Music

Lana Del Rey Opens Up About Wanting Children Someday: ‘I See It Coming For Me’

Lana Del Rey hasn’t ruled out motherhood. In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, the 38-year-old alt-pop superstar opened up about possibly wanting to have kids someday — but not until the time is right.

“That’s why God didn’t give me children yet,” she told the publication, according to People. “Because there is more to explore. I know people who’ve tested every water. It’s burnt them, like Icarus. But I’m willing to go there.”

“I see it coming for me,” she continued. “We’ll see. We’ll see what melts the wings.”

Del Rey was reportedly in a relationship with house musician Jack Donoghue of Salem that began in early 2022. After several years with Scottish singer-songwriter Barrie-James O’Neill of Kassidy, Del Rey began dating Italian photographer Francesco Carrozzini in 2014, before a reported brief dalliance with rapper G-Eazy, followed by a year with cop Sean Larkin and an engagement to musician Clayton Johnson. Billboard reported in March that Del Rey was engaged to Range Media Partners’ Evan Winiker but it’s unclear where that relationship stands now.

The Grammy nominee also addressed her viral June Glastonbury set in the interview, a performance that was abruptly cut short by organizers after Del Rey’s blew past the midnight curfew. Videos from the night captured the musician — who was about 30 minutes late to the gig — attempting to stay onstage and sing a cappella with the crowd before security escorted her away.

“I didn’t feel great about it,” confessed the “Summertime Sadness” singer. “I was a little confused because I don’t think I was ever in a position where somebody said, ‘If you do not finish by this time, everything will go out.’ I was only 15 minutes late.”

“I’ve heard of curfews before,” she added. “But I didn’t know they actually turned the lights off!”

Del Rey’s latest interview comes shortly after the artist was nominated for five Grammy Awards, picking up nods for album of the year and best alternative album with Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd; song of the year and best alternative music performance for “A&W”; and best pop duo/group performance for “Candy Necklace” feat. Jon Batiste.

“It’s just such a fun day,” she reacted to the Grammy news in an Instagram video last month. “It’s really just about how excited everybody else is, and everybody calling, getting in touch and saying hi. All about the process and just one more exciting thing that’s happening… I in fact only learned this year that you have to submit your own album if you want to be nominated. Even that was out of my wheelhouse, but I did do that.”

Usher Gets Overcome With Emotion During Final Performance of Las Vegas Residency: ‘God Bless You’

After 100 performances, Usher closed out his headline-making Las Vegas residency on Saturday (Dec. 2) — and the singer felt a certain type of way about it.

A fan-filmed clip reposted by Usher on Sunday (Dec. 3) showed the “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” singer breaking down on stage during the last show of his My Way residency. In the middle of his finale rendition of “Without You” — Usher’s much-loved 2011 collaboration with David Guetta — the singer fell to his knees crying. Surrounded by a crew of backup dancers hugging and cheering him on, Usher slowly returned to his feet and began singing the song’s final chorus a capella, encouraging the audience to join him.

With the whole crowd chanting the lyrics along with him, Usher raised his hands out to the crowd to offer them a moment of thanks. “God bless you, I love you,” he shouted into the audience as they sang back to him.

Speaking to Billboard back in August 2022, Usher said that he wanted his now-wrapped residency to prove that he and his team could show his. “The challenge was to show it’s not by chance we had success in Las Vegas,” he said. “We deliberately made decisions that would elevate your thinking on the evolution of who I am as a creative.”

The finale performance of Usher’s new show comes ahead of a busy few months for the pop-R&B legend. After hopping on a remix of Jung Kook’s “Standing Next to You,” Usher posted a clip of himself and the BTS star dancing to his hit single “Yeah” over the weekend, encouraging fans to “stay tuned” for what the pair have coming next. Meanwhile, the singer is also preparing for his upcoming performance at the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show on Feb. 11.

Daddy Yankee Embraces Faith & Religion in Final Concert: ‘A New Chapter Will Begin’

Daddy Yankee officially held his farewell concert on Sunday (Dec.3), where he not only performed his timeless reggaeton tracks, but also delivered a life-changing message to his fans. 

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The series of four back-to-back shows, dubbed “La Meta” (The Goal), kicked off Nov. 30 at The Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot in San Juan and included a global livestream of Sunday’s concert with the purchase of a $20 ticket. 

Fans back home and those connected virtually not only enjoyed a live musical journey through Yankee’s 30-year career, but also observed his vulnerability and transparency when the singer opened up about embracing his faith and religious beliefs. 

“This is the most important day of my life and I want to share it because it’s not easier living a life with success than a life with purpose,” the star born Raymond Ayala said during his address from the stage. 

“For many years I’ve tried filling a void in my life that no one could fill. I tried finding a purpose, on many occasions it seemed as if I was happy but something was missing for me to feel complete. I have to confess that those days are over and someone was able to fill that void that I felt for a lot of time. I realized that for everyone I was someone but I was no one without him,” he continued. “Throughout the years I was able to travel the world, win many awards, applaud and praise but I realized something that’s in the Bible: For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”

The global artist, who spearheaded the reggaeton movement with his 2004 breakthrough hit “Gasolina,” proudly expressed that God lives in him and he will live for him. 

“A chapter has ended but a new one will begin,” he noted. “All the tools that I have in my power, like music, social media, platforms, a microphone, everything that God has given me is now for his kingdom. Thank you, Puerto Rico, and I hope you walk with me in this new beginning and I hope you remember something very important: Don’t follow any person. I am human. To all the people who follow me, follow Jesus Christ, he’s the way, the truth, and the life.” 

“La Meta” was part of his retirement tour La Última Vuelta that kicked off last year and landed at No. 13 on the Top 40 Tours of 2022 with a total gross of over $125 million, according to Billboard’s Year-End Boxscore charts. Yankee now joins a wave of reggaeton stars who have opened up about their faith including Farruko, Hector “El Father” Delgado, El General, and more.

Listen to his full speech in Spanish below:

YoungBoy Never Broke Again Thrashes Joe Budden After Recent Criticism: ‘I Don’t Play That S–t’

If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Joe Budden, it’s that he isn’t shy about mincing words when it comes to his feelings about today’s hip-hop stars, as proven by his viral spat with Drake earlier this fall. On the latest episode of The Joe Budden Podcast, Budden took aim at Young Boy Never Broke Again, discrediting his merit as a superstar.

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“That n—a is trash, he’s horrible. He is really bad,” Budden said. “That thing happened with him where when he was out, the label pushed the button and did some YouTube sh-t, so all the little kids had to come to the gathering and tell you about how great he is and how many views he has and all of that. Now that the label is backed up, we got three to four of those projects while he’s been in Utah on house arrest.”

YoungBoy barked back with a vicious diatribe of his own. “The last thing I dropped was Decided 2, and my album is still in the top 10 [on Apple Music] p—y ass n—a,” he said on Instagram. “Don’t speak on me, I don’t play that s–t. Don’t rat on me either, you pu–y ass bi–h.” 

He later invited Budden to have a proper sit-down with him in Utah, where he’s currently on house arrest. “You stupid dumb b–h, your d–k don’t even get hard no more clown ass n—a. Ain’t no sabotaging me, b—h. F–k wrong with that n—a, man. Don’t rat on me b—h. And I don’t want to argue with your b–h ass. B–ch you do all them interviews, come on Grave Digger Mountain and talk to me n—a, if you can’t do that you bi–h made shut your f–king mouth.”

Later, YoungBoy’s advocate, Birdman, joined the fray and sent warning shots to Budden, urging him to stop “f–kin with something you should leave alone.” YoungBoy is currently under house arrest in Salt Lake City tied to a 2020 arrest in Los Angeles tied to gun and drug charges.

As previously mentioned, Budden was embroiled in a verbal skirmish with Drake last October, after he dubbed For All The Dogs a lackluster album. That resulted in Drake firing shots his way on tracks and on social media.

“@joebudden you have failed at music,” Drake began his lengthy message. “You left it behind to do what you are doing in this clip cause this is what actually pays your bills. For any artist watching this just remember you are watching a failure give their opinion on his idea of a recipe for success… a quitter give their opinion on how to achieve longevity…”

Listen to the Yb and Budden’s exchange below. 

Red Hot Chili Peppers Announce 2024 Unlimited Love North American Tour Dates With Kid Cudi, Ice Cube & More

The Red Hot Hili Peppers are hitting the road again in spring 2024 for another round of dates on their Unlimited Love tour. The extension of the veteran punk funk band’s 2022-2023 outing will including a slate of North American dates scheduled to kick off on May 28 with a show in Ridgefield, WA at the RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater.

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And they are, of course, bringing along some very special friends to help celebrate, including opening acts Kid Cudi, Ice Cube, Ken Carson, Otoboke Beaver, Seun Kuti & Egypt80, Wand and IRONTOM.

The 16 new Live Nation-promoted dates will also include stops in Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Tampa, Virginia Beach, Cincinnati, Toronto and St Louis, where the trek is scheduled to wind down at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre on July 30. The band previously announced a run of 2024 shows, including a Feb. 17 gig at the Venue at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, CA, a Feb. 20 show at the Yaamava’ Theater in Highland, CA and a Feb. 23 show at the Innings Festival in Tempe, AZ.

Tickets for the new dates will be available starting with a Citi presale beginning Tuesday (Dec. 5) at 10 a.m. local time through 10 p.m. local time on Dec. 7 here. An artist presale will start at 10 a.m. local time on Wednesday (Dec. 6) with additional presales through Thursday (Dec. 7) in advance of the general on-sale kick off on Friday (Dec. 8) at 10 a.m. local time here.

The Chili Peppers released Return of the Dream Canteen — which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top Album sales chart upon release — in Oct. 2022, six months after dropping the Unlimited Love album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Check out the 2024 North American Unlimited Love dates below.

May 28 – Ridgefield, WA @ RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater + 

May 31 – Quincy, WA @ The Gorge +  

June 2 – Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheater + 

June 5 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre = 

June 7 – Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater ^  

June 18 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre * 

June 21 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre ~ 

June 26 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park ~ 

June 28 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach ~ 

July 2 – Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake = 

July 5 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center * 

July 12 – Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater ^ 

July 15 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage ^ 

July 22 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center # 

July 25 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center @ 

July 30 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre @ 

+ With Ken Carson and IRONTOM 

= With Kid Cudi and IRONTOM 

^ With Wand and IRONTOM 

* With IRONTOM 

~ With Ice Cube and IRONTOM 

# With Seun Kuti & Egypt80 and IRONTOM 

@ With Otoboke Beaver and IRONTOM 

% Not a Live Nation Date 

Maren Morris Applauds Taylor Swift, The Chicks & Other ‘Brave’ Female Musicians Who Won’t ‘Shut Up and Sing’

Maren Morris was awarded Changemaker of the Year at Variety’s Hitmakers Brunch this weekend, and she used her acceptance speech to share the spotlight with fellow female musicians who she said have given her courage to stand up for what she believes in.

Recalling the “backlash” she’s faced over the years in response to her activism and political disputes with other public figures, the 33-year-old country pop star told the audience that she “found solace in the stories of my musical heroines.” Those heroines include Taylor Swift, for “taking back ownership of her life’s work,” and The Chicks, for “criticizing a sitting United States president on invading Iraq at the height of their country music career,” Morris said, according to People.

Morris also praised the late Sinead O’Connor — who passed away over the summer — for “shining a light on the abuses of the Catholic Church” as well as Billie Holiday for “continuing to perform ‘Strange Fruit’ in protest, even with a racially targeted FBI investigation threatening her.”

“They were all told not to bite the hand,” continued the “Middle” singer. “They were all told to shut up and sing. Now, I would never be silly enough to compare myself or my story to these women, but I have found deep inspiration in their courage in my moments of loneliness.”

“You have to be a giant pain in the a– to make any kind of change, because you’re criticizing and trying to dismantle a status quo and making comfortable people feel uncomfortable,” Morris added.

The Hitmakers event comes a couple months after Morris announced plans to step back from the country music industry, parts of which she’s said are “toxic.” In the years leading up to her decision — which includes no longer submitting her music for country awards consideration and switching record labels — the Grammy winner became known for advocating for LGBTQ rights and racial equality.

On many occasions, Morris’ activism resulted in conflicts with everyone from Jason and Brittany Aldean to Tucker Carlson. “I realized very quickly that publicly pointing out these inequalities doesn’t make you the most popular,” she reflected in her Changemaker speech. “If you dare criticize blatant misogyny, racism, transphobia within the ranks of your industry, you’re met with isolation, death threats, labeled as ungrateful, biting the hand that fed you or diminishingly told to just shut up and sing.”

Eslabon Armado & Peso Pluma’s ‘Ella Baila Sola’ Reaches 1 Billion Streams on Spotify

Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” officially reached one billion streams on Spotify on Sunday (Dec. 3). The high point marks the first-ever música mexicana track to do so, Spotify has confirmed to Billboard Español.

The song — which premiered on April 1 as part of Eslabon Armado’s album Desvelado via DEL Records — had already made history on the all-genres Billboard Hot 100, where it reached its peak at No. 4 and sustained its presence for an impressive 23 weeks. Additionally, the track secured the top spot on various lists, including the Billboard Global 200 for six consecutive weeks, Hot Latin Songs for 19 weeks, and Latin Airplay for one week.

“Happy and blessed we woke up today, Sunday, with this, and all thanks to God and you for making it possible for the song to reach a billion,” Eslabon Armado wrote on their Instagram. 

In “Ella Baila Sola,” Eslabon Armado frontman and songwriter Pedro Julian Tovar Oceguera creates a vivid narrative about two close friends captivated by a mesmerizing woman at a gathering. While the inspiration behind this track may be shrouded in mystery, Oceguera’s storytelling prowess shines through. Grounded in the sierreño tradition, the song is rich with enchanting borderland slang, capturing the essence of both Mexican and Mexican-American cultures.

Most recently, the música mexicana hit made Billboard Latin and Billboard Español’s The 50 Best Latin Pop Songs From 2000 to 2023, Ranked list at No. 12. 

The track earned the aforementioned group a song of the year Latin Grammy nomination; the two acts also performed it together for the first time at the award show which was held in Seville, Spain this year. 

Watch the video for “Ella Baila Sola” by Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma below: 



Cardi B Stuns in Blue Faux Fur at Balenciaga Street Show in L.A.

When Cardi B said “Balenciaga Bardi back and all these b–ches f—ed,” she meant it.

On Saturday (Dec. 2), the rapper made a surprise appearance on the runway during Balenciaga’s pre-fall 2024 show in Los Angeles. Taking place on a closed street in the city’s Hancock Park neighborhood, Cardi stunned in her first major catwalk appearance sporting a slicked-back hairdo, diamond jewelry and an eye-catching blue faux-fur coat over a black bodysuit.

Celebrating her first runway, Cardi took to her Instagram to give a shoutout to the brand and her team for making the opportunity possible. “Yesterday was a dream! I had too much fun storming your runway! Thank you to @Balenciaga @Demnagram @johanfleury and the entire team, you all are always so amazing to work with! Thank you to my team @kollincarter_ @tokyostylez @erikalapearl @juanmarioortiz_. DARE TO BE DIFFERENT.” Check out all of the pictures Cardi posted here.

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The event marked Balenciaga creative director Denma’s first since the brand came under fire for a controversial ad campaign back in November 2022, featuring photos of children carrying teddy bear-shaped handbags decked in what looked like bondage gear, as well as other photos showing Supreme Court filings pertaining to child pornography. The brand removed the ads and apologized for the scandal via a statement in November, stating “we take full accountability for our lack of oversight and control of the documents in the background and we could have done things differently.”

Meanwhile, fans of Cardi are still on the edges of their seats after the rapper teased new content back in November. During a live Twitter Space event with HipHopDX, Cardi said that she might be putting something out before 2023 is over. “Maybe I should just put a lil’ something something out before the year ends. Would y’all mind if I just do, like, a video?” she said. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it by the end of the day … I just feel like I gotta talk my s–t a little bit.” Cardi has been working on the long-awaited follow-up to her 2018 major label debut, Invasion of Privacy, for more than a year; a release date has not yet been announced for the untitled project.

DaBaby Vows to Give Up Alcohol: ‘I’m Going to be Sober’

DaBaby is going the sober route. On Sunday night (Dec. 3), the mercurial rapper voiced his decision to put down the bottle during a PSA on Instagram.

“It’s official, bruh. I don’t drink no more,” he said. “I got my appearances. Don’t try to give me no bottles, don’t try to offer me no shot, don’t do none of that. You offer me a drink from this point forward, I’m stealing the f–k out. It’s a simple as that. We gone get to hitting immediately. So, you better not be drunk ’cause I’m going to be sober. I’m stealing off sober.”

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According to Baby, his decision emanates from picking up his child and vomiting in her presence.

“Context, I go pick my baby up,” DaBaby explained. “I’m throwing up on 77. She beside me in her car seat talking ’bout some ‘Good job.’ I’m fighting for my life in that back seat and my baby talking about, ‘Good job. Man, it’s embarrassing in front of my baby. I don’t drink no more.”

Baby has recently been reflective, most notably on his infamous 2021 Rolling Loud incident. During an interview with NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe on his Club Shay Shay podcast, he candidly spoke about his inflammatory comments about the LGBTQ community. “Where would I be mentally and spiritually if I wasn’t forced to sit my ass down and self-reflect? I still didn’t even sit down when it first happened, I was still fighting it and fighting it and fighting it. ‘Hell nah, that ain’t what it is. That ain’t what it is,’” DaBaby said.

DaBaby has repeatedly said he left $200 million on the table because of his offensive commentary but remained adamant about not regretting his past.

“I don’t regret anything that I done been through,” he said. “It feels so good to be able to say that and mean it. I done probably said that before but I ain’t really mean it.”

Check out DaBab’s sobriety post below.

BTS’ Jung Kook and Usher Dance It Out to ‘Yeah!’ and Tease ‘Stay Tuned’

Usher and BTSJung Kook are clearly having a blast with their team-up on JK’s “Standing Next to You.” In addition to dropping a new version of the song from the BTS singer’s debut solo album, Golden, on Friday, on Sunday (Dec. 3) the pair hit a dance studio to hoof it to one of Usher’s biggest hits.

In a 30-second clip posted by both men, the pair spun around each other and slapped hands as they busted out some smooth choreography to “Yeah!,” the 2004 Confessions hit from Ush featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon that topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 consecutive weeks. Usher, dressed all in black, and Jung Kook, wearing baggy jeans and a white sweatshirt, end the clip by jumping out of the frame.

The short video that appears to have been shot in a warehouse space offers a tease that more is to come from the dynamic duo thanks to the caption, which reads: “Stay tuned [movie camera emoji].”

The new version of “Standing Next to You” holds on to the original disco pop, with Usher skating in halfway through with his signature smooth falsetto. “Stop, can you feel that?/ It’s like heaven and earth moves whenever we touch/ No, for real, I know you feel that/ The universe approves when you and I dance,” Usher sings over the song’s bubbling bass.

The collab with Usher adds to the A-list team on Golden, which also includes the hit Jack Harlow single, “3D,’ the Major Lazer-assisted “Closer to You,” as well as “Seven” with Latto and “Please Don’t Change” featuring DJ Snake; earlier this month JK released another remix of “3D” featuring vocals form Justin Timberlake.

Check out the Usher/Jung Kook “Yeah!” dance video below.