Music

03 Feb 2023

Olivia Newton-John to be Remembered With State Memorial Service

The life and glittering career of Olivia Newton-John will be celebrated later this month with a state memorial service in Melbourne, the Victorian government has announced.

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Delta Goodrem, the Sydney pop singer who portrayed Newton-John in the 2018 TV mini-series Hopelessly Devoted to You, will perform at the free, ticketed event, which is set for Feb. 26 at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne.

The service is being planned in close consultation with representatives of the late artist, with special tributes from family and friends, reads a statement.

Newton-John died Aug. 8, 2022 after a long battle with cancer, at the age of 73.

“Dame Olivia Newton-John was an inspiration to many around the world – her work in cancer research and treatment saved lives and changed lives and her music was the soundtrack to a generation,” comments state premier Daniel Andrews.

“We know Victorians are eager to celebrate the life of a driving force in medical research and an icon of film and music, with a service befitting her international acclaim.”

For lengthy stints in the 1970s and 1980s, ONJ was Australia’s flag-bearer in pop culture with a string of hits and starring roles in Hollywood films Grease and Xanadu.

Born in Cambridge, England, Newton-John moved to Melbourne with her family at a young age. From early on, ONJ showed a knack for performing and moved to London after winning a trip on the ‘60s TV show Sing, Sing, Sing.

Newton-John did sing, and, in her heyday, was one of the most popular artists on the planet. She amassed five No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Physical,” which was only the second song in Hot 100 history (following Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life”) to log 10 weeks at No. 1.

During her lifetime, she collected four Grammy Awards, set records at the American Music Awards and, in 1975, became just the second female solo artist to land back-to-back No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart. Her catalog has sold more than 100 million units worldwide.

Newton-John used her fame for good. In 2012, she partnered with Austin Health in Melbourne, to establish the Olivia Newton-John Wellness and Research Centre (ONJWRC); she separately founded National Tree Day in Australia; and established the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, which sponsors global research into plant medicine to help find kinder treatments for cancer.

Visit vic.gov.au/olivia-newton-john for more.

03 Feb 2023

Sam Smith’s ‘Gloria’ Roars to No. 1 In Australia


Sam Smith is on top in the land Down Under, as Gloria (via Capitol/Universal) bows at No. 1 on the ARIA Chart.

Gloria is Smith’s fourth consecutive top 10 album in Australia, and second No. 1 after In The Lonely Hour hit the summit in 2014.

The latest LP enjoyed a lift from Smith’s recent visit to Australia, a brief summer break during which the British singer performed for competition winners and VIPs at the d’Arenberg vineyards at McLaren Vale, outside of Adelaide.

It’s not Smith’s first time atop the leaderboard in Australia this year. “Unholy” featuring Kim Petras, the hit song from Gloria, returned to No. 1 last month on the ARIA Singles Chart for a sixth non-consecutive week.

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Smith will return to Australia in October and November 2023 for a run of arena dates, produced by Frontier Touring.

Gloria is one of just three new arrivals on the latest ARIA top 40, published Feb. 3.

Further down the list, Bob Dylan’s Fragments—Time Out of Mind Sessions (1996-1997) The Bootleg Series, Vol. 17 (via Columbia/Legacy) bows at No. 26. The legendary songsmith’s album isn’t quite a new entry, but rather the latest in a series that revisits his Grammy Award-winning 1997 album Time Out of Mind, with a remix of the original set and bonus outtakes, alternate versions and live cuts.

Meanwhile, Lil Yachty sails in at No. 37 on the ARIA Chart with Let’s Start Here (Capitol/Universal), the Atlanta rapper’s fifth album, and a sonic pivot to psychedelic space rock.

Over on the ARIA Singles Chart, Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (Columbia/Sony) continues to bloom, for a third consecutive week at No. 1.

Australia-bred singer and songwriter The Kid LAROI returns to the national tally, this time with “Love Again” (Columbia/Sony), new at No. 14. It’s the second taste off the Kid’s forthcoming debut album, The First Time, set for release later this year.

After catching fire on TikTok, Coi Leray’s “Players” (Universal) completes the crossover with a top 40 chart appearance in Australia. The Grandmaster Flash-sampling single, a modern-day spin on the 1982 seminal hit “The Message,” arrives at No. 31.

Finally, a raft of tracks enjoy a lift on the national chart following last Saturday’s (Jan. 28) Hottest 100 countdown on triple j. The winner of the poll, Flume and MAY-A’s “Say Nothing” (Future Classic) returns at No. 4, easily eclipsing its peak of No. 16 from February 2022, while tracks from Spacey Jane, Eliza Rose, Steve Lacy and others enjoy a post-Hottest 100 bump.

02 Feb 2023

Shania Twain Returns With ‘Queen of Me’: Stream It Now

Shania Twain is back on her horse with “Queen Of Me,” her first album in more than five years.

The Canadian country-pop superstar marks her comeback with the 12-track set, led by “Waking Up Dreaming,” her first single since 2017, and her latest, “Giddy Up!”.

A five-time Grammy Award winner, Queen of Me marks the first artist release through Republic Nashville.

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“I’m honored and excited to be the label’s first artist and lead the charge of this new and exciting chapter,” she said last September when the deal was struck. “In this respect, it feels like a new beginning all around, and I’m embracing it wholeheartedly.”

Queen of Me is the followup to Twain’s fifth studio album Now, which blasted to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in 2017. Prior to that, Twain’s fourth album release was 2002’s Up, which also hit No. 1 on the main U.S. chart.

Considering that timeline, which, for lengthy periods saw Twain sidelined with health problems, including Lyme disease, dysphonia and throat surgery, Queen of Me is just her second studio LP in more than 20 years.

Twain has been in the headlines of late, discussing her severe reaction to the COVID-19 virus, which evolved into pneumonia and required her to be airlifted to a hospital, and for an interview with Apple Music in which she talked about the time she almost worked with Prince before his death.

On her phone call with the Purple One, Prince laid out some ground rules for what would-be studio time with Twain — namely that there was no swearing allowed at Paisley Park.

“So that was another strike,” Twain told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “I’m like, ‘Oh no, I love you so much, but I don’t think I could get through writing and recording an album without swearing, somewhere along the way.”

Twain is set to serve as a presenter at the 2023 Grammy Awards and she’s the subject of the Netflix documentary Not Just A Girl, produced by Mercury Studios and directed by Joss Crowley.

Stream Queen of Me below.

02 Feb 2023

Epik High Break Down ‘Strawberry’ EP Track-By-Track: ‘We Are Now Speaking to People All Over the World’

From declarative album titles like Epik High Is Here and We’ve Done Something Wonderful to the more conceptual Shoebox and [e], Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz of Epik High have always been intentional in a multifaceted way with their record titles.

The hip-hop trio’s latest project leans toward the latter for the group to deliver a new sound that speaks to a fresh mindset and return to their roots as musicians after releasing their debut album 20 years ago.

“We like strawberry representing the album because it’s sweet and fresh, which is what we wanted to do at the beginning of our 20th anniversary,” explains group leader Tablo. “We thought that people would expect some music that is reminiscing and weighed down by the years, and we wanted to go against that expectation and just create something that sounds like three guys that just decided to create a group together. But strawberries are interesting because they’re so fragile; you can smash them up with your thumb but, somehow, they’ll stain on your table perfectly fine. And it reminds me of blood when it’s squished. So, there’s a little bit of pain in that sweetness. I think that that’s what Epik High is.”

Despite opening and closing the new Strawberry EP with, as they describe, “Epik High-ish” lo-fi tracks, the EP boasts some of the group’s most mass-appealing tracks in years inside: the knocking, melancholy hip-hop cut “On My Way” with Chinese K-pop star Jackson Wang, the disco-tinged “Catch” is smoothed out by a perfect feature from Hwa Sa of girl group MAMAMOO, plus an explicit, relatable freestyle from Tablo examines the online and real-life chaos of 2023. While Epik High has toured their brand of Korean hip-hop tour across the globe and scored multiples across Billboard‘s World Albums and World Digital Songs chart, Strawberry is intentionally described as a “global album” by the band to share their current mindset.

“Technically speaking, all our albums have been global, but not by choice, right?” muses Tablo. “K-pop and Korean music became a global thing even though it wasn’t ever a global release. But as a result, the audience for our albums has grown wider. And here’s how I approach progressing as a musician: I don’t think of myself as leading the way and my audience has to follow where I go—I will make music in the way that I want—but I believe that as my audience grows geographically and I’m flying there to perform for them, I want them in the center of my mind and my heart when I’m creating music. Before, I would create the music and the music’s audience grew. Now, that audience is affecting the way I create music as well, like, they’re in my mind when I make music…I think more because of COVID; I think how the entire globe is sharing the same fears and inspirations and hopes and dreams. We were just made more aware of it and, as a result, I think with this album, it’s just a mindset thing—calling it a ‘global album’ because there’s no real difference to how we’re releasing it; we’re just saying that because we want to remind ourselves that we are now speaking to people all over the world and we want them to know that we care about them.”

Despite Epik High intending for last February’s release of Epik High Is Here to be their final album, the trio naturally found themselves creating music again after career highlights like returning for their second Coachella performance and surrounding themselves with other musicians.

“So we actually did decide internally that Epik High Is Here would sort of be the last album,” Tablo explains. “Epik High Is Here Part 2 ends with ‘Champagne,’ which is sort of going back to the very first song on our first album [‘Go’ on Map of the Human Soul]. It’s like the curtain call. We were like, ‘We’ve made so many albums and I don’t think there’s anything we can really say. So, let’s continue to be Epik High and perform, but I’m not sure if we should ever make an album again. It was like a collective decision. What happened was…damn it, Coachella kind of inspired us again. We were like, ‘Oh my God…’”

Tablo says California continued to inspire the band despite their professional promises: “We just assumed that maybe we’ll release one single in October 2023 when it actually becomes 20 years, but nothing else. And then we were in LA for some festival, we just had like a week in L.A. but only one show so we had all this time. Being who we are, we ended up with a lot of musicians just making music and ended up with a ton of songs. We were like, ‘What do we do with these songs? We promised each other that we wouldn’t release an album,’ and then Tukutz was like, ‘This isn’t actually an album if we’re releasing three to five songs. Technically, it’s just a project.’ And I’m like, ‘You’re right. We did say we will never release another studio-length album so we’re not breaking that promise…yet.’ And we justified it to ourselves, hence, this situation.”

Let Epik High break down their new album/project/situation Strawberry below, track by track:

02 Feb 2023

HARDY, Maneskin, Wilco & More Shake Up Album Sales Chart’s Top 10

HARDY nabs his first No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated Feb. 4), as his latest effort The Mockingbird & The Crow flies in atop the tally. The set, a half-rock and half-country project, bows with 20,000 copies sold in the U.S. in the week ending Jan. 26, according to Luminate. HARDY previously notched one entry on the list, with the No. 8-peaking A Rock in 2020.

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Also in the top 10, Maneskin’s new studio effort Rush! debuts at No. 3; Wilco’s 2022 album Cruel Country re-enters at No. 4 – hitting the top 10 for the first time – after its wide release on CD and vinyl; the soundtrack to Halloween Ends scares up a No. 7 entry following its vinyl release; and Trippie Redd’s new Mansion Musik opens at No. 9.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of The Mockingbird & The Crow’s 20,000 sold, physical sales comprise 5,000 (4,000 CDs and 1,000 vinyl LPs) and digital album sales comprise 15,000. The album’s start also marks HARDY’s best sales week, surpassing the 5,000 sold in the debut frame of A Rock in 2020 (Sept. 19, 2020-dated chart).

As The Mockingbird & The Crow launches at No. 1 on Top Album Sales, it halts the chart-topping run of Taylor Swift’s Midnights, which spend its first 13 chart weeks at No. 1. On the new chart, it falls to No. 2 with 17,000 sold (down 21%). The set continues to be a hot-seller on vinyl, with 9,000 of its sales for the week on vinyl. In the latest tracking week, Midnights’ total U.S. vinyl sales crept past 1 million copies. Swift’s popularity on vinyl is well noted, and in 2022, one out of every 25 vinyl albums sold in the U.S. were by Swift.

Rock band Maneskin sees its new album Rush! bow at No. 3 on Top Album Sales with 11,000 copies sold. It’s the first charting entry for the act and its best sales week.

Wilco’s Cruel Country, which was released last May via digital retailers and streaming services, re-enters the chart at a new high of No. 4 after its release on CD and vinyl (7,000 sold across all formats; up from a negligible sales total the previous week). Cruel Country had previously topped out at No. 31 on July 2, 2022-dated list, following its limited CD release timed to Record Store Day 2022’s drop on June 18 last year. All told, Cruel Country is the eighth top 10-charting effort on Top Album Sales for Wilco, and it ties for the act’s highest-charting effort on the list. (A whopping five of the band’s eight top 10s all peaked at No. 4.)

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours falls 2-5 on Top Album Sales with 6,000 sold (down 20%) and Michael Jackson’s Thriller dips 5-6 with 5,000 sold (down 13%).

The soundtrack to the film Halloween Ends debuts at No. 7 on Top Album Sales following its vinyl release on Jan. 20. The set, across all formats, sold nearly 5,000 copies for the week. Halloween Ends is the highest charting soundtrack from the Halloween franchise on the 31-year-old chart, surpassing the No. 9 peak of Halloween Kills in 2021.

SZA’s Ctrl vaults 57-8 on Top Album Sales with nearly 5,000 sold – mostly from vinyl sales – after a replenishment of stock. Trippie Redd’s new Mansion Musik bows at No. 9 with nearly 5,000 sold (the rapper’s fourth top 10 effort), while Harry Styles’ former leader Harry’s House rises 11-10 with a little over 4,000 sold (down 7%).

In the week ending Jan. 26, there were 1.653 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 6.3% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.312 million (down 9.3%) and digital albums comprised 341,000 (down 7.6%).

There were 523,000 CD albums sold in the week ending Jan. 26 (down 2.8% week-over-week) and 782,000 vinyl albums sold (down 13.1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 2.330 (down 3% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 3.478 million (up 27.4%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 7.377 million (up 6.2% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 6.044 million (up 13.5%) and digital album sales total 1.333 (down 17.9%).

02 Feb 2023

TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s ‘The Name Chapter: Temptation’ Is the Relatable K-Pop Stars’ Biggest Step Yet: ‘It’s Really Our Story’

When TOMORROW X TOGETHER unveiled the first visuals for their Billboard 200 No. 1–contending album The Name Chapter: Temptation, the K-pop boy band quickly set the Internet ablaze with the dreamy, skin-baring set of photos and videos. Even if the group’s millions of fans and followers aren’t similarly preparing for fantastical photo shoots and TV performances on the regular, the quintet is honest about the relatable mindset to push towards their goals and showcase why TXT is increasingly earning its title as “K-pop’s voice of Gen Z.”

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When discussing The Name Chapter: Temptation, TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai don’t differentiate when speaking about the ways diet, idleness and exercise affect their lives as both musicians and everyday people. At just 20 years old, youngest member HueningKai describing resisting certain meals as “a war against food” may be an essential part of his K-pop experience but also a battle that everyone fights from time to time. Taehyun mentioning “the temptation of laziness” may be more top of mind for a schedule-packed starlet, but who hasn’t had a morning of hitting the snooze button an extraordinary amount of times?

TOMORROW X TOGETHER don’t preach to rise above vices, nor do they try to appear as if they don’t fall to temptations themselves, but instead bring these shared experiences to life through more outstanding creative contributions (like “Happy Fools” with Coi Leray) and the most impressive choreography of their careers (watch “Devil by the Window” and new single “Sugar Rush Ride”). The guys emphasize that not only are their lived experiences inside The Name Chapter: Temptation, but the front-to-back listening experience previews the next page in their story, which is sure to continue this deeper look into these five engaging, empathetic superstars.

Read on for Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai’s reflections on their latest EP, new goals, favorite songs and more.

Congratulations on the new music, TOMORROW X TOGETHER! What are you most looking forward to starting this new chapter?

TAEHYUN: What I look forward to the most is the reaction of our fans when the music first releases. When we are preparing for the album release right now and that’s the time when we can most feel that “Oh, we are finally releasing the album” feeling.

Your album titles The Dream Chapter and Chaos Chapter give obvious hints about where the music will go, but The Name Chapter is a little more open-ended. Can you explain it? 

TAEHYUN: We always talk about growth. We’ve talked about friendship for The Dream Chapter, and some love being broken in our Chaos Chapter. And, finally, we arrived at The Name Chapter and you know you have to grow up but sometimes you don’t want to yet. That’s what this EP is about: You’re tempted to stay in “Neverland” because it’s sweet and you’re young and free. But at the end of this album, you say “Farewell, Neverland” because you know you have to go, so you have to go.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER always put your stories into your albums. How do you relate and fit with what you just described?

TAEHYUN: The overarching theme of this album is “temptation.” And I think that we come across many temptations from different places as we grow. The track that I’ve felt like it’s really our story is the third track “Happy Fools.” We all contributed in making this track and it talks about a story of how we fall into the temptation of laziness. YEONJUN did a beautiful job top lining the song, and all five of us contributed to the lyrics writing so it truly became our song.

What does the new single “Sugar Rush Ride” represent in your story?

HUENINGKAI: I think this song really incorporates our overarching theme of this album, which is temptation, really well. So it talks about a temptation of a sugar rush, which is irresistible and very, very sweet. So, I think it represents our refreshing, dreamlike and even sexy charms.

SOOBIN: It’s not only about an experience that we have, but I think it’s an experience that everyone has. So, I think everyone can resonate with the song too.

“Sugar Rush Ride” has the lyric, “The devil said, ‘Gimme, gimme more’” and you have the “Devil by the Window” song. With the album’s theme, what temptations do you battle in your lives?

HUENINGKAI: I think the temptation that you come across in everyday life is diet. So, when you go on a diet, you can’t really resist the temptation of food. It’s basically a war against food. So, I think that’s the strongest and scariest temptation we can ever come across.

YEONJUN: I agree.

You guys always look great and the Internet went wild with your concept photos. Did you do anything specific to prepare for those, either mentally or physically?

YEONJUN: Yeah, I worked out almost every day.

Tell us more about the visuals for this album: You have “Daydream,” “Nightmare,” “Farewell,” and “Lullaby” concept photos.

TAEHYUN: I can basically explain our concept photo that it has different concepts and, I think, they’re basically in a chronological order. In “Daydream,” we depict how we fall into the temptation and how happy and pleased we are falling into the temptation. For “Nightmare,” we express how we recognize that we have fallen into the temptation and try to fight off the temptation. In “Farewell,” we finally overcome the temptation and take one step further away from the temptation.

You always emphasize wanting to grow with every album release. In what ways do you feel like you grew with this new album?

HUENINGKAI: Every time we release a new album, we give a try to new and various genres. And of course, for this album as well, we gave a try to many new genres. So it was our first time trying Afropop genre, which is a pretty difficult genre but I think everyone did a very good job in recording “Tinnitus (Wanna Be a Rock)” and we wrapped that up pretty nicely. And other than the songs, I think the concept photo–wise, it was our first time trying that concept of a “dreamlike” concept, but every member did a good job pulling off that concept.

What’s everyone’s favorite track on the album?

TAEHYUN: That’s my favorite today, “Tinnitus (Wanna Be a Rock).”

HUENINGKAI: I would choose “Farewell, Neverland,” the last track.

YEONJUN: I’ll choose “Happy Fools.”

SOOBIN: I’m the same with HUENINGKAI, the last track, “Farewell, Neverland.”

BEOMGYU: I will choose “Happy Fools” too.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER has hit No. 4 on the Billboard 200. I have a really good feeling about this album, but do you have any new goals, hopes or dreams this time?

HUENINGKAI: Of course, to perform at the bigger stages and perform at the AMAs.

YEONJUN: Attending [American Music Awards] was a really good experience, but next time we want to perform.

TAEHYUN: We also want to build and strengthen our color. We want people to listen to our music and think, “Hey, that’s TXT and that was awesome.”

What else do you want to emphasize to fans with this release?

TAEHYUN: Fans want spoilers and hints every time we release a new album. And I want to tell our fans that if you listen to the tracks from Number One to Number Five, in order, then you can get a hint for our next album.

02 Feb 2023

Juno Awards Defend Arcade Fire’s 2023 Nomination Amid Win Butler Sexual Misconduct Allegations

The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that bestows the Juno Awards, has defended its decision to nominate Arcade Fire for group of the year in light of accusations of sexual misconduct that have been levied against frontman Win Butler. The 2023 Juno nominations were announced on Tuesday, and the awards will be presented on March 13.

“We look at Arcade Fire’s nomination for group of the year as one for the entire band,” the Academy wrote in a statement to CBC Music. “While we take the allegations very seriously, in this situation we are also honouring the rest of the band for their success. We hope the allegations against Butler will not detract from the achievements of the other group members.”

The Junos are the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys, or the Brits in the U.K. Arcade Fire, which also includes Butler’s wife Régine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara, have previously won 11 Juno Awards, including a record-tying three awards for album of the year.

The nomination for group of the year is the band’s only Juno nod this year. By contrast, the band received four nominations in 2018, the year of its previous studio album, Everything Now. The band also received an honorary international achievement award that year.

Butler has faced controversy in recent months due to a series of investigations by the website Pitchfork in which five people accused him of sexual misconduct. The first report was published on Aug. 27. The alleged incidents took place between 2015 and 2020. (Within that time frame, in 2016, Arcade Fire was named humanitarian of the year at the Juno Awards.)

In response to the Pitchfork report, Butler released a lengthy statement which read in part: “I have had consensual relationships outside of my marriage. … I have connected with people in person, at shows, and through social media, and I have shared messages of which I am not proud. Most importantly, every single one of these interactions has been mutual and always between consenting adults. It is deeply revisionist, and frankly just wrong, for anyone to suggest otherwise.

“I have never touched a woman against her will, and any implication that I have is simply false. I vehemently deny any suggestion that I forced myself on a woman or demanded sexual favors. That simply, and unequivocally, never happened.

“While these relationships were all consensual, I am very sorry to anyone who I have hurt with my behavior. Life is filled with tremendous pain and error, and I never want to be part of causing someone else’s pain.”

In the aftermath of Pitchfork’s investigation, Feist canceled her planned appearances as a support act on an Arcade Fire tour through Europe and the U.K. Beck withdrew from opening for the band on a North American tour.

In a message shared to her Instagram account on Sept. 1, Feist said: “At a pub in Dublin, after rehearsing with my band, I read the same headline you did. We didn’t have any time to prepare for what was coming let alone a chance to decide not to fly across the ocean into the belly of this situation. This has been incredibly difficult for me and I can only imagine how much more difficult it’s been for the people who came forward. More than anything I wish healing to those involved.”

She also shared that the charges put her in an impossible position. “To stay on tour would symbolize I was either defending or ignoring the harm caused by Win Butler and to leave would imply I was the judge and jury.”

Beck withdrew from the planned North American tour in mid-October without providing a reason for his departure.

The band’s sixth studio album, We, debuted and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, breaking a string of three consecutive No. 1 albums by the band. It logged just two weeks on the chart, the briefest stay for any of the band’s albums.

We is vying for best alternative music album at this weekend’s Grammy Awards, but that nomination hasn’t stirred the same degree of controversy as the Juno nod has in the band’s home country. All six of the band’s studio albums have been nominated for best alternative music album. Only three other acts have received six or more nods in the category’s history. Björk leads with nine nods. Radiohead and Beck follow with eight.

Billboard reached out to both the Junos and the Grammys for additional comment.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can reach out to RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or chat at online.rainn.org 24/7 for confidential support. 

02 Feb 2023

Karol G Drops ‘X Si Volvemos’ With Romeo Santos: Stream It Here

Karol G has teamed up with Romeo Santos for her track “X Si Volvemos,” which dropped Thursday (Feb. 2). The sultry reggaeton bop finds the artists lamenting a failed relationship but leaving the door open because, “It didn’t work out, we gave it our all so we’re leaving but before we leave, let’s do it one last time. Our relationship didn’t work but we understand each other in bed,” they sing.

Karol had already recorded the song, produced by Ovy on the Drums, on her own and uploaded a teaser on TikTok. Then she thought Santos would be a good collaborator for this song and called to invite him, according to a statement. He then told her that he had heard the song on TikTok and had made a video with the audio to upload to his social media, which he shared earlier this week.

“X Si Volvemos” drops just a week after the Colombian star announced the title of her upcoming fourth studio album: Mañana Será Bonito. The set will drop “soon” according to the sweet announcement made Jan. 25.

“Finally, finally,” she wrote on social media. “Today I announce a project that I’ve dedicated so much love and time to. I just know that for me and for everyone else, Mañana Será Bonito (Tomorrow Will Be Pretty).”

In the sweet, short clip, Karol G appears sitting in a car in Medellín when a little note drops on the windshield that reads: “If you’re sad, call me.” When she dials, a kid answers and suggests she write a letter to Santa Claus, perform at a show, or even record her own version of the hit song “La Jeepeta.”

Mañana Será Bonito is the name of her highly anticipated fourth studio album. It will follow her 2021 Grammy-nominated KG0516, which scored Karol her first No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top Latin Albums. The set earned the biggest week for a Latin album by a woman since Shakira‘s 2017 El Dorado.

Most recently, the “Provenza” singer nabbed the No. 1 spot on Billboard‘s 2022 year-end Top Latin Artists – Female chart for a fourth consecutive year. She was also No. 2 on the overall Top Latin Artists chart – the only female act in the top 10. 

Listen to “X Si Volvemos” with Romeo Santos below:

02 Feb 2023

Alejandra Guzmán & Fey Talk Eternas Tour: ‘The Music Becomes Eternal When It‘s the Public’s’

Alejandra Guzmán and Fey are two of the biggest Latin pop icons of the ’90s. For decades, they have maintained a strong presence in Latin pop/rock with their timeless hits. So when the two Mexican powerhouse artists officially announced Thursday (Feb. 2) via an Instagram Live with Billboard that they would be joining forces on tour, fans lost their minds.

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“We are excited, happy to celebrate one more day of life and career,” Alejandra Guzman tells Billboard Latin’s social media manager Ingrid Fajardo. “The truth is that I am very thrilled about this day, to be able to invite everyone into our madness.”

“We are exploding in love, in emotion, in energy, and in music,” adds Fey. 

The two idols, who were thrilled to reveal the news live, also mentioned exclusively that they will be releasing a single together very soon, ahead of the tour that kicks off on May 4. “Since we were given the chance to be onstage together, we both know and are clear on who we are,” says Guzmán. “We started to write and flow, we already have two songs together!”

“Hits are eternal. The music becomes eternal when it becomes the public’s,” continues Guzmán, alluding to the name of the upcoming tour.

The “Eternamente Bella” and “Media Naranja” singers will kick off their stint in their native hometown at Arena CDMX; on June 23th they will follow up with a performance at Arena Monterrey in Northern Mexico. After these two homecoming shows, the divas of Mexican pop will announce more dates throughout Latin America. They will also embark on a US tour which will take place in September. 

Both women are forces to be reckoned with in Spanish-language pop. Establishing herself as a kitschy electro-pop artist with a buoyant dance flair, Fey rose to stardom with her earwormy eponymous debut in 1995 via Sony Music Mexico. With her breakout LP, she scored a handful of soon-to-be-timeless hits, such as “Gatos en el Balcón,” “La Noche Se Mueve,” and the everlasting “Media Naranja.” Her success kept building into the following decade, where she explored other Latin rhythms, like the pop-reggaetón kiss-off of “No Te Necesito.” To date, she has released a total of eight studio albums. On Sept. 25, 2020, the entertainer celebrated the 25th anniversary of her career with the English-language cut “The Perfect Song,” featuring Paul Oakenfold. 

Like the yang to Fey’s yin, in a way, the Mexican Queen of Hearts whipped up a storm with her electrifying pop/rock that was filled with revelry and rebellion with a tinge of seduction. Guzmán broke into the scene with her third album, Eternamente Bella (1990), and she continued to drop gems like Flor de Papel (1991) and Libre (1993) and well into the next decade. With over 30 million albums sold, the Latin Grammy winner is considered one of the most successful Mexican singers. 

Tickets for the Eternas Tour go on sale Feb. 8.