Music

17 Jan 2023

The Weeknd Communes With the Na’vi in Otherworldly ‘Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)’ Video

The Weeknd dropped his otherworldly video for “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” on Monday (Jan. 16). The dreamy song from the soundtrack to the box office juggernaut Avatar: The Way of Water is spotlighted in the Quentin Deronzier-directed visual featuring a frantic adventure for the film’s signature lanky blue-skinned Na’Vi, who frolic in their lush Pandora home before a raging forest fire forces them to flee to a watery world.

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The singer is briefly featured at the beginning of the clip, his profile illuminated by blue light amid flashes of fire and water before the action turns to the lush, bioluminescent jungles of Pandora. We watch as the Na’Vi sprint while fire engulfs their world, frantically running through the embers and flames to the strains of the song’s lush orchestration. The moody underwater shots give a small glimpse of the magical world conjured by director James Cameron in the long-awaited sequel to the 2009 original, the highest-grossing film of all time.

“Nothing is Lost” was written by the Weeknd, with production by Swedish House Mafia and the film’s score composer, Simon Franglen; it plays over the end credits of the movie that is already closing in on global box office receipts nearing $2 billion. The track takes a sonic cue from Gerard McCann’s “Cry Little Sister” from the 1987 cult classic The Lost Boys.

“I thought I could protect you from paying for my sins/ You give me strength/ I would do either way/ Nothing’s lost/ No more pain, just you,” the Weekend sings on the track. 

Watch the “Nothing Is Lost” video below.

17 Jan 2023

SZA, Rema & Selena Gomez Rule Billboard Global Charts, NewJeans, Bizarrap & Shakira Go Top 10

SZA‘s “Kill Bill” spends a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart and Rema and Selena Gomez‘s “Calm Down” likewise leads the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. survey for a second frame.

Plus, NewJeans‘ “OMG” bounds 30-10 on the Global 200 and 19-7 on Global Excl. U.S. and Bizarrap and Shakira‘s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” roars onto the latter list at No. 8.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, 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.

SZA Has Top ‘Bill’-ing on Global 200, NewJeans Hit Top 10

SZA’s “Kill Bill” scores a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200, with 75.2 million streams (up 17%) and 2,000 sold (up 35%) worldwide Jan. 6-12 – boosted by the Jan. 11 premiere of the song’s official video. The track is from her album SOS, which notches a fifth week at No. 1 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” repeats at No. 2 on the Global 200, following four weeks at No. 1 beginning in October; Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” ascends to a new No. 3 high, from No. 4; David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” slips 3-4, after it reached No. 2 in September; and Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” holds at No. 5 following four weeks on top starting in November.

Elsewhere in the Global 200’s top 10, NewJeans’ “OMG” blasts 30-10, led by a 40% jump to 40.8 million streams worldwide. The South Korean quintet, comprising members Danielle, Haerin, Hanni, Hyein and Minji, earns its second top 10 on the chart – a spot below “Ditto,” at No. 9 a week after it entered the top 10 with a 26-8 surge to become the act’s first top 10.

Rema, Gomez Lead Global Excl. U.S., NewJeans, Bizarrap & Shakira Enter Top 10

Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” crowns the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a second week, with 53.5 million streams (essentially even week-over-week) and 4,000 downloads sold (down 2%) in territories outside the U.S. Jan. 6-12.

SZA’s “Kill Bill” climbs 6-2 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart, becoming her highest-charting hit, and second top five entry on the tally, following her featured turn on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” (No. 5 peak, 2021); David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” keeps at No. 3, after it reached No. 2 in September; Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” drops 2-4 following eight weeks at No. 1 beginning in October; and NewJeans’ first top 10, “Ditto,” dips to No. 5 from its No. 4.

As on the Global 200, NewJeans’ “OMG” becomes the group’s second the Global Excl. U.S. top 10, as it vaults 19-7 with 35.7 million streams (up 37%) outside the U.S.

Plus, Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” charges onto the Global Excl. U.S. chart at No. 8 with 56.2 million streams and 2,000 sold outside the U.S. from its Jan. 10 release through Jan. 12. The buzzworthy latest edition of the Argentine DJ/producer’s series arrives as his second top 10 on the list, after “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Quevedo, ruled for six weeks (after it debuted at No. 3) beginning last July.

Superstar Shakira, from Colombia, also scores her second Global Excl. U.S. top 10 since the chart began, after “Te Felicito,” with Rauw Alejandro, hit No. 6 last June.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Jan. 21, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 18, a day later than usual due to the Jan. 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday). 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.

17 Jan 2023

Lizzo, Kendrick Lamar, Odesza to Headline 2023 Governors Ball Festival

Lizzo, Kendrick Lamar and Odesza will headline this summer’s Governors Ball Music Festival. The New York event announced the full lineup for this year’s fest on Tuesday morning (Jan. 17), including news that it is moving to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, a green space that has previously hosted two World’s Fairs and the annual U.S. Open Tennis Championship.

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Among the other 60+ acts slated to perform from June 9 through June 11 for the 12th edition of the festival are: Lil Uzi Vert, Haim, Diplo, Omar Apollo, Kim Petras, Joey Bada$$, 070 Shake, Lil Baby, aespa, Rina Sawayama, Lauv, Oliver Tree, Finneas, Kenny Beats, Lil Nas X, Giveon, Sofi Tukker, Pusha T, girl in red, Central Cee, Tems and PinkPanthress, among others.

After a long run at Randall’s Island through 2021 and two years at Citi Field, the move to Corona Park will feature a return to a parkside setting with shade trees and grassy fields, as well as easy accessibility via multiple public transportation options and a new collaboration with Queens Night Market, which will bring a number of Night Market favorites to the festival as vendors.

“We’re big steppers here in Queens, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo, Odesza and a litany of other iconic artists to Flushing Meadows Corona Park for Governors Ball 2023 this June,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. in a statement. “Beyond hosting some of the world’s most popular musicians and enjoying the economic activity that Governors Ball will generate across Queens, we’re also deeply grateful for the festival’s partnership with local organizations like the Queens Night Market, [non-profits] Chhaya and Elmhurst/Corona Recovery Collective to elevate our local food vendors and our community groups doing critical empowerment work every day.”

The Ball will invite young musicians from the local community to perform, with future stars from School of Rock Queens and School of Rock Brooklyn kicking off the show on Friday and Saturday.

This year will also include the introduction of the GA+ ticket, which will include access to air-conditioned bathrooms, an exclusive, centrally located lounge area with shade, seating and its own exclusive bar, food vendors and water refill stations. A special presale for 3-day and 1-day GA, plus the new GA+, VIP and platinum tickets will be available exclusively for Citi cardmembers from Tuesday through Thursday (Jan. 19) at 11: 59 a.m. ET here. Fan early access tickets will be available on Thursday at 10 a.m. ET (click here to sign up), with a general on-sale to follow.

Check out the full lineup below.

17 Jan 2023

Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ Becomes Her Sole Longest-Leading Hot 100 No. 1 With Eighth Week on Top

It’s a monster on the hill, in a good way: Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, logging an eighth total week on top. With its latest frame at No. 1, Swift rewrites her longest Hot 100 reign, surpassing the seven weeks at the summit for “Blank Space” in 2014-15.

Plus, SZA’s “Kill Bill” bumps to No. 2 on the Hot 100, a new career-high rank for the singer-songwriter, and Zach Bryan achieves his first top 10 with “Something in the Orange” at No. 10.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Jan. 21, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 18, a day later than usual due to the Jan. 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Anti-Hero,” released on Republic Records, tallied 88.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 6%), 16.8 million streams (down 3%) and 7,000 sold (up 15%) Jan. 6-12, according to Luminate.

The single adds a fifth week at No. 1 on the Digital Song Sales chart (helped by 10 previously-released versions made available and discounted to 69 cents in her webstore from midday Jan. 9 through the end of Jan. 12); rules Radio Songs for a fourth week; and dips 4-5 after two weeks atop Streaming Songs.

As “Anti-Hero” tops the Hot 100 for an eighth week, Swift eclipses her previous longest command: “Blank Space” dominated for seven frames in 2014-15. Here’s a look at the weeks at No. 1 for each of her nine leaders:

Weeks at No. 1, Title, Date Reached No. 1:
8, “Anti-Hero,” Nov. 5, 2022
7, “Blank Space,” Nov. 29, 2014
4, “Shake It Off,” Sept. 6, 2014
3, “Look What You Made Me Do,” Sept. 16, 2017
3, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Sept. 1, 2012
1, “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Nov. 27, 2021
1, “Willow,” Dec. 26, 2020
1, “Cardigan,” Aug. 8, 2020
1, “Bad Blood,” feat. Kendrick Lamar, June 6, 2015

“Anti-Hero” debuted atop the Hot 100 as Swift made history as the first artist to infuse the chart’s entire top 10 in a single week, with all tracks all from her album Midnights.

SZA’s “Kill Bill” rises 3-2 for its highest Hot 100 rank yet, with 31.1 million streams (up 11%) – boosted by the Jan. 10 premiere of its official video – 14.2 million in radio reach (soaring 742%, as it’s now being promoted to and supported by pop radio, among other formats) and 1,000 sold (up 37%). It tops Streaming Songs for a third week and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a fifth week each. The track is from her album SOS, which notches a fifth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

SZA earns a new career-best Hot 100 placement, among seven top 10s; prior to “Kill Bill,” she reached a No. 3 high as featured on Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” in July 2021.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” slips 2-3 on the Hot 100, after it topped the Oct. 29-dated chart.

David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” keeps at its No. 4 Hot 100 highpoint, as it rules the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 17th week; Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’ ” pushes 6-5 on the Hot 100, matching its debut and peak to-date first earned in December; and The Weeknd’s “Die for You” climbs 8-6 for a new best.

Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” retreats 5-7 on the Hot 100, after spending its first three weeks on the chart at its No. 2 plateau beginning in November, as it tops the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart for a ninth week; Harry Styles’ “As It Was” descends 7-8 on the Hot 100, following 15 weeks at No. 1 beginning last April, the fourth-longest reign in the chart’s history; and Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” holds at No. 9, after it posted three weeks at No. 1 in October. It concurrently tops the multi-metric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Hot Rock Songs and Hot Alternative Songs charts for a 21st week each.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top 10, Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” rises 11-10, with 17.4 million streams (up 2%), 3.9 million in radio reach (up 8%) and 4,000 sold (down 6%).

The track, which Bryan wrote solo and is from his major-label debut album American Heartbreak, is his first Hot 100 top 10, after it became his first entry on the chart in May. It ties for the second-longest trip to the top 10 – 38 chart weeks – matching the journeys of Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” in 2006-07 and Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You),” the latter over a whopping 11 on-and-off runs from its 1960 debut to the latest holiday season). Just one song has taken longer to reach the top 10, by total time on the tally: Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves”: 42 weeks in 2021.

“Orange” tops the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart for a third week. Notably, it’s the 15th No. 1 on the survey that has hit the Hot 100’s top 10 since Hot Country Songs adopted the Hot 100’s methodology in October 2012:

“Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan, No. 10 Hot 100 peak (to-date), 2023
“You Proof,” Morgan Wallen, No. 5, 2022
“The Kind of Love We Make,” Luke Combs, No. 8, 2022
“Don’t Think Jesus,” Morgan Wallen, No. 7, 2022
“All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift, No. 1 (one week), 2021
“Fancy Like,” Walker Hayes, No. 3, 2021
“Wasted on You,” Morgan Wallen, No.  9, 2021
“I Hope,” Gabby Barrett feat. Charlie Puth, No. 3, 2020
“Forever After All,” Luke Combs, No. 2, 2020
“7 Summers,” Morgan Wallen, No. 6, 2020
“10,000 Hours,” Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber, No. 4, 2019
“Meant To Be,” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, No.  2, 2018
“Body Like a Back Road,” Sam Hunt, No. 6, 2017
“Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly, No. 4, 2013
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift, No. 1 (three weeks), 2012

Just 21% of all Hot Country Songs No. 1s (15 of 76) since October 2012 have hit the Hot 100’s top 10 – although 10 of 22 Hot Country Songs leaders have peaked in the Hot 100’s top 10 since 2020 – a more-than-doubled 45% success rate in that more recent span. Plus, of the songs listed above, all four since the start of 2022 have hit the Hot 100’s top 10 largely from strong streaming and varied degrees of country radio airplay – but not crossover formats, having not appeared on any of Billboard’s pop or adult airplay charts; of the previous 11, all except one (“Forever After All”) scaled pop/adult airplay rankings.

A little more color: “Orange” brings that hue to the Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time. The previous best? Lemon Pipers’ “Jelly Jungle (Of Orange Marmalade)” hit No. 51 in 1968. In third place is another song on the current chart: Megan Moroney’s “Tennessee Orange” holds at its No. 58 high. (And to squeeze in an honorable mention, Oran ‘Juice’ Jones’ “The Rain” reached No. 9 in 1986.)

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Jan. 21), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 18).

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.

17 Jan 2023

Madonna Announces Dates for 40th Anniversary ‘Celebration Tour’

Madonna announced the dates for her global tour honoring four decades of hits on Tuesday morning (Jan. 17). The Celebration Tour was announced via a raunchy five-minute video paying homage to her iconic 1991 documentary, Truth or Dare, featuring an NC-17 dinner party featuring Diplo, Judd Apatow, Jack Black, Lil Wayne, Bob the Drag Queen, Kate Berlant, Larry Owens, Meg Stalter, Eric Andre and Amy Schumer.

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The 35-city Live Nation-produced tour will kick off in North America on July 15 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC and hit Detroit, Chicago, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas and San Francisco before wrapping up in Las Vegas on Oct. 7. The outing will then move on to Europe, starting with a date in London at the O2 Arena on Oct. 14 and winding down in Amsterdam on Dec. 1 at the Ziggo Dome.

“I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” the singer said in a statement about the outing that will span her four decades in music while paying respect to New York City, where her musical journey began. Bob the Drag Queen will be the special guest on all the dates.

Tickets go on sale on Friday (Jan. 20) and Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. local time; click here for a complete list of dates and ticketing options. The tour will feature the 64-year-old singer performing songs dating back to her 1983 self-titled debut through her most recent studio album, 2019’s Madame X, marking the star’s first-ever career retrospective outing.

The tour announce came just months after Madonna released her career-spanning compilation album, Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, which encompassed her entire dance club career, featuring remixes by top producers and 20 rare recordings officially released for the first time. In 2021, Madonna signed a deal with Warner Music Group for an “extensive, multi-year series of catalog releases that will revisit the groundbreaking music that made her an international icon.” Madonna last toured in 2019 and early 2020 on her Madame X theater tour.

Madonna will have plenty of songs to choose from for the set list, including 57 titles charting on the Billboard Hot 100, 38 top 10 hits and 12 No. 1s, including 1990’s “Vogue,” and 2000’s “Music,” released a decade apart and each spending 24 weeks on the Hot 100. Madonna’s “Borderline” from 1984 spent 30 weeks on the Hot 100. She followed that impressive feat a decade later with the ballad “Take a Bow,” which held the No. 1 spot on the Hot 100 for seven weeks.  

Check out the dates and the announcement video below.

The 2023 Celebration tour North American dates:

July 15 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena

July 18 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena

July 22 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center

July 25 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena

July 27 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center

July 30 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center

August 2 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse

August 5 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena

August 7 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena

August 9 – Chicago, IL @ United Center

August 13 – Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena

August 19 – Montreal, QC @ Centre Bell

August 23 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

August 24 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

August 30 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden

Sept. 2 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena

Sept. 5 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena

Sept. 7 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena

Sept. 9 – Miami, FL @ Miami-Dade Arena

Sept. 13 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center

Sept. 18 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

Sept. 21 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center ATX

Sept. 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Crypto.com Arena

Oct. 4 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center

Oct. 7 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena

European Dates: 

Oct. 14 – London, UK @ The O2

Oct. 21 – Antwerp, BE @ Sportpaleis

Oct. 25 – Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena

Oct. 28 – Stockholm, SE @ Tele2

Nov. 1 – Barcelona, ES @ Palau Sant Jordi

Nov. 6 – Lisbon, PT @ Altice Arena

Nov. 12 – Paris, FR @ Accor Arena

Nov. 13 – Paris, FR @ Accor Arena

Nov. 15 – Cologne, DE @ Lanxess Arena

Nov. 23 – Milan, IT @ Mediolanum Forum

Nov. 28 – Berlin, DE @ Mercedes-Benz Arena

Dec. 1 – Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome

17 Jan 2023

Harry Styles to Perform at 2023 BRIT Awards

Harry Styles has been added to the performer lineup for next month’s 2023 BRIT Awards. On Tuesday morning (Jan. 17) the singer was added to the roster for the broadcast where he is up for four awards; album of the year (Harry’s House), artist of the year, pop/R&B act and song of the year for his smash single “As It Was.”

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Styles joins previously announced performers Wet Leg and Sam Smith with Kim Petras at the show slated to take place on Feb. 11 at the O2 Arena in London. It will be Styles’ second solo performance at the BRIT’s, following his run through “Falling” at the 2020 awards. Slated for broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX, the show will be hosted by British comedian Mo Gilligan.

After recently wrapping the North American run for his massive Love on Tour outing, last week Styles announced a few more chances for fans to catch the show. After completing three rescheduled shows at the Forum in Los Angeles Jan. 26, 27 and 29, Styles announced on Friday (Jan. 13) that he will play two final nights at Acrisure Arena, Southern California’s newest 11,000-capacity world-class venue in Greater Palm Springs, on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Madi Diaz will serve as a special guest for the two dates.

Since launching Sept. 4, 2021, Styles has netted $338.9 million and sold 2.6 million tickets for the Live Nation produced, 120 show tour according to Billboard Boxscore. Love on Tour made many stops around the globe including North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

17 Jan 2023

Sam Smith Adds Australia Dates to World Tour: ‘I’m Starting to Prep Now’

Sam Smith’s tour in support of his forthcoming fourth studio album, Gloria (via Capitol), will have a 2023 swing Down Under.

The superstar British singer and songwriter adds arena dates in five cities, kicking off Oct. 28 at Adelaide Entertainment Centre in South Australia.

Produced by Frontier Touring, the Australasian leg of GLORIA the tour travels to Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne; Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney; Brisbane Entertainment Centre; and skips the Tasman for a concert Nov. 11 at Spark Arena, Auckland.

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Smith made something of a reconnaissance trip to Adelaide last week, the first stop on their next tour to these parts. South Australia Tourism hosted the “Unholy” singer for a winter sun escape, during which Smith cuddled a koala, met with local media and performed a one-off exclusive winery show at d’Arenberg Cube, at McLaren Vale.

“It’s so good to be back after so long,” they told the gathering of 300 VIPs and competition winners, after opening with “Stay With Me.” “Are you pissed yet?” Adelaide, the so-called City of Churches, they enthused, is “so beautiful. I can’t believe it. It’s like Italy. It’s stunning.”

Australia and NZ will cap a full run of dates across the U.K., Europe and North America, slated to start April 23 at Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield, England.

Work has begun on the marathon that awaits.

“I start rehearsals in March,” Smith tells Billboard. “I’m starting to prep now, really. I’m starting to watch what I eat, what I’m drinking, starting to move my body more, train my voice, just getting ready for the year ahead.”

On this occasion, “I’m not doing as many gigs this time as last time, when I hit nearly 130 gigs. That was really intense. We’re doing a little less, keeping an eye on my mind and my body.”

With Gloria, which is due out Jan. 27, Smith is four albums deep into a career that has yielded four Grammys, three BRITs, a Golden Globe, one Oscar, some 50 billion multi-platform streams, and a coveted James Bond theme.

Smith knows what to expect from the road ahead. “I think I’ll always feel fatigued after a tour, it’s an intense job. The jetlag and the adrenaline crash you go through every night when you walk off stage, it’s very intense. I plan my breaks, so it’s not going to be impossible. It’s just about getting used to jetlag. Every time I do it, I know how to look after myself more and more.”

Gloria, the followup to 2020’s Love Goes, features the previously-released singles “Love Me More,” “Gimme” and the Kim Petras-assisted hit “Unholy,” which logged a single week atop the Billboard Hot 100 last October. “Unholy” is nominated for best song at the 2023 Brit Awards.

Smith’s three studio albums all crashed the top 5 on the Billboard 200, with 2017’s The Thrill of It All hitting No. 1.

17 Jan 2023

Renee Geyer, Powerhouse Australian Singer, Dies at 69

Renée Geyer, the ARIA Hall of Fame-inducted singer with an abundance of jazz, blues and soul in her powerful voice, died Tuesday (Jan. 17) from complications following hip surgery. She was 69.

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Born Sept. 11, 1953, in Melbourne, Geyer “lived her life as she performed – on her own terms and to the fullest,” reads a statement from her family and issued by Mushroom Group, whose founder, the late Michael Gudinski, was a decades-long friend and supporter of the artist.

She enjoyed solo success in Australia with covers “It’s a Man’s Man’s World”, “Heading in the Right Direction” and the bouncy ’80s number “Say I Love You,” and sang until the end, performing just last month to a full house, read the statement. The late artist was looking forward to “another busy year ahead doing what she loved most – performing for her loyal fans around the country.”

Geyer got her break in the ‘70s, initially in Sydney, with a string of pop, soul and reggae releases. Later, she would relocate to Los Angeles, where she contributed to recordings for Stevie Wonder, Joe Cocker, Neil Diamond, Bonnie Raitt and Chaka Kahn, before making a comeback in her homeland in the 1990s, with some help from Paul Kelly.

Australia’s music community remembers Geyer as a force of nature, and one of the finest artists produced by this country, whose recording career spanned five decades.

Matt Gudinski, CEO of Mushroom Group and son of Michael Gudinski, recounts Geyer as a “fierce, independent, strong and passionate” trailblazer for women in the music industry, while Philip Mortlock, creative director ORiGiN Music, remembers her as an “astonishing talent” with “a wicked sense of humor and intellect.”

Midnight Oil frontman Peter Garrett writes, “Sang with Renee at a charity show back in the day, of course she blew the roof off. One of the very best voices we ever had the privilege to hear.”

Geyer’s “impact as a female singer with both an uncontainable voice and personality has been immeasurable for Australian music,” comments ARIA and PPCA CEO, Annabelle Herd.

Composer Paul Grabowsky celebrates Geyer as “Australia’s own Queen of Soul.”

Geyer is also remembered for her rebellious nature, and for the slap she planted on interviewer Molly Meldrum while live on air on the ABC’s Countdown.

In her 2000 autobiography, Confessions of a Difficult Woman, co-written with music journalist Ed Nimmervoll, Geyer discussed her problems with substance abuse. And in its pages, she described herself as a “a white Hungarian Jew from Australia, sounding like a 65-year-old black man from Alabama.”

Geyer’ talents were unique, and celebrated, and her catalog 25 albums deep, a list she most recently added to with 2013’s Swing.

She cemented her icon status in 2005, when she was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame alongside Split Enz, Normie Rowe, Smoky Dawson, The Easybeats, Hunters & Collectors and Jimmy Barnes. Then, in 2013 she was the first woman to be inducted into the Music Victoria Hall of Fame; and in 2018 received the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Women in Music Awards.

On International Women’s Day 2021, Double J celebrated 50 Game-Changing Women of Australian Music. Naturally, Geyer was on the list.

Despite her Hall of Fame recognition and several nominations, an ARIA Award eluded her.

While attending University Hospital Geelong, specialists discovered that Geyer also had inoperable lung cancer.

“She was in no pain and died peacefully amongst family and friends,” the family statement explains.

Details of her memorial will be forthcoming. In lieu of flowers, the late singer’s family asks that preferred donations be made to Support Act “as a way of giving back to an industry that loved her so much.”

17 Jan 2023

Courteeners Driving to First U.K. Chart Title With ‘St Jude’ Reissue

Fifteen years after its release, Courteeners’ St Jude (via Polydor/UMR) is on track for its first U.K. chart crown.  

Originally released in 2008, St Jude peaked at No. 4 on the Official Albums Chart, with three of its tracks going on to impact the U.K. top 40.

The British indie rock band has made seven top 10 appearances, including all six of their studio LPs.

Until now, Courteeners’ career U.K. chart peak is No. 2 for 2020’s More. Again. Forever. Thanks to a reissue of St Jude, Courteeners could go one better. It’s the top title on the Official Chart Update, published Jan. 16.

Based on sales and streaming data collated by the Official Charts Company, this week’s highest new entry could belong to Supergrass guitarist Gaz Coombes, whose fourth solo album Turn The Car Around (Hot Fruit) is chasing a No. 2 debut. If it continues to accelerate, Turn The Car Around would give Coombes his first solo top 10; Supergrass has six top 10 albums, including a No. 1 for their 1995 debut I Should Coco.

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Meanwhile, London rapper Clavish is eyeing his first top 10 appearance with his 28-track debut mixtape Rap Game Awful (Polydor). It’s new at No. 4 on the latest chart update.  

Also pushing for top 10 debuts are indie rock Circa Waves with Never Going Under (Lower Third), on track for a No. 9 start; and veteran Scottish indie-pop band Belle & Sebastian with Late Developers (Matador), new at No. 10 on the U.K. chart update.

Finally, George Ezra enjoys an immediate bump after the singer and songwriter last week landed multiple nominations for the 2023 BRIT Awards. Ezra, who is up for song of the year and artist of the year at the annual ceremony, set for Feb. 11, sees his third successive chart-topping album Gold Rush Kid (Columbia) makes a rush for the top 40; it’s at No. 31 on the chart blast.

All will be revealed when the Official Charts are published late Friday.

16 Jan 2023

Jennifer Lopez Dishes About ‘Emotional Transition’ of Blending Families With Ben Affleck

Jennifer Lopez opened up about blending families with Ben Affleck in a new interview on Monday (Jan. 16).

Appearing on the Today show to promote her upcoming rom-com Shotgun Wedding with Josh Duhamel, the superstar said, “We moved in together, the kids moved in together. So it’s been, like, a really kind of emotional transition. But at the same time, like, all your dreams coming true and it’s just been a phenomenal year. Like, my best year, I think, since my kids were born.”

J.Lo shares 14-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Antony while Affleck’s three children — Violet, 18; Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, nearly 11 — come from his 10-year marriage to Jennifer Garner, which ended in 2015.

During the sit-down, Lopez revealed that her kids have recently become acquainted with her back catalog of films. “They’ve watched Maid in Manhattan and The Wedding Planner, funnily enough,” she said. “They haven’t gotten into, like, the Out of Sights or the… they saw Selena. It was kinda sweet ’cause I don’t think they realize that she passed away! And so at the end of the movie, they were like, ‘No!’ They were, like, really [terrified]. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I thought you knew!’”

Lopez also took a moment in the interview to tease her upcoming studio album, This Is Me… Now, and its connection to 2002’s This Is Me… Then and her first engagement to Affleck. “The last time Ben and I were together to this album, it’s been such a journey,” she said. “The thing that I think I’ve been wondering about my whole life is like, ‘Is love real? Does true love exist?’ It’s two people kind of coming together and saying, you know, ‘I’m gonna be here no matter what and we’re gonna get through it together.’”

Watch Lopez reminisce over Ben and their newly blended family below.