Music

01 Feb 2023

Lizzo Gets Her First Madame Tussauds Wax Figure: ‘Introducing … WAXXO’

Lizzo is the latest pop star to be memorialized in wax. On Tuesday, the “About Damn Time” singer revealed that she has officially entered the Madame Tussauds wax museum and posed for pictures with her wax counterpart in Las Vegas.

“Single-handedly one of the most terrifyingly meta moments of my life. Thank you @MadameTussauds,” Lizzo wrote on Twitter, captioning a video of her nearly sharing a kiss with her body double. “Now I know what a twosome with Lizzo is like,” she quipped.

Lizzo’s wax figure features the look she wore to the 2020 Grammy Awards: a stunning white Atelier Versace dress hand-embroidered in Swarovski crystals. She accessorized the gown — which, according to the pop singer’s stylist Marko Monroe, took more than two months to make — with a crystal-encrusted fur stole draped over her arms. (That night, the pop star took home three awards: best contemporary album for Cuz I Love You, best pop solo performance for “Truth Hurts,” and best traditional R&B performance for “Jerome.”)

The three-time Grammy winner shared photos of her posing alongside her wax figure on her Instagram Story, as well as a series of hilarious videos of her with the wax figure to her TikTok. “Introducing WAXXO,” she captioned one of the videos. In a separate TikTok, she cheekily asked a user, “What would you do with 2 Lizzos?”

Lizzo’s wax figure will be on view at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas in the Venetian casino and resort. Her figure joins the museum’s most recent additions, including Missy Elliott, Beyoncé, RuPaul and more.

See Lizzo posing alongside her wax figure at Madame Tussauds in the photos and videos below.

01 Feb 2023

John Legend Reveals Sweet Family Meaning Behind Baby Esti’s Name

John Legend opened up Wednesday (Feb. 1) about how he and Chrissy Teigen came up with their new daughter Esti’s name.

The R&B star told E! News that the newborn’s unique moniker was intially the brainchild of wife Chrissy Teigen, but it also has surprising roots in his family tree. “It turns out, my great-grandmother was named Esther,” he said. “It wasn’t intentionally after someone, but once Chrissy told me that idea, I was like, ‘Oh, my great-grandmother’s name was Esther.’

“We wanted to already name her middle name Maxine after my grandmother, whose middle name was Maxine,” Legend continued. “So, it’s a lot of my family in the name.”

Baby Esti joined older siblings Luna and Miles in January to make the singer and model’s brood a family of five, following the devastating loss of their third baby Jack last year when Teigen was 20 weeks pregnant.

Following her birth, both proud parents took to social media to share photos of Esti. “Our new love,” Legend captioned his snap of the baby, while Teigen wrote, “Look at u out here lookin’ like a baby” alongside hers.

This weekend, Legend is scheduled to take the stage at the 2023 MusiCares Persons of the Year tribute concert in Los Angeles, where Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson will both be honored two days before the 65th annual Grammy Awards.

Having recently wrapped season 22 of The Voice — where Team Legend’s Omar Jose Cardona ultimately came in fourth place behind eventual winner Bryce Leatherwood — the Grammy winner will sit out season 23 to make room for the return of fellow coach Kelly Clarkson and newbies Niall Horan and Chance the Rapper.

01 Feb 2023

Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour: How Much Money Could It Make?

Beyoncé released Renaissance, her seventh solo studio album, in July 2022 to rapturous acclaim and No. 1 status on the Billboard 200 and, for lead single “Break My Soul,” No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. But unlike 2016’s Lemonade and 2013’s Beyoncé, there were no concerts and no televised performances — not even a music video.

But six months later, days ahead of a potentially pivotal Grammy ceremony (Feb. 5) where she’s the year’s leading nominee, Beyoncé has announced the Renaissance world tour. It’s bound to be one of the year’s biggest concert events, aiming to be her fourth tour to gross more than $200 million based on forecasts estimated by Billboard Boxscore. In fact, the tour could easily sail past the $275 million mark. The all-stadium trek is currently scheduled to play 41 shows in 10 countries from May 10 through September 27.

A Beyoncé tour used to be a given every couple of years, but the Renaissance world tour will launch seven years after her last solo outing, 2016’s The Formation World Tour. That was her first solo trek in stadiums, though neither the show’s stellar reviews nor fans’ insatiable demand hinted at her rookie status. The tour earned $256.1 million and sold 2.2 million tickets, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, finishing atop Billboard’s year-end Top Tours chart.

In the years since, Beyoncé mounted On the Run II, her second stadium tour alongside Jay-Z following 2014’s On the Run. The stadium trek came close to Beyoncé’s solo high mark but finished with $253.5 million and 2.2 million tickets — coming within 1% of Formation’s gross and 3% of its attendance despite the doubled-up star-power. The strength of Beyoncé’s solo tour among her entire live history perhaps speaks to her unique draw as one of the century’s most singular live entertainers.

The Formation World Tour marked a 21% improvement upon the $212 million take of 2013-14’s The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, which spanned 126 dates in arenas.

This summer’s Renaissance world tour was announced with 15 shows in Europe in May and June, followed by 26 shows in the U.S. and Canada.

That 41-show sum is slightly shorter than The Formation World Tour’s 49 and On the Run II Tour’s 48. But while Renaissance could trail her previous outings in cumulative gross because of a more compact schedule, that scenario is unlikely considering the industry’s plumped-up ticketing.

In efforts to redirect second-and-third-party ticket sales to the artist, dynamic pricing, platinum ticketing and fan-to-fan re-sale have sent grosses soaring in the post-pandemic era. Beyoncé’s 2016 and 2018 tours averaged $114 and $116 per ticket, but that number will likely be far closer to, if not more than, $200 in 2023.

And like with Billboard’s early projections for Taylor Swift and Madonna, Beyoncé’s initial routing announcement may just be the singer playing coy. Per the first announced round of shows, London is the only market with more than one show, while previous Beyoncé tours also doubled up in New York, Chicago, Paris, Houston and more. More dates could be announced in some of the routing’s open spaces due to expectedly high demand. As the routing stands at press time, there are often four or five days between shows, with long stretches between May 30 (London) and June 8 (Barcelona), and September 2 and 11 (Inglewood, Calif. and Vancouver).

The continental splits for Formation and OTR2 were similar to that of Renaissance, with slightly more than a third of the entire tour in Europe and the other 60-65% in North America. Grosses and attendance lined up, too — $86.9 million and 867,000 tickets in Europe on Formation and $87 million and 871,000 tickets on OTR2, versus $169.1 million and 1.4 million tickets in North America on Formation and $166.5 million and 1.3 million on OTR2.

Given her consistent sell-out stadium business and an expected 30%-plus lift on ticket prices, the Renaissance world tour could be earning $6.8-$7.5 million per show. At the low end of that projection, with no additional shows, total gross would be heading for a personal-best $275 million. With just a few extra shows, at the top of that range, she’d notch her first $300 million tour.

Across her career, Beyoncé has grossed $767.3 million and sold 8.9 million tickets across 375 shows, including those with Jay-Z and the Verizon Ladies First Tour, a co-headline run with Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys in 2004. That means that the Renaissance world tour is setting her up to be one of three women to potentially cross the billion-dollar mark this year. Swift’s Eras Tour is sure to push her over the edge, while P!nk’s Summer Carnival Tour could do the trick as well.

Renaissance was Beyoncé’s seventh No. 1 album, while “Break My Soul” marked her eighth No. 1 song. When album cut “Cuff It” shot to No. 10 on the Hot 100 last month, it became the 21st top 10 Hot 100 song of her solo career. The Renaissance world tour is scheduled to kick off May 10 at Stockholm’s Friends Arena and wrap on September 27 at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome.

01 Feb 2023

Why YoungBoy NBA Releases So Much Music: ‘It’s a Disease’

YoungBoy Never Broke Again is  Billboard latest cover star, and he opened up about his music making process with reporter Meaghan Garvey.

 “It’s a disease,” he shares of his ability to put out as much music as possible. “Literally, I cannot help myself. I tell myself sometimes, ‘I’m not going to drop until months from now,’ but it’s addictive. I wish I knew when I was younger how unhealthy this was for me. Whatever type of energy I had inside me, I would’ve pushed it toward something else.”

He adds,“The music is therapy, but I can’t stop it when I want,” he goes on, sounding almost ashamed. “And the lifestyle is just a big distraction from your real purpose.”

The star is fresh off the release of his new album I Rest My Case, which arrived in early January. I Rest My Case marks the rapper’s first release since he signed to Motown Records in October. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native broke out in 2015 and signed to Atlantic two years later, going on to become one of music’s top acts. Since, he’s charted 24 albums on the Billboard 200 — 11 that were top 10, four of which hit No. 1.

He’s charted four top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 in 2022 — more top 10s than any other act this year — and has released four albums in the past two months: The Last Slimeto, Realer 2, 3800 Degrees and Ma I Got a Family.

01 Feb 2023

In Other Tom Brady News, All-Star ‘80 for Brady’ Song Makes Billboard Chart Debut

Headlines about Tom Brady today are, understandably, focused on his announced retirement, but a song related to the football GOAT makes its own news with a Billboard chart debut.

“Gonna Be You,” by fellow legendary entertainers Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Debbie Harry – and written by Diane Warren – enters Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart (dated Feb. 4) at No. 42 with 2,000 downloads sold from its Jan. 20 release through Jan. 26, according to Luminate.

(The number 42, thus, takes on a more positive tone regarding Brady, after Super Bowl XLII still makes New England Patriots fans wince.)

The song accompanies the movie 80 for Brady, which Brady co-produced and in which he acts. The comedy, whose Los Angeles premiere was held Tuesday, follows four friends – played by acting icons Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin – who travel from Massachusetts to Texas to see the quarterback, then playing for the Patriots, in Super Bowl LI in 2017. (The team’s 34-28 comeback in the game, from a 28-3 deficit, still makes Atlanta Falcons fans wince, although it makes Patriots fans smile.)

“Gonna Be You,” whose official video finds Parton, Carlisle, Lauper and Estefan all sporting Brady’s No. 12 Patriots uniform, marks the latest chart entry for each star. Parton first hit Billboard‘s rankings in 1967 (when “Dumb Blonde” debuted on the Hot Country Songs chart dated that Jan. 21 – six days after the first Super Bowl); Harry, as a member of Blondie, in 1978; Carlisle, with the Go-Go’s, in 1980; Lauper, in 1983; and Estefan, with Miami Sound Machine, in 1984.

Warren, meanwhile, has written nine Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s, among 32 top 10s. Among her catalog of Hot 100 entries are top 40 hits recorded by Carlisle (“I Get Weak,” a No. 2 hit in 1988) and Estefan (“Live for Loving You,” No. 22, 1991). (Warren is currently scaling Adult Contemporary with her first charted title as a credited artist, “Sweet,” with vocals by Jon Batiste and Pentatonix.)

Said Warren ahead of the release of “Gonna Be You,” “Since ’80’ was in the [movie’s] title, I got a crazy idea: Why not get some of the most iconic singers from the ’80s, who are still amazing and always will be, to all sing it?! Everyone I approached said yes and was just as excited as me!”

Blondie boasts four Hot 100 No. 1s, Estefan three, Parton and Lauper two each and Carlisle one, totaling, aptly for Brady, 12.

01 Feb 2023

Brandon Lake, Tye Tribbett & MercyMe Add No. 1s on Faith-Based Charts

Singer-songwriter Brandon Lake scores his second No. 1, and first as a lead artist, on Billboard’s streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Christian Songs chart (dated Feb. 4) with “Gratitude.”

The single rebounds for a third week atop Christian Digital Song Sales, up 7% to 2,000 downloads sold Jan. 20-26, according to Luminate. It also drew 1.9 million official U.S streams. On Christian Airplay, the song pushes 13-11 for a new best (4.9 million audience impressions, up 24%).

Lake co-authored “Gratitude” with Dante Bowe and Benjamin Hastings, while Jacob Sooter produced it.

“Every song has a season, and season a song,” Lake tells Billboard. “’Gratitude’ couldn’t more accurately describe everything I want to express to God in this time. There are times where I feel like worshipping and there are times I often don’t, but what can shift any weary soul is a spirit of gratitude. I love that this song not only expresses a heartfelt ‘thank you,’ but commands your soul to wake up and worship. The journey of how this song came to be is a miracle in itself that I’m thankful for.”

Lake previously topped Hot Christian Songs as featured on Elevation Worship’s “Graves Into Gardens,” for two frames in February 2021. It also paced Christian Airplay for a week, awarding Lake his lone leader so far.

Concurrently, Lake charts two additional tracks on Hot Christian Songs. He’s featured on Ryan Ellis’ “Son of David,” at No. 25, and his duet with KB, “Graves,” at No. 44.

Tribbett’s ‘New’ No. 1

On Gospel Airplay, Tye Tribbett notches his fourth No. 1 and third in succession with “New,” which he wrote solely.

The song follows ‘’Anyhow,” which dominated for two weeks in June 2021, and “We Gon’ Be Alright,” which led for a week in September 2020. Tribbett, who hails from Camden, N.J., notched his first leader, among nine top 10s, with “Victory” (with backing group G.A.), which reigned for three weeks beginning in September 2006.

MercyMe Extends Record

MercyMe rolls up its record-padding 19th No. 1 on Billboard’s Christian AC Airplay survey with “Then Christ Came” (up 3% in plays).

The format cornerstone act last led with “Almost Home,” for three frames in April 2020. In between that song and “Then,” the group’s “Say I Won’t” reached No. 3 in May 2021 and “On Our Way,” featuring Sam Wesley, hit No. 9 in February 2022.

MercyMe widens its lead for the most No. 1s since Christian AC Airplay began in 2003 over Jeremy Camp and Casting Crowns, each with 13.

MercyMe banked its first leader with “Word of God Speak,” which dominated for 21 weeks starting in August 2003. It’s the longest-leading No. 1 in the chart’s history, followed by the band’s own “Even If,” which ruled for 19 weeks starting in May 2017.

01 Feb 2023

From Beyonce to Adele, Who Should Win the 2023 Grammy for Record of the Year? Vote!

The 2023 Grammys is just days away, which means music fans will soon find out who’s walking away with new golden gramophones on music’s biggest night.

Of course, part of the fun is getting to predict the winners, and today, Billboard is honing in on one question: Whose song do you think should win the Grammy for record of the year?

It’s been a few years now since the Recording Academy widened the field of its top prizes to 10 nominees, and this year’s pack of hopefuls are heavyweights across multiple genres — from pop to R&B, hip-hop and more.

As one of the Big Four categories, the race for record of the year will once again pit Beyoncé against Adele in a hotly anticipated rematch of their epic face-off back in 2017. At the time, 25 memorably — and the Beyhive would certainly say controversially — beat out Lemonade for album of the year, and Adele gave Queen Bey a teary apology during her modest acceptance speech. But which do you think deserves record of the year in 2023: Adele’s “Easy on Me” or Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul”?

The two superstars are hardly the only contenders, though. Harry Styles had one of the biggest smashes of the year with “As It Was,” which dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for 16 non-consecutive weeks — a streak that was eventually broken by first-time nominee Steve Lacy‘s No. 1 hit “Bad Habit.” Or maybe you think it’s about damn time for Lizzo to walk away with the trophy for, well, “About Damn Time.”

And don’t count out the dark horses of the field: ABBA scored its first-ever nomination last year in the same category thanks to “I Still Have Faith in You,” but could the Swedish pop pioneers clinch their first win with “Don’t Shut Me Down”? There’s also Mary J. Blige‘s “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Kendrick Lamar‘s “The Heart Part 5,” Doja Cat‘s “Woman” and Brandi Carlile‘s Lucius-assisted “You and Me on the Rock” to consider.

The 2023 Grammys will air Sunday (Feb. 5) on CBS. Vote for who you think should win record of the year below.

01 Feb 2023

Britney Spears Accuses Alyssa Milano of ‘Bullying’ After Actress Asked for Someone to ‘Check On’ Pop Star

Britney Spears took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday night (Jan. 31) to defend herself against an old tweet from Alyssa Milano, who asked for someone to “please go check” on the pop star back in December.

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The “Piece of Me” singer shared the tweet to her IG Stories and wrote, “It saddens me to see things about me from people who don’t know me !!! This definitely feels like bullying !!!”

Spears concluded by urging women to support each other. “Ladies, we are supposed to be rooting for one another not pulling one another down,” she wrote.

Milano has reportedly sent Spears an apology in private, according to TMZ. Billboard has reached out to the Charmed actress’ reps for confirmation and more information.

Spears’ latest post comes just a week after she asked her fans to respect her privacy after an incident in which authorities were reportedly called to her house on Jan. 23 to perform a wellness check on her after she deleted her Instagram account.

“As everyone knows the police were called to my home based on some prank phone calls. I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded,” she wrote in a text post. “The police never entered my home and when they came to my gate they quickly realized there was no issue and left immediately.”

Spear continued in her note, “This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news and being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media. During this time in my life, I truly hope the public and my fans who I care so much about can respect my privacy moving forward. All the love, B.”

01 Feb 2023

Priscilla Presley Is Trying to ‘Learn to Live Without’ Daughter Lisa Marie Presley: ‘Our Hearts Are Broken’

Priscilla Presley is continuing to grieve the loss of daughter Lisa Marie Presley, whom she shared with Elvis Presley. On what would have been the “Lights Out” singer’s 55th birthday on Wednesday (Feb. 1), actress Priscilla shared a statement on how she and the rest of the family are coping with Lisa Marie’s recent death.

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“Today would have been Lisa’s 55th birthday. My wish is to protect my three grandchildren and keep our family together,” the Naked Gun star said in a statement to Page Six. “From the first moment I held Lisa in my arms, I’ve protected, loved and guided her, as I have my son. Our hearts are broken, and I am having to learn to live without my only daughter.”

The Dallas actress also took a moment in her statement to thank those who have supported her family during such a difficult time. “We truly love all of you, and we feel your prayers,” she concluded. “Thank you so much for caring so deeply for our family.”

Priscilla’s thank you echoes a similar sentiment to one she shared on Jan. 26 to her Twitter followers. She wrote at the time, “I’m truly overwhelmed with your words, your prayers, your love and your support. Thank you from the bottom of my heart in trying to help me get through this loss. Every parent who has lost a daughter or son knows what a dark painstaking journey it is,” along with a broken heart emoji.

Lisa Marie died on Jan. 12 at 54 after being hospitalized for cardiac arrest. Her official cause of death has been deferred pending additional tests. A memorial service took place on Jan. 22 at Graceland, Elvis’ Memphis estate, and featured speeches and performances from Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose, Billy Corgan and Alanis Morissette.

01 Feb 2023

Lauren Alaina Warms Up Her Vocals With Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’: Watch

After seeing viral success in the two weeks of its release, Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” has received the country treatment. On Monday (Jan. 30), Lauren Alaina gave the song a spin while performing a vocal warm-up backstage before a concert and shared it to her Instagram.

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“We’re backstage at the Ryman [Auditorium], and Tico and I thought we would warm up by singing a little Miley Cyrus,” the country singer says with a wink before launching into a powerful, twang-filled rendition of the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping track. “Why acoustic when you can acousTICO?!” Alaina playfully captioned the post.

“I can buy myself flowers/ Write my name in the sand/ Talk to myself for hours/ Say things you don’t understand/ I can take myself dancing/ And I can hold my own hand/ Yeah, I can love me better than you can,” Alaina belts during her warm-up.

Released on Jan. 12, Cyrus’ “Flowers” debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 100, and is currently holding the spot in its second week on the chart. The track marks Cyrus’ first track to ever debut at No. 1 over her 15-year career, and her second track to crown the Hot 100 behind 2013’s “Wrecking Ball.”

The pop star took to social media to thank fans for the song’s success in the first two weeks of its release. “Celebrating ‘Flowers’ being #1 around the world again this week,” she tweeted. “I love that this record is connecting in such a positive way & it’s a pleasure to continue creating music for you. These milestones are only made possible by the listeners & my incredible fans. Endlessly thankful.”

Listen to Alaina sing “Flowers” below.