Music

07 Nov 2023

Megan Fox Opens Up About ‘Very Difficult’ Miscarriage With Machine Gun Kelly

Megan Fox is opening up about a very personal and devastating time in her relationship with Machine Gun Kelly.

The Jennifer’s Body actress sat down with Good Morning America this week to discuss her new poetry book, Pretty Boys Are Poisonous, in which there are two poems that describe suffering a miscarriage. “I’ve never been through anything like that in my life. I have three kids, so it was very difficult for both of us and it sent us on a very wild journey together and separately…trying to navigate, ‘What does this mean?’ and ‘Why did this happen?’” she recalled.

“I want to hold your hand / hear your laugh,” she writes in the poetry book, later adding “but now / I have to say / goodbye.” She also includes a line about imagining holding her baby girl “as they rip you from my insides.”

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Fox shares three sons with ex-husband Brian Austin Green: 10-year-old Noah, nine-year-old Bodhi and six-year-old Journey. The actress began dating the “Bloody Valentine” singer in 2020 after meeting on the set of Midnight in the Switchgrass, and the couple got engaged in early 2022. “I was like, ‘Who is going to play this role?’ And he was like, ‘Oh, we just got Machine Gun Kelly,’ and immediately, I was like, ‘Uh oh,’” the Transformers star said during an interview with Lala Kent and Randall Emmett’s podcast Give Them Lala … With Randall. “Because I knew — I could feel that some wild sh– was going to happen to me from that meeting, but I wasn’t yet sure what. I just felt it like, deep in my soul — that something was going to come from that.”

Watch Fox discuss Pretty Boys Are Poisonous on Good Morning America below.

07 Nov 2023

Which Hit Should Win Song of the Year at the 2023 Latin Grammys? Vote!

10 songs are in the running for coveted song of the year title at the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards.

They are: Shakira’s “Acróstico;” Pablo Alborán and Maria Becerra’s “Amigos;” Natalia Lafourcade’s “De Todas Las Flores;” Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola;” Camilo and Alejandro Sanz’s “NASA;” Lasso’s “Ojos Marrones;” “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” by Bizarrap featuring Shakira; “Si Tú Me Quieres” by Fonseca and Juan Luis Guerra; Karol G’s “TQG” featuring Shakira; and Grupo Frontera’s “un X100to” featuring Bad Bunny.

As tradition holds, the award — one of the big four alongside record of the year, album of the year, and best new artist — is given to the songwriters of new songs containing at least 51 percent of lyrics in Spanish or Portuguese language.

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The songwriter with the most songs in this year’s category is Kevyn Mauricio Cruz Moreno, artistically known as Keityn, who has credits on “Acróstico,” “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” and “TQG.” He’s followed by Edgar Barrera, who in addition to having songwriting credits in “NASA” and “un x100to,” leads the list of nominees for the 2023 Latin Grammy Awards with 13 nods.

The Mexican hitmaker is followed by Camilo, Karol G, Shakira, and Keityn with seven nominations each; Bizarrap with six nods; and receiving five nominations each, Pablo Alborán, Bad Bunny, Maria Becerra, Feid, Dave Cutch and Natalia Lafourcade.

The 2023 Latin Grammys — taking place for the first time internationally from the Conference and Exhibition Centre (FIBES) in Sevilla, Spain — will air at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 16 on Univision, UniMás and Galavisión in the U.S. and at 10:30 p.m. CET on Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) in Spain.

Which hit should win the 2023 song of the year? Vote in the poll below.

07 Nov 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: The Citizens of Halloween Debut With ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ Classic ‘This Is Halloween’

The Citizens of Halloween are, at last, first-time residents on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart dated Nov. 11), thanks to “This Is Halloween,” from Tim Burton’s classic 1993 stop-motion animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

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The song, on Walt Disney Records, debuts at No. 41 with 12.4 million streams (up 152%), 511,000 radio impressions (up 815%) and 3,000 downloads (up 58%) Oct. 27-Nov. 2, according to Luminate.

The song’s parent album The Nightmare Before Christmas jumps from No. 54 to No. 25 on the Billboard 200 with 25,000 equivalent album units (up 61%). The collection reached No. 22 last year, a new high. On the Soundtracks chart, the set rebounds for a fourth total week at No. 1.

Although he doesn’t earn an official artist billing on the song, “This Is Halloween” was written, composed and produced by Danny Elfman, also the main composer for The Nightmare Before Christmas.

In 2018, for the film’s 25th anniversary, Elfman began performing a live concert experience of its music, complete with a live orchestra and Elfman embodying the character Jack Skellington; he still performs such shows today. Catherine O’Hara and Ken Page also reprised their roles as Sally and Oogie Boogie, respectively.

In an interview with Billboard that year, Elfman said that despite The Nightmare Before Christmas becoming the first animated movie to earn an Academy Award nomination for best visual effects, he was initially disappointed by the film’s reception. “It came and went pretty quickly and didn’t do very well,” he said. “Nobody understood what it was or how to market it. I put so much into this project, including so much of my own personality, that it really hurt. At the time, I was really depressed after it came out. I put so much into it and it was gone.”

The film’s lasting impact, however, has brightened his outlook. “Of all the things I’ve worked on that I would have wished to find a second life,” he mused, “and I’ve worked on a million movies that died early deaths, it would have been Nightmare.”

Elfman has appeared on the Hot 100 in one additional iteration: as a member of new wave group Oingo Boingo. The band charted two songs on the list in the 1980s: “Weird Science,” the theme from the 1985 fantasy sci-fi film, and John Hughes TV series of the same name, reached No. 45 in 1985, and “Just Another Day” peaked at No. 85 in 1986. He’s credited as the sole songwriter on both tracks, and as a co-producer, alongside Steve Bartek.

Outside of the debut of “This Is Halloween,” three other Halloween hits re-enter the Hot 100: Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Bobby “Boris” Pick and the Crypt-Kickers’ “Monster Mash” and Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters.”

07 Nov 2023

Bebe Rexha & David Guetta Set to Perform at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards

Bebe Rexha & David Guetta are set to perform at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards, which are just 12 days away. They are the second BBMAs performers to be announced, following Peso Pluma. Performances and awards will roll out across BBMAs and Billboard social channels, as well as via BBMAs.watch, on Sunday, Nov. 19, beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Rexha and Guetta will perform their global hit “I’m Good (Blue)” and their follow-up “One in a Million.” “I’m Good (Blue)” is a finalist for three BBMAs – top collaboration, top Billboard global (excl. U.S.) song, and top dance/electronic song.

In addition, Guetta is a finalist for two awards on his own: dance/electronic artist and a second entry for top dance/electronic song – “Baby Don’t Hurt Me,” a collab with Anne-Marie and Coi Leray.

“I’m Good (Blue)” spent 55 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. Only one song in the chart’s nearly 11-year history has had a longer run at No. 1; “Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille topped the chart for 69 weeks.

Rexha is no stranger to chart-busting collaborations. “Meant to Be,” her collab with Florida Georgia Line, topped Hot Country Songs for a record 50 weeks.

Rexha and Guetta are both past BBMA winners. “Meant to Be” won four years ago for top country song. Guetta was named top EDM artist in 2013.

Rexha has had a total of four top 10 hits on the Hot 100. Guetta has amassed seven. Guetta has had two top five albums on the Billboard 200: Nothing But the Beat (No. 5 in 2011) and Listen (No. 4 in 2015). Rexha’s highest charting album on the Billboard 200 was Expectations, which debuted and peaked at No. 13 in 2018.

Taylor Swift is the top finalist at the 2023 BBMAs with nods in 20 categories. Morgan Wallen and SZA are runners-up, with 17 entries each. They are followed by The Weeknd (16); Drake and Zach Bryan (14); Luke Combs (10); 21 Savage, Metro Boomin and Miley Cyrus (nine each); Beyoncé and Rema (seven each); Bad Bunny and Peso Pluma (six each); and Ariana Grande, Guetta, Eslabon Armado, Karol G, NewJeans and Selena Gomez (five each).

The 2023 Billboard Music Awards Presented by Marriott Bonvoy will honor the year’s hottest names in music determined by year-end performance metrics on the Billboard charts. The program, produced by Dick Clark Productions, will deliver a reimagined award show concept that will entertain fans with music and exclusive content. Performances and award celebrations will take place in global locations, in the midst of sold-out tours, and in custom venues.

In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the BBMAs and Spotify Fans First have teamed up to identify fans who have consumed the most hours of music over the past year and helped drive their favorite artists to the top spots on the Billboard charts. These fans will receive a “golden ticket” granting them access to attend a performance curated by their favorite artists, expressly for the 2023 BBMAs.

The 2023 BBMAs are presented by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott’s travel program and marketplace. One special BBMAs performance and two exclusive acceptance speeches will be hosted at hotel brands within the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio. Additionally, Marriott Bonvoy will provide a select group of fans access to attend five BBMAs performances via Marriott Bonvoy Moments.

Other sponsors include Lexus.

07 Nov 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Chrisean Rock Arrives With Lil Mabu Collab ‘Mr. Take Ya B-tch’

Chrisean Rock is now a Billboard Hot 100-charting artist thanks to her new collaboration with Lil Mabu, “Mr. Take Ya B-tch.”

The song, released Oct. 17, debuts at No. 96 with 7.8 million U.S. streams (up 9%) Oct. 27-Nov. 2, according to Luminate. It also debuts at No. 17 on Hot Rap Songs and rises 33-25 in its second week on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Two weeks ago, the track became Rock’s first Billboard chart entry when it debuted at No. 33 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart and hit No. 1 the following week. (The TikTok Billboard Top 50, whose launch was announced Sept. 14, with the first chart dated Sept. 16, is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the U.S., based on creations, video views and user engagement. Activity on TikTok is reflected solely on the TikTok Billboard Top 50.)

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The 23-year-old Baltimore native, who also rises 37-33 on the Emerging Artists chart, has appeared on the past three seasons of the Zeus reality show Baddies (Baddies South, Baddies West and Baddies East). Since 2022, she has also starred in her own Zeus reality show, Blueface & Chrisean: Crazy in Love, alongside her former boyfriend, Blueface. “Mr. Take Ya B-tch” is a diss track aimed at the rapper.

As for Lil Mabu (Chrisean Rock’s current boyfriend), “Mr. Take Ya Bitch” is his second career entry on the Hot 100, after “Mathematical Disrespect” reached No. 47 in May.

Chriseanrock has released nearly a dozen other songs on streaming platforms, all since 2020.

07 Nov 2023

Mariah Carey Says New Music Is ‘On the Horizon’

This is the time of year when Mariah Carey is all about bringing joy and happiness to the masses. The Queen of Christmas is about to hit the road for her Merry Christmas One and All tour, and gear up for the endless loop of her modern holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”

But in a chat with Good Morning America on Monday (Nov. 6), the singer revealed that she’s cooking up some new modern classics as well. Carey said that fresh tracks are “on the horizon.” She revealed that she’s been in the studio working and “just writing new songs.” In fact, the day before she said she and her team were, “in the studio working on something with a choir, working on a new song. So it’s exciting.”

At press time there was no information on the album and a spokesperson for Carey could not be reached for additional comment on her next project. Carey’s released her 15th studio album, Caution, in 2018.

Carey’s most extensive holiday tour to date is slated to kick off on Nov. 15 at the Yaamava’ Resort and Casino in Highland, CA and keep her on the road through a Dec. 17 gig at Madison Square Garden in New York after hitting just Toronto and New York on last year’s tour.

She will be joined on the road by her 12-year-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, with Carey noting that daughter Monroe — who did a duet with her mom on last year’s outing — is “rehearsing more than me, so I think she might have it together a little bit more than I do.” In fact, Carey joked that the tween “kind of” has a handle on her mother’s legendary whistle note, but “just has to play with it” to get it dialed-in.

Watch Carey on GMA below.

07 Nov 2023

TWICE, Chloe, Meghan Trainor & More Featured in 2023 Amazon Music Original Holiday Songs

The holiday season is around the corner, and to gear up for it, Amazon Music announced on Tuesday (Nov. 7) the roster of artists that will be providing the 2023 edition of its Amazon Music Original holiday songs.

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This year, Billboard Women in Music’s Breakthrough Artist winners TWICE will feature on the soundtrack, in addition to contributions from Chloe Bailey, Stephen Sanchez, Jorja Smith, Meghan Trainor and more.

TWICE will deliver a new version of its 2017 song “Heart Shaker,” which appeared on the K-pop group’s Christmas-inspired, first album repackage titled Merry & Happy. Bailey will have two tracks as part of the Amazon Music Originals holiday soundtrack, singing a cover of Otis Redding’s “Merry Christmas Baby” — which will make an appearance in the credits of Candy Cane Lane, Prime Video’s upcoming holiday comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross, out Dec. 1 — and her take on Darlene Love’s “Winter Wonderland.”

Other music to movie crossovers this year includes Anne-Marie’s “Christmas Without You,” which will be be featured in Your Christmas or Mine 2 when it premieres Dec. 8 on Prime Video. Annalisa will also provide a unique rendition of one of Love’s Christmas tracks with “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” — the song will appear in Elf Me, slated to debut on Prime Video on Nov. 24.

Elsewhere on the tracklist is Meghan Trainor with a cover of “Jingle Bells” and Jorja Smith with English Christmas staple “Stay Another Day.” Multiple countries are also represented in the Amazon Music Originals holiday soundtrack this year, with Walk Off the Earth (Canada), Tokio Hotel (Germany), Niña Pastori (Spain), Sam Fischer (Australia), Camélia Jordana (France) and Banda MS (Mexico) featured on the tracklist.

“With our holiday Amazon Music Original tracks each year, we set out to create unique, special experiences for fans to mark the holidays with Amazon Music. It’s been really exciting to see how much fans enjoy them, and to see these songs hitting the charts, being performed on television around the world, and even achieving platinum and gold certifications,” Stephen Brower, global co-lead, artist relations at Amazon Music, said in a statement. “This year, we have the opportunity to feature a number of Amazon Music Original songs in special Prime Video films and series to exclusively surface new music to the world and turn these tracks into moments that will live on in our nostalgia.”

See the full tracklist for 2023’s holiday Amazon Music Original songs below.

Amazon Music Original Holiday Tracklist:

  • “Merry Christmas Baby” by Chlöe 
  • “Winter Wonderland” by Chlöe 
  • “Jingle Bells” by Meghan Trainor 
  • “Heart Shaker (GALACTIKA * Holiday Remix)” by TWICE
  • “You’re Christmas to Me” by Sam Ryder
  • “Wonderful Christmastime” by Walk Off the Earth 
  • “Your Christmas” by Tokio Hotel
  • “Christmas Without You“ by Anne-Marie 
  • “Christmas Is All Around“ by Sam Fischer
  • “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Annalisa 
  • “Silver Bells” by Stephen Sanchez 
  • “Stay Another Day” by Jorja Smith
  • “Jingle Bell Rock” by Jesse & Joy, De Viaje con los Derbez
  • “Yo Vengo Del Monte” by Niña Pastori
  • “Navidad, Navidad” by Banda MS
  • “Silent Night” by Camélia Jordana

07 Nov 2023

Bruce Springsteen Returns to Stage for Stand Up For Heroes Benefit, Tells Dirty Jokes and Performs With John Mellencamp

Bruce Springsteen returned to the stage on Monday night (Nov. 6) for a very special reason. The 74-year-old rock icon who has been laying low for several months after postponing the E Street Band’s world tour due to a battle with a peptic ulcer disease was back in fine form at David Geffen Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts to perform a few songs for the annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit show.

Springsteen, who is a staple at the event benefitting wounded veterans, was expected to miss this year’s show due to his touring commitments before coming off the road in September to rest and recuperate. Instead, he surprised the crowd by joining John Mellencamp on stage for a mini-set at the event that raised more than $14 million for the Bob Woodruff Foundation and also featured appearances and performances from comedians Jimmy Carr, Ronny Chieng, Tracy Morgan, Shane Gillis and Jon Stewart, as well as Josh Groban, The War and Treaty, Rita Wilson and taped comments from First Lady Jill Biden and Prince Harry.

Standing with their arms around each other’s shoulders, Springsteen and Mellencamp performed their duet on Mellencamp’s 2022 song “Wasted Days,” with Bruce hanging around to perform four additional solo acoustic songs, according to the Asbury Park Press.

“I hope everybody’s all right. I didn’t want to make any people sick,” Mellencamp said during his introduction after the show was briefly stopped for a medical issue in the crowd. “I’m going to bring out one of the best songwriters of our generation, and he’s my big brother and I’ve looked up to him my whole life. Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen.”

The paper noted that the Boss also served up in-between-song “ribald, double-entendre jokes” as he’s done in the past while rolling out the live debut of “Addicted to Romance,” a song he recorded with The National’s Bryce Dessner for the soundtrack to the movie She Came to Me.

Springsteen also played “Power of Prayer” from the E Street’s 2020 album Letter to You, as well as his 1984 Born in the U.S.A. classic “Working on the Highway” and that album’s Grammy-winning “Dancing in the Dark.” Mellencamp performed some of his most iconic hits as well, including “Jack and Diane” and “Small Town.”

The E Street Band will get back on the road beginning March 19 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ.

07 Nov 2023

Nelly Furtado Set to Host 2024 Juno Awards

Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado is set to host the 2024 Juno Awards, which are slated for Sunday, March 24, from the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This will be Furtado’s second time as Juno Awards host. She also fronted the 2007 show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, at which she won five awards.

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Tickets to the 2024 Juno Awards broadcast go on sale Friday, Nov. 10.

Furtado, 44, amassed 10 Juno Awards from 2001 to 2007. The international pop star also won a Grammy in 2002 for “I’m Like a Bird,” which was voted best female pop vocal performance.

In addition to hosting, Furtado is set to perform on the show, as are fellow past Juno Award winners Charlotte Cardin, The Beaches and Maestro Fresh Wes.

The Montreal-born Cardin won four awards at last year’s show – artist of the year; album of the year and pop album of the year for Phoenix; and single of the year for “Meaningless.”

The Beaches won rock album of the year last year for Sisters Not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album). The Toronto rock band had won breakthrough group of the year in 2018.

Hip-hop pioneer Maestro Fresh Wes is the 2024 Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee. The rapper (real name Wes Williams) made history as the first Black Canadian artist to achieve gold and platinum status in the country. In 1991, he became the first Juno winner for best rap recording of the year for “Symphony in Effect.” He also won best video that year in tandem with Joel Goldberg for “Drop the Needle.”

Tegan and Sara will receive the 2024 Humanitarian Award for their charitable achievements. Academy Award-nominated actor (and Halifax native) Elliot Page (Juno), will present the honor live on the Juno Awards broadcast.

Tegan and Sara are outspoken advocates for LGBTQ+ equality and gender justice. The Tegan and Sara Foundation is an extension of their work, identity and longstanding commitment to building progressive social change.

Tegan and Sara won three Juno Awards in 2014 – single of the year for “Closer,” pop album of the year for Heartthrob and group of the year.

The 53rd Annual JUNO Awards will broadcast and stream live across Canada on March 24 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. AST on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music, CBC Listen and globally at CBCMusic.ca/junos and CBC Music’s YouTube page.

Furtado will become the fourth person to host multiple Juno broadcasts in this century, following Michael Bublé and actors Simu Lu (who hosted in both 2022 and 2023) and Russell Peters.

07 Nov 2023

‘Thriller,’ ‘Monster Mash’ & ‘Ghostbusters’ Return to Hot 100 After Halloween

Halloween hits are back on the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Nov. 11) thanks to annual gains for spooky songs around the Oct. 31 holiday.

Among such ear candy, Michael Jackson’s classic “Thriller” is the highest Halloween-sparked reentry at No. 21 with 14.5 million U.S. streams (up 163%), 10.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 464%) and 5,000 downloads (up 102%) for Oct. 27-Nov. 2, according to Luminate. This is the sixth consecutive year in which “Thriller” has reentered the Hot 100. It peaked at No. 4 during its initial chart run in 1984.

Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers’ “Monster Mash” follows at No. 38 with 11.9 million streams (up 213%), 4.4 million radio impressions (up 1,923%) and 4,000 sold (up 82%). This is the third consecutive season that the graveyard smash has revisited the chart. It spent two weeks at No. 1 during its original run in 1962. It’s the sixth time that “Monster Mash” has ranked on the Hot 100 overall; it debuted in September 1962 and, zombielike, reappeared in 1970 and 1973, and has now returned in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

The Citizens of Halloween’s “This Is Halloween” from Tim Burton’s classic 1993 stop-motion animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, debuts at No. 41 on the Hot 100. It’s the first Hot 100 appearance for the act and the first song from the soundtrack to reach the Hot 100. The song debuts with 12.4 million streams (up 152%), 511,000 in airplay audience (up 815%) and 3,000 sold (up 58%).

Meanwhile, The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack jumps from No. 54 to No. 25 on the Billboard 200 with 25,000 equivalent album units (up 61%). The collection reached No. 22 last year, a new high. On the Soundtracks chart, the set rebounds for a fourth total week at No. 1.

Finally, Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” reenters the Hot 100 at No. 45 with 11.1 million streams (up 168%), 5.9 million radio impressions (up 1,484%) and 4,000 sold (up 97%). This is the third consecutive year that the song has returned to the survey, thanks to Halloween gains. The theme to the 1984 blockbuster film of the same name spent three weeks at No. 1 during its original chart run that year.