Music

05 Oct 2023

How David Byrne Brought a ‘Radical,’ Politically Timely Musical to Broadway

David Byrne may not be able to see into the future, but he’s certainly lived a creative life that’s ahead of the curve.

Rewind back to 1979. By the time mainstream radio was catching up to the nervy new wave of bands like the Talking Heads, frontman Byrne was pushing the group to incorporate African polyrhythms into their palette — several years before other rockers followed suit. Not long after, the act’s final trek (immortalized in Jonathan Demme’s 1984 concert doc Stop Making Sense) demonstrated the broader visual possibilities of major tours, decades before that became de rigueur in the industry.

Now, a year after his acclaimed Broadway residency wrapped, Byrne is back on the Great White Way with the Fatboy Slim collaboration Here Lies Love. Based on the real-life story of Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos and her husband’s brutal dictatorship, the musical unfurls the story of a fib-friendly autocrat who gradually dismantles a democracy while demonizing the press and blaming their sins on the opposition. Sound familiar? Well, Here Lies Love wasn’t crafted as a reflection of current times. Eerily enough, Byrne debuted an early version of the prescient project as far back as 2006; that song cycle morphed into a 2010 concept album and an off-Broadway production in 2013 before finding its way to New York City’s Broadway Theatre this fall.

Regardless, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer insists crystal balls weren’t consulted in the creation of this musical. “I didn’t see all of it coming, everything that’s happened in the last 10, 12, 15 years since I started working on this,” Byrne tells Billboard, while noting, “I saw it happening in other parts of the world.”

Even so, he just may be offering audiences a peek into Broadway’s future. Working with director Alex Timbers, the convention-averse artist is reimagining what it means to be a Broadway audience member with Here Lies Love. While some viewers have traditional seats, theatergoers with floor access are immersed in a constantly shifting, club-themed experience. A rotating stage, live video projectors and a mobile cast prevent anyone with floor tickets from standing still for very long – fitting for a restless creator who’s spent his nearly half-century career moving forward.

I saw Here Lies Love at the Public Theater during its initial NYC run a decade ago. I walked out thinking, “God, that must have been awful to live through.” At the time, it seemed so separate from our American experience.

And here we are!

I actually cried when I left the theater, realizing how familiar the world of the play now felt. I know you started this project in 2006. Did you see all of what’s happened in America coming way back then?

I didn’t see all of it coming, everything that’s happened in the last 10, 12, 15 years since I started working on this. I saw it happening in other parts of the world. At some point I knew the People Power Revolution was a big inspiration for the Colour Revolution in Tunisia, the revolution in Ukraine. They ousted a dictator, more or less, and they were very much inspired by the Philippine example. But now we’re talking the United States and some other places as well, Israel. Whoa, here we go. It really strikes home and becomes extra moving. I can’t say I had much to do with that.

Was recent history the impetus for bringing it to Broadway, or was that always the end goal?

We always hoped we’d find a more permanent home for it. The other runs were really short. Whether it was Broadway or some warehouse somewhere, we hoped we’d find another place or it — Broadway being really good because people know where that is. People are like, “I feel safe going to a Broadway show” rather than some warehouse in Brooklyn. It took a long time – a lot of dead ends, various theater owners dangling a place and then, last minute, yanking it away.

Well, it’s an unusual production and I’m sure it’s a risky investment.

(laughs) The theater owner basically has to take out all their orchestra seats. They have to commit to all that.

How many theaters did you approach before the Broadway Theatre finally gave this the greenlight?

I seem to recall having at least three other theaters in the past 10 years where we thought, “they wanna do it, we’re gonna move ahead.” David Korins, the set designer, would draw up a set of plans — which is not cheap to do — then they would go, “Oh, we’re gonna put something else in there.” It took some convincing: we had to show them how it could be done, we had to get the capacity high enough so that the income was quite a bit more than it was at the Public Theater. Once we got that it was like, “Let’s give it a try.” To be honest, I think COVID helped us out. There were so many theaters that were closed. I think theater owners just thought, “We’re paying rent and taxes on these places, we gotta get something in there.”

Do you think your success with American Utopia helped you have any Broadway clout?

Maybe. I’m not sure but maybe. People now kind of associate my name with something else they’ve seen on Broadway so they think, “He knows that world, he can do that world.” Maybe.

David Byrne

David Byrne

Shervin Lainez

You’ve written a book called How Music Works that, in part, addresses the business of music. With a couple of Broadway productions under your belt, are you beginning to understand the business of Broadway?

Like the music industry, part of it is frustratingly opaque. How do you figure my percentage based on this, that and the other? It’s like trying to figure out what you’re owed from streaming. But Broadway has a completely different set of rules and thank God I have lawyers and other people to help me figure out and untangle that stuff and negotiate on my behalf. It’s really complicated, the structure of the deals on Broadway. Some of it kind of makes sense in that it’s structured so the investors get a trickle of payback even before it’s gone into profit, otherwise they’d be out of pocket for months and months. For ambitious playwrights or people who want to do music things in theaters like that, I wish it was simpler: It would open it up to a younger demographic and more emerging artists whether they’re writers, directors, musicians, whatever.

When I saw it at the Public Theater, a reprise of “Here Lies Love” served as the final song. When this play first hit Broadway, that was cut, ending the show on a more somber note. Was that done to emphasize the stakes we’re in?

It was. It was also done because we thought, “We want to be careful not to end with a song that celebrates Imelda.” But you’re right, so many audience members said, “What happened to the sing-along at the end?” So now we’ve brought it back. It’s technically not part of the show proper, it’s the curtain call, but we’ve brought it back. People feel like, “okay, we had our cry,” which happens to me every time as well, and then this big communal sing-along.

You started working on this a while ago. What was it about Imelda that compelled you to tell this story?

I’m old enough that I remember her as being this larger than life, flamboyant, outrageous personality in the news, at clubs, at social things, all that stuff. I also had this idea of doing a music show in a dance club so an audience could be dancing while they’re getting a story rather than sitting passively in seats. When I saw that she loved going to dance clubs — she turned the roof of the palace in Manila into a dance club, she had a mirror ball installed in her New York townhouse, and not many of us do that (laughs) — I thought, “wait a minute, she lives as much as she can in that environment: dancing, sparkling lights.” I thought, “Maybe her story needs to be told using the idea I had.” I spent a long time doing research and I went to the Philippines and asked people, “Here’s the story I’ve come up with — what do you think?”

Did you talk to folks who knew her?

Oh yeah. Many people knew her or met her. She’s incredibly charismatic, they said. One woman in the Philippines had no idea what I’d written, but sat down next to me and said, “Imelda was never poor.” And I thought, “Whoa, okay.” But I knew Imelda, like other public figures and politicians we know, will change her story depending on who she thinks the audience is. To one audience, she’ll tell the story of how she was poor and so she understands what your life feels like. To somebody else, she’s a society lady.

You did American Utopia and now this — are you thinking about doing more on Broadway?

I don’t have any plans right now. Right now, I’m asking myself, musically, what do I want to do next. I don’t think I can go back and just do an ordinary tour. The American Utopia tour we thought of as a radically different way of doing concerts. Now, I think, I’m stuck — that’s where the bar is set. You have to come up with something radically different again.

I suppose that’s a way to draw attention to new albums, which can sometimes seem to fly under the radar these days.

There’s that hope — with live performance you can draw attention to some of the music. I can see doing another album. I write songs, it’s part of what I do, but I have to keep asking myself, “What would be a really exciting thing to see?” I don’t have an answer to that. Setting up drums and amps and playing songs again feels, “You’ve raised the bar a little higher than that.”

Speaking of raising the bar, Stop Making Sense just got a 40th anniversary re-release from A24. Do you feel some joy looking back on it, or are you simply not interested in reliving the past?

I don’t like to relive the past but I’m really proud of what we did. I’ve seen screenings of the film recently looking at the print and IMAX print and it is kind of amazing what we did at that time. I think it holds up really well. So I’m happy to celebrate that. A24 is doing an incredible job. That’s all pretty good.

With the band reuniting to discuss the film’s anniversary, I keep hearing people ask about a reunion tour. I always say, “I would bet good money against a Talking Heads reunion tour.” Is that a bet I would win?

I think that’s a bet you’d win. We’re all really happy drawing attention to this film, this moment in our history and how it holds up and this new print and introducing it to a new — we hope — younger audience. But no, that doesn’t extend to, “Now we’re gonna do a reunion tour.”

You have a distinct singing style, but with Here Lies Love you’re writing for other voices. Did you have to change your process?

I loved writing in styles that, to me, seem like not my typical singing style. “This is what this character would do.” To hear that realized is exciting. There are some of the actors, I’ve been told, who modeled their vocal approach on my demos, which is very flattering. [The other] night one of the actors knew I was in the audience and threw in a little “same as it ever was” into one of their songs. (laughs)

What do you hope people ultimately take away from Here Lies Love?

We’ve talked about the politics — it gives you a kind of sobering bit of realism of what can happen and what is happening around the world — but a big message of hope when you see that the Philippine people peacefully ousted a dictator. It’s an amazing, hopeful moment to hold up as like, “Look, this can be done.” Because the show is so radical in the way it reimagines how to stage something, I’m hoping that other people don’t copy this show but that they rethink what a show can be. It doesn’t have to be done the same way over and over again. [A Broadway play is] not a dream I ever had since I was a teenager: I wanted to be in a rock band. But I also saw a lot of downtown theater that really inspired me and that was an inspiration for Stop Making Sense. I kept thinking, “Oh, there’s ways to do things on stage and tell stories in a certain way that Stop Making Sense tells a story as well.” So sometimes, you may find yourself (laughs) in some place you really didn’t expect to be.

05 Oct 2023

Gracie Abrams & Aaron Dessner Explain Their Sibling-Like Creative Partnership

The first time Gracie Abrams met Aaron Dessner, at his famed Long Pond studio near Hudson, N.Y., the pair wrote over 10 songs. “We hit it off,” recalls Dessner, 47, of their first session in spring 2021. That’s a bit of an understatement, considering what followed: Dessner went on to produce and co-write Abrams’ acclaimed debut album, Good Riddance, released in February and brimming with honest reflections sung in her delicate voice that float over intriguing chord progressions and indie-rock riffs. In June, following the album’s vinyl release, Abrams topped Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart.

In early September, following appearances by both on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour (Abrams as an opener, Dessner as a guest), the duo played three sold-out, intimate acoustic shows in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles, where they performed songs of Abrams’ both old and new. The gigs bookended a recording pit stop at Long Pond. “We made a lot of music, and it feels really different than what we’ve done before… like the best stuff we’ve made,” Dessner reveals.

Abrams, 24, is one of the newest artists to become a Long Pond regular, joining an eye-­popping group of talent that includes Swift, Ed Sheeran and, of course, Dessner’s band, The National — all of whom have been incredibly active in recent years, continuing Dessner’s streak as one of the most in-demand, and busiest, collaborators in music today. As such, and with Abrams a likely best new artist contender, could Dessner finally score a long-awaited nod for producer of the year, non-classical?

“I don’t know another person that could do what Aaron does,” Abrams says. “There’s a kind of sensitivity that doesn’t necessarily exist in most artist-to-producer relationships that I am aware of.”

What was it about Long Pond that felt immediately inspiring or comfortable?

Gracie Abrams: Everything. I felt really open as a result of the space feeling open, and it’s entirely a testament to Aaron’s entire personality. The place feels very inviting [for] sharing all your secrets and deepest, most private feelings without any hesitation.

When Gracie’s debut arrived, Aaron wrote on Instagram that it almost feels like you two are siblings. What’s the best example of that?

Abrams: I mean, maybe brutal truth all the time. I tell Aaron everything as soon as it happens to me, so I burden him with my life story in a way that I feel like only people who you’re related to by blood should have to take on.

Aaron Dessner: And I get to live vicariously through Gracie, which is really nice. (Laughs.) When you write songs and make music with someone — and when you make so much music as we have — it’s an intimate, vulnerable experience, so you get to know each other really well. And it’s also the thing that makes music most meaningful, I think, the friendships that you collect along the way. Because when I look back — I’m quite a bit older than Gracie, although we don’t feel so far apart — there are these friendships that I still have from different points along the way, and those are the mile markers. Because [as a musician] you don’t have a very normal life and you’re traveling all the time and kind of running on fumes and it’s so amazing but it’s also hazardous, being unstructured and not having your support system or your family close by a lot of the time. The only way I know how to do this is to grow close to people and learn from them. I always feel like I’m learning as much as anyone might learn from me.

What is the biggest lesson you have learned from each other?

Abrams: My identity now has been massively shaped by what I’ve learned in this relationship with Aaron the past couple years, not just musically — which it has entirely helped guide me in terms of self-trust — but just how to be a very decent person. Especially in the context of the music industry. I grew up in L.A. and started recording here first and it felt very different than when I went to Long Pond for the first time, and it really broadened my imagination for the kind of life that I could have if I’m lucky enough to do the thing that I love, versus what I assumed to be the blueprint that always secretly made me feel a little depressed.

Dessner: To be honest, I’ve never written songs in the room with anyone [before]. I would always make music alone or with my brother [Bryce]. Most of the time, I write the music first and then someone writes to it. That has been how The National worked and how I worked with [Swift] and other people. And Gracie came and we wrote together in the room, and it’s a scary thing because you don’t have the chance to be figuring out your brilliant idea. And I found I was even more comfortable doing it like that, where I would basically sketch [an idea] and Gracie could guide me or bounce off it in real time and write words and melodies. And then over time we got really good at it, and that’s what I ended up doing a lot with Ed Sheeran. I don’t know that I would have been able to do it had I not had that confidence from this.

Gracie Abrams

Gracie Abrams photographed on September 1, 2023 at Long Pond Studio near Hudson, NY.

Wesley Mann

Aaron Dessner

Aaron Dessner photographed on September 1, 2023 at Long Pond Studio near Hudson, NY.

Wesley Mann

Aaron, why do you think Gracie could be in the running for best new artist?

Dessner: Gracie is making incredibly compelling, emotionally direct songs that really resonate with her fan base. [She has] become an artist that’s clearly impacting a lot of people. And I think the record is one of the best of the year, and she’s one of the artists that should be in that discussion. I also think with all of this stuff, it’s subjective. It’s a total honor to be in any conversation about the Grammys and to win a Grammy, and of course it sounds like I have to say that, but a lot of my favorite artists have never been in that conversation. So I kind of take it with a grain of salt. I have a lot of respect for it, but at the same time if you don’t get nominated… it doesn’t diminish what you’re doing.

And Gracie, why should Aaron get a producer of the year nod?

Abrams: I don’t know another person that could do what Aaron does could make album of the year after album of the year. I can identify instantly whether or not Aaron has touched a song because you can feel it, and I can’t compare that to anything. It’s not something that I’ve found anywhere else. And I think also it’s so evident, like the songs that people fall in love with on all the albums that Aaron has made are the ones that really work. The ones that the die-hard fans want to hear and scream at the top of their lungs.

How do these sets you’ve been performing together compare to the stadium shows you both played as part of Swift’s Eras Tour?

Dessner: As much as I am close friends with and know Taylor well, you can’t believe that she pulls it off. It’s like, the best thing that has ever happened to live music in a way. And seeing Gracie play those shows [as an opening act] and seeing people in the stadium singing the songs, it’s a crazy moment in her career. It reminded me of, in a way, in 2007-8, R.E.M., on their final tour, invited The National to open for them, and that was this real moment for us because one of our favorite bands, a giant American rock band, was saying, “Come, we love you.” This is on a much bigger scale than that was, but it feels related, it feels like that really fueled us, and I can feel that in Gracie now, like there’s this confidence, and it’s exciting.

Abrams: There’s something about the scale of what Taylor has done that is unlike anything I’ve ever felt or known in my entire life, and I agree that it is the best thing that has ever happened to live music. Just to be in a place where that many people are equally moved and emotional and down to express it as loudly as possible, it’s really unbelievable. That feeling, though — being in a stadium, at least a Taylor Swift stadium, and these intimate rooms — is very connected, which sounds wild maybe. One of the many millions of things I learned this summer is, she does actually make it feel like you’re on another planet and like it’s just you and her in the room. And I’ve been lucky enough to see the show so many times and I’ve watched it from every possible place in the stadium, and that’s true every time.

Gracie Abrams and Aaron Dessner

From left: Gracie Abrams and Aaron Dessner photographed by Wesley Mann on September 1, 2023 at Long Pond Studio near Hudson, NY.

Wesley Mann

Gracie Abrams and Aaron Dessner

From left: Aaron Dessner and Gracie Abrams photographed by Wesley Mann on September 1, 2023 at Long Pond Studio near Hudson, NY.

Aaron, have you and Taylor’s longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff ever joked that you two could be competing for producer of the year for the foreseeable future?

Dessner: He has produced so many records and been in that really intensely for a long time, whereas I’ve been really doing all my esoteric art music with my brother and making music with The National and touring a lot. But I feel like there’s a lot of camaraderie between Jack and I, having worked on a lot of the same records now, and I think anyone that gets nominated is lucky. Some people have more notoriety for whatever reason, and I think part of the thing is like, how much do people know what you do? So, the answer is, I think we’ll think it’s funny.

For an artist or producer who wants to build what you two have, what advice would you give?

Abrams: I hope I’ve gotten less annoying about it, but [Aaron] very much encouraged following your gut, which is maybe cliché advice or feels empty, but I think I was so lucky to have had the person saying that to my face be someone whose work I have admired forever and someone who I trust. But having not heard that or believed it, a lot of the music wouldn’t exist, or I would be in a very different place in general right now.

Dessner: There are a lot of producers who franchise themselves and collect as many artists as they can, and you can see that, and I feel like the work becomes diminished or something. You also have to live and experience things. I like the way community slowly grows… I feel like people find each other for a reason.

This story will appear in the Oct. 7, 2023, issue of Billboard.

05 Oct 2023

Gracie Abrams & Aaron Dessner: Photos From the Billboard Shoot

The first time Gracie Abrams met Aaron Dessner, at his famed Long Pond studio near Hudson, N.Y., the pair wrote over 10 songs. “We hit it off,” recalls Dessner, 47, of their first session in spring 2021. That’s a bit of an understatement, considering what followed: Dessner went on to produce and co-write Abrams’ acclaimed debut album, Good Riddance, released in February and brimming with honest reflections sung in her delicate voice that float over intriguing chord progressions and indie-rock riffs. In June, following the album’s vinyl release, Abrams topped Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart.

In early September, following appearances by both on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour (Abrams as an opener, Dessner as a guest), the duo played three sold-out, intimate acoustic shows in New York, Nashville and Los Angeles, where they performed songs of Abrams’ both old and new. The gigs bookended a recording pit stop at Long Pond. “We made a lot of music, and it feels really different than what we’ve done before… like the best stuff we’ve made,” Dessner reveals.

Abrams, 24, is one of the newest artists to become a Long Pond regular, joining an eye-­popping group of talent that includes Swift, Ed Sheeran and, of course, Dessner’s band, The National — all of whom have been incredibly active in recent years, continuing Dessner’s streak as one of the most in-demand, and busiest, collaborators in music today. As such, and with Abrams a likely best new artist contender, could Dessner finally score a long-awaited nod for producer of the year, non-classical?

Read the full story here.

05 Oct 2023

Netflix Exclusively Presented a Preview of ‘NEON’ Reggaeton Series at Latin Music Week 2023

Netflix previewed the first episode of its NEON series to a select group of viewers at an advance screening party on Wednesday (Oct. 4). The sneak peak that took place during Latin Music Week was the first look at the show that will begin streaming on the the platform on Oct. 19.

The eight-episode comedy series filmed in Puerto Rico tells the story of the struggles of three childhood friends – Santi, an emerging artist played by Tyler Dean Flores, his friend/manager Vanessa (Emma Ferreira) and friend/creative director Felix (Jordan Mendoza) – trying to achieve success in the reggaeton industry.

With an ambitious plan, full of dreams and a limited budget, the three friends decide to leave their city and take a trip to Miami with the conviction that Santi could become the biggest reggaeton star on the planet. They soon face the harsh realities of being an emerging artist and realize that their brilliant plan is not as easy to pull off as they imagined.

NEON‘s creative team includes prominent reggaeton producer and Grammy winner Tainy, along with Lex Borrero and Iván Rodríguez, all affiliated with Ntertain and Neon16 and known as Tainy & One Six. The talented team served as executive music producers, writing and producing original songs exclusively for the series.

In addition, the team of music supervisors also includes One Six from Neon16 and Ntertain, as well as Joe Rodríguez and Javier Nuno from Indice.

The NEON series is a joint creation of Shea Serrano and Max Searle, the latter also serving as showrunner. The executive production team consists of Serrano and Searle, along with an outstanding list of collaborators, including Scooter Braun, James Shin, and Scott Manson of SB Projects, Anne Clements, and Daddy Yankee. Kyle Vinuya and Demi Adejuyigbe serve as co-executive producers, and Jordan Mendoza serves as consulting producer.

Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, which kicked of on Monday and wraps up on Friday (Oct. 6), also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux, and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.

Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA, and Smirnoff.

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

05 Oct 2023

Paramore’s ‘Re: This Is Why’ Remix Album Features Collabs With Foals, Linda Lindas, Wet Leg & More

A day after announcing a project that will revisit their sixth studio album, This Is Why, Paramore unwrapped the guest-packed track list for what they have referred to as an “almost” remix album, Re: This Is Why.

Timed to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Why title track’s release, the new collection will feature remixed, reimagined and rewritten versions of songs from the original, with most of the tracks refreshed with guest appearances.

Among the rock, pop and dance collaborators featured on the 12-track album are: Foals (“This Is Why”), teen punk band The Linda Lindas (“The News”), Animal Collective’s Panda Bear (“Running Out of Time”), Wet Leg (“C’est Comme Ça”) and The XX’s Romy (“Liar”). Radio announcer Zane Lowe also makes an appearance on another version of “Running Out of Time,” with DOMi & JD Beck taking on “Big Man, Little Dignity,” Remi Wolf helping out on “You First” and Bartees Strange appearing on “Figure 8.”

The roster is filled out by Julien Baker on “Thick Skull,” Claud on “Crave” and a demo of “Sanity,” from the group’s 10-track sixth LP, which was originally released in February. In a tease earlier this week, the band explained that the project was the realization of a dream to connect with some of the other artists who’ve inspired them. “We’ve long wanted to recognize the connection we have with some of the artists who’ve influenced us as a band and/or who have cited our band as an influence,” they wrote. “Re: This Is Why is almost a remix album. Some of the songs have been remixed sort of classically, while others were reworked or rewritten. It’s incredible to hear all our worlds colliding.”

The original This is Why marked the return of Hayley Williams, Zac Farro and Taylor York after a hiatus and their first album since 2017’s After Laughter. The band had to cancel the final two dates of their U.S. tour in August after Williams was hit with a nasty lung infection.

Check out the track list for Re: This Is Why, which is due out on Friday (Oct. 6) below.

05 Oct 2023

Offset Reveals Track List For ‘Set It Off’ Solo Album, Featuring Latto, Travis Scott, Future, Cardi B

Offset‘s upcoming Set It Off solo album features two collaborations with wife Cardi B, as well as a raft of other A-list guests. The Migos MC unveiled the track list for his upcoming solo album on Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 4); the album is due out on Oct. 13.

In a song roster posted on his socials on, Offset shared that the 21-track collection will see him teaming up with spouse Cardi on the songs “Freaky” and previously released single, “Jealousy,” as well as Travis Scott on “Say My Grace,” Don Toliver on “Worth It” and Future on “Broad Day.”

Other guests include: Latto (“Fine As Can Be”), Yung Nudy (“Dope Boy”), Chloe (“Princess Cut”) and Mango Foo (“Skyami”).

Offset recently revealed a video the album track “Fan,” which continued his fascination with all things Michael Jackson. The clip that stars social media personality Kai Cenat mostly takes its inspiration from MJ’s iconic “Thriller” video, with ‘Set and his video girlfriend, Everybody Hates Chris actress Paige Hurd, taking an ill-fated break-up walk that ends with the Migos member turning into a werewolf. Like the original, as it turns out the scene is part of a movie that Offset and his g.f. are watching.

Spoiler: it ends with Offset actually turning into a zombie before the second half of the visual pivots to another canon Jackson video, “Smooth Criminal,” with Offset once again playing Michael cosplay in a white suit and hat similar to the one worn by MJ in his clip, as well as busting out a classic Moonwalk.

Set It Off is the follow-up to Offset’s 2019 solo debut, Father of 4, which spun off the hits “Red Room” and the Grammy-nominated “Clout,” also featuring Cardi.

Check out the Set It Off track list reveal below.

05 Oct 2023

Drake’s Son, Adonis, Stars in Video For Surprise Single, ‘8AM in Charlotte,’ Calls His Pops ‘Daddy GOAT’

Drake is in an introspective mood on the gospel-tinged surprise track “8AM in Charlotte,” which the 6 God dropped early Thursday morning (Oct. 5). The Conductor Williams-produced track rides on a laconic beat and finds Drizzy backed by a soulful choir as he flexes about his nine-figure lifestyle while dropping an awards show-worthy list of A-list names.

The video for the track co-stars the rapper’s five-year-old son, Adonis, who opens the five-minute visual by showing off a cute drawing he made for his pops. “Tell me about your beautiful piece of artwork that you sold me,” Drake says to his son, who goes on to describe a tale of a goat running away from monsters amid images of flaming flowers, race cars and jail stairs.

“Daddy’s name is next to the goat, does that mean that he’s the GOAT?” the MC wonders. “Yes, so it’s Daddy GOAT,” Adonis confirms. Clearly already a chip off the old block, when Drake asks Adonis how much he earned for his beautiful drawing, the kindergarten controller laughs and says, “Oh please.”

Then dad gets to business, rapping, “Preachin’ to the dogs about wantin’ more for themselves/ It’s weighin’ heavy on my moral scale/ Knowin’ they gon’ sell another citizen ‘cane, they think they Orson Welles,” in the bare-bones visual in which Drizzy sports colorful hair curlers, baggy black vinyl pants and a jacket with a series of colorful V’s on it. In one shot, Drake sits surrounded by a group of men, and Adonis, all wearing black shirts that read “Hate Survivor.”

The avalanche of bold-faced names continues, with a shout-out to a fellow GOAT (“the restaurant clears out faint echoes of Lauryn Hill”), a spooky szn-appropriate ref (“I say we gotta talk about us, I feel like Jordan Peele”), as well as stops at 21 Savage (“got a green card straight out of the consulate”) and Michael Jackson (“I feel like Mike switched out the glove for the pen”).

Plus, he gets political with a clever geography bar, rapping, “Where I go, you go, brothers, we’re Yugoslavian/ Formal is a dress code, dawg, so many checks owed/ I feel Czechoslovakian.”

The second verse drops references to a country icon (“Shania Twain, notepad, I’m making it line dance”), a megachurch preacher (“I swear I’m like a young T.D. Jakes to my menaces/ Long kiss goodnight, PDA for my nemesis”), anti-vax presidental candidate RFK jr. (“Conspiracy theories start floatin’ around like the Kennedy guy”) and the late DJ Screw (“R.I.P. to the DJ from Houston, we loose screws”).

The Adonis cameo is fitting, since Drake revealed last month that his son’s line-drawing of a pooch would be the cover art for his upcoming For All the Dogs album, which is due out on Friday (Oct. 6) and is expected to also include his SZA collab, “Slime You Out.”

Watch the “8AM in Charlotte” video below.

05 Oct 2023

Geri Halliwell Recounts How She Got the Look With That Iconic Spice Girls Union Jack Dress

From spearheading Girl Power, landing No. 1s on both sides of the Atlantic, launching a solo career, penning books, and enjoying a front-row seat for Formula One, Spice Girl Geri Halliwell has lived a life less ordinary.

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Halliwell, or “Ginger” to generations of pop music fans, stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote her new book, chat about her love of Americans’ can-do attitude, and talk us through where it all took off for her — with the Spice Girls.

As a member of the pioneering British girl group, Halliwell and her bandmates were a phenomenon, one that spawned a feature film, every type of imaginable merch, and hits – including nine No. 1 songs in the U.K. and a four-week stint at the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Wannabe,” at the start of 1997.

Speaking with Fallon on Tuesday night’s episode (Oct. 3), Halliwell confirmed she actually missed the audition for what was to become Spice Girls (she was climbing a mountain, got sunburnt, phoned weeks later and still got the gig). Also, she admitted the name Spice Girls came to her in an exercise class in the 1990s, though the name Ginger, “some magazine made it up.” And, yes, before they became Simon Fuller’s Spice Girls, the project was briefly called Touch.

The iconic Union Jack dress that she wore on stage at the 1997 Brit Awards was a Gucci, which she altered with a tea towel. And those flashy red boots, she told Fallon, were juiced-up with spray-on car wax, an idea from the mind of her mechanic dad.

Geri has a place in her heart for the U.S. “I don’t think I’d be as successful as I was, and I have been, if it wasn’t for America. You say, ‘you can do it.’” And she did it. After leaving Spice World, Halliwell went solo. During a stretch from 1999 to 2001, she enjoyed four consecutive No. 1s in the U.K., including her cover of The Weather Girls’ “It’s Raining Men,” which appeared on the soundtrack for Bridget Jones’s Diary.

Spice Girls reunited last year to cerebrate Geri’s 50th birthday, an event that doubled-up as the 25th anniversary of their sophomore album Spiceworld, released back in 1997. There’s no talk, however, on the famous five hitting the studio or the road anytime soon.

These days, Halliwell is a happily married mom, and familiar to millions of sports fans through her husband Christian Horner, principal of Red Bull Racing, and the Netflix series Formula One: Drive to Survive, in which they regularly appear.

Halliwell’s second book, Rosie Frost & the Falcon Queen, was officially released on Tuesday (Oct. 3) on Amazon, Walmart, Barnes & Noble and Target.

Watch the interview below.

05 Oct 2023

Myke Towers, Shantall Lacayo and Rob The Original ‘Leave Their Mark’ at Latin Music Week

One is a Puerto Rican Latin music star. Another, a Nicaraguan fashion designer. The third, a Mexican-American barber, tattooist and visual artist. But all three have something in common: Myke Towers, Shantall Lacayo and Rob The Original are leaving their mark in their respective fields, through their own way of making art.

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The three met on Wednesday, Oct. 4 at Billboard Latin Music Week in Miami Beach, Florida, where they participated in the “Deja Tu Huella” panel presented by Cheetos to talk about the importance of giving back. With Billboard‘s Jessica Roiz as moderator, each spoke about their inspirations, influences and motivations.

Towers, who has placed dozens of songs on the Billboard charts, including his latest hit “Lala,” has used his platform to give back to Puerto Rico during difficult times such as Hurricane Fiona in 2022, when he donated $150,000 from two concerts at the Coliseo to the survivors. “I feel that I have responsibility; Those people are the first to support me,” he said about his fans on the island. “And not only in Puerto Rico,” he added. “There are a lot of fans who make a sacrifice just to be in a hotel to greet you or come to the show and try to be in the first row. You see that and you try to do what you can for them.”

Lacayo, who has been making her way in the U.S. fashion scene, where she won Project Runway‘s season 19, not only incorporates bright colors that represent her land into her creations, but also elements such as wooden buttons hand-carved by indigenous women and other details made by artisans from Nicaragua and other Latin American countries.

“I believe that every artist who wants to excel in the creative industry has to find that DNA that makes them unique,” ​​said the Miami-based designer. “Throughout my career, together with my team, I think the main thing we have discovered is that the DNA of our brand is our cultural roots, how we can keep alive those indigenous traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation and that unfortunately are getting lost in this world of fast fashion. We all want to leave a mark; part of my work seeks to do so through the reinterpretation of the work of artisans.”

Her brand has also partnered with Extraordinary Women, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women in extreme poverty to work on their self-esteem and prepare themselves in various fields to be able to enter the work field.

For Rob The Original, who started out cutting hair, went on to be a tattoo artist and today makes portraits in shattered glass and other mediums — from sand and salt, to Cheetos! — his contribution lies in the diversity of his work. “That is going to be my mark: telling people that there are no limits to art,” said the artist, who has 1.7 million followers on Instagram alone. To that end, he has announced the Rob the Original Academy, in which he plans to prepare other multidisciplinary artists. “Basically, we are going to do a little bit of everything I do, we are also going to show how you can grow your social networks… how to make a career out of your talent.”

Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, among many other panels, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux, and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.

Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA, and Smirnoff.

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.

04 Oct 2023

DannyLux Performs Eclectic Showcase During Latin Music Week 2023

“I was a bit nervous but we’re going to give it our all,” singer-songwriter DannyLux said at the beginning of his showcase, presented by Warner Music Latina, on Wednesday (Oct. 4) during the Billboard Latin Music Week 2023.

The Mexican-American artist delivered an eclectic set at the Faena Theater for Latin Music Week attendees as day three of the conference wrapped. Wearing a Selección Mexicana jersey and with his guitar in hand, DannyLux serenaded those in attendance with his sad sierreño anthems such as “Jugaste Y Sufrí,” “Junto A Ti” and “No Te Quiero Perder.” He was also joined by emerging artist StrangeHuman to perform their collab “Sustancias En Mi Corazón” for the first time together on stage.

“It’s crazy what’s been happening to us, we’ve dreamed of doing this since we were kids,” said DannyLux — who performed at Coachella earlier this year. “Thank you for all the support you give us. I’m so happy that you have accepted my songs. I don’t know how to express myself pero la neta gracias.”

He also shared his backstory to those who were just discovering his music, explaining that he did not come from a family of musicians. “My dad was a garbage truck driver and one time he found a guitar and brought it home,” he said.

Earlier this year, a billboard in the Coachella valley went viral ahead of DannyLux’s debut at the festival. It read a special message from his father to Danny: “My last time at Coachella I was picking up the trash. Now I’m back to see my son perform this Friday. Te amo DannyLux, Tu Papá.”

Celebrated for more than 30 years, the 2023 edition of Latin Music Week includes a Superstar Q&A with Shakira; the Legends on Legends chat with Chencho Corleone and Vico C; Making the Hit Live! with Carin León and Pedro Capó; a panel with RBD’s Christian Chávez, Christopher von Uckermann, and Maite Perroni; Superstar Songwriter discussion with Edgar Barrera and Keityn, and, among many other sessions, Q&As and workshops. See the ultimate Latin Music Week guide here. This year’s Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, also includes showcases by Peso Pluma, Mike Bahía and Greeicy, DannyLux and Fonseca, to name a few. Check out the dates and times for the showcases throughout the week here.

Official partners of the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week, taking place Oct. 2-6, include AT&T, Cheetos, CN Bank, Delta Air Lines, Lexus, Netflix, Michelob ULTRA and Smirnoff.

Latin Music Week coincides with the 2023 Billboard Latin Music Awards ceremony, which will broadcast live from the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., on Thursday (Oct. 5) and will air on Telemundo. It will also broadcast simultaneously on Universo, Peacock, the Telemundo App, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean on Telemundo Internacional.