Music
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Millie Bobby Brown wasn’t just an eager participant when Sabrina Carpenter faux-arrested her at a Short n’ Sweet Tour stop October; the bit was the Stranger Things star’s idea, she revealed in a new interview.
Months after a video showing the “Espresso” singer detaining Brown for being “too hot” at the former’s Atlanta concert went viral, the actress told Vanity Fair in a new cover story published Wednesday (Feb. 12) that she had actually been the one to initially message Carpenter before the show.
“Can you arrest me?” she’d asked
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The Grammy winner — who has also performed “arrests” on Margaret Qualley and Saturday Night Live‘s Marcello Hernández at other Short n’ Sweet shows — obliged. “I would love to arrest you,” Brown recalls Carpenter replying.
Fast-forward to the actual show, and Brown’s big smile at Carpenter’s shout-out was one of the most talked-about moments of the Oct. 22 show at State Farm Arena. “I’m really distracted right now because I see this gorgeous girl,” the Girl Meets World alum said at the time, as the Enola Holmes star’s face came on over the jumbotron. “It’s so unfortunate we have to arrest you because you’re so beautiful, that sucks.”
The Short n’ Sweet show isn’t the only recent concert Brown is still thinking about, though. The Florence by Mills founder also saw Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stop in Cincinnati in 2023, about which Brown raved to VF, “It was amazing, it was unbelievable.”
Brown also now knows the live choreography to Swift’s “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” number, which she learned with husband Jake Bongiovi, who is the son of Jon Bon Jovi. The Damsel star married the actor in May 2024, before once again exchanging vows in Tuscany four months later — a ceremony that she says included the newlyweds performing a six-minute Grease dance routine “that we choreographed ourselves.”
“We started with leather jackets and glasses, then took them off,” she recalled, noting that “Summer Nights,” “You’re the One That I Want” and “We Go Together” were all part of the show. “I was in my Sandy jumpsuit, and he was in this cool T-shirt, pants, and really shiny shoes.”
See Brown on the cover of Vanity Fair below.
AJ Tracey and Jorja Smith have linked up once again for an absolute banger. The pair started promoting the Rhythm & Grime song earlier this week with a clip on social media, with Jorja rapping her verse in a driveway with a beautiful money-green BMW E30 and AJ Tracey dipped in a pink Palace and […]
Influential French electronic duo Justice has been a staple in the dance/electronic community since the early 2000s, but the pair finally earns its first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated Feb. 15) with a new collaboration with The Weeknd, “Wake Me Up.”
Released Feb. 7 on The Weeknd’s new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, the song opens at No. 45 on the Hot 100 with 10.9 million official U.S. streams, 1.4 million radio audience impressions and 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week, according to Luminate. The set launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 490,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week, the largest opening figure since Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department in May 2024.
“Wake Me Up,” the first cut on Hurry Up Tomorrow, interpolates the classic title track from Michael Jackson’s 1982 album Thriller and Georgio Moroder’s “Main Title” from the 1983 film Scarface. The late Rod Temperton, who wrote “Thriller,” is credited as a co-writer of “Wake Me Up,” along with The Weeknd, Justice, Belly, Mike Dean, Johnny Jewel and Vincent Taurelle; The Weeknd, Justice, Mike Dean, Johnny Jewel produced it. Moroder, notably, is credited as a featured artist on Hurry Up Tomorrow track “Big Sleep,” which just misses the Hot 100, opening at No. 3 on the list’s Bubbling Under ranking. He has charted two songs on the Hot 100: “Chase” (No. 33 peak in 1979) and “Reach Out,” featuring Paul Engeman (No. 81, 1984).
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Justice, which comprises Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, first appeared on Billboard’s charts with Cross, which debuted at No. 1 on the Top Dance Albums chart dated July 28, 2007. The project is noteworthy for including hundreds of samples, helping usher in the bloghouse era and, later, the EDM boom.
The duo has charted six additional projects on Top Dance Albums, including four other top 10s: A Cross the Universe (No. 8 peak in 2008), Audio, Video, Disco (No. 4, 2011), Woman (No. 1, 2016) and Hyperdrama (No. 1, 2024).
Justice has also charted three hits on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart: “D.A.N.C.E.” (No. 13 peak in 2013, from Cross), “One Night/All Night,” with Tame Impala (No. 10, 2024) and “Neverender” (No. 8, 2024).
“Neverender” won best dance/electronic recording at the 67th Grammy Awards. It’s the pair’s third Grammy win, joining trophies for best remixed recording, non-classical for “Electric Feel (Justice Remix)” in 2009 and best dance/electronic album for Woman Worldwide in 2019. Cross was nominated for best electronic/dance album in 2008, while its breakout song “D.A.N.C.E.” earned a nod for best dance recording.
Justice’s collaboration with The Weeknd was first teased more than a year ago, when a demo leaked online. In an interview ahead of the release of Hyperdrama, Justice’s longtime manager Pedro Winter told Billboard that the duo had been inspired to partner with collaborators who felt like authentic fits.
“Justice has been a band saying ‘no’ to everything, exactly like when I used to work with Daft Punk,” he said. “They really wanted to focus on their own music. Now it has been a 20-year career, so it’s time to open the door and work with other people,” adding “Of course, a lot of [their fans] will not get the Justice sound … but out of those millions, let’s try to grab the attention and love of some of them.”
Saquon Barkley is in the midst of celebrating his 2025 Super Bowl win with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he’s not feeling so celebratory about the way some of his team’s supporters treated Taylor Swift at the Big game over the weekend. During a SiriusXM interview with Howard Stern on Wednesday (Feb. 12), the superstar running […]
Lady Gaga is the latest star to take on First We Feast’s Hot Ones challenge, and the superstar deals with an uncomfortable wardrobe choice in a teaser for the upcoming episode. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the one-minute clip, Gaga rocks a dress with a […]
Sam Asghari’s relationship with Britney Spears was never going to be normal, given the fact that Spears is one of the most famous women on the planet. But on top of all of that, the singer was famously under a conservatorship for about 13 years — something Asghari says was “strange” for him before their split in 2023.
On the latest episode of The Viall Files posted Wednesday (Feb. 12), Asghari opened up about his relationship with Spears — whom he started dating in 2016 after co-starring in her “Slumber Party” music video — as well as the way her legal predicament affected him as her partner. “She was under the conservatorship, and that was very strange for me to deal with,” he told host Nick Viall. “I got hit with that at the beginning.”
“[Britney] didn’t explain,” Asghari continued, sharing how he learned about the conservatorship through an unnamed third party. “Somebody called me and said, ‘Oh, just so you know, this is this. Make sure you’re obeying by our rules.”
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Wanting to be as supportive as possible, the actor added that he “didn’t go look up what’s happening on the news” and instead tried to understand on a personal level why the conservatorship was “ever in place to begin with.” “You don’t get much to say, especially if you’re just a boyfriend or someone that’s just there,” Asghari noted. “Maybe I was afraid they were going to make me not see her. So you have to be gentle and provide as much support as you can.”
The pop star was first put under a conservatorship in 2008, when a judge gave her father, Jamie Spears, legal control over her life and career. Following a yearslong, fan-led “#FreeBritney” movement, the musician was finally able to get the conservatorship officially dismissed in November 2021, a few months before which Brit and Asghari got engaged after about five years together.
On Viall Files, Asghari recalled that the proposal was “overdue.” “We wanted to get married way before, and because of everything and the situation, we had to wait,” he added. “I was holding her hand when she was speaking to the judge and talking about, she wanted the conservatorship to be done with. The second that happened, that’s when it was the right time to propose.”
The couple eventually got married in a star-studded ceremony in Los Angeles in June 2022. And though the relationship would come to an end the following year, with Asghari filing for divorce that August, the model/actor only has fond memories of the superstar. “I always say, even though it’s over now, I’m never sad it’s over,” he said. “I’m grateful it even happened.”
As for the headline-making video Spears posted of herself dancing with knives shortly after the split — the one that led to the police performing a welfare check on the star, after which she assured fans the cutlery had been fake all along — Asghari shared that he wasn’t fazed. “I’m not someone that’s [like], ‘Let me take your phone from you and not allow you to do anything and restrict you from posting your own content,’” he said of the clip.
“She’s a genius artist,” he added. “What’s in her head is gold, and it’s what made her who she is.”
Listen to Asghari’s full interview on The Viall Files below.
Ty Dolla $ign has released a statement condemning all forms of hate speech. The California artist took to his Instagram Story on Tuesday preaching a message of unity and love. “I do not condone ANY form of hate speech against ANYONE,” he wrote alongside different skin tones of emojis. Dolla $ign didn’t name-drop Ye — […]
Halle Bailey is ready for her next musical era. The Little Mermaid star took to Instagram on Tuesday (Feb. 11) to announce that her upcoming single, “Back and Forth,” will be arriving on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14). The corresponding cover art fits the romantic theme, featuring the 24-year-old singer lounging on a pink platform, dressed […]
Colombia is known for its very rich and diverse culture, including its array of musical styles from vallenato to salsa to champeta to música popular, and beyond.
Among its numerous international artists that include Shakira, Feid, Carlos Vives, Karol G, Juanes, and more, are key Afro-Colombian artists that have also shaped the country’s music industry: salsa giants Grupo Niche and the Latin Grammy-winning ChocQuibTown, for example.
The former, co-founded by the late Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano, is named “Niche” after a name that is used to refer to dark-skinned people. Last year, Grupo Niche celebrated 40 years of its timeless hit “Cali Pachanguero,” dedicated to the city of Cali, Colombia — with its bustling carnivals, lively atmosphere and beautiful people — narrated by someone who’s far away and yearns to go back home.
“This song was already born big,” the group previously told Billboard of the song’s impact. “Just by the success it had at the fair in 1984, it began to move masses. In fact, at the beginning of those years, the song was only played in Cali because it was from that city. But today, the song has to be played everywhere. It’s a must-play song [at our concert]. Everywhere [in the world], people assume it as their own.”
Other Afro-Colombians that have led the charge include Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Totó La Momposina; Mr. Black, credited with helping steer the champeta movement; and Mauro Castillo, known for his lead role on “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” in Disney’s blockbuster Encanto.
Now, in honor of Black History Month, Billboard Latin highlights a wave of emerging Afro-Colombian artists that we have discovered, and should be on your radar. Check them out in alphabetical order below:
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Chappell Roan used her speech at the 2025 Grammys to call on powerful figures within the music industry to better support up-and-coming artists’ need for health coverage. Now, her labelmate Sabrina Carpenter is heeding the call.
According to public donation records from We Got You, the new fundraising partnership between Roan and industry non-profit group Backline, the “Espresso” singer matched a donation from her fellow Island Records artist, giving $25,000 to the initiative’s efforts to “supporting accessibility of health care for artists,” and to “create a safer and more supported industry for artists to thrive.” Backline confirmed to Billboard the receipt of Carpenter’s donation.
Billboard has reached out to representatives for Carpenter for comment.
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The Short n’ Sweet star’s donation also matches those of fellow pop stars Charli XCX and Noah Kahan, both of whom publicly supported Roan’s call for industry-wide health support by contributing $25,000. “I’m inspired by you. Happy to help get the ball rolling. Money where mouth is,” Kahan wrote on his Instagram Stories, prompting Charli to follow suit by adding in her own post: “your speech at the grammys was inspiring and thoughtful and from a genuine place of care. happy to help get the ball rolling too.”
Roan started her partnership with Backline shortly after former A&R executive Jeff Rabhan criticized the singer’s Grammys speech in an op-ed for The Hollywood Reporter, saying that Roan was both “too green and too uninformed to be the agent of change she aspires to be today.” In response, Roan publicly invited Rabhan to match her $25,000 donation to support artists in need of health insurance. “I love how in the article you said ‘put your money where your mouth is,’” she wrote at the time. “Genius !!! Let’s link and build together and see if you can do the same.” (Rabhan’s name is not listed amongst the public donors to the We Got You campaign).
In a follow-up post, Roan made it clear that she never intended for her Grammys speech to bring about a “crowdfunded bandaid” to the issue, but rather for it to serve as a “call to action” for industry executives to change labels’ current policy of not providing healthcare to their signed artists.
“My mind will not be changed about artists deserving more than what’s standard in the industry,” she said in the statement. “Random dudes are allowed to criticize my Grammy speech, but they best put their money where their mouth is, otherwise MOVE out the way.”
The singer also told her fans in the statement that she did not expect them to “donate a damn penny” to the We Got You campaign — she instead highlighted the fundraiser as “one of many opportunities for the industry powers to show up for artists.” Despite her statement, a number of the singer’s fans have publicly contributed to the campaign, with one writing in their donation “I know she said not to but I’m gonna donate anyway.”