News

10 May 2023

Priyanka Chopra Shares the Nick Jonas Song That Makes Her ‘Weak in the Knees’

Priyanka Chopra appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast on Wednesday (May 10) to chat about her relationship with Nick Jonas.

Sitting down with host Alex Cooper, the Citadel actress said that she was initially attracted to her pop star hubby after he “had the confidence to slide into my DMs and ask me out” after crossing paths at the Met Gala.

“Literally, like, his message was ‘I’ve been told we should meet,” she revealed. “How cocky! [gasps] So sexy. I love it!”

When Chopra googling the Jonas Brothers singer, the first result that came up was the music video for his 2016 solo single “Close” featuring Tove Lo, which prompted her to “immediately” send the singer her number. “I mean, I knew of the Jonas Brothers but I…different generations, also,” she confessed. “I grew up in India, you know? I was doing Indian pop culture at that time, I didn’t know about the music as much.

“At least a date. That body deserves at least a date,” she said after watching the video. “That video! His voice. That song, still, every time he sings that song on stage for me, like, I get weak in the knees.”

As fans know, the superstar couple got married in a lavish Indian wedding with multiple ceremonies in Dec. 2018 and Chopra told Cooper the secret to their relationship is in their unflinching support of one another. “Like, I’ve found my husband and I have this incredible partnership of ‘I’ve got you,’ and we communicate and we feel a sense of…you know that trust exercise? I would never do that with anyone else except Nick,” she added with a laugh. “I don’t trust people, but he’s one that, just, I know has my back.”

Listen to Chopra’s appearance on Call Her Daddy below.

10 May 2023

Blueface Says He Doesn’t Want The Baby After Accusing Chrisean Rock of “Trapping” Him

HipHopWired Featured Video

CLOSE

Hollywood Unlocked's 2nd Annual Impact Awards

Source: Prince Williams / Getty / Blueface

The world’s most toxic relationship retakes the center stage. Struggle rapper Blueface claims he no longer wants the seed Chrisean Rock is carrying.

Offbeat expert, Blueface, is accusing Chrisean Rock of “trapping” him with her pregnancy and says she can still get an abortion.

The “Thotiana” crafter said as much in a series of tweets he should not have hit send on Tuesday, May 90, adding another unnecessary chapter in the toxic mess that is his relationship with the former collegiate athlete turned reality star and aspiring rapper.

“Who ever the judge is on my child support case I told this hoe I don’t want the baby she still got time for an abortion an she forcing it on me so you better make the price right on cryp she tryna trap me judge look out for a cryp on sY,” he wrote in a tweet.

Blueface is also ready for a battle for child support, claiming Rock will “manipulate” the judge into siding with her.

“I pay all my taxes judge ima good n-gga I got 2 kids no child support ever filed cuz I take care of a my kids but this victim playing hoe gone manipulate you judge she got me bro don’t let her get you she still got time to end all of this on cryp.”

In response, Chrisean Rock revealed she is 20 weeks pregnant, plans on still being a mommy despite this pregnancy not going smoothly, and will move on with or without Blueface.

“Sheesh I’m 20 weeks already but When I seen the face of what was growing inside of me I had to pray the fear away of being a mommy,” Rock said.

Twitter Reacts By Flaming Blueface & More

As expected, Twitter is flaming Blueface for his ridiculous tweets, where he is also accusing Rock of trying to burn the house down.

“Blueface sitting up on this internet countlessly telling chrisean to kill her baby, idc how any of you birds see it? it’s disgusting. talking bout “who’s watching the baby, MEEEE?” but you can fuck and nut in her. stop. fucking gross bro,” one person said in a tweet. 

What a mess.

We hope these two split and give each other time to heal and also come together to raise their child.

You can see more reactions in the gallery below.

—

Photo: Prince Williams / Getty

2. Apparently not.

3. Weirdo behavior

4. Interesting

10 May 2023

Here’s Why BLACKPINK Fans Think Jennie Teased a Song Collab With The Weeknd

Jennie stars in The Weeknd‘s upcoming HBO show The Idol, but that might not be the only project the two pop music titans are cooking up together. Fans are convinced that the BLACKPINK star, while playing DJ at a recent event honoring her partnership with Calvin Klein, just previewed a sultry new duet with the “Blinding Lights” singer — and they couldn’t be more excited.

Looking stunning in a simple purple dress, Jennie was captured on video manning the sound system at the fashion celebration in Seoul alongside twin sisters/DJ duo Simi and Haze Khadra (P.S., Simi Khadra is The Weeknd’s rumored girlfriend of over a year). The three ladies dance as a vibey track plays out, featuring two voices that sound an awful lot like Jennie Kim and Abel Tesfaye’s.

But if that wasn’t convincing enough, Jennie herself reposted the video onto her own Instagram Story and tagged both The Weeknd and The Idol‘s official Instagram pages, seemingly confirming that the unreleased track is a collaboration set for the show’s soundtrack. The Khadra sisters also shared similar footage on their Story, and tagged The Weeknd, The Idol and Jennie.

“Am i dreamin? We got Jennie x the weekend, this is so cool,” one fan commented on the Instagram video reposted by Jennie. “jennie x the weeknd??? OH HELL,” wrote another.

So far, only one song has been released from The Idol‘s soundtrack as the drama series approaches its much-delayed June 4 premiere on HBO. The Weeknd and Future dropped lead single “Double Fantasy” late last month, just a few days after the “Die For You” musician debuted the track live during Metro Boomin’s Coachella performance.

Co-created by The Weeknd and Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson, The Idol stars Tesfaye as a nightclub owner/cult leader who takes over the career of a pop star named Jocelyn, played by Lily-Rose Depp. Not much is known yet about Jennie’s supporting role, but you can catch glimpses of her in some of the show’s trailers.

Check out Jennie’s sneak peek at her (possible) new song with The Weeknd below.

10 May 2023

AI Voice Recreation Service Covers.ai Launches

MAYK’s artificial intelligence-powered voice recreation tool officially launched to all users today (May 10).

Covers.ai lets users upload their own original songs and then try on other AI-voices on top of it, including the voices of Billboard Hot 100-charting talent. According to a company press release, Covers.ai’s tool topped over 100,000 sign-ups prior to its launch.

Its founder and CEO, Stefan Heinrich — an entrepreneur who previously worked in high-ranking positions for Cameo, TikTok, Musical.ly and YouTube — explains that, for now, most of the models available for users to work with are “community models.”

“This is open source,” he explains. “There are users that make these models with various celebrity voices out in the wild, and those can be uploaded and marked at ‘community models’ on our site. At the same time, we are working with artist teams to license the voices of specific talent so we can find a way to compensate them for their official use.”

Eventually, Heinrich says he also hopes to find a way to license song catalogs from rights holders so that users can mix and match tracks with various artists’ voices they find on the site. Through these licensing agreements, he hopes to find a way to create a new revenue stream for talent, but to date, these licenses have not yet been finalized.

MAYK is backed by notable music investors including Zach Katz (president/COO of FaZe Clan, former president of BMG US), Matt Pincus (co-founder and CEO of MUSIC), Jon Vlassopulos (CEO of Napster, former global head of music at Roblox), Mohnish Sani (principle, content acquisition, Amazon Music) and more.

The launch arrives as conversations around AI and vocal deepfakes are at a fever pitch. Just last month, an unknown songwriter called Ghostwriter went viral for creating a song called “Heart on My Sleeve” using supposed AI-renderings of Drake and The Weeknd’s voices without their knowledge. Soon after, Grimes responded to the news by launching her own AI voice model to let users freely use her voice to create music.

In just a few minutes of searching, it’s apparent that TikTok is already flooded with songs with AI-vocals, whether they are original songs employing the voices of famous talent, like “Heart on My Sleeve,” or mashing up one well-known song with the voice of a different artist.

This AI vocal technology raises legal questions, however.

Mimicking vocals may be a violation an artist’s so-called right of publicity – the legal right to control how your individual identity is commercially exploited by others. Past landmark cases — like Tom Waits v. Frito Lay and Bette Midler v. Ford Motor Company — have established that soundalikes of famous voices cannot be employed without their consent to sell products, but the precedent is less clear when it comes to creative expressions like songs, which are much more likely to be deemed a protected form of free speech.

Heinrich hopes that Covers.ai can help “democratize creativity” and make it far more “playful” in an effort to get music fans from the lean-back forms of music discovery, like listening to radio or a pre-programmed editorial playlist, to a more engaged, interactive experience. “I think what music is really changing right now,” he says, noting that Covers.ai’s earliest adopters are mostly Gen Z and Gen Alpha. “The product we’re building here is really made for the next generation, the one coming up.”

10 May 2023

WWE Women’s Tag Champs Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez Want a Dream Match With Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion

Last Saturday night (May 6), Bad Bunny proved “Bunnies can fly” during his electric performance against WWE superstar Damien Priest in a San Juan Street Fight at the sport’s premium live event, Backlash. After his rousing effort, fans began floating names for who they would love to see in the square circle next. If you ask WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez, they suggest two of hip-hop’s preeminent talents, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

“I would love to see Cardi and Meg The Stallion,” the tandem offer. “I think Meg would be incredible. They’ve also been so active with us on Twitter and just responded to different things. Those two would be interesting to see in the ring. Us versus Cardi and Meg. Make it happen.”

The chemistry between Cardi and Megan is there, as the two netted a Hot 100 chart-topper with “WAP” in 2020 and resided at the mountaintop for four weeks. “I’m not gonna go easy on them, though,” relays Morgan. “They look like they could take the titles: an Extreme Rules Match, Last Woman Standing Match. Let’s do all of it.”

In 2021, Cardi shared a series of tweets regarding her fandom for the sport and went far enough to list her favorite wrestlers during her childhood, such as Booker T, Edge, and Trish Stratus, who responded to her praise on Twitter. “Cardi knows,” said the former seven-time WWE Women’s Champion. The starstruck MC swiftly responded saying: “OMMMMMMMGGGGGG !!!!! Bitch I’m gagging !!!! I’m so hype !!!”

In a brief chat with Billboard, Morgan and Rodriguez speak about the importance of staying focused ahead of their matches and not relying on warm-up music to prepare them. “I’m so chaotic before I wrestle,” says Morgan. “I’m pacing back and forth. I’m like nowhere to be found. [Raquel] is usually trying to find me. I’m somewhere lost in the shuffle and very much in my head. I wish I was calm enough to listen to music, to get into a vibe, but I can’t. I have to be super laser focused and overthink everything I’m about to do.”

Rodriguez echoes her partner’s sentiments but says she has a bit more flexibility when getting ready, looking to Karol G and Bad Bunny to set the mood.

“We’re so focused on what we’re about to do, but when I have time while I’m getting ready, I love to listen to reggaetón because it gets me moving,” she says. “I love listening to Karol G, Bad Bunny — which gets me in a good mood and moving. I feel good about myself, and then once it’s time for business, let’s go.”

And if fans were hoping for a John Cena revival in the music space, the chances of that happening are pretty slim. However, Rodriguez credits her colleague Dominik Mysterio for being a great freestyler: “He’s really good. I heard he does some freestyles sometime in the cars with the boys, and he goes in-between Spanish and English, so it’s really, really good.”

10 May 2023

Ed Sheeran Came Out on Top in His Copyright Trial — Is the Billboard 200 Next?

The Contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top of the Billboard charts, and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming charts dated May 20), one of the biggest pop stars of the past decade takes his turn attempting to depose Morgan Wallen’s Billboard 200 incumbent before its potential 10th week on top.

Ed Sheeran, – (Subtract) (Asylum/Atlantic): For the fifth and presumably final entry in Ed Sheeran’s mathematical symbols series, Sheeran linked up with writer-producer Aaron Dessner for a personal, stripped-down 14-track set. Subtract lacks the kind of obvious pop singles that bolstered prior albums No.6 Collaborations Project (2019) and = (Equals) (2021), though Midas-touched top 40 maestros Max Martin and Shellback are here (along with dance sensation Fred again..) as co-producers on lead single “Eyes Closed.”  

“Closed” has not yet achieved the kind of Billboard Hot 100 success of previous No. 2-peaking advance singles “I Don’t Care” (with Justin Bieber) and “Bad Habits” — debuting at just No. 26 and sliding down from there. But there is an obvious precedent for this kind of album finding major success even without a big pop hit, courtesy of Sheeran’s old pal Taylor Swift, whose 2020 album Folklore boasted similarly stark songwriting and stripped-down arrangements (also largely produced and co-authored by Aaron Dessner) and still posted blockbuster first-week numbers. And while Sheeran’s latest single might not have impacted pop culture much yet, his name has certainly been all over headlines lately — thanks to the closely watched copyright trial over his alleged infringement of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” on his “Thinking Out Loud,” for which he was found not liable last week.

Since Sheeran’s streaming numbers are not what they  used to be, he’ll need to depend significantly on sales to pass Morgan Wallen’s nine-week No. 1 One Thing at a Time. To that end, – (Subtract) is available in both a standard 14 track edition and a deluxe 18 track edition on DSPs and for digital download, as well as on CD or vinyl. He also has vinyl variants of the standard edition for purchase, including exclusives for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, independent record stores, Target, Urban Outfitters and Walmart. He also has multiple CD editions available in various collectible packages (including a signed CD, an iteration with a lenticular cover, a “textured sand” cover and a “Zine” CD package), and a deluxe boxed set containing a shirt and a signed CD. 

Will it all be enough? One Thing’s numbers have continued to slip, now down to 138,000 equivalent album units in its ninth week at No. 1. However, that number is still comfortably higher than the first-week numbers (118,000 units) posted by Sheeran’s Equals album – which had a big pop smash – so he will need fans to really connect with this highly personal album to earn his fifth No. 1 in a row.  

IN THE MIX 

Le Sserafim, Unforgiven (Source/YG Plus/Geffen): Korean girl group Le Sserafim made its first splash on the Billboard 200 in October 2022 with its No. 14-peaking Antifragile EP – several tracks of which also appear on its first studio album, Unforgiven. The set boasts 11 collectible CD editions — including exclusives for Target, Walmart and Weverse and comes with a standard set of bonus materials , plus randomized photocards – as well as a guest appearance from a chart-topper of yore: the legendary Nile Rodgers of Chic, on the title track.  

Destroy Lonely, If Looks Could Kill (Opium/Interscope/Ingrooves): One of the few real success stories in hip-hop the past year has been the breakthrough of Atlanta rapper Destroy Lonely, whose guitar-heavy “If Looks Could Kill” became a viral sensation in March after taking off on TikTok. The artist’s debut album is named after that hit single, and features 26 guest-free tracks of woozy, grungy trap — which should make the set one of the week’s biggest new streaming successes.  

Various Artists, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: Awesome Mix Vol. 3 (Hollywood/Marvel Music): The third entry in the popular series of soundtracks the blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy films sees its faux-mixtape format embracing Generation X-era hits from Radiohead, the Beastie Boys and The Replacements – while also keeping a little of its ‘70s core with classics from Heart, Rainbow and Bruce Springsteen. Currently unavailable on streaming, the set is expected to sell well – and can be purchased in a wide-release standard CD, a Walmart-exclusive CD with a poster packaged inside, a Target-exclusive CD variant with collectible “Guardians” branded trading cards, as well as in vinyl exclusives on Disney Music Emporium’s website, and at Target and Walmart. 

Taylor Swift, Speak Now (Big Machine): You know how this works by now: Taylor Swift announces a new Taylor’s Version re-recording of one of her early albums, and fans stream the originals in anticipation. Speak Now had already enjoyed the chart bump that all of Swift’s studio albums received following the launch of her breathlessly anticipated Eras Tour – climbing to No. 58 on the most recent Billboard 200. Now, after Swift’s revelation that she plans to revisit her third album next, it’s poised for another big leap on the chart. 

10 May 2023

Billie Eilish Releases a Short Cover of Drake’s ‘Hotline Bling’: Stream It Now

Tuesday (May 9) was a big day for O.G. Billie Eilish fans. After her five-year-old SoundCloud cover of Drake‘s “Hotline Bling” started gaining traction on TikTok last month, the singer has now released an official version that’s available for the first time ever on streaming services.

Simply titled “Hotline (edit),” the new cover is just one minute long. Eilish’s original take, produced by Finneas and posted in June 2018 to SoundCloud, is double that length, but the new release only includes its second half.

The 21-year-old pop star slows down Drake’s uptempo 2015 smash, singing the song’s hook through waves of far-off reverb over relaxed ukulele strums and a bright synth countermelody. Fans who want to hear her perform the song’s full chorus and first verse, though, will have to stick with the SoundCloud version.

Prior to Tuesday, Eilish’s cover was a lot harder to come by. Other than SoundCloud, one of the few other places fans could find it was on a special two-song Record Store Day vinyl, which also featured the Grammy winner’s 2017 track “party favor.” Fan videos show that Eilish also used to perform “Hotline” at her concerts in 2017, using it as a segue into “Party Favor.”

Now that it’s finally out, fans couldn’t be happier. “I’VE WAITED YEARS FOR BILLIE TO UPLOAD THIS COVER,” wrote one in the song’s comments on YouTube.

“my heart !!! i’m so happy this is trending on tiktok…,” commented another. “it reminds me of the time when billie was our little secret. so proud of all her and finneas’s accomplishments !!!”

Check out Billie Eilish’s “Hotline (edit)” below:

10 May 2023

T.I.’s Lawsuit Against Toymaker Over ‘OMG’ Dolls Set For New Jury Trial

Months after a high-profile mistrial, T.I. is headed back to federal court Wednesday for a second trial in his lawsuit claiming that toymaker MGA stole the design of its “OMG” dolls from the OMG Girlz – a defunct teen pop trio created by his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris.

The intellectual property case initially went to trial in January, but Judge James V. Selna granted a sudden mistrial after jurors heard inadmissible racially-charged testimony, including a claim that MGA “steals from African Americans.”

The battle began in 2021, with T.I. (real name Clifford Harris) and Tiny claiming that MGA had committed both “cultural appropriation and outright theft of the intellectual property” by stealing the look of a group of “young multicultural women.”

Their complaint against MGA included side-by-side images, aiming to show how each OMG doll was directly based on a particular member of the OMG Girlz, a group that included Tiny’s daughter Zonnique Pullins.

“This cultural appropriation is legally actionable where, as here, it has resulted in MGA’s unlawful copying and dilution of the OMG Girlz brand, and misappropriation of their name and likeness,” lawyers for T.I. and Tiny wrote.

MGA, for its part, says it has done nothing wrong – that the dolls were more often branded as L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G., and that consumers would not confuse the toys for the “short-lived” band.

The case went before a federal jury in January, seeing five days of testimony. But on the fifth day of the trial, jurors heard videotaped deposition testimony from a woman named Moneice Campbell, a former MGA customer who said she would no longer purchase the company’s products because MGA “steals from African Americans and their ideas and profit off of it.”

Earlier in the case, Judge Selna had already expressly prohibited such testimony from the trial. After MGA’s lawyers demanded an immediate mistrial, the judge agreed to grant one.

“There is no way to unring the bell of the jury’s hearing Ms. Campbell’s emotionally charged accusations that MGA has been ‘stealing’ from the African-American community,” the MGA attorneys wrote. “Her improper testimony cannot be challenged, rebutted or cured without drawing further attention to it.”

The new trial began with jury selection on Tuesday and will see opening statements on Wednesday.

10 May 2023

Gordon Lightfoot Streams Spike 290% After His Death

Streams, sales and radio airplay of Gordon Lightfoot’s catalog jumped by triple-digit percentages following the Canadian singer-songwriter’s death.

In the April 28-May 4 tracking week, official on-demand U.S. streams of Lightfoot’s music ballooned 290% to 14 million, according to Luminate, from 3.6 million the prior week (April 21-27).

Additionally, Lightfoot’s catalog moved 41,000 song downloads, a 3,629% surge from 1,000 the previous frame.

His overall album consumption totaled 20,000 equivalent album units, up 511% from 3,000. Of that sum, 6,000 units were via album sales.

Lightfoot’s radio airplay audience vaulted by 317% to 3 million impressions, from 730,000.

The influx of interest in Lightfoot’s deep catalog — he first reached a Billboard chart in 1969 — sparks his appearances on multiple surveys dated May 13. That haul includes the No. 1-selling track in the United States, as “If You Could Read My Mind” bows atop Digital Song Sales with 10,000 sold, up 4,162%.

Additionally, “Sundown” (9,000 sold, up 2,976%), “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (7,000, up 3,429%) and “Carefree Highway” (4,000, up 4,283%) also enter the top 10, at Nos. 3, 5 and 10, respectively.

The four songs encompass Lightfoot’s career Billboard Hot 100 top 10s. “Mind” reached No. 5 in February 1971, “Sundown” reigned for a week in June 1974, “Highway” hit No. 10 that November; and “Edmund Fitzgerald” peaked at No. 2 in November 1976.

All four songs appear on Rock Digital Song Sales at Nos. 1-3 and 5, respectively. They’re joined by 1975’s “The Soul Is the Rock” (No. 12; 2,000 sold).

“Sundown” leads a trio of Lightfoot songs on the multimetric Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart (where older titles are eligible to appear if in the top half with a meaningful reason for their resurgences). The song bows at No. 11, with its download sales joined by 3.3 million streams, up 64%.

“Mind” (No. 17; 2.1 million streams, up 99%) and “Edmund Fitzgerald” (No. 20; 1.9 million streams, up 127%) also enter the survey.

“Sundown,” “Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Highway” and “Rock” reach Country Digital Song Sales, at Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 13, respectively.

On the all-format Billboard 200, Lightfoot’s Gord’s Gold collection returns at No. 95 thanks to 11,000 units, up 3,086%. It’s the set’s first appearance on the chart since January 1977, after it reached No. 34 a year earlier.

Gord’s Gold also reaches Americana/Folk Albums (No. 3) and Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Country Albums (No. 17 on both).

Multiple Lightfoot songs dot Billboard’s LyricFind charts, which rank the fastest momentum-gaining tracks in lyric-search queries and usages globally and in the U.S., provided by LyricFind. “Sundown” leads the way at No. 1 on LyricFind U.S. with an 884% increase in lyric searches and usages following Lightfoot’s death, according to LyricFind.

Lightfoot died of natural causes in Toronto May 1 at age 84.

10 May 2023

Cardi B & Offset’s Daughter Kulture Was Starstruck Meeting Halle Bailey at ‘The Little Mermaid’ Premiere

Disney’s The Little Mermaid made its splashy Hollywood premiere on Monday (May 8), and it was a magical night complete with meeting a princess for Cardi B and Offset’s daughter, Kulture.

The little girl — who attended alongside sister Kalea (Offset’s daughter from a previous relationship) and their dad — had the chance to meet Halle Bailey (the new live-action film’s Ariel) just before watching the movie, as captured in a video.

The clip shows the starstruck 4-year-old and Bailey sharing a sweet moment in which Kulture quickly embraces The Little Mermaid actress for a hug. The star then crouches down to the little girl’s level to give her a proper hug.

Bailey also shared the love she has for Cardi and Offset’s daughters on Twitter. Another user shared video of Kulture and Kalea walking in with their dad for the carpeted event, which the singer-actress re-shared to her own account in a quote tweet. “They loooked so beautiful!!!!” she gushed, adding several hearts and teary-eyed emojis.

In an earlier message, Bailey expressed her feelings after attending the premiere for the movie, and expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to star in it. “The little mermaid LA premiere.. we made it you guys, i’m so overwhelmed and overjoyed that this movie is almost here for you all to see,” she wrote. “this was the first premiere of the press run and i have been in tears and feeling oh so grateful.”

See Kulture’s sweet moment with Bailey in the video below.