Music

10 Oct 2023

VTuber Tokoyami Towa Breaks Down ‘Aster’ Debut Album & How Inter-Agency Collabs Happened: Interview

Tokoyami Towa debuted in 2020 as one of hololive’s fourth-generation group of virtual YouTubers, and currently boasts more than 1.3 million subscribers on her channel. The VTuber whose main draw is gaming livestreams also releases videos of herself singing covers and original music, showing off her signature strong, husky voice and wide vocal range.

Tokoyami — her name is stylized in Japanese order, surname first — recently dropped her first album called Aster, a highly anticipated project that showcases her potential as a vocalist through tracks written by a team of distinctive creators. The Startend VTuber shared her thoughts on her 12-track debut set and its production process, including how the rare collaborations with other VTubers and streamers were made possible.

What motivated you to become a VTuber?

The reason I joined hololive was because I wanted to make friends. I enjoyed watching and playing first-person shooters from around that time and although hololive is a group of “idols,” I thought it’d be interesting to be an idol and a gamer at the same time. The nice thing about gaming livestreams is how you can watch the players improve. They exchange ideas and work hard with each other to compete. I want to convey through my activities that working hard isn’t something to be embarrassed about and that the accumulation of your efforts up to that point is more important than winning or losing.

In a sense, your debut album Aster embodies the accumulation of your career up to this point. Tell us about its concept.

I wanted it to express who Tokoyami Towa is. This album also has a hidden theme that I encourage everyone to speculate about. It took me a long time to decide on it. I looked back on things like what I was feeling at the time and the work I’ve done over the years.

The lead single “ANEMONE” was written by music producer Yuyoyuppe (Mamiya Takehiro). Why did you choose this song as the face of the album?

It was really hard to decide. I thought it’d be okay to not have a lead single at all since there are so many different genres of songs on the album. But I felt that “ANEMONE” was the one that showed Tokoyami Towa’s strengths that separate her from other VTubers, both from hololive and elsewhere, so that’s why I chose it.

Could you elaborate on what you mean by “Tokoyami Towa’s strengths”?

First, I have a good vocal range. I can keep my voice steady when I hit high notes, and that’s also one of my strengths. Blistering heavy metal numbers like “ANEMONE” aren’t common in the VTuber industry, so being able to sing such songs with a strong voice is Tokoyami Towa’s signature style.

What thoughts went into the lyrics?

Over the course of my career, people have said nice things to me, and also not-so-nice things as well. I get hung up on the negative stuff sometimes, but in the end I want to decide what I want to do and live my life as I am. When I told these feelings to Yuyoyuppe, he was like, “That’s really great, let’s incorporate it.” That’s how the phrase “I want to live as I am” came about as we worked on the lyrics.

So your usual livestreaming activities and musical ones like this project closely influence each other?

It’s like of like, “Let’s use music to express the stuff I usually can’t say.” For the song “Taidana Wonder” on the album, I wanted to convey feelings like “what a drag, I don’t wanna do anything, I feel lazy, I’m sleepy” in an endearing way. I didn’t think a solid rock band sound would fit the lyrics, so when I heard Botchiboromaru’s “Otose Thunder” on TikTok, I thought the light, fresh style would be a great fit, so I asked them to write it for me.

“Antares” features nine guest vocalists. The lineup isn’t limited to your colleagues from hololive, but also includes VTubers and streamers from other agencies.

I’m an outlier in hololive in that I have a lot of opportunities to collaborate with people from other organizations. My management has given me its blessing regarding this and I think it’s one of my selling points, so I wanted to do collaborations on this album as well, which is why I approached various people from other companies and also other hololive VTubers. “Antares” was written with the collaboration in mind. I wanted to do a singalong. I thought it’d be nice to sing it together with the audience at a live show.

Do you think these collaborations are connected to what you said about first becoming a VTuber, being motivated by wanting to make friends?

Yes. As a VTuber and streamer, I want to incorporate good influences as much as I can, and before anything, I want to do fun stuff. As I always tell my fans, I don’t want to do what I do out of obligation. I want to communicate how I’m having fun and get people to have fun watching me do that. So the way I see it, the companies my collaborators belong to don’t matter, as long as what we do together is enjoyable.

You collaborate with Nekota Tsuna, who belongs to VSPO! (Virtual eSports Project), on the last song on the album called “Nininsankyaku.” How did this one come about?

Singing and playing first-person shooters are Tokoyami Towa’s two mainstays. I often get to participate in FPS gaming competitions, and when I teamed up with Tsuna, we cried and laughed together and deepened our friendship. We share good memories together and she’s now one of my best friends. That’s why I wanted to sing a song with Tsuna and asked the management about making it happen. I think our fans probably know about our relationship, so I hope we can perform together on stage someday. I’ve been listening to the song at least once a day lately. It moves me every time I hear it while I’m doing something. [Laughs]

Did Tsuna have a say in the song’s creative process?

Before the song went into production, Tsuna and I wrote out these lengthy memos about what we thought about each other. Even cheesy stuff like, “I’m stronger now thanks to you.” [Laughs] We prepared these letters, I guess you could call them, and sent them to the songwriters, who then reflected them in the lyrics for us. I think the song really captures that spirit. There’s this part where we take turns singing, and we had a great time recording it while expressing our feelings to each other.

Your first solo concert called Break your xxx is set for Friday, Oct. 13. What will the show be like?

I’ll be performing with a live band, so it’ll be a wild, fun show. I’m working hard to prepare for it right now because I want to make sure my voice won’t be overshadowed by the band’s sound, and that my feelings will reach everyone, and that both the people who come and those who join the livestream will think, “That was awesome.” 

What’s the meaning behind the title of the show?

There were times I felt anxious and depressed over the course of my career, but thanks to my fans and the management, I’m able to do live shows like this now. The meaning behind “Break your xxx” is that I wanted to overcome my gloomy feelings and gain confidence, overcome myself. I’m sure everyone goes through times of pain and hardship, but I want to invite people to break those things together at my concert. What goes into the “xxx” is up to you. Everyone is building this concert together.

Tell us about your vision for the future beyond your debut album and first live performance.

I’d love to do a second concert, of course, and I’d love to stand on stages outside of Japan. My fans in other countries were also very supportive of me when I was faltering, so I want to go express my gratitude to them.

10 Oct 2023

What Is Your Favorite Song From Drake’s ‘For All the Dogs’ Album? Vote!

Drake‘s latest album, For All the Dogs, is finally here. The set, released on Friday (Oct. 6), saw the return of the rapper with a few special guests, including SZA, 21 Savage, J. Cole, Chief Keef, Sexyy Red, Snoop Dogg and more.

Prior to the release of For All the Dogs, Drake released the SZA assisted single, “Slime You Out.” The track quickly gained traction for being the first collaboration the pair has worked on, and amid their romantic past. The song additionally made waves on the Billboard charts, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 following its release.

Listeners also had more than enough to talk about on social media with “Fear of Heights,” due to some perceiving it as a diss to former love interest Rihanna and her current boyfriend, A$AP Rocky. In the intro of the track, the rapper repeated the word “Anti” more than a few times, which is also the title of Rihanna’s 2016 album. Drake then states that people “make it sound like [he’s] still hung up on” Ri and appears to diss Rocky, saying, “That man, he still with you, he can’t leave you/ Y’all go on vacation, I bet it’s Antilles.” The “Work” singer’s home country and frequent vacation spot, Barbados, is located in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean. Fans additionally speculated he made digs at Rihanna and A$AP on “Virginia Beach” and “Another Late Night.”

The other tracks on the album include a highly anticipated Bad Bunny collaboration (“Gently”), a dual team up with Sexyy and SZA (“Rich Baby Daddy”), a Chief Keef sample (“7969 Santa”) and more.

While fans will have to wait and see where the set and its respective 23 songs land on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts next week, which song from For All the Dogs is your favorite? Vote in our poll below.

10 Oct 2023

2023 Latin Music Week Photobooth: Maria Becerra, Sebastián Yatra, Carin León & More

Sebastián Yatra, Chencho Corleone, Vico C, RBD, Carin León, Maria Becerra, Young Miko and Eladio Carrión were among the more than 50 Latin music stars that took center stage in Miami for the 2023 edition of Billboard Latin Music Week (Oct. 2-6).

Some of the biggest names in Latin music made their way to Miami Beach for exclusive conversations, performances, panels and to pose for the photobooth — with photographer Mary Beth Koeth behind the lens — as part of the week-long event.

From deep artist conversations to business discussions on catalogs, finances, streaming and publishing, Latin Music Week also included in-depth panels with industry leaders, tour promoters and two editions of The Rock Star Show, reggaetón star Nicky Jam’s talk show, featuring interviews with Ivy Queen and Fuerza Regida’s frontman, Jesús Ortiz Paz.

“Latin Music Week has grown steadily over the past decade, reflecting Billboard’s commitment to Latin music, and Latin music’s unwavering support of Billboard as the main arbiter of Latin music trends and success,” said Leila Cobo, Billboard’s chief content officer for Latin and Español.

The multi-day event, considered the essential destination for the Latin music industry and top and emerging artists, drew over 1,200 fans and industry insiders to three days of panels, presentations and once in a lifetime intimate conversation at the Faena Forum in Miami Beach, representing established and emerging genres that encompassed the vast plurality that is global Latin music today.

See some of the best photobooth gems captured backstage throughout Latin Music Week.

10 Oct 2023

‘It Was a Death Trap’: Israeli Rave Massacre Survivors Detail Their Escape as Scores Remain Missing

As the Palestinian group Hamas continues to attack Israel and the country retaliates by bombing Gaza, survivors of the terrorist attack at the Paralello Universo Supernova Sukkot Gathering electronic music festival near the Gaza border are continuing what has become a grim search for hundreds of people who are still missing.  

So far, the Israeli search and rescue organization Zaka has reported that it found 260 dead bodies at the festival site in Re’im, Israel. An unknown number of attendees have been abducted by Hamas terrorists. At least 150 Israelis were abducted on Saturday (Oct. 7), according to the New York Times, and some of them were taken from the rave.  

On Tuesday morning (Oct. 10), President Biden referenced the massacre during remarks on the Israel-Hamas conflict, naming “young people massacred while attending a music festival to celebrate peace” among the violent incidents of the last few days.

As of Sunday evening, 600-700 festival goers were believed to be missing in the immediate aftermath of the attack, according to artist manager Raz Gaster, who was at the event and represents several acts on the lineup. The exact number of the remaining still missing has not been verified, although two sources in Israel put this number at approximately 150, accounting for bodies that have since been recovered and identified as well as survivors who have been identified; though another source on the ground there says it’s still hard to tell how many remain missing.

Gaster, an artist manager who was at the event and represents several acts on the lineup, told Billboard Tuesday (Oct. 10) that he and members of the festival production team are working to locate survivors and gather information about festival attendees who remain missing.

“At the end of the day, it’s our responsibility as human beings to [provide] the families of these missing people whatever information we can get,” Gaster says. “We will keep working until we get information about each and every one of them.”  

The Israeli offshoot of the longstanding Brazilian festival brand Paralelllo Universo, Supernova Sukkot Gathering was named in honor of the Jewish Sukkot holiday, and hosted approximately 3,000 attendees on a rural site with two stages.

Those who escaped the festival describe the terror on the ground when at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday rockets began flying from Gaza, with some landing near Re’im. Within 20 minutes, terrorists armed with guns and RPGs arrived in ATVs, pickup trucks and motorcycles, as well as by paraglider, and immediately began shooting attendees.  

Shelly Barel, who sells jewelry and clothing at music festivals throughout Israel, had been on the site since Thursday, Oct. 5. At that time, the outdoor space was hosting another psytrance festival, Unity, with Supernova Sukkot Gathering starting on Friday. Supernova Sukkot was only moved to the Re’im site two days prior, after another site in southern Israel fell through.  

“The festival was so much fun,” Barel says of Supernova Sukkot through a translator. “Amazing people, it was really full of joy.”

Everything changed when rockets started falling early Saturday morning. Barel and her husband hit the ground and lay there for at least five minutes, until festival security made an announcement telling attendees to run to their cars and leave the site. Barel and her husband spent 10 minutes packing their belongings, then loaded them into their vehicle and drove away, with Barel’s husband behind the wheel. At the time, they assumed they were being asked to evacuate because of a rocket attack, a relatively regular occurrence in Israel.  

They soon hit a bottleneck of cars trying to exit the festival. Without realizing that armed attackers had arrived, they took a hard right turn and drove across the dirt field adjacent to the site instead of waiting in the exit line. That decision, made as much out of impatience and an instinct to escape as anything else, might have saved their lives.  

“In hindsight,” Barel says, “I understood that the terrorists shot the [people in the] first cars, so those cars couldn’t move, and the rest got stuck behind them. They formed a traffic jam for everyone coming after that. It was a death trap.”  

When Barel and her husband drove off the field and back onto the road, they came upon two stopped vehicles, both of which had all their doors open. Then they saw the occupants of those vehicles lying dead on the ground.  

Barel’s husband made a U-turn and minutes later received a text from someone in his army reserve group saying there were attackers in the area. “When we realized we had to fear the terrorists,” Barel says, “the missiles seemed like the smallest problem.”

He kept driving, following signs to the nearest city. “We decided to go as fast as we could, full gas, only slowing during turns,” she says. “The rockets were falling around us and at this point I thought it was the moment to say ‘I love you’ to each other and say goodbye.”

They didn’t get hit. Eventually, they made their way back to their home in central Israel. There, they found out that some of their friends from the festival had been killed, while others had been abducted. Many remain missing.  

Nitay, a 26-year-old security professional from Tel Aviv who also attended Supernova Sukkot said that he was helping an artist pack up some gear when gunmen appeared and started shooting at the festivalgoers. As shots rang out, “my friend called me when I was running away from the attack and asked me to try and find his sister,” says Nitay, who did not wish to give his last name. “I really wanted to help him, but I had to flee and hide. I felt like I was constantly surrounded by gunfire.”  

Nitay ran for several miles and eventually hid for 10 hours in an olive grove. At one point he thought the group he had taken shelter with had been discovered by armed men speaking in Arabic — they were about 20 yards away, close enough that he could see the men’s legs through the olive tree branches.  

“I prayed to my father, who passed away several years ago and begged him to help me,” Nitay recalls. As he hid, the men began shouting and Nitay says he braced himself for an attack. The shouting went on for about a half-hour, then the armed men began backing away from the area in which he was hiding with several others, including two tourists from Argentina. They stayed there for several more hours until Israeli finally arrived and led them to a nearby police station. Nitay says he never found his friend’s sister.

In the days since Barel and her husband escaped, they, too, have been searching for information on their missing friends, but they haven’t found much, even as obituaries have started to appear. The trauma is so fresh in her mind that she says she became “hysterical” when the elevator door in her apartment building opened and a man she didn’t know was inside.  

For decades, Israel’s dance music scene has been thriving. Psytrance, the electronic subgenre featured on the Supernova Sukkot lineup, became big in Israel in the late ’80s and ’90s, and it has been the country’s biggest electronic sound since, although house and techno have also grown in popularity in recent years.

On any given weekend, especially between March and October, there are several big parties like Supernova Sukkot throughout Israel, with crowd sizes ranging between 50 and 10,000, according to Amotz Tokatly, who’s been involved in the country’s electronic scene for more than 20 years as a promoter, manager, consultant and writer. “If you go to a psytrance party or a house or techno club, you see people from the age of 18 to 60 or even 70,” says Tokatly. “It’s a basic activity in Israel. We love to dance. We love to go out.”

It’s hard to tell what will happen to this scene in the aftermath of the attack, not to mention the war that is expected to follow.  

“What happened here is a disaster. It’s unbearable,” says Tokatly. “The most important thing for us is to [show] the world that this is a crime against innocent people. They don’t belong to any political side. These were just kids going to a party.”

Additional reporting by Tal Rimon.

10 Oct 2023

Toby Keith Tops Country Digital Song Sales Chart With ‘Don’t Let the Old Man In’

Toby Keith’s 2018 track “Don’t Let the Old Man In” flies from No. 11 to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Digital Song Sales chart (dated Oct. 14). In the Sept. 29-Oct. 5 tracking week, it sold 13,000 downloads in the United States, up 482%, according to Luminate.

Keith performed the ballad, which was initially released in 2018, on the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards (Sept. 28 on NBC) after receiving the country icon trophy. He boasts 20 No. 1s on the Hot Country Songs chart, among 42 top 10s, dating to his 1993 debut.

The song, which Keith solely authored, becomes his second No. 1, among six top 10s, on Country Digital Song Sales. “Red Solo Cup” dominated for 14 frames starting in November 2011.

On the all-genre Digital Song Sales survey, the track jumps 19-3, giving Keith his highest rank, among three top 10s. “Happy Birthday America” hit No. 5 in 2021 and “Red Solo Cup” reached No. 8 in 2011.

Keith, 62, has been fighting stomach cancer since 2021, a diagnosis that he revealed publicly in June 2022.

The singer-songwriter told Billboard in 2018 that “Don’t Let the Old Man In” was inspired by Clint Eastwood, director and star of The Mule, the movie in which the song premiered. Struck by Eastwood’s relentless energy when the film legend was then 88 years young, Keith asked how he kept going. “He said, ‘I just get up every morning and go out. And I don’t let the old man in,’ ” Keith recounted. “And I thought, I’m writing that.”

‘Save Me’ Rolls to Top 10

Jelly Roll’s “Save Me” with Lainey Wilson reaches the Hot Country Songs top 10, climbing 13-10.

The collaboration gives Jelly Roll his third top 10 and Wilson her sixth (in as many chart visits). It surged by 30% to 12.2 million audience impressions in the tracking week and pushes 18-16 for a new best on Country Airplay. It also drew 8.6 million official streams and sold 4,000.

Jelly Roll co-penned “Save Me” with David Ray. It follows his “Need a Favor,” which hit No. 3 on Hot Country Songs in July. The latter also led Country Airplay for four weeks beginning in August, becoming his second leader, following “Son of a Sinner,” his first entry which reigned for a week in January.

Wilson adds her sixth Hot Country Songs top 10. “Save Me” follows “Watermelon Moonshine,” which rises 10-7 for a new high. It leads Country Airplay for a second week, up 12% to 30.4 million impressions, having become her third leader a week earlier.

10 Oct 2023

Chris Young Taps David Bowie’s ‘Rebel’ Spirit For ‘Young Love & Saturday Nights’

It shouldn’t work: David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” with its androgynous storyline and garage-band sound, is from the height of the British glam-rock era, when sexual freedom and defying authority were key tenets in youth culture. Chris Young, a mainstream Southern guy whose persona is not built on rebellion, interpolated the song in his own “Young Love & Saturday Nights” — and somehow, Bowie’s edgy rock riff works within the centrist country sound.

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“Young Love & Saturday Nights” arrives nearly 50 years after “Rebel Rebel” was introduced on Bowie’s 1974 album Diamond Dogs, and at nearly every concert, Young sees fans perk up when they hear Bowie’s familiar lick, the same way that his senses were twisted when a publisher played it for him without warning during a song meeting. “I didn’t have any idea,” Young says, “and within like the first six seconds, I’m like, ‘That’s David Bowie. Why are you playing a David Bowie song?’”

By the time it was over, Young was obsessed. It would, he knew, provide a guitar lick for his concerts that felt like he was doing a cover song for anyone who knew “Rebel Rebel.” But it was still different enough from the original to stand on its own for anyone who didn’t identify its origin.

“Most people get the feeling when that song starts — they go, ‘Why is this familiar?’” says Young, interpreting the facial responses he has witnessed at his shows. “Then the minute that [signature riff arrives], you know immediately what it is, and then it smacks you right in the face at the top of the verse with, ‘No, this is something new.’”

Turning familiar music into something new was the general idea when songwriter Jesse Frasure (“She Had Me at Heads Carolina,” “If I Was a Cowboy”) started sifting through the Bowie catalog for titles that could be ripe for a country re-imagining. The idea might sound like rock’n’roll heresy, but Bowie’s estate practically commissioned the work, conveying interest to Warner Chappell in seeing his music reinterpreted for country. Frasure drew the assignment, and initially had “Heroes” in his crosshairs, before shifting to “Rebel Rebel.”

“One thing was for sure: I didn’t want a David Bowie interpolation to end up hokey,” Frasure recalls. “I felt like ‘Heroes’ could be a little bit sappy and hokey if we did it in a country setting, so I felt like this one at least would have a little bit more edge to it and may be just a little cooler.”

The iconic riff was, of course, the main attraction, in part because Bowie never sang that line as a melody. That meant that a can’t-miss hook was available for the chorus, and Frasure fashioned a basic track to work from, then sent it off to two collaborators, Ashley Gorley (“Last Night,” “Truck Bed”) and Josh Thompson (“Stars Like Confetti,” “I’ll Name the Dogs”), for a Zoom writing session. While they kept the riff, they dropped the “Rebel Rebel” lyrical theme, in which Bowie calls his mysteriously gendered date a “hot tramp.”

“We just tried to find something country to kind of balance it out,” Gorley says. “I have no idea who came up with the title. I think we were just kind of spitballing stuff and thinking of different ideas, and then that kind of spit out there at the end somewhere.”

They purposely avoided using the word “rebel” in the text, though they were determined to find a blue-collar version. Frasure referenced the guy working the docks in Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On a Prayer” as the template. They settled on a local club musician with a rundown Chevy Silverado and a star-struck girlfriend whose father disapproves of her bad-boy choice.

“That scenario is pretty timeless,” says Gorley. “It can happen tonight, and 40 years ago, you know — 50 years ago, whatever that was — the same kind of things were going on. They’re still playing in their bands, driving things that barely run, falling in love with somebody. It’s still happening.”

Even before they knew what the song would be, Frasure had envisioned the word “Alabama” fitting in the middle of the chorus, and that translated into the couple listening to “’89 Alabama.” And in the second verse, they kept the cultural references going by name-checking Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and James Dean.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that history repeats itself,” Frasure says. “To me, it’s so cliché: You pick up guitars, you get the girls, and it’s been repeating itself. And probably the last person you want your daughter to date, that’s the one that they’re going crazy for. So to me, that was a tribute to all those things that we love — you know, drugs, sex and rock’n’roll — and package it in a country-friendly way.”

Once they finished the Zoom write, Frasure completed work on a programmed demo, then had Thompson record a vocal. They pitched it around town a bit with no takers, until Young flipped over it, and texted the writers often enough that they knew he would follow through and record it.

Young invited Frasure and Gorley to attend the tracking session with co-producer Corey Crowder (Chase Rice, Florida Georgia Line) in November 2022 at the Sony Tree Studios, a demo facility that had been recently upgraded. Crowder wanted the master to have a live sort of energy, matching both the raw tone of Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel” and the bar-band plot of “Young Love & Saturday Nights,” and Sony Tree was an ideal setting.

“It’s a cool room,” says Crowder. “I think it actually helped that specific song, just because they’re all in the room together like they’re up onstage or something.”

Drummer Chris McHugh re-created the power of the original “Rebel Rebel” backbeat, and Crowder spent extra time with guitarist Sol Philcox-Littlefield, emulating the sound of the Bowie riff.

“We hunted on that for a minute,” Crowder remembers. “There was several takes where we had to like, ‘Let’s get it a little thinner,’ that kind of thing. That tone was so perfect, you know, you just don’t want to ditch that. So that was a big priority for me.”

Young did the lead vocals later with co-producer Chris DeStefano (Chase Rice, Morgan Evans), making certain to get plenty of sleep the night prior. “Living up to the fact that you’re constantly going to be compared with someone who’s a legend, I definitely did not leave that vocal booth until I was done,” says Young.

“Young Love & Saturday Nights” got significant media attention when Bowie’s country interpolation debuted on streaming services on July 21. RCA Nashville released it to country radio on Sept. 11 via PlayMPE, and it entered Country Airplay quickly, rising to No. 49 on the chart dated Oct. 14.

“I’ve now probably said the word ‘interpolation’ more than I ever have in my entire life in the past two months talking about this, but it’s really exciting for me because I love the song,” Young says. “And it’s cool to see other people getting pumped about it.”

10 Oct 2023

How Does *NSYNC’s No. 25 Debut Compare to Our Expectations for Their First Single in Two Decades?

This week, pop fans get to see a once-familiar group of faces on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in over 20 years: *NSYNC, the chart-topping superstar boy band who were once in the discussion for the biggest act in popular music, have returned with their new single “Better Place.”

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The new single, found on the soundtrack to the upcoming boy band-themed animated sequel Trolls Band Together, bows at No. 25 on the chart this week, with excellent sales and early radio numbers. It’s the group’s first Hot 100 appearance since the Nelly-featuring “Girlfriend” reached No. 5 in 2002.

How should the group be feeling about the song’s entrance? And where will the group likely go from here? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.

1. *NSYNC’s first single in over 20 years, “Better Place,” debuts at No. 25 on the Hot 100 this week. Is that higher, lower or about what you expected for its first week? 

Katie Atkinson: Judging by the fervor over the reunion at last month’s MTV VMAs, it’s lower than I expected. I think it could have reasonably had a top 10 or at least top 20 debut had they released it the same week as the VMAs. Instead of the momentum building in the weeks after, it seemed to fizzle a bit, with high-hoped fans realizing that a Trolls song might be the only thing they’re getting from the reunited boy band – no new music outside the movie, and seemingly no tour or concert.

I kept telling my hopeful friends that if the song had a high debut, Justin Timberlake (who seems to be the holdout, since he was the one missing from Ariana Grande’s Coachella performance in 2019) would have to at least consider something beyond the Trolls music. But I don’t know that a No. 25 debut is going to motivate him to do anything further with his bandmates.

Kyle Denis: This is around what I expected, maybe a bit higher than what I was initially predicting. I think a No. 25 debut perfectly encapsulates the tension between the hype for the return of one of the biggest musical acts in pop history and the radically different commercial landscape they’re returning to. 

Jason Lipshutz: About what I expected, in context with how the Trolls singles that preceded “Better Place” over the course of the franchise performed: Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” made it to No. 1 on the Hot 100, Timberlake and SZA’s “The Other Side” reached No. 61, and “Better Place” more or less splits the difference. *NSYNC is still a brand name, and their first single in over 20 years was always going to generate interest — so a top 40 debut seemed likely, even as they’ve got a lot of catching up to do in terms of modern streaming fans.

Andrew Unterberger: It’s actually a lot better than I expected based on the early crickets around the song online, and the fact that *NSYNC has been gone so long that a new Justin Timberlake solo song — even one alongside, say, two of his old collaborators — can’t really move the needle anymore. “Better Place” owes its impressive debut to a combination of massive radio support, sales from fans who haven’t completely moved on from the iTunes era and a relatively slow week on the chart, without a big new album release to clutter the top tiers.

Christine Werthman: No. 25 is lower than I expected, considering the hoopla around the group’s VMA appearance, but it’s pretty on point for Timberlake’s Trolls tunes. While “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” debuted at No. 1 in 2016, “The Other Side” with SZA started at No. 61 in 2020 and never went any higher. So, I suppose it makes sense that this one dropped roughly in the middle. I just thought that getting the gang back together would snag it a slightly higher debut.

2. “Better Place” is off to an excellent start at radio and in sales, but its streams have been fairly minimal. Does it seem like a lasting pop hit to you, or is No. 25 likely as good as it will get for the Trolls sequel single?  

Katie Atkinson: I think it could definitely climb higher if the group releases a proper music video – meaning, the actual *NSYNC performing choreography, not animated clips of the Trolls boy band. Of course, with the ongoing actors’ strike, that’s a big ask. Timberlake isn’t going to want to look like he’s not supporting his fellow actors, even though he is likely clear to promote the film in his capacity as a featured musician and not as the voice star. But if actors are able to follow in the footsteps of the Hollywood writers’ strike, which wrapped more than a week ago, there’s a world where we could get a classic *NSYNC music video (can MTV revive TRL for a day?) and the song gets new life.

Kyle Denis: As it happens with soundtrack singles – a lot of this song’s future success depends on how big/well-received the Trolls sequel is, how much money and effort are put into its promotion, and how the song is incorporated into the movie. There’s certainly potential for this to stick around the No. 20-40 range – and potentially sneak a weak or two in the lower reaches of the top 10 – thanks to radio’s support. To grow into a legitimate, lasting smash, however, “Better Place” will have to pick up on streaming, but that’ll be hard to do with a musical act that’s been absent for the entirety of the streaming era. 

Jason Lipshutz: It’s hard to say since, while I don’t think “Better Place” will become a huge streaming hit, I could envision radio programmers gravitating towards a new *NSYNC single, considering how many of them undoubtedly remember the group’s turn-of-the-century enormity and would love to incorporate their new song’s sunny pop sound into power blocks. “Better Place” may not rise above No. 25 on the Hot 100, yet the song will likely enjoy a comfortable run on FM dials — especially around the release of the new Trolls movie, when parents and kids are going to be happy to hear how it ties into the story of the film.

Andrew Unterberger: I’m… not optimistic about it sticking around. That said, it was just last year that another whistle-heavy song by an ’00s pop group rode a sequel soundtrack placement to extended chart success, so maybe *NSYNC will be able to follow the formula there. (It would help if Trolls Band Together was at least 1/20th as successful as Top Gun: Maverick, of course.)

Christine Werthman: The movie comes out in November, so by the time we get to the Thanksgiving car rides with the kiddos, it might be in more frequent streaming rotation. It’s also got that breezy, dentist’s-office-appropriate energy that will give it staying power, so I think it’s got a little more gas in the tank and won’t stall at 25. Maybe 20?

3. What would you be looking for regarding the song’s performance if you were on *NSYNC’s team? What, if anything, do you think they stand to gain with a good reception to the new single? 

Katie Atkinson: I would be looking at the window from now through the film’s release on Nov. 17 to see if it grows from here, whether that’s through a music video, radio airplay or some sort of belated social virality. If this song peaks at No. 25, I think fans holding out hope for anything else from *NSYNC will be gravely disappointed. But if it has legs, who knows what could happen? I refuse to believe that we’re just going to get a cartoon song and a Hot Ones episode out of this whole thing.

Kyle Denis: If I were on *NSYNC’s team, I’d be paying attention to the song’s longevity above all else. We all know that the first new song from *NSYCNC in over two decades would get an incredibly warm reception across consumption channels upon debut. Now, if “Better Place” can harness that early love and turn it into weeks of stability and substantial growth, that, to me, would be a signal that there’s a place in the contemporary marketplace for *NSYNC outside of nostalgia bait.

Jason Lipshutz: This is a little bit of wishcasting, but if “Better Place” hypothetically turns into an all-out smash, that might somewhat compel *NSYNC to hitting the road together, right? Thus far, there has been no indication that their new single precedes the quintet’s first tour in over two decades, but if anything is going to potentially tip the scales a bit, it would be “Better Place” growing bigger than expected, and bridging the gap to a new generation of *NSYNC fans. Maybe a tour isn’t in the cards regardless of the song’s performance, but here’s hoping, right?

Andrew Unterberger: Honestly, I wouldn’t even be trying to get on radio or even on TikTok in 2023 if I was *NSYNC’s team — I’d just be hitting those pleasure centers for the longtime fans, the ones actually likely to buy tickets for an upcoming tour if and when one happens. There’s no particularly likely path back to contemporary stardom for *NSYNC in an era when, again, even JT solo can’t seem to find his way back in. They’d be much better off not even trying, especially since the Backstreet Boys have proven that ’90s boy bands can still have a very lucrative second life as a legacy act.

Christine Werthman: I’d be crossing my fingers for some TikTok pickup, hoping that Gen Z cared as much as Millennials about this boy band reunion. *NSYNC isn’t going to skyrocket back to No Strings Attached levels of popularity, but if there’s some interest here, it could prompt some more new music, maybe a couple reunion shows.

4. With *NSYNC now (at least temporarily) reunited, who’s another pop group that’s been dormant for at least a decade who you’d like to see give it another go?  

Katie Atkinson: Destiny’s Child – whether it’s the trio lineup of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, or even adding LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett into the mix, since all four of those women attended Queen B’s hometown Renaissance Tour stop in Houston last month. After all, fans already think DC could be involved in “act ii” of Bey’s Renaissance album series. Honestly, a Destiny’s Child reunion seems way more realistic than anything beyond “Better Place” for *NSYNC at this point.

Kyle Denis: Salt-N-Pepa. 

Jason Lipshutz: All five Spice Girls haven’t performed together since 2012 — and that was only a few songs for the London Olympics, not a full-fledged tour. Not only do I think a Spice Girls reunion trek would be entertaining as hell, but I’d love to hear their blended perspectives on a new single, EP or album; they accomplished so much in the ’90s, have grown into different people in the years since, and I’d bet whatever they cooked up in the studio would be, at the very least, thematically interesting.

Andrew Unterberger: Anyone else out there who would have major interest in a Junior Senior hyperpop album? Just me perhaps?

Christine Werthman: Savage Garden. Darren Hayes still releases solo music, his latest album, Homosexual, dropping in 2022, but Daniel Jones called it quits and meant it. He hated touring, works in real estate and, like Hayes, says they will never reunite. I honestly salute their commitment to the breakup, but that would be a fun one. 

5. OK, it’s been seven years since Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” from the original Trolls, topped the Hot 100 — how do you feel about the song in 2023? 

Katie Atkinson: I have much fonder feelings toward that song now than I did when it was first released. At the time, I wrestled with how uncool it was – but it’s a carefree, fun song from a kids’ movie. Of course it’s uncool! After dancing to it on countless wedding dance floors in the seven years since, I’ve come to peace with the fact that it’s a harmless, happy song whose charms are hard to resist.

Kyle Denis: It’s not a song that I would defend with my life, but I’ve never really understood the distaste for this one. It’s fun and full of my favorite pop song clichés, so I can’t be too mad at it. Doesn’t add much to JT’s discography, but that wasn’t the goal, so I’ll continue to enjoy it for what it is. 

Jason Lipshutz: Pretty much the same as I felt about it seven years ago: not my favorite JT song, but it’s undeniably catchy, and I really love the sing-along outro. Really, we should be using this space to cry Justice For “The Other Side,” the Trolls World Tour single that demonstrated some nu-disco chemistry between Timberlake and SZA. Should have been bigger!

Andrew Unterberger: Never really need to hear it outside a wedding context, but would be lying if I said I did not get that feeling in my body when it comes on.

Christine Werthman: It didn’t make my personal top songs list in 2016 (lots of Beyoncé, Solange, Rihanna, Drake and Frank Ocean though — what a year!), but it’s a cute track. Was then, is now. I’m sure at the time I was outraged that No. 1 wasn’t something from The Life of Pablo, but you can’t sleep on those family-friendly hits. 

10 Oct 2023

Steely Dan Drops Off Tour Dates With Eagles Due to Illness

Steely Dan has reportedly dropped out of a few of their tour dates with the Eagles due to illness.

According to Indianapolis’ Indy Star, Don Henley told the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that Steely Dan frontman Donald Fagen had been hospitalized, before thanking fellow rocker Steve Miller for filling in at the last minute. “The show must go on,” Henley reportedly said.

Sheryl Crow filled in for Steely Dan at the Eagles’ Denver shows last week, before Miller took over in Indianapolis and the upcoming Detroit show on Oct. 13. Vince Gill will open the Pittsburgh concert on Oct. 15, and Steely Dan are currently listed to return to the stage on Oct. 17.

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There has yet to be an official statement from the rockers specifying Fagen’s illness or recovery time.

The Eagles announced their final The Long Goodbye tour earlier this year. “The Eagles have had a miraculous 52-year odyssey, performing for people all over the globe; keeping the music alive in the face of tragic losses, upheavals and setbacks of many kinds,” read a statement from the group. “Credit and thanks go to our longtime management team, our dedicated road crew, and our exceptional backup musicians for providing skilled and steadfast support, throughout these many years. We know how fortunate we are, and we are truly grateful.”

The tour will wrap on January 6 in Inglewood, Calif. See the full list of dates here.

10 Oct 2023

2023 BET Hip Hop Awards Red Carpet: GloRilla, Sexxy Redd & More

The ceremony took place at Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Center Oct. 3, and is set to air on Oct. 10.

GloRilla, BET Hip Hop Awards

GloRilla arrives at the BET Hip Hop Awards at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center on October 03, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

The annual BET Hip Hop Awards is back! The ceremony took place on Oct. 3 at Atlanta’s Cobb Energy Center, and featured the biggest and brightest stars of the genre coming together for a night that celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

GloRilla — who is nominated for hip-hop artist of the year, hip-hop album of the year (Anyway, Life’s Great) and best hip-hop video (“Tomorrow 2” with Cardi B) — hit the red carpet in a strappy black cropped top, fur skirt and bantu knots in an homage to TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez.

Sexyy Red — who is nominated for best breakthrough hip-hop artist and is set to take the stage for a performance once the ceremony airs — lived up to her namesake and walked the carpet in a slinky red set and Chanel bag to match. The rapper further accessorized her look with a large wad of cash, which she carried in her hand while posing for photos.

Family was also present on the red carpet, with Fat Joe attending the ceremony with wife Lorena Cartagena and their daughter Azariah, while DaBrat attended the show with wife Jesseca Dupart just a few months after welcoming their son, True Legend.

The BET Hip Hop Awards will broadcast on Tuesday (Oct. 10) at 9 p.m. ET/PT (8 p.m. CT), and will simulcast on VH1 and MTV2. Find out how to watch for free here.

See the photos from the 2023 BET Hip Hop Awards red carpet below.

10 Oct 2023

Los Tucanes de Tijuana Fined in Chihuahua For Allegedly Singing Narcocorridos

Los Tucanes de Tijuana were fined 900,000 pesos (about $50,000) following a performance the Mexican band gave last Thursday (Oct. 5) in the municipality of Chihuahua, in northern Mexico, where they allegedly performed songs in support of drug trafficking.

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News of the sanction was reported a day after the show by the government of the municipality of Chihuahua in a press release, which states that the fine was imposed “after having detected blatant musical content that advocates crime in 40 percent of the presentation.”

The sanction imposed on the popular regional Mexican music group follows a measure announced by the government of the municipality of Chihuahua last July that sanctions corridos tumbados and reggaeton artists who perform songs that promote gender violence [while performing live] in the municipality, under the argument of “guaranteeing the right of women to a life free of violence.”

In the document, the municipal authorities clarified that during their performance, Los Tucanes de Tijuana did not sing music that “promoted violence against women and favored their denigration, discrimination, marginalization or exclusion” within their repertoire. However, the measure includes sanctions for those who perform music related to drug trafficking, as was allegedly the case.

Billboard Español reached out to Los Tucanes de Tijuana’s press office for more information but did not hear back at press time.

The measure, approved by the local council, prohibits musical content, videos, images or any similar material that promotes violence against women and music related to criminal activities or groups, explains the municipal president of Chihuahua, Marco Bonilla, in a video posted on his social networks.

Penalties range from 674,000 pesos (more than $40,000) to 1.244 million pesos (almost $75,000), according to authorities.

This statute previously impacted corridos tumbados star Natanael Cano, who last September was fined 1.2 million pesos (about $71,610) for allegedly “advocating crime and promoting gender violence,” the municipality of Chihuahua announced in a Sept. 23 press release.

The new ban in Chihuahua came after congressmen in several Mexican states pushed for reforms to prohibit concerts of corridos tumbados, arguing that they “incite violence.” It also comes after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador published a playlist to confront this genre, led by artists such as Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano and Junior H.

For 15 years, Los Tucanes de Tijuana were banned from performing in the border city of Tijuana for singing narcocorridos. In 2008, the then head of the municipal police, Lieutenant Colonel Julian Leyzaola Perez, indefinitely banned the group from performing there for allegedly saluting two drug traffickers during a concert. The ban was lifted this year by the mayor of Tijuana, Montserrat Caballero, and on July 8 the group was allowed to perform again in that city.

In 2017, authorities in Chihuahua fined legendary band Los Tigres del Norte for performing narcocorridos live.