Music

01 Dec 2022

Kenshi Yonezu’s ‘KICK BACK’ Returns to No. 1 on the Japan Hot 100

Kenshi Yonezu‘s “KICK BACK” returns to No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Nov. 30, topping the chart for the second time after six weeks.

The CD version of the Chainsaw Man opener went on sale during the chart week and launched with 289,147 copies. The single rules sales and video (increasing 57.1 percent from 2,772,899 to 4,356,710 weekly views), while also coming in at No. 2 for streaming and No. 3 for downloads, look-ups, Twitter mentions, karaoke, and radio airplay. The points for this track across all metrics added up to 20,784 this week, which is the second highest for any single this year following Yonezu’s own record for the Shin Ultraman theme “M87” (20,881 points).

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

After hitting No. 1 on the chart released Nov. 16, King & Prince’s “Tsukiyomi” continues to hold in the top 10 of the Japan Hot 100, rising 7-3 this week. Weekly sales for the single increased by 147.5 percent from 32,441 to 80,306 copies, lifting the track a notch to No. 3 for the metric. While the song slips to No. 2 for video (dropping 10 percent to 3,564,897 views), it rises 2-1 for Twitter this week, and nine songs in the top 10 for the metric are King & Prince numbers. The untiring support from the currently five-member Johnny’s group’s fans has boosted the total points for “Tsukiyomi” by 47.3 percent from the previous week to 9,400 points, elevating it back into the top 3 on the Japan Hot 100.

The excitement generated by the 2022 FIFA World Cup has fueled King Gnu‘s “Stardom” into the top 10 this week, moving 16-8. The song is being featured in NHK’s soccer broadcasts and has risen significantly in a number of metrics: streaming increased by 108.3 percent to 4,189,640 weekly streams (69-17), and radio by 146.6 percent (9-2). It remains to be seen how the ongoing enthusiasm surrounding the World Cup will affect this and other songs related to the broadcasts in Japan.

The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, Twitter mentions, YouTube and GYAO! video views, Gracenote look-ups and karaoke data.

Check out the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Nov. 21 to 27, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English Twitter account.

01 Dec 2022

Kanye West Praises Hitler in Alex Jones Interview: ‘I Also Love Nazis’

Kanye West joined alt-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on his InfoWars talk show on Thursday (Dec. 1), where he shockingly admitted that he likes Adolf Hitler.

When discussing backlash for the rapper’s previous antisemitic statements, Jones initially empathized with him, noting that he’s not Hitler or a Nazi, and he doesn’t “deserve to be called that and demonized.” In response, Ye said, “Well, I see good things about Hitler also. I love everyone, and Jewish people are not going to tell me, ‘You can love us and you can love what we’re doing to you with the contracts, and you can love what we’re pushing with the pornography.’ But this guy that invented highways and invented the very microphone I use as a musician, you can’t say out loud that this person ever did anything good and I’m done with that. I’m done with the classifications.”

He added, “Every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler. How about that one?”

The Yeezy designer doubled down on his thoughts later, when Jones noted that he didn’t like Nazis. When the camera started panning away to a commercial break, Ye is heard saying into the microphone, “I like Hitler.”

Elsewhere in the interview, even Jones began to disagree with Ye’s statements, with the radio host saying that he thinks “most Jews are great people,” even though he agrees that there’s a “Jewish mafia.” Jones then told Ye that he has a “bit of a Hitler fetish going on,” to which the rapper replied, “It’s not a fetish. I just like information.”

“I don’t like the word ‘evil’ next to Nazis,” Ye later said, undeterred by Jones’ discomfort. “I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.” Later in the interview, Ye reiterated that it’s “time to promote love” by declaring, “I do love Hitler. I do love the Zionists.”

01 Dec 2022

BLACKPINK Reflects on ‘Born Pink’ Era With ‘Born Pink Memories’: See the Teaser

BLINKs who were hoping for a retrospective on BLACKPINK‘s Born Pink era may be in luck. On Thursday (Dec. 1), the girl group shared a teaser video of a project called “Born Pink Memories,” which appears to be a look back at Jennie, Jisoo, Lisa and Rosé’s Born Pink album cycle amid the group bringing its recently released album to the live stage.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The artful visual for “Born Pink Memories” features an unmasked person toiling away in an office, sifting through filing cabinets, physical film footage, records and printed photos that are from BLACKPINK’s album promotion, with some shots including stills from the K-pop group’s video for “Shut Down,” which, naturally, soundtracks the video.

“Born Pink Memories” has no official release date yet, but fans in the comments section of Twitter, where they also posted the video, were more than excited for new content from the girl group. “A 2022 MEMORIES VIDEO OR PHOTOBOOK OMG OMG,” one fan excitedly wrote, while another speculated that the “BLACKPINK DIARIES ARE BACK!!!!!”

While BLINKs will need to wait for the arrival of “Born Pink Memories,” BLACKPINK has kicked off the European leg of its Born Pink World Tour. The trek’s first stop was on Nov. 30 at the O2 in London, and will make stops in Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and more before heading back to Asia in 2023 for a series of dates in January, March and May.

Watch BLACKPINK’s “Born Pink Memories” teaser in the video above.

01 Dec 2022

LCD Soundsystem Pays Tribute to Christine McVie, Gives Human League Cover Its Live Debut in Brooklyn

When you think of next-generation artists liable to tribute Christine McVie in the wake of her unexpected death at age 77, LCD Soundsystem probably isn’t the first one that comes to mind. But the Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter’s radio-ready pop hooks have been so inescapable for the last half century that even a band more likely to name-check Can than the Mac couldn’t avoid paying homage to the rock legend during a show on the day of her passing.

Playing an Amex card members-only show at Brooklyn Steel on Wednesday (Nov. 30) night, the indie dance outfit wove a bit of McVie’s Rumours side 1 closer “Songbird” into their own melancholic foray, “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down.” Keyboard player Nancy Whang took lead vocal on the “Songbird” segment during the encore, and once the show wrapped, McVie’s Mac track “Everywhere” (which incidentally has been enjoying a chart bump thanks to a Chevy ad synch) played over the speakers as the crowd emptied into the night.

And that wasn’t the only unexpected cover to crop up during the eighth night of the band’s residency at the Brooklyn venue. For the first time ever in concert, James Murphy & Co. busted out a cover of The Human League’s “Seconds,” a harrowing gem from synth-pop group’s underrated classic Dare!. LCD released a live-in-studio cover of “Seconds” on their Electric Lady Sessions album in 2019, but this was the first time fans got to hear it live – and Murphy does a pretty convincing Philip Oakey impersonation while intoning the tragically timely chorus “It took seconds of your time to take his life / It took seconds” on that 41-year-old song about gun violence.

Prior to the show’s start, Amex card members lucky enough to score tickets were treated to an open bar and savory free burritos from El Gallo Taqueria. In case you’re thinking, “Wait, there are enough Amex card holders who love LCD Soundsystem to fill an 1,800-capacity music venue?”, don’t forget this a Brooklyn crowd — and an East Williamsburg one at that. Sure, there were some boomers and zoomers, but the mostly millennial crowd dancing itself clean certainly remembers the pre-Apple Store days of Williamsburg when the group’s 2010 masterpiece This Is Happening could be heard booming out of any of the now-shuttered dive bars on Bedford Avenue. So naturally, the self-parodying “Losing My Edge” was one of the most enthusiastically received songs in the set list – after all, it’s become a painfully resonant anthem for aging hipsters everywhere who aren’t quite ready to throw in the towel on home breweries and 45s-only DJ sets. But hey, when LCD is on stage, the old days feel brand new again

01 Dec 2022

Nick Jonas & Priyanka Chopra Celebrate Four Years of Wedded Bliss With Romantic Tributes

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary on Thursday (Dec. 1) by sentimental on social media and posting sweet tributes to one another.

“And just like that it’s been 4 years…happy anniversary my love. @priyankachopra,” the Jonas Brothers singer wrote alongside two photos from the couple’s 2018 nuptials in Jodphur, India — one from the Christian ceremony with Chopra in her custom Ralph Lauren wedding gown and 75-foot train and the other from their traditional Hindu ceremony.

For her part, the actress echoed the happy sentiments while choosing to focus on her pop star hubby. “Find yourself a guy that reminds you everyday that you’re loved. Happy anniversary babe,” she captioned a photo of the lovebirds dancing.

In the four years since their wedding, Jonas and Chopra welcomed their first child, a daughter named Malti Marie, via surrogate last January. The baby initially spent more than a hundred days in the newborn intensive care unit before coming home due to a premature delivery. In October, the first-time parents marked Malti’s first Diwali with messages of “joy and light” to their fans.

Jonas, alongside his brothers Joe and Kevin, most recently performed the halftime show for the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving face-off against the New York Giants to celebrate the (belated) 25th anniversary of the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle campaign.

The JoBros are next slated to hit the stage for a free show during the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series surrounding the 2023 college football national championship this coming January.

Check out Jonas and Chopra’s sweet anniversary tributes here and here.

01 Dec 2022

A Full List of Current Las Vegas Residencies (Updating)

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Las Vegas entertainment is back in full swing, with some of today’s biggest stars — from Adele and Miranda Lambert to Katy Perry and Usher — taking the stage for their own residencies.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

However, because there are so many shows available, finding the perfect one can be a bit overwhelming. To make things easier, we’ve compiled a list of all the currently announced Las Vegas residencies, where they’ll be taking place and, of course, where to buy tickets.

See below.

December 2022:

Dec. 2 – 31: Adele at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

Dec. 2 – 10: Luke Bryan at Resorts World Theatre (Buy tickets here)

Dec. 2 – 11: Aerosmith at Park MGM (Buy tickets here or here)

Dec. 3 – 11: Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood (Buy tickets here or here)

Dec. 16 – 17: Ray Romano & David Spade at Terry Fator Theatre, Mirage (Buy tickets here or here)

January 2022:

Jan. 20 – 28: Adele at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

February 2022:

Feb. 3 – 25: Adele at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

March 2023:

March 3 – 25: Adele at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

March 24 – 30: Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood (Buy tickets here or here)

March 24 – 31: Maroon 5 at Dolby Live, Park MGM (Buy tickets here or here)

April 2023:

April 1 – 9: Miranda Lambert at Zappos Theater, Planet Hollywood (Buy tickets here or here)

April 1 – 8: Maroon 5 at Dolby Live, Park MGM (Buy tickets here or here)

May 2023:

May 18 – 28: Garth Brooks at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

June 2023:

June 1 – 23: Garth Brooks at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace (Buy tickets here or here)

July 2023:

July 28 – 29: Maroon 5 at Dolby Live, Park MGM (Buy tickets here or here)

August 2023:

August 2 – 12: Maroon 5 at Dolby Live, Park MGM (Buy tickets here or here)

01 Dec 2022

Miranda Lambert Extends Las Vegas Residency Through 2023

Miranda Lambert has extended her Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo The Las Vegas Residency through the end of 2023, with the addition of 16 new shows that will take place in July, November and December 2023.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The residency, held at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, highlights Lambert’s catalog of chart-topping songs as well as deep album cuts, bringing in music from her self-titled 2001 debut, through her current album Palomino, which is nominated for a Grammy for best country album (she has previously won the best country album Grammy for her projects Wildcard and Platinum).

Lambert previously told Billboard about taking inspiration from residencies from Brooks & Dunn, Shania Twain and George Strait.

“What I learned from those shows alone was that you’re in Vegas because you built a catalog, so play the songs that people know and love from you. That’s really what I’m sticking with. Sometimes on the road or with new record cycles, we get all wrapped up in our new songs, but there’s a certain amount of trust the fans put in this catalog.”

Tickets for the new slate of shows goes on sale Friday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. PT, while fan club members will have access to a presale beginning Monday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. PT.

See the additional 16 shows for the Miranda Lambert: Velvet Rodeo The Las Vegas Residency below:

July 2023: 7, 8, 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 22

November 2023: 30

December 2023: 2, 3, 7, 9, 10, 14, 16

01 Dec 2022

Lil Nas X Trolls Elon Musk With Deepfake Video Promising a ‘Cute’ New Sheriff in Twitter Town

It’s hard to know what is going on at Twitter from minute-to-minute these days. New owner Elon Musk has been tweaking (and untweaking) so many features that even veteran users feel like they don’t know what to expect. So imagine Lil Nas X‘s surprise when he spotted a clearly deepfake video of the billionaire Chief Twit saying he’s going to hand the keys over after just one chaotic month.

“OMG is this real,” the “Industry Baby” MC wrote on Thursday night (Nov. 30) alongside a retweet of a superfan’s post of a doctored video in which Musk appears to say, “As of today at 6 EST I will be relieving myself of all duties and giving the CEO position of Twitter to Lil Nas X. Only users who agree that he’s cute, fun and petite will be allowed to keep their accounts effective immediately.”

And while the video is bunk, you might recall that back in July 2019 Lil Nas actually did become the social media company’s CEO, if only for a day when CEO Jack Dorsey handed over the title. Nas’ first order of business back then was firing Dorsey and trying to add some features that users had long demanded, such as an edit feature. It was all a goof, of course, but one that ended deliciously when the Atlanta native hit the Twitter cafeteria to serve up some paninis to the team, who presented him with a cake celebrating the Hot 100 record-setting run of his breakthrough single, “Old Town Road.”

The phony Musk video hilariously closed the loop on a joke Lil Nas made in early November shortly after the Space X/Tesla CEO took over, when he appointed himself Top Twit with a similar statement. “As of today at 5:30pm est. i will be relieving Mr. Musk of all duties and taking position as ceo of Twitter HQ,” Lil Nas tweeted in a clearly jokey post at a confusing time when some users had to say the joke out loud out of fear that they would get booted for employing parody to taunt Elon. “Only users who agree that i am cute, fun, and petite will be allowed to keep their accounts. effective immediately.”

Check out the Musk deepfake below.

01 Dec 2022

Drake’s 2022 Spotify Wrapped Top Artist Is Another Hip-Hop Star

Drake is just like music fans. After Spotify released its annual Wrapped campaign on Wednesday (Nov. 30), the Canadian MC is sharing who he’s been listening to this year.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In an Instagram Story in the early morning hours of Dec. 1, Drake revealed that his top artist is another hip-hop star — and it was none other than the late Tupac Shakur. According to the “Jimmy Cooks” artist’s post, he listened to 2Pac for 246 minutes, putting him in the top 7 percent of Pac listeners in 2022.

That Shakur would be Drake’s most listened to artist this year isn’t a huge surprise. Drake has always sung the late artist’s praises in and out of the studio. “If there was anybody that I wish I could be a little more like, it’d probably be ‘Pac,” he said in a 2011 Boombox article.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Drake has previously sung Shakur praises in and out of the studio. “If there was anybody that I wish I could be a little more like, it’d probably be ‘Pac,” Drake told Boombox in 2011. “I think more than anything, aside from his music, which was absolutely incredible, I think he just drove people with who he was, the way he carried himself. He was somebody who was a free spirit and he did not care, he just did what he felt. I wish I could have a little more ‘Pac to my persona. I’m working on it.”

In 2017, the OVO Sound CEO referenced Pac again on the “Bring It Back” track with Trouble and Mike Will Made-It. “Do it for the six because we started there/ I got a girl that used to ride around with ‘Pac an’ them.”

Spotify’s annual Wrapped campaign, which launched in December 2016, allows the music streamer’s users to view data about their activity on the platform over the past year, and then share it on social media.

01 Dec 2022

Meet the 2023 Grammy Nominees for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Jack Antonoff, who won producer of the year, non-classical at the Grammy Awards in April, is back to defend his title. If he wins again at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, he’ll become the first person to win back-to-back awards in that category since Greg Kurstin in 2017-18.

He is competing with another past winner in the category, Dan Auerbach (who won in 2013), and three producers who are looking for their first wins in the category: Boi-1da, Dahi and D’Mile. Boi-1da has been nominated in this category before, but these are first nods in the category for Dahi and D’Mile.

Boi-1da has two nominations for album of the year (Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Kendrick Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers). Dahi is also nominated for album of the year for his work on Lamar’s album. D’Mile is nominated in that category for his work on the deluxe edition of Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Gorgeous.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Antonoff has been in the running in this category. He’s the first producer or producing team to receive four consecutive nods in this category since Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis landed six straight nods (2000-05).

Thom Bell, one of the architects of the Philadelphia soul sound, was the first winner in this category, in 1975. Babyface is the only four-time winner in the category’s history. He won once with his partner L.A. Reid and three times on his own. David Foster, Quincy Jones and Pharrell Williams are three-time category champs.

Let’s take a closer look at this year’s nominees for producer of the year, non-classical.