Music

13 Feb 2023

Brandi Carlile, Trey Anastasio & Stick Figure To Headline 2023 Levitate Festival

Brandi Carlile, Phish lead singer Trey Anastasio and American reggae band Stick Figure are slated to headline this year’s Levitate Music and Arts Festival, which is slated for July 7-9 at the Marshfield Fairgrounds near Cape Cod, Mass. Other notable artists on the bill include Goose, Ziggy Marley, Rebelution and Peach Pit.

This year’s event will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the festival as well as the 20th anniversary of the Levitate surf and skate shop brand that launched it.

“It’s humbling,” says Levitate co-founder Daniel Hassett of the upcoming festival. “We’re excited to use this milestone to dig into our roots and expand our arts and mural programming, partner with more local vendors than ever, [double] our kids’ programs and [expand] our greening efforts.”

Over the past 20 years, the Levitate brand has grown considerably. In addition to launching an apparel line and kids’ summer camps, it expanded its flagship store; launched an outdoor restaurant, music and events venue; established a fall touring series called Levitate Flannel Jam; and founded the non-profit Levitate Foundation.

“I couldn’t be prouder of what Levitate has become,” adds co-founder and artist director Jess Hassett. “The line-up is full of amazing female artists including Brandi Carlile, Lucius, Celisse, and Melt. Pro-skater Nora Vasconcellos will be exhibiting her incredible skills and our arts and mural program will feature a bigger and more diverse group of brilliant artists than ever before.”

Tickets for the festival go on sale Tuesday; 1% of each ticket sold will go to the Levitate Foundation. Visit www.levitatemusicfestival.com for more information and the full lineup.

13 Feb 2023

KEY Releases a ‘Killer’ Music Video for New Album

After KEY opened up to Billboard about the film and family references that made Gasoline his most personal and empowering album yet, the K-pop star returns with its deluxe version, Killer, that showcases another side of the SHINee member.

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The title track single “Killer” sees KEY throwing it back to the ’80s with a workout-ready, synth-pop production soundtracking the guilt and self-conviction he needs to justify a harsh breakup. The accompanying video keeps somewhat in line with the throwback sound with KEY embracing similar elements to classic sci-fi action flicks like Tron and Blade Runner for cinematic scenes of the star riding through a city on a futuristic motorcycle. Meanwhile, the dance numbers in the visual feel classically KEY as he powers through interpretive dance moves to tell his story.

KEY also showed how the vintage inspirations come to life in Killer‘s album packaging, sharing on Instagram the video game and VHS–esque graphics that will instantly strike nostalgia in any ’80s or ’90s kid.

Alongside “Killer,” KEY’s repackaged record includes two other new songs including anthemic thumper “Heartless” and “Easy,” produced by KEY’s past collaborators LDN Noise who have been behind tracks like “Guilty Pleasure,” and SHINee singles “View” and “Married to the Music.”

Watch “Killer” below:

13 Feb 2023

Taylor Swift & Bad Bunny Among the World’s Highest-Paid Entertainers

Forbes revealed this week its list of the world’s 10 highest-paid entertainers, who, combined, made more than $1.3 billion last year.

Topping the list are Genesis and Sting, who made $230 million and $210 million, respectively, thanks to selling their music. Genesis topped 2022 with a $300 million music rights sale to Concord Music Group in September, while Sting also made $300 million before fees by selling his entire musical catalog, both solo and with The Police, to Universal Music Group in February.

Among the other major artists on the list was Taylor Swift, who came in at No. 9 with $92 million. According to Forbes, income streams from physical record sales, streaming, digital downloads, licensing and sync were the primary source of the superstar’s major income last year.

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Bad Bunny came in at No. 10 with $88 million, and the Puerto Rican rapper can attribute much of his financial success to his massive Último Tour Del Mundo and The World’s Hottest Tour, plus endorsements from Corona, Cheetos and Adidas.

In December 2022, Swift was named in Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 most powerful women, ranking at No. 79. The success of Midnights and her re-recorded albums Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version) were highlighted, along with her political influence and November’s Eras Tour ticket sale meltdown.

See the full list of the world’s highest-paid entertainers here.

13 Feb 2023

This Video of A$AP Rocky During Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Really Put Olivia Wilde ‘Over the Edge’

Olivia Wilde shared her wild thoughts on Rihanna‘s epic Super Bowl halftime show — and A$AP Rocky‘s role as supportive partner — on Monday (Feb. 13).

“My only vibe from here on out,” the Don’t Worry Darling director wrote on her Instagram Story above a shot of Rihanna posing among her white-clad backup dancers during her performance.

However, it was a follow-up Instagram Story that had Wilde titillating over RiRi’s longtime love. “If I thought he was hot before, this really put me over the edge,” she wrote on a video of the rapper excitedly filming his superstar partner’s 13-minute set from the field of State Farm Stadium.

Indeed, A$AP Rocky had a front-row seat to Rihanna’s triumphant return after five years away from the stage, which saw her run through a cavalcade of her past hits including “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “Where Have You Been,” “Only Girl (In the World),” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Pour It Up,” “Umbrella,” “Diamonds” and more.

Rih also used her big moment in the world’s spotlight to debut a new shade of Fenty lipstick called “MVP,” subtly promoting her Fenty Beauty makeup brand mid-set, and to announce that she is officially expecting baby number two with the “Same Problems?” rapper less than a year after giving birth to the couple’s first child, a boy, in May.

Meanwhile, Wilde split from longtime boyfriend Harry Styles at the tail end of 2022 after nearly two years — and one movie — together.

Check out Wilde’s reaction to Rihanna’s halftime performance and unabashed love of A$AP Rocky here and below.

13 Feb 2023

Jay Park Drops ‘Yesterday’ Music Video With ‘Squid Game’ Star Lee You-mi & Surprises Kehlani’s Seoul Concert

Jay Park had a busy day after delivering his new singles and twerking skills for Kehlani.

On the evening of Feb. 13 local time in South Korea, the rapper-singer-CEO dropped two new songs, “Yesterday” and “Love Is Ugly” featuring Hwa Sa of K-pop girl group MAMAMOO. While Park is most known for his rap skills, the two new tracks see the Korean-American star embracing his R&B sensibilities and showcasing a tender vocal approach.

“Yesterday” is an English acoustic track that comes with a stripped-down music video where Park sings heartfelt lyrics (“Your smile is all I need, without you these lungs can’t breathe/ I’d fall from the sky for you, want to do better and thrive for you”) in a white T-shirt and jeans. Soon enough, the love interest Jay’s singing to joins him, played by actress Lee You-mi who’s best known as the Emmy Award–winning Squid Game actress who was the first Korean named Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

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Park’s second new song, “Love Is Ugly,” stays in a similarly laid-back, R&B sound with Jay and Hwa Sa trading off expressive, emotive verses. The two performed the track live for Hwa Sa’s cable television show on Korean TV station tVn (below), with the latest episode also including a cover of Park’s excellent pop-R&B single “Ganadara” and Hwa Sa covering “Stay” by 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner Rihanna.

After dropping the new music, Jay Park made his way to Seoul’s YES 24 Live Hall where Kehlani was performing as part of the Asia leg of her Blue Water Road Trip tour that night. Not only was Jay spotted watching the show, but he eventually joined Kehlani on stage for what appeared to be an impromptu dance lesson of how to twerk to Park’s 2015 single “MOMMAE.” Fans in attendance shared footage throughout the night, including the moment when Jay pulled his shirt off prompting a hyped-up reaction from the crowd and Kehlani herself.

“Yesterday” and “Love Is Ugly” are the latest releases from Jay Park under his newly created More Vision record label that launched nearly a year ago. Like these two new tracks, More Vision has seen Park serving more in the pop and R&B lane with singles like “Ganadara” and “Need to Know.” The former track earned Park his first Top 10 entry on Billboard‘s World Digital Song Sales chart since 2016, perhaps indicating that U.S. fans are especially loving his latest venture.

Watch Jay Park’s “Yesterday” video with Lee You-mi and “Love Is Ugly” live performance with Hwa Sa below:

13 Feb 2023

Zara Larsson Gives Behind the Scenes Look at ‘Can’t Tame Her’ Music Video

Zara Larsson‘s video for “Can’t Tame Her” is officially out! The dance-heavy visual arrived last month on Jan. 26 and now, Billboard is taking you behind the scenes of what it was like for the Swedish pop star to film the music video.

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Billboard was on set with the star, who fluctuated between scenes of her practicing the intense choreography and chatting with cameras while not rolling to discuss the video’s concept. “The challenge in this is basically to do the choreo with myself and we’ve used this beautiful girl Barbara as the double, and then we are 3D modeling, CGI-ing my face on Barbara,” Larsson explains.

To arrive at such a stunning result, many worked behind the scenes to bring Larsson’s vision to life. Rudy Grazziani, the pop star’s creative director said, “For this project we have honestly. such an all star roster of creative involved. We have Global, Parisian directorial duo, we have Lisa Jarvis on wardrobe. Amazing, big fan of all these people. We have Sophia for makeup, then we have Ali for hair.”

A close look behind the scenes showed that the video’s silver elevator scene was created with the help of color changing strip LED lights, faux plants and vines. The models danced alongside Larsson as the chrome hallway was bathed in red light for the videos group dance scene, and afterwards, hugged her and posed for photos when the shoot wrapped up for the evening.

“It was so fun to shoot,” Larsson says, closing out the behind the scenes video. “Hope you enjoy it!”

Watch the behind the scenes video for “Can”t Tame Her” above.

13 Feb 2023

Lizzo Told All 3 Members of Destiny’s Child That She Saw Them Perform at Walmart

Lizzo is an OG Destiny’s Child fan. So much so, the star saw the trio perform at Walmart back when she was just in the fifth grade.

The “Good as Hell” four-time Grammy winner sat down with SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up crew this week, where she discussed her mission to tell Beyoncé, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland about her attendance at the throwback retail gig. “It has been a goal of mine to tell every single member of Destiny’s Child that I saw them perform at Walmart in the fifth grade,” Lizzo revealed. “I told Michelle Williams years ago at Bonnaroo and I was like, ‘OK, one member down, two to go.’”

Lizzo went on to share that she told Bey the news at the 2023 Grammys, and then saw Rowland at dinner later that night. “Beyoncé was like [to Rowland], ‘Do you know she was at the show at the Walmart? I tell people we performed at Walmart all the time and they do not believe me,’” Lizzo recalled. “I was like, ‘Yeah, y’all performed at a Walmart on Dunvale and Westheimer in Houston, Texas.’ […] Kelly was like, [gasps] ‘You were there?’”

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Both Lizzo and Beyoncé had big nights at the 2023 Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, with “About Damn Time” winning record of the year.

Bey, meanwhile, made history at the ceremony, becoming the artist with the most awards in Grammy history. This year, the superstar won four awards, including two in the dance/electronic category.

13 Feb 2023

Watch Rihanna’s Full 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show

Rihanna’s first performance after five years was nothing short of massive. The singer and mogul opted for one of the world’s biggest platforms — the Super Bowl halftime show — to showcase her slew of hits and a growing baby bump, all of which you can watch in full below.

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The surprise belly reveal both enthused fans and simultaneously crushed their dreams of a new album, with many speculating online that Rih and partner A$AP Rocky’s incoming bundle of joy means no music anytime soon. But nevertheless, the Navy is sending Rihanna love and congratulations following her 13-minute mash-up. After much speculation, Rihanna landed on “Bitch Better Have My Money” as her starting song, and ran through a laundry list of Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, including “Only Girl (In the World),” “We Found Love,” “S&M,” “Rude Boy” and “Work.”

She was on top of the world quite literally, spending a large chunk of her performance atop a small suspended platform that may have been understandably scary for the soon-to-be mom of two. Nevertheless, she exuded confidence in an all-red ensemble that paid homage to friend and fashion great André Leon Talley, even busting a few moves among her trove of dancers in white.

The multiplatinum artist felt no need for featured guests, handling each number alone. There was one cameo, however: her Fenty Beauty invisimatte instant setting and blotting powder, setting the record straight on where Rih’s billion-dollar focus currently lies. In the past, Rihanna commented that she wouldn’t perform at the 2019 Super Bowl halftime show in solidarity with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his quest to spotlight police brutality on the sidelines. Last night, she sang a different tune, presumably connected to her label home Roc Nation’s involvement as the NFL’s official live music entertainment strategist.

Read Billboard‘s full recap here, and watch the entire performance below:

13 Feb 2023

Julia Fox Says Kanye West’s Antisemitism ‘F—ing Breaks My Heart’

Julia Fox opened up in an interview published Monday (Feb. 13) about Kanye West‘s dangerous descent into antisemitism and other hateful rhetoric.

“I just feel so bad for everyone involved, to be honest,” the actress says of her ex-boyfriend, who now goes by Ye, in a profile with ELLE. “I feel bad for his family, his children. I feel bad for the Jewish people. Some of my Jewish friends are shook right now, and that f—ing breaks my heart. I really, truly would’ve never seen him taking this direction.”

After dating the embattled rapper in early 2022, the Uncut Gems star told the fashion magazine she’s currently done with men. “I want to be left alone. Like, don’t talk to me, don’t look at me, don’t bother me,” she said, adding, “I don’t know. I feel like knowingly engaging in a heterosexual relationship, you are signing yourself up for an unhealthy dynamic.”

This week, the Anti-Defamation League published a report tying West’s onslaught of anti-Jewish statements to 30 different incidents of “antisemitic incidents” in the past several months. “These incidents — which include vandalism, banner drops, targeted harassment and campus propaganda distributions — demonstrate the ongoing influence of Ye’s conspiratorial, bigoted rants,” the report reads.

The ongoing controversy was also recently lampooned in the season 26 premiere of South Park, with Cupid Ye zooming around shooting hearts filled with antisemitism instead of love at various characters.

In January, Australia’s Anti Defamation Commission also announced that Ye should be barred from entering the country after he reportedly tied the knot with 27-year-old Australian architect Bianca Censori.

Get a look at Fox’s ELLE shoot below.

Julia Fox for ELLE

Julia Fox for ELLE

Richie Shazam

13 Feb 2023

Top 11 Super Bowl National Anthem Performances

Since the Super Bowl stands at the pinnacle of American sports, it’s no surprise that the nation’s most-high profile competition also boasts an iconic annual music tradition — the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” for a global audience in the hundreds of millions.

Since its first inception in 1967, the Super Bowl has included an offering of the national anthem, and in recent decades, the visibility has only increased as music superstars take to the mic to deliver America’s sacred song.

While dozens of performers have undertaken the roughly two-minute challenge, here are Billboard’s top picks for the best Super Bowl performances of “The Star-Spangled Banner” through 2023.