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11 Oct 2023

Paramount+ Releases ‘Lawmen: Bass Reeves’ Series Trailer

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Lawmen: Bass Reeves

Source: Paramount+ / Paramount+

What happens when you give a former a slave a badge and a gun and tell him he’s the law in a town where the Ku Klux Klan run rampant and Black people are still viewed as less than by their white counterparts? You get history.

Paramount+ released their first trailer for their upcoming series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, which is based on the story of the titular character who was appointed to become the first Black U.S. Marshall in Mississippi in the late 1800’s. Starring David Oyelowo as Reeves, the trailer showcases all the racism and hardships you’d expect to see Black people experience in that time period. Heck, the KKK didn’t even have the fancy pointed hoodies yet and were still out there harassing and threatening Black people with farming equipment and torches.

According to Deadline, the series is the first of what could be many which will explore the stories of many lawmen and outlaws who’ve been lost to the pages of history.

Deadline reports:

“Growing up in Texas, I heard a lot of stories about Bass Reeves. They were always akin to a dime novel hero with incredibly fanciful flourishes of a gunslinging lawman pursuing the most-hardened outlaws in the Wild West,” said Chad Feehan, who created Bass Reeves and also serves as showrunner/EP. “Somewhere in my childhood that myth of Bass took firm root in my consciousness and never left. Then one day, not too long ago, David Oyelowo invited me to dinner. Over the course of our meal, he explained his seven-year journey to tell Bass’s story, where the myth of the man both converged with and separated from reality, and why Bass’s life was more relevant than ever.”

“I immediately went home and scoured the internet, read books and listened to podcasts,” Feehan continued. “I became obsessed with what I didn’t know, with all of the nooks and crannies of Bass’ remarkable life that aren’t regularly shared, as well as with revisiting the often-told tales through a now-adult lens. That spark of obsession morphed into a raging Fire of determination, fueled by my desire to play a role, no matter how big or small, and assist David in honoring the legacy of Deputy US Marshal Bass Reeves.”

Should be interesting.

Check out the trailer for Lawmen: Bass Reeves below and let us know if you’ll be checking for this when it hits Paremount+ come November 5th.



11 Oct 2023

10 First-Timers on Billboard’s Charts This Week: Del Water Gap, The Beaches, Armand Hammer & More

Billboard has more than 200 different weekly charts in its menu, encompassing numerous genres and formats.

While established artists often compete for a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart and Billboard 200 albums ranking, which track the most popular songs and albums of the week, respectively, up-and-coming talents typically start off on genre-specific lists.

Here’s a look at 10 artists who appear on surveys for the first time on the Oct. 14-dated charts.

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Del Water Gap

The Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter scores his first appearance on Billboard’s charts with his new sophomore studio album, I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet. The set, released Sept. 29 via Mom + Pop Records, debuts at No. 97 on the Top Current Album Sales chart with 1,000 copies sold in its opening week, according to Luminate. It follows his debut self-titled full-length, also on Mom + Pop, in 2021.

Del Water Gap (real name Samuel Holden Jaffe – his stage name is inspired by the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area on the borders of New Jersey and Pennsylvania) has been releasing music for nearly a decade. In 2019, he dropped the seven-track live EP Alive From Fresno. He has also collaborated with Maggie Rogers, whom he met at New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, making featured appearances on her “New Song” and “(Does It Feel Slow?)” from her 2020 set Notes from the Archive: Recordings 2011-2016. Del Water Gap also co-wrote and co-produced her songs “Want Want” and “Anywhere With You” from her 2022 LP Surrender. He also teamed with Claud for their song “My Body” in 2020.

Del Water Gap is currently on the road on his headlining I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet Tour, which runs through November. The tour also has several European tour dates set for January and February.

The Beaches

The Canadian band has already scored hits in its native country, but the quartet lands its first entry on a U.S.-based Billboard survey with “Blame Brett.” The song, released in May on AWAL Recordings, debuts at No. 37 on Alternative Airplay (up 28% in plays). The track appears on the group’s sophomore LP Blame My Ex, released Sept. 15. Before that, the band released its debut full-length, Late Show, in 2017. Its 2022 compilation set Sisters Not Twins (The Professional Lovers Album) won for rock album of the year at the 2022 Juno Awards.

The band has charted 10 songs on the Canada Rock radio chart, including nine top 10s and two No. 1s (“T-Shirt” for nine weeks in 2018 and “Blame Brett” for four weeks beginning this August). On Canada Modern Rock, the band has scored three No. 1s: “Want What You Got” (five weeks in 2020), “Blow Up” (11 weeks in 2021) and “Blame Brett” (14 weeks and counting). On Canada Mainstream Rock, the group has earned six top 10s.

The Beaches is comprised of Jordan Miller (lead vocals, bass), Kylie Miller (guitar, vocals), Leandra Earl (keys, guitar, vocals) and Eliza Enman-McDaniel (drums). They’re currently on their North American Blame My Ex Tour, which runs through March.

Armand Hammer

The New York City-based hip-hop duo hits Billboard’s charts for the first time, thanks to its sixth studio album, We Buy Diabetic Test Strips. Released Sept. 29 on Fat Possum Records, the project debuts at No. 12 on Heatseekers Albums, No. 28 on Top Current Album Sales and No. 39 on Top Album Sales with 4,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week (3,000 in album sales). The pair also opens at No. 13 on the Emerging Artists chart. The act previously released the collections Race Music in 2013, Rome (2017), Paraffin (2018), Shrines (2020) and Haram (with The Alchemist; 2021).

Armand Hammer comprises recent Billboard first-timer Billy Woods and Elucid. Both rappers/producers have been releasing music for nearly two decades. Woods, who’s also a member of the underground rap groups Super Chron Flight Brothers and the Reavers, has released over a dozen albums and mixtapes, dating to the early 2000s. Elucid (real name Chaz Hall) has also released over a dozen solo albums and mixtapes, and has worked with hip-hop groups Cult Favorite, Lessondary, Nostrum Grocers and Small Bills.

Cool & Dre


https://youtube.com/watch?v=9gEA8gf7lCU&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

The Miami-based production/songwriting duo posts its first Billboard chart entry under an artist billing, thanks to “To the Bank,” with Lil Wayne. The song, released Sept. 29 on Young Money/Republic Records on Wayne’s new LP Tha Fix Before The IV, debuts at No. 35 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs with 4.7 million official streams, 94,000 in radio airplay audience and 1,000 downloads sold in the U.S. in its first week. The pair also starts at No. 43 on the Emerging Artists chart.

Cool & Dre consists of Marcello “Cool” Antonio Valenzano and Andre “Dre” Christopher Lyon. As a duo, they’ve produced 24 songs that have charted on the Hot 100, dating to Angie Martinez’s “Take You Home,” featuring Kelis, in 2003 (No. 85 peak). Of those, one has reached the top 10: The Game’s “Hate It or Love It,” featuring 50 Cent (No. 2, 2005). The track also spent two weeks at No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The pair logged its most recent Hot 100 entry in a production role with Wale’s “Poke It Out,” featuring J. Cole 73, 2022). The two have also produced songs for Mary J. Blige, Busta Rhymes, The Carters, Fat Joe and Megan Thee Stallion.

Outside of their work as a duo, Dre has appeared on several Billboard’s charts in a solo capacity. He’s tallied four entries on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs under an artist billing: “Girl I’m A Bad Boy” with Fat Joe and P. Diddy (No. 69 peak in 2003), “Chevy Ridin’ High” featuring Rick Ross (No. 54; 2006), “Ain’t Sayin’ Nothin’” with Fat Joe and Plies (No. 93; 2008) and “Lord Above” with Fat Joe, Eminem and Mary J. Blige (No. 44; 2019). His collaborative album with Fat Joe, Family Ties, also reached No. 81 on the Billboard 200 in 2019.

Koyo

The emo/melodic hardcore band, from Stony Brook, N.Y., reaches Billboard’s charts for the first time with its debut LP, Would You Miss It? The set, released Sept. 29 on Pure Noise Records, debuts at No. 24 on Heatseekers Albums, No. 39 on Top Current Album Sales and No. 55 on Top Album Sales with 3,000 equivalent album units earned in its opening week (nearly all from album sales). Koyo’s lineup comprises Joey Chiaramonte (lead vocals), Harold Griffin, TJ Rotolico (both on guitars), Stephen Spanos (bass) and Sal Argento (drums). The band has a string of North American and European tour dates lined up through December.

GRAHAM

GRAHAM is officially a Billboard-charting artist, as his breakout song “HOV” debuts at No. 48 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. Released in August on 100graham Sounds, it arrives with 513,000 streams Sept. 29-Oct. 5. The song’s latest bump was aided by a new remix with Connor Price and Nic D released Sept. 29.

Courtney Hadwin

The singer-songwriter, from Hesleden, England, makes her first visit to Billboard’s charts as “Monsters” debuts at No. 19 on Hard Rock Digital Song Sales. She self-released the song, her fourth original single, Sept. 29. Hadwin rose to prominence on NBC’s American’s Got Talent in 2018. Before that, she competed on The Voice Kids UK in 2017, where she performed hits by James Brown, Martha and the Vandellas and Tina Turner.

John Alex Gatsby

The singer-songwriter, from Brooklyn, debuts on Billboard’s rankings with his new single “Therapy.” The song, released Sept. 22 on Cromer Entertainment Corp., enters Adult R&B Airplay at No. 30. Gatsby has released nine additional songs, including “Bedroom” and “Take You Out,” both in June.

Vikkstar

The English YouTuber and internet personality arrives on Billboard’s charts for the first time with his new collaboration with Alan Walker and Dash Berlin, “Better Off (Alone, Part III).” The track, released Sept. 28 on MER Musikk/RECORDS/Columbia Records, debuts at No. 41 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs with 656,000 streams. The song samples Alice Deejay’s classic dance staple “Better Off Alone,” which reached No. 27 on the Hot 100 in 2000.

Vikkstar, who posts videos under the name Vikkstar123, has drawn buzz through his gaming channel on YouTube, where he boats over 7.5 million subscribers. His videos have garned over 2.1 billion YouTube views since he began posting in 2010.

Jere Klein

The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter, from Chile, achieves his first Billboard chart hit with “Ando.” The Latin urbano song, released Sept. 27, debuts at No. 105 on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart with 14.4 million streams outside the U.S. in the latest tracking week.

11 Oct 2023

Mase Claims LA Bloods Were Looking For Him After Notorious B.I.G.’s Murder

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Washington Wizard's R&B/Rap Night

Source: Brian Stukes / Getty

Mase rarely does interviews, but whenever he speaks the people listen. He recently revealed Blood gang members were after him right after The Notorious B.I.G. was murdered.

According to HipHopDX, the latest episode of It Is What It Is offered some more context on the Harlem MC’s wellbeing shortly after his labelmate was killed. As a new reoccurring segment Cam’ron asks the “Feels So Good” rapper questions he is frequently asked by fans. Mase recalled being abandoned by his team and was literally trapped in his room.

“I was in a hotel. I was actually in a hotel with a young lady,” he recalled. “I was trapped in the hotel. It was about, probably like, 70 or so Bloods in the hallway. I couldn’t even leave my room. After B.I.G. got killed, they were probably looking for more Bad Boy artists. And I couldn’t even leave the room ’til Gene Deal [former bodyguard for Diddy] had to come get me.”

Mase went on to detail how he got out of town. “I was left in LA and from that day, I always said, ‘I’m out of here,’” he added. “I was left! I came there with people; I ain’t leave with those people. You know how it goes. Find your way home.” He also disclosed he did not fly out of a Los Angeles airport to get home. “To my recollection, I think we had to go to Vegas or something like that to get back to New York.”

You can watch Mase discuss the matter below.

11 Oct 2023

James Gunn To Completely Recast The DCEU’s Justice League

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Justice League Film

Source: Warner Bros. / Warner Bros.

When James Gunn took over the DCEU over at Warner Bros., he immediately began to clean house much to the dismay of many DCEU fans and now we’re getting word that his upcoming version of the Justice League will feature a brand new cast which many felt was inevitable given the choices he’s been making.

In a new article in Variety which delves into just how toxic Jason Momoa was to Amber Heard on the set of Aquaman 2 (the hell you doing, Jason!?), it’s being reported that none of the OG Justice League members will be reprising their roles in future DCU films in any capacity. Whether it’s Henry Cavill’s beloved version of Superman or Gal Gadot’s impressive iteration of Wonder Woman, everyone is being shown the door to make room for newer, younger and fresher faces that can carry the franchise for the next decade and possibly beyond.

The final straw seems to be that the test screenings of Aquaman 2 kept on falling flat with studio executives, and that was all the push that Gunn and company needed to give the Justice League a complete overhaul.

Variety reports:

Still, the “Aquaman” sequel held promise considering that the character’s first outing earned $1.15 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing DC movie ever. But sources say the sequel has endured challenges outside of the Heard saga and was testing in the 60s before being recut in the summer of 2022. Despite the overhaul, the film continued to test in the 60s, prompting a new cut. “The movie is like this echo of regimes,” says one insider. “It’s the last remnant of the Snyderverse, and no one really wants to take ownership of it.” Reshoots took place right up until this year’s WGA strike in May. The on-set source disputes the idea that “Aquaman 2” is troubled, noting that the film was on time, under budget and needed only about a week of reshoots.

Like “Flash,” “Aquaman” can’t shake its lame duck trappings, with the DC universe getting overhauled under new leadership, marking Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s top priority.

Reportedly, all the stars of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) will not be resuming their roles. That means Momoa, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot and Ezra Miller are all out. However, there is a possibility Momoa will portray DC character and anti-hero Lobo while Viola Davis’ Amanda Waller is still a go.

Looks like John Cena won this battle over Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson who’s Black Adam doesn’t seem like it’s going to survive James Gunn’s overhaul of the DCEU either.

Though we’ve already gotten reports on who James Gunn’s Superman will be for his DCEU, there’s still no word on who’ll be taking on the roles of Batman, Wonder Woman or Aquaman for his revamped Justice League squad. Should be an interesting to see who he goes with in the coming years.

What do y’all think of James Gunn completely recasting the Justice League? Sound off in the comments section below.

11 Oct 2023

Britney Spears Shouts Out Backup Dancer Willie Gomez Before His ‘The Voice’ Audition

Willie Gomez may be used to dancing backup for Britney Spears, but on the Tuesday (Oct. 10) episode of The Voice, it was the star’s turn to support his moment in the spotlight.

Ahead of his blind audition, NBC’s long-running singing competition aired a video message from the Princess of Pop herself for the 37-year-old Miami native. “Willie is a dancer of mine, and not only is he a great dancer, but he is an amazing singer,” Spears gushes in the clip.

“I’m sending all my kisses to you,” the “Toxic” singer added, blowing a kiss. “Love you!”

Gomez has also danced for Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry, Kesha and more pop icons, per his IMDb page. He seems particularly close with Spears, though, and even shared photos from her wedding to now estranged husband Sam Asghari last year on Instagram.

But on the latest episode of The Voice, it was Gomez’s turn to be the star. And no, he didn’t sing a Britney Spears song to impress coaches John Legend, Gwen Stefani, Niall Horan and Reba McEntire — all four of who turned around for his lively performance of Latin music star Manuel Turizo’s 2022 hit “La Bachata.”

“You can do all the things you need to do to be a big star,” raved Legend after Gomez finished the song. “It sounded like, ‘Oh, I can hear this guy making a record that would be huge.’ Latin music right now is just so big. It is pop music in a lot of ways.”

“I really think that you’re super gifted, super talented,” Stefani told Gomez, after which Horan jokingly accused her of flirting with the dancer-turned-singer.

“Blake, she is flirting his pants off,” the former One Direction star pretended to text Stefani’s husband, Voice veteran Blake Shelton.

Ultimately, Gomez went with Legend as his coach. Watch his full audition above.

11 Oct 2023

Watch BLACKPINK’s Jennie Deliver a ‘Jazz Version’ of ‘You & Me’

Less than a week after dropping off her second solo single, BLACKPINK star Jennie has unveiled a new “jazz version” of the lovestruck track. Released in a live performance video to the official BLACKPINK YouTube channel, the new version of “You & Me” shifts the song closer to an acoustic vibe than its dance-pop foundation.

Wearing a chic baby pink and black dress, Jennie sits atop a black stool in the center a dusky moonlit room as she delivers a heartfelt stripped-back rendition of “You & Me.” The song’s blaring synths are traded for twinkling piano keys and a less fussy arrangement that grants the singer ample space to show off her vocal chops. “I love you and me dancing in the moonlight/ Nobody can see, it’s just you and me tonight,” she croons as she performs for the camera.

Jennie released “You & Me” on Friday (Oct. 6). It’s her first solo release since 2018’s aptly titled “Solo,” which peaked at No. 1 on World Digital Song Sales. The K-pop star first performed the track almost exactly one year ago at the Oct. 15, 2022, opening concert of BLACKPINK’s Born Pink World Tour; the song went on to be a staple in the show’s setlist. A performance featuring an updated arrangement followed at Coachella this April.

In addition to touring with her bandmates and releasing new solo music, Jennie has also made major moves in the acting world this year. She starred alongside The Weeknd and Troye Sivan in Max’s music industry drama The Idol — which was co-created by The Weeknd, Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim, and directed by Levinson. Although Max decided not to renew the controversial show for a second season, fans will always have JENNIE’s contributions to its accompanying soundtrack. She joined forces with The Weeknd and show lead Lily Rose-Depp for an R&B-inflected track called “One of the Girls”; the song peaked at No. 183 on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart, becoming Jennie’s first entry on the ranking as a soloist.

Watch Jennie perform her jazzy version of “You & Me” above.

11 Oct 2023

How Jack Antonoff Made His Latest Hits With Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and More

“Every year ends, and I think to myself, ‘That was a little crazy!’ ” Jack Antonoff says with a laugh. “It shouldn’t feel familiar, but it does.” That’s because the 39-year-old studio polymath has rarely experienced a quiet 12-month period over the past decade, juggling multiple production and songwriting projects while fronting his own band, Bleachers.

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During the past year, Antonoff has helped steer Taylor Swift’s mega-selling Midnights, Lana Del Rey’s sweeping Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd and The 1975’s ultra-catchy Being Funny in a Foreign Language, while also prepping Bleachers’ fourth full-length. He has signed a new label deal with Dirty Hit Records, brought in label founder Jamie Oborne as manager and inked a new deal with Universal Music Publishing Group. (“It doesn’t feel like anything’s shaken up, just that the team’s got a couple new members,” Antonoff says of the moves.) All the while, he’s eyeing a potential fifth consecutive producer of the year, non-classical Grammy nomination and third straight win, which would be the first three-peat in the category this century should it occur.

Two years ago, Antonoff shared with Billboard his seven habits of highly effective producers. As he hunkers down in the studio for the next few months — finishing Bleachers’ follow-up to 2021’s Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night and generally “chipping away at stuff” — he revealed his latest takeaways from his past year’s work.

Don’t Let Commercial Gains Distract in a Creative Space

Case study: Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”

Midnights scored the biggest Billboard 200 debut of Swift’s career and her Eras Tour became the summer’s hottest stadium ticket, but Antonoff says that he marvels at how his frequent collaborator keeps her level of superstardom very much outside the studio. “There’s not a lot of panning back in the room — ‘Whoa, look at this [achievement], look at that!’ — because that would feel like popping the balloon,” he explains. “When I work with Taylor, there’s still just this person who has these life experiences and this remarkable gift of writing about them.”

See: “Anti-Hero,” the lead single from Midnights that sardonically prods at Swift’s insecurities. “When we made ‘Anti-Hero,’ I just thought, ‘Wow, that’s so honest and funny, and also so sweet and so sad,’ ” Antonoff recalls, adding that the song, which became Swift’s longest-leading Hot 100 chart-topper earlier this year, wouldn’t have worked if they had been preoccupied by her radio appeal during its creation. “It has this weird beat going through a tremolo — no part of me was like, ‘F–king A, that’s the song to take over the world!’ ”

Sometimes the Spark Takes Time…

Case study: The 1975, “Part of the Band”

“Who would you want to work with?” It’s a question Antonoff often hears, and one he finds impossible to answer. “I can only want to work with someone based on knowing them and seeing where they’re going,” he says. When Antonoff met The 1975, he envisioned a creative partnership where he could add to the band’s sound on its fifth album — but still experienced “that weird kind of early-relationship stuff” on Being Funny in a Foreign Language, his first project with the British rock group.

“Part of the Band,” the restrained, stream-of-consciousness lead single, helped alleviate some of that awkwardness. “It wasn’t the first thing we did,” Antonoff recalls, “but there’s a big difference between the first thing you do and the moment that you’re like, ‘Oh, sh-t. We have that ability.’ Anyone can get in a room and carve out a song and make it sound halfway cool, but the idea of collaborating with people is doing something bigger than the sum of the parts.” Ultimately, “Part of the Band” unlocked the rest of Being Funny in a Foreign Language, which spun off five top 40 hits on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.

…And Sometimes a Hit Can Take a Really Long Time

Case study: Taylor Swift, “Cruel Summer”

“That was always one of my favorite songs I’d ever done,” Antonoff says of Swift’s Lover standout, a synth-pop fantasia that became a fan favorite upon the 2019 album’s release. “Cruel Summer” didn’t become a hit single during the Lover album cycle, which was curtailed due to the pandemic, and Antonoff made peace with its cult-classic status. But earlier this year, as the song became the centerpiece of the opening of Swift’s mega-selling Eras tour, “Cruel Summer” began soaring in streams, then in radio play, and climbed all the way to No. 3 on the Hot 100, morphing into one of the defining songs of the summer of 2023.

“It was just like, a huge thumbs-up from the universe,” Antonoff says of the song’s viral resurgence this year. “I take it all as a reminder to do what you believe in, make the songs you believe in. You never want to do anything that you don’t believe in for the sake of success, because the only thing worse than doing something you don’t believe in is being recognized for that thing! … With [‘Cruel Summer’], I loved that it existed, and didn’t need anything more from it. It’s just this bizarre icing on the cake.”

Ambition Comes in Many Forms

Case study: Lana Del Rey, “A&W”

Antonoff says that his most frequent collaborators share the characteristic of “becoming obsessed with understanding what their ambition is and how to access it constantly” rather than resting on their laurels. That creative curiosity manifests itself in different ways: For Swift, after the indie-folk storytelling on folklore and evermore in 2020, “There was this sense of blazing out of the cabin” with the personal pop of Midnights. Meanwhile, The 1975 came to Antonoff after several winding, esoteric full-lengths, and he helped push Being Funny in a Foreign Language into uncharted territory for the band: a tight, interlude-free pop-rock record.

For Del Rey’s Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, the seven-minute centerpiece, “A&W” — which begins as a folk lament before flipping into a trap refrain midway through — resulted from experimenting with other album tracks like “Peppers” and “Taco Truck x VB,” mashing up sounds until arriving at the most innovative structure possible, according to Antonoff. “This sprawling thing was the most ambitious thing to do. A song like ‘A&W’ is just an example of what happens when you just know people so well that you can really support each other into strange places.”

Make an Entrance

Case study: Bleachers, “Modern Girl”

Bleachers’ upcoming fourth album, which Antonoff and his six-piece group made with co-producer Patrik Berger and a few special guests, translates the jubilance of the band’s live show into a studio setting. Not every song is as boisterous as “Modern Girl,” released in September as the project’s lead single, but for Antonoff, its 1980s-indebted mix of jittery vocal energy and uncorked saxophone blasts captured “enough left-field sh-t that speaks to where the album is going” and was the obvious introduction.

“Putting out albums is like pulling at both the past and the future, and ‘Modern Girl’ just felt like this perfect shock and comfort moment, both honoring where Bleachers has been and where it’s going,” he says of the new album, due next year. “I’ve always believed in this ‘house’ mentality of just understanding what an album is, and ‘Modern Girl’ just feels like the biggest front door.”

A version of this story originally appeared in the Oct. 7, 2023, issue of Billboard.

11 Oct 2023

Aespa Is Offering Up the ‘Drama’ With Fourth Mini Album: Here’s When It Arrives

Get ready, MYs — aespa‘s fourth mini album, Drama, is coming soon. The K-pop group — which consists of members Giselle, Karina, NingNing and Winter — dropped a teaser for its latest project on its social media accounts on Tuesday (Oct. 10), revealing when the project is slated to arrive.

The visual shows a projection of a video onto the side of a building. In the clip, the four women walk across concrete in heels. One of them picks up a mysterious red item from the ground as a faint siren is heard blaring in the background before the album title, Drama, flashes in bold red letters across the video. “aespa The 4th Mini Album. 2023.11.10 2PM (KST) / 0AM (ET),” the group captioned the post, revealing the project’s Nov. 10 arrival date.

The announcement comes on the heels of aespa sharing its first Japanese language single, “Zoom Zoom.” The track, released as part of the Beyblade X original soundtrack, arrived on Oct. 6. The group has not specified if its Drama mini album will be in Korean or Japanese, or if “Zoom Zoom” will be included.

Drama follows the K-pop stars’ previous three mini albums, Savage, Girls and My World, the latter of which was released in July. Savage, aespa’s first mini album, arrived in 2021; the set debuted and peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard 200. Girls was released the following year, and marked the group’s highest charting effort to date, peaking and debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200. My World cracked the top 10, finishing at No. 9.

See aespa’s comeback teaser in the video below.

11 Oct 2023

Dry Cleaning, Bodega, Waterbaby Lead First Wave of SXSW 2024 Showcasing Artists

British indie band Dry Cleaning, New York punk rockers Bodega, and Swedish alternative act Waterbaby lead the first round of showcasing artists tapped for the South by Southwest Music Festival 2024.

Organizers today (Oct. 11) announce 149 new and established acts, all invited to perform at the 38th annual edition of SXSW, set for March 11-16 in Austin, Texas.

Other performers confirmed for the six-night showcase program include cumgirl8 (New York), Desire (Los Angeles), Faux Real (Los Angeles), Georgia Gets By (Nelson, New Zealand), Giovannie & The Hired Guns (Stephenville, TX), greek (Martinsville, VA), Hermanos Gutierrez (Zurich, Switzerland), Hinds (Madrid, Spain), Lo Moon (L.A.), Omar S (Detroit, MI), Rawayana (Caracas, Venezuela), Reality Club (Jakarta, Indonesia), Red Axes (Tel Aviv, Israel), and Viji (London).

The performance spots are curated by SXSW programmers in collaboration with record labels, booking agencies, export offices, management and PR firms, publishers, media outlets, lifestyle brands and festivals.

To be considered for inclusion as a showcasing artist, apply here through Friday, Oct. 27.

SXSW 2024 is sponsored by Porsche, C4 Energy, and The Austin Chronicle. The SXSW Schedule will launch online Oct. 31, providing a complete rundown of 2024 programming.

Today’s first-wave announcement comes just days out from the start of the inaugural SXSW Sydney, marking the event’s first foray outside of the United States. Set to roll out from Oct. 15-22, 2023, SXSW Sydney is a collaboration with TEG, The NSW Government and Destination NSW, and will be the brand’s official Asia Pacific leg.

SXSW signed a “lifeline” deal with P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and MRC, the companies announced in April 2021, making P-MRC a stakeholder and long-term partner with the Austin festival. P-MRC is the parent company of Billboard.

The first round of SXSW 2024 artists invited to perform include:

Aleighcia Scott (Cardiff UK-WALES)
alyona alyona (Kyiv UKRAINE)
Ariel & The Culture (Dallas TX)
Arielle Soucy (Montreal CANADA)
ASHY (Christchurch NEW ZEALAND)
ÄTNA (Berlin GERMANY)
Azahriah (Budapest HUNGARY)
BALTHVS (Bogotá COLOMBIA)
Bathe Alone (Atlanta GA)
Bay Ledges (Portland ME)
Beharie (Sandnes NORWAY)
Benét (Brooklyn NY)
Birthday Girl (Brooklyn NY)
Bisa Kdei (Accra GHANA)
Blood (Philadelphia PA)
BODEGA (New York NY)
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11 Oct 2023

Republican Party Congressman George Santos Hit With 10 New Felony Charges

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Rep. George Santos was hit with 10 new charges in addition to a series of charges he faced back in May. The new charges for the New York congressman are all felonies with statements regarding the matter going wide on Tuesday (October 10).

As reported by NPR, Rep. George Santos faces 10 charges that range from conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, and identity theft among other charges. Back in May, Santos faced a 13-count indictment. Just under a week ago, Santos’ campaign treasurer Nancy Marks pleaded guilty to felony charges and faces up to five years in prison.

The new charges were unveiled by the office of the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York where prosecutors state that Santos orchestrated a credit card fraud ploy by using credit card information from his donors list.

“As alleged, Santos is charged with stealing people’s identities and making charges on his own donors’ credit cards without their authorization, lying to the FEC and, by extension, the public about the financial state of his campaign.” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace shared in a statement Tuesday.

More from the office of the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York:

“Santos allegedly led multiple additional fraudulent criminal schemes, lying to the American public in the process. The FBI is committed to upholding the laws of our electoral process. Anyone who attempts to violate the law as part of a political campaign will face punishment in the criminal justice system,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Smith.

“The defendant – a Congressman – allegedly stole the identities of family members and used the credit card information of political contributors to fraudulently inflate his campaign coffers,” stated District Attorney Donnelly. “We thank our partners in the US Attorney’s Office and the FBI as we work together to root out public corruption on Long Island.”

Rep. George Santos still maintains his elected seat for now but is no longer assigned to any committees in the House chamber. He is due in court on October 27 after pleading not guilty previously back in May and intends to run for reelection.

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Photo: Getty