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23 Apr 2024

HYBE Begins Audit of NewJeans’ Label ADOR, Asks CEO Min Hee-Jin to Step Down

While HYBE has successfully expanded into an entertainment powerhouse built around its multi-label structure, the Korean corporation says it has investigated one of its crown jewel agencies, ADOR, the home of chart-topping girl group NewJeans.

Since its launch in late 2021, ADOR (an acronym for the phrase All Doors One Room) has been led by Min Hee-jin, a veteran creative in the K-pop industry who famously helped develop the scene’s penchant for artistic concepts and craft era-defining K-pop acts like Girls’ Generation, SHINee, f(x), EXO and Red Velvet during her tenure at SM Entertainment. After Min’s exit from SM, she joined then–Big Hit Entertainment in 2019 as chief brand officer and helmed the company’s rebrand into HYBE. During the 2021 rebrand reveal, HYBE announced Min as CEO of a new label, ADOR, with plans to debut the girl group that would become NewJeans.

Earlier this month, a report by Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service revealed that Min controlled an 18% stake in ADOR since late last year. HYBE previously had complete control of the label but now boasts 80%, with an additional two percent owned by other company executives. HYBE reportedly invested 16.1 billion won (about $11.7 million) to establish ADOR.

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Less than two years into NewJeans’ history-making debut, HYBE is asking Min to step down from ADOR after an audit of her, the label and its executives.

HYBE confirmed to Billboard that on April 22, the company “invoked the right to audit CEO Min Hee-Jin and top executives of its subsidiary label ADOR.” HYBE said it “called them to summon a shareholder meeting and sent an official letter to ask CEO Min to step down.”  HYBE added that it could not provide further information on reason or reasons for the audit or why it is asking Min to step down.

Since news of the audit went public, ADOR and Min Hee-jin have gone on the offensive in the Korean media.

In a series of statements, ADOR claims HYBE’s newest act, the five-member girl group ILLIT under another subsidiary, BELIFT LAB, is copying NewJeans. With HYBE founder and current chairman Bang Si-hyuk involved in ILLIT’s debut album Super Real Me (No. 6 on the World Albums chart after three weeks), ADOR claims both BELIFT LAB and HYBE are complicit in the alleged infringement. ADOR says they raised the copycat issue internally a month ago but did not receive answers, claiming now that HYBE’s attempt to remove her as CEO is a result of bringing up the alleged problem. Min gave an additional interview to Korean outlet Sports Ilgan to fire back at rumors she was trying to break ADOR away from HYBE or seek outside investors to go independent with her 18% stake.

Min Hee-jin has not responded to Billboard‘s request for comment.

Min and ADOR quickly spun NewJeans into a slew of record-setting achievements including a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with 2023’s Get Up just a year after the debut, five Hot 100 hits to their name, a well-received live debut in the U.S. at Lollapalooza last year, plus honors like Top Global K-Pop Artist at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards and the first K-pop act honored as Group of the Year for Billboard‘s Women in Music. In 2023, Min earned a spot on Billboard‘s International Power Players and Women in Music executive lists and also collaborated with V of BTS on the overall production of his debut solo album, Layover, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in September.

The K-pop power clash comes as NewJeans prepares for several releases including new singles “Bubble Gum” and “How Sweet,” with the former’s music video scheduled to drop April 26 on the HYBE LABELS YouTube channel. NewJeans is also preparing their first-ever Japanese singles “Supernatural” and “Right Now,” as well as a new album planned for the second half of 2024.

Elsewhere in the HYBE universe, ILLIT’s “Magnetic” is currently at No. 91 on the Hot 100, making it the first debut single from a K-pop act to enter the ranking. New music from HYBE artists like Zico (under HYBE LABELS’ KOZ Entertainment) and SEVENTEEN (PLEDIS Entertainment) are also coming this month. Historically, internal company issues can affect K-pop music or content releases, but no updates have been shared as of press time.

23 Apr 2024

The Weeknd Has Now Charted More Than 100 Songs on the Hot 100 Thanks to Future & Metro Boomin Collabs

The Weeknd has achieved numerous Billboard chart achievements, including seven No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200. Now he marks his latest milestone by becoming the 18th artist to chart at least 100 career hits on the Hot 100.

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The superstar ups his total from 99 to 101 Hot 100 entries, thanks to a pair of guest appearances on Future and Metro Boomin’s new Billboard 200 No. 1 album We Still Don’t Trust You: the set’s title track, which debuts at No. 22, and “All to Myself,” which starts at No. 67.

The Weeknd is the third artist to pass 100 Hot 100 hits in 2024, after 21 Savage, who reached the sum in January thanks to tracks from his album American Dream, and Beyoncé, who did so two weeks ago via songs from her LP Cowboy Carter.

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Here’s a look at all 18 artists in the 100 Hot 100 hits club, as of the chart dated April 27, 2024.

Most Billboard Hot 100 Hits

  • 329, Drake
  • 232, Taylor Swift
  • 207, Glee cast
  • 199, Future
  • 186, Lil Wayne
  • 157, Kanye West
  • 148, Nicki Minaj
  • 139, Lil Baby
  • 117, Chris Brown
  • 115, Travis Scott
  • 109, Elvis Presley (whose career start predated the Hot 100’s inception)
  • 108, Lil Uzi Vert
  • 107, Beyoncé
  • 105, Justin Bieber
  • 105, Jay-Z
  • 104, YoungBoy Never Broke Again
  • 103, 21 Savage
  • 101, The Weeknd

Of The Weeknd’s 101 career Hot 100 entries, seven have hit No. 1, 18 have reached the top 10 and 50 have peaked in the top 40.

Concurrently, Future ups his career total to 199 Hot 100 hits, thanks to 14 debuts from We Still Don’t Trust You. He surpasses Lil Wayne for the fourth-most appearances in history, after Drake, Taylor Swift and the Glee cast. Metro Boomin, who is also credited on all 14 debuts, pushes his count to 87.

As for who might be next in line to reach triple-digit Hot 100 hits, the acts closest are Eminem, currently with 96, Bad Bunny (93), Young Thug (93), Lil Durk (92), the late James Brown (91), J. Cole (87), Metro Boomin (87), Ariana Grande (84) and the late Juice WRLD (80).

23 Apr 2024

All Latin Songs & Albums Inducted Into the National Recording Registry

Latin music has profoundly shaped the American musical landscape. From the lively rhythms of Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco’s joint album Celia & Johnny to Daddy Yankee’s reggaetón breakthrough hit “Gasolina,” these songs represent the diverse and vibrant contributions of Latin artists to the American songbook.

Each year, the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to the registry to preserve sound recordings that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant” to American life. 

Last week, the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry immortalized two more Latin songs: Juan Gabriel’s heartfelt ballad “Amor Eterno” and Héctor Lavoe’s salsa anthem “El Cantante.” Now enshrined in the registry, these timeless songs testify the enduring legacy of Latin music. “For musicians of any genre, having a song inducted into the National Recording Registry is a prestigious honor,” Congressman Joaquin Castro tells Billboard Español, who’s a major driving force for Latin music on the list. “I’m very proud that the Library of Congress ultimately honored two artists from my list [this year].”

Created under the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Registry has included more than twenty works of Latin music and/or musicians of Latin descent to date. The first Latin music release to be added to the Registry was Dance Mania (1958) by Tito Puente in 2002. Subsequent inductees include Santana’s electrifying Abraxas (1970), which redefined Mexican-American rock; Buena Vista Social Club’s eponymous album (1997), bringing Cuban son to American audiences; Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” (1957), which reinvented a son jarocho song from Veracruz, Mexico by injecting American rock into it.

“In addition to advocating for more Latino inclusion in American media — which, more than any other industry, shapes how Americans see the world around us — I would also push for more recognition of the ways that Latinos have contributed to American excellence,” Castro explains. 

“Today, Latinos make up 20 percent of the United States, but less than five percent of the titles on the Registry come from Latino artists, adds the Mexican American politician from San Antonio. “As a result, the Registry became a natural place to direct my work – in part because the Library of Congress has tried in recent years to do a better job of honoring how Latinos and other racial minorities have shaped America’s growth.”

Below, we present the Latin music entries, arranged from the most recent inductions to the earliest.

23 Apr 2024

Spotify Gross Profits Top $1B, Revenues Jump 20% in Quarterly Earnings

Spotify reported on Tuesday that first quarter revenue jumped 20% and gross profit topped 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion), returning the now 18-year-old streaming company to profitability and putting it on track to meet its 2024 growth target.

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Spotify reported 3.6 billion euros ($3.9 billion) in first quarter revenue, up from 3.04 billion euros ($3.3 billion) a year ago, and gross profit rose 31% to 1.004 billion euros ($1.08 million) from 766 million euros ($833 million), according to filings.

Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek said that revenue growth accelerated and the company had record-high profits in the quarter, while total monthly active users grew 19% to 615 million and premium subscribers increased by 14% to 239 million — both compared to last year’s first quarter.

“As an adult company we are now consistently profitable, which is great news,” Ek said in a video posted to LinkedIn.

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Spotify raised prices by $1 — to $10.99 a month for individuals, $16.99 a month for families — in the U.S., one of its largest markets, last year for the first time, and it is reportedly considering increasing prices again later this year, Bloomberg reports. The initial round of new price hikes — $1 a month for individuals, $2 a month for duos and families — will hit the U.K., Australia, and Pakistan, among others, according to Bloomberg. 

Those price increases helped Spotify reach profitability in the third quarter of last year. But in the fourth quarter it reported an operating loss of 75 million euros ($82.7 million). In the first quarter earnings reported on Tuesday, Spotify was again profitable with 168 million euros ($181 million) in operating income.

While revenue from premium subscribers of 3.247 billion euros ($3.5 billion) grew by 20% compared to the first quarter last year, it inched up just 2% from the fourth quarter. Ad-supported of 389 million euros ($419.8) revenue rose 18% from the first quarter last year, but it declined by 22% from the fourth quarter.

Monthly active users of 615 million for the quarter was up 19% from a year ago and up 2% from the prior quarter but missed the company’s target of 618 million in the quarter.

  • Total Revenue grew 21% year over year, or 20% to €3.6 billion on a constant currency basis.
  • Premium ARPU grew 7% year over year on a constant currency basis.
  • Gross margin was up 27.6%, and gross profit surpassed €1 billion for the first time in Spotify’s history.
  • Operating Income finished at a record high of €168 million (a 4.6% margin)
  • Monthly active users grew 19% year over year to 615 million on annual and quarterly growth in all regions.
  • Premium subscribers grew 14% to 239 million, led by growth in the streaming giant’s bundles–Family and Duo plans.

23 Apr 2024

Johnny Gill, Bootsy Collins & More to Be Feted at 2024 Black Music Honors

Johnny Gill, Bootsy Collins, Patrice Rushen and Hezekiah Walker will get their flowers at the ninth annual Black Music Honors. The live taping will take place at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta on Saturday, May 18. The ceremony will be co-hosted by singer/actress LeToya Luckett and comedic actor DeRay Davis.

Walker is a two-time Grammy winner. Collins has won one Grammy, as a featured artist on Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice.” Gill and Rushen have both been nominated for multiple Grammys, though neither has won, which will likely make this upcoming recognition all the more meaningful.

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“We are extremely proud to bring more visibility to these tremendous icons who have stayed the course from humble beginnings to careers that span decades,” the show’s founder and executive producer Don Jackson said in a statement. “Their lives and stories are part of the beautiful tapestry of Black music…which has impacted the globe.”

The special will premiere on the Stellar Network on Saturday, June 1 at 8 p.m. ET with a rebroadcast at 10 p.m. ET. It will also air in national broadcast syndication June 8 – June 30 during Black Music Month. The show will also air on Bounce TV on Wednesday, June 19 (which is of course Juneteenth) at 9 p.m. ET.

The ninth annual Black Music Honors is executive produced by Jackson with Jennifer J. Jackson serving as producer and executive in charge of production; Michael A. Johnson as producer and director, Erin Johnson as talent producer and Daniel Moore as music director.

Tickets for the live-taping event are available at www.blackmusichonors.com or via Ticketmaster here. For more information, visit www.blackmusichonors.com.

Black Music Honors is an annual two-hour event that acknowledges artists who have made significant contributions to African-American culture and American music worldwide. The celebration of Black musical excellence began as Celebrate the Soul of American Music from 1990 to 1993. In 2016, it was revived as Black Music Honors to be part of Black Music Month celebrations. Black Music Honors is produced by Chicago-based production company Central City Productions.

Launched in April 2023 under the management of Central City Productions, Inc., The Stellar Network is a family-friendly, entertainment/lifestyle network targeting Black audiences. The Stellar Network can be found on Charter Spectrum, Verizon Fios and Xumo Play. For more information visit www.stellartv.com.

23 Apr 2024

Childish Gambino Previews New Tracks With Ye, Kid Cudi on Gilga Radio Show

Donald Glover continued to tease out the next Childish Gambino era on Monday night (April 23) on the latest episode of his Gilga Radio show, during which he premiered fresh tracks with Ye and Kid Cudi.

About 40 minutes into the 70-minute episode, following a spin of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Obsessed,” a voice came on proclaiming, “If Childish Gambino wants to do something in the hood, you let him do it,” before the premiere of the track, which appears to be titled “Say Less.”

Over a frenetic beat, Glover as Gambino raps, “Uh, I got the bands, the rover/ Reddiest Octobers, the Goku comeback/ I thought I told you/ The flow viral, brain is like pyro/ My phone on silent, how the f–k would I know?/ The aviators got me lookin’ like Five-0/ You ain’t even touched a GQ best dressed/ Sty got ’em cheatin’ on a taste test/ They like rap more, I’m like ‘Say less.’”

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Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), drops in on the second verse of the song that bounces along on a video game-like bed of synths and drums. “Now rule number one, ‘Thou shalt not steal’/ The flow, the clothes, the sex appeal, yeah/ Now this is my commandment, died and rebrand it/ Three days later, walk in the Louis sandals/ Duckin’ paparazzi, they would call it a scandal,” Ye spits. “But n—as would love to watch me, really, I’m like Randall/ I’d rather have no regrets, but, yo/ My agent just called and said ‘Yo, say less.’”

Ye goes on to note that fans have been waiting for the sequel to his Watch the Throne joint album with Jay-Z as well as a passing reference to the meltdown of his lucrative deal with Adidas, which dropped West in 2022 after he went on a monthslong antisemitic spree of interviews and statements denigrating the Jewish people in the midst of a historic rise in antisemitic incidents in the United States.

“N—as waiting on the throne, like ‘Hov, say, ‘Yes,’” he continues. “I took my shoes out the store, they the new Payless/ That’s the new God flow, but I don’t pray less.” The rappers trade lines in the third verse, with Gambino dropping references to disgraced former Empire star Jussie Smollett’s false racist attack claims (“Got this rope ’round my neck like I’m J. Smollett”), Warriors forward Draymond Green’s choking of Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in November as well as the line, “You talk too much, you need a therapist” before Ye humbly proclaims, “I’m more like John Lennon, he more like Don Lemon.”

The second new song, featuring Cudi, appears to be called “Warlords,” and debuted an hour into the show, as well as a week after Cudi seemed to diss Gambino. That prompted the rapper/actor to make a plea for peace on last week’s Gilga Radio episode, on which he said, “Kid Cudi, if you got a problem, I’m not here for the beef. Just talk to me.”

Over a staticky beat, Gambino’s AutoTuned voice whisper raps, “You don’t get it, we gon’ kill you, I don’t f–k with you/ God of the universe, cream of the planеt Earth/ F–k love, f–k your life/ F–k a siren, I hеar screams every night no light/ Tell me the edge, I’m on the edge, I need a million/ Ain’t nobody better flip it to a billion/ Tell me the edge, I’m on the edge, I need a million.”

Cudi’s verse is similarly buried under the hand-clap rhythm, as he raps the chorus, “Make way for the warriors/ Here it comes, here it comes, ain’t used to runnin’/ Can’t hide from the warriors/ Make way for the warriors/ Here it comes, here it comes, ain’t used to runnin’/ Can’t hide from the warriors.”

Glover, who made a surprise appearance in Tyler, the Creator’s set during the first weekend of this year’s Coachella, recently announced that he’s prepping two albums, Atavista and Bando Stone & the New World soundtrack, which he said will be his final Gambino projects.

Listen to the “Say Less” and “Warlords” previews below.

23 Apr 2024

Moon Man Down: Kid Cudi Breaks Foot Jumping Off Coachella Stage

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2024 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 2 - Day 3

Source: Theo Wargo / Getty

Kid Cudi is now officially on the injured reserve. He recently broke his foot after stage diving at Coachella.

As spotted on TMZ the Cleveland, Ohio native is down bad. Last week he brought his distinctive discography to life at the popular music festival. On Sunday, April 21 while performing on the Sahara Stage he decided to take flight but was not cleared for landing. After jumping off it was obvious he landed funny and was seen on the ground writhing in pain. Unable to get up on his own, two security guards rushed to his aide, offered assistance and helped him walk but he was unable to finish his set.
Later in the day he updated his fans via X, formerly Twitter, admitting he took a major bump. “Hey guys, so I broke my foot today at the show. ??‍♂️ just leavin the hospital. Never broken a bone before so this is all a bit crazy. I wanna thank u all for ur concerns and well wishes!! I love yall man. I heard yall still ragin when I was offstage. Made me smile big.”
On Monday, April 22 Mr. Rager shared a video from his bed explaining the moment saying “um sh*t got real yesterday. This is what happens when a 40-year-old man tries to prance around off stage like he’s 26.” He went on to say he learned a very valuable lesson. “No more prancing around jumping off stages. I am hoping I will be healed up in time for tour. That’s the plan.”

You can see Kid Cudi’s fall below.

23 Apr 2024

Taylor Swift Welcomed Fans to ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ in Sweet Hand-Written Record Store Day Note

Taylor Swift has given Swifties so many ways to interact and ingest her just-released 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. There are multiple vinyl versions, that whole surprise second disc that came out after the LP dropped on Friday, as well as some track-by-track notes on the songs she recorded for Amazon Music.

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But if you’re one of those spin the black circle fanatics who rushed out to your local record store last week for Record Store Day to cop some Taylor treats, she also tucked a sweet note into the vinyl versions of TTPD. Amoeba Records posted a copy of the hand-written letter titled “From the Desk of Taylor Swift.”

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“Happy Record Store Day! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for welcoming The Tortured Poets Department into your vinyl collection and your life,” Swift wrote to RSD attendees, despite TTPD not being an official RSD release. “It’s my goal to create a memento you’ll want to keep forever, and I hope you’ll feel that with every turn of the page of the lyric book, every secret thought poured into this work. It’s an honour to be able to trust you with my feelings. Love, Taylor,” she continued.

Swift didn’t need to be included in RSD to smash records with TTPD, which set a new high-water mark for the most-streamed album in one day on Spotify (300 million), as well as instantly becoming the most-streamed album in its first day on Amazon Music on Friday on its way to selling 1.4 million copies in its first day of release in the U.S.

Check out Swift’s note below.

23 Apr 2024

Kim Kardashian Didn’t Mention Taylor Swift Diss, But Did Talk Walking Madonna’s Dog as a Kid on ‘Kimmel’

Kim Kardashian did not address the one topic America was dying to hear about on Monday night (April 22) when she hit the couch on Jimmy Kimmel Live!: her feelings on theories that Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department diss track “thanK you aIMee” is about her.

The American Horror Story: Delicate star did, however, cover a wide variety of other random topics, including being Madonna’s dog walker as a kid, the origin of her nipple-forward Skims Ultimate Nipple Bra shapewear and her current feelings on former one-term president Donald Trump in the midst of his hush money trial in New York for paying off a porn star.

Kimmel seemed most charmed by the Madonna stories, which included Kim describing how she lived next door to the pop superstar when she was a kid. “She was my next door neighbor when I was like seven or eight years old,” Kardashian said. “I was her dog walker. Kourtney and I would walk her dog after school… in exchange for her jewelry… She was transitioning out of the 80s neon phase, so one day she just walked downstairs and handed us a shoebox of all these neon bracelets and Kourtney and I went to school and everyone was like, ‘Oh my God I love your bracelets!’ And we were like, ‘Thanks, Madonna gave them to us.’”

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Sadly, she doesn’t still have the haul, and as Kimmel lamented, the sisters missed out on the pointy bra era castoffs. And while the K gang did not trick-or-treat at Madonna’s as kids, years later, Kardashian watched the singer shoot her “Cherish” video with photographer Herb Ritts. “Me and my friend were on the beach and it was the most magical moment ever,” Kardashian said of the sensual black-and-white clip whose every wet-and-wild frame he seemed to have committed to memory.

Though she never in her wildest dreams imagined it, as an adult Kardashian said she was once again neighbors with Madge, whom she’d run into occasionally when they went trick-or-treating with their kids. You would never know it, though, since Kim said she and Madonna both wore ski mask costumes to stay incognito. “We both had like masks on and we were going to the same house and then we looked at each other and I was like, ‘M? Kim?,’” she recalled of their incognito meet cute again moment.

In a rapid-fire segment, Kardashian, 43, responded to a series of what sounded like weird internet rumors about herself, most of which turned out to be true. Among them: does she really blow dry her jewelry before putting it on? (yes, because she hates being freezing when putting cold metal on her skin). She also confirmed that she washes her feet before getting into bed every night, sleeps with her eyes slightly open (per videos taken by her sisters), she celebrated her 14th birthday at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, had a fitness DVD called Kim Kardashian Fit In Your Jeans By Friday, can change a tire and has an assistant whose job it is to take the cardboard sleeve off her Starbucks orders because the sound of cardboard getting moved off the cup is “like nails on a chalkboard” to her.

In fact one of the only things Kimmel floated that wasn’t true was a rumor that Kim has six toes on one foot.

Kimmel heaped praise on Kardashian for inventing a bra with built-in nipples, with the host getting slightly thrown off when Kim said they got “amazing” feedback from breast cancer survivors on the product, a sobering fact that seemed to derail what sounded like Jimmy’s more lascivious planned line of questioning. Fun fact, the nipples in the bra are fashioned after the shape of Kardashian’s breasts and she can definitely spot their tell-tale form from afar on someone else.

Kim also said she’s working on the upcoming launch of a line of shapewear for men, which, of course, led to Kimmel sidekick Guillermo strutting out in a be-thonged bodysuit that left nothing to the imagination. The conversation was mostly light, though Kimmel did ask Kardashian about the current state of her relationship with the twice-impeached former president, whom she visited in the White House in 2020 with three women whose sentences Trump cut short following the fellow reality star’s lobbying.

“I don’t think he likes me very much,” Kardashian said diplomatically. “But… I think he did amazing stuff with prison reform and let a lot of people out and signed an amazing bill with the First Step act and that’s what I’ll focus on.” For the record, after Kimmel earlier played a series of doctored videos of the four-times indicted Trump passing gas — as he’s been rumored to be doing quite often between reported naps during his New York trial for paying hush money to a porn actress to keep their affair quiet — Kardashian smiled and gently said, “no.”

“So he saves that for court situations?,” Kimmel quipped.

Watch Kardashian’s Kimmel interview below.

23 Apr 2024

Miranda Lambert Signs with Republic Records

Following her departure from longtime home Sony Music Nashville last year, Miranda Lambert has signed a new deal with Republic Records. Nashville’s Big Loud will provide country radio promotion and marketing efforts as part of its partnership with the Universal Music Group-owned label. 

As the first salvo in the new deal, Lambert will release the new track “Wranglers” on May 3. It will mark her first new music since the release of her 2022 album, Palomino. “’Wranglers’ is a tale of a woman taking her power back. I think we can all identify with the character in this song, because we have all had a time in our life that we needed to find a way to find our strength and also get a little revenge on someone that did us wrong or hurt us,” she said in a statement.  Lambert will likely premiere the song during the seven-time CMA female vocalist’s headlining Stagecoach Festival appearance this Saturday (April 27).

Lambert’s affiliation with Republic comes as the New York-based label has moved more into country music and further into its partnership with Big Loud; in March, Big Loud inked a multi-year distribution deal with Mercury Records/Republic for all of its acts. Previously, only releases by Big Loud acts Morgan Wallen, Lily Rose and Dylan Gossett had gone through the partnership. Notably, Gossett is signed to Big Loud Texas, an imprint Lambert and Jon Randall started last year through Big Loud. 

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“Being in Texas with Jon, recording where I cut my teeth as a young artist, felt like coming home. I thought about the women — and men — who’ve lived, loved and found power in my music, and I wanted to get back to the root of those spaces,” continued Lambert, who is managed by Marion Kraft. “Talking to [Republic founder/chairman Monte [Lipman], [Republic founder/vice chairman] Avery Lipman and the team at Republic, as well as [Big Loud CEO] Seth [England] and the Big Loud folks who are leaning in, everyone understood my desires and vision for this next era of my music. Aligning like that is empowering; it gives you a license to really chase it. Signing with Republic has inspired me to find the sweet spot for me and all the people like me. I can’t wait for everyone to hear ‘Wranglers,’ and the rest of this record.”  

“Miranda Lambert’s legacy as both a consummate storyteller and legendary performer speaks for itself. Her new music is spectacular and we are thrilled and honored to welcome her to Republic Records in partnership with Big Loud,” added Monte Lipman.

Lambert added that the move has been inspiring. “Having a new home has given me a hunger I didn’t realize I still had inside me,” she said. “This song feels like it could be on the same record as ‘Gunpowder & Lead’; it has that same fury. I can’t wait to get out there with this new label and this new music… Monte Lipman and his team fire me up!” 

“Gunpower & Lead,” featured on Lambert’s second album, 2007’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, became her first top 10 hit on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. 

There’s no word on when Lambert will drop a new album, but Republic president/COO Jim Roppo said in a statement, “As she puts the final touches on her fantastic new body of work, it has all the hallmarks of her signature sound, yet she continues to push herself as a songwriter, producer and performer. We’re all at the beginning of a very special moment, and we’re grateful to be on this journey with her.”

Lambert, the most awarded artist by the Academy of Country Music Awards, recently wrapped her residency in Las Vegas and will be on the road through September, during which time she will headline several music festivals.