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03 Aug 2023

Here’s How Tina Knowles Responded to Speculation That Beyoncé Shaded Lizzo With ‘Break My Soul’ Omission

No, Beyoncé did not shade Lizzo at her Renaissance World Tour show in Boston on Tuesday night (Aug. 1). At least according to the Knowles matriarch, Tina Knowles. The mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles took to Instagram Wednesday (Aug. 2) to shut down speculation that Beyoncé purposely skipped over Lizzo’s name during the performance of “Break My Soul.”

At the Renaissance World Tour, Queen Bey combines the original solo version of her Billboard Hot 100-topping “Break My Soul” with the Madonna-assisted “Queens Remix,” which boasts the lyric “Betty Davis, Solange Knowles Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl’.” At Tuesday night’s show, Beyoncé did not say Lizzo’s name, and instead chanted “Badu” four times. Both Badu and Lizzo’s names appeared on the screen behind the superstar.

Mama Tina pointed out that Bey “also didn’t say her own sister’s name” in a comment on The Jasmine Brand’s Instagram post about the rumored diss, putting to bed any accusations of Beyoncé shading Lizzo. The “sister” Tina refers to appears to be Beyoncé’s former Destiny’s Child group member Kelly Rowland, as the star chanted the name of her biological sister, Grammy-winning multidisciplinary artist Solange, in the Tuesday performance. The proud mama also made sure to tell online speculators that they “should really stop.”

Although Beyoncé does not sing every name in the “Queens Remix” at every tour date, fans latched onto to the apparent omission of Lizzo’s name because, just earlier that day, news broke that the “About Damn Time” singer is being sued by three of her former tour dancers, who claim that they were subjected to sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.

03 Aug 2023

Taylor Swift Announces More Eras Tour Dates in U.S. & Canada for 2024: ‘Turns Out It’s NOT the End of an Era’

The Eras Tour is just like karma: It’s coming back around. Just when fans thought Taylor Swift was about done with her shows in the U.S., she announced Thursday (Aug. 3) that more dates in Miami, New Orleans and Indianapolis, Ind., as well as Toronto have been added to her trek.

The second North American swoop won’t come until fall of 2024, with the pop star taking on Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Oct. 18. From there, she’ll make her way through Caesars Superdome in New Orleans and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indiana before closing out with six consecutive shows in November at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

“Turns out it’s NOT the end of an era ?” Swift posted on Instagram. “Miami, New Orleans, Indy and Toronto: The Eras Tour is coming to you in 2024 with @gracieabrams! Verified fan registration for all shows is open now – visit TaylorSwift.com for more information.”

As Swift mentioned, fans can now register for Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan presale, after which they’ll be sent an email next week with next steps. (With luck, the buying process goes a lot more smoothly than last time around).

The newly announced dates will follow more than a year of upcoming shows in Latin America, Europe, Asia and Australia, for which Paramore and Sabrina Carpenter will both serve as support. The Eras Tour has already swept through the States this summer, and Swift is currently gearing up to play six nights at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., starting Thursday (Aug. 3) — previously thought to be her final set of shows in America.

See Swift’s announcement below:

03 Aug 2023

Taylor Swift Extends Artist 100 Longevity Record to 75 Weeks at No. 1

Taylor Swift spends a record-extending 75th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart (dated Aug. 5), thanks to the continued success of her latest album Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), plus 10 additional albums on the Billboard 200.

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The set drops to No. 4 on the Billboard 200 with 79,000 equivalent album units earned July 21-27, according to Luminate, after spending its first two weeks at No. 1. It became Swift’s first re-recorded album to notch its first two weeks at the summit.

Also boosting Swift’s Artist 100 standing are 10 additional albums on the Billboard 200. This is the third week (all consecutive) that Swift has landed 11 titles on the chart. Two weeks ago, she became just the third act — and first woman — to chart at least 11 in a single week, following The Beatles and Prince.

Here’s a recap of Swift’s current Billboard 200-charting titles.

Rank, Title:

  • No. 4, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)
  • No. 6, Midnights
  • No. 10, Lover
  • No. 12, Folklore
  • No. 20, 1989
  • No. 21, Reputation
  • No. 23, Red (Taylor’s Version)
  • No. 34, Evermore
  • No. 35, Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
  • No. 178, Taylor Swift
  • No. 194, Speak Now

On the Billboard Hot 100, Swift charts five songs: “Cruel Summer” (up 8-6, a new peak), “Karma” featuring Ice Spice (down 11-15), “Anti-Hero” (19-22), “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” (33-45) and “Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)” (65-89).

Among other Artist 100 chart moves, NewJeans jump 64-2, reaching a new high thanks to the K-pop group’s new set 2nd EP ‘Get Up’. The collection launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, marking the act’s first leader, with 126,000 units.

Plus, Greta Van Fleet re-enters the Artist 100 at No. 6 on the strength of its third LP, Starcatcher. The album debuts at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 (46,000 units), becoming the band’s third top 10.

The Artist 100 measures artist activity across key metrics of music consumption, blending album and track sales, radio airplay and streaming to provide a weekly multi-dimensional ranking of artist popularity.

03 Aug 2023

‘The Notebook’ Is Heading to Broadway With Lyrics & Music by Ingrid Michaelson

After a successful 2022 run in Chicago, The Notebook’s next chapter will be on Broadway. 

The musical, based on Nicholas Sparks’ wildly successful 1996 novel, features music and lyrics from Ingrid Michaelson and a book by Bekah Brunstetter. Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Grey Gardens) and Schele Williams (Aida) will direct, with choreography by Katie Spelman (Moulin Rouge! The Musical).

The musical tells the story of Allie and Noah, and the trials and tribulations of their decades of love as captured in a notebook and revisited as they age. For the musical, the couple’s relationship begins in the turbulent 1960s (as opposed to the 1940s in the book) and spans five decades.

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Previews will begin Feb. 6 at the Gerald Schoenfield Theater, with opening night slated for March 4. American Express card members have access to tickets starting Sept. 12. Tickets go on sale to the general public starting Sept. 26. 

The Notebook

The Notebook

Courtesy Photo

Pop artist Michaelson has released nine studio albums and landed such platinum-certified hits as “The Way I Am” and “Girls Chase Boys,” and has progressively moved into the film/tv/musical space. She received an Emmy nomination for best original song for penning “Build It Up” from Hulu’s Little Fires Everywhere, scored Hulu’s Tiny Beautiful Things series, created original songs for Apple TV+’s Slumberkins and serves as the series’ executive music producer. Michaelson made her onstage Broadway debut as Sonya in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812  in 2017.

Brunstetter was a supervising producer-writer on NBC’s Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series This Is Us, and has had her plays produced at a number of major regional theaters, including Manhattan Theater Club, South Coast Repertory and the Old Globe.

The Chicago run earned strong reviews, with Theatermania praising “Michaelson’s ever-lilting score of 18 thoroughly pleasant non-rock melodies, which subtly evoke folk and country, blended with close harmony ensemble work.”

03 Aug 2023

A$AP Bari Gets Jumped By Several Men At Harlem Basketball Court

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ASAP Bari jumped

Source: Twitter / Twitter

A$AP Bari might need to watch his back a bit closer. He was jumped on by multiple people at a New York City park.

As spotted on HipHopDX the fashion designer recently caught the beats in his hometown of Harlem. On Tuesday August 1 footage leaked online of the VLONE founder in a one on one fight with an unidentified man at a basketball court. While he seemed to be holding his own at first he was soon attacked from behind by another man with a punch to the back of his head. This opens the floodgate for others to join in and he is soon defending himself against multiple men. Thankfully he was thinking on his feet and positioned himself by a wall so he can see all of his opposition. Thankfully a woman intercedes and stops the brawl.

While it was originally unclear why A$AP Bari was in that predicament he soon took to social media to explain the situation saying that it stemmed from someone stealing his chain years back. “Everyday it’s something new with me from ni***s hating on me to ni***s [rapping] about me,” he wrote on an Instagram Story. “The best thing to do is have a great meal and get ready for another pay day.”

He continue to provide further detail on a follow up post. “This last time talking about it. A ni***s stole my chain two years ago out car without me know and I seen him so I knocked him out and his ni***s jumped in[.] Would had jump me to after the way I knocked him out.” The man who he was originally fighting also responded by posting a video alleging that Bari might of used something sharp to cut him. Yo, Bari, you a f****ot. And suck my d***. You probably cut me with something too, you f****ot b***h. And you ain’t do nothin’ to me. All you did was this,” he claimed as he showed his lip. “And when I catch you, it’s lit.” Bari reposted the clip with a text overlay that read “just my hands beloved”.

You can see the fight footage below.

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03 Aug 2023

Ice Spice Is Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Rookie of the Year

On May 1, Ice Spice attended her first-ever Met Gala. By the end of that month, she had appeared on an even bigger public stage: as the featured artist on the remix of Taylor Swift’s “Karma,” which she live-debuted with Swift in a surprise appearance at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the same day the track dropped. A week later, “Karma” vaulted to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning Ice her third top 10 on the chart and her highest-reaching hit to date.

Then, in June, Ice reconnected with her idol Nicki Minaj (they had already released the Hot 100 No. 4 hit “Princess Diana” in January) for the Aqua-sampling “Barbie World” from the Barbie movie soundtrack; the song debuted at No. 7 on the Hot 100, notching Ice her fourth top 10. Two days later, Ice honored the Bronx — the New York borough that both raised her and birthed hip-hop itself 50 years ago — at the BET Awards during her first-ever awards show performance. And in July, she played four international music festivals — Dublin’s Longitude Festival; Norway’s Stavern Festival; Les Ardentes in Liège, France; and London’s Wireless Festival, where she performed her No. 3 collaboration “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” with PinkPantheress for the first time — in a single week.

“The People’s Princess,” as her legion of fans has dubbed her, is on fire. And this month, she’ll add another accolade to her fast-growing résumé, when, on Aug. 8, Billboard honors the artist born Isis Gaston as its 2023 R&B/hip-hop Rookie of the Year. “I have put in so much hard work, and it means a lot to be recognized for it and have more than just plaques to show for it,” she says.

Her litany of accomplishments may resemble the trajectory of an established superstar, but in fact Ice will receive her award just two days before the one-year anniversary of “Munch (Feelin’ U),” the breakout single that catapulted the up-and-coming MC to the upper echelons of hip-hop — and pop — royalty.

“I would always be on Google as a kid, looking up ‘how to be rich’ and ‘careers that pay the most.’ I was like, ‘OK, should I be a doctor? Or should I be a lawyer?’ I just wanted to make all the money,” she said in April, when she sat down with Billboard for a cover story. “But I did always love music. I guess it just fell into place.”

The seeds for Ice’s career were first planted when her father, an underground rapper, schooled her on hip-hop heavyweights like Jay-Z and Wu-Tang Clan. Then, in her teens, she witnessed the late Pop Smoke shed new light on New York’s drill scene. “I guess I always knew I’d be a rapper because I was looking to be friends with producers,” Ice says of meeting RIOTUSA, who would become her go-to producer, while attending State University of New York at Purchase. In less than two years, the two developed a winning formula — Ice’s low-pitched, sharp-tongued bars brimming with idiosyncratic-yet-catchy slang paired with RIOT’s menacing drill beats softened by bubblegum-pop melodies from EDM samples — and struck gold with “Munch.”

Since then, Ice has conquered hip-hop, EDM and pop stages alike — and proved she’s no one-hit wonder. “I believe she’s able to attract different genres and crowds because of her willingness to experiment with crossover sounds and not box herself in,” says her manager, James Rosemond Jr. “Ice will always be a rapper first — however, we do want to take what she represents and what she is doing on a global level.”

Before that happens, she has a few more goals for the year — like releasing the deluxe edition of her debut EP, Like..?, which dropped July 21 — before she gets to work on her first album. “We want to build a strong foundation for her and not fly over any necessary steps that a new artist should take, nor have her quickly change her music to sound a certain way due to the big crossover success,” Rosemond says.

Come November, Ice will open Doja Cat’s North American arena tour alongside Doechii, a support opportunity Rosemond says was “a personal request from Doja” after Ice met her earlier this year and helped by his relationship with Doja’s manager, Gordan Dillard. “Every strategic festival moment you’ve been seeing Ice billed for and doing is her getting her live-show chops up for this upcoming tour moment,” he says, also citing her “Karma” stadium performance with Swift. “Ice’s confidence has shot up even more to take on an arena tour as a supporting act.”

And as she continues strategically plotting new career milestones, Ice knows her path aligns with the trajectory of hip-hop itself. “Fifty years of hip-hop is monumental,” Ice says. “I hope to push the genre forward in whatever ways I can, but I know I’ll have a huge impact on the youngins coming up now.”

This story will appear in the Aug. 5, 2023, issue of Billboard.

03 Aug 2023

Triller, Sony Music Settle Music Licensing Fees Dispute

Triller has settled a lawsuit from Sony Music accusing it of showing “brazen contempt for the intellectual property rights” of its artists by ceasing to pay license fees for the use of the company’s songs on the social video app.

The deal was reached on July 21 after a federal judge overseeing the case sided with Sony on its breach of contract claim and ordered Triller to pay $4.6 million, according to a securities filing issued on Wednesday. The settlement includes an “agreed plan” for payment of the judgment on top of an additional undisclosed amount in exchange for dropping the remaining copyright infringement claim. Further terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

In August, Sony sued Triller in a suit alleging the company entered into a content distribution agreement in 2016 and signed an amended deal in 2021 but stopped paying license fees. The suit came just as the company announced it raised more than $300 million in funding since its 2019 launch and had recently finished its acquisition of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship — and it was filed on the heels of another suit from Timbaland and Swizz Beatz alleging they were owed more than $28 million in connection with the sale of Verzuz. In September, they settled in a deal that increased the producers’ ownership stake in parent company Triller Network.

Triller in April conceded that it’s liable on Sony’s breach of contract claim to “avoid the costs and expenses associated with discovery,” according to a court filing from the company. It urged the court, however, to delay entry of final judgment since doing so would impair settlement negotiations. U.S. District Judge Kevin Castel declined to wait.

Triller has taken on a majority investment from Ryan Kavanaugh’s Proxima Media and has expanded into live events, including a boxing league called Triller Fight Club. A library of original shows is also available on TrillerTV. The video-sharing app enjoyed a surge in popularity in the wake of India banning TikTok and the U.S. possibly following in its footsteps.

After announcing it would go public via a reverse merger with SeaChange International, both sides last year mutually terminated the agreement. The company has filed a confidential registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a possible initial public offering, though the litigation and contractual licensing costs the company is facing may hinder profitability.

Sony Music and Triller didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Alex Weprin contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared in THR.com.

03 Aug 2023

Lizzo Responds to Sexual Harassment Lawsuit: ‘False Allegations’ and ‘Sensationalized Stories’

Lizzo has issued her first response to a bombshell lawsuit from three tour dancers who claim that they were subjected to sexual harassment and weight-shaming, calling them “false allegations” and “sensationalized stories.”

In a statement posted Thursday morning to her Twitter account, the star said the allegations in the lawsuit – that she and her company created a hostile work environment that also included religious and racial discrimination – were as “unbelievable as they sound and too outrageous to not be addressed.”

“I am not the villain that people and the media have portrayed me to be these last few days,” Lizzo wrote. “I am very open with my sexuality and expressing myself but I cannot accept or allow people to use that openness to make me out to be something I am not.”

The star paid particular attention to a claim in the lawsuit that she had “called attention” to a dancer’s weight gain – an especially loaded allegation against an artist who has made body positivity a central aspect of her personal brand.

“There is nothing I take more seriously than the respect we deserve as women in the world,” Lizzo wrote. “I know what it feels like to be body shamed on a daily basis and would absolutely never criticize or terminate an employee because of their weight.

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in Los Angeles by dancers Arianna Davis, Crystal Williams and Noelle Rodriguez, accuses Lizzo (real name Melissa Jefferson) and her Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc. of a wide range of legal wrongdoing and included dozens of pages of detailed factual allegations.

In one particularly vivid allegation, the lawsuit claims that Lizzo pushed the dancers to attend a sex show in Amsterdam’s famed Red Light District and then pressured them to engage with the performers, including “eating bananas protruding from the performers’ vaginas.” After Lizzo herself led a chant “goading” Davis to touch one performer’s breasts, the lawsuit says, Davis eventually did so.

The dancers also detailed alleged outbursts by Lizzo, including an “excruciating re-audition” in April after she accused the dancers of “drinking alcohol before shows”; one dancer claims the ordeal continued for so long that she wet herself because she feared she would be fired if she left the stage. The case also claims Lizzo repeatedly told dancers “none of their jobs were safe” and raised “thinly veiled concerns” about a dancer’s weight gain.

In her statement on Thursday, Lizzo did not address the lawsuit’s individual accusations, but said they were “sensationalized stories are coming from former employees who have already publicly admitted that they were told their behavior on tour was inappropriate and unprofessional.” And she broadly defended herself against what she called an attack on her “ethic, morals and respectfulness.”

“As an artist I have always been very passionate about what I do. I take my music and my performances seriously because at the end of the day I only want to put out the best art that represents me and my fans,” Lizzo said. “With passion comes hard work and high standards. Sometimes I have to make hard decisions but it’s never my intention to make anyone feel uncomfortable or like they aren’t valued as an important part of the team.”

Read Lizzo’s entire statement here.

03 Aug 2023

Drake Praises Former Nemesis Meek Mill at Philadelphia Concert

It’s official: Drake’s years-long quarrel with Meek Mill is history.

The two rap stars had beef going back eight years, starting with a simple tweet: “Stop comparing Drake to me too… He don’t write his own raps!”

And on it sizzled, with Mill dishing more punishment by pointing out that Drake is “way out of it” compared with Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole.

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Other hip-hop and R&B artists piled on, including Rick Ross, Lupe Fiasco, Chris Brown and OG Maco. Lines were drawn, sides were taken. Diss tracks were released.

All of that is in the past.

While playing Wells Fargo Center in Mill’s hometown, Philadelphia, earlier in the week, Drizzy took a moment to discuss the pair’s friendly bond.

“You see who I walked out here with right?” the Toronto artist told the crowd. “I’d always keep it 100 with you. The last time I was in this building, that man right here, he’s been representing this city since he started with this s—.”

He added, “That man, me and him weren’t getting along at the time, and he is a real n—– , so he definitely got us up out of Philly real quick. We did not get to stick around and chill.”

It’s the truth, he insisted. “It means the most to me that I could come back to this city and show the growth as two men that we can come here tonight and we can represent for mother—— Philadelphia together,” he remarked, throwing verbal bouquets to his one-time nemesis and the Philly audience.

The pair did bury the hatchet some years ago, proof of which came when Mill and Drake collaborated on the track “Going Bad” from 2019, from the Philly native’s Championships album.

Now, in 2023, it would appear those old enemies have become besties.

Drake’s It’s All A Blur tour continues Thursday, Aug. 4 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, WI. Watch a clip from Drizzy’s performance in Philadelphia below.

03 Aug 2023

Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda Added to Bigsound 2023 Lineup

BRISBANE, Australia — Mike Shinoda, co-founder of Linkin Park, the nu metal favorites fresh from reigning over several Billboard charts, is now part of the lineup for Bigsound 2023.

In March of this year, Linkin Park’s “Lost” saw the band return to No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for the first time in almost nine years, and hit the summit of the Alternative Airplay chart for the first time in nearly a decade.

“Lost” features vocals from Chester Bennington, who died in 2017, and was featured on the 20th anniversary release of Meteora, which led the Billboard 200 for two weeks following its original release, and is one of the group’s six leaders on the all-genres albums chart.

Away from the studio and stage, Shinoda, a music industry innovator in the NFT space, was tapped last year by Warner Recorded Music (WRM) to help shape the major’s “artist-centric approach” to Web3.

Also part of the third-wave of announcements is Christine Anu, who appears in the capacity as an official Bigsound headline speaker. One of the country’s most recognizable voices, Anu’s performance of Neil Murray’s “My Island Home” is a solid-gold classic, earning entry in APRA’s list of Top 30 Australian songs, published 2001, just one year after she performed it during the closing ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games.

Organized by trade body QMusic, Bigsound will boast more than 100 speakers, from international and national buyers, agents, music supervisors, bookers and “industry decision makers.”

Speakers at this year’s summit include Simon Napier-Bell, the celebrated author, filmmaker and artist manager, who guided the careers of Rock Hall inductee George Michael and Wham, English composer Simon Franglen, Cockenflap Festival promoter Cora Chan, artists Ziggy Ramo, Kate Miller-Heidke, Georgia Maq, and more.

Also, upwards of 140 emerging acts from around the globe will play the showcase program, which adds Zheani, Full Flower Moon Band, Dean Brady, FELIVAND, Loren Ryan and others.

This year’s edition will be held Sept. 5 – 8 in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.

Earlier in the year, the Palaszczuk state government announced funding for Bigsound to the tune of nearly A$4 million over four years, a boost that comes as the Queensland capital gears-up for the 2032 Olympic Games.

Bigsound 2023 is presented by Brick Lane Brewing and independent ticketer Oztix, and supported by national youth broadcaster triple j.

Visit bigsound.org.au for more.