Music News

21 Aug 2024

Lady Gaga Sings Along to Her Bruno Mars Collab With Her Adorable New Puppy

Lady Gaga is promoting her song with the help of her adorable new puppy .

The superstar took to TikTok to share a video in which she’s seen singing along to her freshly released Bruno Mars collab, “Die With a Smile.” In the clip, Gaga has a bright blue eye makeup look as she sweetly cradles a tiny French Bulldog.

Shortly after the project dropped last week, the Joker star and “Uptown Funk!” hitmaker gave “Die With a Smile” its live debut at Mars’ Thursday night (Aug. 15) concert at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. For the show, he wore a cowboy hat, while Gaga again sported bee-hive hair akin to her look in the music video, maintaining the song’s retro feel.

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The pair barely gave fans a heads up before announcing that their new song was on the way, simply posting the cover art and confirming its release date on Instagram less than 12 hours ahead of time. “WHILE YOU WAIT TILL LG7… ‘DIE WITH A SMILE’ a duet with @brunomars ❤️‍?” Gaga wrote at the time, teasing her upcoming seventh album.

21 Aug 2024

Don McLean Says ‘American Pie’ Predicted ‘Woke Bullsh–‘ Culture: ‘There’s So Much Anger’

Don McLean does not want a slice of “American Pie” if it comes topped with “woke bullsh–” — something he spoke at length about in a new interview with Metro published this week.

When asked about his iconic 1971 hit, the 78-year-old singer/songwriter said he feels the eight-minute-plus track predicted the current state of the U.S. “The song really does open up a whole historical question about what happened in the ’60s and assassinations and the history that forms the backbone of the song as it moves forward,” he began. “This song talks about the fact that things are going somewhat in the wrong direction, and I think that they’re still going in the wrong direction. I think most people looking at America now kind of think that too.

“I mean, we certainly have a wonderful country, and we do wonderful things, but we also are in the middle of all this woke bullsh–,” he continued. “All this other stuff that there is absolutely no point to, as far as I can see, other than to undermine people’s beliefs in the country. That’s very bad.

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“There’s so much anger out there,” McLean added. “So many of these college students have been given everything, and they’re just angry. They don’t know why they’re angry. They don’t even know what to be angry about. It’s really a symptom of the fact that they’re frustrated. They don’t have a path that they can tread in life that leads to a better life.”

Before Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021, “American Pie” was the longest song to ever reach No. 1 on the singles chart, where it stayed for four weeks. After the song’s record was broken, McLean told Billboard, “If I had to lose it to somebody, I sure am glad it was another great singer/songwriter such as Taylor.”

The “Anti-Hero” singer then sent the folk rock star a bouquet of flowers and a sweet note reading, “Don, I will never forget that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. Your music has been so important to me. Sending love one writer of LONG SONGS to another. Your fan, Taylor.”

McLean has remained a fan of Swift’s in the three years since. In another interview this week, he described her as a “monster star, the size of the galaxy” and a “person who is an example of what talent and really hard work can accomplish.”

“She’s working all of the time, and she does everything that she does better than everybody else, whether it’s a video or a performance or songwriting or records or whatever,” he continued to The Standard. “The only thing is that she stays happy.”

21 Aug 2024

Swedish House Mafia’s ‘Don’t You Worry Child’ Tops a Billion Views on YouTube

Eleven years after its release, the video for Swedish House Mafia‘s “Don’t You Worry Child” is still making history. On Wednesday (Aug. 21), YouTube announced that the video has surpassed 1 billion views on the platform, the first clip by the trio to join this elite group.

Released on Sept. 14, 2012, “Don’t You Worry Child” was an immediate dance hit, ultimately coming to define the EDM era of the 2010s. The song itself currently has 547.8 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to Luminate.

Coming on the same day as the song, the “Don’t You Worry Child” video expanded the lore around the track and the group, who three months earlier had announced that they were breaking up. The video’s narrative focuses on the breakup, working in news reports about the situation and also incorporating footage from the group’s July 14, 2012, performance at England’s Milton Keynes Bowl, where they debuted the song.

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“Don’t You Worry Child” spent 33 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2012 and 2013, peaking at No. 6 in February 2013.

With the accomplishment, Swedish House Mafia joins the Billion Views Club that already includes a cavalcade of hits, like Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again” featuring Charlie Puth, Mark Ronson’s “Uptown Funk” featuring Bruno Mars and other videos by artists like Rihanna, Drake, The Weeknd and Cyndi Lauper.

In terms of how much artists get paid for crossing the billion-stream mark, royalties are dependent on factors like label affiliation, location and type of view. For example, artists signed to major labels — which represent the vast majority of members of the Billion Views Club — earn higher rates on the platform than those who are unsigned or affiliated with an indie label.

21 Aug 2024

DJ Snake Distances Himself From Lil Jon’s ‘Turn Down for What’ Moment at 2024 DNC: ‘I Did Not & Do Not Allow’

DJ Snake will not, apparently, turn down for American political conventions.

In a statement Wednesday (Aug. 21) on X, the French producer responded to the performance of his 2013 Lil Jon collab “Turn Down for What” being performed by the Atlanta rapper during night 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

“I did not and do not allow the use of my music to be played at a political event of any kind,” the artist wrote.

The performance of “Turn Down for What” was a widely discussed moment at the DNC on Tuesday night, with Lil Jon making a surprise appearance during the state roll call, representing for his native Georgia by appearing in the crowd and performing the raucous classic. For this roll call, each state picked a song related to it, with other selections including New Jersey choosing “Born in the U.S.A.” by native son Bruce Springsteen’s and Kansas selecting Kansas’ “Carry On My Wayward Son.”

With his tweet, DJ Snake joins a growing list of musical artists who’ve objected to the use of their music at political events. During the 2024 presidential election cycle alone, artists including The Smiths, Celine Dion, Beyoncé and the estate of late artist Isaac Hayes have spoken out against Donald Trump using their music at his rallies and events.

But while DJ Snake may not be happy with his music being played at the Convention, other DJs seem cool with it. Immediately after President Biden’s speech on Monday during the first night of the convention, Kygo‘s 2019 remix of Whitney Houston’s “Higher Love” was played over the United Center’s speakers, with this play marking a full-circle moment, given that it was played at the end of Biden’s victory speech after he and Vice President Harris won the 2020 presidential election.

Also on the first night of the 2024 DNC, first lady Jill Biden walked onstage to the 1998 Fatboy Slim classic “Praise You.”

On Wednesday night (Aug. 21), John Legend is set to perform, while P!nk will take the stage for Thursday’s closing night.

21 Aug 2024

Imagine Dragons Drummer Daniel Platzman Leaves Band

Imagine Dragons’ drummer, Daniel Platzman, officially announced on Wednesday (Aug. 21) that he is leaving the band to focus on his film composing career.

“After an incredible journey of over a decade, I will be departing the amazing band that is Imagine Dragons,” Platzman shared in a press statement. “I wanted to share my deepest gratitude to you, the fans, for your unwavering support and sharing in the joy of music with me. Connecting with you all has truly been the highlight of this chapter. I’m excited to be able to share more soon about the projects I’ve been hard at work on over the past few months centered on my biggest passion: film scoring and composing. I promise you’ll be the first to know. Stay tuned.”

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Platz has been in the band for more than a decade. He joined his previous collaborators Ben McKee and Wayne Sermon, as well as singer Dan Reynolds, as the drummer for Imagine Dragons in 2011, shortly after he graduated from Berklee College of Music.Later that year, the band signed with Interscope Records
and would go on to release five certified platinum albums.

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The group has yet to announce a replacement drummer.

Last month, the group landed their sixth top 10-charting effort on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, as the band’s new studio set Loom entered at No. 3 on the chart dated July 13.

21 Aug 2024

Ashanti Confirms She Welcomed Her First Baby With Nelly: ‘This Is What Postpartum Looks Like’

Ashanti and Nelly are officially parents, with a rep confirming to People on Wednesday (Aug. 21) that the couple welcomed a baby boy.

The rep also revealed the name of the little one — Kareem Kenkaide Haynes — and that his birthday was July 18. “The proud and happy parents are so in love with KK!” they added in a statement.

The confirmation came around the same time that the “Foolish” singer revealed that she’d given birth with a post on Instagram, showing off her postpartum body in a mirror selfie. “Funny how life’s plans aren’t…always on time.. lol,” she wrote in her caption. “I’ve been waiting to be a mom for a long time now but nothing could prepare me for EVERYTHING motherhood brings!”

“This is what postpartum looks like,” she continued. “I’m so proud of my body for giving me my baby, baby, baby, baby, baby.”

Ashanti and Nelly first announced they were expecting in April, simultaneously revealing that they’d gotten engaged after rekindling their romance in 2023. The artists first started dating in 2003 before ultimately breaking up in 2013, only to reconnect after another 10 years.

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“I think we both were pretty much doing what we do, but sometimes being separate you understand one another more,” Nelly explained of their relationship in an interview with Love and Hip Hop‘s Rasheeda and Kirk Frost last year. “You be like, ‘Yo, let me see exactly what they see.’ You know, because we all can be defensive sometimes in our own relationships. We know we wrong but we going to stand on it. But we all a victim to that.”

Kareem is Ashanti’s first child and Nelly’s fifth. He previously welcomed daughter Chanelle in 1994 and son Cornell in 1999 with ex-girlfriend Channetta Valentine. After Nelly’s sister, Jackie Donahue, died of leukemia in March 2005, the musician adopted her kids, Shawn and Sydney Thomas.

See Ashanti’s post confirming the birth of her baby boy below.

21 Aug 2024

How Big of a Hit Can Taylor Swift’s ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’ Become?

On Tuesday night (Aug. 20), Taylor Swift capped off a five-night run at the U.K.’s Wembley Stadium, and the European run of the Eras tour, by unveiling a new music video for “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” that featured behind-the-scenes clips of the mega-selling tour. The anthem about shining in the spotlight amidst personal turmoil is featured on The Tortured Poets Department, which logs its 15th frame at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this week.

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And unlike “Fortnight,” the album’s lead single featuring Post Malone that debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100, “Broken Heart” has slowly been climbing back up the chart, and becoming a multi-platform hit.

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On this week’s Hot 100, “Broken Heart” moves up two spots to No. 33 in its 17th week on the chart (“Fortnight,” meanwhile, slips 11 places to No. 49). “Broken Heart” previously peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100, when it was part of Swift’s second career flooding of the chart’s entire top 10 upon the release of The Tortured Poets Department.

Prior to the music video release, the song’s weekly streaming numbers had hovered around 7.5 million over the past three weeks, according to Luminate. Last week (in the chart week ending Aug. 15), “Broken Heart” earned 7.67 million U.S. on-demand streams, up 3% from the previous chart week (7.43 million streams).

However, “Broken Heart” has been growing more steadily at radio over the past month. On the Radio Songs chart dated Aug. 3, the song placed at No. 42, with an audience of 12.9 million; three weeks later, “Broken Heart” comes in at No. 25 on the current tally, with an audience of 21.1 million (up 10% from the previous chart week). “Broken Heart” debuted at No. 42 on the Pop Airplay chart on July 27, and has climbed to No. 15 over the past month — but the format with the most support has been adult pop, as the track is up to No. 8 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart.

With “Broken Heart” picking up steam at radio while holding steady on streaming services, the music video release could help the single push towards the top 20 of the Hot 100 in the coming weeks. Fans are certainly embracing the all-access glimpse of the Eras Tour, with the “Broken Heart” video approaching 7 million views less than 24 hours after its release.

Watch the “Broken Heart” video below:

21 Aug 2024

Ariana Grande & Cynthia Erivo Celebrate the Power of Friendship in ‘Wicked’ Behind-the-Scenes Look

Wicked is set to hit theaters in just a few months, and a new behind-the-scenes teaser of the film dropped on Wednesday (Aug. 21) diving into the power of friendship throughout the story.

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Ariana Grande is set to star as Glinda the Good Witch and Cynthia Erivo as the iconic role of Elphaba, also known as the Wicked Witch of the West. In the film, the two become roommates at Shiz University and, while their relationship was rocky at first, the two eventually develop a loving and supportive friendship.

“Wicked, to me, at its every core, is about friendship, director Jon M. Chu explains in the nearly three-minute clip, as scenes of Glinda and Elphaba growing in their relationship weave throughout the video. “It starts with a really fun look at how these two young women are so different from each other, are forced to be roommates and don’t get along at all.”

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Erivo adds, “We have to learn about each other and get to know each other,” before Grande notes, “These two very different women just fall completely in love with each other, and that is mirrored experience of what happened with Cynthia and I.”

Erivo then noted that she and Grande “got each other immediately,” with Chu adding, “Their friendship is going to bring a humanity to this film that they both deeply understand.”

The fourth-longest-running Broadway show of all time, Wicked pulls inspiration from both the stage musical and the best-selling Gregory Maguire-penned novel of the same name.

The rest of the principal Wicked cast will feature Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Olivier winner Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Tony nominee Ethan Slater as Boq, Emmy nominee Bowen Yang as Pfannee and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz.

The first part of Wicked arrives in theaters on November 22.

21 Aug 2024

Here’s Why Big Sean’s ‘Yes’ Video Is Being Criticized Online

Big Sean has a had a hard time on the Internet over the last couple of years (something he’s touched on in the past), and his latest song and video show that rap fans aren’t letting up.

If you noticed that Baby Keem was trending on X earlier Wednesday, that’s because some fans on social media are claiming that Sean is using his flow, while others are pointing out that he’s channeling his older stuff like “Paradise.” There isn’t a consensus, as fans on social media seem to be split. We think he’s just trying something different and folks are letting his rocky relationship with Keem’s older cousin Kendrick Lamar get in the way.

The Detroit rapper talked to Charlamagne tha God earlier this month, where they talked about a leaked version of Lamar’s song “Element” where he dissed Sean. “That song came out and he changed that bar, it wasn’t on the song anymore, it was a leaked verse,” Sean said. “I had to keep that in mind because I was pissed when I heard it. He changed that on his own. He probably came to the conclusion it was nothing.”

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He then revealed that he and Kendrick talked and they hashed things out. “He apologized in a sense for going that far to that sh—t coming out,” Sean told Charlamagne. “When that sh—t leaks, people are like, ‘Oh, you heard what he said about you?’ I’m not a clout-chasing a– n—a, I’m solid and I stand on mine. We already talked about it, I already got an apology for it.”

The Detroit rapper has been on fire and he continues his hot streak with a new song and video that arrived Tuesday (Aug. 20). Directed by Diamond Visuals and presented by Lyrical Lemonade, “Yes” shows the artist at his most confident. He’s playing around with flows and rapping like his rent is due.

“New s—t might get spooky, had to bring the ways back/ Stupid lil’ b—-h wan’ reminisce about some s—t from way back/ When you slackin’ on the job, that’s when they try and take that,” he spits.

Sean has been extremely active this year.

This is his fourth single already this year as he gears up to drop his highly anticipated sixth album. He’s started the year off with “Precision” in March, then he dropped “Yes” in July (which makes this Keem “controversy” all the more confusing,) and in August he followed up with “On Up” about his newborn and the Alchemist-assisted “Together Forever.”

He’s also featured on “Shut Up” with Jessie Reyez, “Tobey” with Eminem and BabyTron, and DJ Premier with Lil Wayne and Rick Ross. And let us not forget about his impressive On the Radar freestyle over Aaliyah‘s “If Your Girl Only Knew.”

Better Me Than You was originally supposed to be released on Aug. 9, but Big Sean decided to push it back due to scheduling conflicts. There’s still no word on an official release date.

Check out a few fan reactions to Sean’s “Yes” video below:

21 Aug 2024

Pink Sweats’ Team Reveals Singer Is Currently Hospitalized: ‘Pray for Pink’

Pink Sweats has been hospitalized, but details regarding his health status remain scarce. The singer’s team took to his Instagram Story on Tuesday (Aug. 20) providing an update and soliciting prayers from fans.

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“This is Pink Sweat$ team. we ask that you PRAY FOR PINK as he fights in the hospital right now. SEND ALL OF YOUR LOVE, POSITIVE ENERGY, HEALING ENERGY HIS WAY,” the message reads.

The Philly native’s wife, JL Bunny, posted an Instagram Story holding what appeared to be her husband’s hand on a hospital bed as she also asked for prayers. “I’m not usually like this but at this point we need it,” she wrote. “Please, if you believe in the power of prayer, please pray for pink.”

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Fans sent their love and support on Instagram. “I literally just gave my mother a run down his beautiful music. It speaks to my soul,” one person wrote. “His song honesty I ask God for a special healing blessing to be placed upon him, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. Grant his wife and family strength.”

Another added: “Love his music. Prayers up for his healing and strength for his family.”

Billboard has reached out to Pink Sweats’ reps for comment.

On the music side, Sweats’ most recent release came with his “Bloom” single back in June. The 32-year-old has a pair of studio albums under his belt with 2021’s Pink Planet, which peaked at No. 133 on the Billboard 200, and Pink Moon in 2022.