Music

29 Jan 2024

Taylor Swift Fist-Bumps Tony Romo on the Field After Chiefs AFC Championship Win: Watch

It’s nice to have a friend. Minutes after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens at the AFC Championship Game Sunday (Jan. 28), Taylor Swift celebrated boyfriend Travis Kelce’s victory by taking to the field, where she got chummy with none other than ex-Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. 

In a video posted to X from the festivities, the 34-year-old pop star stands in a packed crowd next to Kelce’s parents, Donna and Ed, and behind Romo. Over the excited buzz of fans, she manages to strike up a conversation with the announcer. 

“Well, we’re doing very different things, aren’t we?” Swift tells him, smiling, after he seemingly complimented her. “It’s a different skill set.” 

After that, Romo reaches over to give the 12-time Grammy winner a fist bump, which she enthusiastically reciprocates.  

The sweet exchange comes after Romo went viral for mistakenly referring to Swift as Kelce’s “wife” during a broadcast of the Chiefs’ game against the Buffalo Bills in December. “As you see Kelce’s wife, Taylor Swift, in the audience …,” he said at the time while commenting on a play.  

“I’m sorry, girlfriend,” he corrected himself seconds afterward. 

With the Chiefs proving victorious on Sunday, Kansas City now moves on to the final round of the NFL postseason: the Super Bowl on 11. There, the defending champions will face off against the San Francisco 49ers, who triumphed over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship over the weekend. 

See Swift and Romo hit it off in the clip below: 

29 Jan 2024

8 Must-Hear New Country Songs: Charlie Worsham, Jordyn Shellhart, Conner Smith, Hailey Whitters & More

Collaborations rule the day in this week’s Must-Hear Songs column, as triple-threat singer-songwriter-musician Charlie Worsham teams with newcomer Jordyn Shellhart, Grammy-nominated The War and Treaty pair with Wilder Woods, while Kameron Marlowe and Ella Langley trade vocal harmonies. Conner Smith, who just released his top-shelf debut project, also teams up with Hailey Whitters on a new track.

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Jordyn Shellhart feat. Charlie Worsham, “A Nice Thing to Do”

Labelmates Worsham and Shellhart team up for an important and timely message of civility and kindness in this track, setting the scene of a high-powered businessperson who brushes off an industry admirer at a party. “What if your castle ever crumbles under you?” they sing, delivering a word of caution that there is no merit in embracing a manner of rudeness, and noting that whether or not the dismissed person ends up being powerful themselves at some point, kindness is still optimal.

Shellhart and Worsham both possess amiable, relaxed vocal styles, which bubble atop clean, graceful pop-country production; Shellhart wrote the song with Cameron Jaymes, with Jaymes producing.

Wyatt Flores, “Milwaukee”

Even before releasing his EP Life Lessons, “West of Tulsa” singer Wyatt Flores has demonstrated his knack for wielding musical prose and melding it with a jangly country-rock style that frames a charismatic voice.

On his latest, which Flores wrote with Graham Barham, Gavin Lucas and Cole Miracle, fiddle and guitar drive this track depicting a wrenching moment of crashing into the realization that he should attempt to convince an exiting lover to return, but isn’t. “You can hate my eyes for watching you leave/ Hate my should-have-chased-you-down feet,” he sings. Along with his new project, he also recently made his Grand Ole Opry debut, and is opening shows for Charles Wesley Godwin at the Ryman Auditorium, as he steadily continues his impressive ascent to star status.

Kameron Marlowe and Ella Langley, “Strangers”

Langley and Marlowe offer a mighty vocal pairing here, with each vocalist’s octave-jumping talents pushing the other’s to ever-heightened moments of angst. A moody, waltzy rhythm heightens the tensions here, as the song depicts two lovers caught in the grey area between remaining friends, lovers or strangers — knowing their emotions run too high for any of those categories to quite encompass their feelings and history. As they put it, “There’s too much love, there’s too much anger.” Langley and Marlowe wrote “Strangers” with Will Bundy and Chase McGill.

Conner Smith feat. Hailey Whitters, “Roulette on the Heart”

Nashville native Conner Smith has a top 15 Country Airplay hit with “Creek Will Rise,” and he just released his stellar project Smoky Mountains. The album includes this collab with “Everything She Ain’t” hitmaker Hailey Whitters — one that further cements his place as one of country music’s most promising newcomers. Written by Smith with Jessi Alexander, Chase McGill and Mark Trussell, this churning mid-tempo track showcases the tale of a couple caught in a relationship that runs hot and cold. “Are you tryin’ to love me, are you tryin’ to kill me/ every night is a shot in the dark,” they sing, though it’s clear no resolution is coming swiftly. His crackling firewood burnished tones are a match for her airy, bright-lit twang.

Corey Kent, “This Heart”

Heartbreak, crunchy guitars and sleek production collide as he blames his latest emotional-relational ache on his own heart, wishing he could stop the pain from seeping through. “I’d rip it out, girl, if I didn’t need it,” he sings, his beseeching tenor at once raspy and resonant. A collective of hit radio songcrafters are behind this one, written by Thomas Archer, Blake Bollinger, Jacob Hackworth and Michael Tyler.

Kylie Frey, “Miss Thang”

Frey was recently feted as one of CMT’s Next Women of Country, and this Louisiana native offers plenty of reasons for the accolade with her latest release. This rollicking barnburner of a track is a lyrical confection, but rocks with driving percussion and sizzling fiddle. Frey, a third-generation rodeo gal, sings with a powerful dose of charismatic twang.

Wilder Woods feat. The War and Treaty, “Be Yourself”

Singer-songwriter Bear Rinehart, a.k.a. Wilder Woods, teams with Grammy-nominated duo The War and Treaty for a new version of this song from Woods’ 2023 project Fever/Sky, resulting in this wondrous soul-Americana collab. The affirming, inspiring anthem of acceptance embedded in this song begs to be sung by high-caliber talents — the kind that Woods and The War and Treaty bring to the table — and they don’t disappoint.

Sammy Arriaga, “The Boat“

Miami native Arriaga faces head-on a difficult but necessary conversation in this ballad, detailing the back-and-forth between a father and son, laying out which siblings will inherit certain belongings after the father’s death. Written by Arriaga with Devin Barker and Emma Lynn White, the song quickly dispels any notion that mere physical items are the crux of the conversation, as the son makes it clear that all those days spent with his father fishing on their boat were never really about casting lines and reeling in a good catch. A heart-tugging, solid release here from Arriaga.

29 Jan 2024

How Jack Harlow’s ‘Lovin On Me’ Came Together

As debate continues over contemporary hip-hop’s ability to top the charts, producer Sean Momberger reached into the past to help the genre regain its pop dominance — and score his first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1. “Lovin on Me,” which borrows from a 1990s Detroit hit, became Jack Harlow’s third Hot 100 leader, continuing the Louisville, Ky., rapper’s success with sample-driven compositions that started in 2022 with his debut chart-topper, “First Class.”

In this case, Momberger sourced the “Lovin on Me” hook from Cadillac Dale’s 1995 hit, “Whatever (Bass Soliloquy).” The 33-year-old producer says he wasn’t too familiar with the song, but once he heard the “whips and chains” part, he immediately put it into Pro Tools and started building the track. As Momberger says, “I’m a huge sampler. I always love starting ideas with old tracks. I was trying to break the mold of using super well-known samples and dive into older R&B and ’90s songs.” Initially, he was aiming to craft an R&B song for an artist like Chris Brown, with whom he had previously worked. But once co-producer Oz (Travis Scott, Future) put his hip-hop handprint on the rhythm, those plans changed.

The making of “Lovin on Me” was a worldwide affair. The song’s roots grew in Detroit thanks to its sample, and Momberger then chopped it up in Los Angeles before sending it through Dropbox to Oz in Switzerland to add some drums. (The drums brought a bit of Bay Area bounce, which invited comparisons to Drake’s “The Motto.”) By last July, the song arrived in Harlow’s hands in Louisville.

According to Luminate, “Lovin on Me” has logged 207.4 million official on-demand U.S. streams through Jan. 11. The song debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in late November and rose to the chart’s apex the following week, surviving as the most-consumed nonholiday single and returning to No. 1 by Jan. 13. As irresistible as the hook and beat are, Momberger credits Harlow for helping the song connect. He first heard the artist rap over the track in a Oct. 23 TikTok snippet that began the song’s promotional campaign. As Momberger recalls: “When I heard how he tied the sample to his lyrics… he just gets it. I knew then it was a hit.”

This story originally appeared in the Jan. 27, 2024, issue of Billboard.

29 Jan 2024

Britney Spears Says She’s ‘In Love’ With Justin Timberlake’s ‘Selfish’ Single: ‘It Is Soo Good’

Just days after her fan army attempted to block Justin Timberlake‘s new single, “Selfish,” from topping iTunes pop charts around the world by pushing Britney Spears‘ 2011 deep cut of the same name up the tallies, Spears extended an live branch to her long-ago ex.

“I am so in love with Justin Timberlake’s new song ‘Selfish,’” Spears wrote on her Instagram feed — which is now set to private — about the first single from Timberlake’s upcoming sixth album, Everything I Thought It Was. Tacking on a heart emoji, Spears also wrote, “It is soo good and how come every time I see Justin and Jimmy together I laugh so hard ???”

Timberlake appeared on The Tonight Show on Thursday to goof around with longtime friend and comedy foil host Jimmy Fallon, and then the two were reunited again for a run through their famous “Barry Gibb Talk Show” bit on Saturday Night Live this weekend. In addition to playing the mellow “Selfish,” Timberlake debuted the new gospel-tinged burner “Sanctified” alongside Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe in his first SNL performance of the night.

Spears appeared to love that one as well.

“Ps ‘Sanctified’ is wow [star eyes emoji] too,” Britney added about the second song that’s been revealed so far from the JT album due out on March 15.

The “Selfish” upvote frenzy appeared to come strictly from Spears’ devoted fans and Spears has not publicly weighed in on the effort to resurface the deep cut Femme Fatale bonus track. Thanks to the fan attention, Britney’s “Selfish” hit the top of a number of iTunes pop charts across the world on Friday, either displacing or landing just beneath Timberlake’s single of the same name.

Britney’s Monday (Jan. 29) Instagram post featured another surprise: a blanket mea culpa for anyone whose feelings were hurt by things she revealed in her 2023 tell-all memoir. “I wanna apologize for some of the things I wrote about in my book. If I offended any of the people I genuinely care about I am deeply sorry,” Spears wrote without naming names. While Spears did not elaborate on who she was apologizing to about the many headline-grabbing revelations in her best-selling memoir, The Woman In Me, one of the people who came in for particularly harsh criticism after the book’s release last year was Timberlake.

The couple dated from 1999 to 2002, and in the book Spears revealed that she got unexpectedly pregnant during that time and that she had an abortion because Timberlake “definitely wasn’t happy about pregnancy“; she also wrote that though she could never have imagined choosing an abortion, she agreed to not have the child. “Given the circumstances, that is what we did,” she said about the procedure they kept secret.

Timberlake didn’t respond to the allegations in the book about his alleged behavior during their relationship, but he did turn off comments on his Instagram after it was flooded with angry comments from Britney’s supporters at the time.

He did, however, appear to allude to the firestorm during a Las Vegas show in December, where he told a crowd he meant “no disrespect” before playing his 2002 solo hit “Cry Me a River,” widely seen as a commentary on the couple’s March 2002 split after three years together.

The couple’s brief teenage romance has spurred years of headlines, repeatedly stoking the fires of anger against JT from the Britney Army. In the book, however, Spears wrote that her love for her former boy band flame was eternal. “After that, I was messed up for a while, especially because I still love Justin so much,” she wrote. “It was insane how much I loved him, and for me, it was unfortunate.”

29 Jan 2024

Ana Bárbara’s Long Road to Her Second Grammy Nomination

The first time Ana Bárbara was nominated for a Grammy was in 2006, for No Es Brujería in the Best Mexican/Mexico-American Album category. Although she did not win (the award went to Pepe Aguilar), Ana Bárbara, signed at that time to Fonovisa, represented one of the few successful women in grupera and ranchera music — an artist who, beyond having a powerful voice and bringing sex appeal to the stage, also wrote her own songs.

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Now, almost 20 years later, Ana Bárbara (real name: Altagracia Ugalde Motta) has earned her second nod. Her exquisite Bordado a mano (Embroidered by hand) — which includes duets with Vicente Fernández, Christian Nodal, Paquita la del Barrio, Bronco and Christian Castro — is nominated for Best Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) at the Grammys, competing at the ceremony on Sunday (Feb. 4) against Peso Pluma and three female artists: Lila Downs, Lupita Infante and Flor de Toloache.

In the group of nominees, Ana Bárbara is the pioneer, but she is still at the forefront. Bordado a mano is a work of art, but also of love and tenacity, recorded, produced and released by Ana Bárbara herself on her own label (Solos Music) with distribution by ONErpm. It took years to record, in part because it was logistically challenging to lock artists like Vicente Fernández (in his final collaboration before his death), and because Ana Bárbara paid for everything out of her own pocket.

The Mexican singer-songwriter — who this year celebrates the 30th anniversary of her first album, and who will be honored at Premio lo Nuestro on February 22 — spoke with Billboard about the meaning of the nomination at this stage of her life.

Your last Grammy nomination was 18 years ago. What are you most excited about this time?

Unlike the previous album, this one is completely independent. The last one included my songs but this one is also my production. And I am very proud of the work that was done, both with the songs and the teamwork, because it finally got to where it had to go, with a small, indie label. Solos Music is my label, and we are only five people. We’re small but we come through! [laughs]

ONErpm supports you with distribution and marketing, but this has been an independent job, and that’s difficult. Was it scary?

I can’t deny I was a little scared, because I didn’t know. I have to be honest. When Rose [manager Rosela Zavala] told me let’s go independent … she had a clear idea. But she was very honest and she told me, it’s a very difficult road, and it is. It is very expensive. I can tell you that it has cost me my life. If you ask me, was this a good deal, I’d say, “It’s a job that has given us something to eat.” We all have a family to support. But ultimately, as women, it was really about pride and strength and let’s go for it.

I’m not going to deny that it scared me at first, and it still scares me. Because although our goal was not to make the great business of our lives, we did say, “At what point are we going to start making money?” I tell you with great pride, I had to sell some of my assets at the beginning. I thought, if we’re going to do it, I’m putting everything into it.

It’s an album that took a long time…

Yes, and then came the pandemic. No no no. I was pulling my hair out. We were going crazy. But I believed. We already had the duet with Nodal, the duet with Paquita. It was already a reality. But all the promotion, the work, the album, the videos… doing all that as an independent [artist] is uphill, and for a woman, ten times more. Or twenty, to be honest.

Exactly how long ago was this album in the making?

I started working on it 11 years ago. The last album I released was Yo Soy La Mujer [in 2013]. The songs were written 11 years, 12 years ago. For example, the duet with Don Vicente, I dreamed it, I saw it, 11 years ago. He recorded it five years ago and the video was recorded before the pandemic. It’s been a long road.

Did you lose faith?

Actually, no. There were friends who told me, just record covers. But I wanted to leave my own legacy of my own songs. Yes, there were moments when I wanted to throw in the towel. For example, the duet with Christian Castro, he said yes, then six months went by. It was all very complex, because there is art in each of [the guest artists], but they also lead complicated lives.

All your guests have long careers and legacy, except Christian Nodal. Why him?

Nodal is a great artist. I call him an old soul. But all the others are classics: Bronco is classic. Christian Castro is the romantic balladeer, and he is one of my favorite balladeers. So I knew it was complex. When they’re established it takes a little more work to convince them.

You’re celebrating your anniversary this year, and you’re being honored at Premio Lo Nuestro. What else is coming?

I am celebrating 30 years of [my] recording career, which is easy to say, but the road has certainly been very difficult. We are preparing a symphonic album, basically the hits, with arrangements by maestro Eduardo Magallanes, who is one of my inspirations and did so much work for Juan Gabriel and Don Vicente. I also have duet and solo projects. It was hard enough to reach this milestone, so I’m going to celebrate with something special!

29 Jan 2024

With His Rebellious, Romantic Songs, Xavi Is Creating His Own Genre of Latin Music

In the opening days of 2024, a pioneering new sound vibrated throughout the industry, capturing the top spot on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. The electrifying corridos track “La Diabla” (“She Devil”) was by newcomer Xavi, a relatively unknown 19-year-old Mexican American artist delivering an equally unknown sound.

The tumbados románticos single — which tells the tale of a bad boy’s romance with a bad girl — is crafted with the crisp strains of a requinto guitar — a signature instrument in regional Mexican music. But it’s Xavi’s combination of the rebellious corridos tumbados spirit with the tenderness of romance that sets him apart.

However, “La Diabla” almost never came to be. “I DM’ed him and he wouldn’t answer me,” recalls Interscope executive vp Nir Seroussi. He discovered Xavi in early 2021 thanks to the label’s A&R executive, Emerson Redd, who shared the soul-stirring guitar ballad “Te Quiero” with him. Intrigued by the artist’s raw emotion, Seroussi was determined to meet the young star — and his persistence paid off.

After two months, Xavi arrived at the Interscope offices in Miami, guitar in hand, and performed for nearly an hour. “It was love at first sight,” says Seroussi, who saw in Xavi not just a musician but an “old soul,” with a profound ability to connect. “He has all those qualities that differentiate a hobbyist from someone who could be a real artist, a career artist. It wasn’t about numbers. I fell in love with Xavi, the artist.” Seroussi signed him to a record deal later that year.

Raised in Phoenix and Sonora, Mexico, the artist born Joshua Xavier Gutiérrez says that his bicultural upbringing deeply influenced his own music, which blends Mexican corridos traditions with modern rhythms. “We are the first generation to move here, to give [ourselves] a better life,” Xavi says in Spanish.

Xavi photographed on January 11, 2024 in Los Angeles.

Xavi photographed on January 11, 2024 in Los Angeles.

Daniel Prakopcyk

He drew early inspiration from his grandfather’s church singing — “when he sang, he did so with so much feeling, he sang with love for God” — as well as the emotive voices of Mexican crooners in bands like Camila and Sin Bandera. Still, the first song he learned to play on guitar was “Baby” by Justin Bieber. At just 12 years old, Xavi wrote his first original song; by 16, he started releasing his music to streaming platforms under Baga Music.

Around the same time, the corridos tumbados movement, led by Natanael Cano, had taken the internet by storm, paving the way for hit-makers like Peso Pluma, Fuerza Regida and Luis R Conriquez to break through. In parallel, the moving and melancholic melodies of sad sierreño emerged, led by a new cast of Mexican American Gen Z acts such as Ivan Cornejo, DannyLux and Yahritza y Su Esencia. Xavi navigates between the two with his own strain of tumbados románticos, a subgenre he coined as a musician raised on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. (His striking ruby, pearl and diamond necklace, a quintessential symbol of urbano culture, also symbolizes his fusion of eclectic sounds.)

However, his path to success was anything but smooth. A near-fatal car accident in 2021 that resulted in a cracked skull and an altered facial structure drastically changed his perspective. “It was a bad hit,” Xavi says, “but it changed my life.” Rather than deterring him, it inspired him: In the aftermath of the accident, videos of Xavi, bandaged and playing the guitar while recovering, began circulating on TikTok, fostering a deeper bond between fans and the rising artist.

In early 2022, after his recovery, Xavi channeled his experience into his music, emerging as a tumbados románticos pioneer. Within five months, he released a string of singles under Interscope, each marked by poetic lyrics and haunting acoustic riffs. These solo efforts, interspersed with a few collaborations with Los Primos del Este and Eduardo Soto, culminated in the release of his My Mom’s Playlist EP in May 2023. The seven-track set, an homage to his mother, featured renditions of beloved Latin songs like Maná’s “Rayando el Sol” and Luis Miguel’s “Ahora Te Puedes Marchar” reimagined in his sierreño style. “She’d always ask me to sing these songs she’d play while cleaning in the morning,” he recalls.

Xavi’s manager, Raczon López, who came on board at the same time, then helped leverage his social presence and shape his biggest hits to date. At the end of December, Xavi debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 with not one but two entries: “La Diabla” and “La Víctima,” which have since reached peaks of No. 22 and No. 55, respectively. His global appeal is further evidenced by his presence on the Billboard Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, with “La Diabla” reaching the top five on both.

“If you notice, Xavi is a kid who is not on social media much, so there is this mystery in [his] career,” López says. “People are eager to hear what’s next.” He adds that what Xavi has already released is only a preview of his potential: “This kid sings pop, mariachi, R&B — I mean, everything fits him… People will gradually see the different facets of Xavi.”

Having recently signed with WME, Xavi is already preparing for an upcoming tour. But as Seroussi sees it, there’s no rush. He compares Xavi’s development to that of award-winning superstar (and labelmate) Billie Eilish, emphasizing personal growth alongside musical evolution.

“When [Interscope CEO] John Janick signed Billie, she was 14. It took three years to develop her, not just as an artist, but as a person,” Seroussi says. “It’s about the experiences, the life lived that feeds into the maturity of songs and songwriting. That’s what we see in Xavi — a star who was always destined to shine.”

Xavi photographed on January 11, 2024 in Los Angeles.

Xavi photographed on January 11, 2024 in Los Angeles.

Daniel Prakopcyk

This story will appear in the Jan. 27, 2024, issue of Billboard.

29 Jan 2024

Eminem Had a Two-Finger Salute For 49ers Fans During NFC Title Game Loss By His Hometown Lions

While things didn’t turn out the way he would have liked, Eminem had a positive message for his hometown NFL warriors on the Detroit Lions. “So proud of the @Lions,” the D-Town native of his favorite NFL team after the Lions fell to the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 on Sunday, spoiling the Motor City team’s bid to make it to their first-ever Super Bowl.

“Thanks 4 an amazing season!!!! We’ll b back!!!,” Eminem added about the team that put up a 12-5 season that tied the franchise record for most wins. It was a positive boost from one of the team’s most high-profile boosters, with Marshall, 51, showing his hometown pride during the game at Levi’s Stadium in San Fran in another picture captured by a fan in which the rapper — decked out in a Lions shirt and hat — holds up two middle fingers to a group of 49ers fans from his spot in a luxury box.

It was a playful gesture from the “Not Afraid” MC, who recently posted a jokey video aimed at Lions coach Dan Campbell offering to suit up if it would help the team reach the big game. “Yo Dan,” Eminem said in the video. “I’m reporting, I’m gonna report [in the] third quarter, I’m reporting, offensive line, eligible receiver, I’ll be the quarterback, the entire offensive line and the receiver, and I will throw it to myself and I will score a touchdown in the third quarter. Just give me a uniform, or at just least like a helmet. I already have a helmet, it’s not the one for football. It’s just a helmet. But yeah man, I’m here, bro. I’m gonna be there, I’m gonna be there that night, I will suit up and I will score us the winning touchdown.”

And while Em will have to wait another year to see if the Lions can come back stronger, another A-list, chart-topping NFL booster is potentially headed to the Feb. 11 Super Bowl in Las Vegas after the Kansas City Chiefs bested the Baltimore Ravens to advance from the AFC title game. In the family skybox for that one, of course, was Taylor Swift, who once again cheered on her boyfriend, KC tight end Travis Kelce, who had a monster day helping KC reach the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years.

Because the Lions couldn’t overcome San Francisco QB Brock Purdy’s and company’s late-game surge, dreams of a superstar summit at Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium for the Super Bowl pitting Swifties against Stans will have to wait for a different year.

See Eminem’s tweet below..

29 Jan 2024

Gwen Stefani Says 2024 No Doubt Reunion ‘Happened So Fast’

Gwen Stefani has been fronting No Doubt for nearly 40 years. But after going on what sounded like a permanent hiatus in 2013, last week’s announcement that the singer would be reuniting with longtime bandmates bassist Tony Kanal, guitarist Tom Dumont and drummer Adrian Young for this year’s Coachella festival in April has her psyched to step back into group mode.

“It just happened so fast, and that’s my favorite kind of thing to happen. We haven’t really figured out the next steps of how we’re going to do this, but we’re just all so excited,” Stefani, 54, told People magazine. “And I think really just watching the internet blow up [with] how excited that the fans are? It’s inspiring us.”

The multi-platinum group last reunited in 2012 for the release of their sixth album, Push and Shove, and played some shows in 2015 before going their separate ways to focus on solo projects. “It’s just going to be cool. It’s just going to be: get up there and do what we always do, which is play our music and try to connect and be so grateful that we got this amazing career that we never expected to have,” the singer said of her excitement of revving the crowd up with such iconic hits as “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs,” “Don’t Speak,” “Ex-Girlfriend” and “Hey Baby.”

The Voice coach told the magazine that she’s “completely overwhelmed” by the excitement over the reunion announcement and the wave of love from fans. “I definitely have that little thing in your stomach where you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh! What?’” the three-time Grammy winner said of the good vibe nerves. “It’s going to be amazing.”

So far, No Doubt has not indicated whether the Coachella gig is a one-off or the kick-off to a wider reunion tour. For now, Stefani is booked for a solo gig at a pre-Super Bowl TikTok Tailgate show in Las Vegas before the big game on Feb. 11, with other No Doubt dates announced at press time. “We’ll see you in the desert this April!!!,” read a statement on the band’s social accounts last week announcing the Coachella gig alongside a stacked roster featuring Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator and Doja Cat as headliners, along with Peso Pluma, Lil Uzi Vert, Blur, Ice Spice, J Balvin, Jhené Aiko and more.

29 Jan 2024

Adele Teases a Return to Touring… After She Finishes Her Next Album

Adele is just months away from completing her Weekends With Adele residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The run of shows that kicked off in Nov. 2022 and were extended through a June 15 gig this summer is about to end, though the singer gave hope over the weekend that they might not have to travel to see her the next time she releases an album.

According to video posted by fans, during Saturday night’s show Adele teased a return to the road after previously stating that her touring days might be over. “I just don’t think I’m gonna write an album for quite some time,” Adele said about beginning work on the follow-up to her 2021 30 album.

“But next time I do, I’ll come to wherever it is you live,” she added after saying that she “really, really, really” has enjoyed the residency run. It’s not surprising that she’s had fun during her three-year string of shows in Vegas, which the singer has extended several times. It’s been the sight of a number of unexpected surprises, including Adele running into her OB-GYN in the audience, paying tribute to late Friends star Matthew Perry, calling boyfriend Rich Paul her “husband” from the stage and stopping the show to help a couple with their baby gender reveal.

Rather than embark on another massive world tour to promote 30, Adele — who has been open about her struggles with stage fright in the past — opted to stay put in Las Vegas instead after wrapping up the outing for her 25 release in 2017. “Touring isn’t something I’m good at… Applause makes me feel a bit vulnerable. I don’t know if I will ever tour again. The only reason I’ve toured is you. I’m not sure if touring is my bag,” Adele said at the end of the 25 tour at a New Zealand show.

But after postponing her anticipated residency unexpectedly in Jan. 2022 on the eve of opening because she feared there was “no soul” in the production at the time, in an October Instagram post the singer said the stay-put run has changed her life. “I desperately needed to fall back in love with performing live again, and I have. I needed to reconnect with my songs and remember what they mean to me, and I have!,” she wrote alongside a super-cut of video from the shows. “Being on stage over the last year so up close and personal with an audience again after all these years has been a truly extraordinary restorative experience that I’ll never forget. All the hilarious, soulful, wild and heartbreaking interactions we’ve had are banked in my mind for life. The looks on your faces, seeing you laugh and cry together singing your hearts out and hoarding bags of confetti. All the simi dolls, friendship bracelets, flowers, facetime calls and flags. It’s crazy how joyful a show full of sad songs can be!!”

She concluded by saying the twice-a-weekend performances have gotten her revved up again about live performance. “I’ve felt so much and learned so much about myself and you. It’s humanized everything I thought was scary,” she wrote. “Mostly though – it’s just made me realize how much I really enjoy being on stage, that I’m bloody good at it and that it is 100% where I belong!”

29 Jan 2024

Atarayo Talks New ‘Dangers in My Heart’ Opening Song ‘I am…’ & First Show Abroad: Interview

Atarayo, a three-member band that calls itself “a band raised on sadness,” released their new song “I am…” on Jan. 8. It’s been consistently praised for its lyrics, which are delicate depictions of people’s emotions, and its sound, which help highlight the lyrics to even fuller effect. “I am…,” their first release of 2024, was written as the opening theme song for season two of the TV anime The Dangers in My Heart. It’s written from the perspective of the show’s protagonist, reflecting his inner feelings. Billboard Japan spoke with Atarayo about their past and future growth, including their first-ever overseas performance, playing in Taiwan in 2023, about their latest song, and about their plans for future overseas shows.

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In 2023, you played at the ISLAND’s LA RUE Music & Arts Festival in Taiwan. What was it like playing a show outside Japan for the first time?

Hitomi (vocals and guitar): At first, I was really nervous, but the audience was really engaged, and everyone sang along in Japanese. That blew me away. Japanese audiences almost never sing along with us, they listen intently. The Taiwanese audience was different. There was a real sense of oneness with the crowd. It was really fun.

Takeo (bass): At first, I was pretty nervous, too, but then when we actually started playing, the audience’s vibe was great.

Marcy (guitar): Yeah, everyone was filming with their phones, but they were really into the show. There was a real sense of freedom. It felt very different from Japan, and it was a ton of fun. The stage was huge, too. When we were checking out the venue the day before, I idly wondered what the place would look like totally packed, but the on the day of the show the audience was really big.

Did experiencing your first show outside of Japan give you a stronger desire to play overseas more?

Hitomi: Yeah, it was a great experience seeing how warmly we were welcomed. After playing the festival in Taiwan, we got offers from other countries in Asia, saying “Come play here, too.” If there’s that much of an audience who wants to see us, I’d love to actively perform more overseas.

You recently released “I am…,” your first release of 2024. It’s the opening theme for the second season of the anime The Dangers in My Heart. What kind of concept did you have going into the writing process?

Hitomi: First off, since it’s the opening theme song, we wanted it to have a lot of energy. As for the lyrics, the anime’s producers asked that we write the song from the perspective of the show’s protagonist, Kyotaro Ichikawa, so we always kept that in mind as we worked on the song. I’d read the comic the show is based on, so when writing the lyrics, I imagined what kind of poem Ichikawa would write if he were to write a poem. There’s actually a scene in the show where he writes a poem, and my own personal impression is that people who write poems have something buried deep inside. Ichikawa must have a lot inside that he thinks but doesn’t say out loud, so I thought about how he’d express that if he put it to music. Ichikawa’s feelings are especially reflected in the first verse.

What kind of character do you see Ichikawa as?

Hitomi: Hmm…kind of difficult and stubborn (laughs). He has these ideals and things he wants to do, but he just can’t fully accept himself and his ideas for what they are. However, in season two, he gradually comes to accept himself more.

What are your feelings on The Dangers in My Heart itself?

Hitomi: It’s not just a simple, straightforward romance anime. There are a lot of lines that really get you, emotionally, in its depictions of how Ichikawa grows as a person. When I read it, I had a lot of insights myself.

Marcy: When I read it, I just thought, “Man, I’m jealous. I wish a beautiful girl like that was in love with me when I was that age” (laughs).

Hitomi: You’re too honest (laughs).

Marcy: But, seriously, in the song, there are two guitar solos, which represent the relationship between Ichikawa and his love interest. We wrote the song so that its whole sound — both its highs and its lows — depict Ichikawa’s own feelings.

Takeo, what do you think about The Dangers in My Heart?

Takeo: I sympathize with Ichikawa.

Hitomi: Ichikawa’s a lot like Takeo (laughs). Sometimes, looking at Ichikawa, I’m like “Is this Takeo?”

Takeo: Both Hitomi and Marcy were telling me that, so I read the comic, and there were all these times where I found myself thinking, “I get it, Ichikawa. I know exactly how you feel” (laughs).

I feel like the lyrics to “I am…” depict a real sense of change, as epitomized by the line “It’s like I’m no longer me.” In your activities as Atarayo, have there been any changes of your own that have surpassed your own expectations?

Hitomi: Ichikawa’s own changes are changes for the better. Through his interactions with Anna Yamada he discovers parts of himself that he wasn’t previously aware of. I’ve felt the same about myself. I was really shy and withdrawn when I was little. Now, I’m standing on stage, singing in front of people. That’s because these two people changed me. I’m still scared to get up on stage sometimes, but I think if we keep on as a band, I’ll grow even more bold, and one day the me that’s up there on stage will be one that I didn’t even realize was in me. That’ll probably change our live performances and how we express ourselves, too.

Marcy: During our shows, I used to really look in from the outside, taking a kind of aloof stance, but lately I’ve really been getting absorbed in the shows, and sometimes I find myself sobbing despite myself. I think I get more into the songs now and I’ve become able to play my guitar in a way that better conveys the emotions of the songs to people. Another change is that I couldn’t afford to buy draft beer in the past, but now I can drink it every day (laughs).

(Laughs) Marcy and Takeo, have you seen any changes in Hitomi?

Takeo: Um… Not really (laughs).

Marcy: She’s been the same since we were in school (laughs).

Hitomi: No, I’ve changed! (Laughs) For example, my voice doesn’t tremble during shows anymore. I feel like before I wasn’t able to focus on how to express myself, or on my performance, I was just trying to make it through the show.

Marcy: Yeah, when it comes to music, you’ve changed. Listening back to old demos, your voice was really, how should I say it…green? Very youthful. Now your voice has gotten a lot bolder. Also, the amount of feeling you put in to the lyrics and singing is totally different from our first live shows. It’s not just Hitomi, either. Our legs used to always be trembling when we performed, so that’s been a big change. But our day-to-day lives haven’t really changed, right?  At least, when we go to a bar, nothing’s changed (laughs).

Hitomi: As long as I’m growing musically, that’s enough (laughs).

—This interview by Fumiaki Amano first appeared on Billboard Japan