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09 Feb 2023

Paramore’s ‘This Is Why’ Album Is Here: Stream It Now

Paramore is finally back. The trio, consisting of Hayley Williams, Zac Farro and Taylor York, returned from their hiatus to their first album together in six years, This Is Why, via Atlantic Records on Friday (Feb. 10).

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“’This Is Why’ was the very last song we wrote for the album. To be honest, I was so tired of writing lyrics but Taylor convinced Zac and I both that we should work on this last idea,” Williams previously said of the album’s title track in a press release. “What came out of it was the title track for the whole album. It summarizes the plethora of ridiculous emotions, the rollercoaster of being alive in 2022, having survived even just the last three or four years. You’d think after a global pandemic of f—ing biblical proportions and the impending doom of a dying planet, that humans would have found it deep within themselves to be kinder or more empathetic or something.”

The last time Paramore released an album as a band was 2017’s After Laughter, which features songs like “Hard Times” and “Rose-Colored Boy.” Since then, Williams dropped her own solo album, Petals for Armor, in 2020 and Farro has unveiled a number of solo works under the moniker Halfnoise. 

In January, Paramore appeared on Billboard‘s digital cover, where the trio discussed their return as a band. “At this point, I don’t understand how we’re still doing it,” Williams shared. “Because it just feels like against all odds every single time — which, honestly, I feel like we’re the most annoying band in the world because it’s always like, ‘Oh, we overcame this, and now we’re making this album.’”

The new album feature’s previously released singles “C’est Comme Ça,” “The News” and the title track. Listen to Paramore’s This Is Why in full below.

09 Feb 2023

Taylor Swift Drops ‘Lavender Haze’ Remix

Once again, Taylor Swift had fans meeting her at midnight on Friday (Feb. 10) for a new release — this time, a remix of Midnights album opener “Lavender Haze.”

The remix of the violet-hued love song comes just two weeks after Swift dropped the dreamy “Lavender Haze” music video, which she directed and co-starred alongside the sultry model and trans activist Laith Ashley. “This one really helped me conceptualize the world and mood of Midnights, like a sultry sleepless 70’s fever dream. Hope you like it,” Swift said of the inspiration behind the music video.

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The original song, which was co-written by Swift, Jack Antonoff, actress Zoë Kravitz, Mark Anthony Spears, Jahaan Akil Sweet & Sam Dew, opens the 12-time Grammy winner’s 10th studio album, Midnights. With the album, Swift made one of the most historic weeks in the 64-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, as she became the first artist to claim the survey’s entire top 10 in a single frame. “Lavender Haze” clocked in at No. 2, just behind lead single “Anti-Hero.”

Listen to the remix of “Lavender Haze” below.

09 Feb 2023

Warner Music Shares Sink, HYBE & MSG Entertainment Stocks Soar on Earnings, Investment News

Recent news — quarterly earnings releases and a major investment — had big impacts on some music companies’ stocks Thursday (Feb. 9).

Warner Music Group shares fell 4.3% to $35.09 and dropped as much as 10.5% during the day following the company’s fiscal first quarter earnings release Thursday. Warner’s revenue fell 7.8% (2.7% at constant currency) to $1.48 billion and net income fell 34% to $124 million. A relatively light release schedule, a slowdown in ad-supported revenue and a shorter quarter — the prior year period had one additional week — contributed to the decline. New CEO Robert Kyncl called it a “tough quarter” and pointed to a slate of releases in the second half of the year by Ed Sheeran, Cardi B and David Guetta.

MSG Entertainment shares ended the day up 11.7% to $59.58 and reached as high as $61.33 during the day, up 15% from the prior day’s closing price. Revenue in the quarter rose 24% to $642.2 million. The proposed spinoff is expected to be completed by the end of March and the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas is slated to open in September. Investors had other reasons to cheer, however, as MSGE announced it implemented a cost reduction program that resulted in layoffs and other non-labor savings.

In Seoul, SM Entertainment shares rose nearly 19% to 117,000 won on Friday (Feb. 10) on news that HYBE acquired a 14.8% stake to become its largest shareholder, though shares dipped to 109,800 won, up 11.5%, by mid-morning. Likewise, HYBE shares climbed as much as 10.2% to 218,500 won ($172.76) before falling to 212,500 won ($168), up 7.2% from the previous closing price.

LiveOne shares gained 2.1% to $0.97 despite climbing as high as $1.09, up 14.7% from Monday’s closing price. The company raised its guidance for full-year adjusted EBITDA from $11 million to $12 million. LiveOne’s revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31 declined 17% to $27.3 million due to its decision not to produce “capital-intensive tentpole or pay-per-view events” until next fiscal year. That decision, along with reduced annual expenses and overhead, helped LiveOne turn adjusted EBITDA from -$4.8 million to $3 million.

The U.S. markets broadly fell on Thursday. The New York Stock Exchange dropped 0.7% and the Nasdaq fell 1%. The S&P 500 fell 0.9%. Markets in Europe fared better, however. The DAX, an index of 40 blue-chip German stocks, rose 0.7%. The FTSE 100, a measure of 100 stocks on the London Stock Exchange, rose 0.3%.

09 Feb 2023

Drake Ordered to Appear for Deposition in XXXTentacion Murder Trial

Less than two months after the defense team for Dedrick Williams — one of the three suspects on trial for the murder of XXXtentacion — listed a slew of artists as potential witnesses in December, one of those artists is now being ordered to appear in court.

Due to a feud between Drake and the late rapper born Jahseh Onfroy, who was shot and killed in 2018, defense attorney Mauricio Padilla believes the Certified Lover Boy superstar is connected to XXX’s death — and in an effort to solidify that claim, he tried to subpoena the Certified Lover Boy rapper last month. But according to a court document obtained by Billboard, Drake failed to appear on his scheduled deposition date of Jan. 27 and is now being ordered to appear for a deposition on Feb. 24 via Zoom video. If he fails to appear again, he may be held in contempt.

A representative for Drake did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Drake’s alleged involvement in the murder stems from unsubstantiated rumors that swirled following XXXtentacion’s death, connected with a 2017 beef over what XXX believed to be a rip-off by Drake of his flows from breakout track “Look at Me!” on Drake’s “KMT.” A year after the drama, a story was posted to XXX’s Instagram page that read, “If anyone tries to kill me it was @champagnepapi,” tagging Drake’s Instagram handle. Afterward, XXXtentacion claimed his account was hacked; he was killed four months later in Deerfield Beach, Fla.

According to a December court filing, “Onfroy relentlessly taunted Graham on social media making statements about his mother and even posting a picture of a Drake look alike with semen on his face,” following frustrations that Drake didn’t lend him a hand during his time behind bars in 2016-17. Tensions continued to escalate, with XXX allegedly involving DJ Akademiks by asking the media personality to repost the photo. The filing went on to accuse Drake of having ties to “gang related activities” while naming Somali Canadian rapper Hassan Ali, a “suspected member of the Jungle Bloods Street Gang,” as a possible associate (Drake has publicly been connected to Ali via his own Instagram posts). In an interview, Ali also told Akademiks that he’s “Drake’s shooter.”

In the December filing, Padilla also listed Quavo, Offset, late Migos rapper Takeoff, Tekashi 6ix9ine and Joe Budden as potential witnesses, but at a subsequent hearing reported on by the Miami Herald, prosecutors called the move a stunt. “It is apparent from the deliberate, late disclosure of the defendant’s witnesses and comments made between the parties that [the] defendant intended to ‘surprise’ the state and create a trial by ambush,” wrote prosecutor Pascale Achille, as reported by the Herald. Broward Country Circuit Judge Michael Usan then demanded answers from Padilla in writing as to why the superstars were relevant to the case.

“They are high-profile people. And it’s not easy for me to subpoena,” Padilla answered. “I don’t have numbers, but it doesn’t mean I won’t be able to. Trying to subpoena Drake is not easy — you need a drone.”

09 Feb 2023

How to Watch the 2023 Brit Awards

The Brit Awards are returning to London’s The O2 arena on Saturday (Feb. 11), with Mo Gilligan hosting the prestigious ceremony across the pond.

While the ceremony will air on ITV at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT, if you’re not in England and are still hoping to catch the Brit Awards live, you’re going to need access to a VPN like ExpressVPN, which you can sign up for here. A live stream will also be hosted on the BRIT Awards’ official YouTube channel.

“Hosting the BRITs last year was one of the most phenomenal moments of my life,” Mo Gilligan previously said in a press statement of his upcoming hosting gig. “I’ve been so honoured to get to know the incredible team behind the biggest night in music and so proud to bring our amazing audiences even closer to their favourite artists. I promise you, we’re going to go even bigger this year… Let’s go!”

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Harry Styles and Wet Leg, who are also performing at the 2023 Brit Awards, are the leading nominees with four nods each. Other artists vying for multiple awards include Aitch, Arctic Monkeys, Beyoncé, Cat Burns, Dave, Ed Sheeran, Eliza Rose, Lizzo, Nova Twins, Sam Smith, Stormzy and Taylor Swift.

The nominees for Mastercard album of the year are The 1975’s Being Funny in a Foreign Language, Wet Leg’s Wet Leg, Styles’ Harry’s House, Stormzy’s This Is What I Mean and Fred again…’s Actual Life 3 (January 1- September 9 2022).

R&B girl group FLO have already been announced as winners of the 2023 Rising Star award. See Billboard‘s full list of Brits nominations here.

09 Feb 2023

Here Are All the Performers for the 2023 Brit Awards

Harry Styles, Lizzo and Sam Smith & Kim Petras, who all performed on the Grammy telecast on Feb. 5 (and also all walked off with awards), are scheduled to perform again on Saturday Feb. 11 at the Brit Awards, which will be held at the O2 arena in London.

They’ll barely have time to get over their jet lag before they’re in front of another arena filled with screaming fans (in the cheap seats) and more reserved industry types (closer to the stage).

Wet Leg, which won two Grammys in the alternative music field, but did not snag a performance slot on Sunday’s telecast, will perform on the Brits.

The Brits have not revealed which songs these stars will sing. Styles performed his megahit “As It Was” on the Grammys. Lizzo sang “About Damn Time” and “Special.” Smith and Petras performed “Unholy.” Smith and Petras are expected to perform that smash again. David Guetta, Becky Hill and Ella Henderson are expected to perform “Crazy What Love Can Do.”

The final performer announced for the Brits was Lewis Capaldi – who last performed at the Brits in 2020, when he sang his breakthrough smash “Someone You Loved.” Capaldi was characteristically self-effacing in a statement: “Last time I played The BRIT Awards I was so scared that I had a panic attack before I went on, and then got hammered afterwards. Looking forward to more of the same this year x.”

Comedian Mo Gilligan will host the BRIT Awards 2023 with Mastercard – the show’s official name – for the second year in a row.

For American fans accustomed to Grammy and Oscar telecasts that often drag on past 3-1/2 hours, the Brit Awards, which stick pretty close to their two-hour scheduled runtime, may seem positively fast-paced. (It’s worth noting that the Grammys were a two-hour show until the 25th anniversary edition on Feb. 23, 1983 when it expanded to three hours for the first time. It never went back.)

Styles and Wet Leg are the leading nominees for the 2023 Brit Awards, with four nods each. Other artists vying for multiple awards include Aitch, Arctic Monkeys, Beyoncé, Cat Burns, Dave, Ed Sheeran, Eliza Rose, Lizzo, Nova Twins, Sam Smith, Stormzy and Taylor Swift.

R&B girl group FLO have already been announced as winners of the 2023 Rising Star award.

This marks the first time the Brits have aired on a Saturday. The show will be broadcast exclusively on ITV1 and ITVX from 8.30pm GMT. Outside of the U.K., it’s available globally at youtube.com/BRITs 

Clara Amfo, Maya Jama and Roman Kemp will return to host the BRIT Awards 2023: Red Carpet show on ITV2 and ITVX, which begins at 7.30pm GMT.

2023 will mark 30 years of ITV as the Brits’ broadcast partner, 25 years of Mastercard as headline sponsor and 13 years with the show at The O2.

Here’s the full list of performers for the 2023 Brit Awards:

Cat Burns
David Guetta & Becky Hill & Ella Henderson
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Lizzo
Sam Smith & Kim Petras
Stormzy
Wet Leg

09 Feb 2023

Cruch Calhoun & Dave East ft. Dre Mac “Tapped In,” Eazy Money & Dave East “No Ceilings” & More | Daily Visuals 2.9.23

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Busta Rhymes

Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty

Dave East is known for reppin’ Harlem to the fullest. And while he’s constantly holding it down for Uptown in his music videos, this time around he heads out to New Jerz to link up with his homie Cruch Calhoun for their latest video.

Collaborating for their visuals to “Tapped In,” Cruch Calhoun and Dave East get on some Cali flavor and politic in an old school drop-top Chevy with hydraulics where they’re joined by Dre Mac and drop bars over Dr. Dre’s classic instrumental to “Dre Day.”

Not one to let a bag pass him by, Dave East packs up and heads to the Bronx where he links up with Eazy Money for the clip to “No Ceilings” where the two men burn down some chronic and get poured up before hitting the streets in a Rolls Royce.

Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Eddie Roe and Rixhy B, Sunnitharapper and more.

CRUCH CALHOUN & DAVE EAST FT. DRE MAC – “TAPPED IN”



EAZY MONEY & DAVE EAST – “NO CEILINGS”



EDDIE ROE & RIXHY B – “FAKE LUV”



SUNNITHARAPPER – “RIGHT THURR FREESTYLE”



MIC BLES & LEVEL 13 FT. O THE GREAT & XP THE MARXMAN – “CORNER STORE”



ASHNIKKO – “YOU MAKE ME SICK!”



BABYTRON – “MIKE AMIRI MONSTER”



09 Feb 2023

HYBE Acquires 15% Stake in K-Pop Competitor SM Entertainment

HYBE, the company behind K-pop groups BTS and TOMORROW X TOGETHER, has acquired a leading stake in competing K-pop company SM Entertainment, home to artists including NCT 127, Super M and Aespa. According to a regulatory filing posted Friday (Feb. 10) in Seoul, HYBE acquired shares in the company worth 422.8 billion won ($334.3 million), making it the company’s largest shareholder.

HYBE purchased 3.5 million shares from SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, SM Entertainment’s largest shareholder. The deal gives HYBE a 14.8% stake in the publicly traded music company, which has a market capitalization worth roughly $1.8 billion. HYBE’s market capitalization is worth roughly $6.5 billion.

Lee, who is currently embroiled in a power struggle with SM Entertainment’s management, had owned roughly 18.5% of SM Entertainment’s outstanding shares, according to the company’s investor relations website. Following the sale to HYBE, he is left with roughly 869,000 shares and a 3.7% stake. Lee has a put option to sell his remaining shares one year after either HYBE’s purchase or the date of the business combination, whichever comes first, according to the filing.

Korean tech company Kakao, the owner of the music streaming service Melon, announced on Tuesday it would acquire a 9.05% stake in SM Entertainment, making it the company’s second-largest shareholder. Lee opposes Kakao’s investment, however. According to a report, Lee intends to called SM Entertainment and Kakao’s plan an “act of illegality against the commercial law and article of association” in which SM Entertainment would issue new stock and convertible bonds.

The investment in SM Entertainment is HYBE’s second major deal in as many days. On Wednesday, HYBE America announced it had purchased QC Media Holdings, the parent company of Atlanta-based hip-hop label Quality Control Music. The $300 million deal adds artists including Migos, Lil Baby, Lil Yachty and City Girls to HYBE’s roster and puts the Quality Control roster under the leadership of HYBE America CEO Scooter Braun.

09 Feb 2023

Bebe Rexha Teases Dolly Parton & Snoop Dogg Collaborations at Album Listening Party

Bebe Rexha is entering her new musical era, inspired by ’70s hairstyles, retro outfits, big fluffy hair and a long-awaited album.

The pop star held an album listening party in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (Feb. 8), where she was told her Grammy-nominated David Guetta collaboration, “I’m Good (Blue),” was certified platinum by the RIAA.

Later on in the night, Rexha spoke to the crowd about her upcoming album, which is led by the pulsing single “Heart Wants What It Wants.” “We did this deep dive into the ’70s, but we also went into disco and all our favorite things,” said the singer, dressed in a satin pink shirt and bell bottoms paired with Farrah Fawcett-inspired hair.

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She also teased upcoming collaborations with Dolly Parton and Snoop Dogg. “He sent me a video today of him smoking a blunt at 7:25 in the morning and he was like, ‘Yo, B, you got something in your inbox.’”

At the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 5), Rexha and Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue)” was up for best dance/electronic recording, though the award ultimately went to Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul.” Rexha was previously nominated in 2019 for best new artist and country duo/group performance for her Florida Georgia Line collaboration, “Meant to Be.”

“In the same category as Beyoncé, that’s incredible,” the 33-year-old singer recently gushed to Billboard. “I was thinking the other day, I was like, ‘I wonder if she read through the nominees and she saw my name.’ Maybe Beyoncé knows my name.”

See Billboard‘s full recap of Bebe Rexha’s album listening party above.

09 Feb 2023

Bad Bunny’s Label Says He Didn’t Steal Afro-Pop Track — He Paid for It

Bad Bunny‘s label and management company, Rimas Entertainment, is responding to accusations the super star artist “illegally used” an Afro-pop act’s song. Bunny’s team responded by saying they paid to use the material in question and, hence, its use in the track “Enséñame a Bailar” was not infringement.

Earlier on Thursday (Feb. 9), emPawa Africa founder Mr Eazi — himself a popular Nigerian singer — issued a press release claiming Bad Bunny used his artist Joeboy‘s song “Empty My Pocket” without consent in the track “Enséñame a Bailar” off Bad Bunny’s blockbuster 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti. Mr Eazi claimed he had been trying to settle the case privately since the record’s release nine months ago.

Listen to the first few seconds of two songs and the case could seem obvious. The jubilant rhythms of the Dëra-produced Joeboy track “Empty My Pocket” appear prominently as an interpolation and at the 2:30 minute mark on “Enséñame a Bailar,” where one can even faintly hear Joeboy’s vocals.

“We will not accept Bad Bunny and Rimas denying Joeboy and Dëra credits and a share in the ownership of a song they wrote, composed and, in Joeboy’s case, even performed on,” said Ikenna Nwagboso, co-founder and head of label services, distribution, and publishing with emPawa Africa, in a statement. “Give Joeboy his credit, publishing and royalties on the song, and give Dëra a producer credit alongside those already given to Bad Bunny’s Producers.”

emPawa Africa is demanding that Bad Bunny and Rimas Music grant Joeboy publishing, songwriting and feature credits on “Enséñame a Bailar,” and credit Dëra as the track’s co-producer. Though the statement seemed to threaten legal action, no lawsuit has yet been filed.

Not so fast, says Rimas Entertainment, which is denying any wrongdoing.

“We are deeply concerned by the copyright infringement accusations made by Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade (Mr Eazi), the founder of emPawa Africa, on the track ‘Enséñame a Bailar,’” a company spokesperson told Billboard Español in a statement. “We want to make it clear that at all times, Rimas Entertainment has acted properly and has followed standard industry protocols.”

The Rimas statement continues, “Before releasing [‘Enséñame a Bailar’], Rimas purchased the master track from record producer Lakizo Entertainment, listed as the track’s creator and owner in numerous public sources [editor’s note: including Spotify as of Thursday]. After the [‘Enséñame a Bailar’] release last year, emPawa contacted us, claiming ownership over the master. Our lawyers have had many communications with emPawa in an effort to resolve the ownership dispute between emPawa and Lakizo, but emPawa has so far failed to provide proof of ownership. Instead, emPawa has chosen only to send us a heavily redacted contract that did not confirm their claims and only served to raise more questions about the validity of their claims. Our numerous efforts to obtain the unredacted version of the agreement from emPawa have not been successful. It is entirely untrue that we have been unresponsive.”

For an artist to sample another act’s track, they must typically clear master and publishing rights for the recording and underlying composition, respectively. At time of publishing, a Rimas could not confirm whether the company had secured rights use the “Empty My Pocket” composition, but in the company’s statement noted, “Regarding the song’s composition, emPawa has also failed to forward documents to prove that they are authorized to act on the writer’s behalf.”

The Rimas statement concluded, “We look forward to resolving this matter cordially and are waiting for emPawa to provide us with the necessary documents that validate their claims.”

In 2019, Mr Eazi and Bad Bunny actually collaborated on the outro track “Como Un Bebé” — produced by Nigerian duo Legendury Beatz — off Bunny and J Balvin’s joint album Oasis. 

Un Verano Sin Ti was released on May 6, 2022, becoming just the second Spanish-language album to reach No. 1 on the 66-year old chart Billboard 200. (the first was Bunny’s previous album, 2020’s El Último Tour del Mundo). It also became Spotify and Apple Music’s most-streamed album in the U.S. and globally.