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Charlie Puth and Brooke Sansone are married! After two years of dating, the 32-year-old musician and digital marketing coordinator tied the knot Sept. 7 at Puth’s family home in Montecito, Calif., which they announced 10 days later on Tuesday (Sept. 17).
In photos from the outdoor ceremony, which the groom shared on Instagram, Sansone looks gorgeous in a strapless white dress while the “See You Again” musician sports a black suit with lacy white trim.
“I love you Brooke…I always have,” Puth captioned his post. “With you I am my very best. I promise I’ll love you everyday in this life, and even more when we move on to our next.”
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“Thank you for making me the happiest man alive,” he added. “It has always been you.”
The couple have been dating since June 2022, though they both grew up in New Jersey — a fact they paid tribute to by using Bruce Springsteen’s “Jersey Girl” as their first-dance song, according to Vogue. After a year and three months together, Puth flew from Los Angeles to New York City and proposed to Sansone at 11:11 p.m. on Sept. 5, 2023.
“It was just the two of us, sharing Chinese food on the couch in a beautifully intimate moment,” the fashion hobbyist told the publication. “Afterward, we FaceTimed our families to share the news and spent the next few days celebrating in NYC.”
Puth first announced that he was engaged exactly one year prior to the nuptials on Instagram, writing at the time, “I am the happiest, best version of myself and it is all because of you Brookie.” A few months prior, they’d made their red-carpet debut at the Clive Davis pre-Grammy party in Los Angeles.
In October 2022, Puth revealed on The Howard Stern Show that he was “definitely in love” with “someone [he] grew up with.” “As my life gets more turbulent and I travel everywhere, it’s nice to have someone close to you that you’ve known for a very long time,” he added at the time.
Linkin Park’s “The Emptiness Machine” shoots to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart dated Sept. 21, ahead of a slew of favorites from the band’s decades-long catalog that spiked after the release of its comeback single and the announcement and launch of its new mini tour.
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In the week ending Sept. 12, the first full week of tracking for “The Emptiness Machine” (it was released at 6 p.m. ET on Sept. 5), the song earned 13.4 million official U.S. streams, 9.2 million radio audience impressions and sold 8,000 downloads, according to Luminate.
The count of 13.4 million streams is the second-biggest for any hard rock song since Luminate began tracking U.S. streaming activity and the largest for any newly released hard rock tune. The only frame in which any song went bigger: Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which accumulated 13.9 million streams toward the Billboard charts dated Nov. 24, 2018, amid the release of the Queen biopic of the same name that fall.
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In fact, only 10 hard rock songs have reached Billboard’s all-genre Streaming Songs chart since its 2013 inception, with “The Emptiness Machine” becoming the 10th via its No. 19 bow. Four of those are from Linkin Park; in addition to “The Emptiness Machine,” the band appeared with two songs – “Numb” at No. 29 and “In the End” at No. 32 – on the Aug. 12, 2017, ranking following the death of co-frontman Chester Bennington. “Lost” followed with a No. 32 debut in 2023.
Of that 10-song group, only “Lost” and “The Emptiness Machine” were new releases, as the rest either spiked due to news events or viral videos.
“The Emptiness Machine” tops Hot Hard Rock Songs after debuting at No. 7 a week earlier with 1.1 million audience impressions, 690,000 official U.S. streams and 1,000 sold Sept. 5.
The track is the third Linkin Park song to reign on Hot Hard Rock Songs, which began in 2020. “In the End” led for two weeks in 2021, helped by iTunes sale-pricing, and “Lost” ruled for 16 frames, released as part of the 20th anniversary reissue of the Linkin Park album Meteora.
“In the End” is one of four songs from Linkin Park’s catalog to reach Hot Hard Rock Songs and the parent Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart dated Sept. 21 (where older songs are eligible to appear if ranking in the latter list’s top half and with a meaningful reason for their return).
“Numb” leads the group, at Nos. 2 and 12 on Hot Hard Rock Songs and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, respectively. In the week ending Sept. 12, the song accumulated 6.4 million official U.S. streams and sold 1,000 downloads.
“In the End” is next (Nos. 3 and 15) with 5.9 million streams and 1,000 sold, followed by “One Step Closer” (Nos. 4 and 21, respectively) with 4.2 million streams and “Faint” (Nos. 5 and 25) with 3.6 million streams.
All five songs, plus “What I’ve Done,” make the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart, with the No. 1 debut of “The Emptiness Machine” marking Linkin Park’s second ruler, following “Lost.”
“In the End” (2001), “Faint” (2003), “Numb” (2003) and “What I’ve Done” (2007) each hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart upon their original runs, while “One Step Closer” peaked at No. 5 in 2001.
The gains extend to Billboard’s albums charts; Linkin Park boasts three appearances on Top Hard Rock Albums, paced by Meteora at No. 1 (17,000 equivalent album units earned) and followed by [Hybrid Theory] (No. 2, 16,000 units) and Papercuts (No. 6, 11,000 units). Those three albums also appear on the all-format Billboard 200, Meteora leading the haul at No. 47.
All in all, Linkin Park’s catalog drew 72.9 million official on-demand U.S. streams in the week ending Sept. 12 – up 91% from 38.2 million in the week ending Sept. 5.
In addition to its reign on Hot Hard Rock Songs and its component Hard Rock Streaming Songs list, “The Emptiness Machine” tops Hard Rock Digital Song Sales and hits No. 1 on Rock & Alternative Airplay, as previously reported.
“The Emptiness Machine” is the lead single from From Zero, Linkin Park’s upcoming eighth studio album and first with new members Emily Armstrong on vocals and Colin Brittain on drums, following the death of Bennington and departure of longtime drummer Rob Bourdon. It’s scheduled for release Nov. 15.
Tamela Mann earns her record 11th No. 1 on Billboard’s Gospel Airplay chart as “Working for Me” ascends to the top of the tally dated Sept. 21. It increased by 6% in plays Sept. 6-12, according to Luminate.
With the song, which Mann co-authored with Phillip Bryant and Tameka Mintze, she breaks out of a tie with fellow format cornerstone Kirk Franklin for the most No. 1s on the chart, which began in March 2005. James Fortune & FIYA follow with nine leaders, while Jekalyn Carr, Todd Dulaney, Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Marvin Sapp are next with seven apiece.
“My greatest joy is to be able to encourage people and uplift them. I never dreamed that I could reach people on this level, but I am so thankful,” Mann tells Billboard. “I’m grateful that God has given me the opportunity and platform to share my music and His message with the world and impact lives in a positive way. I have tears of joy, and I want to thank everyone for your love and support on this journey together.”
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With “Working For Me,” Mann also earns her fifth Gospel Airplay No. 1 in a row. The song follows “Finished,” which dominated for three weeks starting last March; “He Did It” (two, May 2022); “Help Me” (four, beginning in September 2021); and “Touch Me” (five, starting in December 2020).
Mann matches Cobbs Leonard, also on an active run, for the most consecutive Gospel Airplay chart-toppers among women. Overall, Dulaney and Jonathan McReynolds are tied for the most back-to-back No. 1s with six consecutive chart-toppers each.
Winans’ ‘King’ Rules for 20th Week
On Billboard’s multimetric Hot Gospel Songs survey, CeCe Winans’ “That’s My King” rolls up its 20th week at No. 1.
The hit becomes the 15th to lead Hot Gospel Songs for 20 weeks or longer since the chart began in 2003. Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music’s “Jireh,” featuring Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine, boasts the longest reign (86 weeks starting in April 2021), followed by Marvin Sapp’s “Never Would Have Made It” (46 weeks, beginning in August 2007); and Kirk Franklin’s “Wanna Be Happy?” (45 weeks, starting in September 2015).
“That’s My King” became Winans’ third Hot Gospel Songs chart No. 1 in May and has logged an uninterrupted run in charge. Concurrently, it rises 6-5 on Hot Christian Songs, returning to its best rank. During the tracking week, it collected 6.3 million all-format radio impressions, 1.3 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 sold.
50 Cent isn’t letting up in his trolling of his longtime rival Sean “Diddy” Combs following the music mogul’s federal indictment, which was unsealed on Tuesday morning in New York City (Sept. 17).
The G-Unit boss has been on a media tour in support of his new book The Accomplice, but he still made some time to take a jab at Diddy surrounding the details of his sprawling sex trafficking indictment on Tuesday.
50 posted a photo with Drew Barrymore to promote his appearance on her show, but didn’t waste any time sneaking in a shot at Diddy, hinting at the indictment’s report that federal agents allegedly seized over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant from his Miami and Los Angeles homes as evidence during a federal raid in March.
“Here I am keeping good company with @DrewBarrymoreTV and I don’t have 1,000 bottles of lube at the house,” he wrote alongside his photo with the actress.
One fan replied: “I was waiting on 50 to chime in and here it is.” Another added: “I know you got more coming for us today bro.”
The 1,000 bottles of lube 50 is referencing came from the Sept. 12 indictment, which was unveiled during Tuesday’s presser by U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, who claimed the bottles confiscated from Sean Combs’ possession were used in the alleged sexual “freak offs.”
Williams also claimed that Combs’ staff would stock hotel rooms with lubricant and baby oil for the “freak offs.” Electronic devices were seized containing evidence of the “freak offs” with multiple victims.
Diddy was reportedly arrested at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan on Monday night. Combs faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, per the indictment obtained by Billboard. The conspiracy charge also came with allegations of forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery from 2008 through the present day.
“For decades, Sean Combs … abused, threatened and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation and conceal his conduct,” the indictment reads. “To do so, Combs relied on the employees, resources and the influence of his multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled.”
If convicted on the charges, Combs will be facing a minimum sentence of 15 years jail time, while the charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Diddy is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
Nominations for the 2024 Latin Grammy Awards were announced Tuesday (Sept. 17) with Mexican hitmaker Edgar Barrera leading the pack for a second consecutive year. Barrera, who has nine nominations (including songwriter of the year and producer of the year), is followed by eight-time nominees Karol G and Bad Bunny. The former is up for […]
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Longtime and respected music executive Kevin Liles announced that he is leaving his post at 300 Entertainment. The unexpected news, along with the Twitter-breaking announcement that Sean “Diddy” Combs has been indicted, arrested and charged with racketeering and sex trafficking, has many speculating that the two items are not unrelated.
On Tuesday morning (September 17) Liles announced via social media that he would be stepping down as Chairman and CEO of 300 Entertainment, where has worked for almost 10 years.
300 launched in late 2014 as an independent label and was helmed by Liles, Lyor Cohen, Todd Moscowitz and Roger Gold. The made their rep turbo boosting the careers of young Hip-Hop artists, particularly from the South, that included Megan Thee Stallion, Migos, Gunna, Young Thug in more. In 2021, 300 was acquired by Warner Music Group which in turn melded it with the Alantic Music Group to form the 300 Elektra Entertainment Group one year later.
“The cultural impact we created in 10 years when starting from scratch is simply unmatched in the modern era,” said Liles in the memo to employees that he shared online. “We transformed our value proposition – “mindset of independent, muscle of a major” – into a model for the rest of the industry to chase in this new era of music. But if there’s one consistent in music and culture, it’s that change is inevitable. ”
Liles says he’ll be officially stepping down at the end of the month, but will remain on as a consult to ensure a smooth transition. As for the timing, there have been other executive recently leaving the WMG fold, like another longtime exec whose name may be familiar to Hip-Hop heads, Julie Greenwald of Atlantic. However, the Internet loves a good conspiracy theory, so Diddy, and his troubles with the law, are getting added to the mix.
But actually worth noting is that in February 2023, Trey Songz, Atlantic Records & Kevin Liles were named in $25 million lawsuit that cited “systematic sexual abuse in the music industry.” The cased was settled in Aprll 2024 for an undisclosed amount.
See some of the said reactions in the gallery.
6. He’s not, though.
Grammy winner and Americana luminary Allison Russell is set to make her Broadway debut in the eight-time Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown.
Beginning on Nov. 12, Russell will perform as the Greek goddess Persephone in the lauded musical. Hadestown is based on the 2010 concept album adapting the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice by folk singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, who then went on to create the show’s music, lyrics and book.
On her Instagram, Russell celebrated her upcoming debut, while recalling her first time seeing Mitchell perform the show’s song “Why We Build The Wall” in Santa Barbara, California in 2008.
“I was transfixed,” Russell wrote. “When Anaïs told me later that night that she was working on a ‘folk opera’ based on the myth of Orpheus & Eurydice all my hairs stood on end — I had a premonition that it would be become a piece that would outlive us all…”
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After Mitchell released Hadestown in 2010, the project was later turned into a stage musical and made its U.S. debut in 2016. Three years later, the musical opened on Broadway and won eight Tony Awards that same year, including best musical.
“It has been a keen and continuous joy to have a front row seat to the evolution of this great opus — from the 2010 album to Off Broadway to the Edmonton Theatre to the London Theatre and finally to Broadway and the Walter Kerr Theatre,” Russell wrote. “Anaïs has been and is a lodestar artist, writer and friend to me since that night in 2008 … impossible for me to fully convey how deeply meaningful, resonant, uplifting, full circle and THRILLING it is to be making my Broadway debut, starring in the role of Persephone (a Goddess and archetype I have explored in both poetry and song myself since childhood) in this generational masterpiece and my favourite musical.”
Russell also added that she is “proud to be joining the sisterhood of artists who’ve embodied Persephone, proud to be joining this extraordinary ensemble, proud to become a part of this living, growing legacy. This is a World I’ve dreamt of and one I get to live in now. I am excited and grateful beyond measure to be joining @hadestown! See you way down under the ground.”
For Russell, early 2025 is slated to be filled with performances. The singer-songwriter, who has been supporting Hozier’s Unreal Unearth Tour this year, is also slated for a brief run of tour dates in Australia in April 2025, and will then embark on her rescheduled All Returners Tour later than month, with the tour launching April 30 in South Burlington, Vt. and including shows in New York, San Francisco and Nashville.
At this week’s Americana Music Awards — set for Wednesday, Sept. 18 in Nashville — Russell is also nominated for the evening’s artist of the year trophy, alongside Tyler Childers, Charley Crockett, Sierra Ferrell and Noah Kahan.
See Russell’s announcement post below:
Everything has changed since Taylor Swift was 21, but when it comes to her ideal relationship, what she wants is nothing new. In newly shared audio from 60 Minutes‘ 2011 interview with the young singer-songwriter shared on the program’s A Second Look podcast Tuesday (Sept. 17), Swift — still a country musician at this point […]
Aubrey O’Day is hopeful for the future following Sean “Diddy” Combs’ arrest.
“The purpose of Justice is to provide an ending and allow us the space to create a new chapter. Women never get this. I feel validated. Today is a win for women all over the world, not just me. Things are finally changing,” the former Danity Kane member tweeted.
O’Day has a longtime history of speaking out against Diddy. Danity Kane was formed back in 2005 on Diddy’s Making the Band and the group was also later signed to his Bad Boy Records label. O’Day was kicked out of the group in 2008, and she alleged on Call Her Daddy in 2022 that her departure was related to her refusal to fulfill non-music requests for the rapper.
The purpose of Justice is to provide an ending and allow us the space to create a new chapter. Women never get this. I feel validated. Today is a win for women all over the world, not just me. Things are finally changing.— Aubrey O’Day (@AubreyODay) September 17, 2024
Diddy was arrested Monday (Sept. 16) in New York City, and Manhattan federal prosecutors have since unveiled the substance of their case against Combs — accusing him of operating a criminal enterprise centered on his “pervasive pattern of abuse toward women.”
The indictment, obtained by Billboard, includes allegations of sexual abuse, accusing rapper and music executive of running a racketeering conspiracy that included sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson and bribery. If convicted of the charges, Combs is facing a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life behind bars. Combs is expected to be arraigned later on Tuesday at a Manhattan federal courthouse.
In a video obtained by CNN earlier this year and dated March 5, 2016, Combs appears to shove his longtime former partner, Cassie Ventura, to the ground near an elevator bank, kick her several times while she lies on the ground and drag her down a hallway. The contents of the video mirror an assault allegation Ventura made in a now-settled lawsuit she filed against Diddy in November.
Ventura was the first to accuse Diddy of sexual assault, filing a lawsuit in November in which attorneys for Cassie claimed she “endured over a decade of his violent behavior and disturbed demands,” including repeated physical attacks and forcing her to “engage in sex acts with male sex workers” while he masturbated. According to the complaint, after she attempted to separate from him in 2018 after an on-and-off public relationship for 11 years, Combs allegedly “forced her into her home and raped her while she repeatedly said ‘no’ and tried to push him away.” The case was soon settled, but Combs was then sued by multiple other women who claimed they were sexually abused by the hip-hop mogul.
O’Day has previously spoken out in defense of Ventura. “I am in full support of Cassie,” O’Day shared in a statement to ET in November. “It isn’t easy to take on one of the most powerful people in this industry and be honest about your experience with them. I know what her heart is feeling right now, because I have done so as well. May her voice bring all the others to the table, so we can start having more transparent conversations about what is actually happening behind the scenes. There is a lot more to all of our stories!”
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please call the confidential National Domestic Violence Hotline toll-free at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org.
Quavo and Ty Dolla $ign are taking their cinematic tunes to the silver screen. Huncho and Ty teamed up with Brian Tyler on Tuesday (Sept. 17) to unleash the futuristic visual to Transformers One‘s “If I Fall.”
Tyler is on double-duty as the uptempo song’s producer while also directing the robot-themed clip under his immersive audio-visual project Are We Dreaming.
Huncho and Ty dish out motivational rhymes over the thumping production while moving around a dark room dodging the flashing lights. Chaos ensues with scenes mixed in from the new film, and it’s easy to see how the sci-fi clip could align with the action-packed blockbuster.
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“Ain’t no plan B and we won’t stand for defeat/ I’m in my prime, Optimus (Optimus), I’m goin’ big, Megatron/ I’ma sting, Bumblebee, now crown the king, hope you proud of me,” Quavo raps while incorporating Transformers characters into his bars.
Tyler, who is also on board as the film’s composer, reflected on having the opportunity to team up with the pair of hip-hop titans on the track that arrived earlier this month. “It was so dope getting to work with legends Quavo and Ty Dolla who both killed it in the video for ‘If I Fall,’ which has a sick sci-fi feel that brings you into the world of Transformers,” he said. “The sets were epic, it felt like we were on Cybertron.”
He continued of his all-encompassing involvement in the creative process: “It’s kind of crazy directing your own music video when you are also singing on it, playing the drums, editing the cut, and creating the visual effects. Being so integrated in the entire process has been insane but amazing.”
Transformers One hits U.S. theaters on Friday (Sept. 20) along with the release of the blockbuster’s soundtrack. With a reported budget of $75 million, the animated flick stars Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Hamm and more in the loaded cast.
Watch the “If I Fall” video below.
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