Music

20 Dec 2022

Dolly Parton Wants to ‘Dig Up’ the Secret Song She Stashed in a Time Capsule: ‘It’s Really Good’

Mark your calendars, country fans! Dolly Parton‘s new song comes out in… 23 years. In a newly released clip from the country music icon’s appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show a couple weeks ago, Parton opened up about the top-secret song she wrote and buried in a time capsule seven years ago — and confessed that she really, really wants to go dig it up.

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Sitting down with Kelly Clarkson a few weeks ago, Parton talked about how the song, written and recorded for the 2015 opening of her Dollywood DreamMore resort, has driven her crazy for years. “You have no idea how that has bothered me,” the “Jolene” singer told Clarkson on Dec. 1. “I wanna go dig that up so bad. It’s a really good song!”

“I don’t know whose damn idea that was,” she joked. “They weren’t expecting me to be there at all, and I probably won’t be. I might be there, who knows. I figure it’ll probably disintegrate and nobody will ever hear it, that’s what bothers me. If it rots in there before they open it.”

Parton first announced the song’s existence in her 2020 book Songteller: My Life in Lyrics, revealing that it will come to light when her theme park staff opens up the time capsule on the resort’s 30th anniversary in 2045 — meaning, she will be 99 years old when people finally hear it. The “Jolene” singer wrote that putting the mysterious track in the capsule felt “like burying one of my kids, putting it on ice or something, and I won’t be around to see it brought back to life.”

“It’s just burning me up inside that I have to leave it in there,” she added at the time.

The 10-time Grammy winner’s Kelly Clarkson Show appearance also featured a surprise live performance of “9 to 5,” sung as a duet with Clarkson after the two recorded a new version of the 1980 hit for the movie Still Working 9 to 5. During the show, Parton also opened up about the very first time she ever heard Whitney Houston’s iconic cover of her classic hit “I Will Always Love You.”

“I was just driving along, and I had the radio on,” Dolly recalled. “It’s one of those things, it was like a dog hearing a whistle. ‘What is that?’ That’s the first time — they hadn’t sent it to me or nothing. When it went into, ‘And I …,’ I just freaked out.”

“I had to pull over to the side, because I honestly thought I was going to wreck,” she added. “It was the most overwhelming feeling, and you know how great that was.”

Watch Parton chat with Clarkson about her secret track in the video above.

20 Dec 2022

Pusha T Says He’s No Longer President of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music

Pusha T seems to be cutting all ties with Kanye West.

The Virginia rapper revealed in an interview with XXL, published on Monday (Dec. 19), that he is no longer president of Ye’s G.O.O.D. Music Inc. imprint with Def Jam. Pusha had served in the leadership role since 2015.

“At the end of the day, s— is being said today that’s beyond disappointing,” Pusha said of Ye’s ongoing antisemitic remarks. The former Clipse rapper — who worked with Ye on his 2022 album, It’s Almost Dry, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — told XXL that he will continue releasing music through Def Jam and his own label.

This isn’t the first time Pusha has spoken out against Ye, who has been spreading hate speech against Jewish people on social media and during interviews in recent months. “It’s definitely affected me. It’s been disappointing,” Pusha told the Los Angeles Times in late November. “As a Black man in America, there is no room for bigotry or hate speech. So yeah. It’s been very disappointing.”

After receiving backlash for wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt in early October at Paris Fashion Week, Ye tweeted that he was going to go “death con 3” on Jewish people on Oct. 16. This began a string of hate-speech-filled interviews, which reached an even more disturbing level when he appeared on Alex Jones’ InfoWars and said “I see good things about Hitler,” among other hateful rhetoric.

Pusha, whose history with Ye dates back to 2010, told XXL that he and his former collaborator are no longer on speaking terms.

“If you ain’t with it, you ain’t down,” the rapper said. “And I ain’t with it. I’m not budging on that. I’m not with it. I heard about this new stuff [on InfoWars]. I don’t know. It’s something that just sort of tells me he’s not well, at the same time. I will say that. It’s going to places where it’s no way to move around it.”

20 Dec 2022

BIBI Announced As Mentor in Samsung & Billboard NXT 2.0 Singing Competition

The dozen of aspiring stars competing in the Samsung and Billboard’s NXT 2.0 singing competition have one final shot to advance to the next round — and BIBI has all the details. 

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On Tuesday, December 20, the K-pop star was announced as the third celebrity mentor in the social media driven contest, joining the previously announced Mariah Angeliq and Flo Milli. The entertainer, who recently dropped her debut album, Lowlife Princess: Noir, unveiled the news about the third (and last) challenge in the competition. 

“It’s the final challenge and the dozen will be tasked with creating the music for their track — only using their voice,” the singer explained in her announcement video. “They’ll be armed with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Watch5 to help with the process. Afterward, they’ll sing on top of the customized melody and it all comes down to this moment. If they do well, they might even have the chance to be mentored by me ahead of the grand finale.

For the customize it challenge, the contestants will have various hits of yesteryears to pick from as their dedicated submission track. The trio of competitors that take the top three spots on the upcoming Billboard ranking chart will advance to the next stage as finalists of the competition. BIBI, along with the other two mentors, will assist the aspiring stars in their journey to the grand finale by coaching them with one-on-one mentorship sessions. From there, they’ll strut their stuff in front of a live audience and celebrity judges in Los Angeles to compete for the title. 

“I’m so excited to partner with Samsung and Billboard to help discover the next great unsigned artist,” BIBI said in a statement. “Starting off the industry, mentorship was a major factor in helping me achieve my goals, and I’m honored to be able to provide the same support for this talented class of NXT 2.0 contestants.”

The winner of Samsung and Billboard’s NXT 2.0 competition will win a special digital Billboard cover opportunity, a meeting with a record label, studio time to record their first single, funding for a music video and tickets to the 2023 Billboard Music Awards.

Click here for more updates on Samsung and Billboard’s NXT 2.0 singing competition!

20 Dec 2022

Ultra Music Festival to Host Its Debut Middle Eastern Event in 2023

For the first time in its 23-year history, Ultra Music Festival is heading to the Middle East.

The globally known electronic music fest announced on Tuesday (Dec. 20) that it will be touching down in the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi on March 4-5, 2023. The event will host two stages — a big room focused main stage and a house-centric Resistance stage — with a lineup to be released in the coming months.

The event marks Ultra’s debut in the U.A.E. after the 2020 version of Ultra Abu Dhabi was cancelled due to the pandemic. The event will happen on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island, a leisure and tourist destination that also annually hosts the Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Tickets are on sale now.

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Ultra Abu Dhabi will mark the first time that the Miami-based company — or any other U.S.-based dance festival brand — has hosted a show in the Middle East. After launching in Miami in 1999, Ultra has become a global leader in delivering electronic music to markets the world, with iterations of the show happening in Peru, Colombia, South Africa, Singapore, China, Australia, Spain, Croatia and beyond over the years.

Meanwhile, Ultra’s flagship festival returns to Miami’s Bayfront Park on March 24-26, 2023 with a lineup that includes Swedish House Mafia, Armin van Buuren, Carl Cox, Claude VonStroke, CloZee, Eric Prydz, Grimes, Gryffin, Hardwell, Martin Garrix, Zedd, REZZ,a double appearance by deadmau5 — who’ll be performing as part of his Kaskade collab Kx5 and alongside Oliver Heldens’s alias Hi-Lo during a b2b as his own techno alter-ego Testpilot — and other genre stars.

20 Dec 2022

Janelle Monáe to Receive SeeHer Award at 2023 Critics Choice Awards

Janelle Monáe will receive the seventh annual SeeHer Award at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2023. The show, hosted by Chelsea Handler, will broadcast live on The CW.

The SeeHer Award honors a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries. SeeHer is a global movement for accurate portrayals of women and girls in media.

Monáe is the third recipient of the award who is both a film and music star, following Kristen Bell (2020) and Zendaya (2021). The other SeeHer recipients have been Viola Davis (2017), Gal Gadot (2018), Claire Foy (2019) and Halle Berry (2022).

Monáe has been nominated for eight Grammys, though she has yet to win. Her top nominations are album of the year for Dirty Computer (2018) and as a featured artist on fun.’s Some Nights (2012) and record of the year as a featured artist on fun.’s “We Are Young” (2012).

Monáe currently stars in Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, alongside Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, and Leslie Odom Jr. She also starred in Lionsgate’s Antebellum, Focus Features’ biopic Harriet and Disney’s Lady and the Tramp.

Other acting credits include Moonlight, the 2016 Oscar winner for best picture, and Hidden Figures, a nominee in that category that same year.

Monáe was recently honored as the Suicide Prevention Advocate of the Year by The Trevor Project. She is a co-chair for When We All Vote, and also spearheads the Fem the Future initiative.

Monáe published her first book, The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer, in April.

The Critics Choice Awards will broadcast live on The CW on Sunday, Jan. 15 from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 pm ET (delayed PT). Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment will executive produce the show.

As previously announced, actor Jeff Bridges will receive the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award.

20 Dec 2022

The Game Defends Preteen Daughter’s Outfit: ‘Before the Internet Gets to INTERNET’n…’

The Game used social media to preemptively shut down critics of his 12-year-old daughter’s choice of outfit on Monday (Dec. 19).

Sharing a current snap of Calilynn Dream next to one of her as a toddler, the rapper wrote, “Somebody please tell the LORD to help…. She was just 2 years old like a week ago…. Now my baby is 12 years old, growing up & it won’t stop.”

In the first photo, the preteen crouches on the ground, staring down the camera in a strappy silver dress and furry white coat, and The Game made sure to put any trolls in their place before they even started. “[DISCLAIMER: before the internet get to INTERNET’n, me & her mother both agreed to let her do her make up for the young & beautiful @the_combs_twinssweet 16 birthday party],” he wrote, explaining that the grown-up party dress was for a special occasion celebrating Diddy’s daughters Jessie and D’Lila Combs. (He also added the hilariously protective hashtag “#YesIWillDieOrDoLifeInPrisonOverHerWithoutThinkinOrBlinkin” just to really drive his point home.)

While his daughter keeps getting older, The Game also continues advancing his storied career. In August, he released Drillmatic — Heart vs. Mind, which included the 10-minute Eminem diss track “The Black Slim Shady” as well as collabs with Kanye West (controversial single “Eazy”), Fivio Foreign (“Burnin’ Checks”), Chlöe Bailey, Chris Brown and Cassie (“Universal Love”) and more.

At the time, he and executive producer Hit-Boy sat down with Billboard for an exclusive interview, discussing how Nas’ classic Illmatic inspired the album title and revealing Amy Winehouse as his dream collaborator.

Read The Game’s parental word of warning below.

20 Dec 2022

TOMORROW X TOGETHER Embraces the ‘Devil’s Voice‘ in ’The Name Chapter: Temptation’ Teaser

With the release of TOMORROW X TOGETHER‘s forthcoming EP, The Name Chapter: Temptation, drawing closer, the K-pop boy group unleashed one of the many concept teasers to come from the project on Tuesday (Dec. 20) — and it’s an ominous one.

The short, 15-second clip features an animated drawing of a window decorated with a sheer curtain. From behind it, a shadowy figure appears and walks across to the other side as the window floats in space. By the end of the short, Korean text comes into view and reads, “The devil’s voice I met at the window at midnight was sweet.”

The new teaser comes after TXT confirmed the release date and official title of The Name Chapter: Temptation. The EP will be released on Jan. 27, but leading up to the mini album’s arrival, several concept teasers will be rolled out in early January. The mini album’s tracklist and official poster will be dropped on Jan. 19, while the album preview will arrive on Jan. 22. Two 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 concept teaser in the video above.

20 Dec 2022

JoJo Siwa Claims She Was Used ‘for Clout’ After Avery Cyrus Split: ‘I Got Played’

Trouble is brewing for JoJo Siwa and ex-girlfriend Avery Cyrus. The former Dance Moms star recently claimed that she had been “used” for internet fame by someone she thought she was “in love” with, harsh words presumably aimed at Cyrus, who revealed only days prior that she and Siwa had broken up after dating briefly.

On Monday (Dec. 19), JoJo’s mom Jessalynn Siwa posted a video to her own Instagram Stories of her daughter talking heatedly. In the video, the “Boomerang” singer paces back and forth as Jessalynn asks, “Why are you mad?”

“Because I got used!” JoJo responds.

When asked by her mom what exactly she was used for for, JoJo keeps going. “For views and for clout,” she continues, still pacing, though never naming Cyrus. “I got tricked into being told I was loved and I got f–king played.”

The next day, Cyrus addressed JoJo’s claims in a Tuesday (Dec. 20) statement to E! News. “From my perspective, me and JoJo left on great terms and are still friends,” she said. “The relationship was very real, and I have nothing but love for JoJo and her family.”

“I’m still very hurt that JoJo broke up with me,” added the influencer, who boasts 8.4 million followers on TikTok. “And I’m saddened and confused by the situation.”

This most recent breakup update isn’t the first time Cyrus has spoken about their split. After it was confirmed that the two had parted ways, she explained in a TikTok comment:  “We decided that we are better off as friends! We are both so young and still just trying to figure our stuff out!”

Siwa initially confirmed her romance with Cyrus back in September with a video of her posing with Cyrus in a photo booth, the two smiling before leaning in for a kiss. “Happiest girl,” the dancer had captioned the post.

20 Dec 2022

Rick Anderson, The Tubes Bassist, Dies at 75

The Tubes has lost another member. Rick Anderson, bassist and founding member of the San Francisco rock band, died at 75 on Dec. 16, the group shared in a statement on social media.

“We lost our brother on 12/16/22,” the band captioned a series of photos on Sunday (Dec. 18). “Rick brought a steady and kind presence to the band for 50 years. His love came through his bass. RIP.” The statement did not offer any additional details regarding Anderson’s death, which comes after the April passing of Re Styles, who sang with the group.

The Tubes formed on March 22, 1972, in San Francisco, and was the combined forces of two Phoenix bands that came from the city to California in 1969. The first band, called The Beans, included Anderson as well as other members Bill Spooner, Vince Welnick and Bob McIntosh. The second band, the Red White and Blues Band, featured members Prairie Prince, Roger Steen, and David Killingsworth.

With The Tubes, Anderson opened for Led Zeppelin in 1973. Rick Wakeman of the band Yes was instrumental in helping the band get signed, suggesting to the group’s A&R to pitch to A&M Records. After getting signed, The Tubes released its self-titled debut album in 1975. Tracks “White Punks on Dope” and “What Do You Want From Life?” became staples in the band’s catalogue, with the former being covered by Mötley Crüe in 2000.

See The Tubes’ announcement about Anderson’s death below:

20 Dec 2022

Xman Xmas: Ed Christman’s Christmas Classics, Deep Cuts & Oddities

Christmas is a time for music and memories. In that spirit, this playlist is an excerpt from Ed Christman‘s yesteryear Xman Xmas mixtapes, compiled circa 1986-1988.

The Xman XmasTape

The Xman XmasTape

Ed Christman

Encompassing well-known classics by Burl Ives and Bobby Helms, long-lost gems (e.g. The Gems’ “Love for Christmas”) and surreal oddities such as Edd “Kookie” Byrnes’ “Yulesville,” here are some Christmas classics to revisit and deep cuts to discover. In particular, Christman, Billboard senior editor/analyst, would like to call your attention to Dean Martin’s reference of Rudolph as “Rudy, the red-beaked reindeer.”

Andy Williams, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

The Crystals, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt Kickers, “Monster’s Holiday”

The Trashmen, “Dancin’ With Santa”

Bobby Helms, “Jingle Bell Rock”

Chuck Berry, “Run Rudolph Run”

Plan 9, “Merry Christmas”

Elvis Presley, “Blue Christmas”

Al Green, “White Christmas”

Otis Redding, “Merry Christmas Baby”

The Partridge Family, “My Christmas Card to You”

The Cheepskates, “Christmastime With You”

The Wailers, “She’s Comin’ Home”

The Turtles, “Christmas Is My Time of Year”

Milton DeLugg & The Little Eskimos, “Hooray for Santa Claus”

The Sonics, “Don’t Believe In Christmas”

Brenda Lee, “Papa Noel”

Chris Stamey, “Christmas Time”

The Rockfield Chorale, “Jingle Jangle”

The Galaxies, “Christmas Eve”

Cliff Richard, “Little Town”

Frank Sinatra, “Mistletoe and Holly”

Isaac Hayes, “Mistletoe and Me”

Nat “King” Cole, “The Christmas Song”

Fay Lovsky, “Christmas Was a Friend of Mine”

The Beach Boys, “Little Saint Nick”

Barry Richards, “Baby Sittin’ Santa”

Three Aces and A Joker, “Sleigh Bell Rock”

Jack Scott, “There’s Trouble Brewin’”

Yard Trauma, “Christmas Tyme”

Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, “Yulesville”

Percy Faith & His Orchestra, “Joy to the World”

Burl Ives, “Holly Jolly Christmas”

NRBQ, “Christmas Wish”

Rosemary Clooney, “Suzy Snowflake”

Dean Martin, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

Stan Freberg, “Nuttin’ for Christmas”

Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, “Jingle Bells”

Louis Armstrong, “‘Zat You Santa Claus?”

Brenda Lee, “I’m Gonna Lasso Santa Claus”

The Drifters, “White Christmas”

Santo & Johnny, “Twistin’ Bells”

The Tryfles, “Gloria (In Excelsis Deo)”

Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, “Christmas Night In Harlem”

James Brown, “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto”

Solomon Burke, “Christmas Presents”

The Gems, “Love for Christmas”

Wednesday Week, “Christmas Here”

Darlene Love, “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, “Deck the Halls/Bring a Torch”

Alison Moyet, “The Coventry Carol”

Chris de Burgh, “A Spaceman Came Traveling”

Sting, “Gabriel’s Message”

The Supremes, “Born of Mary”

Mike Oldfield, “In Dulce Jubilo”

Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, “The Carol of the Bells”

Glad Singers, “Three Kings”

The Platters, “Jingle Bells Jingle”

Aztec Camera, “Hot Club of Christ”

Crocodile Shop, “December Mourning”

The Ravers, “(It’s Gonna Be A) Punk Rock Christmas”

Nadroj & the Wolrats, “Forget It”

Andy Paley, “Sleigh Ride”

The Ronettes, “Sleigh Ride”

John Lennon & Yoko Ono, “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”

Bing Crosby & David Bowie, “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy”

The Kinks, “Father Christmas”

The Turtles, “Santa and the Sidewalk Surfer”

The Fools, “Rockin’ In a Christmas New Year”

Billy Squier, “Christmas Is the Time to Say ‘I Love You’”

Roy Wood, “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday”

The Waitresses, “Christmas Wrapping”

Kurtis Blow, “Christmas Rappin’”

James Brown, “Let’s Make Christmas Mean Something This Year”

Paul McCartney, “Wonderful Christmastime”

Bing Crosby, “Christmas In Killarney”

The Ronettes, “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus”

Brenda Lee, “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”

Elvis Presley, “Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me”

Billy West, “Jingle Bell Rock”

The Royal Guardsmen, “Snoopy’s Christmas”

XTC, “Thanks for Christmas”

Davitt Sigerson, “It’s a Big Country”

Pretenders, “2000 Miles”

Slade, “Merry Xmas Everybody”

The Crystals, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”

Bing Crosby, “White Christmas”

The Dickies, “Silent Night”

Cristina, “Things Fall Apart”