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18 Jul 2023

Rauw Alejandro Nabs Sixth Straight Top 10 on Top Latin Albums As ‘Playa Saturno’ Arrives

Rauw Alejandro’s Playa Saturno album blasts in at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart (dated July 22), his sixth straight top 10 which encompasses all of his charting efforts.

Playa Saturno, the Puerto Rican’s fourth-studio album, is the follow-up to his retro-futuristic No. 2-peaking Saturno, released in Nov. 2022; Saturno holds solidly on the tally at No. 15 in its 35th week.

Playa dropped via Duars/Sony Music Latin on July 7, the first day of the chart’s tracking week. According to Luminate, it launches with a little over 21,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. during its first week of activity ending July 13.

As with Rauw’s preceding three studio efforts, streaming fuels nearly all the set’s opening sum. The 21,000 streaming-equivalent album units equals to 27.5 million official on-demand clicks for the songs on the album, while the remaining balance is a negligible sum comprising album sales and track-equivalent album units.

Playa’s 27.5 million official on-demand streams improves on Rauw’s streaming performance as Saturno registered 25.6 million official streams in its first week. Among his chart entrances, including the No. 6-peaking Track Cake, Vol. 2 EP, the two-week album champ Vice Versa, continues to lead with 29.1 million U.S. clicks during its debut week (July 2021).

As mentioned, Rauw collects his sixth straight top 10 album, dating back to his maiden visit, Concierto Virtual En Tiempos de Covid-19, which reached No. 10 in Sept. 2020.

Further, Rauw’s four studio albums simultaneously rank in the top 30 on Top Latin Albums (Playa at No. 4, Saturno at No. 15, Vice Versa at No. 19, and Afrodisiáco at No. 29), the second-most among Latin rhythm artists after Bad Bunny, who’s placed as many as six top 30 albums throughout different chart weeks.

Playa’s entrance extends to the airplay, digital sales, and streaming data-fused Hot Latin Songs chart, where three songs from the album debut: “Picardía,” with Junior H, at No. 42; “Cuando Baje El Sol” at No. 45; and “Al Callao’” at No. 48. Plus, the album was preceded by one track: “Baby Hello,” with Bizarrap, which rises to its No. 32 high on the current tally.

Beyond its top five launch on Top Latin Albums, Playa Saturno also makes its way to two other albums charts: a No. 3 bow on Latin Rhythm Albums, and No. 29 start on the all-genres Billboard 200.

18 Jul 2023

Six60, The Beths Lead Nominees For 2023 Rolling Stone Aotearoa Awards

Stadium rockers Six60, indie band the Beths, and multi-instrumentalist Fazerdaze (real name: Amelia Murray) are multiple nominees for the second annual Rolling Stone Aotearoa Awards, which celebrates New Zealand’s finest.

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Also, there are multiple chances for Princess Chelsea, COTERIE, TE KAAHU, and the L.A.B., the reggae band which is up for best single (“Take It Away”) and the Rolling Stone Global Award.

Four categories will be presented on the night, for best record, best single, best new artist, and the RS Global Award, which is judged by the music title’s global team to acknowledge the Kiwi artist “they just can’t get enough of,” reads a statement.

“Royals” star Lorde was crowned with the inaugural Global Award in 2022. This year’s shortlist includes the Beths, Unknown Mortal Orchestra (UMO), Six60, Bic Runga, BENEE, Mitch James, MELODOWNZ. Kiwi stars Marlon Williams and Stan Walker are also in the running for RS honors.

“After the hugely successful launch of the Panhead Rolling Stone Aotearoa Awards last year, we can’t wait to do it all again this year and join with the music industry to celebrate the diverse and unique music scene in New Zealand,” comments Rolling Stone New Zealand editor-in-chief, Poppy Reid. “Once again we’ve been treated to a year of New Zealand talent competing on the global stage.”

Brewery Panhead returns as headline sponsor for the awards, set for Sept. 20 at St Matthew-In-The-City in Auckland.

Rolling Stone AU/NZ is published by Sydney-based The Brag Media, whose portfolio of titles includes Tone Deaf, The Music Network, and Variety.

2023 Panhead Rolling Stone Aotearoa Awards nominees:

BEST RECORD
Princess Chelsea – Everything Is Going To Be Alright
COTERIE – Coterie
Six60 – Castle St
The Beths – Expert In A Dying Field
TE KAAHU – Te Kaahu O Rangi
Marlon Williams – My Boy
Fazerdaze – Break!
Stan Walker – All In

BEST SINGLE
Daily J ft. Boo Seeka – ‘Lost In Time’
lilbubblegum – ‘af1’
Princess Chelsea – ‘Forever Is A Charm’
SXMPRA feat. Ski Mask the Slump God – ‘COWBELL WARRIORS!’
Tami Neilson – ‘Beyond The Stars’ ft Willie Nelson
L.A.B. – ‘Take It Away’
Kaylee Bell – ‘Boots N All’
Fazerdaze – ‘Break!’

BEST NEW ARTIST
Georgia Lines
Hanbee
COTERIE
TE KAAHU
Luca George
Teo Glacier
33 Below
NO CIGAR

ROLLING STONE GLOBAL AWARD
The Beths
UMO
Six60
Bic Runga
BENEE
Mitch James
MELODOWNZ
L.A.B.

18 Jul 2023

Meat Magician Jason Luv Is In A Swordfight With Adam22

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Jason Luv

Jason Luv is currently enjoying a level of notoriety that he was always on the cusp of but boosted by his controversial adult film scene with Lena The Plug, the wife of Adam22. In subsequent interviews, video calls, and social media chatter, Jason Luv hasn’t exactly been humble about handling Adam22’s lightwork in the bedroom and it looks like they’re a beef battle on the horizon.

Because this whole debacle is getting a little long in the tooth, we’ll be brief. Adam22 and his wife Lena The Plug are adult entertainers themselves, having engaged in wild onscreen romps with guests on Lena The Plug’s podcast, Plug Talk, among other zany adventures.

However, Jason Luv was the first man Lena has slept with in the past seven years since being married to Adam22, real name Adam Grandmaison. And for those who have witnessed the scene, Luv put in a level of pipework that had Lena blushing in her recaps in front of her husband.

It should be noted that it appears that Adam22 and Lena specifically selected Luv for the task due to his specific looks, talent, and fanbase. Lena, a marketing genius like her husband, teased the big scene, which was released last week. In the details that have emerged, Adam22 paid more than double Luv’s usual rate for performance.

Luv was recently a guest on The Fan Van and while he was candid in a three-way video call with Adam and Lena, Luv went all the way left in this particular chat. Without getting into the gory details, words like “stretched” and he “hit her with all his best moves” which included ending the moment where it began, if you can catch our drift.

This week, Adam22 issued a warning towards Luv, citing that he’s had enough of the disrespect and that he didn’t appreciate having his member being compared to Luv in a disparaging way. Yeah, it’s really a lot.

We’re erring on the side of caution and not posting The Fan Van interview with Jason directly in the body of the text but you can find a snippet of what you’re looking for here.

For what it’s worth, we’re beginning to think this is just one long and uncomfortable joke.

—

Photo: @iamjasonluv / Instagram

18 Jul 2023

Could Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ Break the Hot 100 Record for Most Weeks at No. 1?

Morgan Wallen‘s “Last Night” is currently spending its 14th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 — but does it have a shot at the 19-week record currently held by Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus?

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we’re talking about the seemingly unstoppable country crossover smash (which just tied the fifth-longest streak at No. 1 on the chart) and how much longer it could hold the top spot. Will it surpass Harry Styles’ 15 weeks up top with “As It Was”? How about Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” or Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” featuring Justin Bieber, with 16 weeks apiece?

It remains to be seen, but see what Katie & Keith have to say in our latest episode below:

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news about Taylor Swift mounting a takeover on the Billboard 200 albums chart, led her latest No. 1 album Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), which not only marks her 12th No. 1, but also pushes her past a legendary singer for the most No. 1s among women.

Plus, Eminem surprised his hometown fans by dropping in onstage at Ed Sheeran’s Detroit concert over the weekend and Troye Sivan released his new single “Rush” and a steamy new video to match, and we’re talking all about both headlines.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

18 Jul 2023

Lil Durk Cancels Rolling Loud Miami Performance & Several Tour Dates: ‘#StillHealing’

Lil Durk has canceled several dates of his Sorry for the Drought Tour and backed out of his Rolling Loud Miami performance.

On Tuesday (July 18), 24 dates had been marked as canceled and only five shows remained unaffected, including two hometown shows at Chicago’s United Center.

DJ Akademiks said on Instagram that he got a statement from Durk “exclusively about these cancellations,” which reads as follows: “Since I’m still awaiting to get full clearance from my doctors to travel and perform again, I have no other choice but to cancel my headlining Rolling Loud performance. While I’m home resting, I am looking forward to my two homecoming shows on the 11th & 12th in Chicago. For the rest of the country, I’ll be announcing new dates soon. #StillHealing”

Billboard has reached out to Durk’s reps for more information but hadn’t heard back at press time.

The Aug. 11 Chicago show is part of his Sorry for the Drought Tour, while the Aug. 12 show is the 107.5 WGCI Summer Jam, where Durk is still slated to perform alongside Kodak Black, NLE Choppa and DD Osama, who were slated to join him on tour. The other three shows are his July 28 show at Tampa, Florida’s MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater, his Aug. 13 show at Noblesville’s Ruoff Music Center, and his Aug. 21 show at Houston’s Toyota Center.

His Rolling Loud Miami performance at Hard Rock Stadium was originally scheduled for this Friday, July 21.

TMZ Hip-Hop had reported last week that Durk had spent a week in the hospital earlier this month for severe dehydration and exhaustion. “My fans mean everything to me, you’re the reason why I do this,” he told the publication in a statement. “I was looking forward to touching all of my European fans, performing this week(end), attending the ESPYs and more but after performing and traveling daily I’ve become severely dehydrated and advised by my doctors not to travel due to exhaustion. Once I get my full energy back, it’s back to business which I’m looking forward to. #StillHealing”

Durk is expected to release the deluxe edition of his eighth studio album, Almost Healed, soon. He originally released the 21-track project on May 26, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and No. 3 on the Billboard 200. Almost Healed contains the hit single “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped both Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Rhythmic Airplay.

18 Jul 2023

Greta Van Fleet on Making Their Third Album ‘Starcatcher,’ Touring With Metallica & More | Billboard News

Greta Van Fleet talk about their thought process making their third album ‘Starcatcher,’ how they feel about doing tour dates with Metallica and more.

Josh Kiszka:
Jake, do you want to do the Greta Van Fleet? I’ll do the Billboard News.

Jake Kiszka:
Hello, we’re Greta Van Fleet!

Josh Kiszka:
Oh, I wasn’t ready.

Jake Kiszka:
All right, well, you tell me when you’re ready. Hello, we’re Greta Van Fleet…

Josh Kiszka:
…And you’re watching Billboard News!

Lyndsey Havens:
Hey, I’m Lyndsey Havens for Billboard News and we are here with Greta Van Fleet. What is up, guys?

Lyndsey Havens:
We’re here to talk about your stellar third album ‘Starcatcher’ out in July. Yes, stellar.

Josh Kiszka:
That’s a really appropriate term for an album called ‘Starcatcher.’

Lyndsey Havens:
When did you start talking about even making a third album? Like how do you know when it’s time?

Daniel Wagner:
The funny thing is, is we’re always moving on to the next Yeah, we’re actually about to start the next album as we speak.

Lyndsey Havens:
That’s why we brought you here today?

Josh Kiszka:
There are songs that go in and out of time for us. Some get shelved, and then you pick them up again, because they make sense for that thing that you’re looking for. And a lot of this stuff just comes about and spontaneously ends up on the record that we’re working on. The ‘Starcatcher’ record was something that we were working on about the time of the Strange Horizons tour.

Watch the full interview above!

18 Jul 2023

Greta Van Fleet Talk New Album ‘Starcatcher’ & What They’ve Learned From Metallica

On Friday, Greta Van Fleet will release the band’s out-of-this-world third album, Starcatcher. Ahead of the album’s arrival, the rock band — made up of brothers Jake, Josh and Sam Kiszka along with Danny Wagner — stopped by Billboard News to chat about writing and recording the epic project, the band’s upcoming world tour and so much more.

Coming off its cinematic sophomore effort The Battle at Garden’s Gate, Jake says, “Now it’s time to revert back to rock ‘n’ roll, and what does this [genre] truly mean for our generation.”

Starcatcher was introduced in April with the rattling lead single “Meeting the Master,” which Josh calls “the obvious curveball” to keep fans guessing as to what the album as a whole will sound like. The members all say it’s “pretty difficult” to choose a favorite song, with Wagner explaining it’s “because of how vast their sounds and meanings are … I have favorites to play, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was my favorite to write or listen to in any sense.”

The band also spoke of its upcoming world tour and its set of September dates with Metallica. Speaking of the band, Sam says, “You have to have a lot of passion to be able to do something for so long and be so good at it … I’ve talked to [Metallica’s] Lars [Ulrich] about getting older and he says, ‘I have to work five times as hard just to get to the level I was at decades ago.’”

Fortunately for Greta Van Fleet, the work ethic and dedication are clear.

“The funny thing is, we’re always moving onto the next,” says Danny. “We’re actually about to start the next album, as we speak.”

Watch the full interview above.

18 Jul 2023

‘AGT’ Contestant BJ Griffin Puts an Electric Cello Spin on ‘Let’s Stay Together’

When 34-year-old Virginia Beach native BJ Griffin stepped onto the America’s Got Talent audition stage, his goals were clear.

“I’m done holding myself back. I came on to win AGT and achieve my dream of sharing healing through my music with the world,” he told judge Sofia Vergara, who gave him a “big welcome.”

Not only was Griffin ready to talk the talk, he walked the walk when he grabbed his electric cello and delivered a mind-blowing take on Al Green’s classic, “Let’s Stay Together.” As expected, his performance was met with a standing ovation from the judges.

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AGT is current in the audition process of its 18th season, returning with Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara. Talent of all ages enter the competition as they vie for the championship title, $1 million prize and a Las Vegas residency.

Watch Griffin’s audition below, and tune into America’s Got Talent on Tuesday night (July 18) to hear the judges responses. The episode airs at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

If you don’t have cable and are looking for the best streaming options, you can still catch all the action through DirecTV’s promotion going on with Peacock. Currently, when you subscribe to DirecTV Stream, you can get Peacock Premium for $2 off a month.

18 Jul 2023

Premios Juventud 2023: All the Performers & How To Watch

Premios Juventud is celebrating its 20th anniversary on Thursday from the Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with the theme of “Exprésate a tu Manera” (Express Yourself Authentically).

This year, the fan-voted awards show is lead by nine-time nominees Bad Bunny, Becky G, Grupo Frontera, Maluma, Peso Pluma, Rauw Alejandro, Rosalía, Shakira and TINI. They are followed by Camilo, Karol G, Manuel Turizo and María Becerra who are each up for eight awards. 

Becky G

Co-hosted by Alejandra Espinoza and Angela Aguilar, this year’s PJs will debut 15 new categories that “reflect the latest trends” in Latin music, such as best song for my ex, best urban track and best urban mix, among others. 

Additionally, Shakira and Camila Cabello will receive the special “Agent of Change” award, joining past honorees including Jesse & Joy, Maluma, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, Kany Garcia, Jenni Rivera Foundation, Ricky Martin, Becky G, Pitbull, Juanpa Zurita, and Wisin y Yandel. 

With the awards ceremony just around the corner, check out the complete list of performers and how to watch below: 

How to Watch: 

Premios Juventud will begin airing at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 20, with the “Noche de Estrellas” red carpet special, followed by the awards ceremony at 8 p.m. ET. Both will air simultaneously on Univision and ViX.

Performers:

  • Alexis Y Fido
  • Angela Aguilar
  • Angel Y Khriz
  • Camila
  • Camilo
  • Chencho Corleone
  • Chiquis
  • CNCO
  • Danna Paola
  • De La Ghetto
  • DJ Playero
  • Eslabon Armado
  • Farruko
  • Fernando Villalin 
  • Fuerza Regida
  • Ha*Ash
  • Hermanos Rosario 
  • Hoobastank
  • Ilegales
  • Jandy Ventura
  • Jacqie Rivera
  • Jenicka Rivera
  • Jowell & Randy
  • Khea
  • La Materialista
  • Luny Tunes
  • Moly 
  • Omar Courtz
  • Paulina Rubio
  • Pavel Nuñez
  • Rai Nao
  • R.K.M & Ken-Y
  • Sofia Reyes
  • Tiago PZK
  • Toño Rosario
  • Wisin
  • Zion Y Lennox

18 Jul 2023

Brittany Aldean Defends Husband Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town,’ Blames Media’s ‘Repulsive Narrative’

Brittany Aldean is chiming in amid criticism surrounding her husband Jason Aldean’s recently released music video for his song “Try That in a Small Town.”

“Media… it’s the same song and dance. Twist everything you can to fit your repulsive narrative,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday (July 18) against a photo of the sky and a palm tree. “How about instead of creating stories, we focus on the REAL ones such as CHILD TRAFFICKING? Food for thought.”

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See her post before it disappears here.

Earlier in the day, Jason responded to claims that the song is “pro-lynching” and that he was “not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests.” The song challenges those who “pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store” or “cuss out a cop” to, as the title suggests, try those actions in a small town and “see how far ya make it down the road.”

The video, released on July 14,  features footage of American flag burning, protesters having confrontations with police, looters breaking a display case and thieves robbing a convenience store. CMT has since pulled the video from its rotation after running it for three days, Billboard confirmed.

“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to a comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests,” Jason wrote in his statement. “These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage- and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far.”