Music

31 Jan 2023

FLO Announces First North American Headlining Tour: Here Are the Dates

U.K. girl group FLO will be heading Stateside for their first-ever North American headlining tour in April, the group announced Tuesday (Jan. 31).

“Cat’s out the bloodclart bag!” FLO wrote on Instagram with the American and Canadian flag emojis. “We’re heading out on our first NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with you!”

The seven-date trek will start in Atlanta on April 13 and wrap in Los Angeles on April 27, with one date reserved for Toronto. Fans can sign up for pre-sale access here, and then will receive a pre-sale ticket link by 9:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, Feb. 2. Pre-sale will officially begin at 10 a.m. local time that day.

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The buzzy R&B trio, consisting of Jorja Douglas, Stella Quaresma and Renée Downer, has been experiencing a streak of success in the last year, following the release of their hit single “Cardboard Box.” In October 2022, FLO made television appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and the BBC’s Later… With Jools Holland and went on to win the Brit Awards’ Rising Star award in December, and then one month later, won BBC’s Sound of 2023 poll.

The girl group, which recently collaborated with Stormzy on the remix of his “Hide & Seek” track, is also slated to perform at their first U.S. music festival, Sol Blume, in the Bay Area on April 30, just days after their own tour wraps.

See FLO’s tour dates below.

31 Jan 2023

What Should Win Song of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards? Vote!

The Grammy Awards are taking over Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday (Feb. 5), and some of the biggest names in music are going head-to-head for the song of the year award.

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GAYLE’s “abcdefu,” Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film),” Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit,” Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” Adele’s “Easy on Me,” Kendrick Lamar’s “The Heart Part 5,” Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” and DJ Khaled’s “God Did” featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy are all up for the Big Four category win.

Despite the outcome, we at Billboard want to know who you’d like to see take home the award. Let us know by voting below.

31 Jan 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: Finesse2Tymes Debuts With Breakthrough Hit ‘Back End’

Memphis-based rapper Finesse2Tymes (real name Ricky Hampton) scores his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 4), as his breakthrough single “Back End” debuts at No. 98.

The song, released in July via Bread Gang/FNG/Mob Ties/Duh Klan/Atlantic Records, debuts with 15.2 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 8%) and 3.2 million U.S. streams in the Jan. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate.

“Back End” has steadily gained on radio and in streaming. It concurrently ranks at No. 21 on the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart and No. 39 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Radio-wise, it holds at its bests on Rap Airplay (No. 7), R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (No. 11) and Rhythmic Airplay (No. 14) and reaches the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay top 10 (11-9).

Finesse2Tymes first appeared on a Billboard ranking in August, when he debuted at No. 36 on the Emerging Artists chart; he stands at No. 15 on the latest chart.

The rapper has one additional chart entry outside of “Back End”: His album 90 Days reached No. 13 on Top Rap Albums, No. 21 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 57 on the Billboard 200 in December.

In 2012, Finesse2Tymes formed the rap collective Memphis Greatest Underrated, alongside fellow Memphis rappers Moneybagg Yo (who has tallied 27 Hot 100 entries) and Blac Youngsta (one). Moneybagg Yo is featured on 90 Days track “Black Visa”; the set also includes guest appearances from Lil Baby, Gucci Mane and Tay Keith.

31 Jan 2023

David Crosby Returns to Americana/Folk Albums Top 10, Surges on Multiple Charts

Late legend David Crosby is remembered on Billboard‘s charts, as two titles vault to the top 10 of the Americana/Folk Albums survey (dated Feb. 4) among other moves for his catalog.

Crosby’s death, at age 81, was announced Jan. 19.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Deja Vu re-enters Americana/Folk Albums at No. 5 (after reaching No. 4 in 2021) with 9,000 equivalent album units, up 238%, in the Jan. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate. Plus, Crosby, Stills & Nash’s Greatest Hits returns to the tally at a new No. 7 best, with 8,000 units, a 287% surge.

The former set topped the all-genre Billboard 200 in 1970, becoming the first of three leaders for the supergroup of Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young. The latter debuted and peaked at No. 24 in 2005. The releases re-enter the chart at Nos. 129 and 156, respectively.

On Top Rock & Alternative Albums, the titles place, respectively, at Nos. 18 and 24.

Meanwhile, six songs featuring Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Crosby’s contributions, including one by The Byrds, which he co-founded, infuse the 25-position Rock Digital Song Sales chart:

  • No. 7, “Southern Cross,” Crosby, Stills & Nash; 2,700 sold, up 162%
  • No. 8, “Teach Your Children,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; 2,400 sold, up 298%
  • No. 16, “Our House,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; 1,700 sold, up 234%
  • No. 18, “Carry On,” Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; 1,600 sold, up 352%
  • No. 19, “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” Crosby, Stills & Nash; 1,500 sold, up 244%
  • No. 25, “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season),” The Byrds; 1,300 sold, up 204%

On the all-genre Digital Song Sales chart, the top three tracks listed above enter at Nos. 24, 26 and 48, respectively.

In addition to standing as Crosby’s top-selling song in the U.S. during the tracking week, “Southern Cross” ranks as his most-streamed, up 52% to 1.8 million official on-demand (audio and video) and programmed streams Jan. 20-26.

31 Jan 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: ThxSoMch Arrives With Viral Hit ‘Spit in My Face!’

Canadian singer-songwriter ThxSoMch charts a song on the Billboard Hot 100 (dated Feb. 4) for the first time, as his breakthrough track “Spit in My Face!” opens at No. 100.

The song, released independently Nov. 1, debuts almost entirely on the strength of streaming: 5.3 million official U.S. streams in the Jan. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate. It concurrently climbs 7-6 on Hot Alternative Songs and 10-9 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (both of which use the same streaming-, airplay- and sales-based methodology as the Hot 100).

TikTok has been a crucial factor in the song’s growing popularity, as a portion of the song has been used in more than 70,000 videos on the platform to date. (TikTok does not presently contribute directly to Billboard’s charts.)

“You crush my heart and say it’s nothing,” ThxSoMuch sings in the brooding but tempo-driven “Spit in My Face!” “I bleed for you, but you never cared.”

ThxSoMch is brand new to Billboard’s charts, as “Spit in My Face!” marks his first and, to date, sole chart entry. He also rises 23-21 for a new best on the Emerging Artists chart.

The track is also gaining support worldwide, as it pushes 123-121 on the Billboard Global 200 and 181-165 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart.

31 Jan 2023

Hot 100 First-Timers: 2Rare Debuts With Viral NLE Choppa Collab ‘Do It Again’

Philadelphia rapper-songwriter 2Rare scores his first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 4), as “Do It Again,” with NLE Choppa, debuts at No. 96.

The song, released Oct. 7 via NLE Choppa/Warner Records, bows with 12.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 11%) and 3.4 million U.S. streams (up 7%) in the Jan. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate. It also rises 24-20 and 44-38 on the multimetric Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively. It also ascends 12-9 on Rap Airplay, 16-12 on Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, 15-13 on Rhythmic Airplay and 16-14 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.

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“Do It Again” notably contains a sample of Rose Royce’s classic “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore,” which reached No. 32 on the Hot 100 in February 1979.

TikTok has been a big factor in the song’s profile, as a portion of the track has been used in over 220,000 videos on the platform. The song also soundtracks the #doitagainchallenge on the app. (TikTok does not contribute to Billboard’s charts.) “Sped up” and “slowed down” versions of it have additionally generated buzz. NLE Choppa boasts more than 14 million followers on the platform, while 2Rare sports 1 million.

2Rare hadn’t charted a song on Billboard’s listings before “Do It Again.” For NLE Choppa, the cut marks his 10th Hot 100 entry, and first since “Shotta Flow 6” in February 2022.

Although “Do It Again” is his first charting hit, 2Rare has released other singles, including “Q-Pid,” with Lil Durk, and “Dump It Dummy,” with Zai1k and Tre Oh Fie. He also made a cameo in the official video for Lil Uzi Vert’s “Just Wanna Rock,” which climbs to a new No. 12 high on the latest Hot 100.

31 Jan 2023

The Kid LAROI to Embark on ‘Bleed For You’ College Tour: See the Dates

The Kid LAROI is going to college…kind of. On Tuesday (Jan. 31), the 19-year-old pop star announced that he will be hitting the road in 2023, with plans to make stops at university towns across the United States this spring.

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The Bleed For You Tour kicks off March 22 in Syracuse, N.Y. — home of Syracuse University — before paving through venues on the East Coast, the Midwest and the South. Two dates in April are marked off for LAROI’s Coachella sets at this year’s festival, followed by stops in Idaho, Colorado, Oklahoma and Missouri before closing out in Champaign, Ill.– home of the University of Illinois.

“We leveled up this time and I can’t wait for you too [sic] see what we’ve been working on,” LAROI wrote on Instagram in a post that featured the official tour poster for the trek.

The trek comes on the heels of the “Stay” singer’s first headlining tour, last year’s sold out End of the World Tour. He’ll perform tracks from his Billboard 200 No. 1 mixtape F*ck Love along with newly released songs from The First Time, his upcoming debut album.

Just four days prior to the tour announcement, the Grammy nominee dropped a new single titled “Love Again,” along with a corresponding music video. Before that came “I Can’t Go Back to the Way It Was (Intro),” the first taste fans got of The First Time.

Tickets for The Kid LAROI’s Bleed For You Tour will go on sale at 12 p.m. local time on Friday, Feb. 3, available for purchase on LAROI’s website. 

See the full list of dates, as well as LAROI’s tour announcement, below.

BLEED FOR YOU 2023 TOUR DATES

  • 3/22 – Syracuse, NY – Oncenter War Memorial
  • 3/24 – Kingston, RI – Ryan Center*
  • 3/25 – Bangor, ME – Cross Insurance Arena*
  • 3/27 – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center
  • 3/28 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
  • 3/29 – Ypsilanti, MI – EMU George Gervin GameAbove Center
  • 3/31 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena*
  • 4/1 – Charlottesville, VA – John Paul Jones Arena
  • 4/2 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena
  • 4/4 – Tallahassee, FL – Donald L Tucker Civic Center
  • 4/5 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena
  • 4/7 – Madison, WI – Alliant Energy Center
  • 4/8 – Coralville, IA – Xtream Arena
  • 4/15 – Indio, CA – Coachella*
  • 4/22 – Indio, CA – Coachella*
  • 4/26 – Boise, ID – Extra Mile Arena
  • 4/28 – Loveland, CO – Budweiser Events Center
  • 4/30 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
  • 5/2 – Springfield, MO – Great Southern Bank Arena
  • 5/3 – Champaign, IL – State Farm Center
  • *Not an Outback Presents show

31 Jan 2023

Dierks Bentley to Perform Pre-Race Concert at Daytona 500

Dierks Bentley will rally the crowd with a headlining set prior to the 65th Daytona 500 race on Feb. 19 at Daytona International Speedway.

“I’m ready to get back to Daytona with all the biggest NASCAR fans,” 14-time Grammy nominee Bentley said via a press release. “The energy there is unmatched and I know we will have a blast getting them ready for the race.”

Bentley has history with Daytona, previously performing at the 2011 Daytona 500 and during Speedweeks in 2009. He also played prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway in 2021.

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“We’re honored to welcome Dierks back to the World Center of Racing,” Daytona International Speedway president Frank Kelleher said via a statement. “Having an entertainer who knows how to start a party, preforming at the 65th DAYTONA 500 and kicking off NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season, is a combination fit for a fantastic Sunday.”

The concert will take place on pit road, and will be visible from the grandstands, but fans with a UNOH Fanzone Pass can watch Bentley’s set up close. A special VIP add-on is available for fans who want an exclusive view of the concert in an area next to the stage. The Fanzone Pass also grants access to driver and VIP appearances, a look into the NASCAR Cup Series garages, up-close access to driver introductions and more.

Bentley is also gearing up for the release of his 10th album, Gravel & Gold, on Feb. 24. The album includes his recent release, “High Note,” a collaboration with bluegrass-centric musicians including Billy Strings.

31 Jan 2023

Feid, Grupo Firme, Wisin y Yandel & Nicky Jam to Headline Sueños 2023

The lineup for the second edition of Sueños Music Festival was revealed on Tuesday (Jan. 31), featuring headliners Wisin y Yandel, Grupo Firme, Feid, and Nicky Jam, who will grace the stage on the weekend of May 27 and 28 in Chicago’s Grant Park.

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The exclusively all-Latin music festival — which highlights regional Mexican and urbano powerhouse performers in the same roster — will also host reggaeton icon Ivy Queen, as well as Becky G, Eladio Carrion, Chencho Corleone, Junior H, Gera MX, Ryan Castro, Young Miko, Pao Pao and more.

In March, Ivy Queen will be honored with the Icon award at Billboard’s Women in Music. 

From the founders of Mexico’s Baja Beach Fest, Sueños made its debut in 2022 with headlining acts J Balvin, Ozuna, and Farruko. Returning acts include Puerto Rican rapper Myke Towers, Dominican dembow purveyor El Alfa, as well as reggaeton pioneers Wisin y Yandel who will be headlining for a second year in a row. 

“We’re thrilled to be coming back to Chicago for our second annual Sueños festival,” Aaron Ampudia and Chris Den Uijl, co-founders of Sueños, told Billboard Español in an email. “Last year was such a moment, you could feel the energy and excitement from fans no matter where you were at in the festival. It just felt like we were meant to be there, celebrating Latin music and culture with Chicago’s thriving Latino community – and this year we’re bringing even more.”

Wisin y Yandel kicked off their farewell tour La Última Misión last year, while showcasing their latest 2022 album of the same name. In December, the dynamic duo broke their own record at Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot (a.k.a. El Choli) with a series of 14 homecoming shows, which included a New Year’s Eve performance, the first time ever the iconic venue held a show on said date. 

Colombian rapper-songwriter Feid, who entered the Billboard 200 chart in October for his successful (and leaked!) LP Feliz Cumpleaños Ferxxo: Te Pirateamos el Álbum, is poised to make an impact in 2023. Late last year, Feid embarked on his first headlining U.S. tour, produced by Live Nation, selling out numerous dates.

The Mexican band Grupo Firme, who has been elevating norteña music to higher grounds, made a splash at last summer at Baja Beach Fest in Rosarito when the group surprised audiences with its performance of “Cada Quien” alongside Medellín superstar Maluma.

“We can’t wait to see what Grupo Firme, Wisin Y Yandel, Feid, Nicky Jam and all the phenomenal artists on the lineup bring to the Sueños stage this Memorial Day Weekend!” added the founders.

Early access tickets go on sale Feb. 2. For more info, visit SuenosMusicFestival.com.

31 Jan 2023

Tori Amos Embarking on Ocean to Ocean 2023 U.S. Summer Tour

Tori Amos is coming to your town. The singer announced her 2023 Ocean to Ocean U.S. summer tour on Tuesday (Jan. 31), titled in honor of her 2021 album of the same name. The 28-date swing is slated to kick off on June 17 at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, Florida and hit New Orleans, Atlanta, Nashville, New York, Boston, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco before winding down at an as-yet-unannounced venue in Seattle, Washington on July 28.

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“I am truly excited to be coming back to the U.S. on the Ocean to Ocean Tour this summer with my amazing bandmates [bassist] Jon Evans and [drummer] Ash Soan,” the singer said in a statement. “We are so looking forward to playing iconic venues once again such as The Greek in LA, Red Rocks and especially Wolf Trap, where I saw so many shows growing up in neighboring Maryland.”

Ocean to Ocean, Amos’ 16th album, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard current alternative albums chart; click here for ticketing information for the tour. Amos recently released the graphic novel Little Earthquakes: The Graphic Album in celebration of the 30th anniversary of her breakthrough 1992 debut studio album; the collection features 24 stories inspired by the album’s 12 tracks and the 12 b-sides that accompanied the album.

Tori Amos 2023 U.S. Ocean to Ocean summer tour dates:

June 17 — West Palm Beach, FL @ Kravis Center
June 18 — Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
June 20 — New Orleans, LA @ Mahalia Jackson Theater
June 22 — Birmingham, AL @ Alabama Theatre
June 23 — Atlanta, GA @ Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
June 24 — Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
June 26 — Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium
June 28 — New York City, NY @ Beacon Theatre
June 29 — New York City, NY @ Beacon Theatre
July 1 — Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion
July 2 — Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Center for the Arts
July 5 — Vienna, VA @ Filene Center at Wolf Trap
July 6 — Hershey, PA @ Hershey Theatre
July 8 — Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Mainstage Theater
July 9 — Rochester Hills, MI @ Meadow Brook Amphitheatre
July 11 — Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
July 12 — Louisville, KY @ The Louisville Palace
July 14 — St. Louis, MO @ Stifel Theatre
July 15 — Omaha, NE @ Orpheum Theater
July 17 — Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 18 — Albuquerque, NM @ Kiva Auditorium
July 19 — Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Arts Center
July 21 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
July 22 — Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
July 23 — San Diego @ Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
July 25 — Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery
July 26 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
July 28 — Seattle, WA @ TBD