Music

13 Jan 2023

Madonna to Embark on Career-Spanning 40th Anniversary Tour 

Madonna is planning a massive 40th anniversary tour later this year with her longtime concert promotion partner and producer Live Nation and music manager Guy Oseary, sources tell Billboard.  

The 64-year-old pop icon will perform music from her entire catalogue, dating back to her 1983 self-titled debut album through her most recent studio album, 2019’s Madame X. The world tour will be Madonna’s first ever career retrospective, featuring a compilation of her biggest hits across four decades of music and will reportedly include a multi-night run at the O2 in London. 

“It’s going to be the biggest tour she’s ever done,” one executive familiar with her plans tells Billboard. The tour will include both stadium and arena dates, the source says, and include over-the-top production that delivers both “Material Girl” kitsch and occasionally outrageous sex appeal with plenty of show-stopping moments made for social media.  

Billboard has also learned that Oseary will continue to serve on Madonna’s management team, despite stepping down from his role at mega-management collective Maverick in 2020 and splitting with longtime clients U2 in 2022. 

The tour buzz comes just months after the “Hey You” singer released her career-spanning compilation album Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones, spanning her entire dance club career, featuring remixes by top producers including 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 tour, a theater run that was struggled through production delays and Madonna’s recurring hip and knee injuries. While the Madame X tour earned strong critical reviews in the press, its habitually late start time often angered ticket holders and prompted two class actions lawsuits from fans. 

When it comes to choosing her nightly set list for this new tour, Madonna will have no shortage of songs to choose from with 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.  

Madonna’s 2008-2009 Sticky and Sweet Tour is the highest grossing tour by a female artist ever, according to Billboard Boxscore, netting $407 million. Her most recent Madame X theater run grossed $36.4 million with 124,655 ticket sold. 

Reps for Madonna could not be reached for comment at time of publishing.  

13 Jan 2023

Lisa Marie Presley’s History on Billboard’s Charts: Two Top 10 Albums & More

Lisa Marie Presley made her mark on Billboard’s charts in her lifetime, highlighted by two top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 in the 2000s.

As announced by Priscilla Presley, her mother, the singer-songwriter and only child of Elvis Presley, and ex-wife of Michael Jackson, died Jan. 12, at age 54, after being hospitalized earlier in the day.

Presley made her Billboard chart debut when “Lights On” entered the March 8, 2003-dated Adult Pop Airplay survey. The single went on to hit a No. 18 high, as well as No. 34 on Pop Airplay, that May.

Parent album To Whom It May Concern launched at its No. 5 best on the Billboard 200 in April 2003.

“There is some searing depth to rock ‘n’ roll’s most famous princess, and she has some estimable chops both as singer and songwriter,” Billboard praised in a review of the album a week before it entered the Billboard 200. “Musically, this is sultry, surly mainstream rock with a cutting, contemporary edge. ‘Lights Out’ is a real powerhouse. As a singer, Presley is alternatingly snarling, exposed and defiant. Lyrically, she’s even better – raw, wounded and often pissed off. This project stands on its own.”

Presley followed with Now What, which debuted at its No. 9 Billboard 200 high in April 2005, while the album’s “Dirty Laundry” reached No. 36 on Adult Contemporary. The single updated Don Henley’s critique of a callous media that hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983 (a cover choice that Billboard’s review of Presley’s version referred to as “telling”).

Both albums were released on Capitol Records. In June 2012, Presley’s Storm & Grace, on XIX/Republic Records, hit No. 45 on the Billboard 200, as well as No. 21 on the Top Rock Albums chart.

Presley’s album sales stand at 836,000, while her songs have drawn 9.5 million official streams (audio and video combined) in the U.S. through Jan. 5, according to Luminate.

Also among Presley’s chart history, she charted two virtual duets with her father: “In the Ghetto,” a reworking of The King’s No. 3-peaking 1969 Hot 100 hit, rose to No. 69 on Digital Song Sales, and “Where No One Stands Alone” reached No. 22 on Christian Digital Song Sales.

DeeDee Kearney, founder/CEO of marketing agency The Moxi Group and formerly Capitol northeast regional promotion manager, shared on Facebook Jan. 12 that she was “incredibly saddened” by the news of Presley’s death. “I worked with her in 2003. We drove to many radio stations together, had lovely dinners, visited five cities and had lots of wonderful talks. Her security guards were next-level, and she dealt with crazy fans in every city we visited. She was kind [and] humble.

“One night, while getting off stage at [Boston’s] Paradise [Rock Club], she came right over to me (me!) and asked if her performance was good. I’ll never forget that moment. I just adored her.”

13 Jan 2023

Watch U2’s Bono & The Edge Return to Dublin With David Letterman in ‘A Sort of Homecoming’ Teaser

Disney+ premiered its first teaser for Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, With Dave Letterman on Friday (Jan. 13).

“Dublin is a real part of our story,” Bono tells Letterman, adding, “It’s in our songs” before the clip cuts to a live performance of 2004’s “Vertigo.” As a montage of the rockers’ journey back to their homeland flashes across the screen, the U2 frontman’s voice can be heard singing, “Hello, hello/ I’m at a place called Vertigo/ It’s everything I wish I didn’t know/ Except you give me something/ I can feel.”

For his part, a bushy-bearded Letterman seems more than happy to be along for the ride, telling the U2 members, “Many nice things have happened for me in my life; this is right at the top of that list.”

Directed by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville, the documentary will debut March 17 on Disney+ and showcase Bono and The Edge‘s special concert performance in Dublin. A release announcing the special promises it will be “part concert movie, part travel adventure plus a whole lot of Bono and The Edge, with Dave’s humor throughout.”

“Recently, I won a radio contest,” said Letterman in a statement. “Winner gets to visit Dublin with Bono and The Edge (radio contest part not true, but I feel like a winner). They showed me around, introduced me to their musician friends, and performed some of their greatest songs in a small theater. It’s a great tour. Get in touch with them ― I’m told there are still availabilities. I’m the luckiest man on the planet. (There are no availabilities).”

The release of A Sort of Homecoming also happens to coincide with the release of Songs of Surrender, the upcoming compilation of 40 tracks selected from U2’s storied discography — including “One,” “Where the Streets Have No Name,” “Walk On (Ukraine)” and many, many more — which have been re-recorded and entirely reimagined by the band.

Watch the teaser for Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, With Dave Letterman below.

13 Jan 2023

Miley Cyrus’ Lead Singles, Ranked: Critic’s Picks

When Miley Cyrus announced that she would be kicking off 2023 with the release of “Flowers,” a new single to precede her forthcoming album Endless Summer Vacation, the news was exciting on two levels: a new Cyrus single was coming, but perhaps more importantly, a new Cyrus lead single was coming.

After all, Cyrus has spent the majority of her recording career deploying lead singles as hints to upcoming shifts in her sound and style, with clear demarcations between album eras and the tweaks in public persona that the pop superstar adopts for each. From her Disney days — when songs like “See You Again” and “7 Things” pointed toward the commercial aspirations of the teen star — to the devil-may-care flare-ups of her Can’t Be Tamed and Bangerz periods, the first five years of Cyrus’ career featured sharp pivots in sound and attitude, often to denote how “adult” how projects at the time should be considered.

As Cyrus continued to evolve, full-length explorations of psychedelica, country-pop and retro-rock were given coming attractions befitting their sounds. Now, “Flowers” nods toward where Cyrus, currently one of popular music’s most fascinating shape-shifters, is headed next.

So which lead singles illustrate Cyrus’ pop power most effectively, especially now that there’s a new one to consider? All eight of Cyrus’ lead singles have their charms — truly, not a flat-out dud in the bunch — but some of her songs excel as both previews of their host albums and standalone gems in her catalog. And while it’s still early days for “Flowers,” we tried our best to consider its place among Cyrus’ lead singles to date, and humbly rank the new track among the seven that have stood tall for years. (One note before we begin: 2015’s Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz did not have an official radio single as an independent release, but it does have a song that’s considered its lead single, so that’s the one we ranked.)

Here are Miley Cyrus’ lead singles, ranked.

13 Jan 2023

Gone But Not Forgotten: Musicians We Lost in 2023

It’s always a big loss when the world loses a talented artist, and unfortunately, 2023 kicked off with several notable deaths in music. It began with Gangsta Boo, the pioneering Southern female rapper formerly of hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, who was found dead on New Year’s Day at age 43.

The next day, Alan Rankine of post-punk New Wave act The Associates, who also produced the Cocteau Twins and pursued his own solo music, died at age 64. Since then, we’ve also lost rock guitar legend Jeff Beck — who died at age 78 on Jan. 10 — and singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley, who suffered cardiac arrest and died on Jan. 12 at age 54.

While their loved ones and fans around the globe mourn the loss of these artists, they will not be forgotten. Here, Billboard remembers the musicians who left us in 2023.

13 Jan 2023

TINI, Los Dos Carnales, Yandel & More: What’s Your Favorite New Latin Music Release? Vote!

This week, our First Stream Latin roundup — which is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin editors each week — is powered by new music from TINI, Los Dos Carnales and a collaboration between J Quiles and Myke Towers, to name a few.

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The list includes Yandel‘s seventh solo studio album R3SISTENCIA (resistance), which is home to 17 tracks. It includes his latest single “Yandel 150” with Colombian artist Feid. “This project defines what I am living at this very moment, because no matter the hustle, the pressure, the time, years, or transitions; I’m still here… stronger than ever, flowing with the movement without altering my essence, and revealing all the elements that are in every single part of me,” the Puerto Rican artist said in a statement.

You can also find María Becerra‘s new poignant track “Desafiando El Destino,” which displays a softer and frankly more powerful side. It’s a bonus song to her previously released album La Nena de Argentina. A love letter written to her parents, “Desafiando” begins with a slow, bluesy piano intro that gives way to Becerra’s vocals, tinged with melancholy as she sings to a video of old home movies that’s hard not get teary-eyed about.

Additionally, Lasso dropped his new single “Plástico,” Carlos Rivera and Melissa Robles’ “Un Viaje a Todas Partes,” which is the first track from his upcoming album, TINI’s electro-cumbia “Muñecas” with La Joaqui and Steve Aoki, and ROBI’s “Tu Mundo.”

What’s your favorite new Latin music release this week? Vote below!

13 Jan 2023

The National Tease New Album With Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers & Sufjan Stevens

The National are teasing their next project, and it’s shaping up to be a high-profile one.

On Friday (Jan. 13), the group uploaded a video of lead singer Matt Berninger in a sepia-toned clip sitting at a piano bench and reading a copy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as a sparse, piano instrumental softly plays in the background.

The short video clip also included a link to a password-protected page on their website, americanmary.com/lp9. Fans were quick find out how to access the page (spoiler alert: “EVIL FOREBODINGS” unlocks the mysterious link).

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When opened, the page features a video with the same piano melody, which later follows into a more drum-heavy instrumental, soundtracking a green novel with its first two pages exposed. The book starts off with a letter addressed “To Mrs. Bridgers, England” — as in Phoebe Bridgers — and has two other notable mentions throughout the text: “Taylor” Swift and “Uncle Sufjan” Stevens.

Naturally, fans were ecstatic to learn The National would be working with Swift, Bridgers and Stevens on a new project. “TAYLOR PHOEBE SUFJAN AND THE NATIONAL ON THE SAME ALBUM WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS,” one fan wrote on the band’s Instagram post, while another fan speculated that keywords in the letter reveal “a tracklist for the new album: Poolside, Alcott, Ice Machines, Your Mind is Not Your Friend, Alien, Tropic Morning News, Eucalyptus, This Isn’t Helping, and Grease in Your Hair!”

The National released their most recent album, I Am Easy to Find, in 2019. In the following years, bandmembers Bryan Devendorf, Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner teamed up with Swift on 2020’s folklore and evermore albums, introducing the band to Swift’s wide-reaching fanbase.

See The National’s teaser post below.

13 Jan 2023

MCA Nashville Promotion Dept. Shuffle: David Friedman & Miranda McDonald Rise as VP Katie Dean Exits

Katie Dean is exiting her role as senior vp of promotion at MCA Records Nashville to pursue new opportunities, following a two-decade career at Univeral Music Group Nashville (UMGN). Dean has led the promotion team at MCA Records Nashville since 2015.

Elsewhere, David Friedman has been named vp of promotion for MCA Records Nashville while Miranda McDonald rises to vp of national promotion.

Friedman began his major label career at Capitol Records Nashville and also spent time at Arista Nashville and Columbia Nashville. For the past seven years, he’s worked as vp of national promotion at UMG Nashville. In his new role, he heads up the MCA Nashville promo staff, leading strategies for an artist roster that includes Kassi Ashton, Jordan Davis, Vince Gill, Parker McCollum and George Strait.

“Having David move to run MCA’s promo department is one of the easiest decisions I’ve made in a long time,” UMGN executive vp of promotion Royce Risser said in a statement. “He has been ready for this position for years, and I have been selfishly keeping him in his former role because I loved having him there. He will be an incredible asset to MCA’s iconic roster, and I have every bit of confidence that he will continue the building success story at MCA Nashville.”

“Like Lynyrd Skynyrd once said, I’m ‘Workin’ For MCA!’” added Friedman. “I’m beyond excited to transition within the UMGN family to the MCA promotion team and look forward to working alongside these flamethrowers in breaking new artists and growing the careers of this phenomenal roster. Thank you, Royce, Mike Dungan, and Cindy Mabe, for this amazing opportunity.”

McDonald joined MCA Nashville in 2012, working as the label’s Southwest regional director. She had previously worked as a radio regional for Valory Music and as a radio host and reporter for CMT Radio. In her new role, McDonald will work with Risser on radio initiatives for the label group’s four imprints: Capitol Records Nashville, EMI Records Nashville, MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville.

“Miranda McDonald has been our secret weapon for years,” Risser said. “Not gonna be so secret anymore. Her intuitive nature and deep relationships are some of the best I’ve ever seen in radio promotion. She is also a true ‘creative’ and now I will have the ability to utilize her skills for all four of our labels. I am so excited for her to begin ripping it up for UMG Nashville.”

“MCA has been my beloved chosen family for over a decade now,” McDonald added. “So, to be given the opportunity to not only continue working alongside MCA, but also with my extended family at each of the imprints, their incredible artists, and an entirely new group of partners in radio, is an honor. I am so fortunate to continue to grow my career with the best team in the industry. Answer my calls please.”

The shift at MCA Nashville follows the recent news that Cindy Mabe will succeed Mike Dungan as chairman/CEO of UMG Nashville, effective April 1. Dungan recently announced his upcoming retirement after more than four decades in the music industry. Mabe was named president of UMGN in 2014. With her ascension, she becomes the first woman to serve as chairman/CEO of a Nashville-based major-label group. Dungan will continue to serve as an adviser to UMG chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge.

13 Jan 2023

Is Miley Cyrus ‘Flowers’ About Liam Hemsworth? An Investigation Into the Lyrics & References

Miley Cyrus dropped her new single “Flowers” on Thursday night, and all signs seem to point to the anthem taking inspiration from her relationship with ex-husband Liam Hemsworth.

Of course, the A-listers’ 2019 divorce — which was finalized the following January — is emotional territory that the pop star has mined previously, from the heartache of 2019 one-off “Slide Away” to Plastic Hearts lead single “Midnight Sky.”

But with distance and hindsight, the lead single from Cyrus’ upcoming Endless Summer Vacation offers a new and poignant take on her nearly 10-year romance with the actor, whom she first met on the set of the 2010 big-screen adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ The Last Song.

Below, Billboard dives into all the clues and lyrical Easter eggs that tell Cyrus’ side of her breakup with Hemsworth.

Look for more clues about Cyrus’ relationship with Hemsworth in the “Flowers” music video below.

13 Jan 2023

First Stream Latin: New Music From Tiago PZK, Carlos Rivera, María Becerra & More

First Stream Latin is a compilation of the best new Latin songs, albums and videos recommended by the Billboard Latin editors. Check out this week’s picks below.

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Yandel, R3SISTENCIA (Y Entertainment/Sony Music Latin)

On the eve of his 46th birthday (Jan. 14), Yandel unleashes his seventh solo studio album R3SISTENCIA (resistance), best showcasing how he’s still standing strong in the ever-evolving reggaetón world. Home to 17 tracks, including this latest single “Yandel 150” with Colombian star Feid, the album not only boasts Yandel’s high-pitched, husky vocals and innovative beats, but also spotlights the new generation: Young Miko (“Cuando Te Toca”), Tiago PZK (“Delincuente”) and his Y Entertainment artist Catalyna (“Palabras”). “This project defines what I am living at this very moment, because no matter the hustle, the pressure, the time, years, or transitions; I’m still here,” the Puerto Rican artist says in a statement, “stronger than ever, flowing with the movement without altering my essence, and revealing all the elements that are in every single part of me.” Other collaborators on the set include Wisin, Baby Rasta y Gringo, Maluma, Arcángel and Eladio Carrión. — JESSICA ROIZ

Lasso, “Plástico” (Universal Music Group México)

The year 2022 was a remarkable one for Venezuelan singer-songwriter Lasso, due to his massive hit “Ojos Marrones.” Now, he’s released his new single, “Plástico,” a track that finds him navigating electronic sounds and ’80s pop rock, which he fuses with synth sounds. It all makes the perfect canvas for his raspy vocals and melancholic lyrics. “Plástico” is about how strong a heart can become, no matter how many heartbreaks it’s gone through. “I keep going, I don’t need you to live/ You are not air or medicine for me,” he sings. — INGRID FAJARDO

ROBI, “Tu Mundo” (Interscope Records) 

With its carefree and flirtatious spirit, “Tu Mundo” by Puerto Rican upstart ROBI dazzles. In fact, the song is an indicator that he might likely be on his way to attaining stardom, like that of a pop chameleon who will show you the world with uncanny genre versatility. He first became known as a reggaetón-pop force, making waves with his viral reggaetón song “Pantysito” alongside Alejo and Feid; his follow-ups gained him Billboard’s seal of approval as an Artist on the Radar. Equipped with poppy synth riffs and brilliant electric guitar, which harken back to the kitschy electro-pop productions of indie vets like Circo and Dënver, ROBI sings about an otherworldly love with playfulness. It’s rhythmically insatiable and conjures the exhilaration of a new crush. — ISABELA RAYGOZA

Carlos Rivera & Melissa Robles, “Un Viaje a Todas Partes”

Carlos Rivera is a hopeless romantic in his new single “Un Viaje a Todas Partes,” which previews his upcoming album due later this year. Penned by Rivera and produced by Julio Reyes Copello, the gorgeous ballad — which features Matisse’s Melissa Rivera — unites two powerful vocalists, who exchange heartfelt verses about hoping that life lasts many years, so they can keep dedicating love songs to each other. “This is the most honest and direct album I’ve written and this song is one of the most special ones — it represents a lot to me,” Rivera says about the track and his upcoming set. “I wanted it to have a feminine voice that could give it that depth that I was looking for. Of course, it couldn’t be with anyone else other than my beloved Mel.” — GRISELDA FLORES

Los Dos Carnales, “Se Me Soltó el Hocico” (AfinArte Music)

Los Dos Carnales present their first single of 2023, the heartfelt “Se Me Soltó el Hocico,” which loosely translates to “my tongue loosened” or “I talked too much.” Penned by Aarón Martinez, the heartbreak ballad — backed by a romantic norteño melody and a weeping accordion — narrates the story of a man who’s had one too many drinks and drunk-dialed his ex. “I see how you treat him, hugs and kisses/ You’re using the same tricks as when we first met/ Sorry for the call, it’s already past:00 5 a.m. but I got drunk and talked too much,” goes part of the lyric. — J.R.

María Becerra, “Desafiando El Destino” (300 Entertainment)

María Becerra displays a softer and frankly more powerful side in her poignant “Desafiando el destino,” a bonus track to her previously released La Nena de Argentina. A love letter written to her parents, it begins with a slow, bluesy piano intro that gives way to Becerra’s vocals, tinged with melancholy as she sings to a video of old home movies that’s hard not get teary-eyed about. Backup gospel-choir touches, tastefully placed over the sparse arrangement, lend even more pathos to this very beautiful track. Parents will be proud, and Becerra would do well to explore more material of this ilk. — LEILA COBO

Tiago PZK, “Bemaste” (Warner Music Latina/Grand Move Records)

On Tiago PZK’s confessional ballad “Bemaste,” the Argentinian trap star delivers his heart in a song that can simply be described as chilling. The single reveals another side of the Argentinian trap star that feels extraordinarily intimate. Its beautiful, stripped-down keys and lo-fi production set the stage for Tiago’s lyricism, as he candidly articulates what finding love and devotion can feel like, while navigating the all-consuming vortex of fame. “I consider this song the first work of art of my career, conceptually and audio-visually, from the bottom of my heart,” Tiago PZK tells Billboard Español in an email exchange. “I don’t have any expectations, because before I have one, I’m simply fulfilled to have created this song and what it means to me. Do not put barriers to love.” The song will be included on his upcoming album Portales Deluxe. — I.R.

TINI, La Joaqui & Steve Aoki, “Muñecas” (Hollywood Records)

TINI strikes again with an irresistible cumbia, this time in collaboration with emerging rapper La Joaqui from Argentina, and EDM icon Steve Aoki. After releasing back-to-back cumbias with “Miénteme” alongside María Becerra and the L-Gante-assisted “Bar” last year, the Argentine singer-songwriter kicks off the new year with an equally danceable track fused with electronic beats. “Muñecas” effortlessly combines TINI’s sweet vocals, La Joaqui’s razor-sharp lyricism and Aoki’s signature sound. — G.F.

Justin Quiles & Myke Towers, “Whiskey y Coco” (Warner Music Latina)

“Whiskey y Coco” finds Justin Quiles and Myke Towers chanting what could possibly become a 2023 anthem for the ladies. “She has a cool combo, a nice butt, and everything she wears looks great/ She doesn’t cry for an a–hole/ She has a mission, a colorful vision/ It doesn’t matter if she wins or loses, she’s always righ,” Quiles kicks off the track. As always, Towers surprises with his slick rap verses when the song (produced by BK, Dimelo Flow, and Slow Mike) transforms from edgy reggaetón to old-school perreo. — J.R.