Music

13 Apr 2023

Bratty on Making Her Coachella Debut: ‘I’ll Fulfill the American Dream’

Bratty will make her Coachella debut this weekend, also marking her first visit to the United States. In addition, she will be the only Mexican-born act to participate in the famed California festival this year (next to Mexican-American artists Becky G, DannyLux, and Conexión Divina), all of which will make the experience three times as special for her. 

“I will fulfill the American dream!” she tells Billboard Español, smiling, in a video conference interview. “I feel very lucky that the festival organization noticed me.” 

The 22-year-old artist is headed to the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif., with her latest musical work, Es Mi Fiesta Y Si Quiero Hago Un EP (Universal Music), with which she seeks to woo new audiences. The five-track set includes the single “Continental,” a melodious indie-pop ballad with Nsqk and Mené (two emerging talents from the northern city of Monterrey) in which she speaks of falling in love and the first weeks of courtship. 

Before Coachella — which will take place on the weekends of April 14-16 and April 21-23 — the first big festival in which she participated was Vive Latino 2020 in Mexico City, shortly before COVID-19 spread and the entire world went into lockdown. Now, the challenge for the artist born Jenny Juárez will be greater when performing before a mostly Anglo audience, even if Latin superstar Bad Bunny is the headliner. 

“The achievement of getting to Coachella is 50% the product of my team’s work, of the GTS (Global Talent Services) agency, where there are also other alternative artists like Ed Maverick, and also the trajectory of my project, pretty unconventional, and with a view to a more global audience,” says Bratty. 

The Culiacán, Sinaloa, native says she has been working on the show that she will present at Coachella for several weeks, where the main challenge will be to capture the attention of the audience and make them stay to listen to her music in the midst of multiple stages and a rich sound offer. 

“I always wanted to go, to know the influences of what my music is. I think California, Los Angeles and obviously Coachella are great references for musicians who have come out, who have been part of history, both the most famous and the smaller ones, where there are super interesting projects that have influenced me, and [with which] I am now very happy to be together,” she adds. 

Active in the music scene since 2018, Bratty made her debut that year with the EP Todo Está Cambiando, and the following year she released the song “Ropa de Bazar” with fellow emerging Mexican talent Ed Maverick. In 2019, she released her first album, Delusion, followed by tdbn in 2021. 

This year, she was featured on Billboard’s On the Radar for her “seductive, whimsical quality” and “knack for kitschy songwriting.” She now hopes to be able to release a third studio album and expand her global reach after her stint at Coachella. “Three is my lucky number,” she says, “so hopefully it will be dropping this year.” 

13 Apr 2023

Kygo’s Remake of Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson’s ‘Say Say Say’ Scores on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart

Kygo commands a top 20 debut on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart (dated April 15) with “Say Say Say,” featuring the track’s original superstar artists, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. The update arrives at No. 16 with 905,000 official streams and 400 downloads sold in the United States March 31-April 6, according to Luminate.

The song is Kygo’s fourth officially sanctioned reproduction of a famous original (and his third with deceased acts) to impact the chart. It follows “Higher Love” with Whitney Houston (No. 2, July 2019), “What’s Love Got to Do With It” with Tina Turner (No. 7, August 2020), and “Hot Stuff” with Donna Summer (No. 9, October 2020).

“It’s no secret that I love working with iconic vocals from the ’80s, and ‘Say Say Say’ was one that I really wanted to work on,” Kygo recently told Billboard.

The official remake of “Say” makes for Norwegian DJ/producer Kygo’s 62nd career appearance on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, the second-most of all acts since the chart began in January 2013; David Guetta leads with 75. It also marks McCartney’s first appearance and Jackson’s second, after remixes of “Thriller” (by Steve Aoki, among others), titled “Thriller 2017,” ascended to No. 30 in November 2017.

Concurrently, “Say” starts on Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales (No. 12), as well as Norway Songs (No. 17). The original classic spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 1983-January 1984.

Additionally on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Bebe Rexha rolls in with the week’s highest debut, “Call on Me,” at No. 13. The track, from Rexha’s album Bebe, due April 28, rang up 1.1 million streams in its first frame.

Meanwhile, Rexha’s monster collab with David Guetta, “I’m Good (Blue),” leads the list for a 29th week. Only four songs have ruled for longer terms: Marshmello and Bastille’s “Happier” (69 weeks; 2018-20), Elton John and Dua Lipa’s “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)” (36; 2021-22) and Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey’s “The Middle” (33; 2018).

Shifting to the Dance/Mix Show Airplay survey, Zara Larsson lands her fifth top 10 with “Can’t Tame Her” (12-8). The poppy original, remixed by VIZE, DJ Smallz, Nightcore and others, is collecting core-dance airplay on Music Choice’s Dance/EDM channel, KMVQ-HD2 San Francisco and Channel Q, among other outlets. (The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart measures radio airplay on a select group of full-time dance stations, along with plays during mix shows on around 70 top 40-formatted reporters.)

13 Apr 2023

Mariah Carey Is ‘Honored Beyond Belief’ to Be Inducted Into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry

Mariah Carey‘s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was inducted into the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry on Wednesday (April 12), and the icon celebrated the honor on social media.

“I’m honored beyond belief!” she wrote on both Twitter and Instagram about the special news. “I definitely did not even imagine this would happen when writing and recording this song! Thank you so much Ms. Hayden and the @librarycongress.”

Carey also shared a snippet of an interview she did with the Library of Congress, telling chief communications officer Roswell Encina, “This is major and this is so gratifying to me as an artist, as a songwriter, of course. You know, you can’t, like, come up with this. I wasn’t sitting there writing lyrics like, ‘I’m going to be in all these places and my song’s gonna mean something to people every Christmas.’ I had no idea, I just wrote from my heart what I wanted. So thank you for including me in this incredible company and the whole situation, thank you.”

The perennial holiday classic indeed finds itself in good company, with the National Recording Registry also inducting the likes of Madonna’s Like a Virgin, Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina,” the Super Mario Bros. theme, John Lennon’s “Imagine,” Queen Latifah’s All Hail the Queen and more.

According to the Library of Congress, the 25 recordings were selected for induction “based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”

Check out Mariah’s ecstatic reaction to her latest honor below.

13 Apr 2023

Rihanna Stuns in Bump-Hugging Dress at Fenty Beauty Event: See the Photos

As usual, Rihanna looked stunning at a recent event for Fenty Beauty. While promoting new products and celebrating her brand’s partnership with Ulta, the 35-year-old Grammy winner stepped out wearing all white from head to toe, complete with a snug undershirt that showed off her baby bump.

The “Umbrella” singer, who’s currently expecting baby No. 2 with A$AP Rocky, took her monochrome moment very seriously, pairing her white denim jacket and skirt with matching heels, earrings and eyeshadow. Known for rocking looks that challenge the norms of maternity clothing, Ri chose a low-waisted skirt that proudly put her bump on display.

Photos and videos from the event were posted on Fenty Beauty’s official account Wednesday (April 12), along with clips of the mogul making a surprise onstage appearance to present her Glass Slipper gloss at the Ulta Beauty: Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful conference. “I had to see you guys in person,” she told screaming fans, later blowing a kiss to the crowd.

“You guys have been so supportive of the Fenty brand,” she continued. “Ever since we launched at Ulta Beauty, I wanted to show up in person and thank you.”

The outing comes just one day after RiRi gave fans a glimpse into her first Easter with her first child, an 11-month-old son she shares with Rocky. The musician posted photos of the little boy adorably petting baby bunnies and gnawing on colorful eggs, gushing, “Look at heeeeee!!!!”

See snaps of Rihanna showing off her baby bump at Ulta’s Fenty Beauty event below:

13 Apr 2023

Drake Bell ‘Missing and Endangered,’ Daytona Beach Police Say

Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell is missing and considered in danger, according to an alert issued by the Daytona Beach Police Department on Thursday morning (April 13). In a missing person’s Facebook post, the DBPD said officers are looking for Bell (born Jared Bell), 36, who they said could be traveling in a 2022 gray BMW, which was last seen in the Daytona Beach, Fla, area around 9 p.m. on Wednesday (April 12).

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The alert says that Bell is “considered missing and endangered.” Bell is best known as the star of the Nickelodeon shows Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show, as well as appearances in the network’s The Fairly OddParents films and for a series of albums released in the early and mid-2000s. His most recent LP was 2014’s rockabilly themed Ready Steady Go!, which debuted at No. 182 on the Billboard 200 album chart. At press time, spokespeople for Bell and the DBPD had not returned Billboard‘s requests for additional comment.

In July 2021, Bell was sentenced to two years’ probation in connection with child endangerment charges related to an underage girl he met online who attended several of his concerts when she was 15. Bell had pleaded guilty a month earlier to felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. The singer/actor was ordered to serve probation and do 200 hours of community service in California.

Officials ask anyone who has seen Bell or has any information about his current whereabouts to contact Det. Jayson Wallace at (386) 671-5207.

See the DBPD post below.

13 Apr 2023

Coachella 2023 Announces ‘Fortnite’ Metaverse Activation Featuring Music From Porter Robinson

Can’t make it to Coachella this weekend? No problem. Now you can attend through your computer.

On Thursday (April 13), the festival announced “Coachella Island,” a partnership with Fortnite that presents the festival in the metaverse. Launching Friday (April 14) at 3 p.m. PT to coincide with the first day of the IRL fest, Coachella Island is inspired by Coachella’s dreamy desert landscape, with digitally rendered mountains, polo fields, palm trees and day-to-night features.

Inside this landscape, “attendees” can take part in dance competitions, tour the “grounds,” purchase in-game “merch” and more. Built by Alliance Studios, which has built many brand campaigns inside Fortnite, the Island also features an “art park” and a gallery of related “fotography.” Coachella Island will be soundtracked by music from Porter Robinson, who’s also on the 2023 lineup.

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Coachella Island anticipates hosting millions of fans over the weekend. It also marks the first time Fortnite has hosted a festival, after previously hosting record-setting one-off performances by artists including Travis Scott and Marshmello. Coachella is an “always on” experience, meaning it will stay live in perpetuity and continue to be built over time.

“Fortnite is the ideal partner for Coachella due to their shared emphasis on creativity, entertainment, and cultural impact,” Coachella innovation lead Sam Schoonover tells Billboard. “This year was the right time to introduce this new, always-on extension of Coachella as recent advancements in gaming technology allow for new collaborations with Fortnite creators to provide new immersive music experiences for fans.”

Previous festivals have also happened inside the metaverse, with Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas partnering with Roblox in 2021.

Coachella launches April 14 in Indio, Calif., with headliners Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK, Frank Ocean. Blink-182 was also added to the lineup recently and will perform at the festival on opening day.

13 Apr 2023

Songwriter Ashley Gorley Has 3 ACM Nods for Song of the Year: Who Else Has Done That?

Songwriter Ashley Gorley has three ACM Awards nominations for song of the year. He’s only the third songwriter to achieve that feat in the show’s 58-year history. (The category was introduced in the show’s second year.)

Gorley co-wrote Chris Stapleton’s “You Should Probably Leave” with Stapleton and Chris DuBois; Cole Swindell’s “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” with Swindell, Jesse Frasure, Mark D. Sanders, Thomas Rhett and Tim Nichols; and Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots” with Josh Osborne and Michael Hardy.

The only other songwriters to notch three nominations in one year are Merle Haggard and Kris Kristofferson, each more than 50 years ago.

Hag was the sole writer of all three of his 1968 nominees – “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde,” “Mama Tried” and “I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am.” He was also the artist on all three songs. The first two reached No. 1 on Hot Country Singles – now called Hot Country Songs. “I Take a Lot of Pride” peaked at No. 3. Jimmy Webb won the award that year for writing the Glen Campbell classic “Wichita Lineman.”

Kristofferson was the sole writer of all three of his 1970 nominees – “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” a No. 1 hit for Sammi Smith; “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” a No. 1 hit for Johnny Cash; and “For the Good Times,” a No. 1 hit for Ray Price. (All three chart references are to Hot Country Singles.) Kristofferson won the award for the sublime “For the Good Times.”

Hag, who died in 2016 at age 79, and Kristofferson, 86, have long been country music royalty.

Haggard was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994. He received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2006 and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2010.

Kristofferson was voted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and received that organization’s highest honor, the Johnny Mercer Award, in 2006. He was voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004 and received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 2006.

Gorley, 45, has written hits for a raft of country artists, as well as such non-country artists as Bon Jovi and Jason Derulo. He has topped Billboard’s Country Songwriters chart for 33 weeks and has headed Hot 100 Songwriters for three weeks.

13 Apr 2023

Doja Cat Makes ‘TIME’ List of 2023’s Most Influential People: ‘She Can’t Be Boxed In’

Doja Cat “can’t be boxed in,” writes Baz Luhrmann of the Grammy-winning rapper, who has been named one of TIME‘s most influential people of 2023.

It’s true: Doja is both unpredictable and exceptionally gifted at stirring the pot, and not just when it comes to her Gen Z-defining music. She also consistently grabs attention with everything from her daring fashion choices to her brazen social media proclamations, all of which earned her a spot on the publication’s annual ranking.

“She’s a rapper, a singer, a performance artist — she’s the canvas on which she expresses a character or an idea,” continued Luhrmann, who worked with Doja in creating Elvis‘ lead soundtrack single “Vegas.” “There’s no ‘brand’ to Doja Cat. You never know what she’s going to do next, and that’s exciting.”

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In addition to having the filmmaker write a brief tribute to the musician, who’s spotlighted as a “pioneer,” TIME also interviewed Doja about being “addicted” to the internet and her upcoming album.

“I might just mess with everybody and completely turn the tables on them,” said the “Woman” artist, who’s been trolling fans about the genre of her next project for months.

When it comes to her explosive posts on social media — which span everything from the times she threatened to quit music, slamming Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp for exposing her private DMs, or went on Instagram Live to shave off her eyebrows — Doja says she’s learning to curb her impulsiveness.

“Social media has been a really big part of what I do,” she said. “I’m just learning to control how much I put out, and the way that I put those things out.”

See Doja Cat’s TIME cover below:

13 Apr 2023

How the Billboard Music Awards Are Being Reimagined for 2023

The 2023 Billboard Music Awards, set for Sunday, Nov. 19, are shaking up the traditional awards-show format.

In addition to the artists who perform live that night, select BBMAs winners will celebrate their achievements through unique performance experiences with their top fans. One-hundred superfans of those award winners will receive a “golden ticket,” which will allow them to attend a performance with the winning artist at a secret location.

Curated in close collaboration with the performing artists, these experiences will connect talent with their most engaged fans, and in the process give artists the creative freedom to deliver awards show performances in a newly imagined way.

The program will weave together these artist-fan experiences with live components from the show in Los Angeles in a first-of-its-kind awards show format. The show will honor all BBMAs winners, as well as a salute to this year’s Icon Award recipient with special tribute performances. Additionally, select industry awards will be presented.

Billboard and Dick Clark Productions announced last month that the show was moving from its customary spring time slot to the fall.

From its debut in 1990 through 2006, the Billboard Music Awards took place in December. Every edition from 2011 onward was held in May, with the exception of the pandemic-delayed 2020 show, which rolled out in October.

The 2022 BBMAs were held May 15 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and were hosted by Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The BBMAs celebrates the hottest names in contemporary music, with winners determined by performance on the Billboard charts, which measure key fan interactions with music, including audio and video streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and touring. 

Awards for the 2023 BBMAs are based on music consumption reflected on Billboard’s charts dated Nov. 19, 2022 through Oct. 21, 2023. Those are the dates encompassing the 2023 year-end chart period.

For more, follow @BBMAs and #BBMAs on socials and billboardmusicawards.com.

13 Apr 2023

Celine Dion Drops Moving Ballad ‘Love Again’ From Nick Jonas/Priyanka Chopra Romantic Drama

Céline Dion is back in her love overload lane on the moving title track to the upcoming Nick Jonas/Priyanka Chopra romantic drama Love Again. The singer dropped the song on Thursday morning (April 13), in which she softly sings, “Cuz you don’t have to move a mountain, just keep moving/ Every move is a new emotion/ And you don’t have to find the answers, just keep trying/ The sun will rise again/ The storms subside again/ This is not the end/ And you will love again.”

The gentle piano and acoustic guitar track was written by Dan Wilson and Rosaileen Scher (and produced by Wilson) and it features Dion, 55, singing the emotional lyrics, “Summer rain, day by day, sadness fades, the wound is healing/ And time goes by, the eyes will dry and you will find someone to heal with.”

The track will appear in the upcoming film in which Chopra plays Mira Ray, a woman mourning the loss of her fiancé who uses texts to feel connected to him following his death. A trailer that dropped on Valentine’s Day showed Chopra’s Mira trying to move on by going on her first date since his death in which she’s set up with a character played by her real-life husband Jonas. “Maybe we should just take it slow,” she says as they try an awkward first kiss in the back of a cab. Dion also co-stars in the film as herself and acting as a guide to journalist Rob Burns (Sam Heughan), who connects with Mira after she accidentally texts him.

“Love Again” is the first new music from Dion since she revealed in December that she is suffering from the rare neurological disorder Stiff-Person Syndrome. “As you know, I’ve always been an open book. And I wasn’t ready to say anything before,” Dion said in a solemn clip in which she revealed her diagnosis. “But I’m ready now… ’I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.”

Stiff-Person Syndrome causes muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Due to the severe muscle spasms that Dion said “affect every aspect of my daily life,” she announced that she could not re-start her tour in Europe in February as planned. Subsequently, all of her spring 2023 dates were moved to 2024 and 8 of her summer 2023 shows were cancelled.

Love Again is due in theaters on May 12.

Listen to “Love Again” below.