Music

22 Feb 2024

Jelly Roll Announces Dates For 2024 Beautifully Broken U.S. Arena Tour

Jelly Roll is hitting the road this summer for his biggest tour to date, a U.S. run that will bring the Grammy-nominated country rapper to arenas from coast-to-coast. The Beautifully Broken tour is slated to kick off on August 27 with a gig at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City and include stops in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Antonio, New Orleans, Orlando, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and St. Louis before winding down with an Oct. 27 gig at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

The Live Nation-promoted tour will include opening acts Warren Zeiders and Alexandra Kay and marks the Grammy-nominated “Bottle and Mary Jane” singer’s biggest headlining shows to date. A Citi presale will begin on Monday (Feb. 26) at 10 a.m. local time and run through Feb. 29 at 10 p.m. local time; click here for information. A number of other presales will also kick off on Monday and run through the week ahead of the general onsale, which will open on March 1 at 10 a.m. local time here.

Before he hits the road, Jelly will join Tori Kelly as guest mentor on the just-launched 22nd season of American Idol.

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Check out the dates for Jelly Roll’s 2024 Beautifully Broken U.S. tour below.

August 27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center

August 28 – Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center

August 30 – Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena

August 31 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

Sept. 1 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center

Sept. 3 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center

Sept. 4 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center

Sept. 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

Sept. 7 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center

Sept. 9 – El Paso, TX @ Don Haskins Center

Sept. 11 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center

Sept. 13 – Lafayette, LA @ CAJUNDOME

Sept. 14 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center

Sept. 17 – Orlando, FL @ Kia Center

Sept. 19 – Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Coliseum

Sept. 20 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena

Sept. 21 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena

Sept. 24 – Albany, NY @ MVP Arena

Sept. 26 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden

Sept. 27 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

Sept. 28 – Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena

Sept. 29 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center

Oct. 1 – State College, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center

Oct. 2 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center

Oct. 5 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena

Oct. 6 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center

Oct. 9 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena

Oct. 11 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

Oct. 12 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center

Oct. 15 – Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena

Oct. 18 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center 

Oct. 20 – Bossier City, LA @ Brookshire Grocery Arena

Oct. 22 – Little Rock, AR @ Simmons Bank Arena

Oct. 23 – St Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center 

Oct. 25 – Knoxville, TN @ Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center

Oct. 26 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena

Oct. 27 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center

22 Feb 2024

Snoop Dogg Pays Tribute to Late Half-Brother Bing Worthington: ‘Keep Mama Company Til We Get There’

Snoop Dogg paid tribute to his beloved half-brother, Bing Worthington, on Tuesday in an Instagram post featuring an image from the 44-year-old’s funeral. “Everlastin love Beverly’s boys. Dirty left Bing and snoopy [fire, flower, dove emoji],” Snoop wrote alongside an image of himself at the funeral wearing an all-red suit and matching Kangol hat as he and other mourners looked solemnly at Worthington’s casket.

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“@badabing33 miss that laugh and the way u made us smile,” Snoop added. “Keep mama company til we get there [dove, peace sign emoji].” Snoop announced that Worthington — the rapper’s half-sibling on his their late mother Beverly’s side — had passed last Friday; the Orange County Sheriff’s Dept. said Worthington died on Feb. 15 of as-yet-undetermined causes, according to NBC News.

Worthington — who was a member of the rap duo Lifestyle — played a number of roles in Snoop’s career over the years, including tour manager and executive producer at the rapper’s Dogg Records label.

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Snoop’s post about Worthington’s death garnered comments and messages of support from a number of singers, athletes and friends, including former NBA player Matt Barnes, comedian Affion Rockett, R&B singers Miki Howard, Melba Moore and Sunshine Anderson, rappers Young Buck, M.C. Serch, Xzibit, DJ Quik, Tony Yayo and Three 6 Mafia and former NFL player and TV presenter Michael Strahan.

Earlier this month, Snoop reunited with longtime producer and mentor Dr. Dre to launch a branded cocktail based on one of their most beloved collaborations from the rapper’s 19194 Dre-produced debut album, Doggystyle: Gin & Juice.

Check out Snoop’s post below.

22 Feb 2024

Diane Warren to Receive 2024 Johnny Mercer Award From Songwriters Hall of Fame

Diane Warren is set to receive the 2024 Johnny Mercer Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Gala on Thursday, June 13 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. 

The Mercer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the SHOF, is reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted into the SHOF and whose body of work upholds the high standards set by Mercer, wrote dozens of hits from the 1930s through the 1960s. Learn more about Mercer here.

Warren will bethe fourth woman to receive the award on her own, following Carole King (2002), Dolly Parton (2007) and Carole Bayer Sager (2019). In addition, three songwriting teams with a female partner have won the honor – Betty Comden & Adolph Green (1991), Alan & Marilyn Bergman (1997), and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil (2011).

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The recipient of a second honorary award, the Hal David Starlight Award, will be announced at a later date.

Warren, 67, has won a Grammy, a Primetime Emmy and two Golden Globes. In November 2022, she became the first songwriter to receive a Governors Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.

Most notably, Warren is one of just six individuals in Oscar history to receive 15 or more nominations for best original song. The other members of this elite club are Sammy Cahn (26 nominations), Mercer (18), Paul Francis Webster (16) and Marilyn and Alan Bergman (15).

Warren has been in the running for best original song the last seven years in a row. That’s the longest continuous streak of nominations in this category since Cahn was nominated eight years running – from 1954-61. Warren’s current nomination is for “The Fire Inside,” performed by Becky G for the film Flamin’ Hot. While it seems to stand little chance of beating the favorite, “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, it’s practically a foregone conclusion that Warren will be back in the running again. 

“The songwriting community is filled with many special people who have delivered incomparable songs that have made the world go round,” SHOF chairman Nile Rodgers said in a statement. “Within that special group of people, Diane Warren is unique; she is a force of nature that, despite her enormous success … she shows up to write songs every morning at 8 a.m.!”

Rodgers’ statement hints at what may be the secret of Warren’s success – a work ethic that is second-to-none.

In a statement, Warren said, “I’m beyond honored to receive the Johnny Mercer Award, especially looking at the names of the other songwriters who have gotten this great honor. When I was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, my mom was there and finally understood that I could make a living and life being what I was born to be and wake up every day loving to be… a songwriter. Now, both she and my dad will be looking down on me with big smiles on their faces. Thank you, Songwriters Hall of Fame.”

A personal note: Back in the 1980s, when I wrote the Chart Beat column in Billboard, Warren’s father called me out of the blue to tout his daughter’s chart successes, an extraordinary show of parental pride and support.

Warren has written or co-written 33 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, spanning more than 40 years. Her first top 10 hit was Laura Branigan‘s “Solitaire” in May 1983. Her most recent was Taylor Swift’s “Say Don’t Go (Taylor’s Version) [From the Vault]” in November 2023. Swift and Warren co-wrote the song in 2013 for 1989 but it was shelved until the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

Among Warren’s 33 top 10 hits, she has penned nine No. 1s, from Starship’s “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” in 1987 (also her first Oscar nominee for best original song) through Brandy’s “Have You Ever?” in 1999.

Warren is the sole owner of Realsongs, her publishing company, which is the most successful female-owned and operated business in the music industry.

Warren was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001, along with two other songwriters who went on to receive the Mercer Award – Parton and Paul Williams. (The other members of that especially strong class were Willie Nelson and Eric Clapton.)

Three “non-performing” songwriters – Hillary Lindsey, Timothy Mosley (Timbaland) and Dean Pitchford – and members of two groups – Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe (R.E.M.) and Donald Fagen and Walter Becker (Steely Dan) – are this year’s inductees into the SHOF.

A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.

Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $2,000 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, 914-579-1000 and SHOF@buckleyhallevents.com. Net proceeds from the event will go toward Songwriters Hall of Fame programs.

22 Feb 2024

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Visit Sydney Zoo After Tight End’s Global Trek to Australia

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift didn’t waste any time doing some classic couple stuff ahead of the singer’s upcoming run of Eras Tour shows in Sydney, Australia. According to News.com.au, after the Kansas City Chiefs tight end landed down under on Wednesday, he and Swift took a trip to the Sydney Zoo on Thursday (Feb. 22).

The news outlet dubbed it Swift’s “favourite hotspot,” reporting that it was the second day in a row that the “Karma” singer had visited the animal park. The couple reportedly got a private tour and fed kangaroos during their visit, taking selfies along the way as they held hands and walked around the zoo arm-in-arm.

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Cameras spotted Kelce getting off a private jet the day before, marking the second time the three-time Super Bowl champ has hopped on a plane to go see Swift on her globe-hopping Eras Tour. Swift is slated to play four dates at Sydney’s Accor Stadium beginning on Friday (Feb. 23) through Monday (Feb. 26), with Sabrina Carpenter slated to open the gigs.

According to the Australian news site’s report, Swift visited the city’s Olympic stadium on Wednesday for a sound check ahead of Friday’s kick-off gig, which may be marred by some predicted foul weather. The site said that “heavy hail” is in the forecast for Friday night, with showers and storms predicted amid “scorching hot weather” in the city over the weekend.

The global trip by Kelce is the mirror image of one Swift took two weeks ago when she flew from Tokyo to Las Vegas to support her boyfriend when the Chiefs played the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11. In a testament to the massive frequent flier miles the long distance couple are likely to wrack up over the next year, in November, Kelce flew to Buenos Aires, Argentina to take in one of Swift’s Eras Tour gigs.

22 Feb 2024

Global Citizen NOW Sets First International Edition In Melbourne

Global Citizen NOW will make its international debut in Melbourne, Australia next month, for a two-day program capped with a special performance by Crowded House.

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Set for March 4-6 at Centrepiece, Melbourne Park, the summit will drive action on the climate crisis, gender inequity, innovations in health systems and fighting food insecurity and extreme poverty in the region and around the world, as Australia hosts ASEAN leaders in the Victorian capital.

Speakers include Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste. Global Citizen ambassadors Hugh Jackman and Charlie Puth; Julia Gillard, former prime minister of Australia; and Ajay Banga, president of the World Bank, will join virtually.

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Ferguson is co-chair of the event. “I’m coming to Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne to participate in vital intergenerational conversations with young leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region, who are doing frontline, grassroots work to address the climate crisis, the hunger crisis, girls’ education,” she explains in a statement, “and issues perpetuating cycles of extreme poverty. I look forward to listening to them, learning from them, and contributing whatever voice I have to speak up for the future of our planet.”

The inaugural Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne event wraps March 6 with Global Citizen Nights, an “intimate evening of music and storytelling” at the Palais Theatre, headlined by Crowded House.

“We are delighted to be providing a closing performance for Global Citizen, who are bringing together talented and passionate young advocates and innovators to help solve the most urgent problems facing all of us…equity and climate,” comments Crowded House frontman Neil Finn. “Who knows from what distant corners brilliant ideas might come from. Young people’s amazing potential is sometimes hidden from view. We want to be there to help bring it into the light.”

The ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted band is gearing up for the release of Gravity Stairs, their first through a new arrangement with BMG. Due out May 31, it’s the eighth studio album from the beloved folk-rock act which has sold over 15 million records worldwide, won 13 ARIA Awards, eight APRA Awards, a BRIT Award, an MTV VMA and landed No. 1 albums in the U.K. and Australia.

Free tickets to the performance and can be earned by taking action on the Global Citizen app and at globalcitizen.org/nights.

Global Citizen, the leading advocacy organization, has a strong Australian connection. It’s the brainchild of Australia humanitarian Hugh Evans. “It’s all I’ve ever cared about, since I was literally 12 years old, was the eradication of extreme poverty. It’s the simplest truth about me and our co-founders,” Evans told this reporter in 2022, on a trip to his homeland.

Global Citizen NOW: Melbourne is presented by the State Government of Victoria, with a range of partners including Cisco, Citi and P&G.

Additional performers will be announced in the coming days.

22 Feb 2024

AC/DC Celebrates 50th Anniversary With Vinyl Reissue

First the comeback concert tour, now AC/DC announces a reissue of its catalog on wax.

In celebration of 50 years rocking, the legendary Australian band will release its full set of albums, pressed on “vibrant gold vinyl,” reads a brief statement. The first nine titles will be released March 15, and are part of the “AC/DC 50” collection: High Voltage (1975), Dirty Deeds Done Dirty Cheap (1976), Powerage (1978), Highway to Hell (1979), Back in Black (1980), For Those About to Rock (1981), Who Made Who (1986), The Razor’s Edge (1990), and the double album Live (1992).

Also, new colored pressings of Highway to Hell (orange blend) and Back In Black (black/white blend) are available to pre-order from AC/DC’s official webstore.

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As previously reported, the Rock Hall-inducted band is powering-up for a pan-European tour with a line-up featuring singer Brian Johnson, guitarist Angus Young, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and Chris Chaney (Jane’s Addiction) replacing longtime bassist Cliff Williams. Williams retired from the band after the conclusion of the 2016 Rock or Bust tour, returning to the fold briefly for the 2020 Power Up album.

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Power Up blasted to the summit of the Billboard 200, for their third leader, and on the Official U.K. Albums Charts, for their fourth No. 1.

In their homeland, Power Up charged to No. 1 on the ARIA Chart for their sixth leader, setting a unique record as the only Australian group to have No. 1 albums in each of the past five decades.

The forthcoming 24-date trek of the U.K. and Europe, their first in eight years, is slated to kick off May 17 with the first of two dates at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.

Formed in Sydney in 1973, the rockers were inducted into the inaugural ARIA Hall of Fame, saluted at a ceremony in 1988, alongside Dame Joan Sutherland, Johnny O’Keefe, Slim Dusty, Col Joye and Vanda & Young. In 2003, AC/DC were elevated into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, and, a decade on, in 2013, Back In Black was entered into the Grammy Hall Of Fame, established by the Recording Academy to honor “recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance.”

Those meaty rock records are never out of style. The title track from their seminal seventh LP, Back In Black, recently passed one billion views on YouTube, the band’s second to hit the milestone after “Thunderstruck” crossed the line in 2021.

21 Feb 2024

Creepy Nuts’ ‘Bling-Bang-Bang-Born’ Holds for Fourth Week at No. 1 on Japan Hot 100

Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” holds atop the Billboard Japan Hot 100 on the chart dated Feb. 21, extending its record to four consecutive weeks at No. 1.

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The MASHLE Season 2 opener continues to rule downloads and streaming, with the former increasing by 21.4% from last week to 19,980 units and the latter by 8.4% to 21,812,337 streams. The hip-hop banger also climbed 13-7 for radio airplay and jumped 32-9 for karaoke. The song’s momentum continues to grow as it draws increasing attention, with overall points gaining 11.7% from the week before.

Snow Man’s “LOVE TRIGGER” debuts at No. 2 on the Japan Hot 100 after launching with over a million CDs. The boy band’s 10th single called “LOVE TRIGGER / We’ll go together” dropped on Valentine’s Day and sold 1,224,902 copies in its first week, a record for the nine-member group. The CD is also the first by the group to launch with more than a million copies. The two tracks are the theme songs for drama series featuring members Hikaru Iwamoto and Shota Watanabe, respectively in their first starring roles. The single is off to a good start, coming in at No. 3 for radio and No. 7 for video views. 

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Hikaru Utada’s “A Flower of No Color” debuts at No. 4. The theme song for Fuji TV’s latest “getsu-ku” (Monday nights at 9:00) drama series is the J-pop superstar’s first new release after celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut. The song was unveiled during the drama’s premiere, then digitally released on Feb. 12. It launched at No. 2 for downloads with 11,704 units, No. 1 for radio, and No. 10 for video views. It’s still at No. 40 for streaming with 2,793,660 weekly streams, but the track is expected to gain in this metric as well in the coming weeks.

Omoinotake snags its first top 10 hit with “IKUOKU KONEN,” the theme song for the TBS Tuesday drama Eye Love You. The track moves 13-8 this week, coming in at No. 10 for downloads with 4,441 units, No. 7 for streaming with 6,058,030 streams, No. 11 for radio, and No. 25 for video, collecting points in a balanced way. The piano trio performed this love song on YouTube’s “THE FIRST TAKE” and the video has racked up 1.36 million views in four days after dropping Feb. 16.

WOLF HOWL HARMONY from EXILE TRIBE’s “Frozen Butterfly” debuts at No. 9. The four-member group’s second single hits No. 2 for physical sales with 40,160 CDs sold in its first week, No. 4 for radio and No. 39 for downloads.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.

See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Feb. 12 to 18, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

21 Feb 2024

Here’s Drake’s Reaction to a Woman Claiming She ‘Got Pregnant’ to ‘For All The Dogs’

Drake certainly has a way with the pregnant ladies.

During the first Nashville stop of his It’s All a Blur Tour — Big as the What? with J. Cole earlier this month, a woman named Camille Smith brought a sign saying “I got pregnant to For All the Dogs (this is also my 5th time seeing you this tour).” But it was Drizzy’s first time seeing her because he clocked her sign and took a moment to respond, which can be seen in Smith’s TikTok clip that she captioned, “POV: Drake finally acknowledges you at your 5th show.”

“That’s a crazy sign by the way,” he said while wiping his face with a rag. “That sh– just came out!” He later asked “to what song” from his four-month-old album and guessed his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “First Person Shooter.” But Smith yelled back “Virginia Beach,” the album’s opener that samples Frank Ocean‘s 2012 unreleased song “Wiseman.”

During an L.A. stop from the first leg of his It’s All a Blur Tour, The Boy showed love to a pregnant fan by kissing her belly. He did the same for Sexyy Red during their “Rich Baby Daddy” music video, where things unexpectedly got serious. “What am I supposed to do? My water just broke,” Sexyy asked a perplexed Drake before requesting he call over their co-star and collaborator SZA. “Are you f—ing dumb? Can you stop? We have to go,” SZA scolded him before the three artists piled into the minivan and headed to the hospital, where Sexyy gave birth to her second child.

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21 Feb 2024

J. Cole Previews New Song in Big As the What? Tour Vlog

J. Cole has been hinting at The Fall-Off possibly serving as his final album for years and he’s teased an unreleased song mentioning the elusive project from a burner account.

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The “First Person Shooter” rapper uploaded a 10-minute vlog titled Might Delete Later, Vol. 1 which follows Cole’s unfiltered travels as part of the It’s All A Blur – Big As the What? Tour with Drake in the mold of a classic Smack DVD.

The raw clip has a little bit of everything with cameos from Drake as well as Bas and J. Cole’s manager Ibrahim Hammad.

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About four minutes in, Cole previews the new track where he sounds hungry to make 2024 another banner year as he peppers the ominous production with hard-hitting rhymes.

“There’s not a rap n—a breathing that could outlast/ The Fall-Off is like Hov dropping Reasonable Doubt last” the Dreamville boss raps in an homage to Jay-Z. “We from the South where learn all about stashing.”

Another scene features the North Carolina native complaining about how he hasn’t sharpened his production skills in a while and as a result, his rapping mastery has lapped his dexterity behind the boards. Cole also revealed he’s recently been in the studio with Metro Boomin.

“It’s like I have a desire like, man, I want to get back to making beats. I want to get back good but then I’m like it’s been so long and I’ve been putting so much work in on the rap s–t that I’m so far behind now on the production. I’m the worst I’ve ever been,” he admitted.

J. Cole’s last album, The Off-Season, arrived in May 2021 and the blockbuster soared to earn himself his sixth No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 282,000 total album units sold in the first week.

The rap dignitary is currently trekking across North America with Drake as a guest on his It’s All A Blur — Big As the What? Tour, which invades Ohio this week with shows on tap in Columbus and a pair in Cleveland.

Watch the vlog below and find the unreleased track around the 4:30 mark.

21 Feb 2024

Travis Kelce Lands in Australia for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour

Travis Kelce is a supportive boyfriend!

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was spotted landing in Sydney, Australia, ahead of girlfriend Taylor Swift’s Eras tour dates in the country. In photos shared by Page Six, Kelce is seen walking off his private jet, surrounded by security.

Swift is performing four shows at Sydney’s Accor Stadium from Friday (Feb. 23) to Monday (Feb. 26). Sabrina Carpenter is set to be the opener.

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Swift flew from Tokyo, Japan, to Las Vegas to support Kelce from the stands as the Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl earlier this month.

Shortly after the Chiefs proved victorious, Kelce gave a passionate post-game speech where he yelled, “Viva Las Vegas” and his borrowed catchphrase, “You gotta fight for your right to party” as Swift, seemingly fighting back happy tears, looked on. She then found the athlete in the crowd and kissed him several times, hugging him close and telling him he’s “unbelievable.” 

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Moments before, cameras had caught the “Karma” musician jumping up and down as her friends collapsed on her in a group hug after quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw the game-winning touchdown.