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Lady Gaga and her dancers bring the magic on camera and off! Fans were blown away by the dance-heavy “Abracadabra” music video the pop superstar released earlier this month, and a new rehearsal video for the track shows just how hard the team worked on the choreography. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]
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Source: JIM WATSON / Getty / White House
Donald Trump and his lame administration are working hard to set the advancement of Black culture back years with the removal of DEI programs, but that’s not stopping these Black celebrities from joining him at the White House to celebrate Black History Month.
The Associated Press reports that Donald Trump’s White House will host a Black History Month event on Thursday, and the who’s who of sellouts will be in attendance to celebrate the jig.
According to the website, Trump’s heada** pick to be ambassador to t Herschel Walker, Trump’s favorite African American, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Republican Rep. John James of Michigan, prison reform advocate and recipient of a Trump pardon in 2020 thanks to Kim Kardashian Alice Johnson, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece, Alveda King will join Felon 47 in the East Room for the event.
Other notable sellouts in attendance will be former ESPN host Sage Steele, Kodak Black, Lil Boosie, who recently begged Trump for a pardon on X, formerly Twitter, and Rod Wave, fresh off from performing at the Crypto Ball alongside Snoop Dogg.
The event was scheduled for last week but was postponed due to inclement weather.
Social media has been responding accordingly to the list of names who will be at the event.
“Sorry but ever single attendee (including that fuck ass president) is a cte having criminal degenerate,” one person on X wrote, adding a long rap sheet of problematic behavior from Rod Wave.
Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker added, “Glad to hear our best and brightest will represent us….and if you don’t hear the sarcasm in my voice, you clearly don’t follow me on here.
The list of Black Trumpers continues to grow. Never forget these people were on the wrong side of history.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
4. Exactly
7. “Jigaboo Jubilee” HOWLING
Six years after Leaving Neverland gave Wade Robson and James Safechuck a platform to share shocking accounts of Michael Jackson‘s alleged sexual abuse of them as children, the two men are once again taking to the documentary format to talk about their experiences. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts […]
All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. If you’re looking for great NBA merch, the Grateful Dead collection doesn’t miss. Taking inspiration from the legendary band’s iconic skull […]
Coco Jones announced Thursday (Feb. 20) that she’ll be dropping her debut album Why Not More on April 25 via Def Jam Recordings. “It’s FINALLY here,” she wrote on X with a crying emoji. “My DEBUT album ‘Why Not More’ is dropping 4/25 and will be available for pre-order tonight 9pm PST.” Jones released a […]
Tiny Desk Concerts have become a rite of passage for artists, and Leon Thomas checked off another box in his ascension on Thursday (Feb. 20) as the R&B star made his debut on the NPR office stage. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Rocking a Satoshi Nakamoto […]
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up newsletter, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip.
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See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
This week: Drake’s new album with PartyNextDoor has a mid-week breakout hit, Charli XCX has a pre-Brat viral bump, Riley Green’s song (and video) for the lovers sees seasonal gains, and more.
Drake’s “Nokia” Is Buzzing, Aaron Hall Embraced on Streaming After “Gimme a Hug” Sample
In its first couple days of release, the early leader on streaming from PartyNextDoor & Drake’s new R&B collaborative album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U was Drake’s more rap-driven solo number “Gimme a Hug,” with the song topping the Apple Music real-time chart and reaching the top 10 on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs USA listing. But over the week, another song from even deeper in the 21-track album has taken over as its top performer: the pop hook-driven, two-part banger “Nokia.”
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With backing vocals and a beat helmed by U.K. producer Elkan, “Nokia” – also credited solely to Drake – had the usual big streaming drop following its first day of release, but has been climbing throughout the week. On Tuesday, it posted 2.9 million official on-demand U.S. streams, according to initial data provided by Luminate – its best streaming performance since that Friday of release, and its first time passing “Hug” as the set’s most-streamed song. Meanwhile, the song has also been one of the week’s best sellers, topping the iTunes real-time chart and moving a combined 13,000 copies over its first five days of availability.
Meanwhile, “Hug” continues to offer warmth on streaming to its original sample source. Aaron Hall’s “I Miss You,” which Drake heavily lifts from towards the end of his $exy $ongs ¢enterpiece, garnered over 700,000 streams during the first five days of this tracking week (Feb. 14-18), after combining for under 100,000 streams the equivalent period the prior week, a gain of 694% for the 1993 Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit. – ANDREW UNTERBERGER
‘How I’m Feeling Now’ Winter? An Old Charli XCX Track Is Going Viral
Charli XCX’s enormous 2024 — which included the critical and commercial success of her Brat album and its accompanying Sweat tour alongside Troye Sivan — has already pushed into 2025, thanks to a fruitful Grammys night and more arena headlining dates. Now, a song that’s years older than her comeback album is going viral: the tender, ethereal “Party 4 U,” from her 2020 lockdown album How I’m Feeling Now, has been exploding on TikTok in recent weeks, with a series of lip synch performances from longtime Charli fans ready to prove their pre-Brat bona fides.
A month ago, “Party 4 U” was earning 278,000 official on-demand U.S. streams (for the chart week ending Jan. 23), according to Luminate; that number more than doubled to 573,000 streams for the week ending Feb. 13, and will once again surpass that high-water mark after earning 830,000 streams from Feb. 14-18, according to initial Luminate reports. Charli herself acknowledged the viral explosion on Wednesday (Feb. 19): “it’s p crazy that this song is suddenly getting love in this kinda way,” she wrote. “I know this song means so much to so many angels. she’s a cutie
A busy year in high-margin amphitheaters and arenas pushed concert promoter Live Nation to a record $2.15 billion in adjusted operating income (AOI) in 2024, up 14%, on record revenue of $23.16 billion, up 2%.
In the concerts division, full-year revenue rose 2% to $19.02 billion. Despite having 30% fewer stadium shows in 2024, the total number of fans grew to a record 151 million from more than 50,000 Live Nation events. A heavy slate of concerts at arenas and amphitheaters, where Live Nation can offer VIP experiences and capture more revenue from food and beverage sales, helped AOI climb 65% to $529.7 million and AOI margin — AOI as a percentage of revenue — reach a record 2.8%.
Ticketing revenue for the full year increased 1% to $2.99 billion while AOI dropped 1% to $1.12 billion. Ticketmaster had 23 million net new enterprise tickets that were signed in 2024, with two-thirds coming from international markets.
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Sponsorships and advertising revenue grew 9% to $1.2 billion and AOI rose 13% to $763.8 million. Led by festivals in Latin America and Europe, international markets were up double digits. The number of new clients increased 20%.
Live Nation is expecting 2025 will top its record-setting 2024. Through mid-February, stadium shows are up 60% from the prior-year period and 65 million tickets have been sold for Live Nation concerts, a double-digit annual increase. Ticketmaster’s transacted ticketing revenue for 2025 shows is up 3% to 106 million tickets, due mainly to an increase in concert demand.
The current year “is shaping up to be even bigger thanks to a deep global concert pipeline, with more stadium shows on the books than ever before,” CEO Michael Rapino said in a statement. Currently, Live Nation’s stadium tours for 2025 include Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour, Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem Tour, Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s Grand National Tour, and Post Malone and Jelly Roll’s Big Ass Stadium Tour.
Consolidation fourth-quarter revenue dropped 2% to $5.68 billion as concerts revenue dipped 6% to $4.58 billion and ticketing and sponsorships and advertising grew 14% and 10%, respectively. Fourth-quarter AOI fared better, however, rising 35% to $157.3 million despite concerts AOI falling 16%.
Dolly Parton has stepped into the Wiggles‘ world for the children’s group’s upcoming country album, Wiggle Up, Giddy Up. Album track “Friends!” — penned by Parton, and featuring the country icon on lead vocals — was released on Thursday (Feb. 20), as well as “Counting 1 to 5,” which has the Wiggles reimagining a Parton classic.
“Friends! Everybody shout it/ Friends! No doubt about it/ Friends! Make the world go round/ We can depend on friends! / Someone to lean on, friends!/ Everybody needs one/ Be my friend!” Parton jubilantly sings on the feel-good chorus.
The Wiggles reference Parton’s “9 to 5” on “Counting 1 to 5,” interpolating the melody of the country star’s hit that was originally released in 1980, and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1981: “Counting 1 to 5/ Yes, today that’s what you’re learning,” the Wiggles sing to the familiar tune.
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Music videos for both “Friends!” and “Counting 1 to 5” were also released on Thursday, with the double single made available on streaming services including Spotify and Apple Music.
“We Will Always Be Friends,” another single with (and written by) Parton, will be released on March 7 with the full Wiggle Up, Giddy Up collection, which can be pre-saved here. The Wiggles also recorded a cover of Parton’s “Love Is Like a Butterfly” for the album.
“Well, I just wiggled my way out into the Wiggles’ world! I had so much fun being a part of this project, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we have,” says Parton in a press release statement.
The collab is particularly meaningful for Red Wiggle (Caterina Mete), who has a tattoo inspired by Parton and even named one of her twin daughters Dolly. She shares, “Getting to work with my absolute musical hero is beyond surreal. Dolly has inspired me in so many ways, and I know these songs will bring so much happiness to families everywhere.”
“Dolly’s music is pure magic,” Blue Wiggle (Anthony Field) chimes in. “Getting to work with her on these songs is a dream come true. We can’t wait for families everywhere to sing along and share in the joy.”
Lainey Wilson, Orville Peck, Dasha, Morgan Evans, Jackson Dean, Kaylee Bell, MacKenzie Porter, Troy Cassar-Daley, The Wolfe Brothers, Travis Collins, Lucky Oceans and Slim Dusty are all featured on the Wiggles’ Wiggle Up, Giddy Up.
The Wiggles will be touring the U.S. and Canada in June. Dates and ticket information for the group’s Bouncing Balls Tour are available here.
Check out the joyous “Friends!” video, and the educational “Counting 1 to 5” video — which not only teaches little ones about counting, but also features a fun country line dance — with your kids below.
Several actors from music-connected films and TV shows will present on the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will air live on Netflix on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles. The ranks of presenters include Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and […]