Music

10 Jan 2023

TOMORROW X TOGETHER Shares Daydreams & Nightmares in New ‘Temptation’ Teasers

As the release of TOMORROW X TOGETHER‘s highly anticipated forthcoming EP, The Name Chapter: Temptation, draws nigh, a new concept teaser and multiple photos for the project were shared on Tuesday (Jan. 10).

The new teaser, titled “Daydream,” features the TXT boys in a glowing ethereal setting. Filmed in a saturated soft focus, the K-pop stars flit around a forest, interact with the trees, read books in the grass and wade through a shallow pond before the dream comes to an end.

The concept photos show the boy band’s duality. In the “Nightmare” theme, members Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai all get a chance to shine. The idols all pose in the midst of a glowing blue set filled with clues such as an hourglass, a chiming bell and stuffed animals decorating the nebulous space.

The photos for the “Daydream” theme — like the teaser video — are in fairytale-like setting, and were shared by BigHit on social media Sunday (Jan. 8).

The Name Chapter: Temptation will be released on Jan. 27. The mini album’s tracklist and official poster are set to drop on Jan. 19, while the album preview will arrive on Jan. 22. Two additional teasers for the project’s lead single will be shared on Jan. 24 and 25. Following the EP’s release, the K-pop group will perform a special showcase on Jan. 28.

The Name Chapter: Temptation will be the group’s first music release since the arrival of its fourth mini EP, minisode 2: Thursday’s Child. That project was a hit for the K-pop stars. It spent a total of 14 weeks on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, where it peaked at No. 4. Thursday’s Child achieved even more success on the Top Current Album Sales chart, where it spent 20 weeks on the tally and hit No. 1.

See TXT’s new “Nightmare” concept teaser in the video above, and the concept images below.

10 Jan 2023

Meek Mill, Kevin Hart and Michael Rubin Donate $7 Million to Philadelphia Schools

Meek Mill, Kevin Hart and former Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin have teamed up again to make a major donations to Philadelphia schools. Following up their 2022 donation of $15 million to more than 100 Philly schools, according to a statement announcing the donation on Tuesday (Jan. 10) the trio will donate $7 million to local education causes for the 2023-2024 school year, with most of the funds going to support scholarships for low-income students at private schools.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Mill — who, like Hart, is from Philly and attended city’s public schools — confirmed the news in a tweet that linked to a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, writing, “Gotta get the whole trap booming too… we come from public schools side!!!!!” Meek’s longtime friend Rubin, the billionaire Fanatics CEO and former Sixers boss, is also a Philly-area native. At press time a spokesperson for the trio had not disclosed which schools will be receiving the funds, but said the scholarships will be concentrated in the South and North Philadelphia neighborhoods where the rapper and comedian grew up.

In addition to the scholarships to 60 “private and parochial schools in need” for children from low-to-moderate incomes, the donations will also help fund laptops, tablets and WiFi connections and other classroom materials. Interested families have to provide proof of income and demographics showing that they are eligible to receive funding through the Earned Income Tax Credit program.

Over the past few years, Mill (born Robert Rihmeek Williams) and Rubin have donated more $17 million to local communities. Mill and Rubin previously launched a $2 million scholarship fund to help area students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money was earmarked for approximately 1,000 pre-K to high school students from low-income households during the 2020-21 school year to cover their tuition at private and parochial schools and provide access to much-needed at-home technology, including laptops, tablets and WiFi connection. 

Check out Meek’s tweets about the donations below.

10 Jan 2023

Intocable Leads Regional Mexican Airplay Chart With ‘Un Poquito Tuyo’

Intocable adds an 18th No. 1 to its career history on Billboard‘s Regional Mexican Airplay chart with the group’s latest single, “Un Poquito Tuyo.” The Texan band achieves the feat as the song advances from the runner-up slot to rule the list dated Jan. 14. With 18 champs on its ledger, the group ties for the second-most No. 1s among all acts.

“Un Poquito Tuyo,” released Oct. 18 via Good I Music, leads after two weeks at No. 2 with a 3% gain in audience impressions, to 8.5 million, earned during the Dec. 30-Jan. 5 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The band scored its first champ in 1996 with “No Te Vayas,” a little less than two years after Regional Mexican Airplay launched in Oct. 1994. Its longest-leading No. 1 is the 13-week ruler “Sueña” in 2002.

Further, with the new success, Intocable ties with Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga and Banda MS for the second-most No. 1s among all acts, all with 18, just behind Calibre 50’s 22 rulers. Here’s a look at the scoreboard:

  • 22, Calibre 50
  • 18, Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga
  • 18, Banda MS
  • 18, Intocable
  • 17, La Arrolladora Banda el Limon de Rene Camacho
  • 16, Conjunto Primavera
  • 16, Los Tigres del Norte

“Un Poquito” arrives at No. 1 on Regional Mexican Airplay six months after “Si Me Duela Que Duela,” the two-week ruler in July 2022 which earned the sextet its first champ almost a decade after it landed at the penthouse in 2013 with “Te Amo (Para Siempre).”

“Un Poquito” and “Si Me Duela” will be included on Intocable’s forthcoming album slated for release later in the year.

Elsewhere, “Un Poquito” holds at its No. 3 high on the all-genre Latin Airplay and at No. 37 on the multi-metric Hot Latin Songs chart.

10 Jan 2023

The Weeknd Reveals He’s Working on New Music: ‘I’ve Definitely Been Inspired’

Who’s ready for The Weeknd? In a recent interview, the 32-year-old hitmaker revealed that he has new music in the works.

“I’ve definitely been inspired,” he said when asked if he was working on new material, right at the very end of an interview with Hollywood Reporter posted Monday (Jan. 9). “I’ve been in the studio.”

The star, born Abel Tesfaye, just celebrated the one-year anniversary of his most recent album, 2022’s Dawn FM. To mark the occasion, he dropped a new music video for one of the album’s tracks, “Is There Someone Else?” Saturday (Jan. 7).

Tesfaye didn’t share any further details about his next project, and instead spent most of the interview talking about “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),” the Oscar-shortlisted theme song that he wrote for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water. The Idol creator opened up about how the Avatar franchise has served as an inspiration for him ever since he saw the first film in 2009 when he was “homeless,” a period he calls “the darkest time of my life.”

“The best part about writing the song was getting notes from James and making sure that all the lyrics and the tones fit the themes of the film,” he told the publication. “I think I rewrote the song maybe six times to make sure it was perfect.”

The “Blinding Lights” singer also briefly spoke about the song’s potential Academy Award nomination, saying he feels “honored” by the recognition. Tesfaye has previously spoken out about another prominent awards show, the Grammys, which he’s boycotted since his blockbuster 2020 album After Hours was snubbed.

But, according to the musician, the Oscars “definitely feel different” from the Recording Academy. “I’m just grateful,” he continued after it was pointed out that he did win a Grammy for his assistance on Kanye West’s “Hurricane” in 2022, post boycott. “Any kind of recognition, I’m grateful for it. I’m just happy to be in the conversation.”

10 Jan 2023

Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, Odesza Headlining 2023 Bonnaroo Festival

Kendrick Lamar, Odesza and the Foo Fighters will topline this summer’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The event set for June 15-18 on the Bonnaroo Farm in Manchester, TN will also feature sets from Paramore, Lil Nas X, Baby Keem, Tyler Childers, Marcus Mumford, Korn, Alesso, Three 6 Mafia, GRiZ, My Morning Jacket, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and girl in red, among others.

The performance from the Dave Grohl-led Foos will mark only the second announced set from the group since the shocking death of drummer Taylor Hawkins last March while the group was on tour in Colombia; at press time the group had not yet announced who will take over for Hawkins.

The acts will perform on 10 stages over four days, with more than 150 performances; a selection of the sets will air exclusively on Hulu for the second year, including behind-the-scenes and special footage, with schedules to be announced in the weeks before the fest.

The weekend will kick off on Thursday (June 15) with a first night lineup featuring headliner Zeds Dead, along with performances from Liquid Stranger, 070 Shake, Abraham Alexander, Big Freedia, Briscoe, Celisse, Cimafunk, Diarrhea Planet and more.

Things will crank up on Friday (June 16) with Lamar, as well as Keem, Vulpeck, Portugal. The Man, Noah Kahan, Subrontics, Fleet Foxes, AFI, Sylvan Esso, Rina Sawayama, Charley Crockett, Morgan Wade, Alex G, MUNA, Diesel, Knocked Loose, Matt Maeson, black midi and others.

Saturday’s (June 17) Odesza-topped bill will also feature Louis the Child, JID, Sheryl Crow, STS9, Sofi Tukker, Big Wild, The Band Camino, Jenny Lewis, Yung Gravy, Remi Wolf, Bob Moses, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and others before the Foos shut things down on Sunday (June 18) along with The Revivalists, Pixies, Umphrey’s McGee, Rebelution, Jacob Collier, Hippo Campus, Peach Pit, Franz Ferdinand and others.

An Early Access on-sale will open on Thursday (Jan. 12) at 11 a.m. ET here, with early sign-ups available now; a public on-sale will take place if there are any tickets left. Ticket packages will be available as 4-day general admission, GA+, VIP and Platinum, along with a limited amount of one-day tickets, general admission camping and parking passes and premium and pre-pitched glamping options. Details about the annual Superjam, Outeroo and Late Night lineups will be announced soon.

Check out the full lineup below.

10 Jan 2023

Foo Fighters, The Lumineers and Paramore to Headline Boston Calling

Foo Fighters hinted on New Year’s Eve that they’ll “soon” return to the stage, following the death last year of longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins. Now, we have at least one venue. The Dave Grohl-led band are set to headline the opening night of Boston Calling, Live Nation’s three-day festival in Harvard Square, on May 26.

Boston Calling is the Foos’ first major performance to be announced since Hawkins’ death last March in Bogota, Colombia. The Lumineers, the alt-folk hit makers from Denver, will headline Saturday night while alt-rock darlings Paramore, poised to release their sixth studio album, This is Why, will close out the festival with a set on Sunday, May 28.

These renowned acts will top a rock-heavy lineup of over 50 performers, including 20 artists with local ties. Rounding out the weekend are a slate of artists ranging from breakout stars to heavy hitters, including seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette, playing her first show in Boston since 2012, influential art-punk trio Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the pounding hard rock of Queens of the Stone Age. Joining these acts are The National, Noah Kahan, Bleachers, Niall Horan, The Flaming Lips, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Mt. Joy, Maren Morris, and many more.

The weekend also offers festivalgoers the chance to hear new sounds, a Boston Calling hallmark since the festival’s 2013 debut. Look for Chelsea Cutler, LÉON, Fletcher, 070 Shake, Teddy Swims, Joy Oladokun, The Linda Lindas, The Beaches, Brutus, Genesis Owusu and The Aces, to name a few.

New to the fest this year is the GA+ experience. General Admission pass-holders can step up their experience and add the GA+ upgrade to their ticket to gain unlimited access to the event’s Thomas Tew VIP Reserve Lounge, an oasis within the grounds including access to a cash bar featuring craft cocktails, plus an expanded beer & wine menu and complimentary water and soft drinks. 

Specially priced presale 3-Day general admission, GA+, VIP, and platinum tickets, as well as single day GA, GA+, VIP and platinum tickets are on sale this Thursday, Jan. 12 at 10:00am ET. More information can be found here.

10 Jan 2023

Everything But the Girl Prep First Album in 24 Years, Drop Bouncy ‘Nothing Left to Lose’ Single

Beloved UK dance pop duo Everything But the Girl shocked fans on Tuesday morning (Jan. 10) when they announced that their first album in 24 years, Fuse, will drop on April 21. The good news about the 10-track album was accompanied by the collection’s first single, the bouncy, jazzy burner “Nothing Left to Lose.”

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The surprise from “Missing” duo producer/singer Ben Watt and vocalist Tracey Thorn marked the pair’s return to the spotlight after going on an indefinite hiatus in 2000. “Ironically the finished sound of the new album was the last thing on our mind when we started in March 2021,” Thorn said in a statement about the project written and produced by the duo over the spring and summer of 2021.

“Of course, we were aware of the pressures of such a long-awaited comeback, so we tried to begin instead in a spirit of open-minded playfulness, uncertain of the direction, receptive to invention,” she added. The album is described as a “modern take on the lustrous electronic soul” the band pioneered in the mid-1990s, with Watt’s “glimmering landscape of sub-bass, sharp beats, half-lit synths and empty space” bumping up against Thorn’s “affecting and richly textured” vocals.

The album was recorded in secret at home and a small riverside studio outside Bath, England with their friend/engineer Bruno Ellingham behind the boards. “It was exciting. A natural dynamism developed. We spoke in short-hand, and little looks, and co-wrote instinctively,” said Watt in the statement about the sound that focused on “ambient sound montages and improvised spectral piano loops” recorded by Watt on his iPhone at home during the pandemic lockdown. “It became more than the sum of our two selves. It just became Everything But The Girl on its own’.

What began small then grew into the finished product that also inspired the new album’s title. “After so much time apart professionally, there was both a friction and a natural spark in the studio when we began,” said Thorn. “However much we underplayed it at the start, it was like a fuse had been lit. And it ended in a kind of coalescence, an emotional fusion. It felt very real and alive.”

After forming in Kingston Upon Hull in 1982 Thorn and Watt scored four top 10 singles in the UK, including their signature song, “Missing,” which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 thanks to a beloved Todd Terry remix. The couple, who married in 2009, released solo material during their hiatus, including four albums from Thorn, a movie soundtrack for The Falling and four non-fiction books and three solo albums from Watt.

See the full track list and watch the “Nothing Left to Lose” video below.

Fuse track ilst:

“Nothing Left to Lose”

“Run a Red Light”

“Caution to the Wind”

“When You Mess Up”

“Time and Time Again”

“No One Knows We’re Dancing”

“Lost”

“Forever”

“Interior Space”

“Karaoke”

10 Jan 2023

Jowell & Randy’s Randy Ortiz Acevedo Arrested in Puerto Rico on Domestic Violence Charges

Authorities in Puerto Rico arrested Randy Ortiz Acevedo of the popular reggaeton duo Jowell & Randy on domestic violence charges after a judge on Monday (Jan. 9) ruled there was sufficient evidence against the singer.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Ortiz, who is not required to enter a plea yet, was detained on a $15,000 bond, prosecutor Anthony Oyola told reporters. A publicist for Ortiz did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Oyola said the charges stem from a Jan. 7 incident but declined to provide further details given that it’s a domestic violence case. He added only that Ortiz’s mother testified on behalf of the singer before he was charged.

Jowell & Randy are considered reggaeton pioneers that began their careers 20 years ago. In October, the group released their first new music since 2020’s pandemic-inspired “Se Acabó la Cuarentena” featuring Kiko el Crazy when they dropped “Toro.”

Produced by Subelo Neo and composed by Mora, the ultra-perreo was a distillation of the Puerto Rican duo’s essence. “We feel the responsibility to ‘romper la calle’ very hard,” Jowell told Billboard at the time. “We cannot play with being experimental and bringing concepts that are not the sound people expect from us.” 

The pair said they had recorded enough songs for three albums for the follow-up to 2020’s Viva El Perreo, which peaked at No. 5 on the Top Latin Albums chart; at press time the album’s release date had not yet been announced.

10 Jan 2023

Lil Nas X Snaps Back at Complaints About His Wiggles Collaboration in the Most Lil Nas X Way

Lil Nas X is super excited about his upcoming collaboration with Australian children’s act The Wiggles. Not everyone, however, is as pumped. Back in December, the “Industry Baby” rapper posted an image with the colorful group in which he held up a purple shirt as he posed with the beloved “Nicky Nacky Nocky Noo” singers.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“New collab in the wind?” read the caption.

Fans lost their minds, with one writing, “100% support this can’t wait to take the little one if lil nas comes to Melbourne,” while another said, “The Wiggles MUST work with Lil Nas X. It sends a wonderful message about acceptance and as an added bonus, annoys conservatives.”

But a number of Wiggles fans were not nearly as psyched, with some posting comments including: “I will be done with wiggles, absolutely not,” “this is strange,” “Why Wiggles, WHY?? You have betrayed us,” “So inappropriate” and the real kicker, “Such a shame, my daughter loved the Wiggles. I don’t see how someone who lap dances the devil in their music videos is a good candidate for working in the children’s music industry.”

The latter was a reference to X’s devil flirting in the racy “Montero” video, in which he gives Beelzebub a lap dance. Lil Nas has also created controversy in the past by releasing some satanic-themed Air Max 97 sneakers allegedly containing human blood. When someone referenced that stunt in a tweet that read, “Lil Nas X has put human blood into 666 pairs of his design for nike shoes and is now planning to collaborate with The wiggles,” Lil Nas snapped back with the perfect retort.

“What’s the problem,” he tweeted.

To be fair, none of this should surprise anyone. Back in April of 2022 Lil Nas said he wanted the Wiggles to co-headline his tour two years after he announced that he wanted them to appear on a remix of his single “Rodeo.” At the time, the kid group responded, “We don’t know what’s happening, but this is amazing.”

Check out the original post and Lil Nas’ reaction below.

10 Jan 2023

Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ on Track For Fifth Week at No. 1 In U.K.

Taylor Swift’s Midnights (via EMI) is set to extend its reign in the U.K.

Based on midweek data published by the Official Charts Company, Swift’s tenth and latest studio album is on track for a fifth non-consecutive week at No. 1.

It’s already Swift’s longest-reigning album in the U.K., overtaking the three-week lead for 2020’s Folklore.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

Meanwhile, SZA holds at No. 2 on the midweek chart with SOS (RCA/Top Dawg), while The Weeknd’s The Highlights (Republic Records/XO) should complete the podium.

The highest debut on the next chart would appear to be Gabrielle Aplin’s Phosphorescent (Never Fade), the English singer-songwriter’s fourth LP. Phosphorescent lights up the Official Chart Update at No. 4, and should give Aplin her first top 10 since English Rain, her debut album which peaked at No. 2 back in 2013.

Also on the brink of a top 10 finish is punk legend Iggy Pop, whose 19th album Every Loser (Atlantic) is on track for a No. 9 start. If it holds its course, Iggy’s LP would be just his second top 10 appearance as a solo artist, after 2016’s Post Pop Depression peaked at No. 5.

Former The Maccabees frontman Orlando Weeks’ could nab a solo top 40 appearance with The Gritterman (Blood), the original soundtrack to his debut book of the same name. It’s at No. 36 on the midweek chart. The Maccabees landed four top 40 albums, including a No. 1 for 2015’s Marks To Prove It.

The Gritterman, first published as an ebook in 2017, and the following year in paperback, is described as “a song for the unsung hero” and “a bittersweet story about stoicism, dignity and a man leaving behind the work that he loves,” with illustrations by Weeks.

Over on the midweek singles chart, Lewis Capaldi’s “Pointless” (Vertigo) leapfrogs Raye’s current leader, “Escapsim” (Human Re Sources), in what’s shaping as a tight race.

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