Music

11 May 2023

Ice Spice: Photos From the Billboard Cover Shoot

At the beginning of 2021 — a year before she introduced herself to the world as Ice Spice, with her signature cinnamon curly afro ­— Isis Gaston wrapped her hair into two braids and tucked them underneath a silk scarf. Wearing a black lounge set, she smiled for the camera while a sample of Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” faded into the background and the hook of “Buss It,” rapper Erica Banks’ breakout 2020 single, started. The clip cut, and Gaston, now clad in a teal cut-out dress, dropped it low and twerked with her long, light brown locks cascading over her frame.

The viral video was just one of millions from the “Buss It” TikTok challenge, which helped Banks earn her first Billboard Hot 100 entry, a Travis Scott remix and a partnership with Warner Records in conjunction with her own label, 1501 Certified Entertainment. But for the then-21-year-old Gaston, who was just mustering the courage to record her own music, the TikTok trend and the way it boosted Banks’ career seemed like something she could achieve, too.

“It was so funny — I was already working on my first song ever that I was recording. I had already wrote little raps and sh-t before that, [but] it took me a lot to get to recording. I was halfway done with it when I did the ‘Buss It’ challenge. When I saw it going so viral, I was like, ‘Damn, imagine that was my song I was twerking to,’ ” she recalls today with a chuckle. “The next month, I put out my first song and took it from there.”

Read the full cover story here.

11 May 2023

Ed Sheeran ‘Would Love to Transition Into Country’

A week after winning his landmark copyright case, Ed Sheeran is celebrating by playing the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in Frisco, Texas tonight. Though only announced Tuesday (May 9), his appearance has been in the works for a few weeks when an unrevealed artist invited him to play together. 

That artist and their performance are a secret, but Sheeran is also playing “Life Goes On,” from his new album – (Subtract).

If he has it his way, Sheeran will be making a lot more country music. “I talk about this to my wife all the time. I would love to transition into country,” he tells Billboard backstage at the Ford Center at The Star at Frisco following rehearsal. “I love the culture of it, I just love the songwriting. It’s just like brilliant songs.” 

Sheeran considers himself a major country music fan. He’s lived in Nashville twice for extended periods of time in 2013 and 2018 and found himself very inspired by the local songwriters. “It’s like a community. There’s not really a place in Europe where you could point and say, ‘That’s the home of songwriting,’” he says. “It’s not just for country music. Nashville is just a hub of incredible songwriters, incredible performers. And I really felt inspired just being there being around everyone.”

He has Taylor Swift to thank for turning him on to country music. “I’d never really listened to country music as a kid growing up. It was only being on Taylor’s Red tour and living in Nashville and her basically introducing me to that side of it.”

Now he’s a convert, adding that “there’s a radio station in England called [CountryLine Radio] that me and my wife have on all day, every day in the kitchen.”

As country grows in popularity internationally, he predicts more artists experiencing global success. “Luke Combs could probably play a stadium in England. I think if he put on Wembley [Stadium] next summer, he could sell it.” (Combs, who is on a world tour, already has two O2 Arena dates in London on his October calendar.)

As Sheeran celebrates his May 4 copyright victory during which a jury ruled that his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” did not copy Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On,”  he hopes that his willingness to fight instead of settle helps other songwriters, though he admits it may take some time to change the current culture where such suits have “become a big money business,” he says. 

“But the more that people step up and fight, the less it’s going to happen because the reason it has become a culture and a big money business is because of the threat of it. And so, people settle because they don’t want to spend a lot of money on lawyers and take time out,” he says. “I took time out of promoting my album two weeks, I spent a lot of money on lawyers to prove my innocence. And I think that if that happens more and more and more, it’ll just stop people thinking that they can just do a hit and run basically.”

11 May 2023

Keanu Reeves’ Dogstar Collared For 2023 BottleRock Napa Valley Fest

Dogstar has its day.

Keanu Reeves’ grunge-era band will mark their return to the stage on Saturday, May 27, with a performance at the 2023 BottleRock Napa Valley music festival.

When bassist Reeves, guitarist/vocalist Bret Domrose and drummer Rob Mailhouse take their positions in Northern California’s wine country, they’ll unleash “brand new songs,” organizers say.


BottleRock Napa Valley will provide Dogstar their first major performance in decades, and follows a low-key reunion last summer. “We are over the moon,” the band says of their booking.

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During their brief but bright run, Dogstar captured a lot of media attention due to Reeves’ participation, beginning with the release of their four-track EP Quattro Formaggi in 1996 after several years of playing gigs in the U.S. and overseas; a full-length album, Our Little Visionary, was only released in Japan.

The group toured the world, nabbed a spot at Glastonbury Festival, opened for David Bowie, and warmed up for Bon Jovi on a lap of Australia. A date in Japan in 2002 would be their last, before the bandmembers went their separate ways.

Another album, 1999’s Happy Ending, would prove to be their swansong as all three moved on to other projects.

Dogstar began teasing a return last July with a throwback snap from their prime and the message, “We’re back.”

That began nearly a year of periodic updates about the in-process recordings sessions with producer Dave Trumfio, including video of Reeves transposing arrangements and a post from August describing a “deep, layered, lush” record on the horizon.

Back in 2019, Reeves spoke with GQ magazine about Dogstar and what he suspects is the general feeling about his side project. “I guess it would have helped if our band was better,” he said at the time.

11 May 2023

Paris Is Chosen as Host City for 2023 MTV EMAs

The MTV EMAs will be held in Paris for the first time since 1995. The show will be broadcast live on MTV globally on Sunday, Nov. 5.

The last time the show was held in France, French President Emmanuel Macron was just 17. That 1995 show took place at the Le Zénith in Paris and was hosted by fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier.

“The MTV EMAs is one of the biggest nights in music globally, and this year we’ll continue its legacy of delivering iconic performances and recognizing music’s brightest stars,” Bruce Gillmer, president of music, music talent, programming & events, Paramount, and chief content officer, music, Paramount+, said in a statement. “Paris is a culture-rich city celebrated across the world for its incredible music, art and fashion, and at this year’s show we’ll unite massive talent from a local and global level reaching fans everywhere for a supercharged, music experience that only MTV can provide.”

Gillmer and Richard Godfrey are executive producers for the 2023 MTV EMAs. Debbie Phillips is producer.

Last year’s show was held at the PSD Bank Dome in Düsseldorf, Germany. Rita Ora and Oscar-winning filmmaker Taika Waititi served as co-hosts. Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” won best song. Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well: The Short Film” took best video.

The show has moved among 23 European cities since its inaugural broadcast in 1994. London is the only city to have hosted the show three times. Paris joins Berlin, Rotterdam, Milan and Frankfurt as cities that have hosted the show twice.

Host, venue and program details for this year’s show will be shared at a later date.

11 May 2023

Ed Sheeran Talks ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Copyright Trial: ‘I Had to Take a Stand’

Few of us will experience a week quite as eventful as what Ed Sheeran just sailed through.

The singer and songwriter is accustomed to the limelight, occupying center stage. Last week, however, was a blur for Sheeran who, in quick succession, won a major court battle; released a new album, Subtract; then set about promoting his new music on national TV and in the round at U.S. stadiums.

Sheeran faced the media outside the Manhattan Federal Court just last Thursday, where he had been accused of copying the chord structure of Marvin Gaye‘s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On,” for his own hit, “Thinking Out Loud”.

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The “Shape of You” singer even took a pause from his current +–=÷× Tour (pronounced The Mathematics Tour) to take the stand in his own defense. Ultimately, the court found Sheeran not liable. But the experience was a deeply unpleasant one for the singer, who had vowed to quit music should he lose.

With the trial in the review, Sheeran paid a visit to The Howard Stern Show for some thoughts on the court case, his new album, give some shoutouts to artists who’ve inspired him, and, of course, perform new works.

Speaking to Howard Stern and co-host Robin Quivers at SiriusXM studios in New York, Sheeran delivered an encore performance of his courtroom medley, which began with “Thinking Out Loud” and flowed into such standards as Rod Stewart’s “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You,” Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One,” and The Temptations’ “My Girl.” They’re same-same, but clearly different.

“There were 101 songs (in the medley), and that was like scratching the surface,” Sheeran explains. “Yes, it’s a chord sequence that you hear on successful songs, but if you say that a song in 1973 owns this, then what about all the songs that came before? We found songs from like the 1700s that had similar melodic stuff.”

He adds, “No one’s saying that songs shouldn’t be copyrighted, but you just can’t copyright a chord sequence—you just can’t.”

Had the court ruled in favor of Gaye’s estate, the precedent would’ve rocked the entire music community.

“I’m really glad it’s over, man,” he says, pointing out that the proceedings forced him to miss his own grandmother’s funeral. “It’s a shame,” he continued. “I won’t get that time back and she was a great woman.”

Making music “is the thing I worked my entire life to do, and to have someone … diminish it and just say that you’ve stolen it, I really felt like I had to take a stand,” he notes.

“I really think I would’ve (quit music if he had lost) because it just takes the joy out of it to sit down and say you can’t use a G chord to a C chord because someone did it in the ‘60s,” Sheeran explains.

Now, Sheeran can focus on the music. With the new album and tour, he enthuses, he feels “the most connected I’ve felt to my fan base in years,” adding, “I write music because I have to, and I release music because I want to connect to people.”

Subtract, which completes his mathematics-themed series, “is quite a solitary record,” he admits. “There’s nothing on this album that’s gonna be like banged out at the gym when you’re doing reps or that you’re gonna put on the club when you’re dancing with your mate.” It’s actually a “bit dark”.

Sheeran also recounted how he rubbed out his youthful stutter by rapping to Eminem, took early inspiration from Eric Clapton, and performed album track “Salt Water” and “End of Youth.

Next up, a concert this Saturday (May 13) at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX.

10 May 2023

Baby Tate & Saweetie Share Why Teaming Up for the ‘Hey, Mickey!’ Remix Was the Perfect ‘Match’

The cool girls of rap came together for the ultimate collaboration last month, as Saweetie hopped on a remix of Baby Tate‘s 2016 viral hit, “Hey, Mickey!,” and the duo sat down with Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to share how it all came together.

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“When it came to thinking about who I would want on it, I knew it had to be somebody to match the cuteness and the energy of the song,” Tate explains, pointing out that Saweetie clearly embodies “cuteness,” as she was rocking a bikini top decorated in Hello Kitty trinkets.

Saweetie agreed that the collab was a perfect match. “I’ve been wanting to collaborate with her, so I was excited when I got the call,” she says.

Baby Tate also noted that it was quite the “surprise” when a song from 2016 blew up on TikTok in recent months. “I did just drop a project in September of last year so when something started blowing up on TikTok, I’m thinking, ‘Oh something from Mani Pedi is going crazy.’ No, it was ‘Hey Mickey.’ Like, what?”

Both rappers are working on new releases, with Tate gearing up to release a full album in the summer. “I’m going to be singing a lot on this project, as I was on my last, but it’s not going to be in an R&B space. It’s going to be more pop-leaning. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be wild, edgy and just sexy and hot,” she shares, with Saweetie noting that she “needs” that energy right now.

Saweetie, meanwhile, has fans itching for her long-awaited album. “With an album, you’re introducing yourself into the world,” she says. “Who is Saweetie? Who is Diamonté? They think it’s just, ‘Rich n—-, eight-figure, that’s my type.’ That’s a portion of me. That’s not the whole soup. There’s other ingredients. I’m figuring out, how do I landscape this album so that people are able to get to know me?”

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Saweetie and Baby Tate above, and check out the new “Hey, Mickey!” music video below.

10 May 2023

With ‘Jackman.,’ Jack Harlow Finds Elusive First No. 1 on Top Rap Albums Chart

After back-to-back No. 2 finishes for his last two releases, Jack Harlow captures his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Rap Albums chart with Jackman. The set opens atop the list dated May 13 with 35,500 equivalent album units earned in the week ending May 4, according to Luminate.

Jackman. was effectively a surprise release, with the first announcement on April 25, three days ahead of its April 28th drop. Streaming contributes the majority of the 10-track album’s first-week results, with 33,500 units from streaming-equivalent album units. The five-figure sum equals 43.4 million official on-demand streams of the album’s songs. Traditional album sales comprise 1,500 units, with the outstanding 500 deriving from track-equivalent album units.

On his fourth visit, Harlow claims his first Top Rap Albums champ. He first appeared on the list with his Sweet Action EP, which peaked at No. 13 in July 2020. His full-length debut, That’s What They All Say, debuted and peaked at No. 2 in December 2020, as did his sophomore LP, Come Home the Kids Miss You, in May 2022.

Elsewhere, Jackman. kicks off at No. 2 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and ties That’s What They All Say and Come Home the Kids Miss You for his best showing there. On the all-genre Billboard 200, Jackman. begins at No. 8, his third top 10 on that list.

The Jackman. impact extends to the Hot Rap Songs chart, where five tracks debut. “They Don’t Love It” leads the new entries at No. 9, securing Harlow’s ninth top 10 on the list. Here’s an updated look at the collection:

Song Title, Artist (if other than Jack Harlow), Peak Position, Peak Date
“What’s Poppin,” featuring DaBaby, Tory Lanez & Lil Wayne, No. 2, July 11, 2020
“Tyler Herro,” No. 10, Nov. 7, 2020
“Industry Baby,” with Lil Nas X, No. 1 (19 weeks), Aug. 7, 2021
“Nail Tech,” No. 4, March 5, 2022
“First Class,” No. 1 (14 weeks), April 23, 2022
“Dua Lipa,” No. 6, May 21, 2022
“Churchill Downs,” featuring Drake, No. 7, May 21, 2022
“Yungen,” Rod Wave featuring Jack Harlow, No. 10, Aug. 27, 2022
“They Don’t Love It,” No. 9 (to date), May 13, 2023

In addition to “They Don’t Love It,” Jackman. also launches Hot Rap Songs starts for “Common Ground” (No. 18), “Ambitious” (No. 22), “Denver” (No. 23) and “Is That Ight” (No. 24).

10 May 2023

At No. 1, Toosii Is the ‘Favorite’ on Hot Rap Songs Chart

Toosii’s “Favorite Song” proves to be just that on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, as the track advances from No. 2 to rule the list dated May 13. The track, released through SouthCoast/Capitol Records, reaches the apex on the list – which blends streaming, airplay and sales – thanks to consistent performance in the foremost category and growth in the latter pair.

The melodic rap track amassed 19.5 million official U.S. streams in the week ending May 4, according to Luminate, essentially even with the prior week, and holds at No. 2 on Rap Streaming Songs after a previous three-week reign. On the R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales chart, it likewise captures the silver medal – a new peak for the track – with 3,000 downloads sold, a 4% bump from the prior week. At radio, “Song” ascends 24-20 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, with a 17% gain to 5.5 million in audience impressions.

As “Favorite Song” reigns on the Hot Rap Songs chart, it pushes 5-4 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and 13-11 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Should the track climb on the latter list, it would mark the rapper/singer’s first top 10 Hot 100 hit. If already favorable trends at radio and sales stats weren’t enough, the release of a “Favorite Song” remix featuring Khalid on May 5, which will impact next week’s charts, improve the track’s chances of cracking the top 10 barrier. (The original and remix versions of songs are combined into one listing for tracking and chart purposes.)

With “Favorite Song,” Toosii, born Nau’Jour Grainger has captured the biggest hit of his still-young career. TikTok has been key to the track’s success, with both its original and a sped-up version being popular choices to soundtrack clips on the social media app. Between the two two renditions, “Favorite Song” has soundtracked nearly 1.1 million clips. (Activity on TikTok does not contribute to Billboard’s charts, many of the app’s most popular songs have seen corresponding gains on streaming services that factor into Billboard chart rankings.)

23-year-old Toosii first landed on the Billboard charts in February 2020 with the mixtape album, Platinum Heart, which included his first charting song, “Truth Be Told,” a No. 38 hit on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Follow-up single “Love Cycle” built on the initial breakthrough, and, thanks to a remix with Summer Walker, flew to No. 9 on the airplay list in early 2021.

10 May 2023

Mother’s Day Playlist: 20 Songs for Mom

For all they do for us, mothers should be celebrated every day, but it’s nice to give mom a little extra love on Mother’s Day. She deserves it!

Whether you’re taking her out to dinner, making her a handmade card, buying her flowers or just calling to tell her how much you love her, Mother’s Day is the moment to make our mamas feel special. Mothers can also come in many different forms, and it’s time to celebrate everyone from hardworking single moms and motherly figures to selfless mothers who have adopted children and stepmoms who love their spouses kids as their own and beyond.

What better way to show appreciation for someone you love than with a specially curated playlist? Musicians of all genres and ages have shared how much they love their mamas in their music, and trying to narrow down all the mother-themed songs can be overwhelming. Thankfully, Billboard has you covered.

From Tupac, Drake and Kanye West delivering flawless bars about the roles their mothers have played in their lives to Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and Spice Girls giving us Hallmark-ready lyrics about motherly love, our playlist has songs that every mom will love.

Raise a glass to mom this Mother’s Day, and let these songs be your soundtrack.

10 May 2023

Behati Prinsloo Shares Beachside Photo of Adam Levine & Baby No. 3

Behati Prinsloo took to social media on Tuesday (May 9) to give fans a peek at husband Adam Levine playing with their newest baby.

The model stuck the candid snap in the middle of a photo carousel captioned, “A blink of an eye.” In the photo, the Maroon 5 frontman wears a pink and purple tie-dyed hoodie and long blue sweat shorts on the beach as he lifts his youngest high above his head, with the tot’s face out of frame.

In the comments section, some fans think the little one’s outfit is subtle confirmation that the baby is the couple’s first boy, though neither Levine nor Prinsloo has publicly revealed the sex or name. (They also share two daughters: 6-year-old Dusty Rose and 4-year-old Gio Grace.)

The Namibian model, known for her work with Victoria’s Secret, first confirmed her pregnancy with the newborn back in September, but her rock-star hubby soon found himself mired in a cheating scandal when salacious texts leaked between himself and Instagram model Sumner Stroh.

While Levine denied having an affair, the leaked conversation was certainly damning — he even went as far as to ask Stroh for her permission to name his yet-unborn baby with his wife “Sumner” if it turned out to be a boy. In the wake of the scandal, he ended 2022 as the top trending musician of the year on Google and has since gone on to open a Las Vegas residency with his Maroon 5 bandmates.

Check out Prinsloo’s latest Instagram post below.