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02 Aug 2023

Taylor Swift Urged by Politicians to Postpone L.A. Concerts in Solidarity With Striking Hotel Workers

California’s lieutenant governor and other elected officials on Tuesday urged Taylor Swift to postpone her upcoming Los Angeles concerts as a way to stand in solidarity with striking hotel workers.

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and dozens of state and local politicians signed an open letter telling Swift that her tour makes the region’s hotels money, with some properties “doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming.”

Meanwhile, the letter said, many housekeepers and other hotel workers can’t afford to live close to their jobs and some sleep in their cars and risk losing their homes.

“Hotel workers are fighting for their lives. They are fighting for a living wage. They have gone on strike. Now, they are asking for your support,” they wrote. “Stand with hotel workers and postpone your concerts.”

Starting Thursday (Aug. 3), Swift is scheduled to perform six sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles. Her representatives didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment on the letter.

Unite Here Local 11, which represents some 30,000 hotel workers, is negotiating for better wages, improved health care benefits, higher pension contributions and less strenuous workloads. Contracts expired last month at more than 60 hotels, including properties owned by major chains such as Marriott and Hilton.

Kounalakis, a Democrat who said she will run for governor in 2026, is the top official in the state to make the plea. She attended Swift’s Eras tour in Santa Clara, California, according to Politico.

Others who signed the letter include the mayors of several cities, Assembly Majority Leader Issac Bryan and state senators Dave Min and Maria Elena Durazo.

01 Aug 2023

Pizza-Maker Teen Summer Rios Stuns With Audition on ‘America’s Got Talent’ Watch

We’ve all got to start somewhere. For 19-year-old Summer Rios, a native of Brunswick, Ohio, that start is the pizza trade. Not everyone can go somewhere with music, however. For Rios, an impressive audition on America’s Got Talent might’ve wedged that door open.

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Currently, the teen is a manager at a Pizza Hut. “I make pizzas for a living,” she admits, regularly working morning-to-closes trying to pay bills and keep her head above water. “I hope this will get me out of pizza cutting and pizza making.”

Rios has been singing since the age of four, she explained, “but I haven’t really performed.” There’s no time like now, or quite like the AGT stage. She’s “trying to make music a thing, and try to put myself out there and not have so much anxiety.”

After displaying some of those nerves, which manifested as giggles, Rios set about showing the nation her true talents with a performance of Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange.”

Her performance married depth with power and a touch of grunt, without a hint of those early nerves.

She was visibly thrilled when the audience stood for an ovation, as did Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara. Read those lips: “Oh my god” she said to herself.

“You know Summer, I think you should be doing this more than slicing pizza,” remarked Howie Mandel. “I feel like we’ve just got a peak at what you can do. And you needed to open this door a crack and you’ve opened it more than a crack to just take off.”

“I loved it,” praised Klum. “To me it sounded a little bit like you swallowed Rihanna. You have a beautiful, beautiful tone in your voice. I think it was absolutely incredible.”

“Your voice is spectacular,” remarked Vergara. “You belong on a stage. Don’t waste more time, live your best life. Don’t be scared anymore.

Cowell wrapped things up. “Summer, what a great choice of song. I think every single person in this room wanted you to do well. Yeah, we all like you,” he said with a hint of emotion in his voice.

It was four yeses from the judges. Onwards, upwards.

Watch below.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=fjVKWpp8Jh8&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

01 Aug 2023

Gabriel Henrique Scores Golden Buzzer With ‘Spectacular’ Audition on ‘America’s Got Talent’: Watch

America’s Got Talent is back on our screens, back in our lives. And for one AGT contestant, Gabriel Henrique, everything is golden.

Henrique, a 27-year-old from Brazil, on his first trip to the U.S. of A., auditioned for Tuesday night’s episode (Aug. 1) and made the very most of it.

Speaking with the assistance of an interpreter, Henrique admitted he spoke only “a little bit” of English, and he’s “just trying.”

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No matter, music is the universal language. And he’s fluent.

Putting aside some early nerves, Henrique threw himself into a cover of Whitney Houston’s “Run to You,” with enough energy and high notes to power a small town.

A standing ovation ensued, including all four AGT judges.

“If Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey had a baby, it would be Gabriel,” quipped Heidi Klum. ”Wow, you are incredible.”

“I did not expect that voice to come out of you. You sound like the best and finest pop diva that ever was,” Howie Mandel enthused. “You’re amazing.”

Simon Cowell went next. “People are going to really like you. You’re just so interesting,” he claimed. “I can tell that you’ve sang in church and you don’t know how good you are. It was amazing.”

Sofia Vergara had the last comment, and action. “I don’t have words, that was so perfect, spectacular. Your voice is beautiful. Your energy, who you are. It was perfect.” That performance was “something I was waiting for, something very beautiful and very heartfelt.”

Before the panel had time to vote, Vergara put a halt to proceedings and triggered the golden buzzer.

Watch below.


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

01 Aug 2023

Bed Bath & Beyond Is Back: Here’s What’s on Sale

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Bed Bath & Beyond is back – but with a few changes.

After being acquired by Overstock in June, the retailer returned on Tuesday (Aug. 1), this time as an online-only store. As part of the acquisition, Overstock refreshed and relaunched Bed Bath & Beyond’s website, mobile app and loyalty program in the U.S.

“The acquisition is a significant and transformative step for us,” Overstock CEO, Jonathan Johnson in a news release. “Bed Bath & Beyond is an iconic consumer brand, well-known in the home retail marketplace. The combination of our winning asset-light business model and the high awareness and loyalty of the Bed Bath & Beyond brand will improve the customer experience and position the Company for accelerated market share growth.”

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Bed Bath & Beyond filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April stating at the time, “We have made the difficult decision to start winding down our operations.” The company, founded over 50 years ago, closed its more than 300 Bed Bath & Beyond and Buy Buy Baby stores.

Now that Bed Bath & Beyond has officially returned, the retailer is offering a bunch of sales including up to 40% off bedding, up to 65% off select rugs, back-to-college deals starting at $19, kitchen essentials from $39, kitchen appliances from $89 and up; lamps, counters and barstools starting at $99, $29 duvet covers, wall art starting at $19 and free shipping on everything (take an additional 25% off your purchase when you shop on the app).

To save you the time of searching through the digital clearance aisle, we rounded up some of the best bed-in-a-bag deals to shop.

See below for a few bestsellers starting at $37.

Bed Bath & Beyond

Modern Threads Olivia 8-Piece Reversible Bed in Bag Set

$37.49 $72.24 48% off% OFF

Shopping for a floral pattern? This eight-piece, reversible set is available in full and queen sizes.

Bed Bath & Beyond

Modern Threads Granada 8-Piece Printed Reversible Comforter Complete Bed Set

$41.99 $79.99 48% off% OFF

Celestial-style! The comforter set pictured above has a 4.4 out of 5-star rating and includes a sham, flat sheet, fitted sheet, pillowcase and decorative pillowcase.

Bad Bath & Beyond

Home Collection Luxury 8-Piece Bed in a Bag Set

$50.62 $67.49 25% off% OFF

If you’re looking for a basic set in a solid color, this Home Collection bed in a bag comes in eight different colors including slate, cocoa, sky blue, midnight blue, vanilla, snow white, blackberry and herbal sage.

01 Aug 2023

Chayanne Returns to No. 1 on Tropical Airplay After 14 Years With ‘Bailando Bachata’

Just nine weeks after Chayanne captured his first top 10 in over 14 years on Billboard’s Tropical Airplay chart, he is back in command – with his first No. 1 since 2008 – as “Bailando Bachata” rises 2-1 to rule the Aug. 5-dated list.

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The song earns Greatest Gainer honors for the week fueled by an 18% increase in audience impressions, to 8.9 million, earned in the week ending July 27, according to Luminate.

“Honestly, I always do things because I feel them and since we started working on the album, bachata was considered,” Chayanne tells Billboard. “With the excessive amount of competition these days I wasn’t expecting it, but I am very grateful for this No. 1.”

“Bailando Bachata” is the third single from Chayanne’s forthcoming studio album (released date TBD). It follows two top 10 singles: “Te Amo y Punto” and “Como Tú y Yo” reached No. 6 and No. 7, respectively on Latin Pop Airplay in late 2022.

“Bachata” tops the list 14 years after Chayanne’s last leader, “Amor Inmortal,” dominated for five weeks in late 2008. The over 14-year window between new rulers is the longest gap by any artist since Dec. 2016, when Jennifer Lopez ended a 17-year wait between No. 1s when “Olvídame y Pega La Vuelta,” with Marc Anthony, topped the list. It was her first No. 1 since “No Me Ames,” also with Marc Anthony, in 1999.

As bachata proliferates on a global level, more artists are basking on its popularity. Notably, five of the six songs that have arrived at the summit on Tropical Airplay in 2023 belong to the genre. Here’s the recap:

Title, Artist, Peak Date, Total Weeks at No. 1
“Monotonia,” Shakira & Ozuna, Jan. 7 (nine)
“El Pañuelo,” Romeo Santos & Rosalia, Feb. 4 (four)
“La Bachata,” Manuel Turizo, Feb. 11 (14)
“Me EnRD,” Prince Royce, July 8 (four)
“Bailando Bachata,” Chayanne, Aug. 5

About the genre’s craze, Chayanne feels differently: “I love both bachata as much as all tropical rhythms. All the songs on the new album are special, I always surround myself with professionals and I only record what I feel I like, that suits me and that the public may like, not necessarily because there is a trend.”

As “Bailando Bachata” takes charge of Tropical Airplay, it ejects Prince Royce’s “Me EnRD” from its four-week command with a 17% dip in audience, to 8.4 million.

Further, “Bailando Bachata” concurrently delivers extra goods for Chayanne with a 5-3 lift on the overall Latin Airplay list, matching his career-high for almost a decade, as “Humanos a Marte” landed and at an equal No. 3 high in Aug. 2014.

“In my case, inspirations go hand-in hand with rhythm and lyrics,” Chayanne adds. “I like songs that denote joy and invite to dance. This one most certainly will be included on my next tour; I want all to dance it with me.”

All charts (dated Aug. 5, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Aug. 2). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

01 Aug 2023

Juanes Says ‘Doing a Reset’ Was ‘One of the Most Important Things’ on His Mental Health Journey

With the release of his latest album Vida Cotidiana, it’s been a busy past few months for Juanes, but the Colombian star took time to sit with Billboard‘s Leila Cobo to talk candidly about a variety of topics. From his mental health journey to overcoming the stress about writing a “hit,” Juanes keeps it real discussing situations that have, at times, impacted his career or personal well being.

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The interview happened during the singer-songwriter’s visit to New York, just a day after his concert at Central Park’s SummerStage was halted due to “excessive crowds.” He, of course, addressed what happened saying that it was upsetting he not only didn’t get to perform for his fans but wasn’t able to sing songs from his new album. Vida Cotidiana is Juanes’ his first studio album with completely original music in four years, which made performing these new tracks in front of a crowd all the more special.

“I never sensed anything but excitement and happiness from the fans that were there,” he says. “I was like I’m playing this new song and people are happy, that’s all I was thinking about. I love that people give me a chance to share my music with them because I love this.”

Juanes’ love and respect for music has also led him on another important journey. While the Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning artist has in the past spoken out about mental health issues, this time he talks about how doing a reset on his life was one of the most important things he’s ever done. “In 2010, something terrible happened to me. I started to really hate myself. I couldn’t stand myself. I’m a human. I’m not a product and after working for 10 years I got burned out. It was to the point that I had to make the very drastic decision of saying, ‘I need to stop right now and do a reset of my life. It was one of the most important things I’ve done.”

Watch Juanes’ interview above where he also talks about staying true to his process of making music and an upcoming tour.

01 Aug 2023

Juanes Talks SummerStage Cancellation, His New Album, Mental Health & More | Billboard News

Colombian superstar Juanes stopped by Billboard News to talk about the abrupt cancellation of his July 12 SummerStage show in New York City, his new album Vida Cotidiana, his struggles with mental health and more.

Juanes:
If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be sitting here telling you I feel great!

Hi, how’s it going? I’m Juanes, and you’re watching Billboard News.

Leila Cobo:
Juanes, welcome to Billboard!

Juanes:
How are you doing?

Leila Cobo:
We’re here in New York, and Juanes was performing at  SummerStage, which is located in Central Park. For those of you who don’t know … it has a capacity for 5,000 people, but 15,000 people arrived and they had to stop the concert. I know it was terrible for you because you were in the middle of playing your second song when the police arrived. Tell us what happened from your point of view.

Juanes:
Well, we were invited to perform at the SummerStage through [Latin Alternative Music Conference] and too many people showed up. There were way more people than they were expecting. Around 5,000 people entered the venue, but there were around 12,000 people outside. During the second song, I looked back, and the police were on stage. I was like, “What is going on?” And they told me, “You need to stop and you need to leave now.” They explained that there were too many people there, and they were very concerned about people’s safety, and that was the most important thing. It was really sad because we were excited to play. We had rehearsed songs from the new album, you know. Just imagine it, Leila.

Watch Juanes discuss the show’s cancellation, his new album, mental health and more in the full interview above.

01 Aug 2023

Twitter Threatens Lawsuit Against Anti-Hate Speech Group

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Twitter X Photo Illustrations

Source: NurPhoto / Getty

Twitter is caught in controversy yet again, as Elon Musk is threatening to sue a group that’s been reporting on the increase of hate speech on the platform.

The social media platform which is now known as X is threatening legal action against the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH). The group states that it received a letter from their attorney Alex Spiro expressing that intent on July 20th from the company accusing them of “a series of troubling and baseless claims that appear calculated to harm Twitter generally, and its digital advertising business specifically,” claiming it had used improper methodology in its research. A blog post claimed that a lawsuit was filed in Northern California on Monday (July 31st).

The CCDH has published numerous reports highlighting research that alleges that the social media platform is failing to protect its users from rampant hate speech, particularly from those who subscribe to Twitter Blue. A recent study done by the group showed that the company refused to take action against 99% of hate speech that originated with those subscribers. It also follows previous studies from the group that Twitter failed to act on 89% and 97% of posts that had anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hate speech, respectively.

In the letter, Spiro claims that CCDH’s findings weren’t credibly supported, continuing: “to the extent that CCDH is passing off as impartial “research” material that is, in fact, being funded in support of an ulterior agenda, your representations are all the more misleading.”

“Elon Musk’s actions represent a brazen attempt to silence honest criticism and independent research,” CCDH’s chief executive Imran Ahmed said when contacted by the New York Times, also adding that owner Elon Musk aimed to “stem the tide of negative stories and rebuild his relationship with advertisers.” Roberta Kaplan, the lawyer representing the CCDH, wrote in a statement: “These allegations not only have no basis in fact (your letter states none), but they represent a disturbing effort to intimidate those who have the courage to advocate against incitement, hate speech, and harmful content online.”

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01 Aug 2023

Offset on Why He Accused Cardi of Cheating, Jung Kook & V Perform ‘Seven’ & More | Billboard News

Cardi B may be facing charges after she got even with a concertgoer who tossed a drink at her. Offset opens up about what lead him to accuse Cardi B of cheating on him. Madonna and Oprah attended Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour in NJ, Taylor Swift gave her tour crew a raise, Jung Kook and V surprised fans when they performed ‘Seven’ together and more! Tim McGraw is going on tour in 2024! He recently announced his upcoming Standing Room Only tour and warned fans about throwing things at him while he’s on stage. And more!

Tetris Kelly
Cardi B may face battery charges. Summer tours are making some people cry and some people money. Billboard talks to Tim McGraw and takes you inside his exclusive performance. We catch up with Juanes and Michelle Buteau plays Never have I ever. Hey y’all. I’m Tetris and this is Billboard News it’s Tuesday August 1, and we’re starting things off with Cardi B and Offset update. Offset says< “No, Cardi B actually didn’t cheat on him.” As people are saying she encouraged fans to splash her and she may face charges for throwing a mic back. Let me break it all down for you.

Tetris Kelly
Offset spoke to Angela Lee on her podcast about that post accusing Cardi of cheating. And he was just a little drunk and crazy in love.

Tetris Kelly
And he even got honest on why he cheated and how the Internet bringing it up is exhausting.

Tetris Kelly
Aso in Cardi news. We’ve all seen the video of her throwing a mic at a fan after they threw a drink on her But did she encourage it?

Tetris Kelly
Earlier in the show, the “Bodak” artist may have wanted to be splashed but later she thought a fan went too far. And that fans seemed to be sorry. Well, the mic bounced off that fan and hit someone beside her and that person went to the Las Vegas Metro PD the next day to report the incident. Yikes. Now she could face a battery charge. But as we continue to say everybody just stopped throwing stuff.

Watch the full video above!

01 Aug 2023

Lil Jon & NyNy “Sneaky Link,” Curren$y & Harry Fraud, “The Great McCarthy” & More | Daily Visuals 8.1.23

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Lil Jon

Source: Paras Griffin / Getty

For a hot minute back in the mid to late 2000s, Lil Jon was arguably thee hottest producer/artist in the rap game. And though he doesn’t hold the same weight he did when he had the world getting crunk, he’s still holding it down and continues to do his thing in 2023.

Linking up with NyNy for the visuals to “Sneaky Link,” Lil Jon provides his signature ATLien sound and adlibs to the track while NyNy gets her grown woman on and seduces her man in the kitchen before going off and getting some new ink at the tattoo parlor. Lil Jon needs to drop more new tracks.

Elsewhere, Curren$y seems to be living a quiet, yet lavish life. In his Harry Fraud assisted clip to, “The Great McCarthy,” the Nawlins representative takes his classic Mercedes Benz 600 SLE out for a spin and rolls past some palm trees while on his way to smoke trees under the beautiful landscape. Son is living.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Tech N9ne, Nasty C and more.

LIL JON & NYNY – “SNEAKY LINK”



CURREN$Y & HARRY FRAUD – “THE GREAT MCCARTHY”



TECH N9NE – “DRILL SERGEANT”



NASTY C – “CRAZY CRAZY”



LIL TECCA – “500LBS”



BIG HOMIE G – “NO HOOK”



SAUCE WALKA – “ONLY FANS”



KOODA B – “MY G**”



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