Music News

09 Sep 2024

Ariana Grande Applauds Megan Thee Stallion for Encouraging People to Vote for Kamala Harris

Ariana Grande and Megan Thee Stallion may have collaborated on “34+35,” but their stance on whether people should vote in the upcoming election is as simple as 1+1.

Shortly after the “WAP” rapper opened up to Billboard in her September cover story about the importance of acting on one’s American civic duty — especially in a presidential race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump — Grande shared her onetime collaborator’s remarks on Instagram Stories. “I adore @theestallion,” the pop star wrote, tagging Meg.

The “We Can’t Be Friends” singer also shared a link to her Headcount page, reminding fans, “register here please.”

Both Grande and the Houston Hottie have been vocal in their support of Harris since she took over President Joe Biden’s place on the Democratic ticket. While the Wicked actress has advocated for the cause on social media, Meg performed at the VP’s rally in Atlanta and sang the politician’s praises during her headlining set at Lollapalooza.

The “Mamushi” artist went on to stress her support of Harris while speaking to Billboard, adding that she thinks it’s “irresponsible” to abstain from voting in an election with such high stakes. “I don’t like it when I see people saying, ‘I’m not voting. F— it,’” Meg said, one of the quotes Grande shared on her Story. “You’re going to complain about what you don’t like, but you’re not going to help the cause?”

“If you don’t like what Trump has going on, why even aid in him being the president again?” she added in the interview. “To be alive in a lifetime where a Black woman or a woman at all could be the president, I feel so blessed. This is what the future is about.”

The two women’s show of solidarity comes over three years after Ari tapped Meg and Doja Cat for the remix of her NSFW Positions single “34+35,” which went on to peak at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both Grande and Ms. Stallion dropped new albums in 2024, with the former’s Eternal Sunshine topping the Billboard 200 and the latter’s Megan reaching No. 3 on the chart.

09 Sep 2024

Scooter Braun Speaks at Vigil for Slain Hostages at Nova Music Festival Exhibit: ‘I’m Sorry That We Weren’t Loud Enough’

The Los Angeles exhibition dedicated to the October 7 attack at Israel‘s Nova Music Festival recently became the setting for a vigil, in the wake of the news that several of the hostages taken from the festival had been slain.

The vigil happened Sept. 1, with hundreds of people arriving to the exhibition in the wake of the news that six hostages — five of whom were captured at the music festival — had been killed by Hamas. Bodies of the victims were found in an underground tunnel in Rafah, near Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.

The event, which saw a large crowd waiting outside as the space hit capacity, included musical performances, prayer and speeches, with at least one Nova Music Festival attendee on hand.

“Some of them were taken from the music festival and for me, I see their pictures up there but I know that it might have been me,” Danielle Gelbaum, who survived the Nova attack, told CBS News Los Angeles. “My face could have been up there.”

HYBE-America CEO Scooter Braun, a partner in the exhibition, spoke at the L.A. vigil, saying, as the L.A. Times first reported, that the exhibition itself “has nothing to do with politics. You won’t see any flags here. It is strictly about the music festival and what took place there. To allow people to see this could’ve been Coachella, this could’ve been Stagecoach.”

“For all six of them, I’m sorry that we weren’t loud enough,” Braun continued. “And I’m really grateful that you’re here today, and I don’t think that promise that we made to them stops today; I think it just begins.”

Located in Los Angeles’ Culver City neighborhood, the memorial opened last month in a 50,000-square-foot warehouse. The installation includes remains salvaged from the festival grounds, including scorched cars, bullet-riddled bathroom stalls and personal belongings all left behind. The space also includes photos of all the hostages taken on October 7, along with a healing tent and a lighthouse with the declaration, “We will dance again.”

The exhibition, The Nova Music Festival Exhibition: October 7th 06:29AM, first premiered in Tel Aviv for 10 weeks then opened in New York City this past April. The Nova founders include Omri Sassi, Yoni Feingold, Ofir Amir and Yagil Rimoni, and the United States partners for the exhibition include Braun, Joe Teplow and Josh Kadden.

09 Sep 2024

What Song Does Kendrick Lamar Need to Perform at 2025 Super Bowl Halftime? Vote!

Kendrick Lamar was announced Sunday as the headlining halftime show performer at Super Bowl LIX when the big game comes to New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome in February 2025.

Lamar follows recent Super Bowl headliners Usher and Rihanna, while the rapper also took the stage in 2022 as part of the hip-hop halftime show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige.

“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said in the announcement. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”

Trending on Billboard

Jay-Z added: “Kendrick Lamar is truly a once-in-a-generation artist and performer. His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision. He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”

With 75 Billboard Hot 100 entries to his name — including 15 top 10s and four No. 1 hits, with his latest being the Drake diss “Not Like Us,” which topped the chart for two weeks earlier this year — cutting K. Dot’s decorated discography down to fit a 12- to 15-minute show is a tough proposition.

From good kid, m.A.A.d city to DAMN. and To Pimp a Butterfly, there are plenty of anthems for Lamar to choose from for his upcoming set.

Even without releasing an album, 2024 has been a supremely memorable one for the Compton king. Kendrick set things off with his nuclear assist on Future and Metro Boomin’s No. 1 hit “Like That,” which led to him downing Drake in battle and sets the stage for the hopeful arrival of his next LP in the five months until Super Bowl LIX.

We want to hear from you! Vote for your favorite song that you hope to see Kendrick Lamar include in his Super Bowl halftime show setlist come February.

09 Sep 2024

Usher, Victoria Monet, Tyla & More at Billboard R&B No. 1s: Photos From Inside the Party

Billboard hosted its first-ever R&B No. 1s party at The Box in New York on Sunday night (Sept. 8).

Usher accepted the Entertainer of the Year award, after his “Good Good” collaboration with Summer Walker and 21 Savage became his sweet 16th No. 1 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, extending his record for the most among all singers. Luther Vandross was posthumously honored with the Icon award that his friend Fonzi Thornton accepted on his behalf. Vandross’ Billboard chart history includes eight No. 1 albums on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and seven No. 1 hits on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Victoria Monét received the Hitmaker award three days after she presented her manager Rachelle Jean-Louis with the Executive of the Year award at Billboard‘s 2024 R&B Hip-Hop Power Players. In the last year, her Grammy-nominated hit “On My Mama” has topped Adult R&B Airplay, Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay and R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay. Lucky Daye received the Torchbearer award, after earning his first No. 1 in a lead role on any Billboard chart when “That’s You” from his latest album Algorithm topped Adult R&B Airplay. And Tyla accepted the Global Force award, as “Water” has spent the last 46 weeks (and counting) at No. 1 on U.S. Afrobeats Songs as well as eight weeks atop Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

The star power extended beyond the stage, as Muni Long, Yung Miami, Shenseea, Fireboy DML, Libianca and other artists filled the room as well.

Go inside Billboard’s 2024 R&B No. 1s Party in the photos below.

09 Sep 2024

Heart Reschedules North American Concerts After Ann Wilson Cancer Scare

Heart‘s first tour in five years is back on! Following the postponement of sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson’s North American shows this summer due to the former’s recent cancer scare, the rock band has announced plans to resume their Royal Flush Tour with a slew of new dates scheduled for 2025.

Sharing an animated video set to the group’s 1975 hit “Crazy on You,” Heart broke the news of the band’s return to the road via Instagram on Monday (Sept. 9). “We can’t wait to resume the Royal Flush Tour in 2025!” the group wrote, directing fans to buy tickets on Heart’s website. “We hope to see all of you good people there!”

The new string of shows kicks off Feb. 28 in Las Vegas next year, followed by over a month of arena shows across Los Angeles, Phoenix, Boise, Montreal, Ottawa and more. As of now, the run ends April 5 in Quebec.

Trending on Billboard

Heart’s announcement comes about three months after the “Never” musicians told fans that they were cancelingtheir European dates — which had been slated for this past June and July — as Ann needed to “undergo a time-sensitive but routine procedure for which the minimum recovery time is six weeks.”

A month after that, the band discovered that the singer’s condition was more serious than originally thought, leading to the postponement of the now-rescheduled North American shows. “I underwent an operation to remove something that, as it turns out, was cancerous,” Ann wrote in a statement at the time. “The operation was successful & I’m feeling great but my doctors are now advising me to undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy & I’ve decided to do it. And so my doctors are instructing me to take the rest of the year away from the stage in order to fully recover.”

“Please know that I absolutely plan to be back on stage in 2025,” she’d added.

See Heart’s announcement below.

09 Sep 2024

The Weeknd Announces New Single ‘Dancing in the Flames’: Here’s When It Arrives

The rollout for The Weeknd‘s Hurry Up Tomorrow album is well underway, as he announced Monday (Sept. 9) that lead single “Dancing in the Flames” will be released on Friday.

The Weeknd performed “Dancing in the Flames” and more new Hurry Up Tomorrow tracks for the first time at his special one-night-only São Paulo, Brazil show last over the weekend. The Weeknd also debuted collaborations with Billboard‘s current cover star Playboi Carti, who accepted the Artist of the Year Award at the Billboard‘s 2024 R&B Hip-Hop Power Players event last week, and Brazilian star Anitta. Hurry Up Tomorrow is the third and final installment of The Weeknd’s latest After Hours and Dawn FM trilogy.

The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) also previewed the music video, which will also drop this Friday, in an Apple spot for the iPhone 16 Pro.

Trending on Billboard

“I can’t wait to see your face/ Crash when we’re switching lanes,” he sings while blissfully driving a red convertible. Director of photography Erik Henrikkson explains how shooting in 4K 120 fps (frames per second) “was really a game changer” for “ceating epic shots in slow motion,” as demonstrated by the superstar running through the rain in slow motion with his feet gradually stepping into puddles. “We felt we didn’t have to play it safe. We just pushed it as far as we normally do,” Henrikkson continues. And they certainly didn’t play it safe, as The Weeknd appears to be flung out of the car, with glass shattering everywhere, in one of the shots.

The video is directed by Anton Tammi, who also helmed the iconic music videos for his After Hours era, including for his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s “Blinding Lights” and “Heartless.”

See a sneak peek of The Weeknd’s “Dancing in the Flames” music video below.

09 Sep 2024

Donald Glover Postpones North American Childish Gambino Tour Dates to ‘Focus on My Physical Health’

Fans in North America are going to have to wait a little bit longer to say goodbye to Childish Gambino.

On Monday (Sept. 9), Donald Glover announced that he’s pushing back the remainder of his North American farewell tour dates in order to prioritize his wellbeing. “hey everyone,” he tweeted. “unfortunately i have to postpone the rest of the north american tour to focus on my physical health for a few weeks.”

“hold onto your tickets,” the Community alum continued. “ALL tickets will be honored for the upcoming dates in north america when they are rescheduled. thanks for the privacy. thanks for the support. thanks for the love.”

Glover had about a month left to go of his North American run, which was set to conclude Oct. 3 in Chicago before the “Redbone” artist’s European dates this fall. He’s also still scheduled to perform in Australia and New Zealand next year.

Trending on Billboard

The trek was plotted in support of Glover’s latest album Bando Stone and the New World, which debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200 in August and marks the musician’s final LP under the Childish Gambino moniker. “It really was just like, ‘Oh, it’s done.’ It’s not fulfilling,” he explained to the New York Times in July. “And I just felt like I didn’t need to build in this way anymore.”

The five-time Grammy winner is also still hard at work in his acting career, having recently picked up Emmy nods for outstanding lead actor in a drama series and outstanding writing for a drama series thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Smith. He previously won the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for his performance in Atlanta.

See Glover’s tweet below:

09 Sep 2024

Nicki Minaj Appears to Target Jay-Z While Defending Lil Wayne Over Super Bowl Halftime Snub: ‘S–t Sad’

It’s YMCMB for life, apparently. Nicki Minaj spoke out in support of Lil Wayne and appeared to take aim at Jay-Z after the NFL passed over Weezy in favor of Kendrick Lamar for the 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show.

With Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Minaj took issue with Jay — who serves as a co-producer of the NFL Halftime Show — and the league’s decision to overlook her mentor and the Young Money leader, which sparked a fiery rant from the Queens rap legend on Monday afternoon (Sept. 9).

Trending on Billboard

“Go & enjoy your fkng money b4 it’s too late … One n—a took a knee The other n—a took the bag,” she wrote while subliminally shading Hov. “He gon get you ‘n—-s’ in line every fkng time.”

She continued: “Got everything in the world. Still spiteful & evil. Disgusting. Be happy Abeg. Go be fkng happy n!gg@!!!!!!!! In rap business. In women business. When you got the Politicians & the police you good tho. Plus dat ugly laughy taffy alien … LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOO.”

Nicki didn’t stop there, as she appeared to blame Jay’s ego and hatred for Birdman, Drake and herself as the reason behind Wayne’s snub.

“Denying a young black man what he rightfully put into this game for no other reason but your ego. Your hatred for BIRDMAN, Drake & Nicki got you punishing Lil Wayne?!?!!! LIL WAYNE!!!!!!!!!! THE GOAT?!!!!!!!!!!! Nola what’s good,” she wrote. “Eminem stood firm on having 50Cent come out. A white man. S–t sad. House N—-R TINGZ. but it’s GOOD FI DEM!!!!!!! No loyalty ? Welp. then n—-z will keep son’ing you!!!!!”

Birdman even chimed in as the Cash Money president looks to have been disgusted by the NFL’s decision. “Smfh… These n—az Pussi @NICKIMINAJ @Drake @LilTunechi YMCMB,” he added on X. “I’m make these n—az respek us on Gladys… Hatin s–t for real.”

Billboard has reached out to Jay-Z’s reps at Roc Nation for comment.

The NFL announced on Sunday (Sept. 8) that Kendrick Lamar will serve as the headliner when the big game comes to New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025.

Others outside the Young Money family have spoken out in defense of Wayne as well, including Master P, Boosie Badazz, Cam’ron and Mase. Lil Wayne himself is yet to publicly react to the NFL’s move.

Read Nicki Minaj and Birdman’s tweets in full below:

09 Sep 2024

Why La Roux’s 2009 ‘Bulletproof’ Is Appearing on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart

A dance classic of the late aughts has been pushed back onto the charts by a pair of recent plays.

On the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart dated Sept. 7, La Roux‘s 2009 hit “Bulletproof” sits at No. 13 amid its fifth week on the chart, down from a peak position at No. 10.

The 15-year old song arrived on this chart due to a recent streaming surge caused by two unrelated uses. The first was a February commercial for the allergy medication Allegra, in which a woman sings the song acapella in an ode to how it apparently makes her bulletproof against allergens.

Streaming then surged enough for the song to chart after July 21, when Kodak Black posted a TikTok of himself vibing (and also brushing his teeth) to the track in a viral video that’s since been liked more then three million times.

Trending on Billboard

This Tiktok caused a “Bulletproof” streaming jump from 707,000 to 1.8 million in the week ending July 25, and then to 3.5 million in the week ending Aug. 1, according to Luminate. The most recent comments on the 2010 “Bulletproof” music video on YouTube state that viewers arrived to the clip because of Black’s influence. (“The culture came back to this after Kodak Black,” one commenter wrote. “S–t was a banger back then.”)

While the bubbly, defiant song by the English duo was a hit on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release on June 21, 2009, this current run marks its first appearance on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, which launched in 2013, four years after the track’s release.

Initially a hit in the United Kingdom, “Bulletproof” first reached a U.S. Billboard chart on Aug. 1, 2009, when it entered Dance Club Songs at No. 38, ultimately hitting No. 1 on the chart that September. The synth pop anthem also soared on the Hot 100, cracking the top 10 in March of 2010 when it reached No. 8. It went on to spend a whopping 27 weeks on the chart. The song was also a hit on Dance/Mix Show Airplay, where it spent 14 weeks in 2009/2010, peaking at No. 10.

The song came from the duo’s 2009 self-titled debut album, which also contained the hit “In It For the Kill.” This past June, La Roux’s Elly Jackson recently acknowledged the album’s 15-year anniversary, writing on Instagram that “this album is complex for me… without it life would be very different but it took a lot out of me that’s taken years to get back. Never thought it would take this long, so weird to think it’s fifteen years ago… I’m not even sure I can process that but here we are. Thank you to everyone that’s loved and still loves this record. My deep cuts are ‘quicksand’ and ‘colourless colour,’ let me know yours.”

09 Sep 2024

Antonio Brown Calls Taylor Swift & Brittany Mahomes ‘White People for Trump’ After U.S. Open Reunion

Antonio Brown is drawing conclusions about Taylor Swift after the pop star embraced Brittany Mahomes at the U.S. Open Sunday (Sept. 8).

Sharing a photo of Swift smiling next to Travis Kelce at the prestigious tennis event while hugging the retired soccer player — who is married to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes — the former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver gave the trio a pointed new nickname. “White People for Trump,” Brown wrote.

Billboard has reached out to Swift’s rep for comment.

Brittany Mahomes and Swift’s hangout at the U.S. Open comes shortly after the former drew criticism for reportedly liking posts and comments in support of former president Donald Trump in late August, after which the twice-impeached Republican candidate sang her praises in a post on Truth Social. “I want to thank beautiful Brittany Mahomes for so strongly defending me, and the fact that MAGA is the greatest and most powerful Political Movement in the History of our now Failing Country,” he wrote at the time.

As the “Karma” singer has been open in previous years about her opposition to Trump, some fans expected Swift to distance herself from Brittany following the controversy. The two women — who grew close over the course of the 2023-24 NFL season — seemingly didn’t interact at the Chiefs’ first game of the new season on Thursday (Sept. 5), leading to surprise when the pair seemed closer than ever at the tournament.

The situation is also underscored by the fact that Swift has not yet endorsed a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, in spite of backing President Joe Biden and VP Kamala Harris’ successful White House bid in 2020.

Someone who has backed a candidate, however, is Brown. “I think Donald Trump is a good businessman and comes from a good family and has been a good president,” said the athlete, who was named president of Ye’s Donda Sports in 2022, in a May interview with Outkick. “I’ll endorse Trump.”

See Brown’s tweet below.