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26 Jun 2023

Maisie Peters’ ‘The Good Witch’ Rides to U.K. Chart Lead

Maisie Peters’ The Good Witch (Atlantic/Gingerbread Man) is working its magic on the United Kingdom.

The English pop singer and songwriter’s sophomore set leads the midweek chart, ahead of Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (via Columbia up 5-2) and Tom Grennan’s What Ifs & Maybes (down 1-3 via Insanity), respectively.

The Good Witch is the followup to Peters’ 2021 debut You Signed Up For This, which peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. A chart crown would cap a huge half-year for Peters, who supported Ed Sheeran for stadium shows across Australia and New Zealand earlier in 2023.

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Also set for high entries this week are Young Thug’s Business Is Business (300 Entertainment), which could become his second top 10 appearance, at No. 9; and Kelly Clarkson’s Chemistry (Atlantic), which could net the U.S. singing star her sixth U.K. top 10, at No. 10.

The “Glastonbury effect” can be seen up and down the Official Chart Update.

Scottish singer and songwriter Lewis Capaldi is one of the beneficiaries of a high-profile slot at Glastonbury Festival last weekend, which powers his albums Broken By Desire To Be Heavenly Sent (up 16-4 via EMI) and debut Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent (up 34-12) on the midweek tally.

Elton John is winding up his touring career in the coming weeks, and enjoyed a boisterous send-off at Glastonbury. Now, his hits compilation Diamonds (Mercury/UMC) is on track to appear in the top 5 again, up 15-5.

Celebrated British alternative rock act Arctic Monkeys are hanging high on the midweek chart, with AM (No. 6), Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (No. 20) and Favourite Worst Nightmare (No. 38) — all via Domino Recordings — on the bounce following their Friday night performance at the Eavis’ famous fest.

Other Glastonbury performers enjoying a post-event albums blitz include Foo Fighters (But Here We Are at No. 16 via Columbia and The Essential Foo Fighters at No. 28 via Sony Music CG), Lana Del Rey (Born To Die at No. 36 via Polydor) and Guns N’ Roses (Greatest Hits at No. 37 via Geffen).

Finally, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour hasn’t yet reached the U.K., but anticipation is causing her hit albums to spike. According to the Official Charts Company, former leaders Midnights (No. 7), 1989 (No. 11), Lover (No. 14), Reputation (No. 22) and Folklore (No. 31), all via EMI, are on the climb.

All will be revealed when the Official U.K. Albums Chart is published Friday, June 30.

26 Jun 2023

Rowdy Rebel ft. Fivio Foreign & Fetty Luciano “Posture,” Dave East & Young Chris “Peedi Peedi” & More | Daily Visuals 6.26.23

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2022 HBCU GAMERFEST

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While Bobby Shmurda’s been struggling to satisfy the hood with a brand-new street banger, his former co-d, Rowdy Rebel, has been doing his part in keeping the block buzzing with that goon music. And today is no exception.

Linking up with Fivio Foreign and Fetty Luciano for the visuals to “Posture,” Rowdy Rebel and company hit the block with some four-wheelers and motorcycles and remind everyone they’re more than willing to ride for their hood as they throw up their sets and pour up some drinks.

From Brooklyn to Harlem, Dave East collaborates with a Roc-A-Fella OG Young Chris and in their clip to “Peedi Peedi,” the two artists take the night with their respective crews, blaze some trees and sip some potion while NYPD creeps through the streets. Y’all can still get a ticket for drinking in public so be safe out there, b.

Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Rae Sremmurd, Coi Leray and more.

ROWDY REBEL FT. FIVIO FOREIGN & FETTY LUCIANO – “POSTURE”



DAVE EAST & YOUNG CHRIS – “PEEDI PEEDI”



RAE SREMMURD – “NOT SO BAD”



COI LERAY – “GET LOUD”



MALCOLM MAYS FT. LIL BABY – “NOT LUCK”



JOYNER LUCAS – “BROSKI”



VADO – “PAREE PRADA”



ALBEE AL – “I’M WITH SHOOTERS”



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26 Jun 2023

‘Life of Pi’ Composer Mychael Danna Receives Lifetime Achievement Award at SoundTrack_Cologne in Germany

Composer Mychael Danna received a lifetime achievement award at the SoundTrack_Cologne, which was held at the Comedia Theater in Cologne, Germany, on Friday. Previous recipients of the award include Rachel Portman, Bruce Broughton, Cliff Martinez and Michael Nyman.

Danna is best known for his score for Life of Pi, for which he won an Oscar in 2013 for best original score. He won a Primetime Emmy later that same year for outstanding music composition for a miniseries, movie or a special (original dramatic score) for the miniseries World Without End.

Journalist Daniel Kothenschulte presented the award to Danna, noting, “Mychael Danna came to film music [in 1987] when that changed decisively. We can also say that he has made a decisive contribution to the expansion of the sound language of cinema since the mid-1980s.”

He added: “Danna’s music knows no hierarchies … which makes it impossible to predict where his work will go after more than 80 scores.”

The Canadian-born composer is the older brother of composer Jeff Danna. The two have collaborated on 16 scores for film and television, including Lakeview Terrace, The Breadwinner, The Addams Family (2019) and its 2021 sequel and Onward.

Mychael Danna’s other collaborators on scores include Rob Simonsen ((500 Days) of Summer and Harry Gregson-Williams (Return to Space).

Danna has amassed seven Primetime Emmy nods, two Oscar nods and two Grammy nods. His other films include On the Basis of Sex, Capote and Moneyball.

This was the 20th edition of SoundTrack_Cologne. During the event, the WDR Funkhausorchestra played pieces by such film composers as Danna, Portman, Natalie Holt and Carlos Rafael Rivera.

26 Jun 2023

Drake Releases Poetry Book, Announces New Studio Album

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Drake is a man of many talents and now he adds a new feather to his highly-decorated cap. The Canadian superstar just released a new book of poetry and also announced the title of his upcoming studio album.

Drake, along with collaborator Kenza Samir, released the book Titles Ruin Everything, A Stream Of Consciousness, a collection of poetry that serves to be the first of many books from the OVO Sound honcho. Announcing the book over the weekend on Instagram, Drake hoped that his fans would support his literary venture.

“I don’t know if I have ever wanted people to buy or support something more in my life…our first book is available tmrw on @drakerelated and other select retailers,” Drizzy wrote in the post with an image of the book.

Because everything Drake is always several moves ahead, he used the website address for the new book to announce his latest studio album, FOR THE ALL THE DOGS.

“I made an album to go with the book,” began the brief message on the titlesruineverything.com site. “They say they miss the old Drake girl don’t tempt me[.] FOR ALL THE DOGS[.]”

Drake’s last solo full-length album was the dance-heavy Honestly, Nevermind. It isn’t known in what direction FOR ALL THE DOGS will take but it appears that rapping Drizzy is coming back for his crown.

For fans who wish to pick up a copy of Drake’s book, Titles Ruin Everything, A Stream Of Consciousness, click here.

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Photo: Getty

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26 Jun 2023

Zach Bryan Teases New Music

In 2022, Zach Bryan released three projects, including his American Heartbreak album and Summertime Blues EP, followed by the live album All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster (Live From Red Rocks), which dropped in December.

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But according to Bryan, he’s already working on another album — and he brought receipts to prove it. On Sunday, he posted on Instagram, telling fans, “album soon.”

He also had a word of insight into the project, saying, “This one was for me, I do not care if you like it. I love you guys and thank you so much for getting us this far.”

Alongside his caption, Bryan posted 10 audio files of song snippets. Earlier this month, Bryan also shared that he has been in the studio working on new music. At that time, he also hinted at an album that could be different than what fans may be expecting, captioning a Twitter post with, “Some’ll love it some’ll hate it everything will be okay either way.”

Bryan’s recent hit song “Something in the Orange” crested inside the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January and spent six weeks atop the Hot Country Songs chart. The song currently sits at No. 20 on the Country Airplay chart.

In addition to working on a project, Bryan is set to return to the coveted Red Rocks venue in Denver for two shows on Monday and Tuesday night and has a slate of festival dates in the works, including performances at Summerfest, Windy City Smokeout, Rock the South and Cheyenne Frontier Days.

26 Jun 2023

Kenshi Yonezu’s New ‘Final Fantasy XVI’ Theme Now Available for Streaming

J-pop hitmaker Kenshi Yonezu released his new single “Tsuki wo Miteita” on Monday (June 26), also unveiling the cover artwork he illustrated himself.

Yonezu wrote the track for the new video game FINAL FANTASY XVI. The song was written in pursuit of music that would resonate specifically within the story of FF16, and is a moving number with deeply layered sound and emotional vocals.

The artwork was designed by the multi-talented 32-year-old himself and depicts a wolf with blue fur staring straight ahead unflinchingly.

Listen below:

26 Jun 2023

Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players’ Choice Award: Vote for the Most Impactful Executive (Semifinalists)

Billboard is introducing a peer-voted award to run alongside its annual R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players list of the genres’ most influential executives. This new R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players’ Choice Award will honor the executive in the genres whose peers believe has had the greatest impact across the music business over the past year, from recording and publishing to managing and touring and beyond.

Voting is open to all Billboard Pro members, both existing and new, with one vote per member.

Billboard launched its first Players’ Choice Award with the Power 100 list earlier this year, followed by the Country Power Players’ Choice Award that concluded last month.

The current, second round of voting will narrow down the top 15 nominees into the final five top executives.

The third round of voting will begin July 10, to select the winner from that list. Voting concludes July 23 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

Vote here:

26 Jun 2023

Cardi B Slams Rumors She Cheated on Offset: ‘Stop Playing’

Cardi B is not happy about recent infidelity rumors about her, and she took to Twitter Spaces on Monday (June 26) to shut down claims that she cheated on her husband Offset.

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“Listen. Don’t pay attention that country man y’all,” she said in the three-minute clip, after singing the opening lines of Keyshia Cole’s “I Should Have Cheated.” “Don’t pay attention the country man. That Spaces the other day got motherf—ers spiraling and thinking s—. Come on now. I’m f—ing Cardi B, n—. I think sometimes mother—ers forget. I’m Cardi B. If I was giving this p—- to anybody it be not just anybody. Can’t f— regular-degular-shmegular, ’cause they gonna tell the world. And I can’t f— anybody in the industry, ’cause they gonna tell too. Y’all ever heard that Rubi Rose record where she says ‘got a big a– mouth?’”

She concluded, “So please boy, stop acting stupid. Stop acting Stupid. Going crazy over a f—ing space. Don’t play with me. What the f—. Stop playing. Thats all I’m gonna mother—ing say.”

Cardi’s response comes after a series of events, beginning with another Twitter Space audio message the “I Like It” rapper shared over the weekend. “Every time you try to bring turmoil to my marriage, I’m just saying, y’all know what’s gonna happen next. We’re gonna get a divorce, and people are gonna be mad nosey, and mad happy,” she said during the clip. “I’m gonna make an album, and people are gonna wanna hear the album because of it. Another rich n—-‘s gonna cuff me. And what? What’ll be the point that y’all are tryna make?”

Just hours before Cardi’s most recent Spaces defending herself, Offset seemed to have posted and quickly deleted an Instagram Story accusing his wife of cheating on him.

Listen to Cardi’s latest response below.

26 Jun 2023

Taylor Swift’s Trendy Skort: Where to Shop the Fashionable Look for Summer

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Taylor Swift has proven herself to be more than just a chart-breaking sensation, but also a fashion icon. This summer she’s debuted everything from stylish denim-crossover shorts to a floral dress that sold out fast after she sported it. Her latest fashion moment? A Free People skort that is not only adorable, but only $78!

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The Midnights singer paired the skort with an oversized button-down top while taking a break from her Eras Tour to hang out in New York City on Monday (June 26). The exact style is still available on Free People, but we don’t expect it to stay in stock long. It’s not uncommon for Swifties to quickly sell out everything from her tour to Swift outfit finds.

While she donned the skort in blue there are, thankfully, three colors total allowing you to still wear the same style piece.

Keep reading to shop the skort before it’s sold out and similar styles (just in case).

model wearing blue mini skort with blue and white t-shirt

Free People

Heartbreaker Skort

$78

Free People’s Heartbreaker Skort will add the Y2K aesthetic to any outfit as it features a low-rise waist and mini length. The design also features pleated paneling and shorts in the back giving new meaning to party in the front, business in the back.

model wearing denim mini denim skort

Free People

Pleated Micro Mini Denim Skort

$78

Give your skorts a ’90s-Y2K makeover with Free People’s Micro Mini Denim Skort. It comes in four washes to customize to your style and is made with a side zipper, shorts underneath and a soft denim material for added comfort.

model wearing denim pleated skort with frayed edges

Forever21

Pleated Frayed Denim Skort

$18.39 $22.99 20% off% OFF

For an edgier look, Forever21’s denim skort features frayed edges and shorts underneath. The pleats give it that casual tennis skirt look — minus the stretchy spandex material. Plus, you can easily style it with a belt, band T-shirt and a leather jacket for added trendiness.

model wearing light wash asymmetrical skort

Nordstrom

Circus NY Raw Hem Denim Skort

$54.50

For those who want a similar look with less pleats, this denim skort comes with an asymmetrical waist while the back looks like a pair of classic jean shorts. The cotton denim material will also get softer the more you wash and wear them for added comfort.

For more summery product recommendations, check out our roundups of the best jelly shoes, crochet bikinis and corset tops, and a must-have, viral sticky bra that will make you say goodbye to traditional bras.

26 Jun 2023

Drake’s Poetry Book & Album, All the Drama That Went Down at the BET Awards & More | Billboard News

Drake has announced his first poetry book and a new album. The 2023 BET Awards took place Sunday night and we have your full recap. ‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ season 3 winner Landon Cider talks about finding drag, being inspired by David Bowie and Stephen Sondheim. And more!

Tetris Kelly:
Drake is not just a rapper; he’s a poet as well. Billboard was on the scene at the BET Awards. Country music dominates the charts, we played Never Have I Ever with Madeline Edwards, and ‘Dragula’ winner Landon Cider gives us his musical inspiration. Happy Monday, I’m Tetris Kelly for Billboard News, it’s June 26, and we’ve got to talk about Drake. Drake revealed over the weekend that he is releasing both a book of poetry and a new album. Drake revealed on his Instagram that he will drop a collection of poems, named ‘Titles Ruin Everything,’ a stream of consciousness he kept in the post. “I don’t know if I have ever wanted people to buy or support something more in my life.” The rapper and poet promoted the project with ads in major newspapers that included a QR code leading to a website where he revealed a new album is also on the way. The text on the side reads, “I made an album to go with the book. They say they missed the old Drake, girl don’t tempt me. For all the dogs.” The book of poetry is out now and no word yet on when we’ll get the new album.

Last night was the BET Awards and there was music on the stage and drama in the audience. From high notes to a couple at each other’s throats and hip-hop tributes to the GOATs.

Watch the full video above!