Music

26 Apr 2023

Here’s How Pete Davidson Hid an Eminem CD From His Mom by Pretending to Love Rod Stewart

Pete Davidson had a pretty roundabout way of becoming a Rod Stewart fan. In a special Mother’s Day interview with his mom Amy and his Bupkis co-star Edie Falco, who plays his mom in the show, the comedian revealed how hiding his love for Eminem gave him an appreciation for the British pop rock star.

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“When I was younger, I bought the uncensored Eminem Show CD, which of course I wasn’t allowed to have, so I kept it in a Rod Stewart jewel case,” he told Good Housekeeping, the cover of which he and Falco graced for next month’s holiday issue. “My mom noticed, and for years she’d play Rod Stewart to have something we could bond over.”

“I’d be sitting in the car and suddenly she’d say ‘It’s Rod!’ and start singing along to ‘Maggie May,’” he continued. “I had to learn the songs just to keep the lie going. I kinda learned to like Rod Stewart.”

Pete Davidson

Mike Garten/Good Housekeeping

Arriving May 4 on Peacock, Bupkis is a half-hour live-action comedy portraying a “heightened, fictionalized version of Pete Davidson’s real life,” according to a trailer. Along with Falco playing Davidson’s mother, Machine Gun Kelly, John Mulaney, Jon Stewart, Ray Romano and more of the former Saturday Night Live star’s famous friends will make appearances on the show.

While swapping recipes with his real and fictional moms for Good Housekeeping, Davidson also opened up about his go-to Mother’s Day gift growing up. “Mother’s Day is an important holiday in my household,” he shared. “We’re a close family, and growing up, my sister and I always tried to make things special, although I wasn’t always good at it. I’m pretty sure I bought her the same Britney Spears perfume eight years in a row.”

But according to his mom, it’s the thought that counts. “I never wore it, but I always appreciated it,” Amy said.

See Pete Davidson on the cover of Good Housekeeping‘s Mother’s Day issue below:

Pete Davidson

Mike Garten/Good Housekeeping

26 Apr 2023

Roger Waters Canceled Frankfurt Show Can Go on After Court Ruling

A May 28 concert by Roger Waters that was slated to take place in Frankfurt, Germany that was canceled after city council members called the former Pink Floyd singer/bassist “one of the world’s most well-known antisemites” is not slated to go on as scheduled.

German public broadcast outlet Deutsche Welle reported on Monday that an administrative court in Frankfurt ruled that neither the city nor the state of Hesse had the right to cancel the show at the Frankfurt Festhalle. As owners of the concert’s promoter, Messe Frankfurt, the court said the state and city were obligated to “make it possible for Waters to stage the concert” as contractually agreed, despite their concerns over Rogers’ previous public statements about Israel.

“The court on Monday said that although Waters’ show obviously borrows symbolism linked to National Socialism, it could not see that he was glorifying or qualifying Nazi deeds or identifying with Nazi racial ideology,” Welle reported. “Nor was there any indication that he would be using any type of Nazi propaganda during the concert.” It is against the law in Germany to display Nazi symbols or memorabilia.

The court said that to deny Waters access to the site — on the spot of what was a Jewish detention camp during WWII, where 3,000 Jewish men were held on Kristallnacht (“Night of the Broken Glass”) in Nov. 1938 before being sent to their deaths — would infringe on his free speech rights.

At press time a spokesperson for Waters had not returned a request for additional comment.

“The background to the cancellation is the persistent anti-Israel behavior of the former Pink Floyd frontman, who is considered one of the most widely spread antisemites in the world,” the city council said at the time of the cancelation in a statement. “He repeatedly called for a cultural boycott of Israel and drew comparisons to the apartheid regime in South Africa and put pressure on artists to cancel events in Israel.” Waters has denied that he is an antisemite.

The JTA reported that the city of Frankfurt made reference to the historic significance of the concert hall — which it partly owns — and said it was cancelling the show over Waters’ support of the controversial BDS movement (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions). BDS is a Palestinian-led movement that calls for a boycott of Israel to force the nation’s government to change its policies toward Palestinians.

The JFA additionally noted at the time that Waters concerts have featured a flying pig balloon featuring a Star of David (as well as a number of other corporate logos and symbols) and that he’s compared the actions of the Israeli government to that of South Africa under apartheid and Nazi Germany as well as questioning Israel’s right to exist.

The court conceded that it might be in “especially poor taste” to allow Waters, 79, to perform on the sacred site, but concluded that such a show would “not be injurious to the human dignity of those people.”

In Sept., Waters canceled planned shows in Krakow, Poland amid similar outrage over his stance on Russia’s unprovoked, yearlong war in Ukraine, which he has said was the fault of Ukraine and NATO.

26 Apr 2023

Jackson Wang & Ciara Hit Artful Choreography in Technicolor ‘Slow’ Video: Watch

Jackson Wang and Ciara have joined forces yet again. The former GOT7 member and “Goodies” singer released the music video for their sultry collaborative track, “Slow,” on Tuesday (April 25).

The songs kicks off with a verse from Ciara, who tells the object of her affections that she does not wish to rush into their romance. “Slow the pace, ain’t a race, woah/ I’m here all night for love, that’s right/ When you please me, pump the breaks/ You can take your sweet time,” she sings.

Wang then takes over for the second verse, giving his lover a reminder of the rules before proceeding. “Remember then, baby (Let’s start slower)/ Said, ‘Take your time but make it nasty’/ Girl, I’ll do anything you ask me/ You set the pace, the way you tease me/ Then slow it down until it’s nice and easy,” he sensually sings.

The pair — both dressed in silky blue ensembles in the video, Wang in a blue set, Ciara in pink — then team up in the video to sing on the chorus and hit intricate choreography; they’re joined by background dancers simulating a club atmosphere. The singers later hit a series of solo dance moves of their own and participate in a standoff before the lights fade to black.

Wang and Ciara’s “Slow” was originally released on April 17, and gives fans a look at the former GOT7 member’s forthcoming album, Magic Man 2 (no release date has been given). The duo also took the stage together at Coachella for both weekends.

26 Apr 2023

Metallica’s ’72 Seasons’ Tops Charts With Biggest Week for a Rock Album This Decade

Metallica’s 72 Seasons debuts atop multiple Billboard charts dated April 29, including the Top Rock & Alternative Albums survey.

In its first tracking week (April 14-20), Seasons earned 146,000 equivalent album units, according to Luminate. Of that sum, 134,000 units were via album sales.

It’s Metallica’s fifth No. 1 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums, which began in 2006. The rockers first ruled with Death Magnetic in 2008 and then with 2016’s Hardwired… to Self-Destruct (the band’s last proper LP prior to Seasons) and 2020’s S&M2 with the San Francisco Symphony, along with a first week at No. 1 in 2021 for 1991’s Metallica upon its 30th anniversary.

The new set’s 146,000-unit start marks the best single-week sum on Top Rock & Alternative Albums this decade. It’s the biggest since Tool’s Fear Inoculum soared in with 270,000 units on the Sept. 14, 2019, ranking.

Seasons is also Metallica’s fifth No. 1 on both Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums.

The set bows at No. 1 on Top Album Sales with its 134,000-unit sales count, becoming Metallica’s eighth leader dating to 1991’s self-titled album. On Vinyl Albums, it’s likewise No. 1 thanks to 43,000 first-week vinyl copies sold, marking the group’s sixth champ, tying the band with The Beatles and Jack White for the second-most, after Taylor Swift with nine.

On the all-genre, mult-metric Billboard 200, Seasons debuts at No. 2, behind Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time, which earned 166,000 units. The band adds its 12th top 10 on the chart, a run that began with …And Justice for All in 1988.

Concurrently, multiple songs from Seasons reach Billboard song charts, with the entire album’s tracklist infusing Hot Hard Rock Songs. It’s led by the title track and current radio single, which leaps 12-2 thanks to 2.7 million radio audience impressions, 2.4 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads sold. “Shadows Follow” is next at No. 6 (1.8 million streams).

Twelve songs at once on Hot Hard Rock Songs is the most since the chart’s 2020 inception, surpassing Deftones‘ 10 songs on the Oct. 10, 2020, ranking.

“72 Seasons” jumps 8-6 on the latest Mainstream Rock Airplay survey. It’s Metallica’s 26th top 10, placing the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers in a tie with Van Halen for the sixth-most since the chart began in 1981. Preceding single “Lux Æterna” reigned for 11 weeks beginning in December, while fellow teaser song “Screaming Suicide” (not promoted to radio) spent one week on the tally at No. 40 in February.

26 Apr 2023

Olivia Rodrigo Shows Off the Adorable ‘Stranger in My Bed’: See the Photo

Olivia Rodrigo is a Katy Cat who might have a new kitty cat. In an adorable Tuesday (April 25) Instagram post, the 20-year-old pop star showed off a little feline using Katy Perry lyrics from “Last Friday Night.”

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“there’s a stranger in my bed. there’s a pounding in my head,” the “Drivers License” singer captioned a photo of her under the covers. In this case, the “stranger” is a teeny tiny kitten dozing at Rodrigo’s side.

It’s not clear whether or not the feline belongs to Liv. Her close friends appear to confirm in the comments that the kitty’s name is Kumo — “Kumo hard launch,” wrote Courteney Cox’s daughter, Coco — and some fans theorized that Rodrigo shares the cat with longtime best friend and roommate Iris Apatow.

“Auntie liver,” Apatow commented, while one fan wrote, “liv & iris live together so maybe it’s both their cat.”

Because the people want answers, Billboard has reached out to Rodrigo’s rep for comment.

The singer has been keeping a low profile in recent months, aside from some appearances at the Grammys, the Vanity Fair Oscars party and the Billboard Women in Music event, where she presented Lana Del Rey with the night’s Visionary Award. In less than a month, it’ll be exactly two years since she dropped her blockbuster debut album Sour, which spawned two No. 1 hits, topped the Billboard 200 for five weeks and made the former Disney actress the first female artist to simultaneously chart 12 songs in the Hot 100 Top 30.

And while Rodrigo did possibly tease she’s working on a new project by posting a studio selfie in February, fans are getting super antsy for new music. “WE NEED AN ALBUM GIRL,” one impatient Livie commented on the star’s photo with Kumo.

“olivia hun i’m staving i need more music asap,” wrote another.

See Olivia’s adorable post with Kumo the kitten below:

26 Apr 2023

Jack Harlow’s ‘Jackman.’ Album Is Just Days Away

Jack Harlow‘s third full-length studio album, Jackman., will drop this Friday (April 28). The surprise announcement about the follow-up to last year’s Come Home the Kids Miss You came on Wednesday morning (April 26), with a spokesperson saying no additional information was available at press time about a lead single, track list or features.

The news was accompanied by what appears to be the Jackman. cover, a shot of a shirtless Harlow standing with his arms crossed in an alleyway next to some garbage cans. Harlow will be among the 2023 class of Hometown Heroes whose banners will go up around his stomping grounds next week, joining the likes of previous honorees Muhammad Ali and Colonel Harlan Sanders, alongside fellow 2023 honorees jazz musician Lionel Hampton, golfer Justin Thomas and NBA champ Wes Unseld.

After blasting onto the rap scene in 2020 with “What’s Poppin’” from his debut album, That’s What They All Say, Harlow did it again with Come Home, which featured the single “Nail Tech” and chart-topping smash “First Class.”

In addition to the new album and the hometown honor, Harlow will also star in the upcoming remake of White Men Can’t Jump, which will hit Hulu on May 19. The trailer for the MC’s film debut dropped last week and found the “Industry Baby” rapper portraying a self-care loving, goofily dressed rich kid who is surprisingly good at basketball, much to his rival’s (played by Sinqua Walls) shock.

“You assumed I couldn’t hoop because I’m white, which is incredibly outdated,” Harlow says to Walls’ character in the trailer, to which Walls replies, “No, I assumed you couldn’t hoop because you were dressed like a white girl at Whole Foods.”

Check out the album cover below.

26 Apr 2023

Here’s the Date of the 2023 BET Awards

The 2023 BET Awards will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, June 25. It will be the latest awards show to celebrate five decades of hip-hop. The Grammys and the Juno Awards also gave hip-hop a 50th anniversary salute on their 2023 editions in February and March, respectively.

This will be the 23rd edition of the BET Awards, which calls itself “Culture’s Biggest Night.”

“We are thrilled to be back in L.A. for BET Awards 2023 and to celebrate a huge cultural milestone – the 50th anniversary of hip-hop,” Connie Orlando, EVP specials, music programming and music strategy at BET, said in a statement. “For five decades, hip-hop has not only influenced American culture, but has become a global phenomenon and one of the most influential musical genres of our lifetime. From music to fashion, art, and entertainment, we are honored to have always provided a platform for hip-hop to thrive. We look forward to paying tribute to the pioneers and innovators as we amplify the new generation of hip-hop artists like only BET can.”

This year’s venue hasn’t yet been finalized. The show has been held at the Microsoft Theater every year since 2013, except the 2020 show, which was a virtual production due to the pandemic.

Taraji P. Henson hosted the 2021 and 2022 BET Awards, becoming the show’s first repeat host since Black-ish stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross co-hosted in 2015-16. Other hosts since the show moved from the Shrine Auditorium to the Microsoft Theater have been Chris Tucker, Chris Rock, Leslie Jones, Jamie Foxx and Regina Hall. (Amanda Seales hosted the 2020 show.)

Orlando will executive produce this year’s show, with Jamal Noisette, VP, specials, music programming & music strategy to co-executive produce for BET. Jesse Collins Entertainment is the production company for the show, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay also serving as executive producers.

The BET Awards has been the top-rated cable award show among all adults 18-49 the past two years, and has been the No. 1 cable award show among Black adults 18-49 for the past 21 years.

26 Apr 2023

For Evaluna, Music, Love, Family and Motherhood Are the Perfect Mix

This story is part of Billboard‘s Mujeres Latinas en la Música package.

When their baby, Índigo, turned 40 days old, new parents Evaluna Montaner de Echeverry and Camilo Echeverry packed their bags and embarked on their first tour as a family of three. “She fits in perfectly with this [tour] life, thank goodness,” says Evaluna proudly of her daughter, the superstar couple’s first child. 

It’s late March and the multifaceted artist — singer-songwriter, actress and director — is home in Miami after wrapping up the first leg of the couple’s ambitious De Adentro Pa’ Afuera world tour, which kicked off last year. “The crew became Índigo’s second family.” She adds, “It’s just so much fun to see her surrounded by many people that love her.” 

Evaluna, 25, and who goes by her first name only, grew up in a similar environment. Her father is prolific singer-songwriter Ricardo Montaner, her mother is director Marlene Rodríguez Miranda — who directs all of Ricardo’s music videos — and her brothers are recording artists Ricardo and Mauricio Montaner (known as the duo Mau y Ricky). 

While Evaluna’s name is often seen side by side with those of her famous husband, siblings and parents, she’s a powerhouse in her own right. With a distinctive soothing voice that has captured more than 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify and 4 million YouTube subscribers (as well as 21 million followers on Instagram), her ability to balance life as a Montaner (on- and offscreen), in addition to a marriage, a recording and directing career and now motherhood on the road, embodies a different kind of pop star: One that makes family part of her success. 

“It has been wonderful to grow up in the family that I’ve grown up in, where they are open to all of us following our dreams. Our dreams all happen to go hand in hand, and we’re able to work together.” 

That modeled her own relationship with Colombian star Camilo (who also goes by his first name), whom she married in February 2020. The pair collaborated on “Por Primera Vez,” “Machu Picchu” and “Índigo,” which peaked at No. 16 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart and No. 26 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart. She has also directed all of Camilo’s music videos, following in the footsteps of her mother, who would take Evaluna to work with her while she was directing on set. “I’d be her AD [assistant director], and it would be great because she’d make me do a bunch of things although I was really young,” she remembers. “I felt I was being productive, and that really encouraged me to say, ‘I think I can do this too.’ I don’t know if I’ll be as good as her, but I can try.” Even after directing for three years now, Evaluna confesses she’ll still call her mom to ask: “Do you think this idea for a music video is cool or do you think this is going to be lame?” 

Aside from touring and directing, Evaluna’s music career (she’s managed by Jorge Ferradas at FPM Entertainment, who also manages Camilo) is “very much a priority.” Her latest single, “Refugio,” a sunny ballad released last year with a video (directed by her mom) with over 4 million YouTube views, is a preview of what’s to come. “I’m not one to release a whole bunch of songs and go single after single,” she explains. “I like taking my time and nurturing a song before releasing it. I’m getting closer to the stripped-down, raw sound I want to have for myself.” 

A few weeks after Billboard spoke with Evaluna, the family of three will pack up again and kick off the second leg of the tour in Central America and Mexico. “Having to wake up early after you’ve had a long night, that’s intense,” she says of touring with a baby in tow. 

Still, that doesn’t compare to the comments she was seeing online after giving birth, the less-talked-about side effect of having millions of eyes on you. “That was the hardest part,” Evaluna says. “They were saying that childbirth had ‘done a number on me.’ The only reason I’m sharing this is because I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. I regret feeling for a moment that those people might be right. I regret it because my body is incredible. It has been doing some crazy things since the moment I got pregnant.” She then adds confidently, “I feel like I’ve really grown as a woman, being a mother to this beautiful girl. I can say that I’m the woman I always dreamed of becoming.”

Tickets to Billboard‘s Latin Women In Music can be purchased here.

26 Apr 2023

Paris Hilton Is Coming to You Live in Concert for a First-Ever Performance This Summer

There may be “Nothing in This World” that Paris Hilton fans want more than an official live performance from the Simple Life star. Now, it looks like they’re finally getting their wish.

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On Wednesday (April 26), the socialite-turned-singer announced Paris Hilton: Live in Concert, an upcoming event that will see Hilton take to the stage at L.A.’s Fonda Theater to perform some of her biggest songs. While Hilton has become known in recent years for her career as a DJ, her new show will mark her first full concert as a vocalist. The event is also set to feature “a variety of popular artists and musical guests” who have yet to be revealed, according to a press release.

Taking place on June 7, the show will also give back to the LGBTQ community as Pride Month kicks off — a portion of all ticket sales will go to GLAAD. Hilton is also teaming up with Absolut as the event’s “exclusive cocktail partner” for the evening, noting the company’s “40+ years of LGBTQ allyship” in a press release.

In a post to her Instagram, Hilton excitedly shared the news of her upcoming performance, telling fans that tickets would be available to purchase starting on May 5. “What songs would you like me to perform?” she asked.

Along with kicking off the “Stars Are Blind” singer’s “Summer of Sliving,” the concert will also serve as the official debut for the new music division of Hilton’s 11:11 Media. “My media company continues to expand, and I am so excited about the launch of 11:11 Media’s music division,” Hilton said in a statement.

The star added that fans of her music career won’t have to wait much longer to hear her first new album since 2006’s Paris. “I’ve been in the studio working on a brand new album, which will usher in a new era in my music career,” she said. “I am very excited for fans to experience my first concert as a vocal performer and the guest performances will be legendary!”

Tickets to Paris Hilton: Live in Concert go on sale at AXS starting Friday, May 5, at 1 p.m. ET. Click here to get your tickets then, and check out Paris’ official announcement on Instagram below:

26 Apr 2023

Katy Perry Is ‘Excited’ to Stay at Windsor Castle for King Charles’ Coronation Performance: ‘This Is Wild’

Katy Perry is one of the few American musicians who is slated to perform at King Charles III’s coronation on May 6 at London’s Westminster Abbey. Leading up to the event, she revealed that being invited to sing at the ceremony is an “honor,” she told Extra in a Monday (April 24) interview.

Speaking with the outlet, the American Idol judge added, “I’m an ambassador to one of his foundations for the British Asian trust, which primarily focuses on ending child trafficking, which is a huge issue of our time that people don’t talk enough about, and it just aligned with all my values. … He asked me to sing and it all aligned.”

The “Firework” singer also recalled getting the invitation to perform in the mail, stating that it “was very regal. It was like a cursive I have never seen [before] … I loved it.”

Perry revealed that the royal family is also kind enough to let her stay at the Windsor Castle, which is currently inhabited by Prince William and Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales. “I’m really excited,” the pop star shared, later hinting that fans may want to keep an eye on her social media content in the coming weeks. “I might be posting a lot because I’m gonna be in a castle, for real. This is wild.”

In addition to Perry, her fellow Idol judge Lionel Richie — who was named the first global ambassador of the Prince’s Trust, a charity founded by King Charles III — will also sing at the coronation. Other performers include Take That (Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen), Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel (performing as a duo), and Freya Ridings, who will sing accompanied by classical-soul composer Alexis Ffrench.

Perry also talked to Extra about having multiple of her videos hit a billion views on YouTube. “I always dreamt really big and I never put limits on my dreams, but it’s wild when you don’t put bowling bumpers on your dreams how big they can actually go,” she said. “I really believe in making it happen and putting that hard work behind it and really swinging until you get that lucky moment.”

Watch Katy Perry’s interview in the video above.