Music

01 Nov 2022

See Metallica’s James Hetfield as ‘Stranger Things’ Eddie Munson for Halloween

Never change, James Hetfield. This Halloween, the Metallica frontman paid tribute to Stranger Things by dressing up as fan-favorite character Eddie Munson, whose performance of “Master of Puppets” in a season four episode sparked a renaissance for the band’s song earlier this year.

Hetfield debuted his 1980s-inspired outfit in an Instagram photo posted to Metallica’s official account, just a couple hours after Halloween ended. In the photo, the singer-guitarist does one of Eddie’s signature poses — two rock n’ roll hand-horns signs held to the top of his head, tongue sticking out — while dressed in a denim jacket, shaggy hair and a recreation of the “Hellfire Club” T-shirts worn by his group’s Dungeons & Dragons players in Stranger Things.

“Eddie Munson says Happy Halloween!” read the post’s caption.

Played by Game of Thrones actor Joseph Quinn, Eddie Munson captured the hearts of millions of Stranger Things fans when the character debuted this summer in the Netflix sci-fi series’ fourth chapter. One of his most beloved scenes came in the season’s finale, when Eddie whipped out his electric guitar and performed an epic cover of Metallica’s 1986 track “Master of Puppets” in an alternate dimension known on the show as the Upside Down, earning his long-awaited hero moment when the concert successfully distracted evil creatures from harming his friends.

After the episode premiered on Netflix in July, Metallica took to Instagram to praise Quinn and the show’s creators, The Duffer Brothers. “We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away,” wrote the band, also comprised of Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo. “It’s so extremely well done.”

Following the song’s use in the show, “Master of Puppets” appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time, 36 years after the song was originally released. It reached a peak at No. 35 and also experienced a surge on streaming services, with daily on-demand U.S. audio streams growing nearly 400% in a matter of days.

See James Hetfield’s Eddie Munson Halloween costume below:

01 Nov 2022

Kanye West’s Donda Doves School Basketball Team Bounced From Tournament Over Rapper’s ‘Divisive’ Statements

The fallout from Kanye West‘s recent spate of antisemitic remarks has once again impacted the students at the rapper’s private Christian K-12 Donda Academy school. Atlanta’s historic HBCU Morehouse College announced on Monday (Oct. 31) that it was canceling a basketball tournament slated for Nov. 6 at the city’s Forbes Arena between the Donda Doves and The Skill Factory due to Ye’s “divisive and unproductive” statements.

“Throughout its history, Morehouse College, perhaps more than any other institution, has stood for social discourse which advances equity and healing, particularly in areas involving race, culture, and socio-economic disparities,” the university said in a statement. “We therefore cannot condone, in perception or implication, the recent divisive and unproductive statements by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West.”

This is the second event the Donda team has been kicked out of recently, coming on the heels of the squad being uninvited from the Dec. 11 Scholastic Play-By-Play Classics tourney in Louisville. West (who now goes by Ye) had his Instagram account restricted again on Monday following his latest reported violation of the platform’s policies. This 30-day lockdown comes after Instagram and Twitter both placed temporary restrictions on his social media accounts after he posted antisemitic comments earlier in October.

Billboard has not been able to reach a spokesperson for West. While Instagram parent company Meta did not specify what caused West to be locked out again, the move came as Ye continued to amplify hateful antisemitic tropes in a series of interviews and social media posts, actions that have resulted in many of the former partners in his once-sprawling fashion and music empire cutting ties with the rapper.

Ye appeared to react to the news that the Donda Academy has shut its doors on Sunday by sharing a graphic photo of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black teen who was tortured and lynched after being accused of offending a white woman in 1955. He also posted a series of photos of Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel, who wrote in an op-ed for the Financial Times last week that West’s business partners, including companies that profit off his music — such as Apple, Spotify, Adidas and his touring partners — should stop working with the star.

“Can you find a place for the Donda Academy kids to go to school that’s properly zoned for a school? I got about 60 children that have no place to be as they look to transfer,” West wrote in an Instagram caption on Sunday before his account’s restriction. He also referenced the Donda basketball team’s freeze-out, writing, “They tried to dismantle our basketball team. Those boys are being penalized without reason. Even professional athletes were threatened by their owners to disassociate.”

See the Morehouse statement below.

01 Nov 2022

John Legend Has to Choose Between 3 of His Most Talented Contestants in ‘The Voice’ Knockouts: Exclusive

The Voice is doing three-way knockouts for the first time this season, and on Tuesday night (Nov. 1), three of John Legend‘s best team members went head-to-head-to-head for a spot in the competition’s next round.

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First up, Ian Harrison took views down a more alternative route with a smooth rendition of Young the Giant‘s “Cough Syrup,” before Omar Jose Cardona took on Imagine Dragons‘ “Radioactive,” which led to a standing ovation from Legend and fellow coach Camila Cabello. Morgan Taylor wrapped things up with a fresh, feminine take on the James Brown classic, “I Got You (I Feel Good).”

“You got a problem now, don’t you?” Blake Shelton told Legend after the three impressive performances.

The “All of Me” singer then began to address his contestants directly. “Ian, you sound like you should be making alternative records. No question,” he told Harrison. “But when you perform live, you need to make sure people feel it, not just vocally but physically. I think that’s the only thing that’s missing.”

Legend then told Taylor, “You started to open people’s eyes to how amazing you can be, and that’s exciting. You just nailed it, it was so good.”

Lastly, he gushed over Cardona’s performance, telling the singer, “You were building the performance and holding back in the right moments and then unleashing the dragon when necessary. You just built a journey in that short time.”

Fans will have to wait until the episode tonight to see who wins the knockout round, but check out the performances exclusively on Billboard below. The Voice airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

01 Nov 2022

Pharrell Williams Teases BTS Collaboration on Upcoming Album: ’It’s Amazing’

Get ready, ARMY: More BTS music is coming! Pharrell Williams and RM sat down and interviewed each other for Rolling Stone‘s Musicians on Musicians issue in a snippet published on Tuesday (Nov. 1), which resulted in several teasers about both artist’s upcoming music endeavors.

During the pair’s conversation, RM asked Pharrell what’s up next for for his music, to which the 49-year-old shared exclusive information regarding his forthcoming album and a collaboration with BTS.

“Well, my project, it’s called … it’s [under] my name, and the title of the album is Phriends,” the songwriter-producer told the BTS member. “It’s the volume one. You guys [BTS] are on there, obviously. And I’m actually talking about this way more than I’m supposed to, but it’s a song from my album that [BTS] sang and it’s amazing, and I’m super grateful.”

While the pair made sure to keep details under wraps, RM said, “I just love this song.”

Pharrell noted that “Everyone that hears it is like, ‘Whoa.’”

Happy with their collaborative effort, Pharrell wanted RM to know he’s more than willing to share his talents on RM’s solo work. “You said you’re 90 percent done with your solo album,” he revealed. “But if within that last 10 percent, if you need — you don’t need me, but I mean …”

“I always needed you, for 15 years,” RM replied, adding that he feels “honored and grateful.”

Concluding their conversation, Pharrell gave RM some parting advice for his career. “I would just say continue to move forward. Continue to be curious. And don’t put any kind of pressure on what it is that you do by saying … No absolutes, like, ‘Oh, I will never do music again,’ or ‘I will never …’ I wouldn’t do any of that,” he told the rapper. “No nevers. Just stay along for the ride. Just keep going.”

Watch Pharrell’s conversation with BTS’ RM below.

01 Nov 2022

Harry Styles Is Danny Zuko, Sings ‘Hopelessly Devoted to You’ at Halloween Concert

Harry Styles fans have got chills, and they’re multiplying, ’cause for his Monday night (Oct. 31) Harryween concert in Los Angeles, the 28-year-old pop star dressed up as Danny Zuko from Grease and performed a heart-stopping cover of “Hopelessly Devoted to You.”

Taking the stage at the Kia Forum, where he’s currently stationed until Nov. 15 for a 15-night residency, Styles sang tracks from his May-released album Harry’s House while dressed in black jeans, a leather jacket and a studded tank top with the word “Harryween” emblazoned on the back in glittery red lettering. He even had his hair styled into the slick, dark coif sported by John Travolta in the iconic 1978 film, while some of his band members dressed up as the Pink Ladies.

Then, it came time for the “As It Was” singer to perform a cover of one of the musical’s famous songs. But instead of “Greased Lightnin’” or “Sandy,” Styles instead chose a ballad performed by Sandy Olsson.

Belting out “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” sung by Olivia Newton-John — who passed away in August — the Grammy winner had his crowd swaying sentimentally to the beat and cheering him on during the song’s most intense moments.

“But now there’s nowhere to hide since you pushed my love aside/ I’m out of my head, hopelessly devoted to you,” he riffed, walking back and forth onstage past his drummer, who was dressed in Sandy’s black cat suit from Grease‘s end scene.

Fans online were ecstatic over Styles’ Halloween costume — “I’M HYPERVENTILATING,” wrote one — but so were those in the concert crowd while the show was still happening. TikTok star Chris Olsen, for example, was in the audience, holding up a thirsty sign that simply read “DADDY?”

The Don’t Worry Darling star noticed the sign, and had the perfect response. Pointing directly at Olsen, he answered the sign’s question with a simple “Yes?”

“I fear that there may be a communication breakdown from this distance …,” Styles added. “But just know: Yes?”

Watch Harry Styles cover “Hopelessly Devoted to You” as Danny Zuko from Grease and react to being called “Daddy” on Olsen’s sign below:

01 Nov 2022

Hip-Hop World Mourns Death of Migos‘ Takeoff: ’This Is Beyond Sad’

The shocking death of Migos‘ Takeoff, 28, early Tuesday morning (Nov. 1) has elicited a flood of response from the hip-hop community. The youngest member of the rap trio was shot and killed at a Houston-area bowling alley according to the Houston Police Department.

A Houston PD spokesperson said the rapper (born Kirshnik Khari Ball) — who was one third of the Migos trio alongside his uncle, Quavo, and cousin, Offset — was at a private party at a bowling alley in downtown Houston with Quavo around 2:35 a.m. when investigators say shots rang out during an afterparty.

KHOU reported that police said someone started shooting at the gathering of around 40 people, sparking guests to flee the area with one victim, Takeoff, shot in the head or neck. Two other unidentified victims were reportedly transported to a local hospital in private vehicles.

Ja Rule echoed the thoughts of many commenters in his memorial for the slain rapper. “Rip Takeoff.. this s–t has to STOP… sending love to friends and family,” he tweeted, while producer London On Da Track said, “Long live Takeoff s–t krazy out here.” Lecrae was at a loss for words about Takeoff’s death, which came just hours after the rapper and his uncle, Quavo, released the Halloween-themed video for their Unc & Phew single “Messy.”

“No hot takes. No profound thoughts. Just sad that another rapper, son, brother, and friend has been killed. God be with all those who feel the loss,” Lecrae wrote, with producer Mike Will Made It writing, “RIP TAKE, DAM LIL BRO,” along with crying face, praying hands, broken heart, crown and flowers emoji. Gang Starr’s DJ Premier decried the senselessness of the death. “Condolences to Takeoff’s family,” he wrote. “This is beyond sad to be killed in a senseless situation with so much success.”

At press time a spokesperson for Offset had not returned requests for comment on the incident and a Houston PD spokesperson said there was no additional information on the injured and no suspects in custody or motive for the shooting; it also appeared that Quavo and Offset had not yet commented on Takeoff’s death.

See some of the reactions to Takeoff’s death below.

01 Nov 2022

Proven Hit: Morgan Wallen Scores His First 4-Week No. 1 on Country Airplay Chart

Morgan Wallen‘s “You Proof” dominates Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart (dated Nov. 5) for a fourth week, as it drew 30.5 million audience impressions (down 1%) in the tracking week ending Oct. 30, according to Luminate.

Wallen wrote the song with ERNEST, Ashley Gorley, Keith Smith and Charlie Handsome, the latter of whom also produced it with Joey Moi.

“You Proof,” the Sneedville, Tenn.-born Wallen’s seventh Country Airplay leader, becomes his first to reign for four frames. It surpasses “Wasted on You,” which started its three-week rule in July, and “Whiskey Glasses,” which also controlled the list for three frames, beginning in June 2019.

Wallen’s additional four No. 1s led for a week each: “Sand in My Boots” (this February); “More Than My Hometown” (November 2020); “Chasin’ You” (May 2020); and “Up Down,” featuring Florida Georgia Line (June 2018).

What makes Wallen’s latest, a standalone single, strong enough to stand apart from his prior Country Airplay chart-toppers? “The support from country radio has been astounding,” Stacy Blythe, Big Loud senior vice president of promotion, tells Billboard. “The one thing that I can definitely point to with ‘You Proof’ is that there was much anticipation for new music from Morgan. Morgan continues to up his game with every single release and, as the team responsible for taking each one to radio, we have jointly been committed to upping our game.”

“Proof” concurrently ties Wallen’s longest stay atop the streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Hot Country Songs chart. Reigning for an 11th week, it matches the command of “Wasted,” which logged its 11th week at No. 1 in August. “Proof” drew 13 million official streams and sold 3,000 downloads in the U.S. in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week.

Meanwhile, Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album (which houses “Wasted”) rules Top Country Albums for a record-extending 80th week, with 43,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week.

‘Half’ Time

Thomas Rhett rolls up his 20th Hot Country Songs top 10 as “Half of Me,” featuring Riley Green, jumps 15-10. The single corralled 5.5 million streams (up 53%), having received more prominent placement on Amazon’s Country Heat playlist in the tracking week. On Country Airplay, it pushes 6-5 for a new high (23.1 million, up 5%).

Rhett co-penned “Half” with his dad Rhett Akins, Will Bundy and Josh Thompson. It’s from Rhett’s album Where We Started, which arrived at its No. 2 Top Country Albums peak in April. Rhett first reached the Country Airplay top 10 in September 2013 with “It Goes Like This,” his first of 17 No. 1s.

Green hits the Hot Country Songs top 10 for the first time. He previously reached a No. 11 best with his first entry, “There Was This Girl,” in March 2019.

01 Nov 2022

Taylor Swift Rules Artist 100, Hot 100 & Billboard 200 Simultaneously for 11th Time

For the 11th time in her career, Taylor Swift is simultaneously No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100, Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts.

The superstar returns to No. 1 on the Artist 100 for a 51st total week on top, extending her record for the most weeks spent at the summit. Meanwhile, Midnights launches atop the Billboard 200 albums chart and its lead single “Anti-Hero” soars in at No. 1 on the Hot 100 songs chart.

Midnights becomes Swift’s 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 – tying her with Barbra Streisand for the most among women – with 1.578 million equivalent album units earned in the Oct. 21-27 tracking week, according to Luminate. That’s the largest one-week total since the debut week of Adele’s 25 (3.482 million) on the Dec. 12, 2015, chart. The new set is also already the top-selling album of 2022, with 1.140 million copies sold in its first week.

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On the Hot 100, all 20 tracks from Midnights (encompassing its 13-song standard version and its “3am Edition,” adding seven songs) debut on the latest list, with a single-week record 10 in the top 10. (Drake previously charted as many as nine simultaneous Hot 100 top 10s, on the Sept. 18, 2021, ranking.)

Swift became the first act to lead the Artist 100, Hot 100 and Billboard 200 simultaneously on charts dated Nov. 15, 2014, thanks to her LP 1989 and its lead single “Shake It Off.” The only artist to spend more weeks tripling up is Drake, who’s done so 16 times.

Most Weeks Spent at No. 1 on the Artist 100, Hot 100 & Billboard 200 Simultaneously

  • 16, Drake
  • 11, Taylor Swift
  • 9, Adele
  • 5, The Weeknd
  • 2, Ariana Grande
  • 2, Ed Sheeran
  • 2, Harry Styles
  • 1, Beyoncé
  • 1, Justin Bieber
  • 1, BTS
  • 1, Camila Cabello
  • 1, Future
  • 1, Kendrick Lamar

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

01 Nov 2022

Katy Perry, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett Among Newly-Added 2022 CMA Awards Performers

More performers have been added to the upcoming 56th annual CMA Awards, set to air Nov. 9 on ABC (and available the following day on Hulu).

Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark, Luke Combs, Caylee Hammack, Cody Johnson, Elle King, Patty Loveless, Ashley McBryde, Reba McEntire, John Osborne, Katy Perry, Pillbox Patti, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, The Black Keys, The War and Treaty, and Thomas Rhett have all been added to the performer lineup.

Reigning CMA entertainer of the year Combs, who is again nominated for the night’s most coveted honor, will perform his single, “The Kind of Love We Make.” Johnson, a four-time nominee heading into the ceremony, will perform his Billboard Country Airplay chart-topping hit “‘Til You Can’t,” while Elle King (who will release the country project Come Get Your Wife in January) will team up with The Black Keys to honor the late Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame member Jerry Lee Lewis with a rendition of Lewis’ 1957 classic “Great Balls of Fire.”

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Reigning CMA vocal duo of the year Brothers Osborne will team with duo The War and Treaty for a rendition of The Rolling Stones’ 1974 hit “It’s Only Rock & Roll (But I Like It).” Five-time CMA Awards nominee McBryde will be joined by Clark, Hammack, Pillbox Patti and Osborne for a performance of Linda Ronstadt’s 1975 hit “When Will I Be Loved” (itself a cover of The Everly Brothers’ 1960 classic). The song is featured on McBryde’s recent collaborative project, Lindeville.

Two-time CMA Award winner Thomas Rhett and Perry will team up to perform their recently released collaboration, “Where We Started” (the title track to Thomas Rhett’s 2021 album) while Swindell is set to perform his Jo Dee Messina-inspired hit “She Had Me At Heads Carolina.” Stapleton, who is nominated for five CMA honors heading into this year’s ceremony, will be joined by five-time CMA Award winner Loveless for a performance of “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive.”

These new performers join previously-announced performers Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, HARDY, Marcus King, Miranda Lambert, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and Zac Brown Band.

01 Nov 2022

Taylor Swift Announces U.S. Dates For 2023 ‘Eras’ Tour

Taylor Swift is, at long last, headed back on the road. Following this week’s monumental chart debut of Midnights, her tenth studio album, Swift announced the U.S. leg of her 2023 “Eras” tour on Tuesday morning (Nov. 1), confirming her first official tour in nearly five years following months of rumors.

The 27-date U.S. leg of the tour presented by Capitol One and produced by Taylor Swift Touring and promoted by the Messina Touring Group will begin on March 18 with a show at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona Swift announced during an appearance on Good Morning America. “I wanted to tell you something that I’ve been so excited about for a really long time. I’ve been planning for ages and I finally get to tell you: I’m going back on tour,” Swift said on GMA. “The tour is called the ‘Eras’ tour and it’s a journey through all of the musical eras of my career.” Swift said after kicking off in the U.S. the tour will go on an international swing, with those dates to be announced soon.

Support on the tour will come via a rotating cast of opening acts including Paramore, beabadoobee, Phoebe Bridgers, girl in red, Muna, Haim, Gayle, Gracie Abrams and Owenn. The public on-sale date for the tour will be 10 a.m. local venue time on Nov. 18. Swift has partnered with Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan program, with fans able to register here for the TaylorSwiftTix presale now through Nov. 9 at 11:59 p.m. ET; registered fans will get a code with exclusive access to purchase tickets on Nov. 15 starting at 10 a.m. local venue time.

Previous Lover Fest Verified Fan purchasers will get preferred access to participate in the TaylorSwiftTix presale; make sure to register with the same Ticketmaster Account as your Lover Fest purchase. Capital One cardholders will have priority access to purchase tickets on Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. local venue time through Nov. 17 at 10 p.m. local venue time or until supplies last.

The tour will be Swift’s official follow-up to her Reputation stadium tour, which broke the record for the highest-grossing U.S. tour since Billboard Boxscore began tracking touring data in 1990 upon its conclusion in November 2018. The Reputation tour, in support of Swift’s 2017 album of the same name, grossed $266.1 million and sold over 2 million tickets in the 38 shows reported to Billboard Boxscore.

Swift’s planned follow-up to the Reputation tour, Lover Fest, was scheduled to take place in 2020 following the 2019 release of her Lover album, but was canceled due to the pandemic. Since the Reputation tour, Swift has released four original studio albums — Lover, 2020’s Folklore and Evermore, and Midnights — as well as two re-recorded albums, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version), both in 2021.

This week, Midnights blasted in atop the Billboard 200 albums chart with 1.578 million equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Oct. 27, according to Luminate — the biggest week for any album in nearly seven years. Meanwhile, Swift made history on the Hot 100 by becoming the first artist to claim the chart’s entire top 10 in a single frame, with “Anti-Hero” debuting at No. 1 to become her ninth career chart-topper.

See the full list of “Eras” U.S. tour dates below:

March 18 — Glendale, AZ @ State Farm Stadium (Paramore, Gayle)

March 25 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium  (beeabadoobee, Gayle)

April 1 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium (beabadoobee, Gracie Abrams)

April 2 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium (beabadoobee, Gracie Abrams)

April 15 — Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium (beabadoobee, Gracie Abrams)

April 22 — Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium (beabadoobee, Gracie Abrams)

April 28 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium (beabadoobee, Gracie Abrams)

April 29 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium (beabadoobee, Gracie Abrams)

May 6 — Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium (Phoebe Bridgers, Gayle)

May 12 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field (Phoebe Bridgers, Gayle)

May 19 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium (Phoebe Bridgers, Gayle)

May 20 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium (Phoebe Bridgers, Gayle)

May 26 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium (Phoebe Bridgers, Gayle)

May 27 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium (Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams)

June 2 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field (girl in red, Owenn)

June 3 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field (girl in red, Owenn)

June 10 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field (girl in red, Owenn)

June 17 — Pittsburgh, PA @ Acrisure Stadium (girl in red, Owenn)

June 24 — Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium (girl in red, Owenn)

July 1 — Cincinnati, OH @ Paycor Stadium (Muna, Gracie Abrams)

July 8 — Kansas City, MO @ GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Muna, Gracie Abrams)

July 15 — Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High (Muna, Gracie Abrams)

July 22 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field (Haim, Gracie Abrams)

July 29 — Santa Clara, CA @ Levi’s® Stadium (Haim, Gracie Abrams)

August 4 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium (Haim, Owenn)

August 5 — Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium  (Haim, Gayle)