Music

27 Jul 2024

Taylor Swift Reacts to ‘…Ready for It?’ Olympics Ad on NBC: ‘Ready to Scream at My TV Cheering for These Athletes’

Taylor Swift‘s live version of “…Ready for It?” from The Eras Tour is the soundtrack to a new NBC commercial promoting the network’s coverage of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Swift shared the ad Saturday night (July 27) on Instagram, following her concert at Olympiastadion in Munich, Germany, where she’s performing twice this weekend.

“So ready to scream at my tv cheering for these athletes,” she wrote in an Instagram Story, adding a gold medal emoji to her comment while sharing a reel of the “…Ready for It?” promo.

“Baby Let The Games Begin. #WeAreReadyForIt, @taylorswift. Primetime in Paris: 8/7c on NBC and Peacock #ParisOlympics,” the official NBC Olympics account wrote about the ad themed to Swift’s bold Reputation album opener.

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The spot features U.S. Olympic stars including Noah Lyles, LeBron James, Carissa Moore, Jagger Eaton and more, with Simone Biles appearing at the end of the ad for the 2024 Olympics on NBC.

“Are you guys ready for it?” the famed gymnast asks with a big grin.

The 2024 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony featured performances from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, as well as a pre-recorded cameo from Beyoncé, who introduced Team USA in Friday’s primetime coverage.

“We’ve got superstars and we’ve got legends. We’ve got big dreamers who fought their whole lives to get here. Who gave up everything for one shot, and made it. That pride and that joy? That’s what gets me about this team. And that’s what makes me believe in this team,” Beyonce, in a red, white and blue leotard, announced in the clip, which featured a patriotic rendition of Cowboy Carter track “YA YA.”

Find all the details about how to stream the 2024 Olympics here.

Check out NBC’s “…Ready for It?” Olympics commercial, and Swift’s Instagram Story reaction.

27 Jul 2024

Nick Jonas Compares Disney Channel Games to ‘Love Island’ on Crack, Sings Ode to ‘Jorts’ With Will Ferrell, Jimmy Fallon

Nick Jonas remembers the “Disney Games” in a very specific way: “like Love Island on crack.”

Jonas, who tells Jimmy Fallon he skipped the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony to visit The Tonight Show, appeared on NBC’s late-night show Friday, July 26. (The singer mentioned plans to head to Paris for the games later on, with friend/designer Ralph Lauren, who dressed him for his wedding with Priyanka Chopra in 2018.)

“You never competed in the Olympics,” Fallon pointed out. “You did, however, compete in the Disney Games.”

“What do you remember about this time of your life?” the host asked the Jonas Brother.

“So much hair,” joked Jonas, looking at a photo circa his youthful Disney star days.

“For those that don’t know,” Jonas explained, “the Disney Channel Games were basically the Olympics, but they would bring in 100ish Disney Channel stars from all over the world and make us compete in silly games.”

Then he revealed where the real fun came in: “What it really was, was like Love Island on crack. They would put a bunch of teenagers in the Disney park after hours and just say, ‘Let’s see what happens.’”

Friday’s episode of The Tonight Show, with musical guest Ice Spice performing “Did It First/Think U The Shit (Fart),” also had a bonus: a pre-taped segment starring Will Ferrell, Nick Jonas and Jimmy Fallon performing a song about jorts, a sweet summer staple for the trio.

In the musical sketch about jorts, Fallon and Ferrell bring the basics — “I’m in my jorts/ I’m in my jort shorts/ I’m in in my jorts/ Jean shorts/ That means jorts” — and Jonas jumps in to jazz things up.

“I wear my jorts every day of the week/ They start at my hips and they end at my knees/ And if you see me you’ll know that I’m in ‘em/ They’re jorts and they’re short and they’re totally denim,” he sings on the spot, vying to join the jorts troupe.

Watch Jimmy Fallon’s latest interview with Nick Jonas, plus their “Jorts” sketch with Will Ferrell, below.



27 Jul 2024

Justin Bieber Snuggles Up to Wife Hailey’s Baby Bump in Sweet Pregnancy Photos

Justin Bieber is counting down the days to fatherhood.

On Friday (July 26), the 30-year-old pop superstar shared a gallery of new photos on Instagram featuring himself cuddling up with his pregnant wife, Hailey, 27. The “Love Yourself” singer’s carousel begins with a snapshot of the married couple flipping the bird, followed by a sweet image of Justin snuggling up to Hailey’s bare baby bump. Other pictures show the Biebers flashing smiles as they enjoy what looks to be a tropical location.

Justin’s adorable post garnered comments from numerous celebrities, Quavo, Big Sean and Diplo. “The Biebs,” Quavo wrote, adding a fire emoji. “Love u bro,” Big Sean added with a red heart emoji. And Diplo commented, “yes papi.”

Hailey opened up about her pregnancy journey for a W Magazine cover story in late July.

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“I probably could have hid it until the end, but I didn’t enjoy the stress of not being able to enjoy my pregnancy outwardly,” the model explained of announcing her pregnancy at the six-month mark. “I felt like I was hiding this big secret, and it didn’t feel good. I wanted the freedom to go out and live my life.”

Hailey added, “In the beginning [of pregnancy], it was super emotional for me. Like, ‘I love this human so much. How can I possibly bring someone else into this?’ I’m trying to soak in these days of it being Justin and me, just the two of us.”

The pop star and Rhode founder announced that they are expecting their first child together in May, when they took to Instagram to share a series of photos and videos from a film shoot they did among a vast meadow, in which Hailey is seen wearing a skin-tight lace gown, cradling her growing baby bump as Justin snaps photos of her. In one of the clips, the couple also renewed their vows.

The couple officially wed in September 2018 at a New York City courthouse. A year later, they flew down to the Montage Palmetto Bluff hotel in South Carolina with their friends and family for a more traditional wedding ceremony and star-studded party.

See Bieber’s photos of his wife Hailey’s growing baby bump on Instagram here.

27 Jul 2024

Kelly Clarkson Tears Up After Celine Dion’s Opening Ceremony Performance at 2024 Paris Olympics

Kelly Clarkson was fighting back tears following Celine Dion‘s magical performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

During the games’ opening ceremony on Friday (July 26), the iconic chanteuse, 56, delivered an emotional rendition of Édith Piaf’s “Hymne A L’Amour” from the Eiffel Tower.

Dion’s jaw-dropping performance of the 1950s track, which translates to “The Hymn of Love,” marked her first live appearance since canceling North American concerts before revealing her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes severe muscle spasms.

The moving delivery was emotionally overwhelming for Clarkson, who was covering the event as part of an NBC broadcasting team consisting of Mike Tirico and Peyton Manning.

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“I’ve been inspired, I’ve been dancing, I was not ready for that ending,” Clarkson said, beginning to get choked up. “If you know anything about Celine right now, she feels this is her purpose … and if you know anything about what she’s going through right now — I’m so sorry, I’m trying to hold it together right now. But then she got through that. That was incredible. In my field, she is the gold winner for vocal athletes.”

Dion previously seeded hope for her return to the stage in her recent Prime Video doc I Am: Celine Dion, in which she said of her determination to perform again: “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl… I won’t stop.” She was also spotted earlier this week greeting fans in Paris outside Royal Monceau hotel near the Champs-Élysées.

Elsewhere in Friday’s ceremony, the Olympic cauldron was lit following a months-long torch relay, in which Snoop Dogg, BTS’ Jin and Pharrell Williams participated. Earlier in the day, Lady Gaga took the stage to perform a cabaret-style rendition of the French-language “Mon Truc en Plume” (“My Thing With Feathers”) in a minutes-long, highly choreographed routine.

Watch Clarkson’s emotional reaction to Dion’s Olympics performance via TMZ here.

27 Jul 2024

Three Members of Gospel Group the Nelons Killed in Wyoming Plane Crash

Three members of the Nelons, a Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame quartet and the chairman of the board overseeing the Georgia Department of Corrections, were among seven people killed in a plane crash in Wyoming, according to a statement by a group member who was not aboard the aircraft.

The Nelons co-founder, Kelly Nelon Clark, her husband Jason Clark, and their daughter, Amber Nelon Kistler died in the crash Friday (July 26) afternoon, according to a statement from another daughter, Autumn Nelon Streetman. She is the fourth member of the Georgia-based quartet.

“Thank you for the prayers that have been extended already to me, my husband, Jamie, and our soon-to-be-born baby boy, as well as Jason’s parents, Dan and Linda Clark,” Nelon Streetman said. “We appreciate your continued prayers, love and support as we navigate the coming days.”

Also killed in the crash were Nelon Kistler’s husband, Nathan Kistler, family friend Melodi Hodges, and Larry and Melissa Haynie, according to Nelon Streetman.

There were no survivors.

Larry Haynie was chairman of the Georgia Board of Corrections and was remembered for “a career of valued public service,” according to a statement from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp.

“Our entire family is asking everyone to join us in praying for those who have been lost, for their loved ones and communities, and for those throughout the gospel music community who have lost dear friends in this heartbreaking accident,” Kemp said.

The group was traveling to join the Gaither Homecoming Cruise to Alaska, according to a statement from Gaither Music Group, the sponsor of the cruise that features numerous gospel singers and groups.

Gaither Music said Hodges was an assistant for the band and that Larry Haynie was pilot of the aircraft and Melissa Haynie was his wife. The aircraft was identified as a single engine turboprop Pilatus PC-12/47E.

The crash occurred about 1 p.m. in Campbell County, Wyoming, north of Gillette and about 250 miles (402 kilometers) north of Cheyenne, according to a statement from Campbell County spokesperson Leslie Perkins.

Campbell County Fire Department Jeff Bender said in a statement Saturday that a fire caused by the crash has been contained to less than one square mile and that firefighters would remain on the scene throughout the day.

The National Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Keith Holloway said Saturday that preliminary information indicated the plane crashed following an “auto pilot issue during flight” and a team of investigators was headed to the site.

“The aircraft is in a remote location and once they gain access, they will begin documenting the scene, examining the aircraft,” Holloway said. “The aircraft will then be recovered and taken to a secure facility for further evaluation.”

A preliminary report on the crash is expected in about 30 days while a final report with the probable cause of the crash could take up to two years to complete, Holloway said.

The Nelons were inducted into the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame in 2016 and were winners of 10 GMA Dove Awards, including multiple song of the year and album of the year awards.

27 Jul 2024

Beyonce Introduces Team USA in Epic Video During Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony: Watch

Beyonce is helping kick off the 2024 Paris Olympics.

On Friday (July 26), the superstar singer surprised viewers by introducing Team USA in an epic pre-recorded video that aired during NBCUniversal’s primetime coverage of the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony.

“We’ve got superstars and we’ve got legends. We’ve got big dreamers who fought their whole lives to get here. Who gave up everything for one shot, and made it,” Beyonce, draped in a red, white and blue leotard, declares in the clip.

“That pride and that joy? That’s what gets me about this team. And that’s what makes me believe in this team. And that’s why I can’t wait to see what they pull off over these next 16 days. America, give it up for Team USA, the very best of who we are. What a vision to behold. What a team to believe in. What a night to celebrate.”

The approximately two-and-a-half-minute video features a patriotic rendition of Beyonce’s song “YA YA,” from her Cowboy Carter album, and appearances by dozens of top American athletes, including gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Caeleb Dressel, and track and field stars Sha’Carri Richardson and Noah Lyles.

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Cowboy Carter debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in April 2024, and “Ya Ya” reached No. 39 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Earlier on Friday, the opening ceremony launched on Paris’ Seine with each participating country’s athletes sailing in on boats in a parade down France’s famous river. The four-hour event featured show-stopping performances led by international superstars including Lady Gaga, Celine Dion and Aya Nakamura. Check out Billboard‘s top moments from the opening ceremony here.

Watch Beyonce introduce Team USA in the video below.

27 Jul 2024

Yeison Jimenez Funds a Fan’s Education in Colombia & More Uplifting Moments

From career milestones to new music releases to major announcements and those little important moments, Billboard editors highlight uplifting moments in Latin music. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week.

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Yeison Jimenez Gives Back to His Fans

This week, Yeison Jimenez made the dreams of one of his beloved fans in Colombia come true. The renowned música popular artist first surprised his fan named Diana with tickets to his concert, but in an extended letter, he revealed that he was also helping her with a university scholarship. In a video shared on social media, Jimenez expressed that Diana has been unable to pay for her studies and continue with her education. “One day I dreamed of being able to help people and give a little of what I lacked, today that I can do it, I prove to myself that I have done things well,” he wrote on Instagram. “Thank you God for allowing me to fulfill a dream and thank you @tiempodejuego (foundation) for making it come true.”

Myke Towers Supports Women’s Basketball

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A real sports aficionado, Myke Towers is supporting the women’s basketball team in his native Puerto Rico by donating $25,000 to the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation (FBPUR) through his Young Kingz Foundation. According to a press release, the contribution is to support the athletes as they prepare to participate at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Derrick Luna, president of Young Kingz Foundation, said the support also “reflects the belief in their discipline and ability to represent the country with excellence.”

Fuerza Regida’s “JOP” Helps Out His Community

In celebration of their new album, Pero No Te Enamores, Fuerza Regida gave back to their community in San Bernardino, Calif. A video posted on frontman JOP’s YouTube channel, documents how the Mexican-American singer showed up at a local Home Depot to recruit the workers outside, offer them work, and later surprise them with a well-deserved day off. The clip captures seven labor workers hanging out with JOP in a warehouse as the artist gifts them each with food, drinks, live music, haircuts, Fuerza Regida merch, and money. One of the most heartwarming moments in the video is when they are all sharing their personal stories. Watch the video below. 

Karol G Ends Mañana Será Bonito Era

This week, after a yearlong trek, Karol G officially wrapped her Mañana Será Bonito World Tour in Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where she became the first artist to sell out four shows at that venue. After unwinding, the Colombian superstar shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, thanking her team, family, friends, colleagues, and fans, for being part of her successful journey. 

“Thank you for working your ass off with me every day this past year, thank you for the efforts and sacrifices and the countless hours of preparation to give the best to an audience to which I owe so much. Today I look at the result of what we built and I see exactly everything I dreamed of years ago,” she expressed. “The girl from the last video, is VERY, VERY proud of the woman you have become today, because even though nobody knows everything you have done to be there, at least they can see that fighting for yourself was worth it, that after so much it was beautiful, that dreams do come true and that hard work pays off. That is the most meaningful message you can leave the world.”

In the message, which she wrote in Spanish and can be read below, she assured her fans that she is inseparable with them, and that this is only the beginning of many wonderful things.

26 Jul 2024

‘The Outsiders’ Hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Cast Albums Chart

A month after The Outsiders: A New Musical took home four Tony Awards, including best musical, the original Broadway cast recording of the show hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart. The set jumps 10-1 on the July 27-dated list, following the album’s CD release. The album had previously been available to purchase only as a digital download, initially peaking at No. 4 on the June 1 chart.

Billboard’s Cast Albums chart ranks the top-selling cast recordings of the week in the U.S., based on traditional album sales, according to data tracking firm Luminate.

The album, released via Masterworks Broadway/Sony Masterworks, could see an additional sales boost in the coming weeks, as it is slated for release on vinyl on Aug. 9.

The Outsiders, with music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance) and Justin Levine, opened at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in New York on April 11 and has scheduled performances through January 2025. The show is based on the S.E. Hinton novel and the 1983 film of the same name.

At the June 16 Tony Awards, of its dozen nominations, The Outsiders brought home the awards for best musical, best direction of a musical (Danya Taymor), best lighting design of a musical (Brian MacDevitt and Hana S. Kim) and best sound design of a musical (Cody Spencer). Among the show’s nominations were a trio of nods for actors Brody Grant (best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical), Joshua Boone and Sky Lakota-Lynch (best performance by an actor in a featured role in a musical).

26 Jul 2024

Babyface Ray Has Too Much Paper to Count in ‘Rubberband Man’ Video

Detroit’s Babyface Ray is one of the smoothest rappers doing it and luckily for us, he set to drop a new project. Yesterday, he posted the trailer for this video on his Instagram account and ended the caption with “album coming soon.”

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Directed by Gerard Victor, “Rubberband Man” — a nod to T.I.‘s 2003 hit record of the same name —opens with a Blow reference as Ray is in an apartment with so many boxes of cash, he doesn’t know where to store a box that’s in his hand. He also counts bread with fellow Detroit rappers, Samuel Shabazz, Peezy, and Boldy James in a kitchen and burns a stack of $100s after what looks like a successful score.

Speaking of scores, Big Treeze’s production gives this a sleek ’80s action TV series feel (think Knight Rider) as Babyface nonchalantly tells the listener and his foes to get their money up. “I got conversation pieces, so I let my wrist show,” he raps. He then refers to himself as “Mr. Put-That-Sh—t-On” and “Mr. Go-And-Get-That-Bag-And-Show-These-N—s-How-To-Do-It,” and brags about his vintage whip, “Candy on the Old School, look just like a Prada shoe.”

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Babyface Ray has been active this year. He’s dropped a bunch of loosies and has been on a handful of features, most notably with Lil Yachty on YG‘s single “Stupid” in an unlikely pairing that was so crazy, it worked.

There’s still no word on an album title, tracklist, or release date for this upcoming project, so we’ll keep you posted.

The Detroit rapper’s last album, Summer’s Mine, dropped in July of 2023.

26 Jul 2024

Britney Spears Says She’s ‘Upset’ About Halsey’s ‘Lucky’ Video: ‘It Feels Illegal & Down Right Cruel’

Britney Spears took to social media on Friday (July 26) to share her disappointment over Halsey’s music video for her new single “Lucky,” which interpolates Spears’ 2000 song of the same name, as well as Monica’s “Angel of Mine.”

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”For obvious reasons, I’m very upset about the Halsey video,” Spears wrote in a statement posted to X. “I feel harassed, violated and bullied. I didn’t know an artist like her and someone I looked up to and admired would illustrate me in such an ignorant way by tailoring me as a superficial pop star with no heart or concern at all.”

Spears added that she will be reaching out to her lawyers, before concluding, “It feels illegal and down right cruel.”

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In the music video, Halsey juxtaposes the lonely and sometimes superficial aspects of fame with the musical dreams of her inner child, as well as the health problems they actively face.

“I shaved my head four times because I wanted to/ And then I did it one more time ’cause I got sick,” she sings on the track. “I left the doctor’s office full of tears/ Became a single mom at my premiere/ And I told everybody I was fine for a whole damn year/ And that’s the biggest lie of my career.” 

The video also finds Halsey modeling a crystal bodysuit to parallel Spears’ “Toxic” visual and smiling for paparazzi on a red carpet. She later removes the bright pink wig she’d been wearing throughout the visual to reveal a shaved head before sitting down to receive treatment through an IV. At the end, she symbolically sits next to the little girl who worships her, unaware of the full story, on a swing set. 

Of her decision to pay tribute to Spears — who personally approvedthe “Lucky” sample, Halsey previously revealed — the “Closer” artist tweeted, “I remember the first time I heard her sing lucky and it hitting me at such a young age that I had no idea what her life was really like.”