Music

27 Oct 2023

Niall Horan Shares ‘You Could Start A Cult’ With Lizzy McAlpine, Sets ‘The Show: The Encore’

Niall Horan must be feeling pretty good about himself right now.

When the members of One Direction inevitably splintered off in their own directions, the Irishman, like his former bandmates, embarked on a solo career. He’s now three albums in, with three consecutive No. 1s on Billboard’s Top Album Sales, and three top 10s on the all-genres Billboard 200 chart, including a No. 1 for his 2017 debut solo effort Flicker.

He’s gone one better in the U.K., where his sophomore album Heartbreak Weather (from 2020) and his third and most recent LP, 2023’s The Show, both spent time at No. 1.

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For the cherry on top, Horan stepped into a full-time coach’s role on season 23 of NBC’s The Voice, and immediately walked away a winner, thanks to 19-year-old contestant Gina Miles.

The luck of the Irish, perhaps.

Horan has more where that came from. After The Show, the Encore: a deluxe edition featuring nine bonus tracks. Slated for release Nov. 3 via Capitol Records, the expanded version of The Show includes a collaboration with “Ceilings” singer Lizzy McAlpine on a new version of “You Could Start A Cult,” which dropped at the stroke of midnight.

When the full package arrives, expect a collaboration with rival The Voice coach John Legend on a reimagined version of the title track, plus live recordings from the Electric Picnic festival and Spotify Studios, along with alternate versions of “Meltdown” and “On A Night Like Tonight” from Horan’s Vevo Extended Play session.

Vinyl and CD editions will follow on April 5, 2024, and a 2-LP vinyl edition of The Show: The Encore, which includes a 72-page hardcover 12” x 12” book, is available to pre-order at his official website.

There’ll be more Horan to go around next year, when the pop singer embarks on an international tour in support of his third LP, playing more than 80 dates, including two shows at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Before that, he’ll perform at 93.3 FLZ Jingle Ball – Tampa (Nov. 26) and 102.7 KIIS FM Jingle Ball – Los Angeles (Dec. 1).

Stream “You Could Start A Cult” with Lizzy McAlpine below.

“The Show: The Encore” tracklist:

  1. Heaven
  2. If You Leave Me
  3. Meltdown
  4. Never Grow Up
  5. The Show
  6. You Could Start A Cult
  7. Save My Life
  8. On A Night Like Tonight
  9. Science
  10. Must Be Love
  11. You Could Start A Cult (with Lizzy McAlpine)
  12. The Show (with John Legend)
  13. Heaven (Live from Electric Picnic)
  14. If You Leave Me / Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Live from Electric Picnic)
  15. Meltdown (Vevo Extended Play)
  16. Save My Life (Live from Electric Picnic)
  17. On A Night Like Tonight (Vevo Extended Play)
  18. Science (Live from Spotify Studios)
  19. Something In The Orange (Live from Spotify Studios)

27 Oct 2023

Rolling Stones’ ‘Hackney Diamonds’ Sparkles at No. 1 In Australia

The Rolling Stones roll all the way to the top of Australia’s albums chart with Hackney Diamonds (Polydor/Universal), for their eighth leader.

Hackney Diamonds debuts at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart, published Friday, Oct. 27, the legendary British rock band’s 34th top 10 title.

Featuring collaborations with Lady Gaga, Elton John Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney, and contributions from former bass player Bill Wyman and the group’s late drummer Charlie Watts, Hackney Diamonds is the Stones’ first album of original material since A Bigger Bang, which blasted to No. 4 in 2005. Since then, the Stones have clocked up two more leaders in Australia, with hits collection GRRR! in 2012, and covers set Blue & Lonesome in 2016.

Mick Jagger and Co. first led the national chart back in 1964 with their debut, self-titled album.

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The reunited Blink-182 bows at No. 2 on the ARIA Chart with One More Time… (Columbia/Sony), for the pop-rock trio’s ninth top 10 in the land Down Under. One More Time… marks the return of the classic line-up, with guitarist and singer Tom DeLonge slotting back in alongside bass player and vocalist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Travis Barker.

Blink-182 has now led the ARIA Chart on four occasions, including Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001), Neighborhoods (2011) and California (2016). One More Time… is the band’s first studio album since 2019’s Nine, which featured Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba in place of DeLonge, and which peaked at No. 4.

Olivia Rodrigo’s former leader Guts (Geffen/Universal) closes out the top 3 on the latest tally, holding at No. 3, ahead of LPs from Drake (For All The Dogs down 2-4 via Republic/Universal) and Taylor Swift (Midnights up 6-5 via Universal), respectively.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red” (via RCA/Sony) retains top spot for the 10th consecutive week. According to ARIA, it’s the 27th single to log 10 or more weeks at the top, a list that’s led by Tones And I’s “Dance Monkey” with 24 non-consecutive weeks. Also, Doja is the sixth solo female act to clock double-figure weeks at No. 1, joining Tones, Dinah Shore (13 weeks with “Buttons And Bows” in 1949), Miley Cyrus (12 weeks with “Flowers” earlier this year), Whitney Houston (10 weeks in 1992-93 with “I Will Always Love You”) and Sandi Thom (10 weeks in 2006 with “I Wish I Was A Punk Rocker”).

It’s worth noting, the Spice Girls reigned over the national tally for 11 weeks in 1996-97 with their signature song “Wannabe,” and Elton John’s record-breaking “Cold Heart” with Dua Lipa, remixed by Aussie electronic act Pnau, spent 10 weeks at the summit in 2021-22.

The latest singles chart podium is completed by Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (Universal), up 3-2 for a new peak position in its 21st week on the survey, and Tate McRae’s “Greedy” (RCA/Sony), down 2-3.

The top new release this week belongs to Sydney-raised singer and rapper The Kid LAROI with “Too Much” (Columbia/Sony), featuring BTS‘ Jung Kook and Central Cee. It’s new at No. 10 for LAROI’s seventh top 10 single in Australia, the third top 10 for British rapper Central Cee (including a seven-week stretch at No. 1 with Dave on “Sprinter” earlier this year), and the third top tier title for South Korean singer Jung Kook.

The Los Angeles-based LAROI ruled the chart for a week in 2021 with “Without You” and again with “Stay,” his monster hit with Justin Bieber, which owned top spot for 17 weeks in 2021-22.

26 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift Presents ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ With Poetic Soliloquy

Taylor Swift’s fourth and latest “Taylor’s Version” isn’t just a release, it’s a healing process.

The pop superstar’s re-recorded LP dropped at the stroke of midnight, nine years to the day since the original 1989 was released back in 2014.

As Swifties everywhere turned on, tuned in and dropped out of whatever they were doing, TayTay turned to her social channels to share a think-piece, laced with easy-to-find easter eggs.

“I was born in 1989, reinvented for the first time in 2014, and a part of me was reclaimed in 2023 with the re-release of this album I love so dearly,” reads Swift’s message, penned in her own handwriting.

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“Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the magic you would sprinkle on my life for so long.”

The fresh release features newly -recorded editions of all 13 original songs, plus three bonus tracks (“Wonderland,” “New Romantics” and “You Are In Love”) and five cuts from the “Vault” (“Is It Over Now?,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Say Don’t Go,” “Suburban Legends” and “Slut!”).

“This moment is a reflection of the woods we’ve wandered through and all this love between us still glowing in the darkest hour,” she writes. “I present to you, with gratitude and wild wonder, my version of 1989. It’s been waiting for you.”

Swift’s latest social post is accompanied with pictures of the pop star frolicking on a beach, eating ice-cream, living life like it’s 1989 all over again.

With the arrival of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Swift has just two more albums to re-record: her 2006 self-titled debut and 2017’s Reputation, the last album she released under Big Machine Records. In 2021, she dropped Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), and in July of this year, she released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).

Stream 1989 (Taylor’s Version) and see TayTay’s social post below.

26 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ Is Finally Here: Stream It Now

Swifties, rejoice! 1989 (Taylor’s Version) is finally here.

The re-recorded version of Swift’s fifth studio album dropped at midnight Friday (Oct. 27), exactly nine years to the day after the original 1989 was released in 2014. The revamped set features newly recorded editions of all 13 original songs plus three bonus tracks: “Wonderland,” “New Romantics” and “You Are In Love.”

Plus, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) followed suit with all three of Swift’s prior “Versions” with the addition of several previously unreleased “Vault” songs, written by the pop star long ago but ultimately scrapped from her albums’ tracklists. Her latest release features “Vault” tracks “Is It Over Now?,” “Now That We Don’t Talk,” “Say Don’t Go,” “Suburban Legends” and “Slut!”

Leading up to the new project, Swift teased lyrics from a handful of “Vault” songs, posting pictures on her Instagram Stories of handwritten lines of poetry. “I broke my own heart ’cause you were too polite to do it,” read a note from Thursday (Oct. 26).

The arrival of 1989 (Taylor’s Version) means that Swift has just two more albums to re-record: her 2006 self-titled debut and 2017’s Reputation, the last album she released under Big Machine Records. In 2021, she dropped Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), and in July of this year, she released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version).

Swift first unveiled the news that 1989 (Taylor’s Version) was on its way at an August Eras Tour show, after which she took to social media to share with the rest of the world. “The 1989 album changed my life in countless ways,” she wrote at the time. “To be perfectly honest, this is my most FAVORITE re-record I’ve ever done because the 5 From The Vault tracks are so insane. I can’t believe they were ever left behind.”

Stream 1989 (Taylor’s Version) below:

26 Oct 2023

Duran Duran Drop Halloween-Themed Album ‘Danse Macabre’: Stream It Now

“We have never thought of ourselves as a rock ‘n’ roll band, more of an ongoing art project,” is how John Taylor has described Duran Duran.

Taylor, the ‘80s heartthrob who co-founded Duran Duran and just happens to play bass guitar like he made a deal with the devil, wasn’t lying.

In the 40-plus years since its members assembled in Birmingham, England, the ongoing project that is Duran Duran has created enough art to fill the National Gallery.

Now, with the release of Danse Macabre, which dropped at the stroke of midnight, Duran Duran is 16 albums deep in a career that’s had it all.

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From their New Romantic origins, advancing into New Wave juggernauts with top-shelf music videos, the classic lineup of Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes and the three Taylors, John, Roger and Andy (none are related) dominated the first half of the 1980s like no other group.

That art project split in two (Arcadia and Power Station), scaled down, bagged more hits, enjoyed the comeback smash no-one saw coming, scaled down some more, reunited with the classic lineup, evolved, changed, pushed forward.

Then, a glorious comeback. A headline concert at London’s Hyde Park, a performance at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace, sold-out shows in the U.S. and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, all in 2022.

And on it goes. Stretching across 13 tracks, Danse Macabre (released is Tape Modern/BMG) is the soundtrack to their “ultimate Halloween party,” a collection of reimagined DD songs, covers (including Billie Eilish’s “Bury A Friend,” The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black” and Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer”) and three fresh cuts, including the previously-released “Black Moonlight” and the title track.

The new release is also a nod to friendships, and includes special collaborations with former band members Andy Taylor and Warren Cuccurullo, plus decades-long collaborator Nile Rodgers, producers Josh Blair and Mr. Hudson, and Victoria De Angelis of Måneskin.

The followup to 2021’s Future Past, which opened and peaked at No. 3 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, Danse Macabre is another brush stroke in that “ongoing art project” which started more than four decades ago.

Stream Danse Macabre below.

26 Oct 2023

Here’s What Katy Perry Wished For on Her 39th Birthday

Birthday wishes are in order for Katy Perry! The “Firework” singer celebrated 39 in style on Wednesday (Oct. 25) and had a carnival-themed birthday party complete with birthday cake for her and the guests in attendance, during which she revealed her birthday wish for the year ahead.

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Perry’s fellow American Idol judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan — as well as host Ryan Seacrest — were all present at the bash, in addition to Entertainment Tonight‘s Denny Directo, the latter of whom asked what she wanted for to received for her 39th year.

“I know what I’m wishing for,” the singer said as she blew out her candles, the outlet reported. “I’m wishing for peace.” Perry’s birthday wish the following year, however, might not be so humble. “For 40, I already planned three years ago,” she added. “I’m asking for it all!”

The American Idol judge’s fiancé, Orlando Bloom, and their daughter Daisy were not in attendance at the birthday bash, but she confirmed that she’s celebrating with her family separately and is planning to keep it “so low key.”

While Perry did not share any photos or videos from her birthday event to social media, she did give her KatyKats a little gift in return with her shoe line, Katy Perry Collections. “Tomorrow is our CEO @katyperry’s birthday so we’re giving you something good to celebrate! Get 30% off the entire store until 10/31,” the brand wrote via Instagram. (Shop the sale styles — which includes everything from sandals, platforms, foots and more — here.)

26 Oct 2023

Elena Rose, Danny Ocean & Jerry Di Release Love Letter to ‘Caracas en el 2000’: Watch It Here

Elena Rose can’t hold back her tears. At her home in Miami, where she spends most of her time since leaving her native Venezuela almost nine years ago to become one of the most sought-after Latin songwriters of her generation, she is eagerly awaiting the premiere of a project she started to work on three years ago — “Caracas en el 2000” with Danny Ocean and Jerry Di — which finally comes out Thursday (October 26).

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As cheerful as it is nostalgic, the tropical song with urban touches is a love letter to the city where the three artists grew up, each in a different socioeconomic area, before the political situation led them, as so many others, to emigrate in search of better opportunities. “What I would give for a thing like that/ You and me in Caracas like in 2000/ Skating around La Cota Mil/ With the macaws/ With such a flow, baby,” says part of the lyrics.

“We were children at that time,” Elena Rose explains to Billboard Español about the reason of the year 2000 in an interview via Zoom. “Beyond the fact that chronologically the country was in a better place, we wanted to show that innocence from three people who had very different lives even though they grew up in the same city.

“I feel that this is how the mind of a child who is enjoying too much on a day at the beach, on a day you went out skateboarding, would sound,” adds the singer-songwriter and only woman nominated for the 2023 Latin Grammy for songwriter of the year. “The feeling of what that soundtrack would sound like just when you go out to recess and are set free from all the classes. It’s pure joy.”

“Caracas en el 2000,” a Warner Music Latina release, was written by Elena Rose, Danny Ocean and Jerry Di and produced by Maff and DJ Tra. Elena Rose’s younger sister, Cristina “Pichu” Hernández, also contributed to the lyrics in its initial stages and now has a starring role in the music video, in which she plays Elena as a teenager. (The three singers, who are portrayed by young actors, also appear in different scenes but filmed their parts in the U.S.)

Directed by Beto Monte and Rodrigo Michelangeli and produced by Capitol, the clip shows emblematic places of Caracas such as the El Ávila hill, the Humboldt Hotel, La Previsora ​​tower (with its iconic digital clock) and different squares, avenues and neighborhoods. In a little over four minutes, it condenses the energy of the city and the joy and strength of its people. It took over a year of work, carried out mostly by Monte (better known as Alberto “Beto” Montenegro of the Venezuelan rock/reggae band Rawayana), who was constantly traveling to Caracas to record visuals, Elena Rose points out how meaningful and personal it’s been for her.

“They recorded the video at my school with the teachers who taught me. My grandmother is in the video. La Pichu, the sister I wrote the song with, is the one who played me when I was little. It’s really remarkable for that reason,” she says with emotion. “They took photos from when I was a child, they even recreated the tattoos I made with markers, what my school bag was like, my little necklaces and things I wore. I mean, can you imagine, it is one of the most important productions and the one I feel most proud to be a part of.”

Now that it is out, she hopes to enjoy the result of the great teamwork involved in the making of the song and the video, and bring part of her culture to the world.

“I hope it serves as a message of hope and faith both for the Caracas native who stayed and for the one that left, and for the one who returns, and for the one who wants to leave,” she says. “It is a message of love everywhere you see it, where there is no mention of religion or politics or social class or sexual inclination or color or money; simply of what unites all of us Caracas, and that is the love for that city. We are proud to come from where we come from.”

Watch the “Caracas en el 2000” video above.

Danny Ocean, Elena Rose & Jerry Da

Warner Music Latina

26 Oct 2023

Zach Bryan, SZA & More 2023 Billboard Music Awards Finalists Competing With Themselves: Full List

It’s not easy to become a finalist for the Billboard Music Awards. There are only three to five finalists in each category, and there are dozens, and in some cases hundreds, of artists, singles and albums vying for those slots. So when an artist has two of the top five contenders in a category, they’re already a winner.

Twelve artists found themselves in that fortunate position when the finalists for the 2023 BBMAs were announced Thursday (Oct. 26). At most awards shows, when an artist has two entries nominated in one category, there’s a danger of “splitting their votes” in the final round of voting. But the BBMAs aren’t based on multiple rounds of voting; they are strictly data-driven.

Unique among music awards shows, winners are determined by performance metrics on the year-end Billboard charts. The eligibility dates for this year’s awards are aligned with Billboard’s year-end charts tracking period, which measures music consumption from the charts dated Nov. 19, 2022, through Oct. 21, 2023. (That corresponds to the tracking period of Nov. 4, 2022, through Oct. 12, 2023.)

If you missed Thursday’s announcement, Taylor Swift is the top finalist for the 2023 BBMAs, with 20 entries. Morgan Wallen and SZA are runners-up, with 17 entries each; followed by The Weeknd (16); Drake and Zach Bryan (14); Luke Combs (10); 21 Savage, Metro Boomin and Miley Cyrus (nine each); and Beyoncé and Rema (seven each).

Performances and awards will roll out across the BBMAs and Billboard social channels, as well as via BBMAs.watch on Sunday, Nov. 19.

Here are all the artists who have multiple entries in one category at the 2023 BBMAs.

26 Oct 2023

Pete Davidson & John Mulaney Postpone Maine Shows After Lewiston Mass Shootings

Pete Davidson and John Mulaney announced Thursday (Oct. 26) that they will postpone their pair of shows scheduled in Maine this weekend following the deadly mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night.

“We are devastated by the events in Lewiston,” Mulaney posted to his Instagram Story on Thursday. “Shows scheduled for this weekend in Maine on Saturday, 10/28 and Sunday, 10/29 have been postponed. We are thinking of you all. – John and Pete”

A gunman opened fire in two locations in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others. The police’s suspect in the mass shootings, 40-year-old Robert Card, remained at large on Thursday. There is an arrest warrant out for Card for eight counts of murder.

“No words can truly or fully measure the grief of Maine people today,” Maine Governor Janet Mills said in a press conference on Thursday. “Our small state of just 1.3 million people has long been known as one of the safest states in the nation. This attack strikes at the very heart of who we are and the values we hold dear for this precious place we call home.”

Mulaney and Davidson kicked off their John & Pete Tour at the top of the month. The duo appear to be moving forward with two shows on Friday night in Providence, Rhode Island, but are delaying Saturday’s set in Portland, Maine, and Sunday’s set in Bangor for later dates.

The final date of their tour is Nov. 10 in Windsor, Ontario.

26 Oct 2023

Who Is Iñigo Quintero & How Did He Reach No. 1 Globally on Spotify?

On Tuesday (Oct. 24), Iñigo Quintero’s “Si No Estás” garnered more than 5.7 million plays in just one day, an impressive amount that pushed it to the top of Spotify‘s global chart. It’s the first time a solo Spanish artist has achieved this milestone (previously Canary Islander Quevedo accomplished the feat alongside Argentina’s Bizarrap with “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52”), and it’s all the more shocking because, at least outside of Spain, Quintero was until recently a total unknown.

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The song also reached the coveted top 10 on Billboard‘s global charts, peaking at No. 4 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and No. 10 on Billboard Global 200. And with daily plays surpassing such popular tracks as Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” or Young Miko’s “Wiggy,” the meteoric rise is also enigmatic in that it has occurred without any traditional promotion, publicity, press releases or information about the artist behind the sensation. (Billboard Español requested an interview with Quintero’s representative and the response was that he is not currently talking to the company).

With verses like “Esto es una alucinación/ Quiero ver tu otra mitad/ Alejarme de esta ciudad/ Y contagiarme de tu forma de pensar” (“This is a delusion/ I want to see your other half/ Get away from this city/ And immerse in your way of thinking.”) “Si No Estás” is a piano-pop ballad that alludes to an intense obsession and longing for someone who is far away, and the anguish and pain that result from that separation — a song of unusual depth for a 2023 pop hit.



“Clearly, Iñigo’s songs are connecting with the people,” says Esteve Lombarte, founder of the Acqustic label, who represents the artist. “I think for a long time we’ve had more superficial songs focused on lives of great luxury — of cars, wealth and houses — and nowadays, there are a lot more connecting with day-to-day problems that talk about love, friendship and other issues related to people’s concerns.”

What is certain is the power of the song and its meaning, which has generated a great deal of debate on social networks. “Si No Estás” has been interpreted in different ways, from a song dedicated to God, to a reflection on a romantic breakup.

Lombarte explains that the song began to go viral organically through TikTok, and immediately connected with listeners. “From that initial boost we decided to amplify [the song],” he says. Quintero connected with the label through his other artist Besmaya, and in March 2023 they signed him.

“The truth is that the success of ‘Si No Estás’ is an unprecedented triumph in the industry, but we believe that what is behind this song is a very talented artist,” Lombarte points out. “And the rest of the songs are really doing very well too. The proof of that is that ‘Sobredosis’ is already in the top 100 in Spain, and there will be more and more songs, and we will get to know more of the artist little by little.”

He continues: “The clearest proof is that countries like France, Germany, Holland, Luxembourg, Switzerland — non-Spanish-speaking countries — have also connected with the artist beyond the lyrics. It is part of the magic of this art.”

Other projects that Aqcustic manages are Malmö 040, Besmaya, Ciao Marina, Maren, Yarea, Inazio and Hey Kid. “After this great success, what we will do is to continue working and preparing songs. The important thing is to sit down, compose and work to release music that connect as well as ‘Si No Estás’ has connected,” adds Lombarte.

Additional reporting by Franchesca Guim.