Music

11 Jul 2023

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megan Thee Stallion, Ms. Lauryn Hill to Headline 2023 Global Citizen Festival

The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ms. Lauryn Hill will headline the 2023 Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central park on Sept. 23. The lineup of this year’s event on the Great Lawn will also feature Megan Thee Stallion, Conan Gray and Stray Kids.

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The free, ticketed event will focus on the organization’s drive to end extreme poverty now, with interested fans encouraged to earn passes by joining the movement and taking action on the Global Citizen app (or here) to help the organization’s work to level the playing field for women and adolescent girls around the world, combat climate change and continue the fight against the global food and malnutrition crisis.

According to a statement announcing this year’s lineup, for the first time in a generation, the number of people living in extreme poverty is on the rise. “The 2023 Global Citizen Festival campaign takes aim at the major issues perpetuating extreme poverty, including the impacts of climate change on the Global South, the inequities affecting women and girls around the world, and the global hunger crisis, and will call on governments to protect and defend advocates everywhere,” read the statement. “The campaign will unite millions of voices, amplified by the world’s biggest artists, to demand urgent action from world leaders gathering in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly in September.”

After this year’s COP27, G7, World Bank spring meetings and Paris climate finance summit failed to deliver any tangible results or disrupt the world’s “unjust systems,” Global Citizen CEO/co-founder Hugh Evans said in the statement that, “complacency can’t win. If we want to see breakthroughs on development and climate change, we need the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and all G7 nations to meet the urgency of the hour. Every single citizen has a vital role to play, and together, we must be laser-focused on driving results and impact in September.”  

Global Citizen began holding concerts around the globe beginning in 2012 with a goal of ending global poverty. It has long attracted a variety of A-list acts, including last year’s lineup featuring Metallica, Charlie Puth, Jonas Brothers, Måneksin, Mariah Carey, Mickey Guyton and Rosalía performing in Central Park and Usher, SZA, Stormzy and Tems are among the headliners for a sister event in Ghana’s capital, Accra.

See the lineup announcement below.

11 Jul 2023

Willie Nelson, Neil Young and John Mellencamp to Headline 2023 Farm Aid in Indianapolis

The co-founders of Farm Aid are bringing the annual benefit for the country’s family farms back to the midwest this fall. Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson announced on Monday that the 2023 Farm Aid will return to the Indianapolis, IN area on Sept. 23 for the third time in the event’s 38-year history.

The show at Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville will mark Young’s first in-person attendance since 2019 after the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer took several years off from appearing live due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the principles, other performers this year include: Farm Aid board member Margo Price, fellow board member Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds, the Grateful Dead’s Bobby Weir & the Wolf Bros. featuring the Wolfpack, Lukas Nelson, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Allison Russell, The String Cheese Incident, Particle Kid and more acts to be announced later.

Young did not attend in in 2021 or 2022 due to the pandemic; the 2020 event was presented online.

“We are honored and excited to bring the Farm Aid experience back to Indiana,” said Seymour, IN native Mellencamp in a statement about the first Farm Aid in the state in more than 20 years. “My home state holds deep meaning for me and for the generations of family farmers who have dedicated their lives to caring for the Earth and bringing us good food.”

Since launching in 1985, Farm Aid has raised more than $64 million to support programs that help family farmers.

Farm Aid first IV took place in 1990 at Indianapolis’ Hoosier Dome, with Elton John, Iggy Pop, Bonnie Raitt and Guns N’ Roses joining the three principles and returned in 2001 — shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks — with a lineup featuring then-new board member Matthews, as well as Martina McBride, the Doobie Brothers, Susan Tedeschi, Arlo Guthrie and more. Last years’ event in Raleigh, N.C. featured Chris Stapleton, Sheryl Crow, Rateliff, Russell, Charley Crockett, Brittney Spencer and others.

A limited number of pre-sale 2023 tickets will be available beginning at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday (July 12); the pre-sale ends at 5 p.m. on Thursday (July 13), or when pre-sale tickets are sold out. General admission tickets will go on sale on Saturday (July 15) at 10 a.m. ET. here.

“Family farmers have the solutions to some of our toughest challenges,” Nelson added in a statement. “As we face a changing climate, farmers in Indiana, across the Midwest and all over the country are farming in ways that create more resilient farms to build healthy soils and protect our water.”

According to a release, this year’s event will honor Indiana family farmers and others who are taking on climate change using regenerative, organic and sustainable farming practices.

11 Jul 2023

Tina Turner’s ‘Nutbush’ Dance Record Set at Australian Bush Fest

Australians love Tina Turner. And they proved it en masse, when almost 6,000 fans showed up at an outback party to dance the “Nutbush,” setting a new record in the process.

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The Big Red Bash in Birdsville, a remote Queensland town 1,000 miles west of the state capital, Brisbane, has raised the record in years past.

But on this occasion, just weeks after Turner’s death, on the 10th anniversary of the festival, and the 50th anniversary of “Nutbush City Limits,” the old mark was squashed.

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 5,838 dancers did their thing — many wearing colorful outfits for the occasion. That figure easily eclipses the old mark of 4,084 people, set at the same site in 2022, and the 1,719 people recorded by Guinness World Records in 2018.

“It’s a military operation trying to get them lined up in rows and dancing for five minutes,” says Greg Donovan, founder of the Big Red Bash, held July 4-6.

Helen Taylor, co-founder of the Australian Book of Records, caught all the action.

“Everyone was in the spirit of things today. It was the best I’ve ever seen,” she recounts. “We had people on crutches dancing, there was a girl dancing the Nutbush and hula hooping at the same time.”

The record-setting effort also raised more than A$100,000 for charitable causes.

Australia has a deep, lasting connection with Turner. Her extraordinary solo comeback in 1984 was engineered by Roger Davies, the great Australian artist manager who has guided the careers of Pink, Olivia Newton-John, Janet Jackson, Cher and many others.

The rock icon also starred as Auntie Entity in 1985’s Beyond Thunderdome, the third in George Miller’s Mad Max action movie franchise, and from 1989 to 1995, Turner was the face of the National Rugby League (then the New South Wales Rugby League or NSWRL). Followers of the sport remember Turner as “The Queen of Rugby League.”

Turner died May 24, at the age of 83.

11 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Set For Big Splash on U.K. Singles Chart

It’s unlikely to be a Swift Sweep, though Taylor Swift is on track to land three singles in the U.K. top 10.

With Swift’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) crushing the midweek U.K. albums chart, a trio of her singles are well-placed at the halfway stage.

Based on sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, Swift’s Lover single “Cruel Summer” could hold at No. 5; “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version)” is tracking to become the highest new entry, at No. 6; and “Mine (Taylor’s Version)” is close behind, new at No. 8.

As previously reported, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the third in TayTay’s rerecorded “Version” series, is currently outselling the rest of the top 10 combined. Good luck to anyone chasing it. If the second half of the chart week plays out as expected, Swift will snag her 10th consecutive U.K. No. 1 album.

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None of Swift’s singles have the legs of Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter,” which leads the race once again. “Sprinter” is on its way to a sixth straight week at No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart; it leads an unchanged top three on the chart blast, ahead of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” and J Hus featuring Drake’s “Who Told You,” respectively.

Meanwhile, Kylie Minogue’s infectious hit “Padam Padam” is upwardly mobile, and could sneak back into the top 10, at No. 9, while Jorja Smith’s “Little Things” (No. 13); the Weeknd, Madonna and Playboi Carti’s “Popular” (No. 14); Gunna’s “Fukumean” (No. 16) and Tom Grennan’s “How Does It Feel” (No. 17) are on the rise.

All will be revealed when the weekly chart is published this Friday (July 14).

10 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift’s ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ Is Currently Outselling Rest of U.K. Top 10

Taylor Swift is in complete control of the U.K. chart race with Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the third instalment of her “Version” LPs.

Based on midweek sales and streaming data captured by the Official Charts Company, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) has already accumulated 48,0000 combined units (sales and streams), to lead the Official Chart Update.

It’s highly unlikely Swift can be caught. The new set, a rerecording of her third album, 2010’s Speak Now, is outselling the rest of the top 10 combined, the OCC reports.

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Should it hold its spot when the chart proper is published, Swift would nab a tenth consecutive U.K. No. 1. That feat stretches over a little more than a decade, and would extend Swift’s lead as the female solo artist with the second most No. 1 albums in U.K. chart history, behind only Madonna, with 12.

Swift’s chart domination is especially impressive when considering her U.K. leg of The Eras Tour is booked for almost a year from now. Anticipation is sky-high for her live shows in Australia, where Swift currently locks up the entire top five on the ARIA Chart, a never-seen-before phenomenon.

Coming in at a distant No. 2 on the U.K. chart blast is Wham’s retrospective The Singles: Echoes From The Edge of Heaven, which benefits from the debut of the ‘80s pop duo’s Netflix documentary. Echoes should give Wham, comprised of the late George Michael with Andrew Ridgeley, their sixth top 10 album as a duo.

Completing the podium at the midweek stage is California soul trio Gabriels’ debut set Angels & Queens, new at No. 3, while iconic British singer and songwriter PJ Harvey’s I Inside The Old Year Dying is on course to become her first top 10 in seven years (the last was The Hope Six Demolition Project, which summited in 2016). Dying is new at No. 4 on the midweek survey.

Also eying top 10 berths are D-Block Europe’s fresh mixtape DBE World, at No.7, and the Pigeon Detectives’ TV Show, at No. 10, for what could become the alternative rock band their first top 10 showing since 2008.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday (July 14).

10 Jul 2023

88rising and Cube Entertainment Partnership Begins With (G)I-DLE’s English Single ‘I DO’: Exclusive

With a refreshingly fearless attitude in their self-crafted smash singles, one of which was the No. 1 K-pop song of last year as chosen by Billboard critics, (G)I-DLE has become creative leaders in the latest generation of South Korean–pop acts. Now, the girl group takes another big step to stay ahead of the pack.

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Billboard can exclusively reveal a new partnership between Asian-focused music and media company 88rising and K-pop mega-label and management agency Cube Entertainment that officially begins via a new single from the latter’s chart-topping girl group.

Releasing this week, “I DO” comes as the K-Pop Stars to Watch‘s first-ever original English single. The heartfelt mid-tempo strikes a noticeably different chord than the group’s recent string of brash and bold bangers like “Queencard,” “Nxde” and “Tomboy” and shines via a sweet, emotional and easy-to-sing-along-to vocal performance from members Soyeon, Minnie, Miyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua. Cube and 88rising confirm that “I DO” is the first track off HEAT, the name of (G)I-DLE’s upcoming EP co-executive produced by 88rising via the collaboration.

“We’re very excited about the release of HEAT, which will be our first EP fully in English,” says Woohyung Ahn, CEO of Cube Entertainment, to note the company’s first original English-language project in its nearly 17-year history. “HEAT is all about being confident and bringing the spirit of an endless summer with you wherever you go. We hope that the release of HEAT will allow us to bring the message and mission of (G)I-DLE to the whole world.”

“We’ve been a fan of (G)-IDLE for a long time because, creatively, they are so in tune and involved with the music and stuff they put out,” adds 88rising CEO and founder Sean Miyashrio. “That was something to me that was refreshing about the group that I always felt. I was just like, ‘Wow, they really know what they want to do which is really important—it makes the process so much more meaningful when there is such a firm belief and point of view the artists have and I felt really honored that they would be open to collaborate with us.”

88rising executive vice president John Yang shares, “When we met (G)I-DLE members, they were just so full of excitement and positivity; their energy is contagious—it’s something I haven’t experienced before and, naturally, we just got really excited about what we could do together.”

Cube noted 88rising’s “in-depth knowledge about the music industry” and strength in “A&R and creative infrastructure” throughout the collaboration process, while Yang specifically highlighted (G)I-DLE’s 24-year-old leader and primary songwriter and producer. “Soyeon knows what she wants and thinks of every member in so much detail for every song from the delivery of the vocal to the tone and the overall cadence of the song—she truly is a genius.”

While 88rising has bulked up its roster with signings from the K-pop space like LØREN, Jackson Wang, BIBI, Chung Ha and Seori in recent years, Miyashrio notes this EP has been in the works for a year after their initial introduction.

“Just like I need to have a real connection with the artists and projects we work on…we just got to work, simple as that,” the 88rising CEO and founder says. “(G)I-DLE are super confident and have a great understanding of who they are and what they want to do. At the end of the day, we just want to support what already is such a force however we can; that’s what makes all of this fulfilling.”

“I DO” drops on Thursday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET (Friday, July 14 at 9 a.m. KST) alongside an official music video. Meanwhile, HEAT releases globally on Thursday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m ET. Pre-order for the record will go live alongside the release of “I DO.”

10 Jul 2023

Sweetest Friendship Bracelet Moments at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour

Taylor Swift encouraged fans to “make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it” in her Midnights track, “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” and Swifties did just that.

Trading colorful, beaded friendship bracelets has officially become a fun activity for attendees of Swift’s sweeping Eras stadium tour, with fans taking to social media to show off their arms full of fun bracelets that make references to various Swift songs, album eras, inside jokes among fans and lyrics.

While how the trend started seems to be in direct reference to the lyrics of Swift’s Midnights track, the multi-Grammy winner also shared an arm full of friendship bracelets to Instagram in 2019, leading up to the release of her Lover album. Her bracelets included references to her love of cats (including her youngest feline Benjamin Button), her 2008 album Fearless, support for the LGBTQIA+ community and, of course, Lover.

The trend has become so widespread just two months into the tour, that even celebrities have been joining in on the fun. Everyone from Sabrina Carpenter, Gigi Hadid and Jennifer Lawrence to Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Aaron Dessner and even Swift herself have been spotted accepting friendship bracelets from Swifties, and have even taken to social media to show off their colorful arm candy.

In honor of the friendship bracelets that have taken over the Eras tour, we’ve compiled all of the best moments featuring the trend, including celebrity participants and some seriously creative references. See them below.

10 Jul 2023

Demi Lovato Teases ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ Rock Version Featuring Slash

Demi Lovato is out here lookin’ like revenge, feeling like a ten on Monday (July 10), announcing that they’re unveiling a rock version of their 2017 pop hit, “Sorry Not Sorry.”

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The 30-year-old superstar teased the track — which features Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash, on her Instagram Stories — and while the lyrics are the same, “Sorry Not Sorry” got a edgy twist thanks to the guitar legend’s riffs and Lovato’s unbridled vocals.

See the tease before it disappears here.

Upon its original release in 2017, “Sorry Not Sorry” peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, marking her highest-charting hit. The track spent an impressive 36 total weeks on the tally.

“Sorry Not Sorry” follows a string of rock-ified versions of Lovato’s prior hits. The star dropped an amped-up, guitar-centered version of their 2013 hit “Heart Attack” back in March, and followed it up with a rock version of “Cool for the Summer” in May.

Following the “Heart Attack” release, the singer explained they wanted a new version of the song that was more representative of the rock music presented on their most recent album, Holy Fvck. “I’m so happy to be able to give a new life to ‘Heart Attack’ with a sound that reflects where I am with my music,” Lovato said in a press release.

10 Jul 2023

Here’s What Billy Joel Thinks of Fall Out Boy’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’ Update

Billy Joel’s history-filled, 1989 hit “We Didn’t Start the Fire” got a modern-day update thanks to Fall Out Boy, and now the OG is giving his thoughts.

In a new interview with BBC Radio2 this week, Joel said that he has heard the new verses. “Everybody’s been wanting to know when there’s going to be an updated version of it, because my song started in ’49 and ended in ’89 — it was a 40 year span. Everybody said, ‘Well, aren’t you going to do a part two?’ I said, ‘Nah, I’ve already done part one.’ So, Fall Our Boy, go ahead. Great, take it away.”

While Joel’s track was filled to the brim with pop-culture headlines from the middle of the 20th Century to 1989, Fall Out Boy took over from there and continued the references from 1989 to the present. Taylor Swift — who was born in 1989 — is mentioned alongside Kanye West who notoriously grabbed the microphone from her at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.

Among the many other references in the updated version are Woodstock ’99, Fyre Fest, Harry Potter, Twilight, Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man, Stranger Things, Avatar, SpongeBob SquarePants, Pokemon, MySpace and many more.

Listen to Billy Joel’s thoughts on “We Didn’t Start the Fire” part two below.

10 Jul 2023

Hayley Williams Calls Taylor Swift ‘My Hero’ After ‘Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)’ Breaks Spotify Record

Taylor Swift is Hayley Williams‘ hero — literally. Following the release of the pop star’s Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), the Paramore frontwoman took to Instagram to share the most recent of her friend’s many accomplishments.

Williams reposted an article to her Instagram Stories that reported Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) is officially the most streamed country album in a single day in Spotify’s history. In simple text, Williams wrote, “there goes my hero” — a reference to Foo Fighters’ 1998 hit “My Hero,” which Paramore recently performed alongside the band for the June 18 finale of this year’s Bonnaroo festival.

The streaming feat also serves as a boost for Williams, who is featured on the “From the Vault” track “Castles Crumbling” on Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). After Swift announced that Williams would be on the album, Williams took to Instagram to share her memories with the pop star and of listening to the album upon its release in 2010.

“Taylor was the first industry friend I ever made and hung out with outside of work things. When Speak Now dropped, I bought my friend’s record (as you do!) and listened to the whole thing in my first car, sitting still in the driveway. It’s my favorite Taylor Swift album for so many reasons,” the singer wrote, captioning a photo of Swift roller skating at Williams’ 21st birthday party.

Williams continued, “I wish I could go back to this moment at my 21st birthday and tell her one day she’ll legitimately own Speak Now and we’ll get to sing together on one of the songs.”

See Williams’ post about Swift below.