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Following Patti LuPone‘s recent remarks disparaging fellow Broadway actresses Audra McDonald and Kecia Lewis, more than 500 members of the Broadway community have signed an open letter calling out the musical theater legend for “bullying” and “harassment.”
In the message published Friday (May 30) — just a few days after a New Yorker piece quoted LuPone as saying that McDonald was “not a friend” while calling Cole a “bi—” for labeling herself a stage “veteran” — the signatories wrote that the Agatha All Along star’s comments were “degrading and misogynistic,” as well as a “blatant act of racialized disrespect.” People who signed the letter include Courtney Love, as well as Tony winners James Monroe Iglehart, Maleah Joi Moon and Wendell Pierce.
“It constitutes bullying,” the letter continues. “It constitutes harassment. It is emblematic of the microaggressions and abuse that people in this industry have endured for far too long, too often without consequence.”
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Though the signatories directly urged the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League to disinvite LuPone from the 2025 Tony Awards — as well as other “industry events” such as “fundraisers and public programs” — they also insisted that their message was about “more than one person.”
“It is about a culture. A pattern. A persistent failure to hold people accountable for violent, disrespectful, or harmful behavior — especially when they are powerful or well-known,” the letter reads. “This is not about differing opinions. It is about public actions that demean, intimidate, or perpetuate violence against fellow artists. It is about the normalization of harm in an industry that too often protects prestige over people.”
Billboard has reached out to LuPone’s rep for comment.
The letter adds to the online backlash LuPone has been facing since her New Yorker profile went live Monday. In the piece, LuPone reflected on how she once asked Shubert Organization head Robert Wankel to step in after sound from the Alicia Keys-created musical Hell’s Kitchen, in which Lewis starred, could be heard during LuPone’s performances of The Roommate next door on Broadway. Shortly after LuPone’s complaint, Lewis posted an Instagram video labeling the icon’s actions as “bullying,” “racially microaggressive” and “rooted in privilege” for calling “a Black show loud.”
“She calls herself a veteran? Let’s find out how many Broadway shows Kecia Lewis has done, because she doesn’t know what the f— she’s talking about,” LuPone told The New Yorker of the situation. “Don’t call yourself a vet, bi—.”
As for McDonald, LuPone took issue with the Private Practice star showing support for Lewis in the comments of said Instagram video. “I thought, You should know better,” LuPone told the publication, noting that there had been an undisclosed “rift” between the two actresses. “That’s typical of Audra. She’s not a friend.”
McDonald later responded in an interview with Gayle King, saying she had no idea what “rift” LuPone was referring to.
But while the comments could be regarded as typical for the famously forthright LuPone, the members of the Broadway community who signed Friday’s open letter thinks she crossed a line. “To publicly attack a woman who has contributed to this art form with such excellence, leadership, and grace … is not simply a personal offense,” their statement reads. “It is a public affront to the values of collaboration, equity, and mutual respect that our theater community claims to uphold.
“We cannot continue to welcome back those who harm others simply because of their fame or perceivedvalue,” it concludes. “This must stop. We will no longer tolerate violence—verbal, emotional, or physical—against artists within our own community. No more free passes. If our industry is truly committed to equity, justice, and respect, then those values must be applied consistently, even when it’s uncomfortable.”
Diddy is currently on trial in New York for sex trafficking and racketeering. While the trial is still in its early stages, President Donald Trump was asked about potentially pardoning the Bad Boy mogul, and Trump admitted it’s something he’d consider. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news During […]
WAR will receive its star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday June 5 – 56 years after the band was formed in Long Beach, Calif.
Comedian George Lopez, whose eponymous sitcom (2002-07) featured War’s 1975 smash “Low Rider” as its theme song, is set to speak at the event. In a fun twist, the group is scheduled to arrive at the star ceremony in low riders provided by four car clubs – Imperial Car Club, Groupe ELA, Spirit Car Club, and Southern Life Car Club.
Music producer Jimmy Jam will emcee the ceremony, which will take place at 11:30 a.m. PT at 6212 Hollywood Boulevard. It is the 2,814th star ceremony and will be streamed live exclusively at walkoffame.com.
The honor is shared by original members Lonnie Jordan, Harold Brown, Howard Scott, Lee Oskar and Jerry Goldstein; late members Charles Miller, Morris Dickerson and Thomas Sylvester Allen; and current members Salvador Rodriguez, Marcos Reyes, Rene Camacho, Scott Martin, Mitchell Kashmar and James Zota Baker.
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WAR had four top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including one that reached No. 1 in 1973, The World Is a Ghetto. It had six top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, with the funky “The Cisco Kid” climbing as high as No. 2 in 1973 – kept from the top spot by Tony Orlando & Dawn’s resolutely unfunky “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree.”
“Low Rider,” released in 1975, was its only No. 1 on what was then called Hot Soul Singles (and is now called Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs). “Low Rider” has since become the band’s signature song. It was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014.
WAR’s signature fusion of funk, soul, jazz, Latin, rock and street music made their music stand out in the 1970s, along with their ability to weave social messages into their songs, notably on “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” WAR have been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame three times (2009, 2012, 2015), but have yet to get the nod.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce administers the Walk of Fame for the City of Los Angeles and has hosted these star ceremonies for decades.
Alex Warren and Jelly Roll went all the way back to the Middle Ages in a music video for their new single “Bloodline.” Released Friday (May 30), the clip begins with Warren barricaded inside a medieval tavern. According to a brawny extra, there’s apparently a dangerous war raging outside. “The enemy shall be upon us […]
The last week of May is coming to a close, and it’s shaped up to be a big one for pop music releases. Miley Cyrus leads the charge with a full album of new music that dropped Friday (May 30), Something Beautiful, featuring the singles “End of the World” and “More to Lose.” The high-energy […]
Carlos Santana, a living legend in global music, hardly needs an introduction. With nearly eight decades under his belt, his influence continues to ripple across generations of artists and fans alike.
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Now, his artistry intertwines with Grupo Frontera in “Me Retiro,” a Tex-Mex rock collaboration that celebrates resilience and emotional rebirth, with Santana stepping in as both a musical sage and spiritual guide.
The song, produced and co-written by Edgar Barrera, tells the story of someone trying to move past the pain of a broken relationship while grappling with an overwhelming sense of emptiness. Musically, “Me Retiro” blends Santana’s unmistakable electric guitar melodies — dizzying and immersive — with Grupo Frontera’s signature tejano acoustic style, where, instead of the accordion, Santana’s guitar takes center stage. The “Black Magic Woman” artist uses his electrifying rock riffs to elevate the track to a more dynamic level, while Frontera’s Texan instrumentation grounds it in the cultural and emotional roots of norteño.
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In a Zoom interview with Billboard Español, Santana reflects on the essence of the song and his connection to its message. “It’s about someone who doesn’t see themselves as a victim,” he said. “There are so many songs I didn’t like growing up, about people getting drunk and crying, like, ‘Oh, they left me, they’re gone.; That music is so depressing, and I don’t think that way — I’m a lion. If my woman leaves, let her go, I’ll find another queen with even more light. I have very strong faith, and I relate to Frontera’s lyrics because they’re basically saying, ‘I don’t give a damn.’
“I came into this world to transcend,” the musician concludes. “I’m a gardener, and my water is for all the flowers.”
Barrera was the bridge between the iconic guitarist and the Texan-Mexican group. For the producer and songwriter, this project marked a pivotal moment in his career. “It was a very special moment for me to be able to work with Santana because the first song I ever learned how to play on the guitar was ‘Samba Pa Ti’ and I played it in a talent show when I was 10 years old,” shares Barrera. “He is one of the main reasons I fell in love with music and he’s always been one of my idols so this was truly a full circle moment in my career and I’m honored that he agreed to collaborate with me.”
The creative process was just as meaningful for Grupo Frontera, whose members are still reflecting on the unforgettable opportunity to work with a musical legend. “It’s always a surreal moment when you get to collaborate with people you’ve looked up to your whole life,” said the band via email. “Edgar Barrera told us that Santana wanted to make a song together and we were shocked. Being in the same room as him, watching him work, we were speechless. We learned a lot from the experience.”
For Santana, the project felt authentic and aligned with his own musical style, creating a natural connection with Grupo Frontera. “They have so much energy and joy and I really relate to that,” Santana says. “If you break down where their music comes from, it’s African music. It’s blended with northern Texas and Mexican influences, but its foundation — just like Selena’s cumbia — is rooted in African music, and that’s something I can express very naturally.”
Despite his recent health challenges, 77-year-old Santana says he’s ready to keep sharing his magic with the world. “Thank God, I’m better than ever. I’m ready to go on tour and bring this strength and hope to people,” he says.
For him and his unmistakable guitar, the mission has always been clear: to inspire others with a “pinch of light.”
Listen to “Me Retiro” by Carlos Santana and Grupo Frontera below.
Officials with Forest Hills Stadium in New York have successfully saved their 2025 concert season from cancellation and announced a slate of programming at the stadium that begins with a concert on Saturday night (May 31) from British band Bloc Party.. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news NYPD […]
Bianca Oblivion had earned a degree in public health from Yale, a masters degree in epidemiology from UCLA and another masters in medical anthropology from Boston University, but what she really wanted to do was DJ.
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Growing up in a music loving family, the Los Angeles native immersed herself in city’s the sprawling music scenes as an adolescent and teen, while also taking dance classes in myriad styles. The love of music was just in her, and it went with her to Yale, where she was the music director for the school’s radio station and also hosted her own show.
Back in LA after graduating from Yale, she got another radio show on KXLU, then one night a friend asked if she wanted to spin at a nightclub in the city’s Culver City neighborhood. While she’d never played for a live crowd, she gathered her records, put some songs on an iPod and played the gig.
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“That was it,” she says. “After that I was like, ‘I need to do this more.’”
Her academic pursuits also continued in tandem, and at school in Boston, she immersed herself in the city’s club scene to the extent that by 2014, she’d been nominated for a DJ of the year award by a local paper. “I very much had these parallel paths and sides of me that that I was somehow balancing,” she says.
But after ultimately earning a trifecta of prestigious degrees, “my job search was not really panning out,” she says. “I wasn’t finding anything I was interested in or seeing how I was going to make these degrees work.”
Again back in L.A., she took a job as a substitute teacher, finding the flexibility of the gig made it possible to play shows. Making it all work, however, required some juggling. When she DJ’d for Princess Nokia at Coachella 2018, she graded papers in her backstage trailer before the show.
The same hustle that’s required to achieve so much in academia has also defined Oblivion’s musical career, which is reaching new levels following the pandemic as she’s focused more and more on her own productions and booked gigs around the world. She signed with the European agency Three Feet High in 2018 and released her first single in February of 2020, with the intention of doing a substantial European club run that summer.
This was, of course, weeks before nightclubs around the world shut down during the pandemic.
But instead of quitting, Oblivion used the global downtime to hone in on making music, without having to care whether or not it was getting played out. “It’s daunting,” she says of learning to produce. “It was not easy, especially while seeing a lot of my friends around me and peers in the scene just flying with that. It was like ‘What am I going to do? How am I even gonna add to this?’”
But with time and tenacity, she carved out a sharp and clubby signature sound that melds techno, bass, drum & bass and a host of other genre. She also developed an email list, organizing her career-related data in precise spreadsheets. (“That is where the training in school and data management came in very handy,” she says.) When the world reopened, she was well positioned.
“Since the pandemic my career has really accelerated,” she says. “I’ve gotten to play in venues and festivals I hadn’t even thought I would.”
Bianca Oblivion
Courtesy of Bianca Oblivion
These gigs include the U.K.’s famous Glastonbury, where she’ll play for the third time next month, a pair of Boiler Room sets, one a b2b with her good friend and fellow DJ Jubilee, and many other events across the U.S., Europe, Brazil and beyond. When speaking to Billboard over Zoom, Oblivion is just about to play a set in London, where she spends a lot of her time and finds inspiration in the cultural and musical diversity.
The next day, she’s playing 6,000 miles away in San Diego, and the day after she’ll do a set at Lightning in a Bottle near Bakersfield, Calif. Her summer schedule includes Shambhala, Dirtybird Campout x Northern Nights, Toronto’s Sojourn Festival and Belgium’s Rampage Open Air.
Oblivion is very aware that her rookie status is one of gradually getting in front of more and more people over the years, rather than the rocket ship of virality. She’s cool with that.
“Sometimes people win the DJ lottery,” she says. “They get a viral moment, or they know the right somebody, or there’s something that pushes them a bit further and accelerates them. I’m not one of those people.”
But “I’m not complaining,” she continues. “I’m built for this in terms of where I came from and my work ethic, getting into more than one Ivy League school. I just set my mind to something and I’m relentless, not in a business shark way where I’m going to stomp on everyone in my path. More like, ‘What can I personally do to make sure I cover every single thing I can to get to that point?”
The grinding has obviously paid off. While it was only a few years ago that she was figuring out how to make music, Oblivion’s releases are ever tighter, fiercer and more stylish. Her latest release, February’s Net Work EP, features four inventive and frequently hard-hitting productions that feature collaborators including Lunice, Machinedrum and Sam Binga. Her forthcoming single is a baile funk track with British dancehall duo RDX, with it’s release date yet to be announced.
“In every industry, there’s going to be people who are going to jump the line or jump ahead, and that’s just what it is,” she says. “The only way to mentally deal, I think, is just to ask myself what I’m contributing. Why am I doing this? Is it because I want to get the best gigs or make the most money? No. I’m doing this because I live music This is my life. This is what I’ve been connected to since I was a child. So I’m going to make music and do stuff that’s going to fulfill me and add to the world that I love.”
The pursuit is also now paying off in ways that even this extremely educated artist didn’t imagine.
“People have come up to me at shows, especially young women, and they tell me they look up to me and like my music. I didn’t have that kind of role model as I was coming up as a DJ, at least not in the same way, so I’m just honored that people are even seeing me as a role model.
“Maybe I’m not that hot new DJ that’s touring everywhere,” she continues. “But obviously if my music is making a difference, and if just by existing in these spaces I can be someone that people look up to and see ‘okay, I can do this too,’ then that means something.”
On Friday (May 30), Taylor Swift both announced that she has finally acquired the masters to her first six albums and gave an update on the long-awaited Reputation re-record — but fans suspect that, to top it all off, she also subtly teased her 12th album.
In a letter posted to her website, the pop star revealed that she finally has control over her entire body of work after purchasing back her masters from Shamrock Capital (for somewhere around $360 million, sources tell Billboard). The sale comes six years after Scooter Braun acquired her catalog from Scott Borchetta in 2019, after which the music manager sold his ownership of Swift’s music to Shamrock in late 2020.
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“I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow,” Swift wrote in her message, emphasizing how meaningful the acquisition is to her. “A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news.”
But what caught fans’ eye was what the 14-time Grammy winner wrote next. “All the times I was thiiiiiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through.”
The statement may seem innocuous — and for all Swifties know, it is — but it’s hard not to focus in on the fact that she included no less than 12 “i”s when writing out the word “thiiiiiiiiiiiis.” Swift has released 11 albums over the course of her career, the last of which, The Tortured Poets Department, arrived in April 2023 and spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. That would make her next LP her 12th, a fact that has fans thinking she just teased the upcoming project with her note.
“THE LETTER HAS 12 I’s TS12 IS COMING SOON TOO OMG IM SO HAPPY FOR TAYLOR,” one fan wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of the letter.
“IT’S A TS12 SUMMER!!!” another fan posted, while a third Swiftie shared a screenshot of the letter and wrote, “I feel like ts12 just got so much closer.”
The 12-count “i” situation is just the latest suspected clue fans have picked up on ahead of the “Fortnight” singer’s predicted 12th album. Much fanfare was also made when Swift attended the 2025 Grammys wearing earrings with exactly 12 red jewels apiece, and in March, she used a sequence of 12 “D”s when praising Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco’s I Said I Love You First album on Instagram.
“I LOVE THIS ALBUM SO MUCH OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDD,” Swift wrote on her Story at the time.
Sharing screenshots of the earrings, the Gomez-Blanco post and the letter about her masters, one Swiftie wrote Friday, “SUDDENLY LIFE IS WORTH LIVING TS12 TRUTHERS RISE.”
But while fans may be excited about the prospect of Swift’s 12th album coming soon, it’s just one of many things they are celebrating. Social media has seen an outpouring of Swifties rejoicing over the musician finally owning her life’s work, something she wrote in her letter is her “greatest dream come true.”
The purchase comes after six years of publicly feuding with Borchetta and Braun over the way the original sale was handled, as well as the re-releases of four of her first six albums: Fearless, Speak Now, Red and 1989. In her letter, Swift emphasized how thankful she was to fans for sticking with her every step of the way.
“You’ll never know how much it means to me that you cared,” she wrote. “Every single bit of it counted and ended us up here. Thanks to you and your goodwill, teamwork and encouragement, the best things that have ever been mine… finally actually are.”
Most people don’t have to worry about hiding a growing baby bump while modeling in a seductive lingerie shoot. But then again, Rihanna is not most people.
The superstar took to social media on Friday (May 30) to share a look at the creative ways she kept her pregnancy a secret while shooting Savage X Fenty’s latest campaign.
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“It’s me playing ‘hide the baby bump’ whole shoot!” the megastar captioned the carousel showing off her menagerie of clever poses before adding, “Boutta be a cheeky summer” with a pair of sun and peach emojis.
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In one snap, RiRi poses with her stomach flat against a wall made up of vibrant, blue pool tiles; in several others, she stands with her back to the camera altogether, offering a series of tantalizing smizes from over her shoulder. Still, the mom of two couldn’t avoid taking pictures from the front for the entire shoot, so when the time came, she opted to lean back in a plastic chair, wisely covering her stomach with her right arm while slinging the opposite leg across her right knee.
Naturally, the mogul also used the post to plug the gorgeous lingerie she was sporting in the photo shoot, adding, “New mosaic floral lace @savagexfenty just dropped!”
Many members of the Navy were quick to hype up their queen in the comments section, with one writing, “And the body stay bodying, even if it’s growing another body” while another declared, “My phone is overheating now.” Others couldn’t help but joke about the singer’s elusive ninth album, commenting, “R9 is winning the hide and seek though.”
Earlier this month, Rihanna announced her third pregnancy with partner A$AP Rocky on the carpet of the 2025 Met Gala, where she put her sweet baby bump on display in a custom tailored ensemble by Marc Jacobs. Since then, she’s also released “Friend of Mine,” her first single in three years, off the Smurfs soundtrack.
Check out Rihanna’s cheeky, pregnancy-hiding photo shoot here.