Music

02 Jan 2024

See Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Ring in 2024 With a Sweet Kiss

There’s nothing better than ringing in the new year with a kiss — just ask Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce! The music-football power couple enjoyed a sweet smooch in a fan-shared X post on Monday (Jan. 1).

The second-long clip shows Swift cradling Kelce’s face in her hands as the Kansas City Chiefs tight end leans in for a kiss. The scene appears to be a New Year’s Eve party, with the “Cruel Summer” singer sporting an updo and a sparkly dress, while Kelce wears an all-black outfit.

Earlier on New Year’s Eve, the “Anti-Hero” singer cheered on her boyfriend as the Chiefs took on the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium. She also supported Kelce at his Christmas Day game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The couple’s New Year’s kiss brings their whirlwind 2023 to a close — a year that saw both record-breaking success for Swift and the birth of a romance that has captivated the world.

Swift and Kelce have come a long way since the football player first attended her Kansas City Eras Tour stop last summer. In her December TIME Person of the Year profile, Swift revealed how their romance began, saying, “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.”

As Kelce spends the next month helping his team fight for a spot in the Super Bowl, Swift will be prepping for the grand return of her Eras Tour. She’s set to play four consecutive nights at the Tokyo Dome in Japan from Feb. 7 to 10. Those four shows preview an entire calendar year of touring for the Grammy-winning singer; the 2024 Eras Tour shows will visit Australia, Europe and North America, and feature opening acts such as Sabrina Carpenter, Paramore and Gracie Abrams.

In 2023, Taylor Swift reigned as Billboard’s No. 1 artist of the year. Her Midnights (No. 2) and Lover (No. 9) albums both ranked among the ten biggest Billboard 200 albums of 2023, while her “Anti-Hero” ranked as the No. 4 biggest Hot 100 song of that year.

See Taylor and Travis’ sweet smooch below:

02 Jan 2024

Backstreet Boys’ AJ McLean and wife Rochella DeAnna Announce Divorce After 12 Years

Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean and wife Rochelle DeAnna McLean announced on Monday (Jan. 1) that they have decided to end their 12-year marriage. The couple, who separated a year ago, released a joint statement confirming their divorce.

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“As you all know we have been separated for over a year now,” they wrote. “While we have hoped for reconciliation we have decided to officially end our marriage. It is with deep love and respect that we have made this decision.”

McLean, 45, and his ex, 42, also posted about their separation in March 2023, explaining, “Marriage is hard, but worth it. We have mutually decided to separate temporarily to work on ourselves, and on our marriage with the hope of building a stronger future. The plan is to come back together and continue to nurture our love for one another and our family. We ask for respect and privacy at this time. Separation is hard enough without the commentary, please be kind and remember there are children involved.”

The couple married in December 2011 after dating for six years and share two daughters, Ava (who goes by Elliott) and Lyric. “Our focus now is moving forward in the healthiest possible way with friendship and coparenting our girls at the forefront of this next chapter,” their joint New Year’s day post continued. “We appreciate your kindness, respect and privacy at this time.”

McLean was on hand in November along with the members of *NSYNC, Camila Cabello and more stars to celebrate the release of Trolls Band Together.

The BSB are scheduled to play a gig at Valaria de la Feria in Leon, Mexico on Feb. 3 before kicking off their four-gig Backstreet’s Back at the Beach residency at the Moon Palace Resort in Cancun on April 18.

Check out the couple’s post below.

02 Jan 2024

Sophie Turner Reflects on ‘Year of the Girlies,’ Makes 2024 Prediction Amid Joe Jonas Split

Sophie Turner had the support of her girlfriends amid her split from husband Joe Jonas in 2023, and now she’s reflecting on that time in an Instagram post.

“2023 was the year of the girlies,” she reflected in the Jan. 2 carousel of snaps with her pals. She also made a prediction for the new year: “2024s forecast is looking fairly consistent.”

Among the snaps was a group photo that included Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter at the Oct. 1 New York Jets vs. Kansas City Chiefs game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The squad had joined Swift — who briefly dated Jonas in 2008 — in cheering on her new love, Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce. (Hugh Jackman, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and more were also spotted with the “Anti-Hero” singer at the game.)

Other photos show the former Game of Thrones star enjoying some quality girl time with her friends over meals, relaxing and goofing off in lush fields, showing off new tattoos and a video clip of fun times on the ski slopes.

Since her split from Jonas, Turner has been spotted out multiple times with Swift. Among the girls’ nights out was a weekend in early November, when the actress was out in Manhattan with the 12-time Grammy winner, Selena Gomez and Brittany Mahomes, who is married to Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Turner and Swift also spent time together in New York City in mid September, shortly after news of the actress’ split from the musician broke.

Jonas filed for divorce on Sept. 5 after four years of marriage, stating in his petition that “the marriage between the parties is irretrievably broken.” The two share two young daughters.

The former couple shared a joint statement on their social media accounts the day after the Jonas Brothers singer filed to split. “We have mutually decided to amicably end our marriage,” their statement began. “There are many speculative narratives as to why but, truly this is a united decision and we sincerely hope that everyone can respect our wishes for privacy for us and our children.”

02 Jan 2024

Cardi B and Offset Hung Out on New Year’s Eve, But She Assures Fans They’re Not Back Together

If Cardi B listed her relationship status on her socials, at the moment it would definitely read “it’s very complicated.” After the “Bongos” rapper revealed in early December that she was single following her split from husband Offset, she confounded the Bardigang over the weekend when she gleefully announced that the estranged couple had hooked up on the last night of 2023.

Don’t get it twisted, though, she said, that does not mean they are back together.

In a live Twitter chat on Monday (Jan. 1), Cardi seemed to confirm that she and the Migos rapper got busy on New Year’s Eve. “Was I clubbing with my baby father yesterday?” a congested Cardi said during the X event. “Yes. Did I got d—ed down yesterday? Absolutely baby… I need some d–k on New Year’s Eve.”

The rapper said she felt like she and ‘Set were “vibing” on Sunday and had a good time together.

According to social media posts, the former couple celebrated 2024’s arrival at a strip club in Miami, making it rain and dancing along with a group of friends. Both had performed earlier that night at the Fontainbleau Miami Beach, with Offset rocking LIV and Cardi playing poolside as part of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

And though it appeared to be a happy reunion, days earlier Cardi blasted her fans for speculating that the couple had reconciled. “I must be a lil toxic cuz I enjoyed cursing ya out today… but we not taking that into 2024. Now have a good day. No make it a bad day!” she said in a fiery X post on Friday.

Just hours before in a live X space event, Cardi reportedly told fans to “shut the f–k up” after they speculated that she’d made nice with Offset, slamming her “own f–king fan base” for “talking s–t” about her. “Did I say I was back together with somebody?” she yelled. Cardi and Offset were spotted together in New York over the Christmas holiday, leading Cardi to hit “like” on a Dec. 27 reply featuring a meme of Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s Kandi Burruss telling Porsha Williams, “you just made that up” in response to a gossip item saying “Cardi B has officially took Offset back after 12 days.”

The couple, who share two children, have been on-and-off since marrying in 2017. After Cardi filed for divorce in 2020, the couple reconciled a few months later. “I’ve been single for a minute now but I have been afraid to like — not afraid, I just don’t know how to tell the world,” she said in December after fans noticed that the couple had unfollowed each other on Instagram the week before. “But I feel like today has been a sign. The last time I got on Live, I kind of wanted to tell you guys, but I didn’t know how to tell you, so I changed my mind. But it has been like this for a minute now. I just took it as a sign.”

She also shared a cryptic post at the time about outgrowing relationships. “You know when you just out grow relationships,” she wrote. “I’m tired of protecting peoples feelings…I GOTTA PUT MYSELF FIRST!”

02 Jan 2024

RZA of Wu-Tang Clan to Receive 2024 NAMM Innovation Award at TEC Awards

RZA, producer and the mastermind behind the influential hip-hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, will be presented with the TEC Innovation Award at The NAMM Show’s 2024 TEC Awards on Jan. 27 in Anaheim, Calif. The award honors individuals who have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of recording technology.

The award was formerly known as the NAMM TEC Les Paul Innovation Award, in honor of the legendary guitarist, songwriter and inventor who died in 2009. RZA will be the first recipient who is known primarily for hip-hop. Previous recipients include Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Stevie Wonder, best known for R&B, and Herbie Hancock, best known for jazz and R&B.

“RZA’s formidable body of work and talent is unquestionable,” John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO, said in a statement. “His legacy of accomplishments and lasting power on music inspires many music makers beyond hip-hop and he deserves this high recognition.”

RZA (Robert Diggs) is a trailblazer in culture and in hip-hop, having created the group’s widely-imitated core sound consisting of stark, booming beats, and chilling samples heavily drawing from vintage soul records as well as kung fu movies.

The Staten Island group debuted in 1993 with Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Rolling Stone ranked it No. 27 on its 2020 update of its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, with the magazine noting, “Their raw, hectic debut launched rap’s greatest franchise and reasserted New York’s hip-hop dominance the early Nineties.” In 2022, the album was inducted into the National Recording Registry overseen by the Library of Congress.

The group’s second album, Wu-Tang Forever, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 in 1997 and received a Grammy nomination for best rap album.

RZA scored Jim Jarmusch’s 1999 film Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai and organized and orchestrated Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 (the latter, in tandem with Robert Rodriguez). RZA is among the stars of the 2023 comedy film Problemista, which premiered at SXSW. He is also an executive producer for, and directed several episodes of Wu-Tang: An American Saga, the original Hulu series honoring his group.

Now in its 39th year and presented by NAMM, the TEC Awards recognizes the best in professional audio and sound production and takes place as a part of The NAMM Show, the world’s largest music trade show. All finalists will be celebrated at a reception being held on the campus of the Anaheim Convention Center on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 27.

The NAMM Show will include live music, including a performance by emerging female hip-hop artist Blimes, and sessions such as Innovate and Elevate: Exploring DJ Technology with DJ Hapa, as well as signature events such as the Parnelli Awards and She Rocks Awards.

Learn more about the TEC Awards here and purchase tickets here.

Here’s the full list of previous recipients of the NAMM Innovation Award, when it was called the NAMM TEC Les Paul Innovation Award:

1991: Bob Ludwig

1992: Bob Clearmountain

1993: Peter Gabriel

1994: Herbie Hancock

1995: Alan Parsons

1996: Brian Wilson

1997: Stevie Wonder

1998: Neil Young

1999: Sting

2000: Paul McCartney

2001: Steely Dan

2002: Robbie Robertson

2003: Bruce Springsteen

2004: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis

2005: David Byrne

2006: Steve Miller

2007: Al Kooper

2008: Ray Benson

2011: Lindsey Buckingham

2012: Steve Vai

2013: Pete Townshend

2014: Todd Rundgren

2015: Slash

2016: Don Was

2017: Joe Perry

2018: Jackson Browne

2019: Peter Frampton

2020: Joni Mitchell

2022: Carol Kaye

02 Jan 2024

Here’s Every Artist Who Earned Their First Hot 100 Entry in 2023

In the 2023 calendar year, 765 songs appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, by a total of 385 different artists.

Of those 385 acts, 99 achieved their first career entries on the chart in 2023. Billboard has been celebrating all these Hot 100 First-Timers throughout the year, highlighting their first appearances, explaining how they achieved their first entries, and sharing their reactions to the news.

For many of 2023’s 99 Hot 100 first-timers, their first entries led to repeat visits. Peso Pluma, for instance, logged his first Hot 100 hit in February with “AMG,” with Gabito Ballesteros and Natanael Cano. He charted 22 additional songs during the year since then, including the No. 4-peaking “Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado – the first top 10 and highest-charting regional Mexican song in history. His 23 entries in 2023 mark the second-most among all core Latin-music artists this year, after Bad Bunny’s 28, and the eighth-most among all acts.

Ice Spice also earned her first Hot 100-charting hit in 2023, when “Gangsta Boo” debuted at No. 82, also in February. She charted six additional songs in 2023, including four top 10s: her featured turn on Taylor Swift’s “Karma” (No. 2 peak); “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” with fellow 2023 first-timer PinkPantheress (No. 3); “Princess Diana,” with Nicki Minaj (No. 4); and “Barbie World,” with Minaj and Aqua (No. 7).

Two 2023 first-timers hold the distinction of attaining not just their first Hot 100 entries, but also their first No. 1s. BTS’ Jimin posted his first solo title on the chart in January, with his feature on TAEYANG’s “Vibe,” and three months later, he banked his first solo No. 1 with “Like Crazy.” Before those solo hits, though, he tallied six No. 1s as a member of BTS. Additionally, Oliver Anthony Music’s first appearance on the chart was at No. 1, when his surprise viral hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” bounded in on top, making him the first artist to debut at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with no prior chart history.

Other notable names who visited the Hot 100 for the first time in 2023 include: best new artist Grammy nominee Noah Kahan, rising K-pop groups NewJeans, FIFTY FIFTY and Stray Kids, and multi-talented actors Jack Black, Dave Chappelle, Lily-Rose Depp, and the Kenergetic Ryan Gosling.

Kahan is one of five acts up for best new artist that made their first Hot 100 visits during the year, along with Ice Spice (“Gangsta Boo”), Gracie Abrams (“Everywhere, Everything” with Kahan), Coco Jones (“ICU”) and The War and Treaty (“Hey Driver” with Zach Bryan). As for the other three best new artist nominees: Victoria Monét earned her first entry in 2019 with her Ariana Grande collaboration, “Monopoly,” but she notched her second entry, and first solo unaccompanied hit, in September with “On My Mama”; Jelly Roll arrived on the chart for the first time in July 2022 with “Son of a Sinner,” but tallied three additional entries in 2023, including his highest-charting hit “Need A Favor” (No. 13); and Fred Again hasn’t yet reached the Hot 100, but has charted 18 tracks on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs.

In chronological order below, here’s a roundup of every artist that earned their first Hot 100 hit in 2023 (encompassing the charts dated Jan. 7-Dec. 30, 2023).

02 Jan 2024

These 12 Songs Won Golden Globes & Weren’t Even Nominated for Oscars

Winning a Golden Globe for best original song is often a stepping-stone to winning an Oscar in that category. Seven of the last 10 Globe winners went on to win the Oscar. Whoever wins when this year’s Golden Globes are presented on Sunday (Jan. 7) no doubt hopes that pattern continues.

But it doesn’t always work out that way. Since 1962, when the Globes introduced their best original song category, 12 songs have won a Globe that weren’t even nominated for an Oscar. A few weren’t eligible. Others simply didn’t get enough votes.

In the unlikely event that Bruce Springsteen’s “Addicted to Romance” from She Came to Me or Jack Black’s “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie wins the Globe on Sunday, they’ll join this list. Those songs weren’t even shortlisted for this year’s Oscars. (That means Springsteen and Black can sleep in on Jan. 23, when the Oscar nominations are announced.)

This year’s four other Globe nominees for best original song all made the Oscar shortlist – “Dance the Night,” “I’m Just Ken” and “What Was I Made For?” from Barbie and Lenny Kravitz’s “Road to Freedom” from Rustin. (No more than two of the Barbie songs can be Oscar-nominated.)

The roster of songs that won the Globe and weren’t even nominated for an Oscar includes several that were written and performed by pop and rock legends, including Springsteen, Madonna, Prince and Mick Jagger. Here’s a complete list of these 12 songs, in chronological order. The years shown are the year of the Oscar ceremony.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

02 Jan 2024

Snoop Dogg to Report on 2024 Olympics for NBC Primetime Show: ‘I Will Be Bringing That Snoop Style’

Snoop Dogg is trading in the LBC for Paris in 2024 … briefly, anyway. NBCUniversal has announced that the iconic rapper is joining its team to report on the Olympic Games this summer, and will be onsite to deliver “regular reports” on the Olympic Primetime Show beginning July 26. The announcement arrived during the New Year’s Eve Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings game.

“I grew up watching the Olympics and am thrilled to see the incredible athletes bring their A-game to Paris. It’s a celebration of skill, dedication, and the pursuit of greatness,” Snoop said in a statement. “We’re going to have some amazing competitions and, of course, I will be bringing that Snoop style to the mix. It’s going to be the most epic Olympics ever, so stay tuned, and keep it locked. Let’s elevate, celebrate, and make these games unforgettable, smoke the competition, and may the best shine like gold. Peace and Olympic LOVE, ya dig?”

The “Gin and Juice” rapper — who previously reported for NBC during the Tokyo Olympics four years ago — also shared a brief video teaser of him dancing in front of the Eiffel Tower. “New year mood. Paris 2024 Olympics. C u this summer ??✌?Official. ?? ? ? ?‍♀️,” he captioned his Instagram clip.

According to NBC, Snoop will be chatting about the Paris Games with NBC Olympics host Mike Tirico, offering up “his unique take on what’s happening in Paris.” He’ll also be checking out the landmarks, visiting with athletes and their friends and family, and of course, attending some of the competitions.

“Snoop is already an Olympic gold medal commentator, generating tens of millions of views for his highlights commentary on Peacock of the dressage competition during the Tokyo Olympics,” Molly Solomon — executive producer and president, NBC Olympics Production — said in a statement. “That performance alone has earned Snoop a job as our Special Correspondent in Paris. We don’t know what the heck is going to happen every day, but we know he will add his unique perspective to our re-imagined Olympic primetime show.”

The Paris Games are set to take place July 26 through Aug. 11. NBC and its streaming service, Peacock, will be providing coverage of the Olympics.

See Snoop and NBC Olympic’s teasers of the rapper’s coverage of this year’s Games below:

02 Jan 2024

Green Day Tweak Donald Trump Again With Altered ‘American Idiot’ Lyric During ‘New Year’s Rockin’ Eve’ Set

Green Day kicked off 2024 in the most Green Day way possible: by taking another snarling lyrical swing at Donald Trump. The band tweaked the politically charged lyrics to the title track from their seventh studio album, 2004’s “American Idiot,” during their Sunday night (Dec. 31) set on ABC’s Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

“I’m not part of the MAGA agenda,” singer Billie Joe Armstrong snarled from the stage, replacing the original line in which he stated that he was not part of the “redneck agenda”; click here to watch video of the moment. As the four-times indicted, twice impeached former president ping-pongs between court dates and campaign appearances, the latest lyrical slag from the veteran punk-pop trio was not a huge surprise.

Green Day have long spoken out about their disdain for the former reality star whose recent speeches have featured fascist-like phrases that have raised alarm among political pundits for referring to political opponents as “vermin,” language that echoed that used by Nazi leader Adolph Hitler. Back in 2019, the band didn’t hold back at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas, where they debuted the anti-MAGA line in “American Idiot.” At the 2016 American Music Awards Green Day took aim at the then president-elect while performing “Bang Bang,” where Armstrong chanted “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,” in a nod to Trump’s endorsement by the KKK and the rise in racist attacks following his election.

As you might expect, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band who’ve proudly waved the flag of disdain for authority and authoritarianism for more than three decades drew the ire of some of those MAGA Nation followers, as well as X owner Elon Musk. “Green Day goes from raging against the machine to milquetoastedly raging for it,” the controversy-loving Tesla/SpaceX CEO tweeted.

Some of Trump’s MAGA minions joined Musk in denigrating the group, with one X poster calling them “punk rock sellouts,” while Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist director and Hercules actor Kevin Sorbo quipped “punk rock is pro big government” and right-wing troll Catturd wrote, “nothing says ‘punk rock’ like Government bootlicking, millionaire sellouts playing on ABC.”

The move should not come as any surprise considering that during their 2017 tour, Armstrong would often shout “F–k you, Donald Trump!” during performances of “American Idiot.” And, after Trump’s mugshot was released following his indictment for attempting to interfere with Georgia’s election process in the 2020 presidential race, GD released an “ultimate Nimrod” shirt with the scowling image of the one-term president on it as a benefit for the victims of last year’s devastating Maui wildfire.

There were, of course, plenty of GD supporters who applauded the band’s prime time takedown, with one noting that the original songs were aimed at another Republican commander-in-chief, George W. Bush during the Iraq War. “To the bi–hes b–ching: Green Day was never on your side. ‘American Idiot’ came out in 2004, who was president then? EXACTLY. That album was a middle finger to Dubya, you were just too stupid to realize it,” they wrote. Another wondered if those complaining about the Trump dump were ever really paying attention. “Why did Green Day have to insert politics into their performance of ‘American Idiot’ is a truly incredible sentence to read,” one X user wrote.

See Musk’s tweet below.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldrige. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.)

02 Jan 2024

Nicki Minaj Permanently Grounds ‘Starships’ During NYE Show: ‘Stupid Song’

Nicki Minaj hit the stage at Miami’s E11EVEN on New Year’s Eve with her usual trunk full of hits. But when the first strains of her 2012 Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hit began pumping out of the speakers, Minaj informed Barbz that she is never, ever going back to the beach.

A Tik Tok video from the show found Minaj cutting off the track from her Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded just a few lines into the opening verse after letting the audience do the heavy lifting on the song that is one of Nicki’s biggest all-time solo charting singles in the U.S. After waving her hand to get her DJ to cut the track off, Nicki told the crowd that the pop hit has been permanently grounded.

“Hold on. Psych, psych, psych, psych. I don’t perform that song no more, y’all. I don’t like it, what y’all want me to do?” she said as some boos emerged from the audience. “Stupid song.” The rapper then seemed to pivot to another one of her radio smashes, “Super Bass.” Though the RedOne-produced lead single from Minaj’s sophomore album is one of her most popular, the rapper has hinted before that she doesn’t love it.

“I hate ‘Starships,’ I mean ew, ‘Starships?’” she told Pollstar Live in 2020 during a Q&A in which she also noted that she wished she’d never recorded “Anaconda,” another one of her mega-hits. “I’m like, ‘Why did I do that?,’” she said of “Starships.” “I really think that every time I hear it.” “Starships” peaked at No. 5 on the Hot 100 and spent 31 weeks on the chart.

Minaj just released her long-awaited fifth studio album, Pink Friday 2, and is gearing up to launch her Pink Friday 2 world tour in March.