Music News

16 Aug 2024

Fujii Kaze Set to Livestream Day 1 of Nissan Stadium Concerts: See the Schedule

Fujii Kaze will livestream the first of his back-to-back shows at Kanagawa’s Nissan Stadium set for Aug. 24 and 25, entitled Fujii Kaze Stadium Live “Feelin’ Good,” on his official YouTube channel.

These stadium performances are expected to draw 140,000 fans over the two days. To commemorate the YouTube livestream, the “Kirari” star will also make the concert merch available online through his official webstore, starting at 9:00 p.m. JST on Wednesday, Aug 21.

The 27-year-old singer-songwriter will be supported by a band consisting of some of the best musicians in the business for these sets: TAIKING (Suchmos) on guitar, Naoki Kobayashi on bass, Norihide Saji on drums, Yaffle on keyboards, and Takashi Fukuoka on percussions, with ARIWA (ASOUND) and Emoh Les on backing vocals.

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Day 1 of Fujii Kaze Stadium Live “Feelin’ Good” will be livestreamed on his official YouTube on Saturday, Aug. 24, from 5:45 p.m. JST.

16 Aug 2024

Metallica Fans Can Score a Private Dinner With James Hetfield In Charity Auction

If you’ve always dreamed of sitting down to a meal with Metallica singer/guitarist James Hetfield you’re in luck. The metal legend is offering up a private dinner for you and up to three of your friends in a charity auction to support the Adaptive Sports Foundation.

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The only catch is that it will cost you a pretty penny, as the current bid for the outing stood at $28,500 at press time. According to the listing for the auction, the meal for four with Hetfield in Vail-adjacent Edwards, CO will also feature a guest appearance from an athlete from the Adaptive Sports Foundation — which provides sports and recreational opportunities to children and adults with cognitive and physical disabilities — and an accompanying staff member who will share their success stories with Hetfield and your crew.

Bidding for the auction expires on Aug. 21. The fine print notes that the participant in the 90-120-minute meal has to be 21-years-old or older, that they may take a photo with Hetfield and ask him to sign one small item and the scheduling is subject to a mutual agreement on a date between the singer, the charity and the winner. In addition, the winner is responsible for the total cost of the meal for all participants and travel and accommodations are not included.

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Billboard recently compiled a list of the artists whose albums spent the most weeks at No. 1 on the Top Catalog Albums chart, with Metallica’s Grammy-winning self-titled 1991 album logging 45 weeks and representing the only hard rock/metal album on the list. In addition, the LP colloquially known as the Black Album just celebrated a mind-blowing 750 weeks on the Billboard 200 album chart, making it only the fourth LP in history to cross that threshold.

16 Aug 2024

Tiwa Savage & Diane Warren on the Environmental Message Within Their New Song: ‘Everybody Needs To Pay Attention’

While the solutions to climate change an also feel so big to be beyond our control, a new song from Diane Warren, Tiwa Savage and producer Damon Elliott intends to remind listeners otherwise.

Out Friday (Aug. 16), “One Heart Can Change The World” is sung by the Nigerian singer, produced by Elliott and written by Diane Warren, the 15-time Oscar-nominated legend.

The bright Afrobeats anthem is the sole song from the soundtrack to Ozi: Voice of the Forest, an animated film that tells the story of Ozi, an orangutan whose habitat is destroyed by deforestation. Forced from her home, Ozi goes on adventure through the forest, ultimately using social media to tell her story with the world.

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“One Heart Can Change the World” provides a climactic and uplifting end to the film, which is out Friday (Aug. 16) in Europe and will be released in the U.S. this fall. Hear the song below.

At a recent screening in Los Angeles, Savage, Warren and Elliott spoke on a panel after the film to talk about the song’s origins and intention.

“I was really touched by this movie and it really spoke to me,” Warren said of writing the soaring song. “What it has to say is what everybody needs to pay attention to, what’s going on with our planet. I sat down and wrote the song ‘One Heart Can Change the World’ because it’s true. One of us makes a little change and it can change the world.”

Warren had Savage in mind to sing on the song, reaching to her via DM.

“I literally thought it was a joke,” Savage said of getting Warren’s message. “Then she said she wanted to send me the music, and when I heard it — I already I knew it was going to be an amazing song, because it’s coming from her. The lyrics and the melody were incredible and refreshing, because it’s different from everything that’s out right now, and I just loved the message behind it as well. I have a nine year old son, and it is something to think about: what kind of planet is my son going to grow up in, and his kids. I’m really honored to be able to lend my voice.” 

For Warren, a longtime animal activist and vegan, working on this song was particularly meaningful. “The environment is ruined because of the greenhouse gasses which [are] caused by the cow industry and agriculture, aside from the horrible cruelty of it,” she said, “so I feel like my little one heart can make a change, and that’s how I choose to do it, by choosing kindness over cruelty.”

Elliott, a close collaborator of Warren’s who’s releasing the song through his own Kind Music Group, added that he took a course in Afrobeats production to make sure he got the sound right. “I was like, ‘This has to be the real deal,’” he said.

Ozi: Voice of the Forest was produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Mike Medavoy and is an Appian Way and GCIFILM Production. While the film is a smart, heartfelt and entertaining way to introduce children to ideas around deforestation and climate change, Warren emphasizes that the movie and song’s message is for everyone.

“I didn’t write a song for kids,” she said. “I wrote a song for people of all ages. You could be five years old or 50, or whatever age. This song is saying something that’s important, that one heart can change the world, however old your heart is. “

16 Aug 2024

St. Vincent Crushed the National Anthem and Showed Off Her Impressive Dribbling Skills at L.A. Sparks Game

St. Vincent provided one of the rare high points at Crypto.com Arena for the home team L.A. Sparks on Thursday night (Aug. 15) with her fiery rendition of the National Anthem. The shape-shifting indie rocker hit all the tricky high notes of the notoriously hard-to-sing “Star-Spangled Banner,” and even though she had her trusty signature electric guitar on a stand behind her, the “Broken Man” singer went a cappella as she stood on the arena floor in a brown leather jacket, short black skirt and black high-heels.

That warm-up, however, was not enough to spur the Sparks to victory, as the moribund 6-19 franchise suffered their most one-sided loss of the season during the not-ever-close 103-68 blowout loss to the league-leading New York Liberty. In a pre-game warm-up clip posted in the St. Vincent Reddit, the singer born Annie Clark showed off her impressive dribbling skills in a backstage green room, deftly bouncing the ball between her legs while again dressed to go out, not go hard in the paint.

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“Oh weird, I didn’t see you there, I’m gonna be the national anthem at the Liberty/Sparks game on August 15th,” she said while impressively keeping the ball spinning on her finger. The clip ended with Vincent tossing the ball out of frame and saying, “and one!” before it bounced back and nearly hit her.

St. Vincent is currently in the midst of her All Born Screaming tour, which is slated to hit the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday (Aug. 16) with support from Eartheater and Maiah Manser.

Check out St. Vincent singing the Anthem and dribbling below.

16 Aug 2024

Travis Scott, Jay-Z & Sabrina Carpenter Headline Fanatics Fest NYC Official Playlist

With Fanatics Fest NYC launching on Friday (Aug. 16), the digital sports platform has teamed up with Apple Music for a playlist to provide the soundtrack for fans attending the inaugural festival throughout the weekend.

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The versatile playlist boasts 50 tracks in total with contributions from Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Usher, Eminem, 50 Cent, DJ Khaled, Tyla, Megan Thee Stallion, Shaboozey, Future and more.

There’s quite the mix of eras shown throughout with Michael Jackson and The Notorious B.I.G. making appearances as well as new school artists like Jordan Adetunji and Central Cee.

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Tickets to the immersive sports-centric event — think Comic Con but for sports — are still available with fans having the opportunity to interact with some of their athletic heroes all weekend (Aug. 16-18) at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

There’s plenty of star power slated to be in the building with Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Quavo, Lil Wayne and more representing for hip-hop. On the athletic side of things, fans will have the chance to see Carmelo Anthony, Derek Jeter, Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Tom Brady, Cody Rhodes and more.

Jay-Z’s legendary 40/40 nightclub has also been reimagined as a pop-up activation for VIP guests attending Fanatics Fest NYC. 40/40’s curating the ambiance that the shuttered nightclub once held, with autographed jerseys and memorabilia showcased throughout the venue.

The 40/40 Club’s Flatiron location closed its doors in August 2023, but Jay and his team plan to reopen in a new NYC location come 2025.

Stream the playlist on Apple Music.

FFNYC X Apple Playlist Story

FFNYC X Apple Playlist Story

Courtesy Photo

16 Aug 2024

Nicole Scherzinger, Liam Payne, Kelly Rowland & AJ McLean Join Forces on Netflix’s ‘Building the Band’

Four of the world’s most experienced boy band and girl group alumni are coming together to help foster the next big pop unit, with Netflix tapping Nicole Scherzinger, Liam Payne, Kelly Rowland and AJ McLean for its new music competition series, Building the Band, which begins filming this summer.

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As shared exclusively with Billboard Friday (Aug. 16), the streaming service has recruited Scherzinger to be a mentor and judge alongside judges Payne and Rowland. McLean is set to host the series. Scherzinger previously served on judging panels for The X Factor, Masked Singer and The Sing-Off.

With its team of experienced boy/girl band experts on lock (which encompasses members of the Pussycat Dolls, One Direction, Destiny’s Child and Backstreet Boys), Building the Band will bring together a number of talented singers and task them with forming their own bands without ever seeing each other. Isolated in individual booths, all they’ll have to go on when selecting their bandmates is musical compatibility, connection, chemistry and merit, according to a release.

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“What will happen when the bands finally meet, and looks, choreography, and style come into play?” a description reads. “With incredible performances, compelling drama, and one big goal — to find the next great music band — the stage is set for an unforgettable experience.”

Additional announcements regarding guest judges and the show’s various challenges are yet to come. Production companies Remarkable Entertainment and Banijay UK are behind the project, with Cat Lawson, Alison Holloway, Katrina Morrison, Clara Elliot and Simon Crossley on board as executive producers.

“Building the Band is a brave and bold undertaking for all involved as we hand over power to the singers themselves to form their own band based on chemistry first,” Lawson said in a statement. “With looks out of the equation, can they create a deeper connection with their bandmates? With limited bands, there are difficult decisions and heart stopping moments along the way, but ultimately the outcome is truly amazing, with bands forming who in my opinion are worthy of the very biggest stage.”

16 Aug 2024

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars Channel Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner in Throwback ‘Die With a Smile’ Music Video

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars tip their cowboy hats to the era of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner in their new music video for “Die With a Smile,” the pop duo’s new collaboration that dropped at midnight ET Friday (Aug. 16).

The visual finds the “Just Dance” singer and Silk Sonic band leader jamming out on a set built to resemble a retro musical variety TV show, wearing matching red-and-blue outfits that wouldn’t have been out of place on the Grand Ole Opry stage in the 1960s. With Mars on guitar and Gaga seated at a piano — cigarette hanging from her lips, her blonde tresses teased to oblivion in true Parton style — the pair passionately belts out their existential new song.

“If the world was ending, I’d wanna be next to you/ If the party was over, and our time on Earth was through,” Mars and Gaga sing on the track that is more yearning throwback 1970s soul than C&W. “I’d wanna hold you just for a while/ And die with a smile.”

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Shortly after the project dropped, 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.

“Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the icon, pop royalty, Lady Gaga!” Mars said while introducing his duet partner to wild cheers from the surprised crowd.

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.

Watch the “Die With a Smile” music video starring Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars above.

16 Aug 2024

Friday Music Guide: New Music From Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, Post Malone, LISA & Rosalía and More

Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond. 

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This week, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars link up for a surefire hit, Post Malone tries on a cowboy hat and LISA brings in a friend for a pop banger. Check out all of this week’s picks below:

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile” 



The superstar collaboration “Die With a Smile” apparently came together when Bruno Mars invited Lady Gaga over to his studio one night, played her the bones of the track, and the two stayed up until dawn finishing it; that backstory is befitting of an epic duet about not wasting the finite time we all have, as Gaga and Mars let their melodies ricochet off of Andrew Watt’s guitar snarl.

Post Malone, F-1 Trillion 



Posty may have brought in Nashville’s varsity squad to help him craft his debut country project — Tim McGraw, Morgan Wallen, Blake Shelton, Dolly Parton and Hank Williams Jr. all appear on F-1 Trillion, and that’s just the first five tracks! — yet the pop-rap polymath is also a songwriting savant, and knows precisely how to translate his storytelling into a new form.

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LISA feat. Rosalía, “New Woman” 



After launching her new solo era with “Rockstar,” Blackpink’s LISA has summoned more firepower for “New Woman,” a multi-lingual electro-pop track featuring Rosalía oozing charisma, sleek production courtesy of Max Martin and Ilya, and ample room for LISA to showcase her attitude and spirit.

Tinashe, Quantum Baby 



Tinashe may have recently revived her mainstream fortunes with the viral smash “Nasty,” but she’s been releasing danceable, self-assured R&B for a decade — and Quantum Baby, a sumptuous new 8-song project full of immediately likable beats and flirtations, simply continues the positive momentum.

Grupo Firme & Demi Lovato, “Chula” 



Demi Lovato has a long history of singing in Spanish on her own projects and as a collaborator, and with “Chula,” the pop veteran links up with Grupo Firme to explore the regional Mexican sound that has exploded over the past few years, as well as toss out an anthem that works well in the waning summer days.

Hozier, Unaired 



Continuing a huge year that has included the first Hot 100 chart-topper of his career (“Too Sweet”) and packed arena audiences, Hozier has unveiled Unaired, a three-song EP that toasts the success of his Unreal Unearth album on its one-year anniversary as well as finds a home for the rollicking new soul-rock single “Nobody’s Soldier.”

Halsey, “Lonely is the Muse” 



Although Halsey didn’t work with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on new single “Lonely is the Muse,” the spiraling rock track recalls the work that the trio created on 2022’s excellent If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, with crashing guitars failing to wash away the pop star’s insecurities or blunt her anger.

Benson Boone, “Pretty Slowly” 



“Oh, how come all the best things fall apart?” Benson Boone wonders on “Pretty Slowly,” a stomping folk-rock track that examines a breakup from all angles and allows the singer-songwriter’s falsetto to heighten the drama; after the breakthrough of “Beautiful Things,” Boone may have another hit on his hands here.

Foster The People, Paradise State of Mind 



“Pumped Up Kicks” may forever be their biggest hit, but Foster The People have fashioned an impressive decade-plus run out of the opening provided by their smash single, and Paradise State of Mind, their Atlantic Records debut, is a jaunty mix of disco, rock, psychedelia and retro pop that showcases Mark Foster’s pinpoint songwriting instincts.

Editor’s Pick: Wishy, Triple Seven 



Indianapolis quintet Wishy revel in being unclassifiable, with their songs ranging from anthemic pop-rock to hard-guitar emo to bleary shoegaze — but debut album Triple Seven is so captivating in its shaggy charm and searing hooks that you won’t care which genre lines it does or doesn’t cross.

16 Aug 2024

Shaboozey, Carrie Underwood, Faith Hill & More: Acts Who Topped Country Airplay for 4 or More Weeks With Breakthrough Hits

Shaboozey dominates Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Aug. 24) for a fourth week with “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – gaining entrance to a select group of artists’ breakout hits that have led for at least that long over the chart’s 34-year history.

The song by the Virginia native (born Collins Obinna Chibueze) drew 30.5 million audience impressions at the format Aug. 9-15, according to Luminate. The single, on American Dogwood/EMPIRE, with country radio promotion by Magnolia Music, concurrently crowns the Pop Airplay chart for a second week.

“A Bar Song” is only the ninth country career-establishing No. 1 at the format to reign for four-plus weeks – and the second among the three most recent Country Airplay leaders, after Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” (featuring Morgan Wallen) ruled for four beginning in June. (Before that, however, no such song had achieved the feat in over 18 years.)

What makes “A Bar Song” so special, and a hit at multiple formats, from country and pop to rhythmic? Travis Daily, who in May became Cumulus Media vp of country, after being named brand and content manager of the chain’s WKDF and WSM-FM Nashville in April, tells Billboard, “I have a kid in college who sends me music almost daily, and he sent me the song one night as I was packing for my move to Nashville. My first reaction was, ‘This is exactly what we need to stand out on WKDF when I get to town.’

“After listening multiple times, I began thinking that this is going to take off before I even get a chance to drive across the country [from Salt Lake City],” Daily says. “Some people think it’s a mystery that it’s doing so well, which kind of baffles me. We have a great song by a very talented artist that our audience seems to love. Passion for this song is almost unheard of.

“Some country programmers don’t like when pop stations play our country hits,” Daily further muses. “I would argue that songs like this give me a chance to convert some audience into becoming fans of the greatest format in the world, which is obviously country.”

Below, browse the songs that have topped Country Airplay for four or more weeks by artists making their first major inroads at the format (counting acts’ first entries on the chart as a lead artist or their initial songs promoted to country radio). They include memorable rookie anthems by acts that went on to become some of country’s biggest names.

16 Aug 2024

Chart Rewind: In 1969, Merle Haggard Worked His Way to No. 1 on Hot Country Songs

On Aug. 16, 1969, Merle Haggard’s “Workin’ Man Blues” climbed to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. It became the seventh of the genre cornerstone’s 38 leaders, the third-most in the survey’s history after George Strait, who reigns with 44, and Conway Twitty, who notched 40.

Haggard wrote “Workin’ Man Blues,” which Ken Nelson produced.

“Sometimes I think about leaving, do a little bummin’ around,” Haggard admits in the song. “I want to throw my bills out the window, catch a train to another town/ I go back to working, I gotta buy my kids a brand new pair of shoes/ I drank a little beer in a tavern, cry a little bit of these working man blues.”

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The track was released from A Portrait of Merle Haggard, whose “Hungry Eyes” became the set’s first Hot Country Songs chart-topper.

Haggard was born on April 6, 1937, in Oildale, Calif. With his smooth vocals, compelling guitar skills and lyrics that keenly linked with the working class, he earned iconic status, leading to his induction to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994. His many accolades also include a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2006) and a Kennedy Center Honor (2010).

After a long battle with pneumonia, Haggard died on April 6, 2016, his 79th birthday. His funeral that April 9 was officiated by Marty Stuart. Two weeks after Haggard’s passing, at a tour stop in Bakersfield, Calif., Chris Stapleton and his wife Morgaine paid tribute with performances of Haggard’s “Silver Wings” and “Today I Started Loving You Again.”