Music

24 Jan 2023

‘Flowers’ Power: Miley Cyrus Soars In at No. 1 on Both Billboard Global Charts

Miley Cyrus boasts the biggest song in the world, as “Flowers” launches at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. The song soars in with the biggest global streaming week for a soloist, and the third-greatest week overall, since the Global 200 began in September 2020.

Plus, Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” blasts to No. 2 on each tally and TAEYANG’s “Vibe,” featuring Jimin, enters Global Excl. U.S. at No. 9, as Jimin becomes the fourth member of BTS to have hit the chart’s top 10 as a soloist.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

‘Flowers’ Logs Biggest Global 200 Streaming Week for a Soloist

“Flowers” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 with 179.1 million streams and 98,000 sold worldwide in its first full tracking week, Jan. 13-19 (after it arrived Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. EST).

Cyrus scores her first leader since the Global 200 began, after she reached the chart’s top 15 with two tracks in late 2020: “Prisoner,” featuring Dua Lipa (No. 12), and “Midnight Sky” (No. 15).

Cyrus first announced during her Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party NBC special that “Flowers” would be released Jan. 13, which fans noticed doubles as her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. That narrative and interaction on TikTok have helped grow the profile of the song, which ushers in Cyrus’ eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, due March 10.

Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” surges 12-2 on the Global 200 with 168.4 million streams and 16,000 sold worldwide Jan. 13-19 (its first full tracking week, following its Jan. 11 release at 7 p.m. EST). The buzzworthy latest edition of the Argentine DJ/producer’s series is his second top 10 on the chart, after “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Quevedo, reigned for four weeks beginning last July. Shakira earns her first top 10 since the chart began.

Notably, “Flowers” and “Vol. 53” claim the biggest and second-biggest global streaming weeks, respectively, in nearly five months, since BLACKPINK’s “Pink Venom” premiered atop the Global 200 dated Sept. 3, 2022, with 212.1 million streams worldwide. Plus, “Flowers” posts the top global streaming week for a soloist since the chart started in September 2020, with its sum of 179.1 million surpassing the 178.4 million that Adele’s “Easy on Me” drew in its first full frame (Oct. 30, 2021). Overall in the chart’s archives, just two songs have logged bigger global streaming weeks than “Flowers”: “Pink Venom,” as noted above, and BTS’ “Butter,” which opened with 289.5 million (June 5, 2021).

SZA’s “Kill Bill” drops to No. 3 on the Global 200 after two weeks on top; Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” dips to No. 4 from its No. 3 high; and Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” rises 6-5, after it debuted at its No. 3 best in December.

Cyrus No. 1 on Global Excl. U.S., TAEYANG & Jimin Debut in Top 10

As on the Global 200, “Flowers” bows at No. 1 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart, with 129.2 million streams and 37,000 sold outside the U.S. Jan. 13-19.

Cyrus previously hit a No. 10 Global Excl. U.S. top peak with “Prisoner,” featuring Dua Lipa, in 2020.

Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” bounds 8-2 on Global Excl. U.S. with 148.9 million streams and 7,000 sold outside the U.S. Jan. 13-19.

SZA’s “Kill Bill” backtracks to No. 3 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart from its No. 2 best; Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” descends to No. 4 after two weeks at the summit; and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” slips 3-5, after it reached No. 2 in September.

Elsewhere in the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, TAEYANG’s “Vibe,” featuring Jimin, starts at No. 9 on the chart, with 40.2 million streams and 22,000 sold outside the U.S. TAEYANG achieves his first solo entry on the ranking, having appeared as a soloist on Billboard surveys since 2010, while the group in which he broke through, BIGBANG, debuted and peaked at No. 3 last April with “Still Life.”

Jimin, likewise from South Korea, notches his first Global Excl. U.S. top 10 in his second appearance, after “With You,” with HA SUNG WOON, hit No. 14 last May.

Jimin becomes the fourth member of BTS to have hit the Global Excl. U.S. top 10 solo, joining Jin, Jung Kook (two top 10s) and SUGA. Here’s a recap of BTS members’ five combined top 10s as soloists on Global Excl. U.S. (where BTS has collected 10 top 10s):

“That That,” PSY feat. SUGA, No. 2, May 2022
“Left and Right,” Charlie Puth feat. Jung Kook, No. 2, July 2022
“The Astronaut,” Jin, No. 6, November 2022
“Dreamers (Music From the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022),” Jung Kook, No. 4, November 2022
“Vibe,” TAEYANG feat. Jimin, No. 9 (to-date), January 2023

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 28, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 25). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard‘s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

24 Jan 2023

Austin Butler Feels His First Oscar Nomination Is a ‘Way to Honor’ Lisa Marie Presley

The unveiling of this year’s Oscar nominees was bittersweet for Austin Butler. On Tuesday morning (Jan. 24), the 31-year-old actor woke up to find that he’d scored his first ever Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic — an exciting feat he won’t get to share with the rock n’ roll legend’s only child, Lisa Marie Presley, who died at the age of 54 on Jan. 12.

Butler spoke about his best actor nod in a phone call interview on TODAY With Hoda & Jenna, shortly after the nominations news arrived. “I woke up to about 20 missed calls from my agent, manager and everybody,” he laughed. “What an exciting way to wake up.”

The Carrie Diaries alum went on to share how meaningful the nomination is, especially considering the intensive prep work he did for the lead role, something he’s spoken about a few times since Elvis premiered. “I’m still processing it right now,” he confessed. “It was such a daunting undertaking, making this movie, and it was also a very long process.”

“I just remember those sleepless nights and all the fear, and all the possibilities for how it could’ve gone wrong,” Butler added. “Not just for me, but for all these other amazing artists that worked on the film, being recognized feels really surreal and amazing,”

Hosts Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager then asked Butler about the loss of Lisa Marie, who died after suffering a cardiac arrest. Butler has spoken in the past about his connection with the “Lights Out” singer, revealing just days before she died that they’d shared a special moment and talked for hours in Elvis’ former bedroom.

“I think about how much I wish she was here right now to get to celebrate with me,” Butler said on TODAY. “It’s the same thing with Elvis, I wish that they could be in these moments. It feels kind of strange to celebrate at a time of such deep grief. I sort of think of it as a way to honor her.”

Hear Austin Butler talk about his bittersweet Oscar nomination below:

24 Jan 2023

Niall Horan Teases Third Album With ‘Heaven’-ly Song Snippet, Mystery Boxes Sent to Fans

Back in October Niall Horan promised that the follow-up to his 2020 Heartbreak Weather album was just around the bend. Well, it looks like we’re about to turn that corner because on Monday (Jan. 23) the former One Direction star posted an acoustic snippet of a new song on TikTok to coincide with a cryptic website.

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“God only knows where this could go/ Even if our love starts to grow out of control/ And you and me go up in flames/ Heaven won’t be the same,” Horan sings on TikTok, rocking shorts, shades, a baseball hat and a sweatshirt while basking in the sun. In a previous clip, Horan sat in his SUV blasting the Beach Boys-esque song as someone knocked on the window and he asked, “can I help you?”

Horan’s been teasing new music for the past week, cheekily refusing to reveal the “Heaven”-ly song’s title, while dripping out snippets of music on piano and guitar. In a possible clue, though, his mysterious new site features the URL “www.heavenwontbethesame.com,” along with the singular image of a burning candle; that site links back to Horan’s TikTok. As uncovered by the singer’s intrepid fans, the new site’s source code encourages them to “KEEP CHECKING BACK EVERY DAY.”

In addition, some fans have tweeted about receiving white boxes with the word “heaven” imprinted in a green square on top and featuring the same blue and white candle as the one on the website, as well as a QR code that links back to the site.

Horan is gearing up to be a coach on the upcoming 23rd season of The Voice, which is slated to air in the spring and feature fellow newbie Chance The Rapper alongside Kelly Clarkson and Blake Shelton. He also announced that this summer he’ll be playing festivals for the first time in his career, beginning with Boston Calling on May 23 followed by Pinkpop, Isle of Wight, Stavernfestivalen, TRNSMT, Colours of Ostrava, MEO Sudoeste, Sziget and Electric Picnic.

Watch Horan’s TikTok and one of the mystery packages below.

24 Jan 2023

Dave Matthews Band Announces Summer Tour & New Album ‘Walk Around the Moon’

Dave Matthews Band is returning this year with a new album and a full summer tour in support. The veteran, record-setting rock band announced on Tuesday (Jan. 24) that Walk Around the Moon, their 10th studio album, is set to drop May 19 via RCA Records.

Spanning 12 original tracks, Walk Around the Moon was formed during the pandemic and “is as much a reflection on the current times as it is an urge to find common ground,” reads a statement from the band.

Fans won’t have to wait long for a taste of the new project. The first release from it is “Madman’s Eyes,” which arrived with the album announcement.

Producer Rob Evans worked on “Madman’s Eyes,” which DMB road-tested at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, back in November 2021.

The fresh cut blends Middle Eastern vibes with horns and strings, and sees Matthews pose the question, “When it’s too late to untwist the knife/ How do we face hatred with the love inside us.”

Longtime collaborator John Alagia served as executive producer of Walk Around the Moon, with Evans working on most of its tracks. A limited-edition deluxe vinyl option is available exclusively at the official DMB website.

With the new collection comes a major North American jaunt. Following three dates in Mexico, DMB will kick off its U.S. run at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Texas, on May 19. As the calendar currently stands, the trek is scheduled to wrap Sept. 3 with the last in a three-night stand at Gorge Amphitheatre, in George, Wash.

Walk Around the Moon is the follow-up to Come Tomorrow from 2018, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the band’s seventh consecutive leader, a hot streak that dates back to 1998’s Before These Crowded Streets. DMB is the only group to see seven straight studio albums bow at No. 1 on the U.S. tally.

Formed in Charlottesville, Va., in 1991, DMB has more than 25 million career ticket sales and upwards of 38 million combined CD and DVD sales, according to reps.

Though, despite winning the fan vote by a wide margin in 2020, DMB has yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Matthews, the South Africa-born band leader, was named as a UN Environment Goodwill Ambassador in 2019, and is committed to offsetting the carbon footprint created by touring, by participating in the Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees campaign.

Tickets for the DMB summer tour will be available to the general public beginning Feb. 17 at 10 a.m. local time.

Visit davematthewsband.com for more information, or check the DMB Warehouse Fan Association for presales.

Check out “Madman’s Eyes”:

Walk Around the Moon tracklist:

  1. Walk Around The Moon
  2. Madman’s Eyes
  3. Looking For A Vein
  4. The Ocean And The Butterfly
  5. It Could Happen
  6. Something To Tell My Baby
  7. After Everything
  8. All You Wanted Was Tomorrow
  9. The Only Thing
  10. Break Free
  11. Monsters
  12. Singing From The Windows

2023 North American tour dates:

  • May 9 — Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City, DF
  • May 11 — Auditorio Pabellon M, Monterrey, NL,
  • May 13 — Teatro Diana, Guadalajara, JAL
  • May 19 — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX
  • May 20 — Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, TX,
  • May 23 — Walmart AMP, Rogers, AR
  • May 24 — BankPlus Amphitheater at Snowden Grove, Southaven, MS
  • May 26 — Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
  • May 27 — Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
  • May 30 — Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park, Wilmington, NC
  • May 31 — Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park, Wilmington, NC
  • June 2 — One Stadium, Charleston, SC
  • June 3 — One Stadium, Charleston, SC
  • June 9 — Forest Hills Stadium, Forest Hills, NY
  • June 10 — Xfinity Theatre, Hartford, CT
  • June 14 — Darien Lake Amphitheater, Darien, NY
  • June 16 — Maine Savings Amphitheatre, Bangor, ME
  • June 17 — Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA
  • June 23 — The Pavilion at Star Lake, Burgettstown, PA
  • June 24 — Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
  • June 27 — Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
  • June 29 — American Family Insurance Amphitheatre, Milwaukee, WI
  • June 30 — Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN
  • July 1 — Music Center, Noblesville, IN
  • July 7 — Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, Chicago, IL
  • July 8 — Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island, Chicago, IL
  • July 11 — Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, Gilford, NH
  • July 12 — Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion, Gilford, NH
  • July 14 — Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY
  • July 15 — Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs,
  • July 18 — PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
  • July 19 — Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
  • July 21 — Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ
  • July 22 — Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ
  • July 25 — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA
  • July 26 — The Amphitheater at the Wharf, Orange Beach, AL
  • July 28 — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL
  • July 29 — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL
  • Aug. 24 — Yaamava’ Resort and Casino, Highland, CA
  • Aug. 25 — FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA
  • Aug. 26 — FivePoint Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA
  • Aug. 29 — Hayden Homes Amphitheater, Bend, OR
  • Sept. 1 — Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA
  • Sept. 2 — Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA
  • Sept. 3 — Gorge Amphitheatre, George, WA

24 Jan 2023

Ariel Pink Used an Artist’s Face on His Album Cover Without Permission, So She Responded With ‘Ariel Stinks’ NFTs

Imagine your 12-year-old son walking into your office and seeing an old photo of his mom with some other man’s name splashed across her forehead and saying, “That really makes me feel yucky inside.”

That’s what artist Jill Miller says happened to her when she discovered that controversial singer Ariel Pink had used an old, unpublished photo of her from the early 2000s on the cover of his 2006 album Ariel Pink’s Thrash & Burn. The collection’s cover art features “Ariel” scrawled across Miller’s forehead in all-cap red letters and the word “Stinks” snaking down her left side of her face.

Naturally, Miller — an assistant professor at the University of California-Berkeley and active gallery artist — turned unauthorized appropriation into appropriation-ade. She is now selling a 50-piece NFT collection (to be followed by a coffee table book) of fake album covers entitled Ariel Stinks, in which she re-imagines the singer in a hilarious series of scenarios that, frankly, stink.

From Ariel as a garden gnome wearing a dunce cap to an image of him as a blobby spinning instructor, a sad-eyed clown, a piñata, a roll of toilet paper (not to be confused with a glum Ariel on the can) and a petri dish of bacteria, the images put a tongue-in-cheek, tilted spin on the project’s title. If none of those grab you, there is also Ariel holding a skunk, working at Walmart and as a TSA agent — and, naturally, attending a riot (more on that later). Long story short, Miller had a blast using artificial intelligence software to send up the singer.

“I originally found out because a student said there was an album cover with a girl who looked like me,” Miller tells Billboard about discovering what she believes is the unauthorized use of her image on the album. The set was originally released through Germany’s Human Ear Music in the early 2000s, and then reissued in 2013 — both times, she says, without her consent for the use of the image. “And when I saw the photo I was surprised — it was probably taken 20 years ago — and it really surprised me that nobody told me about it.”

Here’s the thing: Miller says she doesn’t know Pink (born Ariel Marcus Rosenberg), had never heard his music and could not recall ever running into him in Los Angeles during the time she believes the picture was taken. After discovering the cover during the pandemic lockdown, Miller says at first she was merely annoyed, wishing that Pink had just asked for permission to use the snap.

The artist provided Billboard with a screen shot of a text exchange with Pink from August 2022 in which she directly asked the singer how the image ended up on the cover, with Ariel suggesting it came from a fellow artist who went to grad school with Miller.

Not quick to cry lawsuit, Miller did however remember that in 2011, Vampire Weekend and XL Records settled a multi-million dollar lawsuit with model Ann Kirsten Kennis — who claimed a photographer had forged her model release for a Polaroid of her that appeared on the cover of the band’s Contra album. She does not, however, believe that that is what happened in this case.

“But I was also thinking, ‘Ariel Pink is not Vampire Weekend,’ and if someone said I could get you [a] $2 million [settlement] or an art piece, I’d take the money,” she says she initially thought. Before long, though, without any clear sense of how she became a cover model — wearing red lipstick, no less, something she would never do in the guise of her late 1990s chat room persona — Miller opted to stay in her lane and create art instead. Besides, given the recent story arc of Pink’s career, responding with creativity and attitude felt like a much better plan.

Pink’s heel turn

In Dec. 2022, Pink teamed with former Mumford & Sons member Winston Marshall for the politically charged holiday song “Rudolph’s Laptop,” which took aim at first son Hunter Biden’s 2020 laptop controversy, a frequent focus of Pres. Biden’s conservative antagonists. The pair promoted the song on right wing Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson’s show.

It was the latest provocation from Pink, who was removed from his record label’s roster in 2021 following his attendance of the January 6 insurrection. Mexican Summer announced its decision via Twitter, writing, “Due to recent events, Mexican Summer and its staff have decided to end our working relationship with Ariel Rosenberg AKA Ariel Pink moving forward.” In addition, in January 2021, Pitchfork reported that Pink was denied a civil harassment restraining order against his ex (and former bandmate), who he claimed was attempting to blackmail him over her claims that he had physically and sexually abused her; Pink has denied those claims.

“I didn’t want to play into his ‘oh, I’m canceled’ pity party,’” Miller says of what she saw as Pink’s response to being dropped in the wake of his being photographed on the day of the assault on the Capitol by supporters of one-term president Donald Trump. “I’m a full-time professor, I have two kids and an active gallery calendar… I’m really busy. So I sat on it, and asked a friend if they know an attorney who works with copyright issues.”

Not for nothing, but after Miller announced the project on Twitter on Jan. 10, Pink’s official Twitter account responded, “these are cool” — to which the artist replied, “thanks, they are for sale if you want to invest in 50 future album covers.” A second tweet from Pink mentioned that the album is no longer available and has been deleted from the Human Ear Music website, along with other AP titles.

In an email response to questions about the controversy, Pink confirms that he and Miller have never met and that he had “no role” in choosing the artwork for the album for the German organization now known as HEM. The singer also says he no longer speaks to the label’s director — who he claims was responsible for choosing the artwork for HEM’s releases — and that he no longer considers him a friend.

“It has been many years since we’ve spoken,” he says of his strained relationship with the label boss, Jason Grier, adding that he’s “never seen profits” from the album — and that other than agreeing to allow HEM to release it, he had no involvement in promoting it or choosing a vision for the packaging. “He was a friend who wanted to start a label, asked me if he could release the material in question, and I said sure,” Pink wrote. “That was full extent of my involvement [with] the release.”

In an email response to Billboard‘s questions about the album and the provenance of the cover art, Grier says he “of course” sent the packaging design and tracklist to Pink for approval before production. “He offered overall positive feedback on the artwork and some adjustments to the tracklisting, as well as an artist’s statement and a digital scan of his signature, both of which also appeared on the album packaging,” Grier writes of what he describes as Pink’s hands-on approach to the release.

“The artwork and tracklist were approved by Mr. Rosenberg, who even composed an artist’s statement and authorized the use of his signature specifically for the album’s packaging,” says Grier of the collection. He also says the album resulted in “no profits,” but instead more than $2,000 in destruction costs to the album’s distributor to have it removed from shelves, shipped back to storage and carted to a recycling facility.

As for the album cover, Grier confirms that Pink was seemingly not involved in its choosing, describing it as a, “damaged inkjet print with the words ‘Ariel Stinks’ scribbled over it in magic marker, made by my next-door neighbor at the time.” He says it had been in his apartment for months as part of a “collection of ephemera that came down to me over the years,” adding that its provenance, however, is “beside the point.”

“The problem here is, unambiguously, that I unwisely chose this as the cover art for the release in the first place, and furthermore, without considering the future impact it would have, and for that, I am very very sorry,” Grier writes.

He also notes that he and Pink had, in fact, been in contact as recently as last summer, and that the singer’s ties to the Jan. 6 insurrection had led him to recall and destroy the remaining copies of Thrash and Burn. Furthermore, Grier says Pink contacted him earlier this month in a note he describes as full of “incoherent invective directed towards Jill [Miller] and also, inexplicably, other random artists.”

Choosing draw over law

Miller says she teaches a number of classes in which she asks students to question the nature of art and whether it has the power to make social change and spark conversation, so her natural reaction was to do just that with her Stinks project. Using an AI program, she typed in a few cover ideas and the results, she says, were “pretty fantastic and funny.” And by keeping the format to the square album cover format that could be printed in a 12 x 12 shape, she says the project clearly leans into the parody element.

Miller’s lawyer, California intellectual property attorney M.J. Bogatin, tells Billboard that per copyright law, the image on the cover belongs to whoever took it — which neither he nor Miller have been able to confirm. “There are many ways the image could have turned up or been available or licensed by a legitimate rights holder,” he says. However, since they don’t know who took it, the second legal area he says the dispute falls into is the “right of publicity.”

It is the latter law — which is determined on a state-by-state level versus the federal copyright statues — that Bogatin says he discussed with Miller when they met to go over the legal standing of her Stinks images. Reviewing the series, Bogatin — a longtime volunteer member of California Lawyers for the Arts who, literally, wrote the book on this area of law, Legal Guide for the Visual Artist — says he concluded that an artist’s creative use of an image is privileged and is an exception to the right of publicity, which he did not see in the album’s original use of Miller’s image.

“She absolutely has the creative license to use Pink’s image, to adulterate it the way she has,” he says, explaining that her use of Pink’s distorted image is clearly parody, which falls under the copyright act’s Fair Use exemption that allows artists to comment and criticize public figures.

“Her initiative is brilliant and new on many levels, and does have this legal thread running through it of what you are allowed to do versus what he and [HEM] did, which we believe was illegal,” says Bogatin, who calls the rapidly evolving area of AI rights and litigation the “cutting edge” of creative rights law. “And now we’re into the sphere of what is and isn’t legal in artificial intelligence and machine creation? Is there an underlying image that’s the source that [Pink] could claim copyright infringement on? Not if you understand the algorithm — there are no cases yet — and the copyright office has already issued a proclamation that AI imagery is not subject to copyright.”

Long story short, Miller has no obligation to share any money she makes from the sale with Pink because the use of AI means that, unlike the album cover, there was no specific image she employed as inspiration, but rather an algorithm pulling in unique variables to create a wholly original piece of art. “She chose to draw over the law,” Bogatin says.

“Buy them all!”

“I’m not mad,” Miller says of the emotion behind her image-tweaking efforts. “I think I made a playful, humorous response that is an alternative to litigation. And the ‘smelly’ aspect makes it even better… some are just careers he could consider if music doesn’t work out, like a used car salesman. Plus they’re all for sale, so if he needs 50 future album covers he can buy them all!”

The first group of NFTs in the Stinks project dropped on Friday (Jan. 20) and interested collectors can click here for more information or to check out a free digital album cover to replace the existing one on their digital music platforms. Each cover is being offered for around .39ETH (approximately $630 each at press time); a second drop is planned on Feb. 2.

When asked to clarify an earlier statement that “the whole point is to make me look bad, and have a little fun at my expense,” Pink says Ariel Stinks feels to him like “a prank… a sort of snarky bit of revenge… This person obviously feels like they were exploited and that troubles me deeply, but this is not the way to address that.” In a follow-up email, Grier notes that HEM now clears all its images through Tate London and VG Bild-Kunts Bonn, to avoid any similar issues.

Miller says that the buyers of the NFTs will retain commercial rights to them and suggests that if Pink really wants to make things right, he could buy some, or all, of them to “compensate someone who for sure helped sell your record with her face on the cover.” After all, that way she gets something and he gets something — because as of now, she says, “I got nothing.”

Check out Miller’s announcement and a few of the images below.

24 Jan 2023

Priscilla Presley Reflects on ‘Difficult Time’ Following Death of Daughter Lisa Marie Presley

Priscilla Presley is living every parent’s worst nightmare following the shocking death of Lisa Marie Presley, her only child with Elvis Presley. In a recent tweet, though, the late rock n’ roll legend’s former wife shared that the outpouring of support she’s received in the days since her daughter died on Jan. 12 has made all the difference as she navigates the painful road ahead.

“Thank you all for your condolences, you have touched me with your words,” Presley tweeted late Monday night (Jan. 23). “It has been a very difficult time but just knowing your love is out there makes a difference.”

Earlier this month, Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital after suffering cardiac arrest. Priscilla afterward confirmed that her daughter had been hospitalized and asked followers on Twitter to “keep her and our family in your prayers.” Hours later, it was announced that Lisa Marie had died at the age of 54.

“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” the actress said in a statement at the time. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”

Just two days before her death, Lisa Marie attended the Golden Globes with her mother to support Austin Butler, who won best actor in a motion picture, drama for his portrayal of The King in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.

Butler released a statement mourning the loss of Lisa Marie after her death, writing, “Her warmth, her love and her authenticity will always be remembered.”

LeAnn Rimes, Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, Questlove and many more artists have also been sharing messages of grief on social media in the days since.

See Priscilla Presley’s tweet below:

24 Jan 2023

Panic! At the Disco Founder Brendon Urie Announces Band’s Split: ‘I Look Forward to This Next Adventure’

Panic! At the Disco are shutting down the party. On Tuesday (Jan. 24), the band’s founder and sole original member, singer Brendon Urie, 35, announced that as he and his wife await the birth of their first child he is calling and end to the band’s two-decade run.

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“Well, it’s been a hell of a journey…” Urie wrote in a note to fans thanking them for 20 years of dedication and loyalty. “Growing up in Vegas I could’ve never imagined where this life would take me. So many places all over the world, and all the friends we’ve made along the way. But sometimes a journey must end for a new one to begin.”

Though they’ve been trying to keep it to themselves, Urie acknowledged that some fans may have heard that he and his wife, Sarah, are expecting a baby soon and “the prospect of being a father and getting to watch my wife become a mother is both humbling and exciting. I look forward to this next adventure.”

Essentially a solo project for Urie, the band originally formed in Las Vegas in 2004 with Urie on vocals and his childhood friends Ryan Ross on guitar, bassist Brent Wilson and drummer Spencer Smith. Thanks to a demo tape Urie sent to Fall Out Boy bassist/songwriter Pete Wentz, the former Blink-182 cover band got a deal with Wentz’s Decaydance Records imprint through Fueled by Ramen.

The band’s debut, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, dropped in Sept. 2005 and featured the breakthrough hit “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” In a sign of things to come, bassist Wilson left the band the next year (replaced by Jon Walker) with the new lineup dropping the psychedelic pop collection Pretty. Odd. in early 2008, followed by 2011’s Vices & Virtues, which was recorded by just Urie and drummer Smith following the departures of Ryan and Walker. The band’s fourth effort, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die! dropped in Oct. 2013 and featured short-lived bassist Dallon Weekes and the final collaboration with drummer Smith, who left the fold in April 2015.

2016’s Death of a Bachelor was essentially a Urie solo album that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, the first of the group’s efforts to hit the top of the tally. After taking time off to perform on Broadway in Kinky Boots, Urie was back in 2018 with Pray For the Wicked, followed by last year’s Viva Las Vengeance, which will seemingly serve as the group’s studio swan song.

Given his impending fatherhood, Urie said in his note that he was going to “bring this chapter of my life to an end and put my focus and energy on my family, and with that Panic! At The Disco will be no more.”

The singer thanked his fans for their “immense support” over the years, admitting that he was struggling to find the perfect way to say his goodbyes and explain how much his fans have meant to the group. “Whether you’ve been here since the beginning or are just finding us, it has been a pleasure to not only share the stage with so many talented people but also share our time with you,” he wrote. “I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Europe and the UK for one last run together. I love you. I appreciate you. Thank you for existing.”

The band will hit the road in Europe for a run of Vengeance dates slated to kick off on Feb. 20 in Vienna, Austria and wrap up on March 10 with a show at the AO Arena in Manchester, England.

See Urie’s post below.

24 Jan 2023

Makin’ Tracks: Expect the Unexpected in New Chris Young Single ‘Looking For You’

Surprise!

Chris Young’s “Looking for You” — which RCA Nashville released to country radio via PlayMPE on Jan. 12 — traverses familiar subject matter for the singer, set in the same sort of nightclub that has provided the focal point for “Lonely Eyes,” “Neon” and the Mitchell Tenpenny duet “At the End of a Bar.” But the results are not what one would expect.

For starters, despite a widespread belief that lasting relationships can’t be found in a bar, “Looking” celebrates a guy who discovered a longtime love when he wasn’t actually seeking one in a night spot. Additionally, the song takes a surprising turn at the end of the chorus, injecting a chord that normally wouldn’t work and stamping it with a decidedly unusual melodic twist.

“It feels unexpected,” Young says. “And it’s one of the reasons I love the song so much.”

“Looking for You” got started while his co-writers were waiting for Young on May 22, 2022, at the Middle Tennessee home studio of songwriter-producer Chris DeStefano (“From the Ground Up,” “Something in the Water”). James McNair (“Lovin’ On You,” “Going, Going, Gone”) had the “Looking for You” title, accompanied by a plot that contrasts with the similar-sounding title of Johnny Lee’s “Lookin’ for Love.” Where the guy in Lee’s Urban Cowboy classic had spent much of his life searching for romance “in all the wrong places,” the protagonist in McNair’s idea wasn’t looking at all.

“I remember him kind of disclaiming it,” says Emily Weisband (“Jealous of Myself,” “All for You”). “’It’s not going to blow your mind,’” she recalls McNair saying. “’But it could be a great, uptempo country vibe. I think it might be something.’”

They fashioned it primarily as a two-chord country song, building off the “Looking for You” title with a series of single-guy pursuits, including “looking for a feeling,” “looking for an up-all-night-long” and “looking for a sunrise leading to a sunset.”

The chorus was half finished when Young arrived. That part of the melody relied on syncopated waterfall intervals to cast a sense of adventure, but it needed a change in direction to bring it home. After mostly alternating between the tonic chord and the four chord up to that point, DeStefano took a risk. He lobbed a hit-or-miss four-minor chord, one that would either be a musical goldmine or a sonic train wreck.

“It’s a little bit of a one-bullet gun,” he says. “Sometimes I’ll just kind of throw it out there and see if it feels right, if everybody in the room is digging it, because it’s a commitment. In that situation, everybody was like, ‘Oh, we’ve got to do that.’ So it was like, ‘OK, I trust y’all. Let’s do it.’ ”

The minor chord changed what would typically be an E note to an E-flat — only a half-step difference, but that small alteration created a significant misdirection. Young fitted a melody to the new section, landing directly on that E-flat, the very note that changed the song’s course. It created an enormous amount of musical tension.

But it also arrived at the perfect time for the song’s message, following a “right out of the blue” lyric with an out-of-the-blue sonic flow.

“A lot of songs will end on a ‘ta-da,’ you know — a major chord, and you’re like, ‘Oh, there’s the hook. There it is,’ ” says McNair. “But this one ends on kind of a half ‘ta-da,’ where you’re kind of hanging on the edge.”

They had said pretty much everything that needed to be said with that maneuver — the words and the music both yelled “surprise!” — so they kept the song’s lyrics to a minimum. When they reached the bridge, instead of introducing any new vocabulary, they borrowed two lines from the pre-chorus near the beginning of the song and paired them with one more four-minor chord, repeating the tension caused by that simple E-flat.

“You do something once, it could be an accident,” DeStefano says. “You do it twice, it’s intentional.” 

The song was mostly written before DeStefano started building a track to support it, but that happened quickly. He didn’t just develop a demo: He created almost the entire final master before his co-writers left.

“People don’t realize just how good he is unless you’ve been in a room with him,” says Young. “He’s probably top five — one of the fastest editors on ProTools that I’ve ever seen. Just on the fly, he’s laying stuff down, so by the time that we’re done writing it, it is done. And that’s not to say that he’s just sitting there building the track. He’s coming up with melodies, coming up with guitar parts, interjecting lyrics. He’s an all-around [talent].”

DeStefano established a pulsing foundation, alternating — sometimes combining — guitar, programmed keyboards and/or banjo to evolve the sound underneath the melody even as the beat moved forward. He also played a short guitar solo that used a series of flatted notes, complementing the attitude from the four-minor chord. 

Weisband tossed in harmonies and some ad-libs to support Young’s lead vocal, with one of those off-the-cuff ideas forming what became a key musical hook. DeStefano pitch-shifted that phrase into a higher octave, generating a sort of electronic Mariah Carey sound. “I sound like a little alien on there,” Weisband jokes. 

Juxtaposed with Young’s lead vocal, the effect brings contrasting elements together in a unique way. “She’s got an amazing voice, and she has a lot of pop sensibility,” says McNair. “His tone is such a rich, country, smooth tone. Mixed with her, the blend of those was really cool.”

The waterfall chorus melody and the tense E-flat in the four-minor chord are unusual enough that they’ll likely challenge fans who sing along with “Looking for You” — though in Young’s experience, repetition solves that issue. “I ended up singing the song the entire day of the video shoot over and over and over,” he says. “So it’s just ingrained in my head.”

The song’s inherent surprises invariably won over Young and his associates, and RCA Nashville made it the lead single from his forthcoming project. “Looking for You” will go for adds on Jan. 23.

“I loved it, and then the label loved it and other songwriter friends of mine that I played it for loved it,” says Young. “It was like the same response every time because when they got to the end of that chorus, everybody was like, ‘Ah, that’s cool.’ ”

Not a shock, since most people like surprises. But it confirmed for Young that the risks in “Looking for You” were likely to pay off: “That’s what I needed to hear.”

24 Jan 2023

Drake to Perform at h.wood Homecoming Party Ahead of 2023 Super Bowl: Exclusive

Drake is joining the roster of star-studded parties for 2023 Super Bowl Weekend, performing at h.wood Homecoming on Friday night, Feb. 10, at the private jet complex Scottsdale Hangar One in Scottsdale, Ariz., Billboard can exclusively reveal.

The h.wood Group and Uncommon Entertainment announced the news Tuesday (Jan. 24), bringing back Cash App & Visa Present h.wood Homecoming after last year’s Los Angeles pop-up ahead of the 2022 Super Bowl, which featured performances by Justin Bieber and Drake.

“We are thrilled to bring the h.wood Homecoming experience back for a second consecutive year in partnership with Uncommon Entertainment,” said John Terzian and Brian Toll of The h.wood Group. “We saw monumental success in Los Angeles in 2022, and this year’s lineup of talent and experiences promise to create yet another unforgettable evening leading up to the big game weekend.”

The hangar will transform into a “two-story playground,” according to a press release, showcasing artists, brands and experiences. Other sponsors for the event include Taco Bell, Grey Goose, NUTRL, Celsius and Mezcal El Silencio, which is planning an immersive bar and tattoo pop-up in the space.

h.wood Homecoming, with music by Zack Bia & Night Owl Sound, is set for 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Feb. 10.

Super Bowl Sunday is set for Feb. 12 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., where the winner of next weekend’s games — San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs — will face off for the NFL championship and Drake’s frequent collaborator Rihanna will take the 50-yard line as the halftime show headliner.

Drake might have offered a preview of his Homecoming performance this past weekend, playing back-to-back concerts at Harlem’s Apollo Theater on Saturday and Sunday nights and bringing 21 Savage and Dipset along for the ride.

24 Jan 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

Miley Cyrus plants “Flowers” at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart in its debut week. Her new single soars in as her second leader, after “Wrecking Ball” reigned for three weeks in 2013.

Plus, Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” blasts onto the Hot 100 at No. 9. The song marks Bizarrap’s first top 10 and Shakira’s fifth, and first since 2007.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Jan. 28, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 25). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Streams, airplay & sales: “Flowers,” released on Smiley Miley/Columbia Records, ran up totals of 52.6 million streams, 33.5 million radio airplay audience impressions and 70,000 sold in its first full tracking week, Jan. 13-19, according to Luminate (after it arrived Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. EST; in its first five hours, it tallied 2.4 million in radio reach, 685,000 streams and 2,000 sold).

The single launches at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart, surges 21-1 on Digital Song Sales and debuts at No. 18 on Radio Songs.

Cyrus first announced during her Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party NBC special that “Flowers” would be released Jan. 13, which fans keenly recognized as her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. That narrative and rabid interaction on TikTok have helped swell the profile of the song, which introduces Cyrus’ eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, due March 10.

Cyrus’ 2nd Hot 100 No. 1: “Flowers” bounds in as Cyrus’ second Hot 100 No. 1, after “Wrecking Ball” rose to the top (after it debuted at No. 50) for three weeks beginning in September 2013.

“Flowers” is the 65th title to roar in at No. 1 in the Hot 100’s history. It’s the 1,145th leader overall, and the first new No. 1 of 2023.

Cyrus ends a break of nine years, one month and two weeks between Hot 100 No. 1s, the longest between leaders since Coldplay went 13 years, three months and two weeks from “Viva La Vida” in 2008 to “My Universe,” with BTS, in 2021.

Cyrus also adds her 11th Hot 100 top 10 and first since The Kid LAROI’s “Without You” (which she joined for a remix) hit No. 8 in May 2021. Her previous top 10s, in order of peak date, including one under her Hannah Montana alter ego: “See You Again” (No. 10, 2008); “7 Things” (No. 9, 2008); “The Climb” (No. 4, 2009); “He Could Be the One” (Hannah Montana; No. 10, 2009); “Party in the U.S.A.” (No. 2, 2009 – it debuted at that spot, marking her top start until “Flowers”); “Can’t Be Tamed” (No. 8, 2010); “We Can’t Stop” (No. 2, 2013); “Wrecking Ball”; and “Malibu” (No. 10, 2017).

Cyrus’ first Hot 100 No. 1 as a writer: Cyrus co-wrote “Flowers” with Aldae (Gregory Hein) and Michael Pollack, each of whom achieves a first No. 1 Hot 100 writing credit. Cyrus adds her sixth top 10 as a writer; Pollack, his fifth; and Aldae, his first.

Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson co-produced “Flowers.” They notch their third shared and total Hot 100 No. 1 each, following their work on Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” (2020) and “As It Was” (2022).

Cyrus’ streaming & sales leaders: With “Flowers,” Cyrus claims her third Streaming Songs No. 1, following “We Can’t Stop,” for 11 weeks in 2013, “Wrecking Ball” (13, 2013-14) and “Adore You” (one, 2014) – all from her album Bangerz. With 52.6 million streams, “Flowers” marks the highest weekly sum since Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” started with 59.7 (Nov. 5, 2022).

Cyrus scores her third Digital Song Sales No. 1, after “Party in the U.S.A.” reigned for six weeks in 2009, and “Wrecking Ball” for one week in 2013.

Meanwhile, “Flowers” begins with multi-format radio support, as starts at No. 14 on the Adult Pop Airplay chart, No. 15 on Adult Contemporary and No. 16 on Pop Airplay – Cyrus’ highest entrance on each ranking, as is the track’s No. 18 premiere on the all-format Radio Songs chart.

‘Flowers’ deconstructed: “The underlying strength of ‘Flowers’ is that it imparts an immediate sense of familiarity, while invoking strong, universal emotions such as nostalgia, loss and empowerment,” notes Hit Songs Deconstructed, which analyzes the compositional traits of Hot 100 top 10s. “This is achieved, in part, through its classic, inspirational ’70s disco influence, à la Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive,’ also found in Lizzo’s recent Hot 100 No. 1, ‘About Damn Time.’ “

(“Your new song carries the torch of empowerment and encourages everyone to find strength in themselves to persevere & thrive. Well done Miley!,” Gaynor praised on Twitter Jan. 19. “I love you. Thank you,” Cyrus responded.)

“Flowers” additionally, per Hit Songs Deconstructed, “shares melodic, lyrical and rhyming commonalities with the chorus in Bruno Mars’ [No. 1] 2013 hit ‘When I Was Your Man,’ which also ties in with Miley’s story.”

Babs, Neil, Posty, Swae & Miley: Cyrus’ “Flowers” blooms as the third Hot 100 No. 1 with that word in its title. Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond’s virtual duet “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” reigned for two weeks in December 1978 and Post Malone and Swae Lee’s “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” ruled for a week in January 2019.

Some dirt on similarly-themed Hot 100 No. 1s: “Roses Are Red (My Love),” by Bobby Vinton, led in 1962; “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” by Poison, in 1988-89; and “Kiss From a Rose,” by Seal, in 1995. (We can also give flowers to past leading acts David Rose, Rose Royce and Guns N’ Roses. And Iggy Azalea.)

SZA’s “Kill Bill” holds at its No. 2 Hot 100 high, with 34.9 million streams (up 12%), 29.4 million in radio reach (up 106%) and 2,000 sold (up 69%), boosted by the Jan. 13 arrival of a four-track single option with the song’s original, sped-up, instrumental and a cappella versions. It ranks at No. 2 on Streaming Songs after three weeks at No. 1, jumps 49-21 on Digital Song Sales and debuts at No. 26 on Radio Songs. The track tops Streaming Songs for a fourth week and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a sixth week each. The song is from her album SOS, which adds a sixth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” falls to No. 3 on the Hot 100 after eight weeks at the summit, having rewritten her longest reign on the chart. The song rules Radio Songs for a fifth frame (88.5 million, down 1%). Helping power its radio reach, it leads Adult Pop Airplay for a ninth week, surpassing “Shake It Off” (eight weeks at No. 1 in 2014) for her longest command at the format among her nine leaders.

Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’” rises to No. 4, from No. 5, for a new Hot 100 high; Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” descends 3-5, after it topped the Oct. 29-dated chart; and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” dips to No. 6 from its No. 4 best, as it leads the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for an 18th week.

The Weeknd’s “Die for You” backtracks to No. 7 from its No. 6 Hot 100 high and Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” drops 7-8, after spending its first three weeks on the chart at its No. 2 peak beginning in November, as it tops the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart for a 10th week.

Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” charges onto the Hot 100 at No. 9 with 20.2 million streams, 7.9 million in airplay audience and 9,000 sold Jan. 13-19 (its first full tracking week, following its Jan. 11 release at 7 p.m. EST). The buzzworthy latest edition of the Argentine DJ/producer’s series, new at No. 3 on Streaming Songs and up 23-3 on Digital Song Sales, arrives as his first Hot 100 top 10, after “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Quevedo, hit No. 79 in October – and crowned the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and Billboard Global 200 charts for six and four weeks, respectively.

Shakira scores her fifth Hot 100 top 10, and first since 2007, following “Whenever, Wherever” (No. 6, 2001), “Underneath Your Clothes” (No. 9, 2002), “Hips Don’t Lie,” featuring Wyclef Jean (No. 1, two weeks, 2006), and “Beautiful Liar,” with Beyoncé (No. 3, 2007). She ends a 15-year and nine-month break between top 10s, the longest outside holiday titles since Elton John waited 23 years, 11 months and two weeks between 1998 and 2022, when he returned to the tier with “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix),” with Dua Lipa.

“Vol. 53” concurrently soars to the top of the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart, marking Bizarrap’s first No. 1 (after “Vol. 52” became his first top 10, reaching No. 9) and Shakira’s 12th; she ties Bad Bunny for the fourth-most Hot Latin Songs No. 1s, after Enrique Iglesias (27), Luis Miguel (16) and Gloria Estefan (15).

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Harry Styles’ “As It Was” slides 8-10, following 15 weeks at No. 1 beginning last April, the fourth-longest reign in the chart’s history (a list topped in part by another Cyrus).

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Jan. 28), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 25).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.