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Roger O’Donnell, the longtime keyboardist for The Cure, has revealed that he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of lymphoma in Sept. 2023.
The musician shared his experience on X, formerly known as Twitter, as part of Blood Cancer Awareness Month, urging followers to prioritize their health and get tested early.
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“In September last year I was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. I had ignored the symptoms for a few months but finally went, and after surgery, the result of the biopsy was devastating,” O’Donnell wrote.
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After nearly a year of treatment, including surgery, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy, he shared that his health has improved. “I’m fine, and the prognosis is amazing.”
“He added, “”The mad axe murderer knocked on the door and we didn’t answer.”
He added: “Cancer can be beaten but if you are diagnosed early enough you stand a way better chance, so all I have to say is go get tested, if you have the faintest thought you may have symptoms go and get checked out.
“Lastly if you know someone who is ill or suffering talk to them, every single word helps, believe me I know.”
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month so it’s a good opportunity to have a dialogue about these diseases. In September last year I was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of lymphoma. I had ignored the symptoms for a few months but finally went… pic.twitter.com/8Xftcd5nPL— Roger O’Donnell (@RogerODonnellX) September 1, 2024
O’Donnell emphasized the importance of early detection, advising, “Cancer CAN be beaten but if you are diagnosed early enough you stand a way better chance, so all I have to say is go GET TESTED, if you have the faintest thought you may have symptoms go and get checked out.”
The Cure recently wrapped up their Shows of a Lost World Tour in Sept. 2023, and fans won’t have to wait long for more from the band.
In October, they’ll release Novembre: Live in France 2022, a double A-side 12″ featuring live versions of new tracks “And Nothing Is Forever” and “I Can Never Say Goodbye.” The limited-edition vinyl, pressed on eco-friendly materials, will support Brian Eno’s Earth Percent climate charity, marking the band’s first official release of new music in 16 years.
The Cure’s influence on alternative rock is undeniable, with their 2019 album, 40 Live: Curaetion-25 + Anniversary, peaking at No. 30 on the Billboard 200.
Their earlier work, Disintegration, remains one of their most celebrated albums, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard 200 in 1989. Their 2004 self-titled album, The Cure, also climbed to No. 7 on the Billboard 200, while “Lovesong” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989, making it their highest-charting single in the U.S. The band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.
Fireboy DML‘s Adedamola tops this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Aug. 30) on Billboard, choosing the Nigerian singer-songwriter’s latest studio album as their favorite new music release of the past week. August might have slipped away like a bottle of wine, but end-of-summer tunes are still sinking in as September […]
Sabrina Carpenter is savoring a sweet victory this week, claiming her first-ever U.K. chart double.
The pop star’s latest album, Short n’ Sweet, has skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, while her single “Taste” is sitting pretty at the top of the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
And she’s not stopping there—Carpenter now holds the top three spots on the singles chart with “Taste,” “Please Please Please,” and “Espresso.” That’s a triple threat!
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At just 25, Sabrina becomes the first female artist (and only third overall) to score the No. 1 album and single in the U.K. simultaneously, while also holding the Top 3 positions on the Official U.K. Singles Chart.
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She’s following in the footsteps of Ed Sheeran and Harry Styles, but with her own unique twist—dominating the charts with a sweet blend of catchy tunes and undeniable star power. This week alone, she’s racked up her 13th cumulative week at No. 1 in 2024.
Over on the albums chart, Short n’ Sweet has made a massive impact, debuting at No. 1 with 89,000 chart units—the second-biggest first-week sales of the year in the U.K., trailing only behind Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department.
It marks a huge leap for Carpenter, whose previous album, emails i can’t send, peaked at No. 41 in 2022. Now, she’s tasting the sweetest success of her career.
Carpenter isn’t just taking over the U.K. charts, she’s also made her mark Down Under, where she also landed at No. 1 on Australia’s albums chart and completed a top-three sweep of the national singles tally. Short n’ Sweet debuted at the summit of the ARIA Albums Chart, published Friday, Aug. 30, for her first leader in the country.
Elsewhere on the U.K. Albums Chart, Fontaines D.C. celebrate the biggest opening week of their career with Romance, debuting at No. 2.
Oasis also makes history with three albums in the Top 5 simultaneously: Time Flies… (1994-2009) at No. 3, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? at No. 4, and Definitely Maybe at No. 5. The latter sees a resurgence thanks to its 30th-anniversary deluxe edition.
On the singles front, Sabrina’s triple domination is accompanied by notable movements from other artists. Sonny Fodera, Jazzy, and D.O.D. climb to a new peak with “Somedays,” moving up two places to No. 14.
Meanwhile, Oasis’s classics “Don’t Look Back In Anger,” “Wonderwall,” and “Live Forever” re-enter the Top 20 at No. 16, 17, and 19, respectively, following the announcement of their reunion tour.
A high school girls’ volleyball team invited Selena Gomez to one of their games over the weekend, and the “Love On” singer accepted the invite. She stopped by Telluride High School in Telluride, Colorado, on Saturday (Aug. 31) to shine a little light on the young athletes’ day.
Gomez was in town, promoting her film Emilia Pérez at the Telluride Film Festival. A handwritten sign on bright orange poster board, which was posted to a pole on Main Street, apparently caught her eye.
The sign was addressed to her: “Selena Gomez,” it said, “Please sing the National Anthem at one of [our] home games: Fri 6:00pm, Sat 1:00 ~ THS Volleyball Team.”
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It’s unclear whether or not Gomez actually performed the national anthem, but she did show up to the high school gymnasium to mingle with students. Video clips of her surprise appearance made it online — Gomez even shared a look at her visit via her own Instagram account — but no clips of the pop star/actress singing at Telluride could be found at press time.
“They asked!!” Gomez captioned her weekend Instagram post about attending the volleyball game. “Couldn’t help it, it’s my first time in Telluride!”
The post shows her smiling wide and, in a video filmed at the school, explaining what got her to show up: “I saw the sign!”
Gomez’s recap of the sports event shows her meeting students, signing autographs and posing for a group photo with the team.
Emilia Pérez, the Jacques Audiard-directed, Spanish-language musical crime film with a cast including Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz and Gomez (an ensemble that shared the best actress prize at Cannes, where it had its world premiere), saw its U.S. debut at the Telluride Film Festival. It was acquired by Netflix and will be available on the streaming service on Nov. 13.
See Gomez’s Instagram post from Telluride below.
Marcia Griffiths received a Lifetime Achievement Award Honor and Cedella Marley received a Legacy Award at the 2024 Caribbean Music Awards, which were presented on Thursday (Aug. 29) at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn, N.Y. Dancehall artist Spice and comedian Majah Hype co-hosted the show, which streamed live on YouTube.
“I’m truly blessed to continue the legacy that my family built,” Marley said in accepting the award. “I’m filled with gratitude and honor to be acknowledged for my work. I want to express my sincere thanks to the committee members and the beautiful people of our Caribbean. Your support and inspiration drive my passion and motivate me to do things I was once told ‘you can’t do that.’”
Marley dedicated the award to her mother, Rita Marley, who she described as her “shero.” “[She is] a woman of extraordinary strength, compassion, wisdom and love. It is her unwavering dedication and selflessness that have led to this moment. I am both proud and humbled to have her as my mother. As I pay tribute to the Marley legacy tonight, I celebrate the woman who has laid the foundation. One love.”
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Reggae legend Bob Marley was Cedella Marley’s father. Skip Marley is her son. Cedella Marley won three Grammy Awards as a member of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.
Shaggy paid tribute to Griffiths, who is celebrating 60 years in music. Griffiths is a former member of the I-Threes, which supported Bob Marley with backing vocals. She was a Grammy nominee three years ago for best reggae album for One World. Closing out the show, Tosh Alexander, Aiesha, Alaine and Nadine Sutherland performed in tribute to Griffiths.
The night’s most nominated artist, Dexta Daps, won performer of the year (dancehall). The Jamaican dancehall and reggae performer also performed a medley of songs, including “Shabba Madda Pot” and “Call Me If.”
Other winners in competitive categories included Buju Banton, Romeo Santos, Shaggy & Kes and Burna Boy & Byron Messia.
Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor, who has produced recordings by such varied artists as Sean Paul, Drake, John Legend, Vybz Kartel, John Legend, Shenseea and Jada Kingdom, received the producer award honor.
The Caribbean Music Awards recognizes artists, producers, and industry professionals who have significantly contributed to the Caribbean music landscape. This year’s nominations list included more than 40 categories spanning a diverse range of genres, including reggae, Soca and dancehall.
The awards are presented by the Caribbean Elite Group, which also produces Caribbean Elite Magazine – a print and digital publication which highlights Caribbean entertainers, artists, producers, promoters, cuisine, travel, fashion and entrepreneurs.
Here’s a complete list of winners in both competitive and honorary categories.
Competitive Categories
2023 Impact Award (Dancehall): 450
2023 Impact Award (Reggae): Mortimer
2023 Impact Award (Soca): Pumpa
Album of the Year (Reggae) Buju Banton, Born for Greatness
Album of the Year (Dancehall) Masicka, Generation of Kings
Artist of the Year (Bouyon): Mr. Ridge
Artist of the Year (French Caribbean): Kalash
Artist of the Year (Latin Caribbean): Romeo Santos
Artist of the Year Female (Dancehall): Shenseea
Artist of the Year Female (Reggae): Lila Iké
Artist of the Year Female (Soca): Patrice Roberts
Artist of the Year Male (Dancehall): Valiant
Artist of the Year Male (Reggae): Romain Virgo
Artist of the Year Male (Soca): Skinny Fabulous
Best New Artist (Dancehall): Rajah Wild
Best New Artist (Reggae): Ras-II
Best New Artist (Soca): Yung Bredda
Collaboration of the Year – Soca: Nailah Blackman & Skinny Fabulous, “Come Home”
Collaboration of the Year – Reggae: Shaggy & Kes, “Mood”
Collaboration of the Year – (Dancehall): Burna Boy & Byron Messia, Talibans II
Cruise Event of the Year: Uber Soca
Entertainer of the Year: Lee So Crazy
International DJ of the Year: DJ Puffy
Konpa Band of the Year: Zafem
Music Event of the Year: Stink & Dutty
People’s Choice (Powered by Spotify’s Frequency): Asa Bantan
Performer of the Year (Dancehall): Dexta Daps
Performer of the Year (Soca): Mr Killa
Song of the Year (Dancehall): Byron Messia, “Talibans”
Song of the Year (Soca): Bunji Garlin, “Hard Fete”
Video of the Year (Dancehall): Tee Jay, “Drift”
Video of the Year (Soca): Nailah Blackman & Skinny Fabulous, “Come Home”
Honorary Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award Honor: Marcia Griffiths
Elite Icon Award: Alison Hinds
Legacy Award: Cedella Marley
Artist of the Decade: Spice
Konpa Award Honor: Tabou Combo
Producer Award Honor: Di Genius
Chutney Award Honor: Ravi B
Gospel Award Honor: Sherwin Gardner
Calypso Award Honor: Mighty Sparrow
Rory Feek is responding to accusations from his older daughters about their concern over the well-being of their younger sister.
On Saturday (Aug. 31), the 59-year-old country star wrote a lengthy blog post, titled “love, dad,” in which he responded to accusations from his daughters Heidi, 37, and Hopie, 35, that their younger sister, Indiana, 10, is living in unsafe conditions with him and his new wife.
“I will do my best to try to respond to a few of the things that are being said, with hopes that something in what I write might be helpful,” Rory began his 3,500-word post.
In late August, Heidi and Hopie shared on Instagram that they were threatening to take legal action against Rory regarding their little sister Indiana “Indy” Boone, who has Down syndrome.
“We are pursuing legal action because we no longer believe Indiana is safe under our father’s care, and her well-being remains our top priority,” reads Heidi’s Aug. 23 post on Instagram.
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Billboard had not been able to locate a filed lawsuit at press time.
Following Rory’s marriage to Indiana’s teacher Rebecca on July 14 in Greycliff, Mont., Heidi shared posts on Instagram indicating that the 10-year-old had been left with unfamiliar family members while their father and his new wife were on their honeymoon in the Treasure State, Taste of Country reports.
Rory’s first wife, Joey, died at 40 in 2016 after a battle with cervical cancer. The duo performed under the name Joey + Rory. She was first diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014, and he revealed the following year that they had decided to end treatment.
In another Instagram post on Aug. 29, Heidi reportedly expressed concerns that Indiana was being “left in the care of a group” identified as Montana branch of the Homestead Heritage, which calls itself an “agrarian- and craft-based intentional Christian community.” A Texas Observer report in 2012 alleged abuse within the Waco area-based group, including the sexual assault of children, which the Homestead Heritage has denied.
In his blog post on Saturday, Rory wrote that while on his honeymoon in Greycliff, Indiana was left with two families that both had children close to his daughter’s age, and that she “had a ball” during the experience.
“I am not a perfect father, but I’m also not an idiot,” the singer wrote.
He also noted that Homestead Heritage is not a cult. “Those folks are just living in a way that other people don’t like or understand, and it’s a whole lot easier to call something a cult and dismiss it than it is to look deeper into and actually find out what it is they are doing and why they’re doing it,” the musician wrote.
Rory admitted, however, that every community, church and family has its fair share of “bad apples,” but that “we should be a culture of redeeming people, not of canceling them.”
Elsewhere in his blog post, Rory explained that Indiana is no longer allowed to visit Heidi and Hopie in Alabama, but that she is allowed to speak to her older siblings on the phone.
“Every couple of months, I used to let Indiana spend a night or two with her big sisters in Alabama, but about a year ago, I stopped allowing that,” he wrote. “Mostly because they refused to respect my wishes when she was there.”
Rory goes on to explain that he is a conservative Christian and his daughters believe something “completely different,” and that they were exposing Indiana to movies and music that he didn’t approve of.
“Indiana is my daughter, and I know what Joey would want, and I am standing firmly on not compromising the values and principles that are important to me to raise Indy with,” the artist wrote. “I tell her that hopefully soon, we’ll all be back together, and she’ll get to talk to and see them again. I do look forward to that day almost as much as Indy does.”
On Saturday, Heidi responded to her father’s blog post on Instagram, writing that she and Hopie had been trying to reach him for months but he had not responded to their offline attempts. She also shared a screenshot of unanswered text messages and audio of a phone conversation where they allegedly begged him to attend family therapy.
Megan Thee Stallion and RM are collaborating on new music.
The 29-year-old Houston rapper announced through social media Sunday (Sept. 1) that she’s teaming up with the BTS star on the new song “Neva Play.” The collab drops on Friday, Sept. 6, and can be pre-saved on streaming services here.
“NEVA PLAY WITH RM OUT FRIDAY HOTTIES X ARMY #MEGJOON,” Megan captioned a promo drawing on Instagram of herself sporting blue hair and flashing cash while RM casually looks over his shoulder.
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She further teased in the post, “ps. This is one of my favorite RM verses I’ve heard! I’ve never heard him rap in this style before.”
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“Screaming!!!!!!!,” Halsey, who collaborated with BTS on “Boy With Luv” in 2019, wrote in the comments.
The “Hiss” rapper hinted at a new duet on X (formerly Twitter) earlier in the week, when she simply tweeted a pointed string of emojis: “🐎X💜 👀.” The cryptic post got lots of fans fired up, with some immediately guessing that the purple heart signified BTS’ involvement. The following day, BTS’ account confirmed the news of a team-up: “🐎X🦔(🐨),” the K-pop band wrote, retweeting her original post. “Coming Soon! 💜👀.”
The news arrives about two months after Megan Thee Stallion released her third album, Megan, which debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Meanwhile, BTS’ full-band activities have been on pause as the members fulfill their mandatory military obligations in South Korea, with some of the boys dropping solo projects in the meantime.
“Neva Play” won’t be the first time Meg has worked with members of BTS. In 2021, she jumped on the remix to the boy band’s Billboard Hot 100-topping single “Butter,” which they all performed together at BTS’ concert in Los Angeles that November.
“I love BTS, and I was telling my manager, ‘I really want to do a song with BTS, I don’t know what I can do or what we’re going to do,’” she recalled to Entertainment Tonight the following February. “Around that the same time, they wound up reaching out to me and asking me to do the ‘Butter’ remix. So, I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”
See Megan Thee Stallion’s post about her RM collab on Instagram below.
Adele is ready for a break from the spotlight.
During the final show of her Munich residency on Saturday (Aug. 31), the 36-year-old British songstress reiterated her plan to take a lengthy break from music after her Las Vegas residency wraps up this fall.
“I just need a rest. I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself and I want to live it now,” Adele told the crowd at Munich’s custom-built Adele Arena. “I want to live my life that I’ve been building and I will miss you terribly.”
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The “Easy on Me” hitmaker’s 10-night stand in the German city concluded Saturday. Her Weekends With Adele residency at Sin City’s Colosseum at Caesars Palace picks back up in October for another 10 performances.
“But after that, I will not see you for an incredibly long time,” the singer said. “And I will hold you dear in my heart for that whole length of my break.”
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Adele revealed earlier this summer that she plans to step away from music for a while after her Vegas residency.
“I don’t have any plans for new music at all,” she told Germany’s ZDF. In fact, the star, who said she “doesn’t like being famous,” added, “I want a big break after this and I think I want to do other creative things, just for a little while.”
Adele launched Weekends With Adele run in November 2022. She said that the residency of 100 live shows over the past two years have left her feeling as if her “tank is quite empty.”
The singer, who has not gone on a world tour since her 2016-2017 run in support of her 25 album, has made a habit of taking time for herself between albums and tours. Those stretches out of the public eye have increased over time, from three years between her 2008 debut, 19, and 2011’s 21, to four years until her 2015 LP 25 and six between that album and 2021’s 30.
During one of her Weekends shows in January, Adele told the audience, “I just don’t think I’m gonna write an album for quite some time,” teasing that when she does she may be ready to hit the road properly again.
With millions of viewers around the world tuning in and casting votes for contestants in the K-pop survival show Boys Planet, contestants who didn’t make a place in the final band left the program with fans eager to see their next steps. No group perhaps better embraces such potential than EVNNE, the seven-member boy band quickly ascending the K-pop ranks and proving themselves as far more than just a simple spin-off act.
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Noted for an intense collective charisma, the boy band’s debut with hard-hitting singles “Trouble” and “Ugly” spoke to a viewpoint as the convention-defying underdogs ready to prove themselves to the world. The group scored number-one hit songs and awards on Korea’s competitive music programs, and this summer embarked on their first U.S. tour to expand their international fanbase and showcase their dynamic performances across multiple cities.
“We didn’t expect it, but we really wanted it,” EVNNE’s leader Keita says of the group’s ability to break out beyond Korea and tour the States. “We felt that there were a lot of fans all over the world cheering for us while we were doing such a program like Boys Planet…it’s really a dream come true.”
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But it’s not just the awards and accolades that define EVNNE’s success. In less than a year, the group has shown remarkable evolution in their musical style, transitioning from the rebellious anthems of their debut to a softer, more romantic sound with their third EP, RIDE or DIE from June. The lead single, “Badder Love,” a soothing rock-pop track recorded in both Korean and English, marks a new chapter for the group.
“The reason we came out with the concept of bad guys when we made our debut was because we wanted to show the public what we can do best,” Yunseo says. “But we released a refreshing album like this because we wanted to show a new side of us.”
With accomplishments both in awards and aristry, Keita, Hanbin, Lee Jeonghyeon, Yunseo, Seungeon, Mun Junghyun and Jihoo have managed to carved their place in the industry and show lasting potential even if the group’s time together may be short. Read on for why else EVNNE is a group to watch as Billboard‘s K-Pop Rookie of the Month for August 2024.
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Congratulations on the success so far and being named Billboard‘s Rookie of the Month! I wonder how you feel about your achievements over the past few months?
YUNSEO: We’ve been through a lot with our members and together we’ve achieved a lot of things, but time is really flying by so fast — faster than I thought. It feels surreal that we’ve been spending so much time together and able experience a lot of things in such a short time, but it also has been very short. Even so, we have realized that there are more fans and more people really supporting us, giving us so much love, so we are just very happy and grateful for everything.
SEUNGEON: I want to add that I’m so happy to be able to come to the U. S. tour following the Asia tour and so excited to meet people from different places. We truly believe that winning on the music shows and being able to go on tours in different countries is all thanks to our fans’ love and support for us. So, we are very thankful for that. We are also very happy and excited to be named as the Rookie of the Month on Billboard. We have been really wanting this so thank you so much.
While you didn’t earn a place in the final group for Boys Planet, you are here now winning awards and going on tour. Did you guys expect all these things to happen?
KEITA: We didn’t expect it, but we really wanted it. We felt that there were a lot of fans all over the world cheering for us while we were doing such a program so we always dreamed that we wanted to go to many cities, perform for many fans, share our energy and communicate with them. It’s really a dream come true.
How has touring the U.S. been for you?
JIHOO: So we were really happy that the crowd cheers were so much bigger than we expected. From what I understand, there’s about 500 people per venue for this tour, but from what we felt on stage, it really felt like the cheer was coming from 5,000 or even 50, 000 people — it was really loud. I feel like we’ve been really eager to share our energy with the audience, but in return, I think we got even more energy and motivation from them.
MUN JUNGHYUN: We were able to sing the English version of “Badder Love” for the first time, and I think the response was good because the fans sang along to the whole song which made us really happy. Also, we were able to show “XO” with its choreography in full for the first time on this U.S. tour and it felt like were cheering so much for that song.
SEUNGEON: You know, the global fans who don’t necessarily speak Korean tend to hum to our songs, instead of like singing along to the actual lyrics, which is still really cute but we always had a little bit of regret that and wish everyone could really sing along together from start to finish. But with the English version [of “Badder Love”] they were really able to do it and were singing along to the song while we were performing so it was really a great experience. It really motivated us and, one day, we would love to release more songs in different various languages in the future.
Any languages you might want to record in next?
HANBIN: We go to Japan a lot and there are a lot of our fans and people who support us in Japan so I think it would be nice to make a version that can be done in Japanese.
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Going back to “Badder Love,” it feels like this album is centered around a softer image and less intense than the concepts for your singles like “Trouble” or Ugly.” What does EVNNE want to prove this time around?
JIHOO: Our main focus was to really show a different side of ourselves compared to our first two albums. For our first and second mini albums, we really wanted to show that “cheeky rascal” side, which is more powerful and very straightforward. But with the third album, we wanted to show more of a romantic, a softer side of us.
YUNSEO: Actually, the reason we came out with the concept of bad guys when we made our debut was because we wanted to show the public what we can do best while talking to the company. That’s how we made our debut. We released a refreshing album like this because we wanted to show a new side of us. We’ve always been able to do this, but we’ve shown you a little bit of a bad boy and a strong image, but this time, we’re going to show you a bit of a different image.
LEE JEONGHYOEN: We have some all-white outfits in the music video that are very fitting for summer. There’s also no really bright hair colors. Actually, this is my first time dying my hair in brown so we really focused on showing the right styling for the concept through this album. A lot of the backgrounds in the music video are set in the ocean so in my opinion that really emphasizes on that refreshing cool side with the song and the music video.
I saw you guys compete in the Idol Star Athletic Championship and reunite even with some of the Boys Planet contestants. How was that after all you went through?
HANBIN: We participated in two of the events during the program and we really prepared ourselves to do our best in it while preparing for this tour. We had to find little moments here and there to really prepare for ISAC, but I think it was a great opportunity for us to promote who we are and what we can do to even more people. So, it was a really great experience in overall and like you mentioned, we were able to talk and chat with many other artists as well including ZEROBASEONE. It’s actually been awhile since we got to chat and reunite with them so it was really fun to be reconnecting.
YUNSEO: Our schedules don’t really leave us a lot of time to meet in person or privately, but I was so happy to meet my friends that were at Idol Star Athletics Championships, talk, and play sports and games together.
KEITA: I met Matthew and I told him, “Hey Matt, I’m studying English!” and he said, “Hey, your pronunciation is not as bad as I thought!” but in Korean. So, I got a compliment from him.
SEUNGEON: I think fans who watched the show were really waiting to see us all again and a Boys Planet reunion one day. This was actually our first opportunity for all the Boys Planet groups and artists to come together, really reunite, talk to each other and just have a good time in general. I felt like it was a school event in some ways because there are a lot of idol seniors, juniors and colleagues but we all have the same dream and passion for music and artistry so it really felt like we were at a school event all together. So, overall it was a very, very fun event.
HANBIN: I actually ran into some friends who I trained with so while it felt really very new, and it also really reminded me like we were back in school all together and we were at a school event together rather a TV show program.
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Do you have a message you’d like to share with international fans who are waiting to see you?
YUNSEO: First of all, we were selected as the Rookie of the Month so I’d like to say thank you so much. It’s a great honor and beginning with this, we’d like to show you all more and promote our name to an even more bigger audience around the world so we can really share our artistry and who we are to everyone around the world. And in the future, we really hope we can someday have our song chart on the Billboard charts. We will work hard for that so it would be great if the American fans and international fans know about us and send us your continued love, support and attention.
SEUNGEON: We’ve been really eager to share incredible performances through this tour and please please look forward to all our activities and performances in the future as well. It’s a great honor, again, to be selected as the Rookie of the Month with Billboard.
Lana Del Rey responded to gossip about family drama surrounding a rumored romance with Jeremy Dufrene.
The “Tough” singer commented on an Instagram post Saturday afternoon (Aug. 31) that claimed to have an “update on Lana Del Rey’s new man.”
Tagging Del Rey on the post, the Instagram account claimed that Dufrene, “Lana’s new beau, is an alligator tour guide… who also recently separated from his wife. Jeremy’s daughter took to Twitter/X to share that she found out about her dad’s new romance with the stunning singer through social media and her thoughts on everything unfolding.”
The now-edited post originally featured a screenshot of an alleged text message exchange between Dufrene and his “daughter” regarding his rumored relationship with the star. It also showed a tweet from the “daughter” that said: “he doesn’t understand social media i’m in tears” and “everyone is fighting.”
The post on Instagram was later updated to show a different tweet from her that said, “i barely talk to my dad let alone care about his love life. i’m just shocked WHO he’s dating.”
Del Rey shut down hearsay concerning her personal life and Dufrene’s family on Saturday.
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“No,” she wrote in a comment on the Instagram post.
The Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd artist returned with a second comment, adding, “Also, that’s not his daughter on Twitter.”
While Del Rey appears to know Dufrene — they were spotted holding hands last weekend in the U.K., at Reading & Leeds Festival, which she headlined — she hasn’t confirmed whether or not they’ve dated. She was previously pictured with him in photos she posted in 2019, from a swamp and marsh tour south of New Orleans, which she captioned: “Jeremy lemme be captain at Arthur’s Air Boat Tours x.” More recently, Del Rey tagged him on an Instagram post this past May, when she possibly returned for another excursion on the bayou.
Video footage on TMZ from one of Dufrene’s tours shows he has no fear of getting up close and personal with alligators. In one clip, he lures one up the side of the boat by feeding the gator raw chicken. Then he plants a quick kiss upon the gator’s head.
Del Rey, who’s kept busy this summer on a tour of her own, played Reading & Leeds on Aug. 24-25. Her Reading set was unexpectedly shortened when her mic was turned off during a fireworks display at the festival. Fans reportedly missed out on her performing Norman F—ing Rockwell‘s “Hope Is a Dangerous Thing for a Woman Like Me to Have – But I Have It.”
“Due to an error by the Reading production team we accidentally cut Lana Del Rey’s incredible set short by 5 mins, we apologise unreservedly to Lana and her fans,” a statement from the fest said the next day, ahead of Del Rey’s performance at the Leeds stage.
Coming next for Del Rey is likely her anticipated new album Lasso, which she’s called country but said won’t be a “heavy departure” from her discography thus far. In an interview with Vogue, she explained, “If anything, it will just be a little lighter lyrically, and more pointed in a classic country, American, or Southern Gothic production — which again, so many of my songs already are.”