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17 Apr 2023

James Corden Teases BLACKPINK’s Carpool Karaoke Segment

Fresh off their jaw-dropping headlining set during Coachella’s first weekend, BLACKPINK is hitting the road with James Corden for one of the talk show host’s final Carpool Karaoke segments.

To tease the upcoming episode, Corden took to Instagram to share a video in which he’s seen in the car asking for “someone to help me get to work.” He then pans the camera to the passenger and back seats, where the stunning girl group is seen smiling and saying in unison, “BLACKPINK in your area!”

The Carpool Karaoke segment featuring Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa and Rosé, airs on Tuesday night (April 18) during CBS’ The Late Late Show With James Corden. The piece will air in one of the late-night show’s final 12 episodes, which will conclude April 27. 

On Saturday (April 15), the global superstars became the first Korean act to headline Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. “So… let me start off with, four years ago we were invited to perform here for you at Coachella at the Sahara tent and that made a mark in all of our hearts,” Rosé told the crowd during their set, which featured performances of hits like “Pink Venom,” “Lovesick Girls,” “DDU-DU DDU-DU” and many more. ”I must say, this is a dream come true … the reason all four of us are here is because of you.”

Read Billboard‘s full recap here.

17 Apr 2023

Artificial Intelligence Could Be ‘Really Damaging’ to Local Broadcasters, Warns NAB CEO

National Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Curtis LeGeyt spoke out on the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence on Monday at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. “This is an area where NAB will absolutely be active,” he asserted of AI, which is one of the buzziest topics this week at the annual convention. “It is just amazing how quickly the relevance of AI to our entire economy — but specifically, since we’re in this room, the broadcast industry — has gone from amorphous concept to real.”

LeGeyt warned of several concerns that he has for local broadcasters, the first being issues surrounding “big tech” taking broadcast content and not fairly compensating broadcasters for its use. “We have been fighting for legislation to put some guardrails on it,” LeGeyt said. “AI has the potential to put that on overdrive. We need to ensure that our stations, our content creators are going to be fairly compensated.”

He added that he worries for journalists. “We’re already under attack for any slip-up we might have with regard to misreporting on a story. Well, you’re gonna have to do a heck of a lot more diligence to ensure that whatever you are reporting on is real, fact-based information and not just some AI bot that happens to look like Joe Biden.” Finally, he warned of images and likenesses being misappropriated where AI is involved.

“I want to wave the caution flag on some of these areas,” he said. “I think this could be really damaging for local broadcast.”

During his talk, he also outlines was he sees as potential opportunities. “My own view is there are some real potentially hyperlocal benefits to AI,” he said, citing as examples translation services and the ability to speed up research at “resource-constrained local stations.” He asserted, “Investigative journalism is never going to be replaced by AI. Our role at local community events, philanthropic work, is never going to be replaced by AI. But to the degree that we can leverage AI to do some of the things that are time-consuming and take away your ability to be boots on the ground doing the things that only you can do well, I think that’s a positive.”

Also addressed during the session was the voluntary rollout of the next generation of digital television, known as ATSC 3.0, which may include capabilities such as free, live broadcasting to mobile devices. A change of this magnitude has a lot of moving parts and has a long way to go before its potential can be realized.

At NAB, FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel was on hand to announce the Future of Television Initiative, which she described as a public-private partnership among stakeholders to support a transition to ATSC 3.0. “With over 60 percent of Americans already in range of a Next Gen TV signal, we are excited to work closely with all stakeholders, including the FCC, to bring Next Gen TV and all of its benefits to all viewers,” said LeGeyt.

During his session, LeGeyt also addressed “fierce competition for the dashboard” as part of a discussion of connected cars. “It’s not enough for any one [broadcaster] to innovate. If we are all not rowing in the same direction as an industry, … we are going to lose this arms race,” he warned.

Citing competition from the likes of Spotify, he contends that the local content offered by broadcasters gives them a “competitive advantage.”

The NAB Show runs through Wednesday.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

17 Apr 2023

Did Doja Cat Just Unveil Her Next Album’s Track List?

Fans have been wanting new music from Doja Cat ever since the success of her 2021 album, Planet Her, and their wishes are finally coming true.

The 27-year-old superstar took to her Instagram Stories on Monday (April 17) to drop what looks like a 19-song track list for her upcoming album. Tracks include titles like “Attention,” “Love Life,” “97,” “Wet Vagina,” “Can’t Wait” and an “unfinished” song called “Ouchies.” She has yet to confirm if the post is actually a track listing for her upcoming project.

See her Story before it disappears here. Doja’s Planet Her peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart dated July 10, 2021, and produced a number of long-lasting hits including “Need to Know,” “Woman,” “Ain’t S—” and “Get Into It (Yuh).”

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Earlier in the day, Doja went live on Instagram, where she played one-second snippets of songs set to appear on her forthcoming rap album, tentatively titled Hellmouth, according to TMZ.

In other music news, Doja recently teamed up with her “Kiss Me More” collaborator SZA for a remix of the latter’s S.O.S. hit, “Kill Bill.” The original version of the track reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, between January and the most recently published April 15-dated chart, and its parent LP has logged 10 weeks atop the Billboard 200.

17 Apr 2023

Grafh, Dave East & 38 Spesh “EVERY DAY,” Doe Boy & Dej Loaf “ROLL THE DICE & More | Daily Visuals 4.17.23

HipHopWired Featured Video

Dave East

Source: Bernard Smalls / @PhotosByBeanz

Gritty and hardcore Hip-Hop is just what New York is known for and though there hasn’t been as much of that kind of sound as of late, a few rappers do provide just that and we couldn’t be more thankful.

Linking up for the visuals to “EVERY DAY,” Grafh, Dave East and 38 Spesh head to Harlem to kick at Dave East’s clothing store to sip on some adult juice before kicking it on the stoop where they smoke some bud and drop their bars like every up and coming rapper did before signing that record deal.

Elsewhere Doe Boy and DeJ Loaf talk about their relationship woes and in their clip to “ROLL THE DICE” play each other close while opening up about their drama.

Check out the rest of today’s drops and some joints you might’ve missed over the weekend including work from Fatlip and Blu, NLE Choppa featuring Russ Millions, and more.

GRAFH, DAVE EAST & 38 SPESH – “EVERY DAY”



DOE BOY & DEJ LOAF – “ROLL THE DICE”



FATLIP & BLU – “GANGSTA RAP”



NLE CHOPPA FT. RUSS MILLIONS – “SHAKE IT”



THE SICKEST DRAMA FT. DIZZY THE ILL ONE – “WHITE NOISE”



RARA – “DOPE BOY FASHION”



LIL POPPA – “CHROME HEART”



D4VD – “SLEEP WELL”



FMB DZ – “STARTING5”



17 Apr 2023

What You Missed At Coachella Weekend 1, BLACKPINK Announce U.S. Tour, & More | Billboard News

Morgan Wallen continues his chart reign topping Hot 100 and Billboard 200. BLACKPINK added four upcoming summer stadium shows in the U.S. During his time backstage at the 2023 Billboard Presents The Stage at SXSW, Feid shared what’s on his current playlist, and more!

17 Apr 2023

Bebe Rexha Calls Out TikTok Over Weight-Related Search Suggestion: ‘It Just Sucks’

Bebe Rexha is calling out TikTok for highlighting a suggested search questioning her weight.

“Seeing that search bar is so upsetting,” the pop star tweeted above a screenshot from the social app showing “bebe rexha weight” written into the related search history. “I’m not mad cause it’s true. I did gain weight. But it just sucks. Thank you to all the people who love me no matter what.”

The 2023 Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards performer had already gotten support from fans in the very screenshot she posted, with one writing, “I [love] her for being so unique and real, she loves herself inside and outside and we can see it” with a heart-hands emoji. Another simply added, “Beautiful she is” to the hundreds of comments on TikTok.

Other Twitter users called out TikTok’s interface for suggesting the search terms in the first place. “Someone at @tiktokus’s policies team need change what comes up on the related search bar, right now! This is toxic and terrible!” wrote popular YouTuber Kandee Johnson. “@TikTokSupport you need to do better. Care about the people on your platform and not making it toxic like this.”

Meanwhile, Rexha’s self-titled third album BEBE is due April 28 via Warner Records, preceded by the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 David Guetta collab “I’m Good (Blue)” and the follow-ups “Heart Wants What It Wants” and “Call on Me.”

Check out Rexha’s tweet about TikTok below.

17 Apr 2023

Ariana Grande Talks ‘Wicked’ & Leaked Demos During R.E.M. Beauty Makeup Tutorial

Ariana Grande is celebrating one year of her makeup brand R.E.M. Beauty being sold at Ulta Beauty, and treated fans to a little makeup tutorial while answering some fan questions.

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The blonde-haired “Positions” singer is in the midst of filming the highly-anticipated movie adaptation of Wicked, in which she plays Glinda the Good Witch. “Life is beautiful and surreal. I’m learning so much and I’m growing so much right now and I’m working my a– off and I’m enjoying and savoring every moment of it,” she shared of her current feelings, putting together a cut-crease eye look using her Midnight Shadows eyeshadow palette in the shade Smitten Kitten.

“It’s weird because it’s exhausting but I’m not tired,” she added of the filming process. “I will do it again right now. Every single thing — I don’t want to stop, I don’t want to do the weekends, I don’t want to go home, I don’t want to leave ever. So, Cynthia [Erivo] and I are — this is the phrase we keep saying — husks. We are shells of people, and I’m savoring every single second humanly possible.”

And yes, Glinda will soon be seen wearing some R.E.M. Beauty products, even though Grande told her makeup artist that she shouldn’t feel pressure to wear makeup from her line. “I don’t want to go into this with any rules or requests,” she explained. “I want us to find [Glinda] from the ground up. I just want to sit down and let you play and we’ll find her together. I wanted to be a new girl.”

Grande even addressed some of the unreleased demos that have been spreading on TikTok, as well as the leaked news that R.E.M. is working on foundations. “You guys have heard every bad song and bulls— demo I’ve ever made,” she said. “Hilarious! It’s impossible to keep things from you. You gotta take some swings and misses.”

Watch the full tutorial and Q&A below.

17 Apr 2023

Fake Drake & The Weeknd Song — Made With AI — Pulled From Streaming After Going Viral

A new song believed to feature AI-generated fake vocals from Drake and The Weeknd that went viral over the weekend has been pulled from most streaming platforms after their label, Universal Music Group, released a statement Monday (April 17) condemning “infringing content created with generative AI.”

Released by an anonymous TikTok user called Ghostwriter977 and credited as Ghostwriter on steaming platforms where it racked up hundreds of thousands of streams, the track “Heart On My Sleeve” features uncannily similar voices to the two superstars — a trick that the creator says was accomplished by using artificial intelligence. It’s unclear if the entire song was created with AI, or just the soundalike vocals.

By Monday afternoon, the song had generated more 600,000 spins on Spotify, and Ghostwriter977’s TikTok videos had been viewed more than 15 million times. A YouTube video had another 275,000 views, with an ominous comment from the creator below it: “This is just the beginning.”

Many music fans seemed impressed. One comment on TikTok with more than 75,000 likes said it was the “first AI song that has actually impressed me.” Another said Ghostwriter was “putting out better drake songs than drake himself.” A third said AI was “getting dangerously good.”

But the end could already be in sight. At time of publishing on Monday evening, “Heart On My Sleeve” had recently been pulled from Spotify, as well as Apple Music, Deezer and TIDAL before it.

Even if short-lived, the sensational success of “Heart On My Sleeve” will no doubt underscore growing concerns over the impact of AI on the music industry. Last week, UMG urged streaming platforms like Spotify to block AI companies from accessing the label’s songs to “train” their machines, and the RIAA has warned that doing so infringes copyrights on a mass scale. Last month, a large coalition of industry organizations warned that AI technology should not be used to “replace or erode” human artistry.

Representatives for Drake and The Weeknd declined to comment on Monday. But in a statement to Billboard, UMG said the viral postings “demonstrate why platforms have a fundamental legal and ethical responsibility to prevent the use of their services in ways that harm artists.”

“The training of generative AI using our artists’ music (which represents both a breach of our agreements and a violation of copyright law) as well as the availability of infringing content created with generative AI on DSPs, begs the question as to which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem want to be on: the side of artists, fans and human creative expression, or on the side of deep fakes, fraud and denying artists their due compensation,” a UMG spokesman said in a statement. “We’re encouraged by the engagement of our platform partners on these issues – as they recognize they need to be part of the solution.”

UMG declined to comment on whether it had sent formal takedown requests to streaming services and social media websites.

17 Apr 2023

Billy Joel Brought His Adorable Daughters to Watch (And Meet!) Taylor Swift at The Eras Tour in Tampa

Billy Joel has a pair of Swifties on his hands. The Piano Man took his two young daughters to see Taylor Swift during her Eras Tour stop in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday night, much to their excitement and delight.

The “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” singer shared a carousel of photos to his personal Instagram page on Sunday, which included images of his wife, Alexis Roderick, and their two little girls, Della Rose, 7, and Remy Anne, 5 — who appeared to be dressed in outfits inspired by the folklore/evermore and Lover eras — posing for pictures before the show and later dancing along as Swift sang “Are You Ready for It?”

“Rockin’ into our new ‘era’ thank you @Taylorswift we loved the show! #swifties #taylorswift #theerastour,” the veteran musician captioned the images. The girls also got an extra special treat: They were able to meet Swift herself backstage alongside their mom and dad.

Joel and his family are far from the first celebrities to geek out at Swift’s Eras tour. Selena Gomez, Jack Antonoff, HAIM, Aaron Dessner, Marcus Mumford, Diplo and Shania Twain are among a handful of the tour’s celebrity attendees (see a full list of all the famous guests at The Eras Tour here).

The Eras Tour is scheduled to continue with a trio of dates at Houston’s NRG Stadium this weekend, with Beabadoobee and Gracie Abrams opening. The tour will make stops in Nashville, Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and more before concluding at Inglewood, Calif.’s SoFi Stadium on Aug. 9.

See Joel’s pictures from The Eras Tour below.

17 Apr 2023

BLACKPINK’s Jisoo Rocked Out to Frank Ocean, Yungblud, Willow & More at Coachella

Jisoo wasn’t just a Coachella headliner this past weekend; she was also a fan. On Monday (April 17), the BLACKPINK idol shared her reactions to sets by Frank Ocean, Willow and more.

On her Instagram Stories, the K-pop star posted a clip of Ocean’s long-awaited headlining act on Day 3 of the Indio, Calif.-based festival, declaring simply, “Frank Ocean…legendary” above the R&B pioneer belting out Channel Orange fan favorite “Bad Religion.”

Jisoo also spread the love to the likes of Willow and Jaden Smith, Dominic Fike and others, declaring the Smith siblings’ onstage duet of “Summertime in Paris” the “best performance” and writing, “Can’t believe I got to listen to this in person!” of the latter’s performance of new song “Ant Pile” from his forthcoming sophomore studio album.

Earlier in the weekend, the Korean native posted a now-expired Story of herself enjoying Yungblud‘s set at the Outdoor Theatre as the Brit rocker played his 2022 track “Sweet Heroine.”

Of course, Jisoo was on hand at the festival to headline Saturday along with her BLACKPINK bandmates, marking the quartet’s historic return to Coachella just four years after they made their U.S. festival debut in 2019 with a triumphant set that included everything from “Boombayah” and “Ddu-Du Ddu-Du” to “Pink Venom,” “Shut Down” and “Typa Girl.” Each member got her own individual moment in the spotlight as well, with Jisoo performing her newly released solo single “Flower.”

Check out Jisoo’s thrilled fan footage of Ocean, Fike, Willow and more at Coachella before it expires here.