Music
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Billboard China has officially announced the inaugural Billboard Global No. 1s selection for the China region. In a collaboration with TME Chart — part of Tencent Music Entertainment Group — Billboard China has analyzed the annual performance data from TME Chart, which encompasses the UNI Chart and Wave Chart, to curate a shortlist of 50 […]
The Strokes’ frontman Julian Casablancas has taken to social media to note his refusal to vote in the 2024 U.S election, and explaining his reasoning for doing so.
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Taking to Instagram on Tuesday (Nov. 5), the vocalist shared an image of a sticker which read “I Protested” instead of the typical “I Voted” illustration. In the caption, Casablancas explained that his post had been prefaced by a discussion with his mother, who expressed her disagreement with his decision to abstain from the democratic process.
“My beautiful sweet amazing mom just told me ‘I agree with you but right now vote at lease to keep trump from winning. Think of your children’,” he wrote. “I understand and respect that viewpoint of marginal incremental betterment, but respectfully do not think it is the path…
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“Like I told her, I am thinking of my children. The 2 parties are a joke… a horrible lie,” he continued. “The military and oil companies and banks are who we are voting for – and the media is their propaganda/entertainment wing. [And] with the way they cheated Bernie I see little point in choosing between these puppets… They want you to think it matters. That way nothing will change but it has to change.”
Casablancas’ post was met with widespread criticism in the comments, with fans on sites such as Reddit noting they were “super disappointed” in his decision. Fans on the same site were quick to point out that Casablancas’ bandmate, bassist Nikolai Fraiture, had shared his own sticker from his early voting experiences on Oct. 31.
Casablancas also caught the attention of music fans earlier in the week when he spoke to The Guardian for their ‘Honest Playlist’ feature in support of The Voidz’ new album, Like All Before You. In the discussion, Casablancas reflected on The Strokes‘ discography, noting that their breakthrough single “Last Nite” (which peaked at No. 5 on the Alternative Airplay chart in 2002) is a song he can “no longer listen to”.
“‘Last Nite’ by the Strokes is pretty dead to me. I’m not sure why,” he stated. “There are some others like ‘Reptilia’, ‘Hard to Explain’, ‘Someday’, ‘Take It Or Leave it’, ‘New York City Cops’ that are comparable in terms of crowd reaction that I’m not quite as sick of. If I heard it on the radio, I’d probably turn it off.”
‘Tis the season, and Kelly Clarkson is helping ring in the holidays. The superstar is set to return for her second year as host of NBC’s annual Christmas in Rockefeller Center telecast. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news She announced the exciting news during Tuesday’s (Nov. 5) episode of The […]
Andrea Swift is just as big of a Kansas City Chiefs fan as her daughter is. Taylor Swift’s mom attended the NFL game at Arrowhead Stadium with the “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” singer and her son Austin on Monday night (Nov. 4), where she was seen cheering on Tay’s boyfriend, tight […]
There’s been an update about the upcoming Drake and PartyNextDoor collab album. PND hopped on his Instagram Live as he wraps up the European leg of his Sorry I’m Outside Tour and revealed his project with his label boss Drake is nearing the finish line. “Guys, I have one more show on this tour,” he […]
Barry Keoghan is Sabrina Carpenter’s biggest fan! The Academy Award-nominated actor discussed his relationship with the “Feather” pop star during a recent episode of Spotify’s The Louis Theroux Podcast, where he was asked directly, “Are you in a relationship with Sabrina Carpenter?” “Oh, I knew you’d do this,” Keoghan said with a laugh, before eventually explaining, “Listen, […]
Kodak Black spent some time with Kai Cenat on his 30-day Mafiathon Twitch stream recently, leaving fans concerned. The Florida rapper arrived, put a Haiti scarf on, pulled out a Stanley cup, and got comfortable. The convo started off innocent enough as Kodak revealed that he spoke fluent Haitian Creole and frequently plays FIFA. They […]
Celine Dion has paid tribute to iconic producer/arranger/composer and bandleader Quincy Jones, following his death Sunday at age 91.
“I am heartbroken to learn of the passing of my friend, the one and only musical genius, Quincy Jones,” Dion wrote on her official social media accounts. “Quincy touched my world as both a cherished mentor and as also as someone I looked up to for his deep impact on virtually every form of American music. I was privileged to work with Quincy, it was a dream come true. In our sessions, his musical intuition was nothing short of profound – he helped me capture “a little piece of heaven.” Quincy always knew exactly what each song needed.
“In addition to his kindness and countless achievements, I also admired him for his philanthropic work which benefited the arts, global famine and underprivileged youth. His reach truly extends to all corners of the globe! Quincy once said, ‘Music is the soul of the universe. It connects us all on a level that words alone cannot reach. ‘May his wisdom and joy remain with us always. – Celine xx…”
Dion also shared a few photos of herself working on projects with Jones, including a pic of the two music titans from February 2010, when Dion took part in the recording session for “We Are the World 25 for Haiti,” to benefit the island nation in the wake of a devastating earthquake. The session was held at the Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood.
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Another photo the singer shared featured Dion with Jones and Humberto Gatica from a Los Angeles recording session in 2006, when Dion recorded the song “I Knew I Loved You,” the theme song from Once Upon a Time in America.
Jones was a 28-time Grammy Award winner (and 80-time nominee), known for his work in producing and arranging on timeless albums, including Michael Jackson’s 1979 album Off The Wall, 1982’s Thriller, and 1987’s Bad. He also guided the recording sessions for the all-star charity single “We Are the World” in 1985; the song rose to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and featured artists including Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and Kenny Rogers.
Prior to his pop prominence, Jones worked with Frank Sinatra beginning in 1958. He worked on Sinatra’s 1964 album It Might As Well Be Swing, with the Count Basie Orchestra. That project included Sinatra’s rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon.”
But Jones’ influence and work expanded far beyond solely working with music artists. He also acquired the rights to the novel The Color Purple, casting Oprah Winfrey in the book’s 1985 film adaptation. Jones scored Sidney Lumet’s 1964 film The Pawnbroker, and soon composed the music for the 1967 films In the Heat of the Night and In Cold Blood. He composed the theme songs for series including Sanford and Son, The Bill Cosby Show (1969-1971), and Ironside. In 1977, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding music composition for a series for his work on Roots: Part 1. Jones was also an executive producer on series including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (starring Will Smith) and LL Cool J’s In the House. Jones also founded the hip-hop magazine Vibe.
With a hotly-contested presidential election going on, Shaboozey thinks we could all use a little “Good News.” So, he’s here to give us a taste of just that. In a TikTok posted on Monday (Nov. 5), the “Bar Song” singer shared a snippet of his yet-to-be announced new single, in which he looks for some […]
Over the last year-and-change, Charli XCX and Troye Sivan launched two album campaigns, topped Billboard charts, earned Grammy Award nominations, and took their careers to new heights. The pinnacle of their synergized success was their North American co-headlining arena tour.
Charli XCX and Troye Sivan Present: Sweat played 22 shows in the U.S. and Canada in September and October, wrapping with $28 million and 297,000 tickets sold, according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. This surpasses Billboard’s own projections of $23.5 million and 270,000 from just last month.
From the tour’s April announcement, tickets gradually encroached on sell-out territory. Major markets like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco blew out immediately, but overall, the tour averaged 67% after the first weekend of sales. As Sivan toured Europe and Charli turned the summer green, sales grew to 70% by the end of May, 80% by mid-June, 90% by the end of July, and to 97% by opening night. With final numbers reported, the tour was completely sold out, even if Sivan once lovingly joked that they were “flopping” in Nashville.
Jared Braverman (SVP of Global Touring at Live Nation) commented to Billboard, “The Sweat Tour selling out all 22 shows is a true testament to both Charli and Troye as arena-level acts. We believed in their ability to fill these venues from the moment we announced the tour and went on sale back in April. The success reflects the strong fanbases they’ve built and how their music continues to connect deeply with fans live.”
Los Angeles was the highlight, where they played two nights at Inglewood’s Kia Forum, pulling in $3.2 million from 29,500 tickets sold. Closing night (Oct. 23) at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena scored the tour’s best single-night attendance (15,016), while the Sept. 23 show at New York’s Madison Square Garden posted the highest one-night gross ($1.7 million).
On average, the Sweat shows grossed $1.3 million and sold 13,479 tickets per show. That’s more than ten times either artist’s previous best as a solo headliner, even considering shows they played earlier this year.
It’s rare for artists who make pop and dance music to sell out arenas without an extensive slate of chart hits. In conversation with Zane Low, Charli reflected that “niche is being rewarded in a way that we haven’t seen for a while.” The world-building that each artist has done with their recent albums and throughout the Sweat tour with guest stars in their orbit like Addison Rae, Kesha and Lorde, super-served fans. In Charli’s words, “We just have to do it for them. And we have to make them feel so special, because they are, because they’ve championed me and us for so long.”
Live Nation’s Lesley Olenik (SVP, Global Touring) agreed, calling it “the can’t-miss live event of the year.” She continued, “What made it truly special was the energy — fans were free to express themselves in ways we haven’t seen in years, and Charli and Troye fed off that vibe every night. It was a no-judgment zone where everyone could unapologetically be themselves.”
That’s not to say that they have not broken through on a mainstream level before. Charli reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2014 and even claimed that year’s Song of the Summer as a featured guest on Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.” Sivan has four top 10s on the Billboard 200 and nine hits on the Hot 100. In the last year, both acts hit No. 1 on Top Dance/Electronic Albums and logged multiple top 10s on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, separately and together.
Both artists will return home for brief runs of shows in November. Sivan will re-up the Something to Give Each Other Tour with six shows throughout Australia and New Zealand. After hosting and performing on the Nov. 16 episode of Saturday Night Live, Charli will launch the Brat Tour with four shows in the U.K. Combined, they’ve already moved 419,000 tickets and earned $34 million on the road in 2024. By year’s end, those numbers will swell beyond 500,000 and $45 million.