Music

23 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift & Jack Antonoff Thank Fans After ‘Cruel Summer’ Hits No. 1 on Hot 100: ‘It’s Not Even Summer Anymore’

Taylor Swift‘s “Cruel Summer” has turned into a pretty sweet autumn, as her fan-favorite Lover track rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart dated Oct. 28, 2023 — four years after its initial release.

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In a video posted to Instagram on Monday (Oct. 23), Swift and her co-writer Jack Antonoff share their excitement over the accomplishment, talking over each other as they thank fans for all their support. “The song that we said was the best song, but we thought, ‘Oh, you know what? This will be our secret best song.’ That’s what we thought,” Antonoff said of “Cruel Summer,” before Swift chimes in: “We just wanted to say thank you so much for making ‘Cruel Summer’ a Hot 100 No. 1, and it’s not even summer anymore. It’s deep fall, I’m wearing a sweater.”

She concluded by sending love to Swifties, before letting out a scream. The post also features two film photos of the longtime musical collaborators in the studio, with Antonoff looking surprised while Swift holds up her index finger in celebration of her 10th No. 1 hit. “IT’S COOL,” she captioned the post, referencing lyrics from the song’s hook.

See the post here.

With “Cruel Summer,” Swift joins an elite club of artists with 10 or more No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. “Cruel Summer” was released on Swift’s 2019 album Lover and was promoted as a proper single in June of this year. Helping surge streams for “Cruel Summer” were two new mixes that arrived on Oct. 18: a live version, recorded in Los Angeles during The Eras Tour, and an LP Giobbi remix. They followed the Oct. 13 premiere of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film.

23 Oct 2023

Bad Bunny Charts All 21 Songs From ‘Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Manana’ on Hot 100

Bad Bunny is back with another huge week on Billboard’s charts. On top of scoring his third No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 (dated Oct. 28) with Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana, all 21 songs from the set chart on the Billboard Hot 100, including 10 in the top 40.

The LP launches atop the Billboard 200 with 184,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week (Oct. 13-19), according to Luminate. It’s the fourth all-Spanish-language album to top the chart, after Bad Bunny’s own El Último Tour Del Mundo (2020) and Un Verano Sin Ti (2022) and Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito (February).

In total, Bad Bunny charts 22 songs on the latest Hot 100. Here’s a recap (all are debuts except where noted).

Rank, Title:
No. 5, “Monaco”
No. 14, “Fina,” with Young Miko
No. 20, “Perro Negro,” with Feid
No. 22, “Nadie Sabe”
No. 24, “Hibiki,” with Mora
No. 28, “Mr. October”
No. 30, “Cybertruck”
No. 32, “Teléfono Nuevo,” with Luar La L
No. 34, “Baby Nueva”
No. 38, “Seda,” with Bryant Myers
No. 47, “Un Preview” (up from No. 70; hit No. 43 two weeks earlier)
No. 49, “Gently,” Drake feat. Bad Bunny (down from No. 12 debut & peak)
No. 52, “Gracias Por Nada”
No. 53, “Vou 787”
No. 54, “Where She Goes” (re-entry; peaked at No. 8 in June)
No. 57, “Mercedes Carota,” with YOVNGCHIMI
No. 61, “Los Pits”
No. 65, “No Me Quiero Casar”
No. 70, “Vuelve Candy B”
No. 78, “Baticano”
No. 80, “Thunder y Lightning,” with Eladio Carrión
No. 83, “Acho PR,” with Arcángel, De La Ghetto & Ñengo Flow

(The only other track billed on the album is “Europa :(,” which runs 11 seconds long.)

As Bad Bunny debuts 19 songs, he ups his career total to 93 career Hot 100-charting entries. That’s the 18th-most among all acts in history, and he extends his record for the most among artists who primarily record music in a language other than English.

“Monaco” becomes Bad Bunny’s 12th career Hot 100 top 10, also padding his mark for the most among acts core to the Latin genre.

Meanwhile, thanks to their credits on the album, Luar La L, Bryant Myers, YOVNGCHIMI and De La Ghetto all score their first appearances on the Hot 100.

23 Oct 2023

Britney Spears’ Emotional ‘The Notebook’ Audition Tape Will Blow You Away

In a different cinematic universe, Britney Spears could have played Allie in The Notebook.

The pop superstar’s audition tape for the iconic romance film based on the Nicholas Sparks novel was released by The Daily Mail on Monday (Oct. 23), in which Spears breaks down in tears while reading a particularly emotional scene.

While Rachel McAdams was ultimately cast as Allie opposite Ryan Gosling’s Noah, casting director Matthew Barry told the publication that Spears beat out a number of famous actresses including Claire Danes, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams and Jessica Biel for the role. “Britney wasn’t just good – she was phenomenal,’ Barry told The Daily Mail of the 2002 audition. “It was a tough decision. Britney blew us all away. Our jaws were on the floor. I was blown away. Absolutely blown away. She brought her A-game that day.”

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Spears even recalled her screen test in her upcoming memoir, The Woman in Me, set for release on Tuesday (Oct. 24). “The Notebook casting came down to me and Rachel McAdams, and even though it would have been fun to reconnect with Ryan Gosling after our time on The Mickey Mouse Club, I’m glad I didn’t do it,” she wrote. “If I had, instead of working on my album In the Zone, I’d have been acting like a 1940s heiress day and night.”

The superstar starred alongside Gosling, Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera in The Mickey Mouse Club variety show from 1993 to 1994. She’s also had a number of acting roles throughout her career, most notably in 2002’s Crossroads and later as a guest star in season three of How I Met Your Mother.

Watch Spears’ two-minute audition tape below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=xjkN1AaRaeg&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

23 Oct 2023

Jess Glynne Plots a Big 2024 After Setting ‘A Foundation’ This Year

Jess Glynne can’t believe it’s already the five-year anniversary of her most recent album, 2018’s Always In Between. “It really is mad,” the British pop star tells Billboard of Always In Between, which turned 5 on Oct. 12. “So much has happened in my life, personally and in my career. … It was never the plan for that to be so long. But it’s just, life happens, right? And I think I’m now accepting of that.”

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Over that past half-decade, the 34-year-old singer-songwriter — best known in the U.S. for her smash Clean Bandit collaboration “Rather Be,” but with nine solo top 10 hits on the UK’s Official Charts — experienced profound personal loss as an inadvertent professional catalyst. In 2021, one of Glynne’s close friends passed away, causing the pop star to pause her career and “do a lot of self-work,” she says. Glynne re-emerged from mourning with reevaluated priorities and a revamped team, signing with Roc Nation for management last year and with Republic Records as her stateside label.

With that in mind, Glynne has treated 2023 as an opportunity to ramp up to her third studio album, due out next year. “This year has been a foundation for me to get myself back into the world of music and creativity,” she says. “It’s really been a journey, and it’s been experimental, [but] I feel like I have a really strong vision for this album.”

Last Friday (Oct. 20), Glynne further previewed that vision with “Friend of Mine,” an absorbing pop anthem with production that pulls from drum-n-bass and vocal runs that remind the world why Glynne is considered such a powerhouse. Written with Jin Jin, Ollie Green and DJ Sub Focus, “Friend of Mine” allows Glynne to ruminate on the changing contours of a relationship: “We said some things and we crossed the line, “ she sings, “but will you still be a friend of mine?”

Glynne says that the main hook of “Friend of Mine” came within a 20-minute period during a studio session. “When you break up with someone, you’re mourning the loss of something, but you still want to be able to have that person in your life, because they mean so much to you,” she explains.

“Friend of Mine” is Glynne’s third single of 2023, following the fuzzed-out clap-along “Silly Me” and the thumping dance offering “What Do You Do?,” which were released in April and July, respectively. Those three songs not only suggest a more reflective tone for Glynne’s upcoming album, but also a diversification of sound, with different slants on her soulful pop bedrock.

“With this album, I feel like this chapter has been quite exciting, and refreshing,” says Glynne. “I feel like I’m in a good space.”

23 Oct 2023

Bad Bunny Maintains Perfect Run of No. 1s on Top Latin Albums With ‘Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana’

Bad Bunny does it again. The Puerto Rican collects his eighth total and consecutive No. 1, in as many tries, on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart as Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana debuts at No. 1 on the Oct. 28-dated ranking. Benito’s fifth studio album concurrently debuts at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 –where it becomes the fourth all-Spanish-language set to lead the chart– and Latin Rhythm Albums charts.

A return to Bad Bunny’s trap origins, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana starts with 184,000 equivalent album units logged in the U.S. during the Oct.13-19 tracking week. That’s the second-largest opening sum, in terms of units, for a Latin album since the chart began measuring by units, after his own Un Verano Sin Ti (237,000 units in its first week, May 2022). The 22-track set dropped Oct. 13 via Rimas Entertainment.

Second-largest Streaming Week: In true Bad Bunny fashion, Nadie Sabe attributes its No. 1 start mostly to streaming activity. Streaming equivalent album units comprise 176,000, equating 239.56 million on-demand official streams of the set’s songs. That sum yields the second-biggest debut streaming week for a Latin album ever, after Benito’s own Un Verano which launched with 356.55 million streams.

Sales too, contribute to Nadie Sabe’s high start, with 7,500 sold (available to purchase only as a digital download album), while the remainder 500 derive from track-equivalent units.

Breaks No. 1 record among Latin Rhythm acts: With Nadie Sabe launching at No. 1, Bad Bunny maintains his perfect run of eight No. 1s on Top Latin Albums among eight chart appearances, dating back to the arrival of X 100pre in 2019, the most for any urban act since the tally launched in 1994. Among all acts, Marco Antonio Solis continues to hold the record with 12 leaders. Here’s a recap of all of Benito’s No. 1s on the list:

Peak, Title, Weeks at No. 1
Jan. 5, 2019, X 100pre, 46
July 13, 2019, Oasis, with J Balvin, eight
March 14, 2020, YHLQMDLG, 70
May 23, 2020, Las Que No Iban A Salir, one
Dec. 12, 2020, El Último Tour Del Mundo, 27
Jan. 15, 2022, Anniversary Trilogy, one
May 21, 2022, Un Verano Sin Ti, 53
Oct 28, 2023, Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va A Pasar Mañana

Beyond his Top Latin Albums coronation, Bad Bunny captures his seventh leader on Latin Rhythm Albums, tying with Don Omar and Wisin & Yandel for the second-most No. 1s, trailing only Daddy Yankee’s eight rulers.

Hot Latin Songs Takeover, Replaces himself at No. 1: In the songs’ realm, Benito monopolizes the Hot Latin Songs chart as Nadie Sabe arrives. With 19 new debuts plus two other tracks previously on the multi-metric ranking, 21 songs from the new album fill the chart. Further, Bad Bunny posts 23 simultaneous tracks this week, the third-most in the history of the 67-year-old tally, after Peso Pluma’s 25 career-record (July 8-dated list) and his own 24 concurrent songs (May 21, 2022).

“Mónaco” leads the new recruits, as the title debuts at No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs with 26 million streams, enough for a No. 2 start on the overall Streaming Songs and a No. 1 on Latin Streaming Songs. Sales, meanwhile, comprise 1,000 downloads in its first week which yields a No 1 start on Latin Digital Song Sales.

As “Mónaco” debuts at the summit, Bad Bunny replaces himself at No. 1. The song sends Drake’s “Gently,” where he is featured, to No. 12; down 58% in streams, to 10.3 million. That drop creates space for nine other songs from Nadie Sabe to dominate the ranking’s top 10. Here’s the list of the new top 10s:

No. 1, “Monaco” (debut)
No. 2, “Fina,” with Young Miko (debut)
No. 3, “Perro Negro,” with Feid (debut)
No. 4, “Nadie Sabe” (debut)
No. 5, “Hibiki,” with Mora (debut)
No. 6, “Mr. October” (debut)
No. 7, “Cybertruck” (debut)
No. 8, “Teléfono Nuevo,” with Luar La L (debut)
No. 9, “Baby Nueva” (debut)
No. 10, “Seda,” with Bryant Meyers (debut)

Benito’s new monster week achievements follow two noteworthy events: the announcement of his Most Wanted Tour 2024, plus his appearance on Saturday Night Live on Oct. 21, where he hosted and performed two Nadie Sabe cuts, the No. 1 hit “Mónaco” and “Preview.”

For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Oct. 28), will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Oct. 24).

23 Oct 2023

Just Blaze Shares 2 Songs From Unreleased Slaughterhouse Album: ’45 King Didn’t Die for Us to Hold on to a Bunch of Music’

Just Blaze opened the vault Monday (Oct. 23) and unearthed two songs from a never-released Slaughterhouse album as a way to pay tribute to The 45 King.

Blaze had previously discussed the unreleased album on Snoop Dogg‘s GGN show back in November 2015, nearly eight years ago. “Now that I’m back off the road for a bit, I’m wrapping up the new Slaughterhouse album,” he told Snoop at the time. “So, we’re in the last phases of that now. We’re mixing. We got about another week’s worth of mixing left. And then hopefully that’ll be out to the world by the end of the year.” The album never came out.

But on Monday, he shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he had “just found the slaugherhouse album” and “might do the lords work.” He delivered on his promise an hour later by uploading an 11-minute video containing two unreleased songs onto his YouTube account. And it sounds like fans could hear even more of the LP later on. “45 king didn’t die for us to hold on to a bunch of Music. More to come eventually,” Just Blaze wrote in a follow-up message.

The 45 King (real name Mark Howard James) — who’s well known for his work on Eminem‘s “Stan,” Jay-Z‘s “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)” and Queen Latifah‘s breakout album All Hail the Queen — recently died at age 62.

“There is no way to summarize the impact and importance of DJ Mark the 45 King in one tweet, thinkpiece or story. He gave us so much, yet asked for so little, but deserved everything,” Just Blaze tweeted Oct. 21. “This man would text me every month ‘Just checking in! Good luck on your upcoming projects!’ Every few weeks without fail. I don’t even know how he got my number and I didn’t care. The fact that one of my godfathers knew my name and cared what I was doing was enough for me.”

Check out the two songs Just Blaze shared on YouTube:


https://youtube.com/watch?v=maCcHwwilos&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

23 Oct 2023

Watch ‘American Idol’ Winner Iam Tongi Deliver a Laid-Back Cover of a Morgan Wallen ‘Dangerous’ Hit

Iam Tongi, season 21 winner of American Idol, has been hard at work since being crowned the show’s champion in May. The 18-year-old Hawaii native has been releasing solo music and posting covers of his favorite songs, the latest of which includes a cover of Morgan Wallen‘s “Sand in My Boots.”

The singer’s acoustic take of the song arrives alongside a video, which features him playing the guitar arrangement, with the help of another musician working to flesh out the country track’s twangier sections.

“Yeah, but now I’m dodging potholes in my sunburnt Silverado/ Like a heart-broke Desperado, headed right back to my roots/ Somethin’ bout the way she kissed me tells me she’d love Eastern Tennessee/ Yeah, but all I brought back with me was some sand in my boots,” Tongi languidly sings on the chorus, injecting his own flair into the song.

In a press release for the cover, Tongi shared, “I have immense respect for Morgan Wallen, and ‘Sand in My Boots’ is a song that truly touches my heart. The raw emotion in the lyrics and the soulful melody resonate with me on a profound level.”

“Sand in My Boots” served as the third single from Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album. The track peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent a total of 41 weeks on the all-genre tally.

Up next for Tongi is small tour of North America that’s set to kick off on Oct. 25 at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City. The trek will make stops in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, D.C. and North Carolina before concluding on Dec. 13 at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center in Kahului, Hawaii.

Watch Tongi cover Wallen’s “Sand in my Boots” in the video above.

23 Oct 2023

Here’s How Travis Kelce Reacted to Being Called Taylor Swift’s ‘Boyfriend’

Is Travis Kelce officially Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend? Fans seem to think so after seeing a now-viral TikTok of the Kansas City Chiefs tight end reacting to the label.

In a video shared by user @jeffjulian, Kelce is buttoning his shirt after his football game on Sunday (Oct. 22), when a fan shouts, “Let’s go, Taylor’s boyfriend!” In response, the football star raises his hand in a fist above his head, as one does when they’ve won something. See the TikTok video here.

While Swift and Kelce have not publicly confirmed the status of their budding romance, the “Anti-Hero” singer and the athlete were seen interlocking fingers once again as they left Sunday’s Chiefs vs. Chargers game. Earlier in the day, Kelce assisted the Chiefs in defeating Los Angeles 31-17 at Arrowhead Stadium, which Swift watched from a private box suite with Brittany Mahomes, wife of KC quarterback Patrick Mahomes, all while wearing a No. 87 friendship bracelet. Sunday’s game marks the fourth Chiefs match attended by the 12-time Grammy winner this season.

Swift was also spotted giving Kelce a kiss on the cheek in an Instagram photo posted by wide receiver Mecole Hardman’s girlfriend Chiarah Gordon on Monday (Oct. 23), adding fuel to the fire of relationship rumors between the two superstars.

It’s been an exciting week for Swift, whose “Cruel Summer” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 songs chart dated Oct. 28, 2023. The song, which previously peaked at No. 3, was originally released on Swift’s 2019 Republic Records album Lover.

23 Oct 2023

Ariana Grande Jokingly Teases ‘AG7’ Title as ‘Goat Mother’

Ariana Grande hasn’t forgotten about AG7. In a recent Instagram post, the 30-year-old pop star joked that her seventh album will be called “goat mother,” sharing photos and videos on Instagram with dozens of goats on an idyllic farm.

The “Positions” singer shared a carousel of photos with friends and family Monday (Oct. 23), several of which showed the vocalist and her mom interacting with animals. “ag7: goat mother,” she teased in her caption.

The R.E.M. Beauty founder also shared a snap with her longtime collaborator Max Martin, the Swedish producer who’s worked on Grande hits such as “Problem,” “Break Free” and “Bang Bang” with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj. Grande and Max attended Norbert Leo Butz’s show at 54 Below this month, marking the second time Grande has shared a photo of Martin amid rumors that she is working on her next LP with the pop-music mastermind in New York City. Earlier this month, she posted a selfie with the &Juliet composer.

“Thanks @arianagrande for coming to see me at @54below I met this incredible lady when she was (gulp) 11 years old backstage at @wicked_musical,” Butz wrote on Instagram Monday, sharing a selfie with Grande. “She is a dream. What an honor to have a moment to talk ? with the one and only #maxmartin.”

Grande also shared the snap of Martin and and Butz in her Instagram Stories, writing, “my two favorite worlds colliding,” and tagging the Broadway star.

Fans are eager for a new Grande album, especially as it’s been three years since her most recent album, Positions, came out in 2020. However, the singer has admittedly been more focused on filming the Wicked live adaptations and working on her beauty brand as of late.

In her post, Grande also included photos of her seated inside an open guitar case and posing with Cynthia Erivo, the Elphaba to her Glinda. She captioned the photo of herself with Erivo in a corresponding Instagram Stories, “@cynthiaerivo forever and ever my favorite image. i love you so much.”

23 Oct 2023

Taylor Swift Kisses Travis Kelce in New Photo

Taylor Swift’s got that red lip, classic thing that Travis Kelce likes — and that’s why she planted a kiss on the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s cheek.

In a new Instagram photo posted by wide receiver Mecole Hardman’s girlfriend Chiarah Gordon on Monday (Oct. 23), the couple is seen smiling and posing with Swift and Kelce. However, in the second photo of the carousel, the “Lavender Haze” singer is seen planting a kiss on the tight end’s cheek. See the photos here.

While this is the first kiss we’ve seen between the rumored couple, the duo have been seen holding hands frequently over the past few weeks, most recently after the Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers game on Sunday night (Oct. 22). Swift and Kelce were interlocking fingers as they left Arrowhead Stadium, marking the fourth Chiefs match attended by the 12-time Grammy winner this season. For the occasion, she rocked a Chiefs sweater and represented Kelce with a a No. 87 friendship bracelet.

Last weekend, Swift and Kelce held hands in New York City on their way to the Oct. 14 Saturday Night Live after party, shortly after the two made surprise cameos on the show’s season 49 premiere. The next day, they grabbed dinner at a restaurant in the West Village, hand-in-hand again.

It’s been an exciting week for Swift, whose “Cruel Summer” hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 songs chart dated Oct. 28, 2023. The song, which previously peaked at No. 3, was originally released on Swift’s 2019 Republic Records album Lover.