Music

31 Jan 2024

Taylor Swift & Brittany Mahomes Show Off AFC Champions Hats in Newly Shared Photos

A year ago, Taylor Swift was a born and raised Philadelphia Eagles fan. Now, she’s modeling Kansas City Chiefs gear with Brittany Mahomes at an AFC Championship game.

The pop star and women’s soccer team owner proudly showed off their AFC Champions caps in newly shared photos on Brittany’s Instagram from the Sunday (Jan. 28) game, which ended with the Chiefs winning 17-10 against the Baltimore Ravens and becoming Super Bowl-bound for the second year in a row. Standing in the bleachers of M&T Bank Stadium in Maryland with the field stretching out in the background, Swift hugs a smiling Brittany as the two pose in their triumphant headgear.

In a third picture, Swift and Brittany, who is married to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, stand on either side of Lyndsay Bell, who is married to tight end Blake Bell, each placing a hand on her pregnant belly. The sweet snap serves as a followup to a photo the three women took earlier this month at the Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins game, which also featured the 12-time Grammy winner sipping a glass of wine while touching Bell’s baby bump.

“LVIII,” Brittany simply captioned the pics, which she posted Tuesday (Jan. 30).

The “Anti-Hero” singer and Brittany have become close friends ever since Swift started coming to Chiefs games last year to support boyfriend Travis Kelce. The pair are often seen together sharing a box suite at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, and the retired soccer player has joined the singer-songwriter and her A-list friends on a number of girls nights out in New York City.

Fans are hopeful that Swift will be able to finish out the season and attend to the Feb. 11 Super Bowl in Las Vegas, where the Chiefs will face the San Francisco 49ers. Timing, however, will certainly be tight; the musician is scheduled to perform an Eras Tour show in Tokyo on Feb. 10, just a day ahead of the 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff time at Allegiant Stadium in Nevada.

31 Jan 2024

Lil Pump Made His MAGA Commitment Permanent With This Donald Trump Tat

Lil Pump is Team MAGA forever. The “Gucci Gang” rapper and devoted follower of former president Donald Trump proved his fealty to the one-term Republican party leader once again by getting one of the most famous images of the one-time Apprentice star inked onto his leg.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday (Jan. 30) Pump (born Gazzy Garcia), 23, showed off the scowling likeness of The Donald on his left upper thigh, a recreation of the instantly viral mugshot taken when Trump was arrested and booked in Fulton County, Georgia last August after surrendering to authorities in connection with his indictment over alleged attempts to overturn the results of the 2022 election in the state; the indictment is one of four — totaling 91 felony charges — that the current GOP presidential front-runner is facing as he makes his third bid for the White House.

“MAGA [two American flag emoji],” Pump wrote alongside the image, which also featured an older shot of a smiling Pump posing next to Trump at a rally. In a post from November featuring the same image of Pump and Trump, the rapper referred to the real estate mogul as the “Greatest president of all time.”

Pump has been touting his Trump support for nearly four years, dating back to Oct. 2020 when he posted a video attacking President Biden’s proposed tax policy aimed at making the rich pay more of their share, followed by the release of the Trump-pumping song “Lil Pimp Big MAGA Steppin.” Trump invited MAGA-hat-wearingPump onto the stage at a rally in Michigan just before polls opened in the 2020 election (where he erroneously referred him as “Lil Pimp“), though the Smoking Gun reported at the time that the then-20-year-old rapper was not eligible to vote for the first time because he failed to register in his home state of Florida in time.

Pump’s mugshot memorial is just the latest hip-hop endorsement for Trump, following on the heels of Chicago rapper Bandman Kevo, who also got the first-ever presidential booking photo tatted on his leg last August. Trump has also gotten endorsements or words of praise from rappers Benny the Butcher, Sexyy Red, Kodak Black and, most famously, disgraced MC Ye [formerly known as Kanye West], who visited Trump in the White House in Nov. 2002 along with Holocaust denying white nationalist Nick Fuentes during what became West’s monthslong spree of hateful antisemitic public statements.

Just this week, Snoop Dogg said after years of beef, he has “nothing but love and respect” for Trump thanks to one of the former president’s final acts: the last-minute clemency grant to Death Row Records co-founder Michael “Harry-O” Harris in the waning minutes of the former president’s single term in office.

See Pump’s Trump tat below.

31 Jan 2024

10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Richy Mitch and The Coal Miners, MJ Lenderman, Cat Janice & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts in its menu, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 titles by artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the Feb. 3, 2024-dated charts.

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Richy Mitch and The Coal Miners



A seven-year-old song sparks Seattle-based Richy Mitch and The Coal Miners’ arrival on Billboard’s charts for the first time.

The folk-rock band’s breakthrough viral single “Evergreen” debuts at No. 15 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 20 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. It debuts with 3.6 million U.S. streams (up 14%) in the latest Jan. 19-25 tracking week, according to Luminate. TikTok has been central to the song’s growing profile, as a portion part of the song’s instrumental part has soundtracked over 200,000 clips on the platform to date.

The group released the song in 2017 on its debut full-length RMCM. The band has released two albums since then: 2018’s Solstice and 2019’s Subliming. The act released four new songs in 2023, including a collaboration with Mt. Joy, “Lake Missoula.”

The group has a string of tour dates supporting Flipturn scheduled for March and April. It is also slated to perform at several upcoming music festivals, including Under The the Big Sky in Montana and Hinterland in Iowa.

MJ Lenderman



MJ Lenderman has already reached Billboard’s charts as a member of the group Wednesday, but he lands his first solo appearance thanks to his featured turn on Waxahatchee’s “Right Back to It.” Released Jan. 9 through Anti-/Epitaph Records, the song debuts at No. 39 on Adult Alternative Airplay (up 111% in airplay audience plays Jan. 19-25). The song is slated to appear on Waxahatchee’s seventh LP, Tigers Blood, due March 22.

Lenderman is a guitarist and vocalist for Wednesday, whose music blends elements of shoegaze and alt-country. The band scored its first chart entries in April 2023 when its critically acclaimed album Rat Saw God debuted at No. 50 on Top Album Sales. The band has released three albums since Lenderman joined in 2020: Twin Plagues in 2021, Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling ‘Em Up in 2022 and Rat Saw God last year — the latter was released via Dead Oceans.

Outside of his work with Wednesday, the Asheville, N.C., native has released four solo LPs: MJ Lenderman (2019), Ghost of Your Guitar Solo (2021), Boat Songs (2022) and And the Wind (Live and Loose!) (November). Last year, he also teamed up with Kevin Abstract on the song “My Friend,” also featuring Kara Jackson.

Wednesday is currently on the road touring with Hotline TNT. The band has other shows lined up through August in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

Cat Janice



The singer-songwriter banks her first career Billboard chart hit thanks to “Dance You Outta My Head.” After self-releasing the song on Jan. 19, it debuts at No. 37 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with 353,000 official U.S. streams and 3,000 downloads sold in its opening week. It also starts at No. 2 on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales and No. 11 on the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart.

The 31-year-old singer, from Washington, D.C., was diagnosed with sarcoma, a type of rare malignant tumor, in 2021. After going through chemotherapy and radiation treatment, the cancer returned, and she released this song as a final tune for her 7-year-old son, just after entering hospice care. On Jan. 6, she posted her first clip of the song, and wrote in the caption, “My last joy would be if you pre saved my song ‘Dance You Outta My Head’ in my bio and streamed it because all proceeds go straight to my 7 year old boy im leaving behind.”

Janice’s final wish went viral leading up to the song’s official release, and the tune has since soundtracked thousands of clips on TikTok to date. Some of the influencers who used the song include the most followed woman on TikTok, Charli D’Amelio, plus Alix Earle, Abbie Herbert and Kat Stickler.

“I’m just honestly so blown away by everyone’s love and how they’ve supported me through this and shared this story,” Janice said in a recent interview with TODAY.com. “I really wasn’t expecting to be here. I really do believe it’s a miracle to be able to witness this. I’m just very happy to be here.”

Good Neighbours



The London-based duo arrives on Billboard’s charts with its first and only release, “Home.” The song, released Jan. 17 via Some Action, debuts at No. 18 on Hot Alternative Songs, No. 23 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 28 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs with 2.7 million U.S. streams earned in its first full week of availability.

Good Neighbours is comprised of Oli Fox and Scott Verrill. Before releasing the official audio, a portion of the song’s demo went viral on TikTok, where the band boasts nearly 50,000 followers.

Outside of the band, Fox has been releasing solo music since 2018. He’s released two EPs: Sunburnt in 2021 and The Season in 2022. Verrill also records solo music, under the name Good Scott (previously as kwassa). He’s been releasing music for nearly a decade, including three EPs: 2015’s Animals, 2017’s Wildlife and 2019’s fka kyko.

Shaya Zamora



The singer-songwriter earns his first Billboard chart hit thanks to “Cigarette.” The song debuts at No. 50 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart with 1.5 million U.S. streams earned in its first week of release. Zamora self-released the track Jan. 19 on his debut five-track EP Eulogize.

The song has been boosted by activity on TikTok. Zamora first posted a 32-second performance of the track in a video posted on Dec. 8, and had been teasing it through various other snippets ever since. Many fans liken his voice and musical style to David Kushner.

Before releasing Eulogize, Zamora dropped five tracks on streaming services, all since July.

Honestav & Z



Both artists arrive on Billboard’s charts for the first time with their new collaboration “I’d Rather Overdose” (billed as Honestav featuring Z). The song, self-released on Jan. 13, debuts at No. 14 on Hot Alternative Songs, No. 17 on Hot Rock Songs and No. 22 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs with 3.3 million U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold in its first full week of release.

TikTok has been a major factor in the song’s start. One portion of the song’s audio has soundtracked more than 50,000 clips on the platform to date, while a separate version has been used in 30,000 clips. Honestav himself boasts over 1 million followers on the service.

Honestav (real name Avrey Freeman) hails from Springfield, Mo. He’s released many other songs on streaming services, all since 2021. As for Z (real name Isaiah Fortman), “I’d Rather Overdose” marks his first release.

Lizzen



The Akron, Ohio, native debuts on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay with her breakthrough single, and first career chart hit, “Why” (up 12% in spins), released in September on Run-It-Up Records. TikTok has also been a factor in the song’s recent gains, as it has soundtracked over 13,000 clips on the platform.

Lizzen has released four other songs on streaming services: “Official,” “Care for You” and “Audacity” (all in 2023) and “Great Gatsby Freestyle” on Jan. 11.

Slift



The French progressive rock band from Toulouse scores its first chart entry with its third studio album Ilion. The set, released Jan. 19 on Sub Pop Records, debuts at No. 50 on Top Current Album Sales with 1,000 copies sold in its opening week. The set also helps the group open at No. 30 on Emerging Artists.

Prior to Ilion, the group released its debut full-length project La Planète Inexplorée in 2018 and its follow-up Ummon in 2020. The band is comprised of brothers Jean and Rémi Fossat and Canek Flores. The act’s upcoming tour kicks off on Feb. 23 in Brighton and runs through April.

GaTa



The rapper and actor is officially a Billboard-charting artist, thanks to his guest appearance on Lil Dicky’s “We Good.” The song debuts at No. 10 on Rap Digital Song Sales and No. 11 on R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales with 1,000 downloads sold in its opening week.

GaTa (real name Davionte Ganter), from South Los Angeles, is the hype man for Lil Dicky, and has co-starred in his FXX series Dave since it premiered in 2020. “We Good” appears on Lil Dicky’s new soundtrack to the series, Penith, released Jan. 19 via Dirty Burd/Commission/BMG. The set debuts at No. 1 on the Comedy Albums chart, plus No. 17 on Top Rap Albums and No. 54 on the Billboard 200.

Outside of Dave, GaTa also recently starred in the films Anyone But You and Self Reliance and, in 2022, appeared in Machine Gun Kelly’s stoner film Good Mourning.

Blake Roman, Sam Haft & Andrew Underberg



All three artists score their first solo chart appearances thanks to their new collaboration “Poison” from the new animated comedy musical series, Hazbin Hotel. Released Jan. 5 on Prime Video/A24 Music, the song debuts at No. 23 on Hot Alternative Songs and No. 34 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs with 2.7 million U.S. streams.

The pilot episode of Hazbin Hotel was released in 2019 on YouTube, but the first season premiered on Jan. 18 on Amazon Prime. Six of the first season’s eight episodes have aired thus far, and “Poison” is one of the musical numbers in the fourth episode, “Masquerade.” The series stars former Hot 100-topping artist Stephanie Beatriz, along with Alex Brightman, Keith David and Kimiko Glenn.

Roman is the vocalist on “Poison,” and also a voice actor in the series, while Haft and Underberg are composers. Haft is also half of the electronic duo The Living Tombstone, which charted multiple songs on Billboard’s rankings in November from the Five Nights at Freddy’s series. Underberg has composed musical numbers for several children’s movies and TV shows, including Barbie: It Takes Two, CoComelon Lane and Monster High: The Movie.

31 Jan 2024

Hot 100 First-Timers: Oscar Ortiz Arrives With Edgardo Nunez Team-Up ‘First Love’

Oscar Ortiz reached Billboard’s charts for the first time four weeks ago, and now he’s a Billboard Hot 100-charting hitmaker, too, thanks to his collaboration with Edgardo Nuñez, “First Love.”

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The song, released Dec. 11 via Genesis Records/BadSin, debuts at No. 94 on the Hot 100 (dated Feb. 3) with 5.8 million official U.S. streams (up 35%) in the Jan. 19-25 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also jumps 22-13 for a new high on Hot Latin Songs – the single became his first chart entry when it debuted on the Jan. 13-dated list.

“First Love” is also surging worldwide, jumping 140-61 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart and 148-72 on the Billboard Global 200, up 40% to 23.4 million streams worldwide.

TikTok has been a significant factor in the song’s recent gains. A portion of it has soundtracked more than 170,000 clips on the platform to date. Ortiz himself is also active on TikTok, boasting over 3 million followers.

Ortiz, from Tijuana, Mexico, released his first song on streaming services, “Anillos” with Oscar Maydon, in April 2023. Since then, he’s released several other tracks, as well as the five-song EP 23/7 in August.

Ortiz’s brother Gerardo has achieved numerous successes on Billboard’s charts, dating to his arrival in 2010: 30 hits on Hot Latin Songs and 33 on Regional Mexican Airplay, including 12 No. 1s on the latter. He has also charted 11 titles on Top Latin Albums, including six No. 1s.

In a 2021 interview with Billboard, Gerardo noted that he often turns to Oscar, who has written some of Gerardo’s songs, as a springboard for new ideas. “I’m more in tune with my brothers who are musicians. I have a piano in my house, and [Oscar] will start playing his own stuff and I start singing some of my new stuff,” Gerardo said. “It’s great because they give me honest feedback. They’re not afraid to tell me how they really feel about something I’ve written.”

Ortiz fellow brother, Kevin, also has a notable history on Billboard’s charts. He has logged four titles on Hot Latin Songs and six on Regional Mexican Airplay. Plus, his set Con La Misma Sangre spent a week at No. 1 on Regional Mexican Albums in 2013.

31 Jan 2024

Watch Ed Sheeran Fail to Impress a Group of Kitties During an Adorable Cat Café Performance

Ed Sheeran may be one of the most successful recording artists of all time, but that doesn’t mean he’s a hit in the feline community. 

The 32-year-old singer-songwriter recently returned to a cat café he had visited a decade prior to hold a private concert for a group of cats – none of whom were fans of his performance of his 2014 smash “Thinking Out Loud.”  

“Who wants to hear a song?” he asks a room of kitties, who were all too busy eating kibble to respond, in an Instagram video posted Tuesday (Jan. 30). 

The four-time Grammy winner then got through one guitar strum before all but one of the cats immediately fled the scene. The remaining kitty – a fluffy gray shorthair with a hilarious underbite – seemed less interested in Sheeran and more a fan of its food bowl. 

“It was not more successful than my last visit, no,” Sheeran says, before the video cuts to a 10-year-old clip of him performing “Thinking Out Loud” for a similarly dispassionate audience at the same cat café.  

“Trying to win over the same kitties that ran away from me in 2014, same results,” the musician captioned his post. 

The “Bad Habits” singer is fresh off his first Emmy win, taking home the award for outstanding original music and lyrics for Ted Lasso’s “A Beautiful Game” with Max Martin and Foy Vance at the Jan. 6 ceremony. Sheeran is on tour following the October 2023 release of his album Autumn Variations, with shows planned in Asia through mid-March. (Hopefully, he earns better ratings in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore than he did at the cat café.) 

Watch Sheeran bomb in front of a bunch of cats below. 

31 Jan 2024

Dua Lipa’s ‘New Rules’ Music Video Dances Past 3 Billion Views on YouTube

“New Rules” has a hit a new milestone. Dua Lipa‘s breakout hit has officially crossed three billion views on YouTube, marking her first clip to hit that mark. It’s her only music video to surpass a billion views on the streaming platform thus far.

Released back in 2017 as a single from the three-time Grammy winner’s eponymous debut studio album, “New Rules” became Lipa’s first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 6). Its Henry Scholfield-helmed music video earned widespread acclaim for its art direction and choreography, reaping a British video of the year nod at the 2018 BRITs and a song of the year nomination at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards. During its original run, “New Rules” conquered a plethora of charts, reaching No. 1 on Dance Club Songs, Dance/Mix Show Airplay and Mainstream Top 40.

On YouTube’s latest Global Top Artists chart (Jan. 19-25), Dua Lipa ranks at No. 59; she concurrently ranks at No. 93 on their U.S. Top Artists chart. Her positions are bolstered by the success of her two most recent singles: “Dance the Night” (from Barbie) and “Houdini.” The former peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100 and is up for two awards at the Sunday (Feb. 4) Grammy ceremony, while the latter has since peaked at No. 11.

Recently, Lipa has begun teasing her next single. Titled “Training Season,” the new track is slated for a Feb. 15 release.

Dua Lipa has earned 21 career entries on the Hot 100, including the top 10 hits “Levitating” (No. 2), “Dance the Night” (No. 6), “New Rules” (No. 6), “Don’t Start Now” (No. 2) and “Cold Heart” (No. 7, with PNAU amd Elton John). On the Billboard 200, the Argylle actress has placed both of her studio albums on the ranking: 2017’s Dua Lipa (No. 27) and 2020’s Future Nostalgia (No. 3).

Brush up on Dua Lipa’s “New Rules” above.

31 Jan 2024

Lainey Wilson Teams With Coors Light for ‘Chill’ Super Bowl Ad: ‘It Was Such a Dream’

In the span of a few short years, reigning CMA entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson has lit up television screens as part of the hit television series Yellowstone, on awards show stages, and in her own music videos. But on Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 11), Wilson will get one of her biggest television spotlights yet, thanks to a cameo in the upcoming Coors Light Super Bowl ad, which will feature the return of the Coors Light Chill Train, and Billboard has an exclusive behind-the-scenes photo above.

“I think my family’s going to freak out when they see me on a commercial during the Super Bowl,” Wilson tells Billboard. “It was such a dream to be in my first big game day and just help reintroduce the Coors Light iconic Chill Train to bring a little bit of that chill that everybody needs. We need that chill out from time to time.”

Wilson is highlighted in the ad, in a scene that features the singer-songwriter in the middle of a photo shoot when the Coors Light Chill Train whizzes by, leaving Wilson in the frost.

“I was doing a photo shoot with my old trusty guitar and a horse that Coors Light hooked me up with,” says Wilson, who filmed her cameo at Los Angeles’ Paramount Studio. “We had some really cool frosted makeup effects and we got to do a lot of fake snow in my hair and eyelashes and stuff. I got to do something that I’ve never done and got to be creative in different kind of ways, which is always fun for me.”

Wilson’s cameo in the Coors Light Super Bowl ad is part of a larger, multi-year partnership between the musician and Coors Light, which will also serve as the official partner for her 2024 Country’s Cool Again tour, which launches May 31 at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater.

Wilson will get to see the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers in person this year when she attends the game in Las Vegas.

“I’m excited to see me some [Super Bowl Halftime Show performer] Usher, and I’m excited for the game, too,” she said. “This is my second year to ever go to the Super Bowl, and any time you get invited to go to the Super Bowl, you go. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m getting to go with some of my friends and other artists. It’s going to be a party.”

Speaking of parties, Wilson also dished on some of her favorite Super Bowl party snacks.

“I’m from Louisiana, so we’re going to keep it spicy and then cool it down with a bit of Coors Light. I love jalapeño poppers, the jalapeños with the cream cheese and wrapped in bacon. I could eat my weight in those, and then some good chips and salsa, some queso — anything with a little kick in it.”

As for which team Wilson might be rooting for during the Super Bowl, she quips, “Oh Lord have mercy. I’m going to be wearing red either way, right? I will say I did get to meet [Chiefs players] Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes. They came to a show of mine last summer and they’re really great people. So, if I had to root for somebody, it might be them.”

Not only will fans see Wilson in the new Super Bowl ad, they can be part of it, too. The new Coors Light Super Bowl spot will also harness the power of CGI, allowing 100 “passengers” to “book” a seat on the Coors Light Chill Train — including seats next to Wilson. Coors Light will release an extended “slo-mo” version of the ad online on game day so that viewers can see all 100 passengers on board as the Coors Light Chill Train rolls by. Coors Light will open up new batches of seats for booking daily at 1 p.m. ET through Friday, Feb. 2, at coorslightchilltrain.com. Once a “passenger” confirms a seat, they can upload a photo of themselves, which will be dropped into the advertisement through CGI. Passengers who secure a seat will also receive an official contract, $500 in talent fees for being in the spot and limited-edition commemorative swag.

Prior to launching her Country’s Cool Again tour, Wilson will head to Australia and Europe for a run of shows. She has also been in the studio working on new music, saying, “I feel like I’m always writing for the next record, and I’m so excited about the stuff we are working on now.”

Given the success of not only her solo hits, but her collabs with artists including Jelly Roll (their Grammy-nominated track “Save Me”) and HARDY (the multiple CMA Award-winning “Wait in the Truck”), Wilson says she’s hopeful her next project will feature some collabs, too.

“I’m excited to have some collaborations of my own, hopefully,” Wilson says. “Fingers crossed, we can get it all worked out, but the more the merrier. I’m all about collaborating.”

31 Jan 2024

Sabrina Carpenter Scores Her First Top 40 Hit on Billboard Hot 100 With ‘Feather’

Sabrina Carpenter notches her first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 as “Feather” flies to No. 37, from No. 56, on the chart dated Feb. 3.

The song drew 22.7 million in radio airplay audience (up 24%) and 7.8 million official streams (up 14%) in the U.S. Jan. 19-25, according to Luminate.

Newly helping spark the song’s profile, Carpenter is set to play both Coachella (April 12) and Governors Ball (June 8) this year; the lineups for each festival were announced Jan. 16.

“Feather” concurrently climbs 17-15 on the Pop Airplay chart and 40-33 on the all-format Radio Songs survey and debuts No. 49 on Streaming Songs.

With the single, released on Island/Republic Records, Carpenter bests the peaks of her two prior Hot 100 hits: “Nonsense” rose to No. 56 in February 2023 and “Skin” reached No. 48 in February 2021.

“Nonsense” also became Carpenter’s first Pop Airplay top 10, hitting No. 10.

“Feather” — which Carpenter co-wrote with Amy Allen and the song’s producer, John Ryan — is from the deluxe version, released in March 2023, of Carpenter’s album Emails I Can’t Send. The set, which debuted at its No. 23 high on the Billboard 200 in July 2022, claims Greatest Gainer honors on the latest list (137-76), up 42% to 12,000 equivalent album units.

Carpenter, who broke through in 2014 starring in Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World, opened on the South American run of Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour last August-November. She’s scheduled to reprise her role in February-March on dates in Australia and Singapore.

“It’s so funny,” Carpenter told Billboard last summer of Republic labelmate Swift. “I’ve been growing up with her advice in her songs because it’s very much a how-to book on how to survive as a young woman, which is really special. Watching her in and of itself is how you learn. I admire her work ethic and her talent and she’s just so amazing.”

31 Jan 2024

Travis & Jason Kelce Joke About Taylor Swift’s Incredible ‘Rookie Year’ With the Chiefs

Taylor Swift may not actually be on the Kansas City Chiefs, but as far as Travis Kelce is concerned, she’s the MVP. 

On the latest episode of their joint podcast New Heights, Travis and his older brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, reflected on the Chiefs’ Sunday (Jan. 28) AFC Championship win against the Baltimore Ravens. Swift was in the crowd along with the tight end’s family at M&T Bank Stadium in Maryland from start to finish, and afterward joined the younger Kelce on the field to celebrate his team being Super Bowl-bound for the second year in a row. 

“Shout-out to the newest members of the Chiefs Kingdom,” Jason joked on the Wednesday (Jan. 31) podcast. “Taylor Swift, who has officially reached the Super Bowl in her rookie year.” 

“Shout-out to Tay!” Travis added. “Thanks for joining the team!” 

The pop star’s fans are still reeling after Sunday’s emotional post-game celebrations, from the moment Swift kissed Travis on live TV to the way No. 87 audibly told her “I love you” on the field. At one point, the “Anti-Hero” singer also shared a moment with Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who singled her out in the crowd while he was onstage accepting the AFC trophy with Travis and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

“It was a cool moment to see afterwards,” Travis said, showing a photo of Reid and Swift affectionately pointing at each other. “I didn’t get to see it because I was up on stage screaming ‘Fight for your right,’ but yeah, that was a cool one.” 

The brothers have previously spoken about how Reid has been a friend of Swift’s family since before the musician and her parents moved to Nashville from the Philadelphia area, where Big Red once worked for the Eagles.  

“That was the last thing Trav wanted to hear, that I knew her before him,” Reid boasted on Let’s Go With Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray earlier this week. “She told him, ‘I know your coach. And he went, ‘Oh, God, come on!’” 

“Obviously we’ve already talked about how they kinda know each other from the Philly days,” Travis rehashed on his podcast, before giving a shout-out to the 12-time Grammy winner’s dad. “Scott Swift, shout-out to big Scott. Him and Andy are good friends.”  

Watch the episode of New Heights above. 

31 Jan 2024

Snoop Dogg, Babyface & Kanye West Celebrate Charlie Wilson’s Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Charlie Wilson, aka Uncle Charlie, was the focus of a double celebration in Hollywood this week, aka Grammy Week. The singer-songwriter and former frontman of The Gap Band not only received the 2,770th star on Tinseltown’s legendary Walk of Fame on Jan. 29, he also rang in his 71st birthday that same day. Also joining Wilson for the momentous occasion were fellow music stars Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Babyface, Snoop Dogg, Kanye “Ye” West, Chanté Moore and Tyler, the Creator.

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Upping the occasion’s emotional quotient was the fact that during a very low point in his career, Wilson was an addict living on the streets of Hollywood. Now sober for 29 years, Wilson is also a prostate cancer survivor of 16 years. 

“This star represents not only my journey,” said Wilson, “but the power of resilience, faith and unwavering support of those who believe in you.”

Jimmy “Jam” Harris, one-half of the Grammy-winning production/songwriting team with Terry Lewis, emceed the event, noting, “Charlie’s showmanship remains unmatched.”

Stepping up to the podium to pay additional tribute were Babyface, Snoop Dogg and Wilson’s longtime manager Michael Paran.

Kanye West, Tyler, The Creator, Terry Steven Lewis, Michael Paran, Jimmy Jam, Babyface and Chanté Moore

Kanye West, Tyler, The Creator, Terry Steven Lewis, Jimmy Jam, Babyface and Chanté Moore attend the ceremony as Charlie Wilson is honored with star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Jan. 29, 2024, in Hollywood, Calif.

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Describing the lessons that Wilson taught him about showmanship, business and family as “a treasure,” Snoop Dogg said, “To have somebody like you to stay in my life and be there for me and my family, it means the world to me, Charlie.”

Grammy-winning icon Babyface remarked, “The fact of who showed up here for Charlie shows why he needs a star because he’s got the best students in the world.” 

Paran, also president/CEO of P Music Group, called Wilson “a true powerhouse whose energy comes from his pure hunger to bring joy to others.”

Alongside his late brothers/group co-founders Robert and Ronnie, Wilson scored a string of classic hits during The Gap Band’s ’70s/’80s heyday such as “Burn Rubber on Me,” “Outstanding” and “Yearning for Your Love.” Heading out on his own in 1992, Wilson has since left his own imprint on a host of R&B hits, among them “There Goes My Baby,” “I’m Blessed” featuring T.I., “Charlie, Last Name Wilson,” “One I Got” and his guest turn on Snoop Dogg’s “Beautiful.”

The 13-time Grammy nominee and indefatigable live performer recently released his latest single “Superman.”