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13 Feb 2023

Rising Japanese Star Ado on Becoming an Adult, Touring and Evolving: ‘I Felt Like I Leveled Up in a Huge Way’

Ado wants to be cool. 

As the Japanese singer – who delivered one of the country’s biggest hits in recent years – raced towards adulthood in 2022, however, she realized her definition of cool needed to evolve. 

Within the span of years, the now-20-year-old singer had gone from being immersed in Japan’s Vocaloid culture – a genre of music that uses a synthesizing software to make vocals and melodies alike – to an utaite (singers who cover songs by other artists) – to unwittingly becoming the voice of a generation, when her viral 2020 hit “Ussewaa” pegged her as the antithesis to the dull routine of adult life. This was all without a physical release and while keeping her identity completely under wraps, which is not uncommon in utaite culture. 

“Understanding the latest trends/ Checking the stock market on my way to work/ Joining a company with pure spirit/ These are the obvious rules for us workers,” she spits on the frenzied electro-rock track, which thumps and pulses and simmers with rage born from helplessness and monotony. She had spent most of her career in a silo, sometimes recording songs in a closet inside her home. At first, “cool” meant brazenly rejecting societal expectations. In her own words, the brash, scathing sound was born from a primal need to resist the hierarchy.

“It was a rebellion against adults and this society, and I really wanted to win,” she tells Billboard. Yet here she was – joining the very contingent she’d scoffed at for the better part of her career.

But Ado is not like most young adults. In fact, she comes with a disarming quietude that most would struggle to reconcile with the pumping anger and scorn of her songs. As time pushed her closer to the other side of the threshold, she felt it was the right moment to broaden her perspective. 

Like any teenager, she had once thought that screaming at the top of her lungs, pouring visceral resentment into her songs and outright rejecting the idea of conformity was the way to achieve that. Ask her about it now, she’d probably laugh and say that emotion without self-awareness is a rebel without a cause. “When I started out, I was quite immature,” she admits. “I really wanted to be taken seriously.” 

As she expanded her vision for Ado, the artist, throughout 2022, some of her own dreams came true. She released her debut album Kyougen, which peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart, and then repeated her success with Uta’s Songs: One Piece Film Red, which reached no. 1 on the same chart. 

She’s come to approach her music as less of an outlet and more as an instrument for inspiration: “Going towards the end of the year, I really had proof – through the work that I did, through my performance, through my songs, and getting through challenges mentally as well as within myself – that I had grown. I felt like I leveled up in a huge way.” Her small wins, she says, assured her that she was on the right path.

At first, it sounds like a betrayal of the “young, wild, and free” ethos she’s come to embody, a proverbial “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality. She would disagree: She’s only becoming more conscientious, not replacing the primordial emotion that underlines her music. It’s an important part of being cool, you see: “[Cool people] are ready to take responsibility for who they are and what they do.” 

With one Japanese tour just weeks behind her, and her new Mars arena tour on the horizon – which will take her to 14 venues across Japan between June and September 2023 – Ado sat down with Billboard to discuss her career and growth. 

You’ve just wrapped up a series of shows across Japan. How are you feeling? 

It was pretty tough, but I was able to connect with my fans and hear their voices. Even though it was tough, when I got on stage, I forgot about everything. Concerts are really fun to do! 

What aspects of it did you think were tough? 

First of all, I have to say travel. Because you’re moving to so many different places, and then you have to go on stage – of course, being on the stage is fun, but it’s repetitive. You have to be your best self over and over again on stage, each night. That was a bit tough. It was really sort of an internal battle with myself.

You actually did a stream recently where you mentioned that you don’t like looking at performances of yourself. Why is that?

That’s right. It’s really uncomfortable for me. I really don’t like seeing myself in [any] media form – concerts, photos, video footage. Even if there’s a slight shadow of myself or a flicker, I just want to shut down the computer or turn it around so I don’t have to see it.

In that case, how are you preparing for the possibility of becoming more and more famous? I imagine as you are going to be performing at different venues, there’s chances of photos or videos. 

I’m quite aware that Ado is loved by the fans, but for some reason… I do equate myself with Ado, the artist, so I do know that I’m loved and people like what I do. But even if I know [what] their objective view [is], the fans’ view of me from the third person and my subjective view [of myself] in the first person, they don’t equate. They don’t match up. So I think there is a discrepancy there.

That sounds like you had trouble loving yourself at some point, even if the fans love you. 

You are right in your assumption. I think, at some point, I would really love to be able to look at the footage or photos of myself and think it’s all great and really appreciate myself. See myself the way the fans see me. I think that would make everything much more fun, but I’m not quite there yet. 

Is that one of your goals for 2023? 

Yes. Not just on an emotional level of just loving myself, but I’d like to be able to achieve that this year through improving my skills. 

There’s not a lot of live performance videos that you’ve uploaded from the tour, except for the one at the Saitama Super Arena. What was special about that performance? 

The Saitama Super Arena, for me, is really valuable and meaningful because it was the day that my dream came true – and because it came true, it encouraged me to keep singing. So, that concert was very important in my life. That’s why I wanted more people to see it. 

This reminds me of a video you uploaded sometime ago, titled “To Everyone Who Was Born In 2002,” where you talked about a blue rose and how it signified dreams coming true. How did you relate to it, especially in context of last year? 

Actually, originally, when we had the design for my image, it was only a long-haired girl. There was no rose in the character design. Then, somewhere along the line, we added a red rose and we went with that for a while. Then, I started looking into blue roses and the significance behind them – 2022 was when that happened. Then, I realized that it was connected to dreams coming true, and that message really appealed to me. So I thought: ‘I’ll use this motif’. That’s why I wear the blue rose on my chest, near my heart. 

What do you think you’ve been trying to achieve in your music and have those goals changed from your debut till now?

In the beginning, I was expressing that emotional anger quite strongly [through my music]. I really wanted to be taken seriously, and it was a rebellion against adults and this society of adults, and I really wanted to win. Having said that, now I’m 20, and I have become an adult. When I started out, it was quite immature. Now, as opposed to anger being the main motivation, it’s about motivating kids or young people for their dreams to come true. If they have dreams, maybe I could symbolize that, or inspire them to make their dreams come true. 

I like that you brought up being an adult. When I was watching “To Everyone Who Was Born in 2002,” I wondered: were you at all disappointed by adulthood not being all that it’s chalked up to be? 

I’m not sure if the word “disappointment” is correct – but when I tried being an adult, I realized that you [can’t] just switch it on and off. When I was 19, I realized it’s more like a state of mind that you gradually move into. So, when I did become 20, I wasn’t really shocked or hugely disappointed, but I thought that I wasn’t self-aware enough yet. I grapple with that at the moment as well. But, I will leave it to my future self. I think my future self will be okay. 

Vocaloid producer Ine recently spoke about you in an interview, and he thought you were very cool. You’ve mentioned before that you want to be a “cool” artist – what do you think makes an artist cool?

I would say first of all, voice is really important to me. And if they are a songwriter, it would be their choice of words. [But] I really do think it’s about their state of mind and who they are as a person. I think that’s also a big part of being cool – that they’re ready to take responsibility for who they are and what they do. 

Sometime ago, you got really emotional in a stream because, in 2022, you hadn’t been able to put out a lot of utaite songs. Did you feel like you were losing touch with your roots? 

Yes, I think I was very used to releasing utaite music, and [in 2022] compared to a lot of my other releases, it was much less. So, I think I was a bit emotional and sad about that. 

2022 was a big year for Vocaloid as well. One of the things that happened was Billboard Japan launching their Nico Nico Vocaloid Chart. In his interview, Ine said that he was excited but also scared about the development, because Vocaloid originally symbolized a community of people who made music because they loved it. He said: “When there’s the potential for your creations to be recognized for their quality, it also highlights the fact that your creations aren’t getting recognized.” Do you share his emotions? 

Ine-san is a producer, and I am an utaite, so there might be a difference [in approach] there, but personally, I am not really scared. But… I can understand as a producer why he would [say that]. Regarding the chart itself being established, I think it’s amazing, because it shows how much Vocaloid music is loved, and many people want to hear it. So, I am really excited about the future of Vocaloid music. 

13 Feb 2023

New Year, New Stars: 12 Chinese Artists Reflect on 2022 & Look Ahead to 2023

“The past is a prologue, something to treasure on the long road of life.”

Although life slowed down for many people in China in 2022, the country witnessed many heartwarming stage performances, artist breakthroughs, an emerging new generation of young musicians and the growing role that technology is playing in music.

To bid farewell to 2022 and usher in 2023, Billboard China spent an evening with 12 musicians from different generations and musical styles. They shared their achievements in 2022, their thoughts on the past year, and expressed their expectations for the future.

Keep Singing and Exploring

Even though Zheng Jun, Zhang Yuan and Su Xing (Allen Su) are industry veterans, 2022 was a brand-new experience for them.

Zheng Jun, a Chinese rock legend, was among the cast of contestants when Call Me by Fire (Season 2) premiered in August. In an interview, he said that his friends were afraid that his participation in the show would “make him lose his integrity in his later years,” but he responded that, “In my later years, I intend to break new personal ground, not preserve the old.”

In trailers for the show, Zheng stunned audiences with his casual demeanor. Far from seeming “called by fire,” he instead practiced meditation, ate barbecue and applied facial masks. When it came time to hit the stage, he instantly took audiences back to the golden age of rock and roll with his floral shirts and classic swagger. Zheng has claimed that “all I’ve ever dreamed of is true love and freedom,” and this sentiment shines through in his stage performances.

People have commented how Zheng seems to have remained the same, something all-too-rare in these ever-changing times. For Zheng, his reverence for his songs, his passion for music and his dedication to creating the best art possible has never changed.

In other ways, however, Zheng has changed. He is now more relaxed, happier and more optimistic. For him, the show feels like an adventure with friends both old and new. Before the competition got underway, Zheng sent a message to his friend Faye Wong saying that his only goal was to “have fun.”

In contrast, Zhang Yuan and Su Xing (Allen Su) brought about an upswing for themselves in 2022. 0713, the down-and-out men’s team, finally saw things turn around after an unexpected resurgence in popularity after their appearance on Welcome to the Mushroom House.

Reflecting on 2022, Zhang Yuan says he is pleased that he participated in as many music variety shows as he did. He is also happy that he managed to secure many different stages to show what he was capable of, and that he got to participate in some original soundtracks. Su also joked about having such a heavy workload on the show that it was enough to make him “happy for more than half a year.”

From Super Boy (Happy Boy) to Welcome to the Mushroom House, and then onto even bigger and better stages down the line, 0713 owe their success to their persistence. Zhang Yuan continued to innovate with his music, and found that music and the stage still held the highest allure for him, even after having been in the industry for many years.

Su cast an even wider net. He participated in talk shows, tried his hand at being a sports blogger and dabbled in content planning for variety shows.

They may be pursuing different goals, but they are taking a similar path. Personal milestones and progress will come naturally when you love what you do and keep an open and inquisitive heart and mind.

Zheng Jun, the oldest member, along with Zhang Yuan and Su Xing (Allen Su), come from the first generation of talent shows. Throughout the years, their admiration and love for music has never faded, and they have ceaselessly explored the infinite possibilities that music affords them. Overcoming all obstacles that lay ahead of them, they always walk their own path.

New Styles and Tasks

Some musicians focus on their styles and areas of expertise, while others turn to new tasks and directions, enjoying the occasional detour in their musical journey.

From Morning Bound for Midnight to The Direction of Light, music fans have become familiar with Zhang Bichen’s work over the past few years. Somewhat unusually for someone with such a commanding stage presence, Zhang openly admits that she has maintained the habit of ”thinking and summarizing” ever since her debut. In her creative process both on and off the stage, she has carefully analyzed her own experiences, and jumps at any opportunity she gets to compare and contrast them with other musicians.

This constant loop of dissection and communication led her to make some interesting creative choices in 2022. Wearing a spunky ponytail and a light and comfortable denim jacket, Zhang walked out into the auditorium with a completely revamped image, jumping up and down as she sang “Select C.” This was the first time that Zhang, a singer with extensive stage experience, had participated in a show where she could interact with the audience more directly. This experience has made her look forward to dipping her toes into other music styles and discovering more aspects of herself in 2023 while she prepares her new album.

Both Pan Yunqi and Wang Yinuo started as trainees of the 2022 season of Sing! China, and they now have officially embarked on the road of becoming professional musicians. For these two fresh faces, the world is their oyster.

Although Pan is very young, she is often praised for her assertive stage presence. Possessing a maturity beyond her years, she excels at heartwarming narrative-based songs, but also tried her hand at “My Good Luck,” which is more of a traditional ballad. While she may be new, this college student is clearly not afraid of trying new things.

Wang’s timid outwardly appearance belies the robustness of his singing voice. A quote from one of his songs: “Just look forward, don’t look at money/ At least your heart will not loosen when you look forward.” Offstage, he is a down-to-earth and sensible person who stresses the importance of healthy eating and sleeping habits.

After singing a series of popular OSTs, Ye Xuanqing began to delve into more original works as well as production. She said that learning about different artistic processes could help improve her ability to appreciate art, facilitate her own ability to create, and further clarify where she stood amongst all of this.

Hu Shih, a Chinese litterateur once said, “Why be afraid of the infinity of truth? Joy resides in every step of growth.” Newcomers and veterans in the music industry always face new tasks. So long as they dare to think, do, and try, they can unlock the infinite potential that resides within them.

Find the Right Positioning and Expand the Boundaries

For the young musicians who are on the rise, 2022 was undoubtedly an important moment for them to mature as artists. Some of them released their first EPs, and some had their first concerts.

In an industry where newcomers are always emerging en masse, young musicians often regard finding where they fit in and answering the question of “Who am I?” as the most important task every new year.

Chen Zhuoxuan was nothing if not blunt. “The pressure of this competition is through the roof,” Chen Zhuoxuan says bluntly. Her solution to deal with the pressure? Determine the musical style and direction that best suits her and try her utmost to stand out as an artist. In her spare moments, she practices her songs and has been learning the cello, guitar, and ukulele. She has also been studying arrangement and other music-related skills.

For Wu Xuanyi, it’s all about passion. To be given an opportunity to stand in the spotlight and express herself is the greatest reward her musical journey has given her so far. She prefers using her passion in pursuit of personal satisfaction and growth. Wu firmly believes that the most basic elements are the most important ones, so she always trains her basic skills and vocalization to ensure that they can always be called upon when needed.

Relative newcomer He Luoluo says in the interview that making plans wasn’t his strong suit — he just wants to experience the here and now. But he remains remarkably serious when it comes to his music and performing on stage. After an initial period where he lacked direction, he eventually entered the entertainment industry when he was 18 years old. Now in his twenties, he has his feet firmly planted on the ground.

Yang Haoming hopes to pursue music and acting simultaneously, as he “can’t stand the idea of having any regrets.” Yang has been acting in film and television dramas since his debut as a music artist. He released a new EP immediately after having a difficult time with his acting agent. Yang felt that his heart was telling him to push himself to expand his boundaries.

New Technologies

On Dec. 12, TME announced the debut of Lucy, the company’s first hyper-realistic virtual idol, creating another hot topic for Chinese music circles in 2022.

After the release of her first single, “Superposition State Girl,” many music fans wondered if Lucy’s voice was real. In fact, her voice is generated by feeding her mass amounts of data pertaining to the singing and timbres of specific targets. Her proficient singing abilities allow her voice to span multiple octaves with ease as well as pull off transposition, trills and portamentos.

As an AI idol, Lucy also has her own independent personality and preferences. Being intensely curious about daily life, she likes to observe and collect the sounds and sights of the world around her. Subway announcements on a busy line in the early morning, the sound of coffee beans being ground in the afternoon, the ticking sound of the traffic lights counting down in the evening…they are all enough to light a creative spark within Lucy.

The virtual idol must face the challenge of breaking through walls between virtual and real world in order to truly communicate with audiences and other musicians. Wandering in different dimensions is also a constant source of inspiration for Lucy. Achieving cross-dimensional cooperation with human musicians is one of her goals in 2023.

Lucy is more than an AI idol who produces AI music. In the future, a new open-source sound based on Lucy’s voice will facilitate music creation in other application scenarios. Music creators will be able to make use of Lucy’s voice clips or open-source sounds to achieve technology-driven creative music co-creation.

Jam Hsiao Ching-Teng

Jam Hsiao Ching-Teng

Courtesy of Billboard China

13 Feb 2023

35 Albums on the Billboard 200 Chart Gain in Wake of 2023 Grammy Awards

On the Billboard 200 chart (dated Feb. 18), 35 albums post unit gains thanks to either performances, presentations or on-air wins during the CBS-TV broadcast of the 2023 Grammy Awards (Feb. 5).

Leading the way at the top of the chart is presenter SZA, whose SOS album reclaims the No. 1 slot with 100,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 9 (up less than 1%), according to Luminate. SZA presented the best música urbana album category during the ceremony, which was won by Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti (8-7 with 45,000 units; up 16%). Bad Bunny also opened the show with a medley of two songs from the album.

Also in the top 10 is Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, which took home a pair of awards on the CBS broadcast (pop vocal album, album of the year). It jumps 13-9 with 38,000 equivalent album units (up 51%). Styles also performed the album’s lead single “As It Was” on the show.

Other notables among the 35 Grammy-boosted titles on the Billboard 200 include: Beyoncé’s Renaissance (climbing 24-11 with 37,000 equivalent album units; up 109%), Steve Lacy’s Gemini Rights (70-46 with 14,000; up 16%), Lizzo’s Special (194-89 with 11,000; up 52%), Adele’s 30 (134-93 with 11,000; up 25%) and Samara Joy’s Linger Awhile (a debut at No. 158 with 8,000; up 319%). On the CBS broadcast, Renaissance won best dance/electronic album, Lacy performed the Gemini Rights hit (and nominated track) “Bad Habit,” Lizzo won record of the year for the Special single “About Damn Time” and performed a medley of “About” and the album’s title track, Adele won best pop solo performance for the 30 single “Easy On Me” and Samara Joy won best new artist.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new Feb. 18, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on Feb. 14. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Here are the rest of the Grammy gainers on the Billboard 200:

Performer Lil Baby’s It’s Only Me (12-13 with 27,000 equivalent album units; up 1%) and My Turn (22-21 with 19,000; up 6%); performer Luke Combs’ Growin’ Up (19-19 with 20,000; up 6%), This One’s for You (36-34 with 16,000; up 5%) and What You See Is What You Get (44-38 with 15,000; up 4%); SZA’s Ctrl (20-22 with 19,000; up 1%), presenter Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour (23-23 with 18,000; up 2%), winner Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city (27-24 with 18,000; up 6%), DAMN. (42-30 with 16,000; up 11%), Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (59-39 with 15,000; up 20%) and To Pimp a Butterfly (a re-entry at No. 168 with 8,000; up 26%). Mr. Morale won best rap album during the CBS broadcast, and Lamar was on-hand to accept the trophy.

Mick Fleetwood took part in the CBS broadcast, performing Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird” in tribute to its late songwriter, his former Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie. (He joined Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt in the performance.) Fleetwood Mac sees its Rumours album (which includes the original version of “Songbird”) rise 29-26 (17,000 equivalent album units earned; up 4%) and Greatest Hits climb 198-189 (8,000; up 5%).

Performer Chris Stapleton’s Traveller (66-61 with 12,000; up 4%) and Starting Over (113-100 with 11,000; up 7%); Styles’ Fine Line (68-48 with 14,000; up 15%) and his self-titled debut (190-161 with 8,000; up 11%); Bad Bunny’s YHLQMDLG (98-73 with 12,000; up 11%) and El Ultimo Tour del Mundo (a re-entry at No. 187 with 8,000; up 8%); performer Lil Uzi Vert’s Luv Is Rage 2 (94-87 with 11,000; up 4%) and Eternal Atake (126-124 with 10,000; up 2%) and Quavo and Takeoff’s Only Built for Infinity Links (103-109 with 10,000; up less than 1%). Quavo performed during the In Memoriam segment in tribute to the late Takeoff.

Rounding out the Grammy gainers on the Billboard 200 are winner Adele’s 21 (162-141 with 9,000 equivalent album units; up 10%) and 25 (192-156 with 8,000; up 14%), winner Dr. Dre’s Dr. Dre – 2001 (149-142 with 9,000; up 4%), performer Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter III (163-151 with 9,000; up 8%) and performer and winner Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour (164-157 with 8,000; up 5%).

13 Feb 2023

Samara Joy’s ‘Linger Awhile’ Hits No. 1 on Multiple Billboard Charts After Best New Artist Grammy Win

Samara Joy shakes up Billboard’s charts, as the Grammy Award winner for best new artist hits No. 1 on Jazz Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums and Heatseekers Albums for the first time (all on the lists dated Feb. 18) with Linger Awhile. The set, which was released last September, also reaches the top 10 of the Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales charts, while additionally debuting on the Billboard 200.

All charts dated Feb. 18 will be posted to Billboard.com on Tuesday, Feb. 14.

The 23-year-old Joy was presented the best new artist trophy during the CBS-TV broadcast of the main ceremony of the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, while she also won another Grammy that day, for best jazz vocal album for Linger Awhile. (That award was presented during the non-televised Premiere Ceremony that streamed live on the Grammy.com website.)

Linger Awhile earned 8,500 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending Feb. 9 (up 319%), according to Luminate. Of that sum, traditional album sales comprise 6,500 (up 316%). Linger Awhile tallies the largest week, by both units and album sales, for any non-holiday non-reissue jazz album in over a year – since Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s Love for Sale earned 12,000 units (of which nearly all were album sales) on the chart dated Jan. 1, 2022.

Linger Awhile jumps 3-1 on Jazz Albums, 2-1 on Traditional Jazz Albums and 35-1 on Heatseekers Albums. On the Billboard 200, the title debuts at No. 158. On Top Album Sales, Linger Awhile vaults 87-5, while on Top Current Album Sales it bolts 42-5.

Meanwhile, Joy’s self-titled debut effort, released in 2021, debuts on Jazz Albums and Traditional Jazz Albums at No. 7 (1,500 equivalent album units earned; up 362%). With Linger Awhile and the self-titled album concurrently in the top 10 on both charts, Joy is the first woman with two concurrent top 10 albums on both lists since the Jan. 8, 2022-dated list, when Ella Fitzgerald held a pair in each top 10.

Jazz Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums and Heatseekers Albums rank the week’s most popular jazz albums, traditional jazz albums and new and developing artists’ albums by equivalent album units, respectively. The Billboard 200 is an all-genre chart, ranking the week’s most popular albums by units. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales rank the week’s top-selling overall albums (both current and older, catalog titles) and current albums, by traditional album sales.

13 Feb 2023

Who Is U2’s Fill-In Drummer, Bram van den Berg?

U2 is gearing up to bring a special series of shows to a new venue in Las Vegas with one caveat — the band’s founding drummer Larry Mullen Jr. will be absent, marking the first the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will perform without him, the Irish rockers announced on Sunday (Feb. 12).

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The band will touch down in Las Vegas this fall for U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at the Sphere, a series of shows at the new MSG Sphere at the Venetian that will celebrate their 1991 album Achtung Baby. U2 will be the first act to perform at the venue and as Mullen Jr., 61, continues to recover from undisclosed surgery, Krezip drummer Bram van den Berg, 40, will fill in during the concert run. Though unlike his world-famous new bandmates, not much is known about van den Berg.

“It’s going to take all we’ve got to approach the Sphere without our bandmate in the drum seat, but Larry has joined us in welcoming Bram van den Berg who is a force in his own right,” the band said in its statement about inviting the obscure-to-most Dutch musician into the fold. “The Sphere show has been in the works for a long time. We don’t want to let people down, least of all our audience… the truth is we miss them as much as they appear to miss us… our audience was always the fifth member of the band. Bottom line, U2 hasn’t played live since December 2019 and we need to get back on stage and see the faces of our fans again.”

“VERY excited about this opportunity to join Bono, The Edge and Adam on stage in Las Vegas. It’s big shoes to fill but Larry and the band have been so supportive, I can’t wait!!” van der Berg said via Instagram following the announcement.

Here are a few things to know about van der Berg before he takes the stage with U2.

He’s a Longtime Fan of U2

Following the announcement of van der Berg’s big break with the rock band, his fellow Krezip members wished him a farewell on the official band Instagram page. “We are incredibly proud of him!! The fact that a legendary band like U2, and also one of Bram’s favorite bands, has now come his way is unbelievable! And again, because of course we’ve known for a long time how good he is..!” the band captioned a black and white group photo.

He’s Only Leaving Krezip Temporarily

van der Berg will not be in both bands simultaneously — Krezip’s post stated that the drummer will be unable to juggle his time between both bands. “He [van der Berg] will not be able to combine his drumwork for U2 with Krezip. We’re going to miss him terribly in the near future,” the Instagram post stated.

He Calls Netherlands Home

Krezip was formed as a cover band in 1997 in Tilburg, Netherlands and consisted of members Jacqueline Govaert (vocals), Anne Govaert and Annelies Kuijsters (guitar) and Joost van Haaren (bass). Thijs Romeijn served as the band’s drummer though 2004; a year later van der Berg joined the band in 2005 and he recorded a total of three albums with the group — What Are You Waiting For?, Plug It In and Sweet High. The band broke up in 2009, but reunited in 2019 and their sixth album, Any Day Now, is due out in April.

13 Feb 2023

Drake’s Lawyers Resist Subpoena Pulling Him Into XXXTentacion Murder Case

Drake’s lawyers are firing back at efforts to force the superstar to sit for a deposition over the murder of XXXtentacion, claiming he has no connection at all to the crime and that defense attorneys are merely trying to “add more layers of celebrity and notoriety” to the case.

Just days after a Florida judge ordered Drake to appear for such a deposition by Feb. 24, the rapper’s lawyers argued in a new motion filed on Sunday that there is no evidence suggesting that he was in any way connected to XXXTentacion’s 2018 shooting death.

“It is both unreasonable and oppressive to subpoena an out of state party who has not been mentioned in any reports, any investigation, or referenced to have any involvement in this matter,” Drake’s attorney Bradford M. Cohen wrote in the response filing. “To mandate that he appear for deposition for something that he very clearly has no relevant knowledge of is unreasonable.”

Prosecutors have never claimed that Drake (real name Aubrey Graham) was involved in the death of XXXTentacion (real name Jahseh Onfroy). Instead, they charged four Florida men — Dedrick Williams, Trayvon Newsome, Michael Boatwright and Robert Allen – who they allege killed XXX during a robbery that escalated into deadly violence.

But defense attorney Mauricio Padilla, who represents Williams in the case, listed Drake on a star-studded witness list in December. And at opening arguments last week, Padilla suggested that the police had not sufficiently investigated a possible connection to Drake, who allegedly had an existing feud with XXX before his death. Such speculation has been fueled by a 2018 social media post – later deleted – in which XXX said: “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” referring to Drake by his Instagram name.

Planning to make those arguments at trial, Padilla attempted to force Drake to sit for a Jan. 27 deposition, but he’s claimed in court filings that the star didn’t show up for the hearing. So last week, the judge overseeing the case ordered Drake to either appear for a deposition via Zoom on Feb. 24, or risk being held in contempt of court.

In Sunday’s filing, Drake’s lawyers pushed to set that order aside. They said the subpoena was not properly served on the superstar, meaning he had been under no procedural obligation to show up. And even if it had been, they argued that he has no connection to the case that requires a deposition in the first place: “No evidence has been provided to substantiate the assertion that the Non-Party in any way contributed to, had knowledge of, or participated in the alleged incident.”

Instead, Drake’s lawyers pointed to the fact that prosecutors plan to show jurors video evidence of the defendants committing the crime. And they cited that headline-grabbing December witness list — which also listed Quavo, Offset, Tekashi 6ix9ine, Joe Budden and even the late Migos rapper Takeoff after he had already been killed – as evidence that defense attorneys were merely trying to pull unrelated big names into the case.

“It would appear, based on the names mentioned on the witness list filed by defendant’s counsel, that the intent to subpoena [Drake] is less for the purpose of discovering relevant evidence and testimony, but instead add more layers of celebrity and notoriety to a tragic and unfortunate event,” the star’s lawyers wrote.

Padilla, the defense attorney who is seeking to depose Drake, did not immediately return a request for comment Monday on Drake’s response filing.

13 Feb 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Leads Hot 100 for Fourth Week, Morgan Wallen, Beyonce Blasts to Top 10

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” tops the Billboard Hot 100 for a fourth week, encompassing its entire run on the chart so far, dating to its debut at No. 1. As it extends its reign, it passes the three-week command of her prior leader, “Wrecking Ball,” in 2013.

Plus, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” surges from No. 27 to No. 3 on the Hot 100 following its first full week of tracking, becoming his fifth top 10 and highest-charting hit; Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” bounds 15-6 for a new high, powered by a host of new remixes; and The Weeknd claims the top two titles on the Radio Songs chart, as they continue in the Hot 100’s top 10: his own “Die for You” and “Creepin’,” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Feb. 18, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Feb. 14). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Flowers,” released on Smiley Miley/Columbia Records, drew 74.5 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 32%) and 38.7 million streams (down 19%) and sold 26,000 (down 29%) Feb. 3-9, according to Luminate.

The single spends a fourth week at No. 1 on the Streaming Songs chart; dips to No. 2 on Digital Song Sales after three weeks at the summit; and pushes 6-4 on Radio Songs, where it ties “Wrecking Ball” for Cyrus’ top-charting hit. It wins top Airplay Gainer honors on the Hot 100 for a second straight week, as it also lifts 7-5 on the Pop Airplay chart, 8-5 on Adult Pop Airplay and 9-8 on Adult Contemporary, among other ascents.

SZA‘s “Kill Bill” ranks at its No. 2 Hot 100 best for a fifth week, with 57.1 million in radio reach (up 17%), 32.9 million streams (up 1%) and 2,000 sold (up 8%). It tops Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a ninth week each.

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” leaps 27-3 on the Hot 100 following its first full week of tracking, with 29.7 million streams, 285,000 in airplay audience and 14,000 sold Feb. 3-9 (following its Jan. 31 release).

Wallen adds his fifth Hot 100 top 10 and highest-charting hit with the track from his album One Thing at a Time, due March 3, following “7 Summers” (No. 6 peak, August 2020), “Wasted on You” (No. 9, January 2021), “Don’t Think Jesus” (No. 7, April 2022) and “You Proof” (No. 5, October 2022). Meanwhile, his three most recent top 10s are all on One Thing at a Time – as the set becomes the first country album with as many as three top 10s since Taylor Swift’s Red spun off four in 2012-13. (Country albums are defined as those that have hit or are eligible for Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.)

“Last Night” concurrently becomes Wallen’s seventh No. 1 on the multi-metric Hot Country Songs chart (and his fourth from One Thing at a Time, after “Proof,” “Jesus” and “Thought You Should Know”). Notably, it’s the 16th No. 1 on the survey that has hit the Hot 100’s top 10 since Hot Country Songs adopted the Hot 100’s methodology in October 2012; it’s the fifth by Wallen, the most of any act in that span:

  • “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen, No. 3 Hot 100 peak to-date, 2023
  • “Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan, No. 10, 2023
  • “You Proof,” Morgan Wallen, No. 5, 2022
  • “The Kind of Love We Make,” Luke Combs, No. 8, 2022
  • “Don’t Think Jesus,” Morgan Wallen, No. 7, 2022
  • “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift, No. 1 (one week), 2021
  • “Fancy Like,” Walker Hayes, No. 3, 2021
  • “Wasted on You,” Morgan Wallen, No. 9, 2021
  • “I Hope,” Gabby Barrett feat. Charlie Puth, No. 3, 2020
  • “Forever After All,” Luke Combs, No. 2, 2020
  • “7 Summers,” Morgan Wallen, No. 6, 2020
  • “10,000 Hours,” Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber, No. 4, 2019
  • “Meant To Be,” Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, No. 2, 2018
  • “Body Like a Back Road,” Sam Hunt, No. 6, 2017
  • “Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line feat. Nelly, No. 4, 2013
  • “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift, No. 1 (three weeks), 2012

Just 21% of all Hot Country Songs No. 1s (16 of 77) since October 2012 have hit the Hot 100’s top 10 – although the success rate is 48% (11 of 23) since 2020. Plus, of the songs listed above, all five since the start of 2022 have hit the Hot 100’s top 10 largely from strong streaming and varied degrees of country radio airplay – but not crossover formats, having not appeared on any of Billboard’s pop or adult airplay charts; of the previous 11, all except one (“Forever After All”) scaled pop/adult airplay rankings.

Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ “Unholy” rises 5-4 on the Hot 100, after it ruled for a week in October. It sports a 16% gain to 17.9 million streams Feb. 3-9, after the pair performed the song and it won for best pop duo/group performance at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 5. The duet also hits No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay, becoming Smith’s third leader – after “Stay With Me,” in 2014, and “Dancing With a Stranger,” with Normani, in 2019 – and Petras’ first. “Unholy” previously topped Pop Songs for six weeks and Radio Songs for five frames.

The Weeknd again tallies two songs in the Hot 100’s top 10, as “Creepin’,” with Metro Boomin and 21 Savage, retreats to No. 5 from its No. 3 high and his own “Die for You” slips to No. 8 from its No. 6 best. On Radio Songs, “Die for You” leads for a second week (84 million, down 1%) and “Creepin’ ” climbs 3-2 (81.6 million, up 6%). The Weeknd is the first act with the top two titles on Radio Songs in a lead role on both since Justin Bieber ranked at Nos. 1 and 2 with “Sorry” and “Love Yourself,” respectively, seven years ago this week (Feb. 20, 2016). Before that, The Weeknd had last achieved the feat with “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face” (Oct. 10, 2015).

The only other acts with such a dominant double as leads on Radio Songs: Rihanna (two weeks, 2010-11); T.I. (five, 2008); Mariah Carey (three, 2005); Usher (four, 2004); OutKast (eight, 2003-04); Nelly (four, 2002); Carey (four, 1995 – she and The Weeknd are the only acts in this list with two distinct sets of songs each); and Boyz II Men (one, 1994). Noticeably, the host of R&B/hip-hop-centric acts that have earned the honor reflect the wide reach that hits can attain when scoring big at both pop and R&B/hip-hop radio.

Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” charges 15-6 for a new Hot 100 high, besting its prior No. 10 peak. It tallied 55.8 million in airplay audience (up less than 1%), 9.4 million streams (up 37%) and 78,000 sold (up 4,026%, good for the chart’s top Sales Gainer nod), fueled by a range of remixes released during the tracking week, joining its previously available original clean and explicit versions: its “Wetter” remix (clean and explicit) was put up for purchase on Beyoncé’s official webstore Feb. 3, followed by its a cappella (clean and explicit) and instrumental versions (Feb. 5), with all mixes released wide on streaming services and digital retailers by Feb. 8.

Also boosting Beyoncé’s buzzy profile, and the song’s, during the tracking week: with four more Grammy Awards Feb. 5, she upped her count to a record-breaking 32 wins, including best R&B song for “Cuff It.”

Elsewhere in the Hot 100’s top 10, Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” descends 4-7, after a personal-best eight weeks at No. 1; David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” drops 7-9, after reaching No. 4, as it tops the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 21st week; and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” retreats 9-10 on the Hot 100, following 15 weeks at No. 1 beginning last April, the fourth-longest rule in the chart’s history, as it gained by 21% to 12.4 million streams in the tracking week, sparked by the Grammy win Feb. 5 for album of the year for parent LP Harry’s House.

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Feb. 18), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Feb. 14).

Luminate, the independent data provider to the Billboard charts, completes a thorough review of all data submissions used in compiling the weekly chart rankings. Luminate reviews and authenticates data. In partnership with Billboard, data deemed suspicious or unverifiable is removed, using established criteria, before final chart calculations are made and published.

13 Feb 2023

Damon Albarn Mourns Trugoy The Dove of De La Soul: ‘I Love You’

Damon Albarn is mourning his friend by doing what he does best: making music. To honor De La Soul‘s Trugoy The Dove, who passed away this week, the Gorillaz musician shared a piano tribute on Instagram.

Posted Monday morning (Feb. 13) — one day after it was announced that Trugoy, born David Jude Jolicoeur, had died at age 54 — Albarn’s video was filmed from the inside of his acoustic piano. As the Blur frontman taps out a sweet instrumental melody, you can see the wooden hammers for each key striking the notes internally.

“A loop for Dave,” Albarn captioned the video. “I love you ? ⚓️ ❤️”

Jolicoeur’s cause of death was not revealed when his reps confirmed his passing to All Hip Hop on Sunday, but he was known to have struggled with health issues related to congestive heart failure. He formed De La Soul in 1988 with Kelvin Mercer (Posdnuos) and Vincent Mason (Maseo), and the hip-hop trio released several albums together over the course of three decades together, the most recent of which was 2016’s And the Anonymous Nobody…

In 2005, the Gorillaz and De La Soul collaborated on “Feel Good Inc.,” which peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned best pop collaboration at the 2006 Grammys.

The sad news about Jolicoeur comes just a couple months after Albarn lost another one of his friends, The Specials frontman Terry Hall. He posted a video of him playing Hall’s “Friday Night, Saturday Morning” on Twitter at the time in honor of the legendary second wave ska singer, writing, “Terry, you meant the world to me. I love you.”

Watch Damon Albarn’s sweet tribute to De La Soul’s Trugoy The Dove below:

13 Feb 2023

Sheryl Lee Ralph Sings Black National Anthem At Super Bowl LVII

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Super Bowl LVII - Kansas City Chiefs v Philadelphia Eagles

Source: Cooper Neill / Getty

Veteran actress & Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph dazzled fans as she sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to open Super Bowl LVII held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona Sunday (Feb. 12)

The musical component of Super Bowl LVII, began after Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was honored with the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his community service. The stage was set for the Emmy Award-winning actress, who was bedecked in a striking floor-length red gown/pantsuit as she began to sing “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the hymn written first by NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson in 1900. The song is now regarded as the Black National Anthem and has been a key tune of the civil rights movement in the nation.

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Ralph highlighted the significance of her performing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in a tweet hours earlier. “It is no coincidence that I will be singing the Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing at the Super Bowl on the same date it was first publicly performed 123 years ago,” she wrote, with a video showing her entering the arena sporting a Savage X Fenty hat as an ode to Rihanna, who was the Apple Music Halftime Show performer.

The former Broadway star showed off her chops, singing the opening lines in a rich and somber cadence. As she continued, the chorus from the background singers all dressed in white added to her stately vocals, which closed in a triumphant tone with the final lines of the song. “Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,” she sang. “Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us. Let us march on till victory is won.”

Her performance marks another high note in her career to date. Ralph recently won an Emmy Award for her role as sage teacher Barbara Howard in the hit ABC comedy series Abbott Elementary. She also recently released a Christmas album entitled Sleigh last year. Ralph’s husband, Pennsylvania Senator Vincent Hughes, expressed his praise in a tweet after the game ended with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Philadelphia Eagles.

“The @eagles may have come up short in a valiant effort tonight but ⁦@thesherylralph certainly was a winner at the ⁦@AZSuperBowl,” he wrote. She responded, “Thank you baby!” and shared it with her followers.

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Photo: Getty

13 Feb 2023

McDonald’s Rolls Out The Cardi B & Offset Meal For Valentine’s Day

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McDonald's Cardi B and Offset Combo Meal

McDonald’s is no stranger to big-name collaborations and partnerships, and they’re rollout out a timely meal for this coming Valentine’s Day. The fast food leader will debut the Cardi B and Offset meal that is meant to be shared with the one you love, or at least like a little bit.

McDonald’s new couple-centric meal features Cardi’s preferred combo of the classic McDonald’s Cheeseburger with tangy BBQ sauce and a large Coca-Coola, while her hubby’s meal of choice is a Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a large Hi-C Orange Lavaburst. A large fries meant to share accompanies the meal, along with a hot apple pie.

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“Let me tell you, McDonald’s is date night done right,” Offset says of the meal. “It doesn’t have to be all boujee. Get your date, grab some good food, and have fun, that’s it.”

Cardi added, “Whether it’s going for a date night or grabbing a bite after late-night studio sessions… I’m always asking Offset to take me to McDonald’s. And now, Offset and I have a meal named after us! I want all my fans to try it – especially with that BBQ sauce.

Ahead of the couple’s meal hitting restaurants on V-Day, McD’s released a really cute commercial that’s definitely full of the warm fuzzy vibes of the upcoming day of love.


https://youtube.com/watch?v=C_LpH8qdT6g&version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent

Tune in to McDonald’s YouTube channel on Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14) to see the commercial spot for the Cardi B and Offset meal.

McDonald's Cardi B and Offset Combo Meal

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Photo: McDonald’s