Music

09 Jun 2024

Billboard Presents Bud Light Backyard at CMA Fest Day Two Brings Vibrant Sets from Dasha, LOCASH and George Birge

In their early days, LOCASH earned their stripes playing the bars on Nashville’s Lower Broadway, so it was a return to their past when they took the stage at the Tin Roof to get Saturday’s party started with a rowdy, infectious, non-stop set that had the packed venue hopping from their opening tune, the 2019 hit “One Big Country Song.” 

“Let’s get this party rockin’,” exclaimed Chris Lucas, as the duo followed with “Buzzin’ in the Country,” a surefire crowd pleaser with its sing-along chorus, before segueing into their first No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, 2016’s easygoing “I Know Somebody.” 

Like many acts playing the event, LOCASH had a cover song in their back pocket. In this case, it was a sultry, slow-jamming take on the Prince-penned “Waterfalls,” made famous by TLC 30 years ago. The duo quickly brought it back to the present with “Hometown Home,” their first song released through the new label they started, Galaxy Label Group. “We pushed all the chips in and bet on ourselves,” Preston Brust said. And it’s paying off. The gently swaying song, which features the duo’s layered harmonies, was the Hot Shot Debut on the Country Airplay chart, bowing at No. 56. 

Of all the acts playing Billboard Presents Bud Light Backyard, LOCASH got the award for traveling the most distance. Three hours before their set, the group arrived from Wisconsin, where they had played the night before, and immediately left for a show Saturday evening in Indiana. 

LOCASH then called an audible and veered from the set list, diving into a breathless medley of classic rock songs, starting with The Outfield’s “Your Love,” Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69” and Fountains of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom,” before launching into Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” and calling up the group’s lead singer, A. Jay Popoff, who lives in Nashville, to sing with them. For those several moments of pure unadulterated joy, there is no doubt that there was not a better time to be had on Lower Broadway.  “Are we in trouble?” Lucas playfully asked after completing the rock segment. “I don’t know. I don’t care,” answered Brust.

After leading the audience in a chant of “Ain’t no party like a Billboard party because a Billboard party don’t stop,” complete with a spinning disco ball, LOCASH wound their segment down with their 2015 hit “I Love This Life,” which reached No. 2, before throwing signed drum sticks and guitar picks into the dancing crowd. 

09 Jun 2024

Taylor Swift Scores Seventh Straight Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department scores a seventh straight and total week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated June 15), as the set earned 148,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending June 6 (down 16%), according to Luminate.

Poets is the first album to spend its first seven weeks at No. 1 since Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time led for its first 12 weeks a year ago (March 18-June 3, 2023-dated charts). Among Swift’s collection of 14 No. 1s, Poets surpasses Folklore for the most weeks at No. 1 from its debut, as Folklore spent its first six weeks atop the list (before it slipped to the No. 5 spot in its seventh frame).

Of Swift’s No. 1s on the Billboard 200, Poets matches Red for her fourth-most weeks on top. Ahead of them are 1989 and Fearless (each with 11) and Folklore (eight).

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Meanwhile, Swift adds her 76th career week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, extending her record among soloists. (Elvis Presley has the second-most among soloists, with 67.) The total encompasses her 14 leaders. (She’s tied with Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists.)

Also in the top 10 of the new Billboard 200, ATEEZ achieves its fifth consecutive, and total, top 10-charting effort as Golden Hour: Part.1 bows at No. 2, while Shaboozey lands his first charting album as his new release Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going launches at No. 5.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new June 15, 2024-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on June 11. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.

Of The Tortured Poets Department’s 148,000 equivalent album units earned, SEA units comprise 120,000 (down 10% — it’s No. 1 on Top Streaming Albums; its SEA units equal 157.26 million on-demand official streams of the deluxe edition’s 31 songs), album sales comprise 27,000 (down 35%) and TEA units comprise 1,000 (down 22%).

ATEEZ achieves its fifth consecutive, and total, top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200 as Golden Hour: Part.1 debuts at No. 2 with 131,000 equivalent album units earned (the largest week of 2024 for any K-pop album). Of that sum, album sales comprise 127,000 (the year’s biggest sales week for a K-pop album; it’s also the top-selling album of the week; it’s No. 1 on Top Album Sales), SEA units comprise 4,000 (equaling 6.15 million on-demand official streams of the set’s six songs) and TEA units comprise a negligible sum. The album’s first-week sales were supported by its availability across 31 CD variants, all containing branded paper merch and other collectibles.

Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft slips 2-3 with 117,000 equivalent album units earned (down 19%). With the top three titles on the Billboard 200 each exceeding 100,000 units earned for the week, it’s the second week in a row that the top three have all cleared at least 100,000. The last time that happened was on the Oct. 28- and Nov. 4, 2023-dated lists.

Morgan Wallen’s chart-topping One Thing at a Time is a non-mover at No. 4 on the new Billboard 200 with 71,000 equivalent album units earned (down 3%).

Shaboozey’s third album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, debuts at No. 5 on the Billboard 200, marking the first chart entry from the artist. The set was ushered in by the smash single “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which has reached No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on Hot Country Songs. The album earned 50,000 equivalent album units in its first week, and of that figure, SEA units comprise 39,000 (equaling 52.66 million on-demand official streams of the set’s 12 songs, largely powered by “A Bar Song”), album sales comprise 8,000 (it was only available to purchase as a standard digital download album) and TEA units comprise 3,000.

Wallen’s former leader Dangerous: The Double Album is a non-mover at No. 6 on the new Billboard 200 with 43,000 equivalent album units earned (down 4%), Noah Kahan’s Stick Season steps 9-7 (42,000; up 5%), Future and Metro Boomin’s chart-topping We Don’t Trust You slips 7-8 (40,000; down 6%), Gunna’s One of Wun falls 8-9 (nearly 40,000; down 6%) and Zach Bryan’s self-titled former No. 1 is stationary at No. 10 (36,000; down 3%).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

09 Jun 2024

5 Things to Expect at the 2024 Billboard Latin Women in Music Awards

The 2024 Billboard Latin Women in Music Awards are set to air at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday (June 9) via Telemundo. 

This year’s honorees include: Gloria Estefan (Legend Award), La India (Pioneer Award), Ana Bárbara (Lifetime Achievement Award), Kany García (Spirit of Hope Award), Kali Uchis (Rising Star Award), Ángela Aguilar (Musical Dynasty Award), Camila Cabello (Global Impact Award) and Woman of the Year Karol G. 

Billboard caught up with some of the star-studded night’s guests to share a sneak peek of what fans can expect from their performances at the ceremony. 

Ana Bárbara: “It’s a medley of some of the hits that my fans have made possible, because they are not mine — they are part of the people, really. I will give this to them with lots of love, and thank you, Billboard, for thinking of this Mexican woman for this grand moment.” 

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Kali Uchis: “This last month and a half has been a blur. I’ve been pretty tired, but I was just excited to come and be honored. I’m going to do a performance that’s stripped back, really jazzy. It’s going to be a lot of fun and very freestyle.”

Kany Garcia: “I’m going to sing ‘García’ and ‘Te Lo Agradezco.’ I’m happy because when you have the opportunity to do two songs — one with the illusion of what is coming and that just launched, and another that allows you to have that retrospective moment that has brought you a lot of wonderful things— it’s like a perfect moment.

María José: “I’m going to premiere my new single, ‘Mi Rey, Mi Santo,’ with a composition by Ana Bárbara, and also sing it as a duet with her. Imagine on this day that we are giving her a special award for her career. I am giving it to her and suddenly having this premiere with her, on this night. It’s triple special.”

Julianna: “I am going to participate in the tribute of who I believe is one of the most incredible artists that the world of music has had in the world. I am deeply happy to sing a song that is a Latin American anthem. I admire Gloria Estefan’s ability to be integral and her tenacity to get up as many times as necessary to continue doing what she loved.”

09 Jun 2024

Taylor Swift Debuts Something Old, Something New Live in Edinburgh: See Her Play 2009’s ‘Crazier’ & 2024’s ‘The Bolter’

“What a charming Saturday” it was for Taylor Swift fans, just like the singer-songwriter narrates on “The Bolter,” one of the tracks she played live for the first time ever last night (June 8).

The Eras Tour sets Swift up to pull deep from her discography when she wants to, during her ever-changing acoustic section of the concert. Nearing her 100th show on the sprawling trek (Saturday night in Edinburgh, Scotland, was No. 98), the star got particularly unpredictable in her choice of surprise songs when she sat at the piano at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium.

First, on guitar, Swift debuted one of her newer songs live. She played “The Bolter,” one of the last tracks on the Anthology edition of 2024’s The Tortured Poets Department, her new album that’s so far spent six consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

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A song in which she tells a story that comes to the realization “hearts are hers for the breakin’” and that there’s “escape in escaping,” “The Bolter” flawlessly pivoted to 2017’s “Getaway Car,” from Reputation.

Swift performing well thought-out mashups during the surprise song part of the Eras show has become customary on the international leg of The Eras Tour, ever since the singer announced her intention to “be as creative as possible with the acoustic set moving forward,” back in February.

Saturday night in Edinburgh, she followed the mashup of “The Bolter” and “Getaway Car” with another song combo, this one more surprising than the first. On piano, she paired “All of the Girls You Loved Before,” a one-off track she released from the vault of 2019’s Lover, with a song Swift wasn’t even sure her crowd would recognize: “Crazier,” found only on the soundtrack for the 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie.

But the stadium had no problem recalling the swooping chorus of “Crazier,” and sang with her: “You lift my feet off the ground/ You spin me around/ You make me crazier, crazier/ Feels like I’m fallin’ and I am lost in your eyes/ You make me crazier, crazier, crazier.”

“Oh my god,” Swift said, laughing at how many people knew the words.

Watch both of Swift’s Saturday night Scotland surprises in the fan-captured clips below, and enjoy Billboard‘s complete list of all the songs we’ve heard in the Eras acoustic set (it gets updated with every tour date).

09 Jun 2024

CMA Fest’s Saturday Night Nissan Stadium Shows: 5 Top Moments

Right next to Nissan Stadium in Nashville — just across the parking lot — is the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center, where Antioch, Tennessee, native Jelly Roll spent years incarcerated as a teen. His underdog story has brought him from a jail cell to center stage at Nissan Stadium, headlining CMA Fest’s Saturday night show.

The crowd was already cheering before the hometown hero took the stage, and he rewarded their applause by performing “The Lost.” Pausing to take in the triumphant, full-circle moment, Jelly Roll — and many in the audience — were soon in tears. But those tears didn’t last long before turning into a joyous celebration.

“I am from Nashville, Tennessee!” he shouted to the crowd, which roared back with equal enthusiasm. “My father brought me here 23 years ago when the Tennessee Titans first came to town — this is a dream come true… playing to a sold-out Nissan Stadium crowd… and I’m getting to perform the No. 1 on country radio right this moment,” he said, before launching into his current (and fourth) Billboard Country Airplay No. 1, “Halfway to Hell.” The performance was heightened by Keith Urban playing guitar during the performance.

One year ago, he got a taste of headlining at the stadium when he performed on the platform stage at CMA Fest, but on Saturday night, he fully made that dream come true. He dedicated his set to the teens that are currently in the juvenile center.

“I know they can hear us because I was one of them, one time. I was in and out of jail and in and out of drug addiction, and tonight I am headlining CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium,” he said. Launching into “Son of a Sinner,” with lights aglow all around the stadium, he said, “I’m here to tell you you can do whatever you want in life, I don’t give a f— what anybody says,” before praising country music as “the genre that saved my life.”

Jelly Roll’s shows have become part concert, part therapy session, part spiritual revival for those who identify as an outcast, feel misunderstood, are struggling with addiction, or are simply working through any personal struggles — and his CMA Fest set was no exception.

“This is a come one, come all kind of crew,’ he said. He later added, “I am here to represent the lost and the broken,” before performing his new song “I Am Not Ok.”

Prior to making country music, Jelly Roll was primarily known as a rapper, and he passionately and effortlessly sailed through a medley of rap classics, including Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” and Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson,” before performing his own collaboration “Wild Ones” (sans Jessie Murph). The crowd’s reaction was so fervent that the singer-songwriter collapsed onto a riser on the stage, laughing in amazement. Later on, wife Bunnie XO made a brief appearance and shared a kiss with Jelly Roll.

From there, he offered up his four-week No. 1 Country Airplay hit “Need a Favor,” with the audience waving hands high in the air. He then followed up with his two-week No. 1 “Save Me,” welcoming labelmate Lainey Wilson back to the festival stage with a hug. Jelly Roll then returned solo to center stage, waving his hat to the crowd and thanking the audience for their part in his triumph story.

08 Jun 2024

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Honorary Degree From Howard University Rescinded by School’s Trustees

Howard University’s board of trustees voted unanimously on Friday to revoke the honorary degree awarded to Sean “Diddy” Combs in 2014, saying he is “no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor.”

Howard, a private, historically Black research university in Washington, D.C., will also return Combs’ $1 million contribution and terminate a $1 million pledge agreement from the Sean Combs Foundation, the board said in a statement.

“Mr. Combs’ behavior as captured in a recently released video is so fundamentally incompatible with Howard University’s core values and beliefs that he is deemed no longer worthy to hold the institution’s highest honor,” the board said in its statement. “The University is unwavering in its opposition to all acts of interpersonal violence.”

The rebuke is especially significant given Combs’ longtime ties to the university. Combs was a business major at Howard, but left after his second year. In 2014, he received an honorary doctorate in humanities from Howard and delivered the commencement address.

Last month, CNN first aired a 2016 surveillance video showing Combs physically assaulting his former girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, in a hallway at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in the Century City neighborhood of Los Angeles. In the video, dated March 5, 2016, Combs appears to shove Ventura to the ground, kick her twice, drag her down a hallway and throw glass vases at her.

The video of the attack was graphic and disturbing – one of the few times the public has actually seen, and not just read or heard about, an incident of domestic abuse.

Combs released a video posted on Instagram days after the video’s release, saying, “My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.”

But no apology can make people un-see that video. “We find the images extremely disturbing and difficult to watch,” the office of L.A. District Attorney George Gascón wrote in a statement on Instagram on May 17. But the D.A. added that “if the conduct depicted occurred in 2016, unfortunately, we would be unable to charge.”

Established in 1867, Howard offers undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees in more than 120 programs. Notable Howard alumni from the arts include actors Chadwick Boseman, Phylicia Rashad, Anthony Anderson, Roxie Roker and Taraji P. Henson; comedian and TV personality Nick Cannon; novelist Toni Morrison; novelist and poet Paul Laurence Dunbar; and writer and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates.

08 Jun 2024

Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024: Stars on the Red Carpet

From Gloria Estefan to Kali Uchis and Ana Bárbara, Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 honorees walked the red carpet ahead of the music special, set to air exclusively on Telemundo on Sunday (June 9) at 9 p.m. ET.

This year, Karol G will be celebrated as Woman of the Year; Gloria Estefan will receive the Legend award; Camila Cabello the Global Impact award; Ana Bárbara the Lifetime Achievement award; Ángela Aguilar the Musical Dynasty award; Kali Uchis the Rising Star award; Kany García the Spirit of Change award; and La India the Pioneer award.

Billboard’s Latin Women in Music franchise recognizes the importance of Latin women in the music industry and honors those who have positively impacted Latin music and the industry the previous year. It also which celebrates Latin female artists who are proactively working for positive change, inclusion, and gender parity in the industry.

Several of the night’s honorees will perform, as well as other confirmed acts including GALE, Sergio George, Arthur Hanlon, Juliana and Elena Rose.

The two-hour show will be hosted by Mexican actress Jacqueline Bracamontes and will have Pedro Capó, Myrka Dellanos, Luis Figueroa, María José, Penélope Menchaca, Andrea Meza and Maripily Rivera among its presenters.

Besides airing on Telemundo on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT, the event will also be available to stream on the Telemundo app and on Peacock.

Below, find the best photos of the artists on the red carpet as they arrived at the Billboard Latin Women in Music 2024 gala.

08 Jun 2024

Rauw Alejandro Pays Homage to New York at Gov Ball Headlining Set, Talks ‘New Single, New Era’ in Pre-Show Interview

It’s a new era for Rauw Alejandro. Fresh off the release of his first solo single since August, the disco-tinged “Touching the Sky,” and announcing an upcoming album, the Puerto Rican artist has taken center stage across the international festival circuit.

The announcement of his headlining slot at the upcoming Coca-Cola Music Fest and Baja Beach Fest highlights his escalating prominence, following a top billing at Chicago’s Sueños last month. Yet his ascension feels most pronounced at New York’s Governor’s Ball Music Festival, the genre-spanning festival that ties his roots and personal narrative within the bustling energy of the Big Apple.

On Friday (June 7) at 7:30 p.m., the superstar lit up Gov Ball’s GoPuff stage. Dressed in a striped suit that harked back to the late 1960s, a tribute to West Side Story, Rauw unleashed a performance charged with boundless energy and impeccable dance moves. Over the course of an hour, he rolled out hits like “Al Callao’,” “Panties y Brasieres,” “Party,” “Desesperados,” “Desenfocao,’” and “Todo de Ti,” blending hard-hitting reggaetón with riveting dance-pop anthems.

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His connection to the crowd was palpable: “I’ve always had a special connection to this city. My dad was born in Brooklyn. It’s a meeting point for many cultures,” he said to the audience. “Many of us left our country in search of opportunities and dreams. And I feel that here you can fulfill all the dreams that you want to do in life. In my case, a dream is being fulfilled by sharing it here with all of you, a dream that I am living today, thanks to all of you who have supported me since day one.”

Marco Perretta

Gov Ball, with its iconic New York-inspired elements like a tattooed Statue of Liberty and city memorabilia, saw Rauw honor NYC in his own unique way. A subway train replica served as his stage backdrop, setting the scene for a powerhouse dance performance that pulled from his admiration of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” and Chris Brown moves, assuring all of his superstar caliber. In a standout highlight, the performer got off the stage to sing among the tens of thousands of fest-goers.

Moments before his dynamic act, Billboard Español caught up with the Puerto Rican artist to discuss his upcoming album, and the personal stories that shape his public persona and electrifying performances.

It’s exciting to have you here in New York headlining at Gov Ball. How are you feeling about today’s performance?

I’m really excited. It’s my first time. It’s a big deal. In the last few years, there have been a lot of Latinos headlining U.S. festivals. We are here. 

Do you prepare differently to perform a headlining festival set in comparison to your own concerts or while on tour? How does the experience differ to you?

It’s different. In festivals, you share a stage with other artists, so you don’t have two or three hours to do a show. My shows are normally two and a half hours long, arena and stadium shows. But festivals, it’s like we’re united as artists. We’re sharing energy with the public. The festival starts midday until 10 p.m., so it’s like a quick teaser. Festivals are more fun, more energetic. I focus more on what people like. I just want to have a good time. My concert, I just go into my album concept, and then I try to tell a whole story about it, and promote your new album. With festivals, we use it more for promoting singles. It’s the taste before the tour. I remember my first festival, when I didn’t have an album yet six years ago. It was just promoting me as a new artist. Festivals are that opportunity. I’m headlining this festival, and I have a special surprise for the people here. My dad is from Brooklyn; I have a lot of family in New York, so there’s that special connection. And this weekend is the Puerto Rican Day parade. Puerto Rico is here.

Dance is such a significant element of your performances. Can you share some insights into how you develop your choreography? Who are your choreographers? 

I’ve been working with FeFe Burgos. He’s also Puerto Rican. He’s been in New York for a long time. He’s been dancing with many artists. I’ve been with him for around six years. Also, we collaborated with all the choreographers. It’s how you mix this Latin flavor with all these other types of dancing around the world, with hip-hop, jazz and contemporary. I even have a small foundation of ballet. I have always danced my whole life, just for fun.

In my opinion, you are the best dancer, taking the genre’s performances to the next level.

I realized that this is where I want to be, so I started studying a little bit more. I try to get better and better with time, [incorporating] the salsa flavor. There’s been so many artists through past generations that have inspired me. I remember seeing Michael Jackson when I was a boy.

My dad has been a huge fan of Elvis Presley and James Brown. So it’s like you grew up with that style. Since I was young, all [dance] performers caught my attention. I was like, watching them [thinking], “Oh my God, I want to be like them.” I’m hyper. I cannot be on the stage [sitting still]. I need to move. 

You recently released “Touching the Sky,” your first solo single since August (“Hayami Hana”). 

Yes, new single, new era. I tried to divide my projects by eras and characters. It’s just a starting flavor. I got an album that’s almost ready. I try not to repeat albums, soundwise. In all my albums, you will always find reggaetón. Your essence will always be there. It’s different touch, perspective and musical colors. I did “Touching the Sky” a few months ago, and it feels like summer is coming. It’s that vibe. I don’t plan exactly what song is going to be [the first single]. It’s just how you feel at that moment. We’re going with a New York vibe. And I filmed in New York. It was really fun.

You channel an old dapper New York era. What were your influences?

It’s a little bit more like late ’60s and ’70s, West Side Story, Broadway, it’s theatrical. Before I started [making] music, I was doing theater at 16, 17 years. So I like to mix theater with music. On Saturno, I started doing short films for my albums. For this one we’re preparing, you’re going to see the contrast between my albums and what I did in Saturno last year. It’s going to be the opposite.  

I loved freestyle, too. On a different subject, Billboard reported in December that you left Eric Duars and that you have a new management. How has this change influenced your career direction?

I think everything is for the better. I always try to grow as an artist. I’ve been in this game for almost nine years now. I started in the music business by myself, officially in 2015. Then in 2017, I signed with them [Duars]. And now, 2024. It has been long time. You grow up, you learn. What we did together was great. Now it’s just a different vision, a different perspective. But that doesn’t have to be… it’s just business. I have a great team right now. I’m 31 years old, a grown ass man. I feel really happy at this moment of my life. I feel in control of my whole career. I know what I want to do. I have my notes. I learned. It’s just part of growing. 

Many of your oldest fans, including myself, first discovered your music on SoundCloud over five years ago. How do you think starting on such a platform influenced your music career?

SoundCloud was a huge tool for me when I started my career. I really support SoundCloud artists, and YouTube. Back in the day, it was just SoundCloud and YouTube before big platforms. I remember in the Island, everybody was down with SoundCloud, listening to this s— in SoundCloud. It was a small group. Myke Towers, Alvarito Díaz. Even Bad Bunny. All the artists back in the days, like in 2017.

Now you’re headlining so many festivals: a Coca-Cola Festival, you did Sueños [last month], you’re going to be a Baja Beach Fest headliner. That’s a big growth. 

I was seeing the old festival flyers the other day. My name was little, and now we’re headliners!

With fame your personal life becomes public too, such as your breakup with your ex [Rosalía]. How have you faced those experiences in the public eye and how have you found strength or inspiration to grow personally?

I think that’s part of life, growing and learning. We are here, and I’m just focused right now on the present and my future. All these [past] life experiences, I just use it for being a better person.

How was going to the Met Gala?

The Met Gala was fun. It was my first time. I felt like this kid in a new school. I was like, “What’s up? My name is Rauw. Hi, I’m Puerto Rican.” It was fun. We had the after parties and everything. I’ve been around fashion for the last few years. I think music and fashion always [go well] together.

Speaking of fashion, what are you wearing tonight on stage?

I work with my stylist. Shout out to Chloe and Chanel. We worked with them also for a few years. They are amazing. But you are going to see some classic Rauw, like an old salsa generation. It’s going to be really fun.

Marco Perretta

Any new tattoos?

I’m working on it. I haven’t had the time, but I want to tat my legs, my back, everything. The only thing I’m not going to do in my life, because [I promised] my grandma, was my face.

Last words? 

It’s a new Rauw, new era, new music. The album is something amazing. I always like to do my final touches in Puerto Rico. I think it’s just good luck. Puerto Rico has this magic touch that no other place has, in my opinion. The biggest artists in the Latin world, most of them are in the Island. It has something magical. If you guys want to find out, you need to go and have a visit to the Island.

08 Jun 2024

Quavo Celebrates White X Cognac Launch With Carbone NYC Party: ‘I’m a Real Trendsetter’

Quavo has long been sipping on and rapping about “Good Drank” before the thought of making a splash in the spirits industry entered his mind.

That all changed Thursday night (June 6) with the official launch of Huncho’s White X Cognac. Produced in tandem with Sazerac Spirits, Quavo rented out NYC hot-spot restaurant Carbone for about 40 friends and family for an intimate cognac tasting and four-courses of premier Italian dining.

“I just thought I’d stand in front of something and be the face of some good drank,” Quavo tells Billboard. “White X is unapologetic and they ready to bend the rules a little bit, so it’s only right they choose the frontman of the culture to represent that.”

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The Migos rapper continued of the endeavor: “They was looking for someone who matched the same aesthetic as me and I just think it made perfect sense. We’re looking forward to coming into the industry and f—ing s— up.”

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White X wants to inject a vibrant youthful energy and usher in a new era for the crowded cognac lane. With a straw coloring and notes of peach and vanilla mixed with the light grapes, the 80-proof French liquor makes for a much smoother pour than its VSOP competitors. In an homage to the late Takeoff, Rocket Power (White X, Gran Gala and lemon juice) served as the cocktail of the night.

However, this isn’t Quavo’s first foray into the alcohol business. He was tied to another cognac earlier in his career, which ended up falling flat. Now, Huncho’s trying to take those lessons he learned and make sure White X doesn’t suffer a similar fate.

“I learned from my mistakes there,” he adds. “I wanted to do something different. Just the basics of me not knowing how big the brand could be if you actually let these people know what you’re part of.” The 33-year-old points to making more content and being involved in the day-to-day of turning it into a “lifestyle” brand, rather than just posing with the product for fun.

Quavo

Quavo

Simone Hamilton, Sean Bolasingh, Suresh Gordon

White X is currently on sale throughout the United States at clubs, bars and liquor distributors with a suggested retail price of $59.99 per 750ml bottle.

While there wasn’t a TV in sight within the confines of the famed Italian restaurant, basketball fans still found a way to check-in on game one of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics with their phones.

Being a hoops fanatic himself, Quavo’s heart is with the Mavericks because of a connection between superstar Luka Doncic and his late nephew, Takeoff.

“I got Dallas,” the “Hotel Lobby” rhymer says when asked to pick a winner. “Only reason why I like Dallas is because Luka and Takeoff had a crazy relationship. I think he was a fan of the gang so they was rocking.”

There’s no doubt Quavo and Migos were among the most influential artists of the 21st century in helping shape rap’s sound for the 2010s, and keeping the spotlight on Atlanta Culture. “You know, I’m a real trendsetter,” he boasts. “We taking it to the moon. You know we’re gonna have some sparklers on this in somebody’s section all around the world.”

Time will tell if he can bring his trendsetting ways that made him a diamond-certified rapper to cross over into his entrepreneurial ventures like hip-hop has seen with dignitaries such as 50 Cent, Kanye West, Travis Scott and more.

“We gonna have some great years to come — it’s a new beginning,” Huncho promises before raising his glass for a toast. “We represent culture and we’re unapologetic, of course. We gon’ stand on business at all times.”

08 Jun 2024

Taylor Swift Reacts to a Marriage Proposal During ‘Cardigan’ at Edinburgh Eras Show

Wistful Folklore single “Cardigan” was the soundtrack to a couple’s engagement in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Friday (June 7), and Taylor Swift watched it happen. Apparently moved by the emotional moment, Swift commented on the marriage proposal she’d just seen from the stage, in front of a packed stadium.

“You put me on and said I was your favorite,” Swift sang with a smile. She looked out to the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium crowd as she finished the song performed atop the The Eras Tour’s Folklore cabin.

“I love performing this entire show in the sunlight ’cause I’m pretty sure I just saw somebody get engaged over here,” she said to cheers confirming she wasn’t imagining things. “Did it happen?” Swift eagerly asked, and then threw her arms up, giggled and yelled, “YES!”

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“You have no idea,” continued Swift. “I never get to see that, right? ‘Cause it’s dark, usually, at night. But it’s not right now, so congratulations! Wow.”

“I just saw that whole thing!” she marveled. “Man, that’s amazing.”

Picking up her guitar, she added to the couple, “Thanks for doing that at my concert. That’s a big moment. Huge!”

Later in the concert, the extra light in Edinburgh helped the singer make sure her fans stayed safe during her always-anticipated acoustic set, when she performs solo and enjoys some audience interaction at the endstage.

Mid-strum during “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” from the 3am edition of Midnights — which she combined with pieces of 1989‘s “I Know Places,” as one of her surprise performances at the show — the star stopped singing the bridge.

To the tune of the song, she said, “I need help right in front of me, please, right in front of me. Just gonna keep playing until we notice where it is.”

Pointing her guitar in the direction of a person in need of assistance in the general admission floor area of the venue, she said, “Right there,” and then, “I’m just gonna keep playing ’til somebody helps them … We’re not gonna keep singing. We’re just gonna keep talking about the people that we help in front of me … Just let me know when. I could do this all night,” eventually resuming her song when she was sure the person got the attention they needed.

Swift followed the guitar performance with a mashup of Evermore‘s “‘Tis the Damn Season” and Lover‘s “Daylight” on piano.

Below, watch the newly engaged couple’s romantic moment, seemingly documented by fellow Swifties with cell phones, and a closeup clip of Swift’s reaction from the stage.

Plus, see Swift’s interaction with the crowd during “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve.”