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Porter Robinson has delivered a little bit of romance, just in time for Valentine’s Day.
The U.S. producer has shared his energetic, pop-influenced take on Irish outfit Fontaines D.C.’s 2024 single “Favourite” as part of his recent appearance on Like a Version, the long-running covers segment from Australian radio station triple j.
Recorded during Robinson’s Australia tour earlier this month but aired on the morning of Friday, Feb. 14 (Australian time), the cover was well-timed to coincide with Valentine’s Day, with the original track even closing out Fontaines D.C.’s Romance album last year.
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The cover is emblematic of Robinson’s recent stylistic shift, with 2024’s Smile! 😀 seeing him move away from his electronic roots and introducing sounds more aligned with the pop-punk and hyperpop genres. The change in sonic focus was a bold move for Robinson, and though the album became his first not to chart on the Billboard 200, it did peak at No. 10 on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Fontaines D.C., meanwhile, also experienced something of a change in sound for their album Romance. While their previous efforts were more post-punk influenced, their fourth LP was somewhat more polished and aligned with the alternative rock genre.
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It was a commercially-successful change, however. It became the band’s first album to reach the Billboard 200 (hitting No. 97), and it earned them two Grammy nominations, including Best Rock Album and Best Alternative Music performance for lead single “Starburster”.
“’Favourite’ was, no pun intended, one of my favorite songs of the last year,” Robinson said in a post-performance interview with triple j. “It was the song that made me a fan of Fontaines D.C. I just love it. I love major-key music. I love music that’s extremely catchy and extremely hooky. And I love the way that this song feels like it’s constantly tumbling forward.”
Robinson’s Like a Version session also featured an original rendition of “Cheerleader”, and adds to a long history of memorable performances on the program.
Having first launched in 2004, the series has gone from being a near-impromptu acoustic affair to featuring larger studio productions. Numerous artists have taken part over the past two decades, with the likes of Billie Eilish, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, and more reinventing classic tracks in the process. As Robinson explains, the history and impact of the segment was not lost on him.
“I was so nervous to do this [performance], because I really, really do consider it an institution,” he explained. “Like a Version is a musical institution, and I wanted to make sure I put my best foot forward on it, respected the format and gave something that was listenable.
“This isn’t just like a video that lives online, this gets heard and this gets played,” he added. “So I just wanted to respect the listener to be like, ‘Let’s make this as good as it can be’.”
Mark Pritchard and Thom Yorke are “Back in the Game”, with the pair joining forces once again for a new single.
Pritchard, who has spent more than 30 years as an electronic musician and producer, first teamed up with the Radiohead and The Smile frontman back in 2016, with Yorke providing guest vocals on “Beautiful People” for Pritchard’s Under the Sun record. Five years earlier, Pritchard had also shared a pair of remixes of Radiohead’s “Bloom”, with both versions (one of which was released under his Harmonic 313 alias) appearing on the TKOL RMX 1234567 album.
Much like their previous collaboration, “Back in the Game” sees Yorke’s vocals digitally distorted by Pritchard, this time by way of the H910 Harmonizer, the world’s first commercially-available digital audio effects device.
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The track has also been a staple of Yorke’s recent live sets, with the musician having debuted the song in Christchurch, New Zealand in October as part of his Everything solo tour and playing it at every show since.
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“Back in the Game” comes accompanied by a surreal, kaleidoscopic Jonathan Zawada-directed visual which combines both analog and digital techniques. In a statement, Zawada explained that an early demo of the track saw him envision a cocky, strutting John Travolta in the final scene of Staying Alive, albeit with a more sinister approach.
“Slowly a version of that visual arose around a character wearing a kind of giant parade head with a fixed expression of mania stuck on their face, such that you couldn’t tell if their endless march was one of aggression or celebration,” Zawada explained. “The more I paid attention to the lyrics the more details began to fill themselves out and the overall concept began to form [a] parade of many characters marching past a building from within which everything was being thrown out of a window and into a giant bonfire.
“Ultimately the film for ‘Back in the Game’ ended up depicting a sort of blind celebration taking place as civilization slowly deteriorates around it, a kind of progression through regression. Overlaid onto this is an exploration of how and where we choose to place value in our collective cultural expression and how we collectively confront major cultural shifts in the 21st century.”
Selena Gomez is back to the pop star life, despite teasing that she might be done with music — and she’s bringing her superstar producer fiancé Benny Blanco along for the ride. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I always trick you guys,” Gomez wrote on Instagram, alongside […]
Sexyy Red could’ve been a wrestler in the WWE universe.
During a profile with Dazed, it was revealed that the St. Louis rapper was offered “a permanent role as wrestler.” However, Sexyy’s busy schedule didn’t allow for proper time to train and she ultimately settled for cameo instead. And when talking about the subject, she compared her current occupation with sports entertainment. “Rapping and wrestling are pretty much the same,” she explained. “It’s not quite acting, but it’s kind of acting too, right? Because when we go home and take off all our jewels and gold and remove the costumes we wear, we then have to go right back to reality with our families.”
Sexxy made her WWE debut last May when she hosted NXT where she unveiled the brand new NXT North American Women’s Championship belt and sang Shawn Michael’s iconic “Sexy Boy” theme song with the legend himself. She then hosted NXT Battleground in Nevada a couple months later.
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Elsewhere in the profile, she said what she would change if she became president and admitted to having around 600 pairs of True Religion jeans. “I would give all the hungry poor people free food,” she said. So they don’t have to steal it no more, because it’s too expensive right now. Food should be free! No one should ever be homeless.”
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Adding, “The people at the bottom are my favorite kind of people, period. I like people that wear True Religion jeans, even though they’re [seen as being] too ghetto. I’ve got like 600 pairs! I represent the people with no airs and graces.”
She also talked about the hardships of fame and how she’s still racially profiled when she goes back home. “Trying to live a normal life is difficult when you’re famous,” she admitted. “Sometimes y’all be so annoying. If you see me with my babies bagging up groceries, then get the f—k away from me. No photos!”
She continued by saying the more famous she gets, the more she feels unsafe. “I feel like with me, the more famous I get, the more people will see me as a threat,” she added. “As I get bigger and more viral, there’s going to be more and more people who want to harm me, 100 percent.”
Sexyy then brought up her dealing with law enforcement in her hometown. “The police in St. Louis just shot another Black kid dead the other day. That sh—t’s so wrong,” she said. “When I go back home, there are usually two outcomes [when I am stopped in traffic]: they either like your music and want to tell you about their kids being fans, or they choose to mess with you even more [now you’re this celebrity]! Sometimes they pick on me or just fuck with me for fun. They like to remind you of where you are. It’s all about reinforcing their position [of power].”
Her song with Bruno Mars “Fat Juicy & Wet” currently sits at No. 34 on the Hot 100 where it peaked at No. 17 and has been on the chart for two weeks.
Mexican superstars Maná have made history by being the first Spanish-language act to receive a nomination to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The band, composed of Fher Olvera, Alex González, Sergio Vallín and Juan Calleros, has left an indelible mark on music, not only in Latin America but globally, through their career spanning more than three decades.
Since their formation in Guadalajara, Jalisco, the quartet has captured the hearts and minds of millions with their lyrics full of passion and their sound that mixes rock, pop and pan-Latin rhythms. With this nomination, they celebrate a milestone not just in their career, but for music in Spanish too. (Fans can cast a vote for Maná’s induction into the Hall of Fame here.)
The band made their debut on the Billboard charts in 1994 with their seminal album Dónde Jugarán los Niños, which reached No. 2 on the Top Latin Albums chart. Their success continued to grow and, over the years, they have managed to position 10 of their songs at No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including classics like “Mariposa Traicionera” and “Labios Compartidos.”
These tracks, along with other timeless hits not on this list — such as “Oye Mi Amor,” “Rayando el Sol” and “Clavado en un Bar” — have solidified the Mexican rockers as one of the most influential bands in Latin music. Although the Hot Latin Songs chart, which started in 1986, is the barometer of success in the Latin market — combining data from radio plays, streaming, and digital sales — their achievements go beyond certifications and accolades. They have connected with a worldwide audience through their philanthropic efforts aimed at social justice and peace.
“We want to share this recognition with all Latinos everywhere, especially the immigrants who are suffering right now,” frontman Fher Olvera said in a statement about their nomination. “Don’t lose faith. Our people always find a way. Maná loves you. We’ll always be here standing with you.”
In honor of their nomination to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Billboard Español has compiled their 10 songs that have topped the chart, in chronological order.
“Mariposa Traicionera”
Image Credit: Bernardo Flores
Destiny’s Child reassembled this week for an important celebration: Kelly Rowland‘s 44th birthday.
In photos posted by Beyoncé on Instagram, Bey and Michelle Williams honored their former bandmate’s big day over a candlelit dinner. In one picture, the ladies — each of them modeling glamorous cocktail dresses — pose together in a row and smile at the camera. In another pic, Rowland looks emotional at the dinner table as the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer beams in the seat next to her, while a third photo shows the two women pulling each other in for a hug.
“Birthday bestie,” Bey captioned the carousel, adding a birthday cake emoji.
The Mea Culpa star turned 44 on Tuesday, and two days later, Rowland wrote on Instagram, “THANK YOU ALL FOR THE BIRTHDAY LOVE, I took it all in and felt overwhelmingly BLESSED and seen by God!”
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“Every person who took the time, to send me B-Day love, I thank you, from the bottom of my heart!!” she added.
The ladies’ reunion comes just a couple of days after Williams shared details about the Destiny’s Child group chat during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show. After gushing that the thread’s vibe is “pure, it’s friendship, it’s all of those things,” the Broadway star revealed who in the group is the most talkative — and it’s a toss-up.
“Who’s the most talkative? Surprisingly me,” she said, laughing, before adding: “I don’t know, Kelly, now … Kelly can talk!”
It’s also not the first time the “Bootylicious” women have reunited for the sake of an important birthday. Last year, the trio assembled to celebrate Bey’s mom, Ms. Tina Knowles, and her 70th turn around the sun. The group even sang for the businesswoman, after which Knowles wrote on Instagram, “I just got spoiled to death this weekend! I even got serenaded by Destiny’s Child! How amazing is that?!”
After the global success of Boza‘s hit song “Orion,” featuring Elena Rose — which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard‘s Latin Airplay chart and remained on the tally for more than 17 weeks — the Panamanian artist is back with an exciting new musical venture. He has teamed up with Colombian singer Greeicy to release […]
Drake and PartyNextDoor are dropping their joint album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U on Thursday night, and one song title on the recently revealed track list stuck out: The duo named the project’s ninth track “Brian Steel” after the attorney who represented Young Thug during his much-publicized RICO trial. New York Times reporter Joe Coscarelli […]
Issa Rae has canceled her sold-out show at the Kennedy Center following Donald Trump’s board takeover, with the actress calling the president’s actions an “infringement on the values” of the cultural organization.
In a statement posted to Instagram Stories on Thursday (Feb. 13), Rae thanked fans for buying tickets to her event titled “An Evening With Issa Rae” before writing, “Unfortunately, due to what I believe to be an infringement on the values of an institution that has faithfully celebrated artists of all backgrounds through all mediums, I’ve decided to cancel my appearance at this venue.”
Noting that all tickets would be refunded, the producer added, “Thank you so much for understanding, and I hope to see you soon.”
Rae’s announcement comes shortly after Trump gutted much of the Kennedy Center’s historically nonpartisan board of trustees and appointed his own supporters in their places. Naming himself chairman, the twice-impeached POTUS also fired the institution’s longtime president, Deborah F. Rutter; the board has replaced her with interim president Richard Grenell, who served as ambassador to Germany during Trump’s first term in the White House.
The Barbie actress is just one of multiple people in the entertainment industry distancing themselves from the Kennedy Center amid the changes. Ben Folds has left his position as adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra, while Shonda Rhimes has resigned as treasurer of the center’s board.
Philadelphia rock band Low Cut Connie has also followed Rae’s lead, with frontman Adam Weiner announcing Wednesday that the group would be pulling out of its scheduled March 19 concert at the iconic Washington, D.C., venue. “Our little rock n roll act stands for diversity, inclusion and truth-telling,” the musician wrote in a message announcing the cancelation on Instagram. “Maybe my career will suffer from this decision, but my soul will be the better for it.”
Trump first announced his plans to overhaul the Kennedy Center leadership team last Friday (Feb. 7), writing on Truth Social, “I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
Specifically condemning the center’s inclusion of drag shows in its past programming, the politician added that performances “targeting our children” will come to an end under his supervision. “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation,” he concluded. “For the Kennedy Center, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!”
Jimmy Kimmel is calling out Kanye West after the rappers string of hate speech over the past week. During the monologue kicking off his late night talk show on Wednesday night (Feb. 12), Kimmel called Ye a “Nazi.” He added, “In the wake of his antisemitic spinout this weekend, Adolf Twitler was cut by his […]