Music

07 Mar 2023

Chance the Rapper Wants Black Star Line Festival to Visit Jamaica

Chance the Rapper did a late-night triplet when he visited The Tonight Show on Monday (March 6), by participating in an interview, playing a daft game, and performing a new number.

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First up, the Chicago hip-hop star (real name: Chancelor Johnathan Bennett) sat for a chat with the NBC program’s host Jimmy Fallon, and cleared up any questions about whether Martin Short really is such a good guy.

Well, yes, apparently. Chance regaled with a tale of a flight from Los Angeles to Chicago, in which he was separated from his eldest daughter, Kensli. That was until a “kind older gentleman gets up” and offered his seat to the girl. It was indeed the Martin Short. “I super freaked out,” Chance admits. “He was really, really nice and I don’t think he knows who I am. So I think he just did it…that’s a really kind gesture.”

Conversation moved on to Chance’s Black Star Line Festival in Ghana. “It was very successful,” he says of the event, held earlier this year with a lineup featuring Erykah Badu, Dave Chappelle, T-Pain, Jeremih, Sarkodie, Tobe Nwigwe, Asakaa Boys and M.anifest.

“It was magical. 52,000 people, the largest concert in the history of Ghana”. With the dust barely settled, Chance and Vic Mensa are plotting the next round for the festival in January 2024. And perhaps, this time visiting the West Indies.

“We’re actually thinking about hosting the next one in Kingston, Jamaica,” he explains. “We’re still working it out in our heads. And we love the city of Accra and Ghana and West Africa as a whole. We just want to continue to, like, create community in other spaces.”

The Grammy Award-winning songwriter and producer also squeezed in some promo for season 23 of The Voice, for which he’s the newest coach. Would he have auditioned for the show if the whole Chance The Rapper thing never happened?

Sure, he would have done just fine, Chance admits confidently.

And which song would he hit, given the chance? “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going Song,” the Jennifer Hudson piece from Dreamgirls.

Chance stuck around and showed he’s a good sport by playing a round of “Peanut Butter That’s My Jam Tic-Tac-Toe,” a sticky new spot and a real mouthful.

The Coloring Book star closed it out with a solo-performance of “YAH Know”. The recording, which features King Promise, will appear on his upcoming album Star Line Gallery, expected for release later this year.

Watch the performance below.

07 Mar 2023

Ed Sheeran Breaks Multiple Australian Records With MCG Concerts

Ed Sheeran completed a hattrick of attendance records last week when his – = ÷ x Tour (pronounced The Mathematics Tour) swung into the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the largest stadium in Australia.

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The English pop superstar broke the national record for attendance at a ticketed concert on Thursday (March 2) with upwards of 105,000 tickets sold.

He was just warming up.

The imposing venue was the host for another record-breaking effort last Friday (March 3), when more than 109,500 Sheerios packed the house — setting a new mark for the second consecutive night.

The combined attendance across those two shows, at almost 215,000, will take some beating.

The MCG, or simply the G, as locals call it, is a sporting and concerts caldron which has hosted countless events since it was constructed on its current site in 1853.

The opening and closing ceremonies for the 1956 Olympic Games where held at the MCG, it’s the spiritual home of AFL, the world’s largest Test cricket ground, and it has provided the backdrop for concerts by the biggest names in music, from David Bowie to U2, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, the Rolling Stones, Madonna and many others.

With those two massive shows, Sheeran has a special footnote in the history of the MCG and Australia’s touring market — and not for the first time.

When the “Shape Of You” singer last toured Australia with Frontier Touring, in 2018, more than 1 million tickets were sold, a feat that wiped Dire Straits’ record for a single trek (950,000) that had stood for more than 30 years. Sheeran’s Divide tour that year also set a new mark of 18 stadium dates across Australia and New Zealand, beating AC/DC’s old record (14).

Sheeran has a deep friendship with Australia and the Gudinskis, the family behind Frontier Touring, the touring company which produced the current recent trek, the 2018 Divide run and others.

All five of his studio albums have led the ARIA Chart. He has a chance to hit the national survey for six when his next album, Subtract, drops May 5.

Sheeran’s hit “Shape Of You” is the leader on the ARIA Top 100 Singles chart of the 2010s.

The Brit’s 12-date The Mathematics Tour of Australasia continues tonight (March 7) at the Adelaide Oval and wraps up Sunday (March 12) at Perth’s Optus Stadium.

Tickets are available for both shows.

06 Mar 2023

De La Soul Charging to U.K. Chart High After Streaming Debut

De La Soul could cap an eventful stretch with a career-best U.K. chart position for the hip-hop legends’ 3 Feet High and Rising (via Chrysalis).

At the midweek point, De La Soul’s 1989 debut LP blasts to No. 5, well ahead of its No. 13 peak from January 1990 and a potential career high.

A top 5 appearance would cap a particularly eventful stretch for the Grammy Award-winning trio, which lost its founding member Trugoy the Dove (born David Jude Jolicoeur) last month, at the age of 54.

The rush for 3 Feet High and Rising is powered by streaming, and the long-overdue release of the New Yorkers’ catalog on digital streaming services last Friday (March 3) for the first time.

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That campaign followed months of work with the act and their record label, AOI, along with Reservoir, and includes De La Soul’s first six albums, 3 Feet High and Rising, De La Soul Is Dead (1991), Buhloone Mindstate (1993), Stakes Is High (1996), Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (2000), and AOI: Bionix (2001). Just one of those LPs has cracked the U.K. top 10 — De La Soul Is Dead, which peaked at No. 7.

Flying high at the top of the Official Chart Update is the Lathums’ From Nothing to a Little Bit More (Island). If it holds its position, the Wigan, England rock outfit will earn a second leader following their 2021 debut, How Beautiful Life Can Be.

Close behind is British rapper slowthai, who is chasing his third consecutive top 10 with UGLY (Method). It’s new at No. 3 on the chart blast. Raised in Northampton (and born Tyron Frampton), slowthai landed a No. 1 with his previous, sophomore effort, Tyron.

Completing the podium on the chart blast is Mimi Webb’s first full-length album Amelia (RCA), set for a No. 3 debut.

Also eyeing top 10 stars are Scottish folk band Tide Lines (An Ocean Full of Islands currently at No. 6 via Tide Lines Music); “Songbird” singer Eva Cassidy’s posthumous collection with the London Symphony Orchestra and Australian-British composer Christopher Willis (I Can Only Be Me at No. 7 via Blix Street) and prog-rock legends Genesis (BBC Broadcasts at No. 9 via UMR/Virgin).

U.S. country star Morgan Wallen will need to show a clean set of heels in the final stages of the chart race if he’s to nab his first U.K. top 40 appearance. Wallen’s 36-track third album One Thing At A Time (EMI) appears at No. 40 on the Official Chart Update.

All will be revealed when the weekly chart is published Friday.

06 Mar 2023

Cravity Get ‘Groovy’ With Feel-Good New Single: Watch the Rising K-Pop Boy Band Take the Spotlight

After 2022 marked career milestones for Cravity with their first English single, touring the U.S., and releasing their New Wave album, which saw them “take charge” with their musical direction, the K-pop boy band returns with a “Groovy” direction for 2023.

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The nonet released their new EP MASTER : PIECE on Monday (March 6), boasting six new tracks alongside the single “Groovy.” While New Wave saw Cravity embodying a cheery and breezy sound, the new single “Groovy” continues the bright, feel-good energy with additional sparkle and shimmer. Funky rhythmic guitars back some of the guys’ smoothest and coolest hooks to date before the chorus bursts into an explosion of synthesizers and brass as Cravity declare: “You make you feel so groovy!”

Just like how the production in “Groovy” balances the sleek verses and vibrant choruses, the accompanying music video shows both sides of Cravity as the guys go from suit-and-tie office workers to colorfully dressed pop stars onstage and at press conferences that the paparazzi are fighting to film. The different worlds continuously mix throughout the visual until the final chorus, when the boys dance in vibrant, chic, contemporary suits.

“Groovy” includes songwriting contributions from Cravity members Serim and Allen, who also co-wrote on the new MASTER : PIECE tracks “Fly,” “Get Lifted” and Baddie.” Meanwhile, Cravity’s vocal powerhouse Woobin also wrote on “Baddie” while co-producing the track “Light the Way.” As the youngest male artist under Starship Entertainment (which is home to K-pop acts including chart-toppers Monsta X and IVE), Cravity’s new EP even includes credits from one of their seniors as Exy, leader of Starship girl group WJSN, also contributed lyrics for the track “A to Z.”

Watch Cravity’s new “Groovy” video below and stream MASTER : PIECE here.

06 Mar 2023

Avril Lavigne Spotted Kissing Tyga Following Mod Sun Split: See the Pic

Avril Lavigne seems to have already moved on following her recent breakup from fiancé Mod Sun.

The “Girlfriend” punk-pop princess was seen kissing Tyga at the Mugler X Hunter Schafer Party during Paris Fashion Week on Monday (March 6). The two also held hands on their way into the bash, according to photos shared by TMZ. The publication also previously reported the duo eating dinner together at Nobu restaurant in Malibu, California.

Tyga and Avril Lavigne kiss

Tyga and Avril Lavigne attend the Mugler x Hunter Schafer party as part of Paris Fashion Week at Pavillon des Invalides on March 6, 2023 in Paris, France.

Arnold Jerocki/Getty Images

On Feb. 28, Mod Sun addressed the split from Lavigne on Instagram. “In 1 week my entire life completely changed…I just know there’s a plan for it all. I’ll keep my head up + always listen to my heart, even when it feels broken,” he wrote alongside a carousel of photos and videos posted to his Instagram feed. His caption did not specifically mention Lavigne, but Billboard can confirm it is about their split. “Being surrounded by love every night on tour has been an absolute blessing. I have the best friends in the entire world, thanks for always having my back. See you on stage.”

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Rumors of their breakup first began the week before. The two musicians first struck up their relationship when they released “Flames,” a single appearing on Mod Sun’s album Internet Killed the Rockstar, after Machine Gun Kelly introduced them.

Lavigne announced her engagement to Mod Sun in an April 2022 Instagram post, revealing that he popped the big question in Paris just outside the Eiffel Tower. “Oui! Je t’aime pour toujours,” she wrote, which translates to “I love you always,” alongside a black and white photo of the musician down on one knee. “Dimanche. 27. Mars. 2022.”

06 Mar 2023

Citizen Cope Announces East Coast Tour ‘All the Songs You Want to Hear’

Citizen Cope is hitting the road for a run of East Coast tour dates starting in late April and running through May, the underground singer-songwriter announced Wednesday (Mar. 1).

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Dubbed All The Songs You Want To Hear, the tour is leaving many Citizen Cope fans to wonder which of the more than 100 tunes in his catalog he’ll be performing. Over the last decade, the singer-songwriter (born Clarence Greenwood) has released seven studio albums, each bearing his unique urban folk style steeped in peculiar earnestness and passionate indulgence. In addition, he’s appeared on tracks with Stick Figure, Santana, Sheryl Crow and the Easy Dub Reggae All-Stars (for an impossibly perfect cover of Radiohead‘s “Karma Police”), creating an impressive catalog of work that’s still growing. Notably, his 2004 album, The Clarence Greenwood Recordings, is expected to be certified platinum by the RIAA this year despite never spending a week on any Billboard chart.

Obvious picks for the 2023 tour include Cope’s most streamed tracks, including “Let the Drummer Kick,” “Sideways,” “Pablo Picasso,” “Bullet and a Target,” “Son’s Gonna Rise,” “Justice” and “Scared of Heights.” Possible curveballs include songs like “More Than It Seems” and “Brother Lee,” both of which highlight Cope’s skill for using tempo and rapid wordplay to layer urgency and tension into his songs.

In a press release, Cope says The All the Songs You Want to Hear tour will be a solo acoustic experience “that will ultimately lift all of our spirits. In a world that can look so divided, it’s great to have people gather under one roof, who have different beliefs, opinions, and personal identities to connect and celebrate life through the power of music.” 

Tickets are on sale now. You can find a full list of dates below and more information here.

April 30                       Nashville, TN @ Basement East
May 2                          Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
May 3                          Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theatre
May 4                          Charleston, SC @ Charleston Music Hall
May 5                          Wilmington, NC @ Greenfield Lake Amphitheater
May 6                          Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre
May 7                          Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
May 9                          Winston-Salem, NC @ The Ramkat
May 10                        Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
May 11                        Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Hall
May 12                        Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
May 13                        Glenside, PA @ Keswick Theatre
May 14                        Fairfield, CT @ The Warehouse
May 16                        Albany, NY@ The Egg at Empire State Plaza
May 17                        South Deerfield, MA @ House Theater
May 18                        Boston, MA @ The Wilber
May 19                        Portland, ME @ State Theatre
May 20                        Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Made
May 22                        Montreal, PQ @ Le Studio TD
May 23                        Toronto, ON @ TD Music Hall
May 24                        Cleveland, OH @ Music Box Supper Club
May 25                        Munhall, PA @ Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead
May 26                        Cincinnati, OH @ Ludlow Garage
May 27                        Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall

06 Mar 2023

Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Artimus Pyle Honors His Late Bandmate Gary Rossington: ‘One of the Greatest Guitar Players That Ever Lived’

The music world is mourning Gary Rossington, the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who died on Sunday (March 5) at the age of 71.

Following the news, Artimus Pyle, who drummed for the rock band during the 1970’s, paid tribute to his late bandmate. “I’ve already gone back, looked at them, and read the entire thread between Gary and I. And I will cherish these texts for the rest of my life,” Pyle, who replaced original drummer Bob Burns in 1975, told Rolling Stone.

“When Bob, Gary and [singer] Ronnie [Van Zant] got together in Bob’s carport on the west side of Jacksonville, Florida, they put something together that went worldwide,” he continued. “Everyone will remember Gary as a road dog, trouper, songwriter, and one of the greatest guitar players that ever lived. He just loved being onstage.”

74-year-old Pyle is now the only living member of the band that was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. “As it turns out, being the last living member of Lynyrd Skynyrd is not all it’s cracked up to be,” Pyle said. “It’s painful, and I’m trying to process it and deal with it.”

No cause of death for Rossington was given, though the guitarist had been dealing with health issues over the past couple of decades and particularly since the mid-2010s, when heart ailments occasionally sidelined Rossington, and the band.

In an official statement Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote that, “It is without deepest sympathy and sadness that we have to advise, that we lost our brother, friend, family member, songwriter and guitarist, Gary Rossington today. Gary is now with his Skynyrd brothers and family in heaven and playing it pretty, like he always does. Please keep Dale, Mary and Annie and the entire Rossington family in your prayers and respect the family’s privacy at this time.”

A number of rock greats also took to Twitter to mourn the beloved musician, including Peter Frampton, Paul Rodgers, Travis Tritt, The Allman Brothers Band and more. See below.

06 Mar 2023

Katy Perry Jokes About Bebe Rexha Getting Slimed at Kids’ Choice Awards: ‘They Were Kind to You Sis’

Katy Perry couldn’t help but relate after Bebe Rexha got slimed at the 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday.

Rexha — who performed her top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit “I’m Good (Blue)” sans collaborator David Guetta during the family-friendly awards show — shared the moment she got slimed on social media, writing, “Kids choice awards before and after..” The “When I’m Gone” singer jumped into the comments section of the Instagram post, quipping, “They were kind to you sis.”

Of course, Perry seems to be referencing her own epic appearance at the Kids’ Choice Awards during her Teenage Dream era back in 2010, in which she was quite literally knocked to the ground by her surprise sliming. Several fans also reminisced about the moment after seeing Perry’s comment on social media, with one tweeting, “They tried to take her out fr… all she did was wear a blue wig & make pop hits.”

Another pronounced, “Katy Perry is never going back to the kids choice awards after that,” and a third joked, “no forreal cuz this is an attempted mur-der,” with a crying emoji

Rexha, meanwhile, released her latest single “Heart Wants What It Wants” in mid-February as a precursor to her forthcoming, yet-untitled third album. The upcoming record will be a follow-up to 2021’s Better Mistakes, which contained the singles “Baby I’m Jealous,” featuring Doja Cat; “Sacrifice”; “Sabotage”; and the Lil Uzi Vert collab “Die for a Man.”

Check out Perry’s comment on Rexha’s Kids’ Choice Awards post, as well as some of the best fan reactions, below.

06 Mar 2023

Cher Is Making Music With Her Boyfriend Alexander ‘A.E.’ Edwards

Cher and Alexander “A.E.” Edwards are taking their relationship to the next level.

The icon told E! News on Monday (March 6) that she’s working on new music, and she’s even brought her boyfriend — who is a producer himself — into the studio for collaboration. “I’m going to England to make two albums,” she revealed. “Some of the songs Alexander gave me, so I’m pretty excited about that. He’s a producer and a writer and he does everything, so I’m happy about that.”

Cher also added that she’s “trying to get myself in shape” for an upcoming tour she is planning to embark on later this year.

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The “If I Could Turn Back Time” singer previously opened up about the 40-year age difference in her relationship. “On paper, it’s kind of ridiculous,” she admitted on The Kelly Clarkson Show back in December. “But in real life, we get along great. He’s fabulous. And I don’t give men qualities that they don’t deserve.”

She noted that Edwards is “very kind, very smart, he’s very talented, and he’s really funny,” before sweetly observing, “And I think he’s quite handsome.”

Cher and Edwards met at Paris Fashion Week in September, and were later spotted holding hands. The rapper and music executive was previously linked to Amber Rose, with whom he shares three-year-old son Slash Electric.