said, ‘Do you remember that email from this Chamberlain fellow? I’m sending you his Wikipedia link. I think we need to email him back.’

“I did and met him in early 2019, started flying to Nashville every month to do co-writes with him and then he’d set me up on other co-writes,” Top said. “It was full circle because I love Keith Whitley and he was best buds with Keith.”

Trending on Billboard

Cold Beer & Country Music jumps 111-90 on the Billboard 200, reaching the chart’s top half for the first time, and 21-18 on Top Country Albums.

Top, from Sunnyside, Wash., first appeared on Billboard’s charts in January, when “Sounds Like the Radio” debuted on Country Airplay. It holds at its No. 20 high on the latest list.

Both of Top’s breakout hits have benefitted from TikTok. “I Never Lie” has soundtracked over 25,000 clips on the platform to date, while “Sounds Like the Radio” has been used in over 3,000.

Top is currently supporting Lainey Wilson on her Country’s Cool Again Tour. He kicks off his headlining Cold Beer & Country Music Tour in January.

24 Sep 2024

Tony Dize Inks Deal With Rimas Music Ahead of New Single ‘Quisiera’

Tony Dize has inked a record deal with Rimas Music, and will make his highly-awaited comeback with new music, Billboard can exclusively announce today (Sept. 24). With a trajectory that spans over 20 years, the Puerto Rican artist born Tony Feliciano Rivera gained popularity as “La Melodía de la Calle” (the melody of the streets) thanks to his smooth vocals that backed his signature romantic reggaetón sound.

Rimas — home to Bad Bunny, Arcángel, and Eladio Carrión, to name a few — will not only “revive his classic reggaeton sound but also propel his music into the future, pushing the boundaries of Latin music,” according to a press release.

“This is a very important moment for Rimas and for Tony Dize,” said Junior Carabaño, co-founder of Rimas, in a statement. “Tony’s signing is a testament to our ongoing mission to work with artists who have not only shaped the culture but continue to drive it forward. Over the past year, we’ve been committed to making this partnership a reality, and it’s an honor that Tony has trusted us for this new chapter in his career. Together, we aim to take his timeless sound to new heights and reach even broader audiences worldwide. We can’t wait to make history together.”

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On the Billboard charts, Tony secured nine entries on the Hot Latin Songs chart including “El Doctorado” at No. 8 in 2010. The song also reached No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Airplay for two weeks that same year. In 2014, he peaked at No. 2 on the latter chart with “Prometo Olvidarte.”

He additionally secured his first and only entry on the Billboard 200 chart with his debut album, La Melodía de la Calle, in 2008. He reached No. 1 on Latin Rhythm Albums in 2009 with La Melodía de La Calle (Updated); and in 2015, his set La Melodía de La Calle, 3rd Season, debuted at No. 1 on both Top Latin Albums and Latin Rhythm Albums charts.

Most recently, he was a featured artist on Bad Bunny’s “La Corriente,” part of his Una Verano Sin Ti album. The infectious collab earned Dize his only entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2022, and on both Global charts: No. 17 on the Billboard Global 200 and No. 20 on the Global Excl. U.S.

On the heels of the signing, the “Permitame” singer will release his new single “Quisiera,” accompanied by a conceptual video directed by Nuno Gomes.

24 Sep 2024

Metro Boomin Addresses Kendrick Lamar & Drake Feud: ‘Stan Culture Makes It Kind of Weird’

Metro Boomin has addressed the Kendrick Lamar and Drake feud. While speaking at the Forbes Under 30 Summit on Monday (Sept. 23), Young Metro talked about his role being in the middle of rap beefs as a producer.

Metro believes the competition is ultimately a positive for the art form, but thinks the internet culture can take things out of hand when two sides are at odds.

“I feel like the competition is great for the game. Hip-hop has always been a competitive genre. Even if just keeping it on music it’s not serious how everybody tries to make it,” he said. “Also with hip-hop, there’s a lot of ego involved. You’re supposed to feel like you’re the best.”

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Metro continued: “When two of the top dogs in the game and you both feel like you’re the best, it’s like, ‘OK, now we gotta have a showdown.’ We saw it with Jay-Z and Nas before. I feel like more today it’s more stan culture makes it kind of weird. Back in the day, Jay-Z and Nas went at it, I was a fan of both of them. Most people were. It was like, ‘OK, it’s OK.’ It’s not like, ‘I had this side. I hate this side.’ The internet makes it a little too wild now.”

At the end of the day, Metro Boomin looks at the feuds as purely “entertainment” and believes with hip-hop’s innate competitive nature, it’s on artists and producers to “help push” the genre forward.

“As far as me being diplomatic, it’s just entertainment,” he added. “I have love and respect for all my collaborators. I just want to see everyone do the best and help push this forward. We’re all here to deposit in and uplift this genre.”

Metro Boomin played an integral role in the Drake-Kendrick Lamar feud. He produced We Don’t Trust You‘s “Like That” featuring a nuclear assist from Kendrick, which lit the fuse for the battle after the hit topped the Billboard Hot 100.

Drake returned fire weeks later when he dissed Metro on “Push Ups,” and continued to take shots by calling out his government name later on “Family Matters.”

Watch the discussion below:

24 Sep 2024

Kelly Clarkson & Miranda Lambert Deliver Twangy Cover of Chappell Roan’s ‘Good Luck, Babe!’: Watch

Chappell Roan has two devoted fans in Kelly Clarkson and Miranda Lambert.

During an outdoor episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show Tuesday (Sept. 24), the talk-show host and country star gushed about their love of the 26-year-old pop singer shortly before covering Roan’s Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit “Good Luck, Babe!” “This last album specifically is what turned me on to her,” Clarkson raved of Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. “It’s so good.” 

“My brother and his husband were like, ‘You have to hear this,’” Lambert shared. “They turned me on to her music and I was obsessed.”  

The “Bluebird” singer went on to say that she’d hoped to meet Roan at the 2024 VMAs — where the Missouri native won best new artist — but she didn’t get the chance. “I just want to tell her she’s so brave,” Lambert continued. “I love anything that’s authentic.” 

Trending on Billboard

“Her voice is insane,” Clarkson added. “Her range, how she goes from head voice to chest voice.” 

The two Texas-born vocalists then joined forces on a stripped-back version of “Good Luck, Babe!,” both of them adding a country twang as they sang over an acoustic guitar. While the former Voice coach took on Roan’s tricky high notes, Lambert added texture with a lower harmony. 

“I love that song! It’s such a good song!” Clarkson cheered afterward, throwing her hands in the air. 

The episode with Lambert marks the second installment of The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s sixth season, which the “Stronger” artist has been filming on the rooftop of the program’s 30 Rock headquarters in New York City. Shortly ahead of the season’s kickoff Monday (Sept. 23), the show announced some of its upcoming musical guests: Michael Bublé, Jelly Roll, Adam Lambert, Miranda Lambert, Teddy Swims, Keith Urban, Questlove, Wicked‘s Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, and more. 

Watch Lambert and Clarkson gush about Chappell Roan and sing “Good Luck, Babe!” below.

24 Sep 2024

JoJo Siwa Isn’t Interested In Getting You to Like Her: ‘Any Attention Is Attention’

Yes, JoJo Siwa is aware that there are a lot of people making fun of her — and she’s fine with that.

In a new cover story for Ladygunn, Siwa spoke at length about her relationship with fame, revealing that as long as people are talking about her, she feels as though she’s done her job. “I’m an attention whore,” she said. “My favorite thing to do on this earth is to entertain and to make people smile and laugh, whether or not they are laughing with me or laughing at me. Obviously, no one likes being hated, but I enjoy being entertaining, and that is how people are entertained.”

Expanding on her point, Siwa added that she felt “any attention is attention,” and shared an anecdote about correcting her management team on their stated goals for her career. “I just signed with new management, and they’re great, amazing people,” she said. “They were like, ‘All right, we got to get people to rally around you and really start to like you.’ And I was like, ‘Oh no, that’s not the point.’”

The “Guilty Pleasure” singer said that her relationship with attention came in part from her admiration of YouTubers Jake and Logan Paul. “I pulled so much of my social media marketing and inspiration from them back in the day,” she said. “Their views, their numbers, their marketing — they were geniuses. They still are geniuses … all I wanted to do was be them. And so I figured, ‘How can I do that but in my world?’”

Trending on Billboard

Siwa managed to keep fans’ attention with her cover shot for the magazine, in which she wore a bedazzled corset in the shape of a man’s torso along with a rhinestoned codpiece. Rising hip-hop star GloRilla even shared her thoughts on the photo, simply writing on X, “Ok moose knuckle.”

The story comes after a year of headline-making antics for Siwa. Upon the release of her “bad girl” single “Karma” back in April, fans were shocked by the performer’s Kiss-inspired music video look, as well as her jerking dance moves. When she told Billboard in a video interview that she wanted to create a new genre called “gay pop,” she was roundly criticized by fellow queer artists and critics alike.

But, as Siwa sees it, her plan worked. “Karma is still an earworm. It’s crazy that it still has some relevance five months later,” she said in her interview. “And that’s the whole point.”