Music

10 Jan 2023

Ellie Goulding Delays ‘Higher Than Heaven’ Album Release

Ellie Goulding has hit a bump in the road regarding her album release plans. On Tuesday (Jan. 10), the English singer revealed that her album Higher Than Heaven — originally scheduled to be released next month on Feb. 3 — had been delayed to a later date.

“To my incredible fans- I’m sorry to announce that we’re delaying the release of ‘Higher Than Heaven’ to March 24,” Goulding shared on Twitter, along with a short video of her recording in the studio and clips of her filming music videos. “I know you’ve all been so patient with me but we’ve had some exciting opportunities appear behind the scenes which I cannot wait to share with you in due course.”

The “Lights” singer did predict that something like an album delay could happen. In an interview with Billboard News, published in October, Goulding provided an update regarding Higher Than Heaven‘s release but said she may hesitate closer to its release day.

“The album’s done, although I’m sure it will get to the release date of the beginning of next year and I’ll be like ‘No! There’s more songs to write!’” she explained at the time. “But I have a couple more songs coming out this year. The next one I’m really excited about. It’s one of those songs that isn’t a radio song, but something I think people will enjoy.”

In the meantime, fans of Goulding’s can listen to the three singles preceding Higher Than Heaven‘s March 24 release date — “Easy Lover” featuring Big Sean, “All By Myself” and “Let It Die.”

See Goulding’s new album update below.

10 Jan 2023

‘Parade’ Starring Ben Platt, Micaela Diamond Sets Limited Broadway Run

Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond will star in Parade on Broadway this spring, reprising their leading roles in the Tony-winning musical following a sold-out New York City Center run.

On Tuesday producers announced the Michael Arden-directed production will open at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre for a limited engagement run starting March 16. Previews will begin on Feb. 21 with a final performance slated for Aug. 6.

“Jason Robert Brown’s and Alfred Uhry’s masterpiece, Parade, is one of the most beloved musicals of the past 25 years. Whenever you mention the show to a theater fan, they light up talking about the first time they saw a production or heard a recording,” producers Seaview and Ambassador Theatre Group said in their own statement. “At City Center, Michael Arden mounted a magnificent production with incandescent performances from Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond that had audiences enraptured. We are overjoyed that we can bring this to Broadway so more people can experience Parade anew.”

The production, written by Pulitzer Prize winner and Academy Award winner Alfred Uhry with music and lyrics by Tony-winner Jason Robert Brown, stars Platt and Diamond as Leo and Lucille Frank, a newlywed Jewish couple already struggling to build a life in the old red hills of Georgia when Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime. It’s an event that propels them both into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice and devotion.

“Twenty-five years ago, we were honored to bring the story of Leo Frank to the musical stage, guided by our visionary director, Hal Prince,” Uhry and Brown said in a statement. “It was an extraordinary gift to watch a whole new audience connect with Parade at City Center under the thrilling direction of a new visionary: Michael Arden. We couldn’t be more grateful that this production is now moving to Broadway, where even more people will get to see Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond deliver phenomenal performances and lead this large and gifted cast.”

After tickets went on sale Tuesday, users trying to buy tickets on Telecharge reported experiencing long wait time and error messages, in part because of demand and also because of the start of the discounted Broadway Week. “After experiencing overwhelming demand for both Parade and Broadway Week, Telecharge service has been restored and tickets are once again on sale. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to welcoming audiences to Broadway this winter and beyond,” said a spokesperson from Telecharge.

In its initial Broadway run, the musical — which scored nine Tony nominations and two wins for best book and best original score, was directed by Harold Prince.

“I am delighted that Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown’s musical will be seen by Broadway audiences again after our brief run last fall. Parade has been a seminal piece of theater for me as an artist since it premiered 25 years ago, and to be collaborating with this incredible group of producers, designers, and artists led by the brilliant Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond is truly a dream come true,” Arden said in a statement. “The story of Leo Frank is more important than ever to re-examine, and it is my hope that audiences are both inspired and activated to reflect on both the past failure and the enduring promise of the complicated tapestry we call America.”

Parade‘s creative team includes choreography by Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, scenic design by Dane Laffrey, costume design by Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Heather Gilbert, sound design by Jon Weston and projection design by Sven Ortel. Tom Murray serves as the music director, with Tom Watson heading up hair and wig design and Justin Scribner serving as production stage manager. Telsey + Co and Craig Burns, CSA handled casting.

This is the second show from New York City Center to come to Broadway this year, following Into the Woods, which ran from August 2022 through Jan. 8. Both shows are musical revivals, and therefore would seemingly be considered in the same Tony Awards category. New York City Center’s Encores! program stages concert versions of older musicals for runs of about one to two weeks.

This story was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

10 Jan 2023

BLACKPINK’s History-Making Accomplishments: A Timeline

Since debuting in 2016, BLACKPINK has been busy not only making music, but collecting accolades. Besides climbing up the charts with their well-received releases and catchy tunes, the quartet of Lisa, Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo has been raking in numerous firsts as an all-female K-pop group.

Billboard charts records? Check! First K-pop girl group to not only perform at Coachella, but first Asian act to headline the festival? Done! New Guinness World Records? Yep! Surpassing Justin Bieber in YouTube subscribers? You know it! And that’s just several of the notable accomplishments the four ladies of BLACKPINK have notched on their belts in just a few short years. Even more impressive? Many of those achievements came about even before their debut studio album — titled The Album — arrived in October 2020.

“It’s very surprising to us. All the records are the results of our fans, BLINKs, and their unconditional support,” Jennie told Grammy.com of their success in September 2020. “Every day we try to acknowledge how grateful we are, but more than the pressure, we are ready to give them back as much as they gave us. It just gives us more motivation to go further than we ever dreamed of.”

With sophomore studio album Born Pink now out and a world tour to support the set, BLACKPINK is primed to knock down even more records. Read on to see what the global K-pop superstar group has managed to accomplish in North America thus far.

10 Jan 2023

Calvin Harris, The Chemical Brothers, Eric Prydz’s HOLO, & More: Here’s Every Electronic Artist Playing Coachella 2023

Coachella season is officially upon us. After weeks of swirling rumors about who’d be filling out the 2023 lineup, the desert’s most hyped music festival on Tuesday (Jan. 10) announced its 2023 lineup.

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In addition to headliners Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and Frank Ocean, there is of course, as always, a robust slate of dance/electronic artists on the bill. Key players include Calvin Harris, who hasn’t played Coachella since his mainstage slot back in 2014, the Coachella debut of Eric Prydz’s massively hyped (and with good reason) HOLO show, a set from Deadmau5′ TESTPILOT alter-ego, along with genre pioneers The Chemical Brothers, whose last Coachella appearance was back in 2011.

Notably, Harris’ name currently appears at the bottom of the bill, signifying that festival organizers have not yet decided on which day of the fest the Scottish superstar will play the show. Last year, Swedish House Mafia initially appeared in this area of the lineup poster as well, until the group replaced Ye as the event’s Sunday night co-headliner, along with The Weeknd.

The finer print of the Coachella 2023 bill features a crew of major dance players, including a reunion from Sasha & Digweed, Alison Wonderland’s Whyte Fang project, actor/DJ/heartthrob Idris Elba, Danish sensations WhoMadeWho and LP Giobbi.

Coachella has two stages dedicated exclusively to dance music, with the Yuma tent providing a club-style space for house and techno, while the massive Sahara Tent hosts more commercial sounds, with the genre also spread out between the festival’s other stages. The festival’s Do Lab stage also annually hosts its own three-day slate of electronic artists, with that companion lineup — which typically includes a few massive surprise sets — to drop in the coming months.

Here’s when the electronic acts are playing at this year’s festival:

Friday, April 14 & 21

  • The Chemical Brothers
  • Kaytranada
  • Yves Tumor
  • TESTPILOT
  • Maceo Plex
  • Jamie Jones
  • Malaa
  • Whyte Fang (Alison Wonderland)
  • Idris Elba
  • Vintage Culture
  • Dombresky
  • Nora En Pure
  • Uncle Waffles
  • Mochakk
  • Dennis Cruz
  • PAWSA
  • Oliver Koletzki
  • Chris Stussy

Saturday April 15 & 22

  • Eric Prydz Presents HOLO
  • Underworld
  • SOFI TUKKER
  • Chromeo
  • Mura Masa
  • Tale Of Us
  • Yaeji
  • Elderbrook
  • Kenny Beats
  • Keinemusic
  • Hot Since 82
  • Monolink
  • Nia Archives
  • Jan Blomqvist
  • WhoMadeWho
  • DJ Tennis + Carlita
  • Mathame
  • Chloé Caillet
  • Francis Mercier

Sunday April 16 & 23

  • Porter Robinson
  • Fisher
  • Chris Lake
  • Jai Wolf
  • Boris Brejcha
  • 2manydjs
  • Sasha & John Digweed
  • Camelphat
  • LP Giobbi
  • MK
  • Adam Beyer
  • Big Wild
  • Romy
  • TSHA
  • Cassian
  • Gordo

10 Jan 2023

Phish Announce West Coast Tour, Including Three-Night Hollywood Bowl Stint

Phish is slated to embark on a short West Coast tour this coming spring, with the beloved jam band announcing eight shows as part of a 10-day sprint from Seattle to Berkley, California, capped by their first-ever three-night stand at Los Angeles’ legendary Hollywood Bowl.

Starting in Seattle, Phish is set to perform for two nights at the city’s Climate Pledge Arena (Apr. 14-15) before heading down to Berkeley, where they’re slated to play for three nights at the Greek Theatre (Apr. 17-19) followed by their three-night run at the Hollywood Bowl (Apr. 21-23).

A ticket request period for the shows is now underway at tickets.phish.com and it will continue through Monday, Jan. 16 at noon ET. Tickets for the 10-day run officially go on sale to the general public beginning on Friday, Jan. 20 at 10 am PT. Specific ticketing information for each show is now available at phish.com/tours.

Tickets are still available for Phish’s return to Mexico for the sixth installment of the band’s “concert vacation” getaway Phish: Riviera Maya, which is slated to run from February 23-26 at the Moon Palace Cancún in Riviera Maya, Cancún. The all-inclusive event will feature four unique Phish shows in a state-of-the-art concert venue set against the backdrop of Mexico’s Caribbean coastline. Packages for Phish: Riviera Maya 2023 at the Moon Palace are currently sold out, though an extremely limited number of four-night rooms have been reserved at Hilton Cancún for Phish: Riviera Maya guests. To book a package, visit www.phishrivieramaya.com.

10 Jan 2023

Shakira to Join Bizarrap for One of His Popular Music Sessions 

Shakira is joining forces with Bizarrap for one of the Argentine producer’s Music Sessions. After teasing a new track on Monday (Jan. 9), the Colombian star and Bizarrap both took to social media to confirm their collaboration.  

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Initially, the new single had been teased with release date of Wednesday (Jan. 11) and a one liner: “a wolf like me doesn’t have time for men like you.” Subsequently, they announced the collab, simply writing, “Tomorrow, BZRP Music Session #53.”

It’s the first time the pair has teamed up for a track. Shakira joins a number of artists — including Nicky Jam, Residente and Paulo Londra — who’ve jumped on one of Bizarrap’s zealously streamed music sessions. His session with Spanish act Quevedo scored both their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100. Currently, it has more than 400 million views on YouTube.

This new song will follow Shakira’s Ozuna-assisted “Monotonía,” which peaked at No. 3 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart (dated Nov. 5). It currently sits at No. 1 on the Latin Airplay chart, where it’s ruled for four weeks.  

Recently, Shakira shared a heartfelt message of hope to start off the new year. “Even if our wounds are still open in this new year, time has a surgeon’s hands. Even if someone’s betrayed us, we must continue to trust others,” wrote the Colombian singer. “When faced with contempt, continue to know your worth. Because there are more good people than indecent ones. More people with empathy than indifference.”

She continued: “The ones who leave are fewer than the many who stay by our side. Our tears are not in vain, they water the soil our future will spring from and make us more human, so that even while suffering heartache we can continue to love.”

The message came after a difficult year due to her separation from Spanish soccer player Gerard Piqué, the father of her children. The singer has spoken openly about the breakup since it was confirmed in June, and has posted material — including releasing the heartbreak song “Monotonía” — alluding to her pain.

10 Jan 2023

Here’s What Readers Picked as Their Favorite Latin Album of 2022

In December, Billboard highlighted the 25 best Latin albums of 2022, according to the Latin editorial team. The list included a wide variety of titles, from Bad Bunny’s historic Un Verano Sin Ti to Romeo Santos’ Fórmula, Vol. 3 to Paulo Londra’s comeback set Back to the Game, and beyond.

Billboard also asked readers to vote for their favorite album, and the results are now in.

With more than 40 percent of the votes (43.4% to be exact), Sebastián Yatra’s Dharma (Universal Music Latino) was crowned the best studio album by fans. The 17-track set, which nabbed the best pop vocal album award at the 2022 Latin Grammys, is Yatra’s most eclectic album yet, featuring him dabbling in punk rock (“Las Dudas”), cumbia (“Amor Pasajero”), vallenato and flamenco (“Dharma”), reggaeton (“Si Me La Haces”) and pop (“Modo Avión”). Dharma also debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Latin Pop Albums chart-dated Feb. 12, 2022.

“[This album] taught me that you don’t have to limit your creativity,” the Colombian singer-songwriter previously said to Billboard. “If I tell myself that I’m only good at making ballads or that I’m only good at making pop, I will only be good at that. But I’ve never questioned if I would sound good in a rhythm or not. I’m also not thinking, ‘Oh, I’m going to show everyone that I can be good in every genre.’ I just try to make an amazing song that goes with who I am and it just happens to be that type of music.”

A very close second on the fan poll was Yuridia’s first-ever Regional Mexican album Pa’ Luego Es Tarde, helmed by Eden Muñoz as producer, with 40 percent of the votes. The 14-track set that includes the Ángela Aguilar-assisted “Qué Agonía,” debuted at No. 7 on the Regional Mexican Albums chart (dated Nov. 5, 2022) and earned the Mexican powerhouse her first-ever Top 10 title on the chart.

See where other Latin albums in the fan poll landed below.

10 Jan 2023

Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK & Frank Ocean to Headline Coachella 2023

The lineup for this year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival was revealed on Tuesday (Jan. 10), and it featured a two-weekend run topped by Bad Bunny, Frank Ocean and K-pop superstars BLACKPINK. The 2023 edition is slated to run on two consecutive weekends, from April 14-16 and then again from April 21-23.

Also set to perform are Gorillaz, Rosalia, Bjork and many more.

Elusive singer Ocean was originally booked to perform at the 2020 pandemic-canceled edition of the festival; he made his Coachella debut on a side stage in 2012. Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny is a logical headliner choice, as his 2022 tour was the year’s top grosser with $373.5 million, and his top slot would make him the first-ever Spanish-language artist to close out the fest’s main stage.

Last year’s edition featured headline sets from Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, The Weeknd and the reunited Swedish House Mafia following the cancellation of the event in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As always, it was also full of unexpected, buzzy moments that made the crowd at the Empire Polo Club grounds (and those at home watching virtually) lose their minds, including Styles jamming with Shania Twain on her hits “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” and “You’re Still the One.”

They also saw Eilish bring out Blur frontman Damon Albarn for a special rendition of her “Getting Older” and the Gorillaz’s “Feel Good Inc.,” as well as Justin Bieber making a surprise appearance with Daniel Caesar to perform JB’s hit “Peaches.” They even got to see 2NE1 reunite with CL during 88Rising’s Heads in the Clouds Forever showcase.

See the full lineup below.

10 Jan 2023

Taeyang & Jimin’s ‘Vibe’ Tops Hot Trending Songs Chart Before Release

Taeyang’s upcoming Jimin-featuring single “Vibe” debuts at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Trending Songs chart dated Jan. 14.

Billboard’s Hot Trending charts, powered by Twitter, track global music-related trends and conversations in real-time across Twitter, viewable over either the last 24 hours or past seven days. A weekly, 20-position version of the chart, covering activity from Friday through Thursday of each week, posts alongside Billboard’s other weekly charts on Billboard.com each Tuesday, with the latest tracking period running Dec. 30-Jan. 5.

“Vibe” marks Taeyang’s first solo single since 2018’s “Louder,” recorded for the Winter Olympics. It’s his first release under THEBLACKLABEL.

BTS’ Jimin last appeared solo via the collaborative track “With You” with Ha Sung Woon, which topped Hot Trending Songs for seven weeks beginning in May 2022.

Though it’s scheduled for release Jan. 13, the announcement of the single on Jan. 4 via social media spurred enough online chatter to launch the song to No. 1 on Hot Trending Songs.

“Vibe” is followed by another song that hasn’t yet seen the light of day: Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers,” also scheduled for a Jan. 13 release. Cyrus announced the new single on Dec. 31 amid her hosting gig for Miley’s New Year’s Party on NBC.

“Flowers” precedes the release of Endless Summer Vacation, Cyrus’ eighth studio album, due March 10.

Keep visiting Billboard.com for the constantly evolving Hot Trending Songs rankings, and check in each Tuesday for the latest weekly chart.

10 Jan 2023

‘Life’s So Fun’: Muna Announces Dates for Spring North American Tour

Life’s so fun, life’s so fun … because Muna is hitting the road! The indie pop trio backed by Phoebe Bridgers has announced plans to tour North America this spring, sharing a list of 15 concert dates Tuesday (Jan. 10) on social media.

Titled after the catchiest line of Muna’s breakthrough single “Silk Chiffon,” the Life’s So Fun Tour kicks off midway through April at Seattle’s Showbox Sodo, and will see bandmates Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson making stops in San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, Boston, New York City and more through May. On the 14th of that month, they’ll play one show in Toronto, Canada, before making their way through Chicago, Denver and St. Paul, Minn.

As it stands, the tour will conclude June 16 when Muna performs at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn. The group’s appearance was announced along with the rest of the festival’s lineup on Tuesday as well, with Muna slated to play on the same day as Kendrick Lamar, Baby Keem, Rina Sawayama and more.

The Nova Twins will open for Muna on all of the non-festival tour dates. Presale begins at 10 a.m. local time Wednesday (Jan. 11), and the general on-sale begins at the same time on Friday (Jan. 13).

“Back at it again except this time, two of us are 30,” joked the band in an Instagram announcement for the tour. “The implications of this cannot be understated. support from the great @novatwinsmusic.”

The tour news comes after a run of sold-out shows Muna performed in the U.K. In addition to the Life’s So Fun Tour, the group also has plans to open for a few shows in Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour this year — as does Bridgers, who founded the label Muna is signed to, Saddest Factory Records.

See the full list of dates for Muna’s Life’s So Fun Tour below: