Music

23 Mar 2023

Darius Rucker, The Black Crowes, Wynonna & More Added as CMT Music Awards Performers

Darius Rucker will team up with The Black Crowes for a world premiere collaboration of the band’s 1991 hit “She Talks to Angels” during the CMT Music Awards on April 2, airing live from Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Rucker, who is nominated in the CMT performance of the year category the upcoming awards show (for his rendition of “Let Her Cry” from CMT Storytellers), has earned nine No. 1 singles on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, while The Black Crowes have earned six No. 1 singles on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock chart.

They are among the latest round of performers for the CMT Music Awards, with newly-announced performers also including Jelly Roll, Tyler Hubbard, and a collaboration from Wynonna Judd with Ashley McBryde.

Hitmaker Jelly Roll, who reigned atop Billboard‘s Emerging Artists chart for 25 weeks and is set to release his forthcoming album, Whitsitt Chapel on June 2, will perform his single “Need a Favor.” He earns his first CMT Music Awards nominations this year, with nods for male video of the year, breakthrough male video of the year, and CMT digital-first performance of the year.

A decade after Hubbard made his CMT Music Awards debut as part of Florida Georgia Line (performing “Cruise” at the 2013 ceremony, collaboration with Nelly), Hubbard will make his first solo awards performance, offering “Dancin’ in the Country.”

Wynonna will return to the CMT Music Awards stage, following her memorable final performance of “Love Can Build a Bridge” with her mother and the Judds bandmate, the late Naomi Judd. That performance is nominated for CMT performance of the year at this year’s ceremony.

These six new performers join previously announced performers Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown + Katelyn Brown, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini and Lainey Wilson. Meanwhile, newcomers Avery Anna, Chapel Hart, Jackson Dean, Lily Rose, Megan Moroney and Nate Smith will perform from the Ram Trucks Side Stage.

The CMT Music Awards will air on the CBS Television Network and will stream live and on demand on Paramont+.

23 Mar 2023

Lady London Signs With High Standardz & Def Jam Recordings

Def Jam continues to stockpile their roster with burgeoning talent. Today (March 23), the label announced that New York MC Lady London has signed to High Standardz / Def Jam Recordings. 

“There are artists who challenge you to disregard everything you know and just follow them into the future,” Def Jam chairman/CEO Tunji Balogun said in a statement. “Lady London is one of those artists. She’s a force on the microphone, a savvy visionary and just the kind of star we need right now. I’m honored and excited to welcome Lady London to the Def Jam family.”

Over the last two years, London has garnered acclaim for her lyrical prowess and innate storytelling abilities. Last year, she released “Lisa’s Story,” her reimagination of Foxy Brown‘s 1996 single “Get Me Home,” which helped her earn a slot as one of Billboard’s R&B / Hip-Hop Artists to Watch. Her red-hot streak continued when she unleashed her viral freestyle “Pop Ya Sh–” over Baby and Clipse‘s 2002 collaborative anthem “What Happened To That Boy.” “The journey has been a beautiful one,” London said regarding her signing. “Even the obstacles. I stayed true to myself. Did it my way. I’m happy to have a place to call home now.”

High Standardz founder/CEO Jeremy “J Dot” Jones added, “Since the beginning, High Standardz has been cultivating an environment where a certain caliber of artists can find a creative home for expression and growth. Lady London personifies everything that we’re about here. From her unique approach to crafting epic music, how she’s built a massive community of engaged and loyal fans, to the intelligence and elegance with which she carries herself. We are proud and excited to partner with her in bringing her artistic visions to the world.”

Check out London’s post about Def Jam’s newest addition below.

23 Mar 2023

MAMAMOO Unveils the Massive Venues for Group’s First U.S. Tour

MAMAMOO is officially going on its first ever U.S. tour! The K-pop girl group first shared news of its stateside trek — titled the MY CON U.S. Tour — on March 15, announcing the locations that they will performing at. The quartet — which consists of members Solar, Moonbyul, Whee In and Hwa Sa — followed up the news on Thursday (March 23) by unveiling the venues they’ll visit this spring.

As previously announced, the girls will be making stops in New York, Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and more, with the tour kicking off on May 16 at the UBS Arena located at New York’s Belmont Park. The K-pop stars will exclusively perform in arenas for the entire duration of the tour, before wrapping on June 4 at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum.

The MY CON tour — named after MAMAMOO’s latest EP, Mic On, released in November — marks the first time the quartet has performed in the United States since its 2019 appearance at the 2019 KCON Los Angeles festival. Tickets for the MY CON tour go on sale on at 10 a.m. local time on March 29 via Ticketmaster.

See the full U.S. tour dates, alongside the newly announced venues, below:

  • May 16 – UBS Arena at Belmont Park — New York, N.Y.
  • May 18 – CGF Bank Arena — Baltimore, Md.
  • May 20 – State Farm Arena — Atlanta, Ga.
  • May 22 – Bridgestone Arena — Nashville, Tenn.
  • May 24 – Dickies Arena — Fort Worth, Texas
  • May 27 – Wintrust Arena — Chicago, Ill.
  • May 31 – Desert Diamond Arena — Glendale, Ariz.
  • June 2 – Oakland Arena — Oakland, Calif.
  • June 4 – Kia Forum — Los Angeles, Calif.

23 Mar 2023

Lizzo Preps for Jury Duty & Is Promptly Released: ‘I Wonder Why’

Lizzo may be “100% that b—h,” but she still has to do jury duty. The 34-year-old musician recently revealed in a pair of hilarious TikToks that she was summoned to perform her civic responsibilities in court, but was ultimately dismissed from serving as a juror before the case commenced.

In the first of her recent TikToks, the “Truth Hurts” singer documented her getting-ready process for jury duty, which she confessed she definitely wasn’t looking forward to. “I’m actually really stressed about it,” Lizzo said while doing her skincare routine. “I’ve just heard of people getting really gruesome cases. I have a really sensitive mind, I don’t like hearing or seeing that. I will cry.”

After picking out a dress for the day, she described her look as “giving law-abiding citizen.” She ended up changing her outfit, though, instead choosing to rep some of her own Yitty clothing in the courtroom.

“Just fulfilling my civil duty,” she captioned the video, which quickly filled up with amused comments.

“I would drop dead if I walked into jury duty and Lizzo was there,” wrote on fan, while another joked, “Your Honor she’s slaying.”

The process, however, ended up being for naught. The Grammy winner was quickly dismissed from the selection process. “I GOT RELEASED FROM JURY DUTY YALL I WONDER WHY THO,” she captioned a second video, which featured a photo of Lizzo posing in front of the jury assembly room.

As one commenter pointed out, the star probably got let off the hook simply because celebrities sometimes “get dismissed because they’ll be a ‘distraction’ to the trial.” For instance, Madonna was sent home from jury duty after just two hours for that reason, a court spokesperson said at the time.

See Lizzo’s TikToks about her brief stint as a potential juror below:

23 Mar 2023

Chris Martin Says He’ll Have What Bruce Springsteen Is Having For Dinner: Nothing

Forget Ozempic, or the Hollywood 48-hour miracle diet. If you really want to get superstar fit, Coldplay singer Chris Martin suggests you do what he does: listen to The Boss. In his case that’s 73-year-old miracle of biology Bruce Springsteen, from whom Martin has learned a very important diet tip.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“I actually don’t have dinner anymore,” Martin told Conan O’Brien on this week’s episode of the former late night host’s podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend when O’Brien asked what important lessons the singer has learned from meeting, and breaking bread, with so many of his rock idols. “I stop eating at 4 [p.m.] and I learned that from having lunch with Bruce Springsteen.”

O’Brien, in his best Springsteen grunt, joked, “what happened? You were having lunch with him and he said, ‘after this NO MORE! That’s it!’”

Martin explained that he got to share a mid-day meal at home with Bruce and wife/bandmate Patti Scialfa the day after Coldplay performed in Philadelphia earlier this year, which is where the rock icon known for his age-defying stamina during sometimes three-plus-hour concerts dropped a few pearls of diet wisdom on his young charge.

“I was on a really strict diet anyway,” Martin continued. “But I was like, ‘Bruce looks even more in shape than me’ and Patti said he’s only eating one meal a day. I was like, ‘Well, there we go. That’s my next challenge.’” They both had jokes about what that one meal is, with O’Brien suggesting it was an 8-foot-long sub sandwich and Martin matching his punchline by revealing that it’s an entire buffalo.

“And then you see it’s this giant vat of beef chili,” O’Brien chuckled. “The chef came out and said, ‘today we have flank of buffalo with a steroid sauce,’” Martin quipped.

Martin will keep burning those calories on Coldplay’s massive Music of the Spheres world tour, wrapping up the current South American leg with a run of shows at Estadio Nilton Santos Engenhao in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on March 25, 26 and 28 before moving on to another European swing that will run from May 17 through July 19. A final North American string of dates in September wraps with an Oct. 1 gig at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles.

Watch Martin’s interview with O’Brien below.

23 Mar 2023

Future Primitive Announces Los Angeles Summer Series Featuring L.A. Debut of DJ Tennis & Carlita’s Astra Club & More

While Los Angeles has most recently been experiencing a rain-soaked winter and spring, the heat of summer is officially on the horizon with the announcement of Future Primitive’s annual summer series.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The Los Angeles dance event producer will host a crew of house and techno greats in locations around the city this summer, starting with Guy Gerbers’ Rumors event — which launched nine years ago in Ibiza — at Gin Ling Square in Chinatown on May 6.

That show will be followed by Lee Burridge‘s All Day I Dream in downtown’s Pershing Square on May 20, with this L.A. stop being part of a global 2023 tour that includes shows in Brazil, Dubai, Switzerland, Canada, Ibiza and more.

This same location will host Jamie Jones‘ Paradise In the Park on June 3-4, with that longstanding event — launched at Ibiza’s famous DC10 in 2012 — expanding to two days for the first time in its six-year history.

Finally, the Future Primitive team will return to Chinatown for the debut performance from Astra Club, the white-hot duo composed of DJ Tennis and Carlita at Gin Ling Square.

Full lineups for each of these shows will be announced in the coming months.

Future Primitive is a Los Angeles-based independent promoter that’s become the West Coast partner for a flurry of European brands and artists. The company is focused on bringing the hottest parties and players from the global dance circuit to the City of Angels, placing them in urban setting that have been transformed into dazzling outdoor clubs.

summer series

Courtesy Photo

23 Mar 2023

Corridos Artist Peso Pluma on His Quest for Global Domination: ‘I’m Up for the Challenge’

Peso Pluma is 10 minutes early to his Zoom interview with Billboard.

It’s not super common for an artist to appear on the screen right on time, much less earlier than expected — but the Mexican corridos performer is eager to start the interview and talk about “all the crazy” stuff that’s been happening in his short but rapidly ascending career. “Everything is happening so fast,” the 23-year-old artist says. “I’m as excited about everything as I am scared. I’m just enjoying the moment. I think I’m doing all right.”

It’s safe to say that Peso Pluma is doing just fine. In the past year alone, Peso signed with indie label Prajin Records, his first record deal, and has so far placed nine songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart, including three top 10s: corridos anthem “AMG” with Natanael Cano and Gabito Ballesteros, his slowed-down sierreño track “Por Las Noches” and “PRC” with Cano. He scored his first global chart hit, with the Luis R Conriquez-assisted “Siempre Pendientes,” it reached No. 155 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 174 on the Global 200.

“It took me a while to assimilate what was happening,” says Peso, who has 216 million on-demand official streams in the U.S., according to Luminate. “To see my name on the charts, to see my name next to really important artists, I always dreamed with this. I know it’s all happening so fast, but that doesn’t mean that we’re going to stop working hard. On the contrary, I feel obligated to continue delivering hits.”

Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Peso Pluma (who prefers not to share his real name) doesn’t come from an artistic family and learned to navigate this complex world on his own. Inspired by artists such as the late sierreño icon Ariel Camacho, Peso learned to play the guitar at age 15 by watching videos on YouTube. Then he started writing.

“Ever since I was a kid, I would write down my emotions because it was like therapy for me,” he explains. “I used to have a diary and my friends would make fun of me — because that’s considered ‘girly’ — but it worked for me. That’s where I’d write how I was feeling, then I realized some stuff would rhyme. I kept practicing and became better with time.”

Showcasing his blunt style of writing corridos about the highs and lows of life and his ability to also be vulnerable in a song, has caught the attention of Argentine rapper and singer Nicki Nicole and Colombian hitmaker Ovy on the Drums, who’ve recently teamed up with Peso for collaborations.

“Those that know me know that I love reggaetón, it’s what I listen to the most,” he says. “I was positive I’d do a reggaetón song with Ovy, but then they told me that he wanted to do regional Mexican. I was shocked, because he’s a renowned producer who wants to do Mexican music. I added my style, he added his and I love the song.”

Promising to deliver more star-studded collaborations, Peso also has his eyes set on global domination. “I feel like Mexican Music has come close to really going international, but it hasn’t fully happened yet. The United States isn’t everything. I want to go to Brazil, Spain, Argentina. I’m up for the challenge. The regional Mexican artist is emerging — we’re growing within the industry, you can’t deny that anymore.”

Below, meet this month’s Latin Artist on the Rise:

Age: 23

Recommended Song: “If you want to know all about Peso Pluma, listen to ‘AMG.’ You’ll then want to listen everything else.”

Major Accomplishment: “What a good question. I hadn’t thought about this. I think everything. To see my name on the charts. These past few days have been crazy because I keep thinking about all that’s happened. I’m really excited to show everyone what I can do but all in its time.”

What’s Next: “We have more collaborations coming. There’s one that I’m super excited about. You guys are going to love it, and I’m sure it’ll hit No. 1.”

23 Mar 2023

Selena Gomez Celebrates ‘Lose You to Love Me’ Reaching 1 Billion Spotify Streams

She needed to lose you to gain streams — one billion, to be exact. Selena Gomez has surpassed a billion Spotify listens for her blockbuster 2019 track “Lose You to Love Me,” a milestone she celebrated on Instagram Wednesday (March 22).

The streaming service announced the news on social media, tweeting, “All the love for
@selenagomez ❤️ Congratulations for 1 Billion streams on Lose You to Love Me #BillionsClub.”

Spotify also posted about the landmark on Instagram, which the “Calm Down” singer re-shared on her Story. “Grateful,” she wrote, adding a heart emoji.

“Lose You to Love Me” isn’t the first song Gomez has landed in Spotify’s billion streams club, but it is her first solo effort to reach the mark. Previous entries include collaborations on “It Ain’t Me” with Kygo, “Wolves” with Marshmello and “Taki Taki” with DJ Snake, Ozuna and Cardi B.

Released as the lead single off the Only Murders in the Building star’s third studio album, Rare, “Lose You to Love Me” marked Gomez’s first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a streaming powerhouse from the very beginning, becoming the singer’s first song to top the Streaming Songs chart shortly after its release.

“When I wrote the song ‘Lose You to Love Me,’ I was kind of a mess,” she told Billboard in early 2020. “It was really difficult for me. And by the time we shot the music video at the end of the year, it had a completely different meaning, and it was so freeing. It was actually fun for me – I think, because I let it go, it actually meant that I let it go within myself as well. And I couldn’t have asked for a better way to close a chapter in my life.”

Join a billion other listeners in streaming Selena Gomez’s “Lose You to Love Me” below:

23 Mar 2023

BLACKPINK Playing 2023 BST Hyde Park Summer Festival With Sabrina Carpenter, The Rose & More

BLACKPINK will have some serious back-up when they take the stage at the BST Hyde Park concert series in London this summer. The official poster for the K-pop group’s headlining slot on July 2 in London revealed that they’ll share the stage with “Nonsense” singer Sabrina Carpenter, as well as South Korean indie rockers The Rose and up-and-coming English pop singers Caity Baser and Mae Stephens.

The poster for the event revealed on Thursday (March 23) promised “many more” support act to be announced.

The massive summer series has already announced a a special edition of P!nk’s Summer Carnival outing with Gwen Stefani (and more guests to be announced soon) on June 24 and 25, a June 30 show with Guns N’ Roses (and special guests to be announced), beloved British boy band Take That with The Script and Sugarbabes on July 1, Billy Joel and Daryl Hall on July 7 and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band on July 6 and 8.

BLACKPINK’s members have been making plenty of news outside the group lately, with Jisoo teasing her upcoming solo album, ME, with a second teaser in which the singer poses in a black crop top and billowing skirt and gazes intently at the camera until the title of the album and its release date pop up in red text. Earlier this week, Rosé shared some footage of her and bandmate Jennie enjoying Harry Styles’ Love n Tour stop at Seoul’s KSPO Dome and singing along to Harry’s “As It Was” before grabbing some snaps with Styles backstage after the show.

Check out the poster for BLACKPINK’s BST Hyde Park show below.

23 Mar 2023

The 2023 Billboard Latin Music Week & Latin Music Awards Announce Dates & Location

Billboard officially announces the dates and location for 2023’s Latin Music Week and Latin Music Awards today (March 23). 

Returning to Miami Beach, Fla., Latin Music Week will take place from Monday, Oct. 2, to Friday, Oct. 6; meanwhile, the 30th annual Billboard Latin Music Awards will be held Oct. 5 and will air on the Telemundo Network. 

“We’re beyond excited to return to Miami and celebrate the legacy that has been created by these events,” says Leila Cobo, Billboard‘s chief content officer Latin/Español. “Trends, stars, and hits have all been made at Billboard Latin Music Week and we can’t wait to announce our roster of superstars, super executives, and rising talent.”

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Leila Cobo Romeo Santos

Leila Cobo and Romeo Santos speak onstage during “Superstar Q+A with Romeo Santos” panel at Billboard Latin Music Week 2022 held at Faena Forum on September 27, 2022 in Miami, Florida.

Gus Caballero for Billboard

The longest-running and biggest Latin music industry gathering for over 30 years, Billboard Latin Music Week brings together emerging and renowned artists, industry leaders, creators, and decision-makers in Latin music from around the world for a week of showcases, networking, exclusive conversations, panels, workshops, activations and concerts. The week-long event culminates in the Billboard Latin Music, honoring the top artists and performers in Latin music. 

The star-studded 2022 edition featured Q&As, panels, and performances from artists such as Christina Aguilera, Romeo Santos, Camilo, Nicky Jam, Wisin y Yandel, Maluma, Chayanne, Ivy Queen, Grupo Firme, Bizarrap, Tokischa, and for the first time, an exclusive conversation with all five children of Jenni Rivera.

A media alert with information on registration will be distributed in the coming weeks, as well as information on how to stream into this year’s awards.