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Tinashe has no idea why the zeitgeist has kept her in a “niche category” for more than a decade. The singer who broke big this year with the slow-bubble rise of her ear worm single “Nasty” — her first solo Billboard Hot 100 entry, which peaked at No. 61 in June — tells pal Kaytranada in a chat in Interview magazine that she now feels like she’s in a great position to break big during a summer when the women of pop are all over the charts.
“I have fans that love me, I’m able to tour, I’m able to make the art I want to make. So I’m pretty satisfied,” said 31-year-old Tinashe, who began her career as s child actress in the early 2000s before pivoting to music with her 2012 mixtape In Case We Die. “As much as I want all the success and the accolades, I have such a great career, so I’m thankful. But I don’t know why [it’s taken so long]. It could be the universe. It could be the way society’s set up. Being a Black woman in music is difficult. There’s been a lot of discrepancy over how to market me. In my early days, people were confused by my genre hopping and my lack of commitment to an urban direction.”

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With the Hot 100 chart packed with summer smashes from Billie Eilish (“Birds of a Feather”), Sabrina Carpenter (“Espresso,” “Please Please Please”), Chappell Roan (“Good Luck, Babe,” “Hot To Go”) and Charli XCX (“Guess” remix with Eilish), Kat asked a very crucial question: “are pop-girl rivalries a real thing?”

Tinashe said yes, but also no. At least not for her.

“Absolutely. I don’t have any rivalries. I love all the girls. But it’s classic. It’s an extremely competitive place to be in the music industry as a woman, because we’re taught that there aren’t enough seats at the table for everyone, so that creates a lot of competition,” she said. “There’s a lot of sneaky animosity, little things behind the scenes, people not supporting each other the same way that maybe male artists do. I’ve definitely felt that way over the years.”

Asked if seeing the successes and failures of other artists sometimes gets in her head, Tinashe said when she was younger and newer to the game it definitely had more of an effect on her. “Because part of the human condition is that we tend to compare ourselves to other people. And so, when you see the success of people that you consider peers, sometimes it can be hard,” she said. “I’ve definitely gone through eras where I’ve felt like, ‘Damn. Everyone who I consider peers are killing me off right now. Everyone’s doing so much better than me.’ So it’s a practice to not compare myself and focus on my own path.”

Plus, after a decade of grinding in the music business and releasing seven albums — including this year’s Quantum Baby — some of that pressure to look around and compare has gone away thanks to a legacy of work she can be proud of. “I feel like my work speaks for itself,” she said.

The pair also delved into whether Tinashe believes the myth of industry plants is a real thing. The answer again was yes — some people are “gassed the f–k up by the machine,” — but also no to the “full plant narrative” in the talk that also touched on the items on Tinashe’s tour rider and her wish list of A-list collaborators.

“My big bucket list items are, like, André 3000 — that would be a dream. Janet [Jackson], of course. James Blake, SZA, I think we could make something really amazing,” she said. “Rosalía, I think we’d make something really dope together. I like to collab with the girls. There’s not very many collabs with female artists, so I definitely want to do more of those.”

And finally, because of course he had to ask, is there anyone who matches Tinashe’s freak?

“I don’t know who matches my freak. Honestly, when it comes to romance and stuff like that, nobody,” she said to the likely disappointment of potential freakmates. “I’m out here dolo as f–k, doing my own thing. I’m having a fun-ass summer though, so I’m not mad in that regard.”

In a sweet second consideration, though, Tinashe said if pressed she’d have to say that her loyal fans match her freak. “They have been so supportive of this era and have been there for me throughout the highs and lows,” the singer said. “I just really, really appreciate everyone who’s held me down throughout every chapter of my career, because I wouldn’t be here without that support.”

Tinashe announced the dates for her Match My Freak tour earlier this month, a 23-date outing slated to kick off on Oct. 14 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif. before winding down in Sacramento on Nov. 25.

The wait is over: Kehlani dropped her While We Wait 2 mixtape on Wednesday (Aug. 28) via TSNMI and Atlantic Records. They released the “When He’s Not There” single, featuring Lucky Daye, earlier this week — four years after they featured him on “Can You Blame Me” from her 2020 sophomore studio album, It Was […]

Falling in Reverse hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart for the first time, bowing atop the Aug. 31-dated survey with Popular Monster.
The set starts with 31,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending Aug. 22, according to Luminate. That sum breaks down to 18,000 in album sales and 13,000 streaming equivalent units.

The Ronnie Radke-led band charted four prior entries on Top Hard Rock Albums, all of which debuted and peaked at No. 2: The Drug in Me Is You (2011), Fashionably Late (2013), Just Like You (2015) and Coming Home (2017).

Although the group logged a seven-year break between albums, some of the music on Popular Monster was released before 2024, dating as far back as the title track in 2019.

Concurrently, Popular Monster launches at No. 5 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums; all of Falling in Reverse’s albums have reached the top five, led by The Drug in Me Is You (No. 3). On the all-genre Billboard 200, the new release debuts at No. 12, the band’s highest rank; its previous top-charting title, Fashionably Late, hit No. 17.

Falling in Reverse also occupies the top four spots on the Hot Hard Rock Songs chart and five of the top six. Current single “All My Life,” a co-bill with Jelly Roll, claims a ninth week at No. 1, with 2.8 million radio audience impressions, 2.2 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 sold in the week ending Aug. 22. The song led Mainstream Rock Airplay for five weeks (it’s currently No. 5) and jumps 30-27 on Alternative Airplay.

“Prequel,” the album’s opening track, follows on Hot Hard Rock Songs as the week’s top debut at No. 2 via 2.4 million streams and 2,000 sold.

Six songs from Popular Monster have hit No. 1 on Hot Hard Rock Songs, a record haul for an album. (Bring Me the Horizon’s Post Human: Survival Horror ranks second with three leaders in 2020.) The Popular Monster title cut led upon the chart’s inception, followed by “Zombified” and “Voices in My Head” (both in 2022), “Watch the World Burn” (2023) and “Ronald” (this May-June) prior to “All My Life.”

Nikki Glaser is set to host the 82nd annual Golden Globes, which is set to air on Sunday, Jan. 5, (8-11 p.m. live ET/5-8 p.m. live PT) on CBS.
Glaser is the first woman to serve as solo host of the Globes in recent years. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were co-hosts four times (2013-15, 2021). Actress Sandra Oh co-hosted with comedian Andy Samberg in 2019.

Glaser, 40, is nominated for a Primetime Emmy for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) as executive producer and performer on the HBO special Someday You’ll Die. The award will be presented on night one of the Creative Arts Emmys on Sept. 7.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Golden Globes,” Glaser said in a statement. “It’s one of my favorite nights of television and now I get a front row seat (actually, I think I have to host from the stage). The Golden Globes is not only a huge night for TV and film, but also for comedy. It’s one of the few times that show business not only allows, but encourages itself to be lovingly mocked (at least I hope so). (God I hope so). It’s an exciting, yet challenging gig because it’s live, unpredictable, and in front of Hollywood’s biggest stars (who also might be getting wasted while seated next to their recent exes).”

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Glaser continued, “Some of my favorite jokes of all time have come from past Golden Globes opening monologues when Tina, Amy, or Ricky [Gervais] have said exactly what we all didn’t know we desperately needed to hear. I just hope to continue in that time honored tradition (that might also get me canceled). This is truly a dream job.”

“Nikki Glaser brings a fresh and unmatched candor to her comedy and to the Golden Globes,” Jay Penske, chairman and CEO of Dick Clark Productions and Penske Media Corporation, said in a statement. “Her unapologetic style made her an obvious and compelling choice as host for this year’s event. We’re hopeful this could be the first of many Golden Globes that Nikki will surprise and delight our CBS audience, as well as our audiences around the globe.”

“Nikki Glaser is a comedic powerhouse whose daring and unfiltered humor is the perfect match for the Golden Globes,” said Helen Hoehne, president of the Golden Globes. “She is sure to bring a unique energy and spontaneity to the show that will keep the audience entertained all night.”

The Golden Globes, the first major award show of the season, is often referred to as “Hollywood’s Party of the Year.” It’s the largest awards show to celebrate the best of both film and television. Multi-Emmy Award-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producing showrunners for the 82nd Golden Globes. Dick Clark Productions will plan, host and produce the annual Golden Globes.  

CBS’ broadcast of the 81st annual Golden Globes on Sunday, Jan. 7, hosted by comedian Jo Koy, averaged 10 million viewers (Nielsen Live+7-Day national ratings), up nearly +50% from last year, its largest audience since 2020. The telecast was also the third-largest livestreamed CBS special event on Paramount+ ever in terms of AMA (average minute audience) and reach.

The deadline for motion picture and television submissions for the 2025 Golden Globes is Monday, Nov. 4. Nominations are set to be announced on Monday, Dec. 9.

In addition to airing live on CBS, the show will stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).

Penske Media Eldridge — a joint venture between Billboard’s parent company Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge — owns Dick Clark Productions, the producer of the Golden Globe Awards.

One person who’s definitely not going to be on one of Taylor Swift‘s guest lists any time soon is Scooter Braun — but at least he seems to have a sense of humor about it.
On Instagram Stories Tuesday (Aug. 27), the music manager poked fun at his yearslong feud with the pop superstar by sharing a screenshot of TMZ‘s report about her recent beachside getaway with Travis Kelce, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Patrick and Brittany Mahomes and other famous friends. “How was I not invited to this?!?” he wrote, adding the hashtag, “#laughalittle.”

Just before that, Braun also revealed that he’d given Max’s Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood a try. “I finally watched it…,” he wrote, sharing a screenshot of the project’s poster.

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Released on Max in June, the documentary chronicled the SB Projects founder’s clash with Swift over the sale of her masters in 2019, the catalyst behind her “Taylor’s Version” re-records. The 14-time Grammy winner claimed at the time that she hadn’t been informed of Braun’s acquisition before it happened — which her former label boss Scott Borchetta denied — writing in a Tumblr blogpost that she’d only learned of the news “as it was announced to the world.”

“All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years,” she’d added of Braun at the time. “This is my worst case scenario. This is what happens when you sign a deal at fifteen to someone for whom the term ‘loyalty’ is clearly just a contractual concept.”

With all of that in mind, it’s not shocking that Braun wasn’t on the guest list for Swift’s gathering at her Rhode Island mansion, which Channing Tatum, Jason Kelce and Bradley Cooper also reportedly attended. The vacation comes on the heels of the “Anti-Hero” singer’s final shows in London on the European leg of the Ears Tour, which ended with five nights at Wembley Stadium.

“London felt like a beautiful dream sequence,” Swift wrote of the concerts in an Aug. 21 Instagram post. “All five crowds at Wembley Stadium were bursting with passion, joy, and exuberance. The energy in that stadium was like the most giant bear hug from 92,000 people each night, and it brought me back to a place of carefree calm up there.”

Not many high-school reunions boast a Grammy-winning superstar, but Lauryn Hill popped out at her Columbia High School reunion in Maplewood, N.J., earlier in August.

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But according to videos shared by her former classmates, not only did Hill show up, she even picked up the mic and delivered an impromptu performance, during which the New Jersey native ran through classic hits from her discography.

She performed anthems such as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill‘s “Ex-Factor” as well as the Fugees’ “Ready or Not,” which saw her tweak lyrics with a salute to her old stomping grounds on campus. “CHS taking over/ Buffalo soldier/ Dreadlock Rasta,” she raps.

“God bless y’all. I love you so much,” she concluded.

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Hill’s classmates shared their excitement on social media about seeing the superstar show up and show out for them in such an intimate setting. One of her classmates said she was even left “speechless,” while another thought she was “dreaming.”

“People traveled from out of state to love up on their village. It was simply amazing. Still speechless from @mslaurynhill giving us an impromptu performance,” one person wrote to Instagram. “This reunion was SO good for the soul.”

Another classmate added: “I’m just waking up from last Saturday night….. Was I dreaming orrrrrrr????Did this really happen???? Ms. Hill is undoubtedly a gift from the heavens.”

Lauryn Hill and the Fugees were slated to head out on tour this summer, but quietly canceled the trek just prior to it lifting off earlier in August. Hill blamed a “narrative” that impacted ticket sales, but the tour’s U.K. and European shows are moving forward as planned.

“Last year, I faced an injury that necessitated the rescheduling of some of my shows. Regrettably, some media outlet’s penchant for sensationalism and clickbait headlines have seemingly created a narrative that has affected ticket sales for the North American portion of the tour,” she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. “The trust and faith I have in my intentions and my commitment to my art seem to have been overshadowed by this unfortunate portrayal.”

Watch Lauryn Hill’s performance at the high school reunion below.

Taeil is no longer part of NCT, with SM Entertainment announcing Wednesday (Aug. 28) that the 30-year-old K-pop idol has left the group following an accusation of an unspecified sex crime.  According to the Associated Press‘ English translation of a Korean statement posted to SM’s X, the label wrote, “We recognized the seriousness of the […]

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and his wife, Chloé Mendel Corgan, are expecting their third child. The couple, who already share son Augustus, 8 and Philomena, 5, announced the news to People magazine on Wednesday (August 28). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “We are overjoyed to announce […]

BigXthaPlug’s 2024 campaign just added another Texas-sized accolade to the mix of what’s been a banner year for the breakout rapper: BigX was named Amazon Music’s next Breakthrough Artist on Wednesday (Aug. 28).
Amazon Music looks to amplify emerging artists with its Breakthrough Artist program, which will allow BigXthaPlug to receive more visibility across Amazon’s playlists, livestream features, as well as marketing and social campaigns.

Working in collaboration with BigX, the United Masters signee will further connect with fans through Amazon’s properties and unique opportunities in the coming months as 2024 comes to a close.

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“BigXthaPlug has been one of the most exciting new voices in hip-hop, with an outsized sound that’s as big as his personality,” Alexis Cueva, artist relations for Amazon Music, tells Billboard. “We’ve already seen our customers respond to his incredible music on Amazon Music, and as our next Breakthrough Artist, we’re excited to help BigX connect with even more fans.”

BigXthaPlug has also been added to Billboard‘s Hip-Hop Live concert slated for Sept. 6. The show will be a celebration of the Hip-Hop/R&B Power Players event, which will take over the Xanadu roller rink in Brooklyn.

The 26-year-old joins an already loaded Hip-Hop Live lineup that boasts sets from DJ Miss Milan, the inspiring Mr. Pot Scraper himself BossMan Dlow, and headliner Teezo Touchdown. Tickets are still on sale and can be purchased here for $32.

BigXthaPlug made his Billboard Hot 100 debut in October when his “Mmhmm” hit the chart at No. 93, and eventually reached a peak of No. 63.

He continued his ascension in August with the braggadocios “The Largest,” on which he teases his anticipated sophomore album. “Album done, finna drop me another one,” he raps.

BigX’s co-manager Brandon Farmer raved about the rapper’s ability to connect with his fans while on stage. “Stage presence, you just don’t really see that,” Farmer told Billboard earlier this year. “You can tell when somebody is a star. X is a star.”

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Adam Sandler and his family are enchanted by Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift‘s love story. While serving as a special guest on the Kansas City Chiefs tight end’s New Heights podcast, the Happy Gilmore star couldn’t help but gush over the pop star and her romance with Travis — to the point that the athlete started sweating, the NFL star admitted. 
The topic of Swift first came up when Travis mentioned how Sandler brought his daughters to the Eras Tour concert film premiere in October. “What a girl,” the comedian said in the episode posted Wednesday (Aug. 28), to which the football player replied, “You know it, man. Best performer out here.” 

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“Dude, she means so much to our house,” Sandler continued to Travis and his brother/cohost Jason Kelce. “The kids were little, and we were listening to Taylor Swift. It was one of the first times that [they] listened to every song on the record. When I was a kid, The Beatles you did that with, maybe Elton John — you knew every tune. Taylor, in our house, every tune, they knew every word.” 

“I love what she had to say … what she meant to young girls, what she means to women, what she means to guys doing the right thing in life,” gushed the Grown Ups star, adding that Swift once “took her time” interacting with his daughters on the set of Saturday Night Live. “She just floors my family.” 

“I do get nervous around Taylor Swift, because I don’t want to f–king blow it for my kids and say something stupid,” Sandler added, leading Travis to say that his superstar girlfriend was “so grateful” the actor and his kids attended the Eras premiere. 

The episode comes about a week after Sandler confirmed that the tight end will appear in his upcoming Happy Gilmore sequel. It also marks the first New Heights episode in nearly two months following the Kelce brothers’ hiatus, which Travis spent traveling the world with Swift as a plus-one on her Eras Tour before heading back to Kansas City for Chiefs training camp in July. 

Before moving on from the subject of Swift, though, Sandler also took a moment to rave about Travis’ high-profile romance, which began in late summer 2023. “When you guys first started dating, my god, was my family like, ‘Yes! Look how good they are together! He’s a gentleman! And she’s having so much fun with him!’” the Click star raved. “Any time Taylor’s laughing with you, my whole f–king family is high-fiving.” 

At that, Travis admitted: “You got me sweating over here.” 

Watch Sandler and Travis sing Swift’s praises on New Heights above.