Music

12 Jun 2023

Cardi B Shows Off Her Booty to Celebrate ‘Put It on da Floor’ Success

Cardi B is fresh off the release of putting her spin on a remix of Latto‘s “Put It On Da Floor,” and now she’s shaking what her mama gave her to celebrate.

The “Bodak Yellow” rapper took to Twitter on Monday (June 12) to share a brief video in which her bottom is seen on full display underneath a minidress, as she spanks herself a few times. “YALL DID THAT !!! Put it on the floor then !!” she captioned the post.

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While Cardi didn’t specify what the video is in reference to, “Put It on da Floor Again” earned an impressive 3.92 million U.S. on-demand streams last Friday, a 554% increase from the previous day’s streams, according to Luminate. 

The Grammy-winning rapper has been bringing the heat to social media in recent weeks, as she took to Instagram last week to welcome summer with a sizzling series of photos, in which she’s seen rocking a sleek white one-piece swimsuit with cut outs on the sides. She also recently teased some exciting things on the way. “You guys can expect a lot from me this summer,” she told Rolling Stone, which added that Cardi was specifically referring to music and other projects. “I promise,” she added. A new album would mark her first full-length project since her 2018 debut, Invasion of Privacy.

See Cardi’s bootylicious post below.

12 Jun 2023

Shawn Mendes Says ‘What the Hell Are We Dying For?’ Came From a Place of ‘Struggling’ Musically

Shawn Mendes released his new single “What the Hell Are We Dying For?” within 24 hours of making it, and the pop star sat down with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to discuss the inspiration behind the heartbroken track.

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“I feel like over the last year and a bit, I’ve just been really struggling in the studio to find my voice and to find myself musically and to even have the courage just to be in the room with writers or step into the booth and sing,” he explained. “I was upstate New York and just on the back end of feeling a lot of things about relationships, about my career, about the environment. I was in the studio and this moment of just deep frustration came over me and I finally started to feel this inspiration come. Honestly, in that moment, it felt like it was the first time I felt that in a year and a half in the studio.”

He continued, “I think I had this feeling of urgency, this feeling of honestly excitement, this feeling of connection — this feeling of this is me right now, this is how I feel right now. […] I think we were up there in New York, the sky was orange, the air was thick and the words were flowing and this happened. In hindsight, it was scary. I woke up in the morning and I was like, “Wow, what did I do?” I think it was a good thing for me to do for myself. I had to dive into the deep end. Otherwise, I would’ve sat there for years questioning myself… and I think it wraps around to just, what is it that we care about in life? Who do we care about? What’s worth it? Why do we show up the way we do?”

As the song came on the heels of smoke in the New York skyline due to Canadian wildfires, Mendes revealed upon the song’s release that he’s donating to the Canadian Red Cross to provide relief those impacted.

The song marks his return to music after Mendes postponed, then cancelled a planned 2022 North American/European tour to focus on his mental health. “If I’m being completely honest, I feel a little confused about everything still,” Mendes explained of his current mindset. “I think a little bit, just all over the place. I feel aware of how people are receiving the song. I feel aware of the fact that I did it on a whim and I’m proud of it. But most of all, honestly, if I’m being real, I’m just happy that I broke through that horrible wall of writer’s block and I’m creating again. I’m just happy about that. And I’m just going to keep going, keep making some songs because I really think that there’s something in here.

Listen to the full interview here.

12 Jun 2023

Peso Pluma Sings Dembow in ‘Plebada’: Here’s How El Alfa Made It Happen

Peso Pluma has managed to take over the Billboard charts with his signature corrido sound. Very few times has he done it stepping out of his realm like in Yng Lvcas’ reggaeton hit “La Bebe (Remix).” Now, he’s also experimenting with dembow in El Alfa’s “Plebada.” 

The track, named after the Mexican slang word for a group of friends, is mainly an infectious dembow that later fuses traditional Regional Mexican trombone rhythms. Both Alfa and La Doble P throw around words and phrases that are popular in their respective countries — The Dominican Republic and Mexico — such as “morras” (girls) and “teteo” (party).

The surprising collaboration began when Peso was vacationing on the Caribbean island. “He was five days in The Dominican Republic and he loved it,” El Alfa told Billboard exclusively at the 2023 Heat Latin Music Awards (Premios Heat).

“The first time Peso Pluma saw a rainbow was here and I am happy that I shared it with him,” he continued when they met in person. “Immediately he told me ‘Do you have anything? What [songs] do you have to do?’ and the [collaboration] was born. Peso Pluma added the trombone in the song.” 

On Instagram, the rising Mexican act said: “Long live the culture. Latinos controlling the world.” 

For now, El Alfa only has plans of promoting “Plebada,” performing for the first time at Rolling Loud and hitting the road with his La Leyenda del Dembow U.S. Tour—including a sold-out show at the coveted Madison Square Garden in New York on October 21.

“The tour is the most important thing. I’m very happy, it’s selling a lot of tickets. We’ve already sold over 3,000 tickets for every show,” he notes. “I’m going through the best moment of my career, I continue to climb the level.”

12 Jun 2023

Golden Globes Acquired by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge

Dick Clark Productions (DCP) and Eldridge have acquired all the Golden Globes’ assets, rights and properties from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The transaction will result in the wind-down of the HFPA and its membership. The proceeds from the transaction, plus the existing resources of the HFPA, will transition into a newly-formed Golden Globe Foundation that will continue the HFPA’s legacy of entertainment-related charitable giving.

As part of the transaction, DCP and its partners will plan, host and produce the annual Golden Globe Awards show and pursue commercial opportunities for the Golden Globes across the globe. The 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards is set to take place on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024.

“We are excited to close on this much anticipated, member-approved transaction and transition from a member-led organization to a commercial enterprise,” said former HFPA president Helen Hoehne.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the Golden Globes,” Eldgridge chairman Todd Boehly said in a statement. “My partners at DCP and I are grateful to Helen and team for their commitment to the successful implementation of a robust approach to governance, the expansion of the diverse and international voting body, implementing a professional, safe, and accountable environment, and trusting new ownership with a new direction for the Globes.”

“As stewards of the Golden Globe Awards, our mission is to continue creating the most dynamic awards ceremony on live television viewed across the world,” Jay Penske, CEO/chairman/founder of Penske Media and CEO of DCP, said in a statement. “We have a great team in place to grow this iconic brand and captivate new and existing audiences to celebrate the very best in television and motion pictures.”

The Golden Globe Awards will be controlled by DCP, the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming.

A premier entertainment award since 1944, the annual Golden Globes honors achievements in both television and film. Over the last three decades, licensing fees from the ceremony have enabled donations of more than $55 million to entertainment-related charities including scholarship programs, film restoration projects and humanitarian efforts. This funding has also supported diverse programs in partnership with advocacy groups aimed at promoting greater access in Hollywood for underserved communities.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is a part-owner of dick clark productions and has a partnership with Eldridge.

12 Jun 2023

American Rock Singer Detained By Russian Officials On Drug Charge 

An American musician with the Russian rock group LoviNoch (Catch the Night) has been arrested in Moscow on suspicion of drug trafficking, according to media reports.

Michael Travis Leake, whose Instagram account identifies him as the band’s singer (his last post was on Feb. 3), is suspected of selling mephedrone, a drug with similar effects to cocaine and MDMA, CNN and the Associated Press reported, citing Russian media reports and a statement on Telegram from a Moscow.

Leake faces charges for the distribution or production of drugs, which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. A Moscow court has ordered him to be held for two months in pre-trial detention, the reports say.

CNN reported that Russian media outlets, including Ren TV, a tabloid outlet, published a video of Leake’s arrest at his home and a mug shot from a Russian police station on Thursday (June 8). “I don’t understand why I’m here. I don’t admit guilt, I don’t believe I could have done what I’m accused of because I don’t know what I’m accused of,” Leake reportedly said.

A former paratrooper with the U.S. military who has lived in Moscow since 2010, Leake appeared on a 2014 episode of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown in Moscow and St. Petersburg after being handpicked by Bourdain to appear on the show. In the episode, he half-joked that the KGB was listening in on their conversation and tailing Bourdain.

The episode’s producer, Darya Tarasova, told CNN that Leake and his friends were vocal critics of Russian state censorship and advocates for free speech in the country.

The U.S. State Department confirmed Leake’s detention in a statement sent to Billboard, with a spokesperson writing, “The Department of State takes seriously its commitment to assist U.S. citizens abroad. It is our standard practice to reach out to the families of U.S. citizens detained overseas as soon as we are provided permission by the individual. We have attempted to reach out to Mr. Leake’s family. We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance to Mr. Leake and his family.”

On Sunday, the State Department told CNN that U.S. embassy officials had attended Leake’s arraignment the day prior. “We will continue to monitor the case closely,” a State Department spokesperson told the outlet.

Leake is the latest American to be detained by Russian officials since the country’s military forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Punitive economic sanctions by the United States and its Western allies have further strained tensions with Russia. 

In another drug-related case, WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested the month of the invasion after vape canisters containing cannabis oil were found in her luggage at a Moscow airport. A Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison, but she was released in December in exchange for U.S.-imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

And in March, Russian officials detained Wall Street Journal correspondent Evan Gershkovich, accusing him of espionage, which he denies. On May 23, a Russian court extended his arrest by three months.

12 Jun 2023

Latin Touring Dads: Who Are You Excited to See in Concert In 2023? Vote!

This year, a wave of Latin music dads are either already on tour or about to hit the road, and with Father’s Day approaching, Billboard is asking readers to vote for their favorite Latin touring dad.

In the list are 25 talented and loving fathers, starting with Alejandro Sanz, whose Sanz en Vivo Tour, produced by Loud And Live, kicks off Sept. 16 in Puerto Rico. The 11-date stint marks Sanz’s first return to the U.S. since the pandemic. I expect this comeback will be filled with a lot of love, magic, and good energy. Let’s enjoy music,” he said in a press statement. 

Dominican artist El Alfa, father of two kids, recently announced his La Leyenda del Dembow Tour with 10 confirmed U.S cities including a sold-out show at the coveted Madison Square Garden in New York on October 21. 

Another newly-announced trek is the Trilogy Tour (produced by Live Nation), where hitmakers Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, and Pitbull will visit 19 North American arenas. “It’s a true honor to tour with Enrique and Ricky, two music icons who broke global music barriers for our culture and opened doors for someone like myself,” Pitbull (born Armando Christian Perez) expressed in a statement. 

Additionally on the Latin Touring Dad fan-voted poll are Carlos Vives, Luis Miguel, Marco Antonio Solís, Romeo Santos, Piso 21 (all four members are fathers), and future dad Christian Nodal, to name a few.

Who are you excited to see live in concert this year? Vote below!

12 Jun 2023

Before He Was Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi Helped Launch the Careers of Popular Italian Musicians 

Silvio Berlusconi, the billionaire Italian entrepreneur and former prime minister who died Monday (June 12) in Milan at age 86, will be remembered as one of Italy’s most controversial leaders. But before his career in politics, record labels he formed in the 1980s and 1990s helped launch the careers of popular Italian artists like Cristina D’Avena, Sabrina Salerno, Ambra Angiolini and Francesco Salvi.

In the 1950s, Berlusconi performed as a young crooner on cruise ships, where he met his friend and lifetime professional partner Fedele Confalonieri, who would later become chairman of Mediaset, Berlusconi’s media giant.

Music played a big role in the origins of his media empire. In the 1980s and 1990s, Berlusconi was an influential executive in the Italian music industry. In 1981, after founding Fininvest, the holding company that owned Mediaset, he launched his first record company, Five Record (renamed RTI Music in 1991).

Inspired by American songwriters, French chansonniers and the melancholic, existentialistic style of singers and songwriters from Genoa, the label initially commercialized the theme songs of the TV series and programs broadcasted by Mediaset, from cartoons to variety shows, from quiz shows to telenovelas. Then it expanded and released albums by Italian artists such as Gino Paoli, Orietta Berti, Patty Pravo and Bruno Lauzi.

Within such a wide artistic spectrum, Berlusconi’s enterprises launched the careers of artists who quickly became immensely popular (and transgenerational) in Italy: D’Avena, Angiolini, Salvi, Sabrina Salerno (her song “Boys” became a hit in Europe), Lorella Cuccarini, Giorgio Faletti and singer/comedian Fiorello.

Five Record had a strong connection with dance music. Take Change, an Italo-disco project produced by Italian musician and arranger Mauro Malavasi, saw their album The Glow of Love (1980) reach No. 29 on the Billboard 200 — a first for an Italian dance production.

The label also released Joe Smooth’s “Promised Land” in Italy and works from Double Dee (house music from Ancona, Italy) and Novecento.

After leaving office in 2011, Belusconi briefly revived his music career, releasing a new album, True Love, with longtime musical collaborator Mariano Apicella. The three-time Italian premier didn’t sing on the album but co-wrote all 11 songs, which were a collection of love songs and jazz arrangements.

Berlusconi’s biggest success in the music industry was D’Avena, the queen of theme songs for cartoons in Italy. In a career spanning 40 years, D’Avena has stayed relevant and sold more than 7 million copies of singles and albums, including compilations such as Fivelandia and Cristina D’Avena con i suoi amici in TV. The single “Kiss Me Licia” alone sold over 200,000 copies, reached No. 7 on the Italian chart and was certified Gold.

D’Avena’s biggest hit was “Canzone dei Puffi,” the theme song of the Italian version of The Smurfs cartoon. Released in 1982, it sold 500,000 copies and became her first Gold record.

“I always hoped this moment wouldn’t come,” D’Avena tells Billboard Italy about Berlusconi’s passing. “To me, he was immortal. But watching his last interviews you could tell that he was sick. … I’m feeling a huge loss. … An important piece of our country is gone.”

12 Jun 2023

Foo Fighters, Florence + The Machine, A$AP Rocky Lead Spotify’s Cannes Lions Lineup

Foo Fighters, A$AP Rocky, Florence + The Machine and Jack Harlow will headline Spotify’s performance lineup at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival, set to take place in the South of France from Monday, June 19 to Thursday, June 22.

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Florence + The Machine and Harlow are scheduled to play Spotify Beach next Tuesday night (June 20), with DJ sets that evening from Black Eyed Peas leader Will.I.am and rising South Africa-based producer Uncle Waffles. The following night, Foo Fighters and A$AP Rocky will take the stage, with British duo Disclosure also offering a DJ set.

Spotify’s Cannes Lions programming will kick off next Monday night with an intimate performance from H.E.R., as well as a DJ set from the Collyer Twins. Taylah Elaine will also be spinning as the house DJ through the week.

In addition to the musical performances, Spotify will host conversations and masterclasses through next week, including sessions with Emma Chamberlain, Alex Cooper and soccer star Cesc Fàbregas. There will also be a discussion between Spotify CEO/cofounder Daniel Ek and comedian Trevor Noah.

Last year’s Spotify Cannes Lions lineup included Kendrick Lamar, Dua Lipa and Post Malone, among others. For Foo Fighters, who debuted at No. 8 on this week’s Billboard 200 chart with new album But Here We Are, the Cannes Lions performance will follow select tour dates as well as festival headlining performances at Boston Calling and this weekend’s Bonnaroo. Florence + The Machine are swinging by Cannes during their ongoing European tour.

12 Jun 2023

Bizarrap & Peso Pluma’s ‘Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55’ Blasts to No. 1 on Global Excl. U.S. Chart

Bizarrap and Peso Pluma’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55” vaults to No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart (dated June 17). The song debuted a week earlier at No. 54 and soars to the top following its first full week of tracking. It’s the second song in Bizarrap’s “Sessions” series to rule the ranking, after “Vol. 52,” with Quevedo, dominated for six weeks in July-September 2022.

Meanwhile, Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” adds a fifth week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart, having become the ranking’s first leader for the regional Mexican genre.

Notably, Peso Pluma becomes the first act to lead the lists simultaneously with different songs.

Plus, Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” debuts at No. 8 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 9 on the Global 200.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which started in September 2020, rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the United States.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

‘55’ = No. 1 on Global Excl. U.S.

“Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55” by Bizarrap, from Argentina, and Peso Pluma, from Mexico, skyrockets to No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 64.9 million streams outside the U.S. June 2-8, the song’s first full tracking week following its May 31 release. The corrido debuted a week earlier at No. 54 – and makes the biggest jump to the summit in the survey’s archives.

“Vol. 55” is the second song in Bizarrap’s “Sessions” series to rule Global Excl. U.S., after “Vol. 52,” with Quevedo, reigned for six weeks in July-September 2022. The songs mark Bizarrap’s two No. 1s on the chart, while Peso Pluma earns his first leader on the list. (Each act adds a third top 10.)

In between “Vol. 52” and “Vol. 55,” Bizarrap’s “Vol. 53,” with Shakira, hit No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S. this January and “Vol. 54,” with Arcangel, reached No. 22 in April. Seventeen songs in Bizarrap’s “Sessions” series have now secured a spot on the tally, among 20 charted titles by the DJ/producer. “Vol. 36,” with Nathy Peluso, became the first such entry, in December 2020.

YOASOBI’s “Idol” dips to No. 2 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, a week after it became the first song originally performed in Japanese to top the tally; Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” falls 2-3. after two weeks on top; Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” rises 5-4, after reaching No. 2; and Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe” retreats 3-5, after four weeks at its No. 2 high.

Elsewhere in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” races onto the chart at No. 8, with 39.7 million streams and 1,000 sold outside the U.S. The collaboration marks the first top 10 on the survey for each London-born rapper. It also launches at No. 1 on the Official UK Singles chart.

‘Ella Baila Sola’ Holds Atop Global 200

Eslabon Armado and Peso Pluma’s “Ella Baila Sola” leads the Billboard Global 200 for a fifth week, with 76.2 million streams (down 1%) and 2,000 sold (down 11%) worldwide June 2-8.

With Bizarrap’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 55” atop Global Excl. U.S. and “Ella Baila Sola” leading the Global 200, Peso Pluma makes history as the first act to top the charts simultaneously with different songs.

“Vol. 55” opens at No. 2 on the Global 200, with 78.3 million streams and 1,000 sold worldwide. Bizarrap and Peso Pluma each post a third top 10 on the chart.

Fifty Fifty’s “Cupid” is steady at No. 3 on the Global 200, after reaching No. 2; Bad Bunny’s “Where She Goes” rebounds 5-4, two weeks after it bounded in at No. 1; and Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma’s “La Bebe” drops to No. 5 from its No. 2 best.

Plus, Dave and Central Cee’s “Sprinter” debuts at No. 9 on the Global 200, led by 44.4 million streams worldwide. As on Global Excl. U.S., the track is the first top 10 on the Global 200 for each artist.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated June 17, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (June 13). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard’s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

Additional reporting by Pamela Bustios.

12 Jun 2023

Matt Gaetz & John Rich React to Garth Brooks’ Decision to Sell Bud Light at His Bar

Last week, Garth Brooks took the stage at Billboard Country Live, where he had a wide-ranging discussion with Billboard’s executive editor, West Coast and Nashville, Melinda Newman.

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“I know this sounds corny,” the country superstar said of his upcoming Friends In Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk in Nashville. “I want it to be the Chick-fil-A of honky-tonks … I want it to be a place you feel safe in, I want it to be a place where you feel like there are manners and people like one another. And yes, we’re going to serve every brand of beer. We just are. It’s not our decision to make. Our thing is this, if you [are let] into this house, love one another. If you’re an a–hole, there are plenty of other places on lower Broadway.” 

Brooks’ comments come following Kid Rock, Ted Nugent and Travis Tritt all calling for a boycott of Bud Light and Anheuser-Busch products following their partnership with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.

After Billboard Country Live, a number of public figures had thoughts on Brooks’ opinion, including Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz. “I’m sure glad we have Garth Brooks to tell us who is and isn’t an a–hole,” he tweeted on Saturday (June 10). “Question, tho: Does it make someone an asshole if they cheat on their spouse, write a song about it with their paramour, and then publish the duet with THAT VERY paramour? Or does that make for a good person, righteous in their moral preening?”

He posted an accompanying photo of Brooks’ wife Trisha Yearwood’s 1997 track, “In Another’s Eyes,” implying that the country star cheated on his ex-wife Sandy Mahl — whom he divorced from in 2001 — with Yearwood. Billboard has reached out to Brooks’ reps for more information.

While not as aggressive as Gaetz, country singer John Rich also weighed in about the topic to Fox News Digital. “Garth Brooks has always been the guy that that said, ‘everybody come to my show,’” he said. “It’s something that we love about Garth. You know, he makes his music for everybody. And that really is what music is about. You’re making your music for everybody. Beer’s for everybody, too.”

Rich continued, “If Garth is serving Bud Light in his bar, that’s fine. Garth can do that. Garth might find out not many people are going to order it and at the end of the day, you have to put things in your establishment that people are going to purchase if you’re going to run a successful business. So, he might find that out.”

He concluded that Brooks “probably sees the pain and division that’s going on in the country and wants to try to help that.”