Music

29 Jan 2024

Noah Kahan Extends Reign Over U.K. Chart With ‘Stick Season’

Noah Kahan extends his winning season in the U.K., as the American artist logs a fourth consecutive week at No. 1, and nabs the top debut.

The Vermont singer and songwriter’s “Stick Season” (via Republic Records) enters a full month atop of the Official U.K. Singles Chart, raking-in a market-leading 8.7 million streams, the OCC reports.

Kahan sticks another top 10, his second, as “Homesick” (Polydor/Republic Records) featuring Sam Fender debuts at No. 5.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“Homesick” is also Fender’s second U.K. top 10 hit, following “Seventeen Going Under,” which this week vaults back into the top 40 following the release of the new collaboration. “Seventeen Going Under” returns at No. 32, having peaked at No. 3 in 2022.

Meanwhile, the parent to “Stick Season” and “Homesick,” Stick Season, lifts 4-2 for a new high on the Official U.K. Albums Chart.

Saltburn continues to light a flame under Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 hit “Murder on the Dancefloor” (Polydor). The British pop singer’s disco number lifts 3-2, its peak position from 23 years ago. Emerald Fennell’s dark drama is in the hunt for five BAFTAs, including best British film.

Another British pop nugget from the noughts is riding high on the U.K. chart, thanks to a sync to the silver screen. Natasha Bedingfield’s international breakthrough “Unwritten” (Phonogenic) improves 18-13. Originally released in 2004, “Unwritten” catches flight after its inclusion in the romcom “Anyone But You.”

Meanwhile, Benson Boone, the U.S.-born singer, multi-instrumentalist and TikTok star, who was named as MTV’s Global PUSH Artist for October 2023, is on target for his first U.K. top 20 appearance with “Beautiful Things” (Warner Records). It’s new at No. 18.

English singer Becky Hill and Australian producer Sonny Fodera enter the top tier with “Never Be Alone” (Polydor), new at No. 34. It becomes Becky’s 19th top 40, a tally that includes a No. 1 with Oliver Heldens on 2014’s “Gecko (Overdrive)”; and Fodera’s second overall.

U.S. viral artist David Kushner scores a second U.K. top 40 appearance with “Skin and Bones” (Miserable Music), new at No. 36. It’s the followup to “Daylight,” which last year climbed the ladder to No. 2.

Finally, Norwegian EDM star Kygo and “Sweet But Psycho” singer Ava Max bag a top 40 on debut with “Whatever” (Columbia/Kygo). “Whatever,” which lifts its chorus from Shakira’s English-language breakout single “Wherever, Whenever” from 2001, is new at No. 39. It’s Kygo’s 10th and Ava’s sixth U.K. top 40.

29 Jan 2024

Green Day Grabs U.K. No. 1 With ‘Saviors’

Green Day is on top in the U.K. with Saviors (Reprise), the U.S. pop-punk trio’s 14th studio album.

Opening at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, published Friday, Jan. 26, Saviors is the Rock Hall-inducted band’s fifth leader in the U.K., after American Idiot (2004), 21st Century Breakdown (2009), Revolution Radio (2016) and Father of All… (2020).

The outright leader at the midweek stage, when it was the outselling the rest of the top 10 combined, Green Day draws level with the Foo Fighters, Prince and Celine Dion and other acts with five U.K. leaders.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Saviors finishes the cycle as the best-seller on wax, according to the Official Charts Company, with vinyl generating one-third of its first-total tally.

The Bay Area trio of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool will reward their legion of British fans this summer with a run of dates on The Saviors Tour, a stretch that includes concerts at Manchester’s Old Trafford Stadium, Isle of Wight Festival, and London’s Wembley Stadium.

The only way is up for Noah Kahan, whose breakthrough third studio album Stick Season (Island) rises 4-2 for a new peak position. Meanwhile, the title track from the Vermont, U.S. singer-songwriter leads the U.K. singles chart for a fourth successive week.

Completing the podium on the albums tally is The Weeknd’s The Highlights (via Republic Records/XO), up 5-3.

Also new to the latest U.K. chart is Neck Deep’s eponymously titled fifth studio LP. Neck Deep (via Hopeless) bows at No. 11, for the Welsh pop-punk outfit’s fourth U.K. top 40, after 2015’s Life’s Not Out to Get You (No. 8), 2015’s The Peace and the Panic (No. 4) and 2020’s All Distortions are Intentional (No. 4).

Finally, British heavy metal veterans Saxon snag an 11th U.K. top 40 album with Hell, Fire and Damnation (Militia Guard Music), new at No. 19.

29 Jan 2024

Nicki Minaj Marks Her Turf With Megan Thee Stallion Response Track ‘Bigfoot’: Stream It Now

Nicki Minaj has beef, and she lets it sizzle with “Bigfoot.”

Announced over the weekend and unleashed at the stroke of midnight, “Bigfoot” appears to be the response to Megan Thee Stallion‘s apparent diss on her just-released single “Hiss.”

Megan spits venom in the direction of Minaj on “Hiss,” on which she sinks her fangs into her husband, registered sex offender Kenneth Petty, while referencing Megan’s Law, a federal law requiring law enforcement to make information available about registered sex offenders.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“These hoes don’t be mad at Megan, these hoes mad at Megan’s Law/ I don’t really know what the problem is, but I guarantee y’all don’t want me to start/ B—h, you a p—y, never finna check me/ Every chance you get, bet your weak ass won’t address me,” the Houston rapper unloads on “Hiss,” which arrived on Friday (Jan. 26)

Minaj wasted little time in firing back. Later Friday, the Trinidadian hip-hop star previewed an unreleased track, in which she references Megan getting shot in the foot by Tory Lanez in 2020. The shooting case ended last year with the Canadian artist sent to jail.

“Bad b—h she like six foot, I call her big foot/ The b—h fell off, I said get up on your good foot,” Nicki raps on “Bigfoot”.

And at the top, she drops, “Your flow is such a bore/ Drinkin’ a bottle of Henny through a straw/  b—h, you better stop that dialog/ ‘Fore I hit Carl and buy your catalog.”

Nicky rounded on “Hiss” with a spray on social media, and waited for her moment to drop “Bigfoot” in full. “It’s been rdy for 2 days. just was tryna be cool & let her get her lil streams,” she writes on X (formerly Twitter). “Wasn’t gon say anything. But I remember how everyone kept my name in their mouth & how I said the next person mention my family gon regret it. Btw, they haven’t even heard the song. Who said it’s even a “diss”? Never even knew I had this much power.”

The Queen of Rap’s cover art features a high-heeled pink boot stepping into a much larger footprint embossed in pink concrete. If there was every any doubt of its target, the image appears alongside a close-up of Megan’s face looking distressed.

The “Bigfoot” line is, most likely, a reference to Megan’s proportions. The “WAP” singer reportedly adopted the name “stallion” in her youth on account of her height (she’s said to be 5’10”). As Minaj fired away on X, #Bigfoot became a trending topic.

In another post, Nicki hinted that she has a slate of unreleased tracks to introduce into the world. That’s in addition to Pink Friday 2, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 last month, marking her third leader on the albums chart — and the most No. 1s among female rappers. She previously reigned on the tally with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded in 2012 and her debut studio set Pink Friday in 2011.

Stream “Bigfoot” below.

28 Jan 2024

Doja Cat’s ‘Paint The Town Red’ Wins Triple J’s Hottest 100 Countdown

Doja Cat sent the records tumbling as her modern classic “Paint The Town Red” leapt to No. 1 on triple j’s Hottest 100 poll for 2023.

When her name was called out late Saturday, Jan. 27, the U.S. artist became the first female rapper and first woman of color to lead the countdown, the 31st edition.

“Paint The Town Red” beat out homegrown multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter G Flip with “The Worst Person Alive” and Aussie EDM star Dom Dolla with “Saving Up,” respectively, to take the title.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“When we first heard ‘Paint The Town Red’ back in August, there was little doubt that we’d see it appear at the pointy end of this year’s countdown,” explains triple j music director Nick Findlay.

“Over an iconic sample of Dionne Warwick’s ‘Walk On By’, ‘Paint The Town Red’ shows Doja Cat in her truest form: effortlessly shaking off the haters while flexing her uncanny ability at executing pure pop perfection.”

During its ARIA Chart run last year, “Paint The Town Red” clocked up 10 weeks at No. 1, and is now certified double-platinum in these parts.

The Hottest 100 poll is an institution Down Under, one that triple j, a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), has, in the past, called the “world’s biggest musical democracy.”

Though it no longer coincides with Australia Day, on Jan. 26 — a controversial date in the minds of a growing number of Australians — 2,355,870 votes were cast for the countdown, down slightly from more than 2.4 million votes last year (the all-time record is the 3.2 million votes cast for the 2019 edition). Also, the annual event raised A$500,000 ($330,000) for triple j’s charity partner, headspace.

Though G Flip came off second-best to Doja Cat’s champ, the Australian artist established a new Hottest 100 record with seven titles in the countdown. That shatters the mark previously held by rock trio Wolfmother, which scored six entries back in 2005.

A multiple winner at the 2023 ARIA Awards and a leader on the ARIA Albums Chart last year with Drummer (Future Classic/Universal), G Flip (real name Georgia Claire Flipo) now vaults to 19 career Hottest 100 entries, good enough for equal third all-time with Tame Impala and Kanye West. Adelaide hip-hop favorites Hilltop Hoods are the kings, with 24 all-time entries, while Powderfinger and Foo Fighters are equal second with 22 each.

Australia’s own princess of pop Kylie Minogue establishes a new mark, with her U.K. top 10 hit “Padam Padam” making the Hottest 100 list. The last time she did so was in 1997, the 26-year gap between entries a new record.

This year’s pool of 2.335 million-plus votes were predominantly cast by women (61%) and 45% of all voters hailed from triple j’s target audience — 24 years of age, or under.

Also, according to reps for triple j, 52 of those hottest 100 songs were homegrown.

All told, 35 artists made their triple j Hottest 100 debuts over the weekend, including Troye Sivan, Kita Alexander, Dua Lipa, Budjerah, Old Mervs and Royel Otis.

Read more here.

28 Jan 2024

TNT: Taylor Swift Wore This Custom Diamond Friendship Bracelet While Kissing Travis Kelce at AFC Championship Game

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s celebratory PDA at Sunday night’s AFC Championship game got even sweeter when fans spotted the pop star’s stunning ‘TNT’ friendship bracelet.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The singer wore a custom diamond friendship bracelet from Wove’s Michelle Wie West collection, with pricing starting at $5,680. The piece could be seen in photos of Swift hugging and kissing Kelce on the field of M&T Bank Stadium following the Kansas City Chiefs’ win against the Baltimore Ravens.

Swift’s yellow gold bracelet shimmered with the letters ‘TNT,’ which fans are guessing is a nickname for Travis and Taylor.

“An up close look at Taylor’s diamond friendship bracelet!” the jeweler posted on Instagram after the Jan. 28 game.

The ‘TNT’ friendship bracelet harkens back to how Travis met Taylor. In July, the Chiefs tight end attended Swift’s Eras Tour stop at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.

As Travis recounted on his New Heights podcast, he planned to give Swift a friendship bracelet that had his phone number on it, but he didn’t get the chance to meet her at the show.

Inspired by the lyric “So make the friendship bracelets/ Take the moment and taste it” from Midnights album track “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” Swifties trade homemade jewelry with one another at each tour stop. Kelce was trying to get in on that trend.

“I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings,” Kelce said on his show, “so I was a little butt-hurt I didn’t get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her.”

“She doesn’t meet anybody, or at least she didn’t want to meet me, so I took it personal,” he quipped to his co-host, his brother, Jason Kelce.

Yet in September, Swift was spotted at her first Chiefs game (with many more to come).

By October, photos of the pair holding hands and kissing on the cheek surfaced.

In November, Swift swapped the “Karma” lyric “Karma is the guy in the screen coming straight home to me” for “Karma is the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me” live at a concert in Buenos Aires, and then ran into Kelce’s arms to kiss him once the show wrapped.

In December, Swift finally spoke about their romance and clarified the timeline of the relationship. “This all started when Travis very adorably put me on blast on his podcast, which I thought was metal as hell … We started hanging out right after that,” she shared for her TIME Person of the Year cover story. “By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple. I think some people think that they saw our first date at that game? We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date.”

Swift resumes her Eras Tour in Tokyo on Feb. 7, while Kelce and the Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl on Feb. 11.

28 Jan 2024

Taylor Swift Reacts to Travis Kelce’s Victory Speech as Chiefs Advance to Super Bowl

Proud girlfriend Taylor Swift was all smiles while Travis Kelce gave a short and sweet victory speech after the Kansas City Chiefs secured a spot in the 2024 Super Bowl.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“You gotta fight for your right to party!” Kelce shouted Sunday night (Jan. 28). The Chiefs had just defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-10.

“Believe it, baby, we going to Las Vegas, Nevada!” Kelce announced. “Gonna get us another one!”

Swift looked on, laughing at Kelce’s Beastie Boys reference and grinning. She appeared emotional on the M&T Stadium field.

Swift and Kelce kissed on the field in celebration of the Chiefs’ triumph.

The singer stood by Travis’ side after the game, but stepped away to give him a moment alone with his brother, Jason.

“Goddamn, that was fun to watch,” Jason said as he hugged Travis, to which Travis jokingly replied, “You keep your shirt on this time, or what?” Last weekend, the Philadelphia Eagles center went viral for taking off his shirt, guzzling beer, passionately cheering on his brother and jumping out of a suite into the stands.

Swift had friends Cara Delevingne and Keleigh Teller nearby during the game Sunday night. She was shown on camera cheering when Kelce scored a touchdown.

The pop star kicks off an international leg of her Eras Tour on Feb. 7, beginning with four concerts in Japan. Will Swift attend the Super Bowl on Feb. 11?

Though she has a concert the night before in Tokyo, it’s possible, thanks to the difference in time zones — but her presence at the big game hasn’t been confirmed.

See Swift watching Kelce’s speech below.

28 Jan 2024

Taylor Swift Kisses Travis Kelce in Celebration of Chiefs’ Win at AFC Championship Game

It’s raining in Baltimore, but everything else is the same for Taylor Swift, who spent another Sunday happily supporting boyfriend Travis Kelce as the Kansas City Chiefs played the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Stadium on Jan. 28. The Chiefs won, securing their spot in the 2024 Super Bowl.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Swift and Kelce kissed on the field in celebration of the Chiefs’ triumph.

No stranger to making it through a rain show, Swift smartly wore her hair in its natural state. She arrived in casual, probably air-dried, debut-era curls, and had friends Cara Delevingne and Keleigh Teller by her side.

Cameras also showed Swift celebrating when Kelce scored a touchdown, giving a 10 for Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, and basically having a great time as she watched the game from a suite.

At one point, the pop icon didn’t seem to know why the camera was on her — and then realized a promo for the Grammy Awards was playing. “Oh, the Grammys,” she seemed to say to Teller.

Last weekend, Swift cheered on Travis alongside his family, including Jason and Kylie Kelce, at the Chiefs-Bills game.

“Tay said she absolutely loved you,” Travis revealed to his older brother, Jason, during the latest episode of their podcast, New Heights.

The Philadelphia Eagles center had his own moment in the spotlight at that game when he went viral for taking off his shirt, guzzling beer, passionately cheering on his brother and jumping out of the suite into the stands.

“[Your] best first impression is the worst impression ever,” Travis joked.

“I’m not going to lie, I gave Kylie a heads-up,” Jason recalled. “The moment we get into the suite, I said, ‘I’m taking my shirt off and jumping out of that suite.’ And she said, ‘Jason, don’t you dare.’” 

“She was already telling me to be on my best behavior ’cause we were meeting Taylor, so she’s like, ‘Do not. Be on your best behavior. I was like, ‘Kylie, the first day I met you I was blackout drunk and fell asleep at the bar. This is part of the charm. This is part of the Jason Kelce charm. I wanna make my best first impression.’” 

Check out clips of Swift at the Chiefs-Ravens game below.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1751749455211286674

28 Jan 2024

Roc Nation Responds to Jay-Z 2024 Album Rumors

Is Jay-Z releasing a new album in 2024?

Reports of a new Jay-Z project circulated around social media Sunday afternoon (Jan. 28) after director Hidji World posted Instagram Stories implying he was on set with the rapper.

In one Story, Hidji World shared a message that said he was “shooting today” with Jay-Z. In another, he teased a photo of a first-take film slate labeled “JAY Z -2024 ALBUM.” Hidji’s name was written in as director, and director of photography Leroy Farrell’s name was also listed. The slate alluding to new Jay-Z music was dated today, Jan. 28.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

As rumors of an alleged new Jay-Z album began to make their way around, Roc Nation was quick to respond. The company commented on a post on X (formerly Twitter) that had reported “A NEW JAY-Z ALBUM IS BEING TEASED FOR 2024.”

“That’s news to us,” Roc Nation wrote on Sunday.

Jay-Z’s last full-length solo album was 2017’s 4:44, which debuted and spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. In 2018, he released Everything Is Love with Beyoncé as The Carters, which was the first joint set from the husband-and-wife duo.

“I’ll say I wanna make music, but it has to be something important,” he said in an interview with Gayle King last fall. “I don’t wanna just make a bunch of tunes. That’s not gonna serve me. It won’t feed me, first of all. I have to be saying something important. It has to mean something, you know? It has to mean something to a larger society.”

Jay-Z added, “Like 4:44, for example, was a personal story, but the amount of vulnerability in there allowed for a lot of people to explore the space.”

28 Jan 2024

Fans Choose Justin Timberlake’s ‘Selfish’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music

Justin Timberlake‘s “Selfish” has topped this week’s new music poll.

Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Jan. 26) on Billboard, choosing the 42-year-old pop star and actor’s first solo release in more than five years as their favorite new music release of the past week.

“Selfish” brought in almost 77% of the vote, beating out new music by Megan Thee Stallion (“Hiss”), Lil Nas X (“Where Do We Go Now?”), Ice Spice (“Think U the S— (Fart)”), Morgan Wallen (“Spin You Around (1/24)”), and others.

JT debuted the silky, R&B-leaning track live at his free hometown concert in Memphis on Jan. 19, pulling back the curtain on the first track from his forthcoming sixth solo album, Everything I Thought It Was. “Selfish” is the first taste of the follow-up to his 2018 solo album, Man of the Woods, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. EITIW is slated for release on March 15.

“So if i get jealous, I can’t help it/ I want every bit of you, I guess I’m selfish,” Timberlake sings in his signature falsetto on the smoothed-out chorus. “It’s bad for my mental, but I can’t fight it/ When you’re out lookin’ like you do/ But you can’t hide it, no,” he adds.

“Selfish” was co-written with Louis Bell (Taylor Swift), Cirkut (Maroon 5), Theron Thomas and Amy Allen.

“I worked for a long time on this album and I ended up with 100 songs,” JT said during a recent interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1. “So narrowing them down to 18 was a thing, and then, yeah, I’m really excited about this album. I think every artist probably says this, but it is my best work.” 

Timberlake also performed “Selfish” during his Saturday Night Live appearance on Jan. 27, followed by the debut of another new song, the gospel-flavored “Sanctified,” featuring Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe.

Trailing behind “Selfish” on the poll is the “other” category, which brought in 12% of the vote. And placing third was Megan Thee Stallion’s fiery new single “Hiss,” which pulled in 5% of the vote.

See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below.

28 Jan 2024

Joni Mitchell to Make Grammy Performance Debut on 2024 Grammy Awards

Joni Mitchell will make her Grammy performance debut at the 2024 Grammy Awards, set for Sunday (Feb. 4) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. It’s surprising that Mitchell has never performed on Music’s Biggest Night because she has been a Grammy fixture for decades. She won her first of nine competitive Grammys in 1970. In addition, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2002.

The legendary singer-songwriter is nominated for best folk album for Joni Mitchell at Newport [Live]. She won her first Grammy 54 years ago in a folk category (best folk performance) for Clouds.

Mitchell is the ninth performer to be announced for this year’s telecast. These performers range in age from three in their 20s (Olivia Rodrigo, 20; Billie Eilish, 22; and Dua Lipa, 28) to three who are 60+ – the four members of U2, who are in their early 60s; Billy Joel, 74; and Mitchell, 80). Also booked for the show are Burna Boy and Travis Scott, both 32, and Luke Combs, 33.

Mitchell is the fourth of these performers who is a past album of the year winner, following Joel, U2 and Eilish. But you may be surprised to learn what album Mitchell won for. It wasn’t her 1971 classic Blue (which, surprisingly, wasn’t nominated in any categories), or her 1974 creative and commercial hit Court and Spark (which was nominated for album of the year). It was Herbie Hancock’s jazz tribute to her, River: The Joni Letters. She won as a featured artist on that album.

U2 will perform from Sphere in Las Vegas, home of the band’s acclaimed U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. The segment will also feature a special awards presentation.

Additional performers for the Grammy telecast will be announced in coming days.

Trevor Noah will host the Grammys for the fourth consecutive year. He too is a Grammy nominee. Noah is up for best comedy album for I Wish You Would. He’s the first Grammy host to be nominated for a Grammy that same year since Queen Latifah in 2005. He won a Primetime Emmy on Jan. 15 for outstanding talk series for The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

The 66th annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday (Feb. 4) from 8:00-11:30 p.m. live ET/5:00-8:30 p.m. live PT on CBS and will stream live and on-demand on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).

The telecast will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy for the fourth consecutive year. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.