Music
Page: 194
Katy Perry will visit both coasts when she embarks on a tour of Australia next year.
The U.S. pop superstar’s The Lifetimes Tour will swing into Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on June 9, 2025, following by arena dates in Melbourne, Brisbane and wrapping up at Perth’s RAC Arena.
Spanning five dates, the Australia trek is Perry’s first in six years. Expect her to “perform all the hits,” reps say, plus new cuts from her seventh and latest album, 143 (via EMI), which dropped last Friday. “It’s a party and you’re all invited! Stoked to see you in June 2025. Get ready for a high energy singalong to alllllll your faves,” says Katy. 143 is the followup to 2020’s Smile, which peaked at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The “Fireworks” singer is currently in Australia as the headline act for the pre-game entertainment at the 2024 AFL Grand Final, to be contested by Sydney Swans and Brisbane Lions at the Melbourne Cricket Ground this Saturday, Sept. 28.
“I am delighted to announce that Katy Perry, one of the most in-demand global superstars of all time, is heading back to tour Australia in June, 2025,” comments Paul Dainty AO, president and CEO of TEG Dainty. “Few musical artists achieve the kind of career Katy has earned. Fans who attended her previous shows in this country already know this upcoming tour will be unmissable.”
Trending on Billboard
TEG DAINTY, a division of TEG, is producing The Lifetimes Tour presented by Snaffle.
The general onsale will kick off 10am (local time) on Friday, Oct. 4 from ticketek.com.au.
Katy Perry 2025 The Lifetimes Tour – Australian Tour DatesJune 9 — Qudos Bank Arena, SydneyJune 12 — Rod Laver Arena, MelbourneJune 13 — Rod Laver Arena, MelbourneJune 17 — Brisbane Entertainment CentreJune 22 — RAC Arena, Perth
Scottish producer Barry Can’t Swim has become a fixture on the global festival scene over the last year. He’s performed well-received sets at Coachella and Glastonbury following the release of his debut album When Will We Land? in 2023, which landed a Mercury Prize-nomination earlier this summer. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See […]
Warner Music Australia is boosting its country stocks with the signing of Brad Cox.
Raised in Jindabyne in New South Wales’s Snowy Mountains, Cox, a former Sony Music artist, enjoyed a breakthrough in 2018 with his self-titled debut album, which collected the the singles “Red Light”, “Too Drunk to Drive”, “’Lake House” and “Water On The Ground”.
He went on to snag the Toyota Star Maker competition at the Tamworth Country Music Festival, and landed in the top 20 with his sophomore album, 2020’s My Mind’s Projection, peaking at No. 13 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
The following year, Cox launched the “Happy Hour Down Under” station on Apple Music.
Trending on Billboard
A third album, Acres, dropped last year, and cracked the ARIA Top 10 (with a No. 7 peak).
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Brad Cox into the Warner Music family and are delighted that Brad has entrusted us with the next chapter of his career,” comments Dan Rosen, president of Warner Music Australasia.
“Brad’s genuine authenticity, admirable work ethic and undeniable talent has already captured the hearts of fans around Australia and we can’t wait to help take his music to more fans at home and around the world.”
To celebrate the new arrangement, Cox drops the new single “Everything I’ve Got.”
He’ll road test the song when he embarks on his biggest tour date, the Everything I Got jaunt, which starts Oct. 17 at University of Canberra, before stopping in at Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Rockhampton and Brisbane.
“Signing this new record deal with Warner Music feels like home,” he says in a statement. “I feel like things are only getting better and better the more I get to work with this incredible crew. I feel like I’m understood in my vision for this project and supported with means to make the dreams happen. I’m thankful for the belief I’ve been shown and am humbled to have landed here at Warner Music for the next chapter. Feels incredibly right.”
Australia is recognized as the No. 3 market for country music, behind the United States and Canada, respectively. With the likes of Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs dominating Australia’s consumption charts and filling arenas, country music is enjoying a renaissance in these parts.
Aussies streamed 1.1 billion country tunes in the first half of 2023, based on the top 500 songs in the genre. Gen Z is found to have a growing appetite for country.
Cox’s tour opens Oct. 17 at University of Canberra, before heading to Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, Rockhampton and Brisbane.
The trek is presented by Handsome Tours, Lonely Lands Agency Mirror Music Group, Habit Music and transported by Mack & Highway Rentals Australia.
Tyga‘s 2018 summer smash “Taste,” featuring Offset, becomes his first diamond-certified record by the Recording Industry Association of America, the RIAA announced on Tuesday (Sept. 24). Diamond certification is given to artists whose songs have moved 10 million units. According to the RIAA, one equivalent song unit is equal to a single digital song sale, or 150 on-demand […]
Mexican group Los Ángeles de Charly earn their first No. 1 on a Billboard radio chart – and any Billboard song ranking – with “El Primer Tonto,” which climbs 7-1 on the Regional Mexican Airplay ranking (dated Sept. 28). The Carlos Becies-led ensemble previously hit No. 1 on Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums in 2001 with its third studio album, Te Voy a Enamorar.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“Thank, thank you, thank you,” Becies tells Billboard. “I’m a bit nervous and super grateful with all the support with this song and all the people who were part of this beautiful project. It’s a beautiful surprise for us a group that motivates us to keep on going.”
Trending on Billboard
“El Primer Tonto,” originally composed and released by Mexican group Los Freddy’s in 1980, was later popularized by Joan Sebastian who secured a No. 7 high with the song on Regional Mexican Airplay in January 2002.
With its romantic cumbia turn, “El Primer Tonto,” released June 7 via VMG/Colmena/Azteca Records, takes Los Ángeles de Charly to their first No. 1 on a radio ranking thanks to a 47% surge in audience impressions, to 6.6 million, earned in the U.S. for the tracking week of Sept. 13-19, according to Luminate.
Thanks to “El Primer Tonto,” imprints VMG and Colmena secure their first No. 1 on any Billboard chart. In addition to the two imprints, the “El Primer Tonto” triumph also gives Azteca Records its second champ as a label, following La Fiera de Ojinaga’s one-week reign on Regional Mexican Airplay with “La Luna de Miel” in August 2022.
Los Ángeles de Charly’s first champ on Regional Mexican Airplay arrives 20 years after their last top 10, when “Y Qué” reached No. 10 high in May 2004. In sum, the Mexican cumbia group have logged six top 10s since 1999, with the No. 4-peaking “Un Sueño” in 2001 their highest-charting song until now.
Elsewhere, “El Primer Tonto” advances to its No. 3 peak on the overall Latin Airplay tally, where Los Ángeles de Charly earn their first top 10 to date.
The song is part of the group’s forthcoming studio album to be released in December 2024.
One of the shooters involved in Young Dolph‘s murder testified on Monday (Sept. 23.)
Cornelius Smith, who pled guilty to murder, took the stand and implicated himself, Justin Johnson, Hernandez “Quett” Govan and Yo Gotti‘s brother Anthony “Big Jook” Mims in the murder of the beloved Memphis rapper.
Smith testified that Govan organized the hit and Mims put up $100K if they were able to get the job done. Smith said he and Johnson were supposed to receive $40,000 each and Govan was going to get $20,000. However, Smith testified that he only received $800, but Big Jook paid $50,000 in lawyer fees after he was caught.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
He also revealed he and Johnson went ahead with the murder on the same day of his daughter’s birthday. When asked why he choose still go through with it, Smith said he needed the money to make his daughter’s day special. “Man, I was trying to make it right for her,” he said. “I ain’t have no money, I’m trying to get some money that day. So I’m trying to make sure my baby girl have a beautiful birthday.”
Trending on Billboard
Cornelius Smith, one of Young Dolph’s killers, claims he committed the murder on his own daughter’s birthday to raise money for her birthday party. pic.twitter.com/Yt2XL1oLaw— Episodes (@episodesent) September 24, 2024
According to testimony, Smith and Johnson originally planned on carrying out the murder at an annual Thanksgiving turkey drive Dolph organizes, but they spotted his camo-wrapped Corvette and decided to follow him into the parking lot of Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies where they allegedly shot Dolph 22 times.
When asked why he decided to tell the truth, Smith said he felt guilty after being arrested and he sobered up, blaming his drug use on the death of his 9-year-old son in 2020. He also said that he wasn’t expecting leniency and was doing talking to clear his conscience. “I’m going to jail anyway. I can get it off my chest,” he said. “It’s my best out to be honest, to be truthful. Why play with these folks? They already know.”
Big Jook was murdered earlier this year in January.
You can watch the testimony here.
The Kansas City Chiefs are 3-0 so far this NFL season, but some fans are still disappointed with tight end Travis Kelce‘s performance at the Atlanta Falcons game Sunday (Sept. 22). With some of them finding a way to blame it on his superstar girlfriend, however, Whoopi Goldberg is speaking up in Taylor Swift‘s defense. […]
Ryan Murphy loved working with Travis Kelce on his upcoming series, Grotesquerie. “It was very unexpected,” the TV writer shared with ET of writing a role specifically for the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. “I didn’t know Travis and I thought we were having a general meeting, but he was so passionate about wanting to […]
Billie Eilish is further distinguishing herself as one of the most environmentally forward thinking artists in music through a new partnership with Google Maps.
As part of Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, which launches Sept. 29 in Quebec City, fans can use Google Maps to find eco-friendly transportation and plant-based food options in many of the places the 43-city world tour is hitting.
Through Maps, Eilish will offer tips for fans looking for sustainable travel options like fuel efficient routes, walking, bike-sharing and public transportation. In each city, Google Maps will offer a walking or public transit route if it’s as convenient and fast as driving in each tour stop city.
Trending on Billboard
Eilish will also offer recommendations on where fans can grab a plant-based meal in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Fans can simply search for one of these tour cities in Maps and scroll down to find Eilish’s picks.
“I am so excited to see you all at my shows over the coming months, and for us to work together in reducing our collective footprint when it comes to transportation and what we eat,” Eilish says in a statement. “Every action matters, no matter how big or small, and together we can truly begin to heal our beautiful planet. Thanks to Google Maps, everyone will have easy access to resources that will help you make great sustainable choices when you come to my shows. Thank you for caring. See you soon!”
In an interview with Billboard earlier this year, Eilish and her mom Maggie Baird, the founder of Support + Feed, which encourages access to plant-based foods, spoke about incorporating sustainability measures into Eilish’s career.
“It’s a never-ending f–king fight,” Eilish said. “As we all know, it’s pretty impossible to force someone to care. All you can do is express and explain your beliefs, but a lot of people don’t really understand the severity of the climate [crisis]. And if they do, they’re like, ‘Well, what’s the point? We’re all going to die anyway.’ Believe me, I feel that way too. But ‘what’s the point’ goes both ways: ‘What’s the point? I can do whatever I want. We’re all going to die anyway.’ Or, ‘What’s the point? I might as well do the right thing while I’m here.’ That’s my view.”
Meek Mill let off a series of tweets last night offering up $100K for an investigative team to figure out why fans and media outlets keep mentioning his name with Diddy. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I wanna hire an investigative team 100k cash to find out […]