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22 Sep 2023

Take That Sets New Album ‘This Life To Be,’ Shares First Cut ‘Windows’: Listen

Take That mark their return with This Life To Be, the superstar British boyband’s ninth studio album and first collection of new material in over five years.

The pop outfit’s latest campaign opens with “Windows,” arriving early Friday (Sept. 22).

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Expect the new set to capture Take That’s signature “beautiful melodies, soaring choruses,” and “sophisticated harmonies beautifully blending the trio’s voices,” reads a statement announcing This Life To Be, slated to drop Nov. 24.

“It’s been a wonderful experience being back in the studio together making this record. It has that feeling of spreading your wings, letting out the old and bringing in the new,” reads a comment from the band.

Formed in 1989 as a five-piece — Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams — Take That was one of the most popular acts of its generation, certainly in the U.K.

Now performing and recording as the trio of Barlow, Donald and Owen, the group can boast 12 U.K. No. 1 singles, and eight U.K. No. 1 albums, and a lengthy list of career highlights, including a performance at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. The lads had only one top 10 hit in the U.S., 1995’s “Back for Good,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Take That has been gearing up for the new release with a raft of performances in 2023, including an “intimate” spot at KOKO in support of War Child, a headline slot at British Summer Time in Hyde Park, the King’s Coronation concert, and the rollout of Greatest Days, the big-screen adaptation of their musical The Band.

This Life To Be is the followup to 2017’s Wonderland, which peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. Next up, the release of career retrospective Odyssey, which, in December 2018, spent one week at No. 1 with 106,000 first-week combined sales, making it the year’s fastest-selling album.

Sessions for This Life To Be were recorded in such historic music spaces as New York’s Electric Lady Studios and Nashville’s Historic RCA Studio A.

“We’re incredibly proud of the new album, there’s a sense of togetherness, whether that’s us coming back together as a band or people wanting connection in their own lives,” continues the message from Take That. “We’re excited for this new chapter.”

A 2024 tour of the British Isles will kick off April 13 at Sheffield Utilita Arena, with support from Olly Murs.

Stream “Windows” below.

22 Sep 2023

Spotify House Checks In at SXSW Sydney

SYDNEY, Australia — Spotify will be in the House for next month’s inaugural edition of South by Southwest (SXSW) in Sydney.

Guests at SXSW Sydney 2023 can check into Spotify House, which, for four days from Oct. 18-21, will transform iconic local venue The Lansdowne Hotel into a seat of knowledge and showcases.

According to reps, Spotify’s own space will feature a night program showcasing the region’s “best up-and-coming artists,” plus “future-focused music minds” speaking on a range of daytime panels, workshops and fireside chats.

Guest speakers for the daytime program include Spotify’s global head of editorial and former Billboard executive of the week Sulinna Ong; Xavier Jernigan (aka “X,” the voice of Spotify DJ); Jungjoo Park, head of music at Spotify Korea; Live Nation Australasia promoter Wenona Lok; and Virgin Music label manager Claire Tate.

Sulinna Ong

Sulinna Ong

Courtesy Spotify*

Those sessions will cover “everything from music discovery to what’s next for K-Pop and how we continue to strive for gender equity,” reads a statement, with some spots open to SXSW Sydney badge holders, and others listed as exclusive invite-only events.

When the sun goes down, the Spotify House will host hot acts from across the Asian Pacific region, with a focus on Australian and South Korean artists.

“We’re excited to bring Spotify House to SXSW Sydney in October, along with some of Asia Pacific’s best and brightest talent and the sharpest minds in music,” comments Gautam Talwar, general manager, Asia Pacific at Spotify. “It’ll be an action-packed four days and a celebration of some of the region’s most vibrant music cultures that bring the world together.”

The full lineup of speakers and performers will be revealed in the weeks ahead.

SXSW Sydney is a collaboration with Australia-based ticketing, technology and live entertainment giant TEG, the New South Wales (NSW) government and its events agency Destination NSW.

Spread across seven days and nights from Oct. 15-22, 2023, the new edition will bring together the industries of music, gaming, film, television, technology and innovation much like the Austin, Texas version that launched back in 1987.

Penske Media Corporation, Billboard‘s parent company, is an investor in SXSW.

Visit SXSWsydney.com for more.

21 Sep 2023

Kelly Clarkson’s ‘Chemistry (Deluxe)’ Has Arrived: Stream It Now

The wait is officially over: The newly-expanded deluxe version of Kelly Clarkson‘s 10th studio album, Chemistry, is now available to stream as of today (Friday, Sept. 22).

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The deluxe version of the album contains five brand new tracks — “I Won’t Give Up,” “Did You Know,” “You Don’t Make Me Cry” featuring her daughter River Rose, “Goodbye” and “Roses” — in addition remixes of the album singles “Mine” and “Favorite Kind of High” by David Guetta and Ty Sunderland respectively. There’s also a live version of “Mine” live from The Belasco.

Chemistry was initially released on June 23 via Atlantic Records. The set — Clarkson’s first non-holiday and non-covers album since she and ex-husband Brandon Blackstock finalized their divorce — debuted at No. 6 on the July 8-dated Billboard 200, and spent a total of three weeks on the chart following its release.

With its top 10 bow, the album became the American Idol alumn’s ninth album to hit the top tier of the chart. Elsewhere on the Billboard charts, the album hit No. 1 on Top Current Album Sales, marking her fourth leader on the tally.

Later in the album’s release day, Clarkson will be engaging with fans to talk about the deluxe edition of Chemistry across her official social media accounts. The star will kick things off with a TikTok Live starting at 10:15-10:30 am, a IG Live at 10:30-10:45 am, a Facebook Live at 10:45-11:00 am and will conclude the festivities with a Twitter Spaces chat at 11:00-11:15 am, all at Eastern standard time.

Stream Chemistry (Deluxe) below.

21 Sep 2023

Doja Cat Paints the Town ‘Scarlet’ With New Album: Stream It Now

After months of teasing and controversy, Doja Cat is finally ready to transport fans to “Agora Hills.” The Grammy-winning cross-genre artist unveiled Scarlet, her fourth studio album, on Friday (Sept. 22).

After signaling her new era with a shaved head and a rebuke of her earlier music, Doja launched Scarlet in June with the release of “Attention,” a boom-bap-indebted hip-hop track that prioritized showcasing the dexterity of her rapping ability. The track debuted and peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its music video — which previewed the era’s overarching horror aesthetic — picked up six nominations at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, ultimately winning best art direction.

“Paint the Town Red,” the record’s first radio single, soon followed with a catchy hook and a bouncy Dionne Warwick-sampling beat. The song became Doja’s second Hot 100 No. 1 — her first unaccompanied — becoming the first hip-hop song to reach the top of the ranking in 2023. A punk-rap promotional single titled “Demons” arrived on Sept. 1, complete with a music video starring Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets star Christina Ricci. A Ric Flair-nodding promotional single called “Balut” was released on Sept. 15. In the final weeks leading up to the album, blood-covered life-size mannequins made in Doja’s likeness appeared in major cities across the United States.

Scarlet boasts a completely featureless tracklist and eye-popping titles such as “Wet Vagina,” “Skull and Bones” and “F—k the Girls (FTG).” The standard edition houses 15 tracks, while two extra songs can be found on digital versions of the album: “Shutcho” and “WYM Freestyle.”

To support the new record, Doja will embark on The Scarlet Tour. The 24-date trek will kick off on Halloween at San Francisco’s Chase Center, and hit major cities across the U.S. before wrapping Dec. 13 at Chicago’s United Center. Ice Spice and “What It Is (Block Boy)” rapper Doechii will serve as opening acts for the tour.

Doja Cat’s new album is the follow-up to 2021’s Planet Her. That album, her third studio effort, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned a litany of Hot 100 hits, including the SZA-assisted “Kiss Me More” (No. 3), “Woman” (No. 7), “Need to Know” (No. 8), “You Right” (No. 11, with The Weeknd), and “Get Into It (Yuh)” (No. 20).

Stream Scarlet now:

21 Sep 2023

Kylie Minogue Cranks up the ‘Tension’: Stream It Now

While Madonna and the late David Bowie deservedly enjoyed plaudits for their chameleonic reinventions, spare a thought for Kylie Minogue.

Australia’s own “princess of pop” has changed her sound and skin countless times over the decades, and, along the way, became a household name in her homeland and the United Kingdom.

From an auspicious start in showbiz as the loveable Charlene in “Neighbours,” to the Stock Aitken Waterman-produced ‘80s pop numbers, she’s nailed it with indie, dance, made murder ballads with Nick Cave, survived cancer, had us spinning around, we couldn’t get her out of her head, she played heroes and villains on the big screen, tasted country, and had hit after hit.

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Need more proof?

When Disco topped the Official U.K. Albums Chart in November 2020, for her eighth leader, Kylie became the first female artist – and second artist overall – to claim a U.K. No. 1 album in five consecutive decades.

Also, thanks to the recent success of the catchier-than-a-cold hit “Padam Padam,” she’s one of only four female artists to score U.K. top 10 hit singles in five consecutive decades, joining Cher, Diana Ross and Lulu.

“Padam Padam” is, of course, the first single and lead track from Minogue’s 16th and latest album Tension, which dropped at the stroke of midnight.

On Tension, Kylie strides ahead on a full-blown electro pop mission, its title track bouncing to an old-school Italian house piano refrain. There’s pop to eat your breakfast to, pop for heaving house parties in the wee hours.

Across her career, Kylie has clocked sales of over 80 million records, 5 billion streams, landed seven U.K. No 1 singles, won 17 ARIA Awards, three Brit Awards, two MTV Awards and a Grammy. Her “national treasure” status never quite traveled to the United States, where Kylie has cracked the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 on just two occasions. She’ll hope to change all that when she cranks up the tension for her first residency at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas’ Voltaire, slated to kick off on Nov. 3.

Stream Tension in full below.

21 Sep 2023

‘Queen of Salsa’ Celia Cruz Has Her Own Barbie: Where to Buy the Doll Online

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Barbie is honoring the legacy of Celia Cruz in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The Celia Cruz Barbie was released last week via Mattel.com, Amazon and Walmart.

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Re-creating her flair for style, the Celia Cruz Barbie comes outfitted in a red, lace mermaid dress with silver jewelry, gold heels and Cruz’s signature blond hair.

The doll made its Instagram debut on Sept. 12. “Barbie celebrates the legacy of the Queen of Salsa, with the introduction of our newest #Barbie Inspiring Women doll – Celia Cruz,” reads a post on the Barbie Instagram account.

Mattel first introduced the Celia Cruz Barbie in 2021, although it wasn’t up for sale. Now that the doll is officially out, it’s flying off the shelves. The Celia Cruz Barbie retails for $35, although fans might have trouble finding it in stock for that price. It initially sold out at Mattel, Amazon and Walmart but the doll has been popping up on resell sites such as eBay, Mercari and StockX. As of Thursday (Sept. 21), the Celia Cruz Barbie is available at Amazon (prices may vary).

Last year, Mattel debuted a Gloria Estefan Barbie doll coinciding with Estefan’s 65th birthday and her 1989 hit single “Get on Your Feet.”

Known as “La Reina de la Salsa” (“The Queen of Salsa”), Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba in 1925. She released 75 album and sold more than 10 million records over her 60-year career. The Afro-Cuban singer, who passed away in 2003, won five Grammys, four Latin Grammys and a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.  

Amazon

Barbie Collector Doll, Queen of Salsa Celia Cruz in Red Lace Dress, Barbie Inspiring Women Series

$57.93

21 Sep 2023

Lil Wayne, Offset, The Rock & More Stars at Deion Sanders’ Colorado Football Games

It’s prime time in Colorado as the university’s new head football coach, Deion Sanders, has led the squad to a 3-0 start and is drawing A-list talent to their games.

At Saturday’s in-state rivalry match-up between Colorado and Colorado State, Sanders — also known as Coach Prime — welcomed Lil Wayne, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Offset, Master P and Key Glock on the sidelines, and retired NFL star Rob Gronkowski hosted a pre-game party outside the stadium. Weezy kicked off the double-overtime win with a pre-game performance of “Uproar” on the field, wearing a custom Buffaloes jersey with “Tunechi” on the back.

In a new interview with Billboard, Wayne described the electricity at Saturday’s game. “That man got Colorado turnt right now,” he said. “Them people, they believe. For me, it was just an honor. For the most part, I still can’t believe what he’s doing. It’s unbelievable. Plain and simple. The way he has those people believing, just for him to even invite me and to … include me, I just try to make sure I do my part to the fullest, just like those boys do out there for him.”

Sanders told Billboard of the five-time Grammy-winning rapper: “I love Wayne to life like a friend and a son. I understand his gift and his heart. I see one of the best human beings I’ve ever known well beyond the stage and the handclaps of life.”

As an NFL player, Sanders has two Super Bowl rings from 14 seasons in the league. He was also in the MLB, playing in the 1992 World Series with the Atlanta Braves — making him the only athlete to play in both the Super Bowl and the World Series. He left his previous coaching job at Jackson State with a 27-6 record before venturing to Colorado to turn around last year’s 1-11 team.

Below, find all the celebrities flocking to Boulder, Colorado, to watch Coach Prime’s team in action.

21 Sep 2023

Travis Kelce Says He Invited Taylor Swift to One of His Football Games: ‘We’ll See What Happens’

Travis Kelce wants Taylor Swift on the bleachers at his next game.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end joined The Pat McAfee Show on Thursday (Sept. 21), where he revealed that he invited the “Anti-Hero” superstar to watch him play. “I threw the ball in her court,” he said. “I told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead.’ We’ll see what happens in the near future.”

He also expressed his surprise at how much publicity their potential relationship has gotten. “It’s hilarious how much traction this has actually got,” the 33-year-old said. “I think it’s, right now, it’s like that old game in school called ‘Telephone,’ where everybody is just whispering in each other’s ear, just hearing some random stuff.”

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During a recent interview with NFL+ host Andrew Siciliano, Travis previously addressed the rumors. He confirmed his story about trying to shoot his shot at Swift via an Eras Tour friendship bracelet, but that’s as far as he’d reveal. “I said what I said. And I meant what I said when I said it. And you know what, it is what it is,” he said before shutting down further conversation about the pair’s relationship status. “I’m not gonna talk about my personal life.”

The tight end then teased listeners, saying, “I know what you writers wanna hear, and you wanna hear more about that and I’m not gonna give you anything!” When Siciliano asked if Swift had reached out to him, Kelce responded, “And that’s gonna wrap it up here,” thus ending the interview.

21 Sep 2023

Blueface “Baby Momma Drama,” Sexyy Red ft. Lil Durk “Hellcats SRTs 2” & More | Daily Visuals 9.21.23

HipHopWired Featured Video

2023 Rolling Loud Miami

Source: Jason Koerner / Getty

Earlier this month Chrisean Rock gave birth to Blueface’s seed, Chrisean Malone, and while Blueface doubted the baby was his early in her pregnancy, he seems to have come around to the notion that he is in fact the baby’s daddy.

Embracing fatherhood as only he can, Blueface comes through with some new visuals to “Baby Momma Drama” in which he and Chrisean Rock groove together from the kitchen to the gas station before Blue takes a bathroom break to drop some of his “other kids” off at the pool. That wasn’t necessary, b.

Out in St. Louis, Sexyy Red rolls out the red carpet for her Chiraq fam and in her clip to “Hellcats SRTs 2,” she and Lil Durk roll around town while flossing stacks of blue paper like bosses with money to burn. They balling out there.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Torae and Marco Polo, Jay Critch, and more.

BLUEFACE – “BABY MOMMA DRAMA”


https://youtube.com/watch?v=l4M-n66jH8Y&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

SEXYY RED FT. LIL DURK – “HELLCATS SRTS 2”



TORAE & MARCO POLO – “THE RETURN”



JAY CRITCH – “CLUTCH”



2FEETBINO & BABYDRILL – “STARSTRUCK”



DABOII – “DROP PIN”



264 QUEZ – “MY TIME”



KIRKO BANGZ – “FORGET ME NOT”



21 Sep 2023

Country Artist Adam Mac Removes Himself From Kentucky’s Tobacco Festival After Questions of ‘Promoting Homosexuality’

Queer country artist Adam Mac took to TikTok on Thursday (Sept. 21) to reveal that he removed himself from his upcoming headlining slot at Kentucky’s Tobacco Festival due to questions surrounding his sexuality.

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“The last 24 hours have been a bit of a whirlwind,” he began his video. “As some of you may know, the Chamber or Commerce for Russellville, Kentucky, where I’m from, announced earlier this week that I would be headlining the annual Tobacco Festival.”

Mac explained that he received a phone call from someone on the festival’s board who told him that “there were some board members and some people in town who had some questions about what kind of performance I would be putting on at the Tobacco Festival. She wanted to ensure that I would not be promoting homosexuality or sexuality in a family friendly environment.”

He continued, “I don’t really know what they expected I was going to do other than come and put on a hell of a show like we do. It was made aware to me that there were people in the town that were very upset that they would have a gay person headline the festival. To know that there are people who are angry that they asked me to come and perform in a town that I was raised in for 21 years of my life. Sure, they have the right to not listen to my music. They have the right to not come to my show. But what’s happening now is they are protesting, they’re showing up at the chamber, they made comments online and to the chamber that they will be holding protests at the show, which is just so disheartening.”

Mac, who is sporting a Maren Morris “lunatic country music person” t-shirt in the clip, revealed that he debated whether or not to perform at the festival, before ultimately deciding to “cancel” his performance. “I’m really sad about it,” he said. “I really, really wanted to be there.”

See his full TikTok below.