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30 Jan 2023

Nick Jonas & Priyanka Chopra’s Baby Malti Makes First Public Appearance at Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony

Nick Jonas had a very special supporter at the Jonas Brothers‘ Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Monday (Jan. 30). In addition to wife Priyanka Chopra, the couple’s baby Malti was in attendance for her very first public appearance.

The year-old babe was perched on her mom’s lap as Nick and his brothers accepted their honor. The couple have kept Malti’s face private on social media since her January 2022 birth, but she can briefly be seen in Chopra’s Instagram post from the event wearing an all-cream ensemble and matching headband in white. (While Kevin Jonas’ girls, Valentina and Alena, were also in attendance with mom Danielle Jonas, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner left their two daughters at home.)

Nick Jonas also gave his daughter a sweet shout-out during his remarks at the podium, saying, “To my beautiful wife, you are the calm in the crazy, the rock in the storm and I love being married to you. It is the greatest gift. And I love being a parent with you, so Malti Marie, hi babe. I can’t wait to come back here with you in 15 years and embarrass you in front of your friends.”

During the ceremony, the JoBros also announced the May 5 release date for their upcoming sixth album, titled The Album, and revealed they plan to go on tour later this year — much to the roaring approval of the Jonatics in attendance. Over the weekend, the trio already teased one of the new songs expected on The Album in the form of funky ’70s-style disco groove “Wings.”

Get a glance at Malti in Chopra’s slideshow below.

30 Jan 2023

Elton John’s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour Is the Highest-Grossing Concert Tour of All Time

In January 2018, Elton John announced his impending retirement from touring, but only after a worldwide, multi-year farewell tour to say goodbye. He kicked off the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour in September of that year and began a record-breaking run, though it isn’t over yet.

According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, the Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour has grossed $817.9 million across 278 shows so far — more than any tour in Boxscore history. Bypassing Ed Sheeran’s The Divide Tour ($776.4 million), it is the first tour in Billboard’s archives to cross the $800 million benchmark.

The Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour was promoted by AEG Presents, with select local partners in certain international markets.

Sheeran set the record in 2019 toward the end of his 258-show run, replacing U2’s The 360 Tour ($736.4 million). Both of those tours went far and wide, playing six and five continents, respectively, and spending most, if not all, of their time in stadiums. Conversely, John spent 2018-20 and the first quarter of 2022 in arenas in North America, Europe, and Oceania, before advancing to stadiums in each continent for the tour’s final year.

That advancement paid off. John’s first three North American legs combined to $268.2 million over 116 shows. His stadium run from July – Nov. 2022 brought in $222.1 million, or 83% of his arena grosses, in just 33 shows.

Similarly, his European stadium outgrossed his arena leg, $69.2 million to $49.9 million, despite playing 12 fewer shows. And most recently, his average per-show gross in Australia and New Zealand swelled from $2.5 million in 2019-20 in arenas to $5.1 million in stadiums.

In total, the January ’23 Oceania leg grossed $40.9 million and sold 242,000 tickets. Combined with updated North American grosses to account for previously unreported platinum lifts, the Farewell tour’s total revenue surges passed $800 million, with 51 European shows still to play through July 8.

While the tour’s first couple years in arenas certainly laid the foundation for John to scale the all-time ranking, it took three full legs in North America and Europe to hit the all-time top 40, at $217.8 million after 108 shows. His return to the U.S. and Canada in the Fall of 2019 lifted the tour’s total to $292.3 million, moving up to No. 20.

The following Oceania leg from Nov. 2019 – March 2020 (it was mercifully scheduled to end days before the global lockdown began) brought the gross up to $385.4 million, lifting to No. 13. John’s post-COVID North American arena run added $100 million, climbing into the all-time top 10 at No. 6 with $485.7 million. The stadium run in Europe brought him to No. 4, followed by a nudge to No. 2 with North American shows, finally ascending to the all-time crown with a brief run in Oceania from Jan. 8-24. 6

Sorting by tickets sold, John still has a way to go on the all-time ranking. The Farewell Yellow Brick Road has sold 5.3 million tickets, ranked behind Sheeran and U2’s previous record-holders, in addition to The Rolling Stones’ Voodoo Lounge Tour (1994-95), Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams Tour (2016-17) and Guns N’ Roses’ Not in This Lifetime… Tour (2016-19). Sheeran’s Divide Tour still stands atop the all-time attendance chart with 8.9 million tickets.

While it’s next-to-impossible for John to catch up to the tickets-sold record with just one leg of shows, his European dates will allow him to pass Coldplay and GNR, presumably moving into fourth place on the all-time list. Returning to “intimate” arenas for the final leg, John could be setting his sights on another unprecedented benchmark, sure to approach and likely to cross $900 million by his final performance.

Dating back to reports for John’s Ice on Fire Tour (1986), and including his share of co-headline runs with Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Tina Turner, and, many times over, Billy Joel, John has grossed $1.863 billion and sold 19.9 million tickets over 1,573 reported shows. That’s the highest career gross and attendance for a solo artist in Boxscore history, having passed Bruce Springsteen and Madonna while on this tour. On Billboard’s 2019 recap of the top 125 artists of all time, John finished at No. 3, behind The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

30 Jan 2023

Marilyn Manson Sued Over Allegations of Sexual Assault of a Minor

[Trigger warning: this article contains descriptions of domestic violence, as well as sexual and physical abuse.]

Marilyn Manson is the subject of a new lawsuit alleging sexual misconduct. The suit by the woman — identified anonymously as “Jane Doe” in the filing — alleges that the singer, now 54, groomed and sexually assaulted the then-underage girl during the early portion of his career.

Manson (born Brian Warner) is named as a defendant in the suit filed in Nassau County Supreme Court in Long Island, New York, alongside former labels Interscope and Nothing Records in a filing that includes accusations of sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress against the singer, and negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress against the labels.

The suit says Doe, then 16, first met Manson in 1995 after a show in Dallas when she waited outside his tour bus and the singer invited her and “one of the other younger girls” onto his tour bus where he allegedly asked for their ages and school grades while jotting down their phone numbers and addresses.

A spokesperson for Manson and the singer’s lawyer had not returned a request for comment on the Doe lawsuit at press time, and a spokesperson for Interscope/Universal Music Group had not yet responded to a request for comment.

“While on the tour bus, Defendant Warner performed various acts of criminal sexual conduct upon Plaintiff, who was a virgin at the time, including but not limited to forced copulation and vaginal penetration,” the lawsuit claims. At the time, the age of consent in Texas was (and still is) 17 and the suit notes that one of Manson’s band members watched “Defendant Warner sexually assault Plaintiff… Plaintiff was in pain, scared, upset, humiliated and confused. After he was done, Defendant Warner laughed at her. … Then Defendant Warner demanded Plaintiff to ‘get the f–k off of my bus’ and threatened Plaintiff that, if she told anyone, he would kill her and her family.”

More than a dozen women have accused Manson of sexual, emotional and physical assault, including actress Evan Rachel Wood, who was the subject of the two-part HBO documentary Phoenix Rising last year that delved into her claims of the abuse she claims she allegedly suffered at the rocker’s hand during an on-and-off relationship that began when she was 18.

Manson and one of his accusers, actress Esme Bianco, recently reached a settlement to end her sexual assault lawsuit, and earlier in the month a judge dismissed another sexual abuse suit from model Ashley Morgan Smithline over her failure to find a new lawyer. Last May, an L.A. Superior Court judge dismissed a suit against Manson filed by a former personal assistant alleging sexual assault, sexual battery, sexual harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Manson has denied the allegations.

The new Jane Doe lawsuit alleges that a member of Manson’s crew gave her a 1-800 number and a password so she could meet up with the singer again, noting that the teen began using drugs and alcohol soon after the alleged sexual assault, and continued to do so for years after. The suit also alleges that Manson would call and chat online with the teen while asking her for explicit photos of her and her friends.

In the same year they met, Doe claims that Manson convinced the teen to meet him in New Orleans, where he “groomed” her by complimenting her artwork before he became more “aggressive and again sexually assaulted Plaintiff, including kissing, biting her breast, oral copulation, and penetration,” the complaint alleges. “After the second assault, Defendant Warner acted in a kinder manner nicer to Plaintiff and told her that he wanted to see her again.” As with Texas, the age of consent in Louisiana at the time was, and is, 17.

Doe said she continued to be in touch with Manson and his band, and when she was 18 moved to Los Angeles and began dating then-Nine Inch Nails drummer Chris Vrenna. (Billboard has reached out to Vrenna for comment.) In 1999, she allegedly attended a Manson show in New Orleans, describing a typical backstage scene that included “the availability of large amounts of drugs for her and others to use.” The suit claims that the woman then spent the next month on the road with Manson, taking drugs and spending time with the disgraced singer during which he would “groom, harass and sexually abuse” her.

The suit goes on to describe Manson’s increasing psychological control over Doe, in which he allegedly “purposefully and intentionally laid the groundwork necessary to intimidate and control her … As he did on countless occasions, Defendant Warner exploited this vulnerability to keep Plaintiff under his control. Defendant Warner often made Plaintiff feel alone and isolated by telling her that no one understands her other than him, which included her family. At the time, Plaintiff believed Defendant Warner and was compelled to keep following him.”

The suit claims the alleged controlling and grooming behavior continued — including “coerce[ing] Plaintiff to have sex with him and other band members or his assistant at the same time,” while “providing Plaintiff with drugs.”

In details that bear a resemblance to allegations from a number of the other women who’ve accused Manson of abuse, Doe’s lawsuit claims that the singer employed “hostile and verbally abusive behavior,” as well as racially charged language mixed with the sharing of intimate personal details. The suit also claims that Interscope and Nothing Records “were well-aware of Defendant Warner’s obsession with sexual violence and childhood sexual assault,” and that the labels did not have a “reasonable system or procedure in place to investigate, supervise, or monitor its staff and/or agents, including Defendant Warner, to prevent pre-sexual grooming and sexual harassment, molestation, and assault of fans, including minors and women.”

The suit continues, “As a result of Brian Warner’s sexual abuse and assault, enabled and encouraged by Defendants Interscope and Nothing Records, Plaintiff has suffered severe emotional, physical, and psychological distress, including shame, and guilt, economic loss, economic capacity and emotional loss.”

Doe is seeking damages to be determined at trial and an order “enjoining Defendants from future unlawful business practices including, but not limited to, exposing minors and vulnerable adults to sexual abuse and exploitation.”

Stories about sexual assault allegations can be traumatizing for survivors of sexual assault. If you or anyone you know needs support, you can reach out to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). The organization provides free, confidential support to sexual assault victims. Call RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE) or visit the anti-sexual violence organization’s website for more information.

30 Jan 2023

SZA and Miley Hold No.1 Spots On the Charts, Billboard’s Women In Music Lineup, Harry Styles To Perform At Grammys & More | Billboard News

SZA and Miley Cyrus hold the top spots on our Billboard 200 and Hot 100 charts with ‘S.O.S.’ and ‘Flowers’ respectively, we announce our star-studded lineup for our 2023 Billboard’s Women In Music event, Harry Styles is announced as a performer at the Grammys and more!

30 Jan 2023

Zach Bryan’s ‘Something in the Orange’ Hits No. 1 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart

In its 40th week on the chart, Zach Bryan’s “Something in the Orange” tops Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs survey for the first time, lifting from No. 2 to No. 1 on the ranking dated Feb. 4.

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“Orange” accumulated 17.2 million official U.S. streams (up 2%), 4.7 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 5%) and 4,000 downloads sold (up 1%) in the Jan. 20-26 tracking week, according to Luminate.

The song’s 40-frame trip to No. 1 is tied for the fourth-steadiest in the history of the chart, which began in 2009, alongside the rise of Bastille’s “Pompeii” in 2014. The only songs to build support over longer stretches? Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves” (60 weeks, 2020-21), twenty one pilots‘ “Ride” (47, 2015-16) and Passenger’s “Let Her Go” (43, 2013-14).

Most Time to No. 1 From Debut on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs
60 weeks, “Heat Waves,” Glass Animals (first week at No. 1 in 2021)
47, “Ride,” twenty one pilots (2016)
43, “Let Her Go,” Passenger (2014)
40, “Something in the Orange,” Zach Bryan (2023)
40, “Pompeii,” Bastille (2014)
39, “Hey Look Ma, I Made It,” Panic! at the Disco (2019)
39, “Whatever It Takes,” Imagine Dragons (2018)
35, “Stressed Out,” twenty one pilots (2016)
32, “Ex’s & Oh’s,” Elle King (2015)
30, “Feel It Still,” Portugal. The Man (2017)

“Orange” is Bryan’s first No. 1 on the chart. Bryan first made the tally in 2020 with “Heading South,” which eventually peaked at No. 27 in March 2021.

“Orange” concurrently spends its fifth week atop the Hot Country Songs list. On the all-format Billboard Hot 100, it rises 13-11, after reaching No. 10 two weeks earlier. It also bullets at its No. 27 high on Country Airplay with 4.2 million impressions (up 5%).

“Orange” is the lead radio single from American Heartbreak, Bryan’s third studio album and major-label debut, released on Belting Bronco/Warner Records. The set debuted and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 last June 4 and ranks at No. 9 on the latest survey with 23,000 equivalent album units earned. It has earned 1.2 million units to date.

30 Jan 2023

Billboard Explains: Grammys Best New Artist Award

The Grammy Awards’ best new artist category, also known as one of the Big Four awards of the night, often has lasting effects on an artists’ career. In fact, eight of the last 10 best new artist winners at the Grammy Awards have gone on to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. But what is the criteria for being nominated for best new artist, and who are some of the past winners in the category? The latest episode of Billboard Explains breaks it down.

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The best new artist category is almost as old as the Grammys itself. Introduced at the second annual Grammy Awards on Nov. 29, 1959, Bobby Darin was the first artist to ever receive the award. The category has been present at every single Grammy Awards since, with the exception of the 1967 ceremony.

Billboard’s Awards Editor Paul Grein summed up the purpose of the best new artist award for Billboard Explains. “What the best new artist nomination does is it puts a spotlight on people, for the vast Grammy audience, which consists of music fans, but also people who are maybe just casual music fans,” he said. “They’re probably being introduced to these artists.”

As for the award’s requirements, the original rules stated that a nominee must be an artist who has released a minimum of five tracks or one album, must not have submitted for the category more than three times and has made a significant breakthrough during a year’s eligibility period. These rules, however, have changed over the years. A notable instance was Gaga’s lack of nomination in the best new artist category because her single “Just Dance” was nominated in best dance recording in 2009. The rules were changed to state that an artist may be nominated as long as that artist has not previously released an entire album or won a Grammy.

The most recent winner of the best new artist was Olivia Rodrigo due to the success of her debut album SOUR and its hit single, “Drivers License.” Billie Eilish won in 2020, and became the second person and the youngest person to ever win all big four categories in the same year. Other winners include Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, Sam Smith, Adele and Mariah Carey. Going home with a best new artist award often sees the artist earning a boost in streams, album sales and/or performance on the Billboard charts.

After the video, catch up on more Billboard Explains videos and learn about the evolution of girl groups, BBMAs, NFTs, SXSW, the magic of boy bands, American Music Awards, the Billboard Latin Music Awards, the Hot 100 chart, how R&B/hip-hop became the biggest genre in the U.S., how festivals book their lineups, Billie Eilish’s formula for success, the history of rap battles, nonbinary awareness in music, the Billboard Music Awards, the Free Britney movement, rise of K-pop in the U.S., why Taylor Swift is re-recording her first six albums, the boom of hit all-female collaborations, how Grammy nominees and winners are chosen, why songwriters are selling their publishing catalogs, how the Super Bowl halftime show is booked and why Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” was able to shoot to No. 1 on the Hot 100.

30 Jan 2023

Kelly Clarkson Is ‘Sorta Hopin’ That You‘d Stay’ for This Arctic Monkeys Cover

Kelly Clarkson let out her inner indie rocker on Monday (Jan. 30) to cover Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know?” on The Kelly Clarkson Show.

“Have you got color in your cheeks?/ Do you ever get that fear that you can’t shift the tide/ That sticks around like something in your teeth?/ Are there some aces up your sleeve?/ Have you no idea that you’re in deep?/ I’ve dreamed about you nearly every night this week/ How many secrets can you keep?” the talk-show host asked over the electric snarl of her backing band’s instrumentation.

Released as the second single off 2013’s AM, “Do I Wanna Know?” marked Arctic Monkeys’ very first entry on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No. 70. Of course, the English rockers had already long been a staple on the Official Singles Chart in their native U.K. by that point, thought it became their highest-charting hit in over a half-decade when it landed at No. 11 across the pond.

Later in the episode, Clarkson bonded with guest Hilary Duff, who confessed her 4-year-old daughter Banks is a diehard fan Harry Styles while promoting the new season of Hulu’s How I Met Your Father.

Other tracks the OG American Idol champ has dusted off recently for Kellyoke include CeCe Peniston’s club-ready ’90s anthem “Finally,” Hailey Whitters’ “Everything She Ain’t,” “She Drives Me Crazy” by Fine Young Cannibals and Taylor Swift’s “Better Man” from the Red (Taylor’s Version) vault.

Watch Clarkson rock out on Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know?” below.

30 Jan 2023

Jonas Brothers Announce ‘The Album’ at Hollywood Walk of Fame Unveiling: Here’s When It Arrives

A new Jonas Brothers album is officially on the way! The sibling act announced the release date for their new studio set, titled The Album, on Monday (Jan. 30).

The big announcement came during the ceremony unveiling the JoBros’ star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “It’s nice to reflect on this nearly 20-year journey and to commemorate it here today, but we’re looking towards the future and what’s coming next,” Nick Jonas said from the podium in downtown Los Angeles. “So with that, I think that we should make a quick announcement. We are excited to announce today that our new album, The Album, will be coming out May 5th, and we can’t wait to see you on tour later this year.”

The Album will be the Jonas Brothers’ official follow-up to their 2019 comeback Happiness Begins, which not only became their third career No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, but also spawned the band’s first-ever Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper with lead single “Sucker.”

Each of the Jonas Brothers’ wives, their parents and younger brother Frankie Jonas were on hand for the special occasion as well as collaborators Ryan Tedder and Jon Bellion, who each gave remarks during the ceremony.

“Nobody’s more deserving. These guys are, in 20 years of making records, the most professional, most thoughtful and consistent band I’ve ever worked with,” the OneRepublic frontman stated. Bellion added that “these are some cold mother f–kers and the [new] music is crazy.”

Just one day earlier, Joe shared a snippet of the band’s new song “Wings” in an Instagram Reel that saw him dancing around a studio with his older and younger brothers.

30 Jan 2023

R&B/Hip-Hop Fresh Picks of the Week: Gloss Up, Flo Milli, Cordae & More

Happy Monday! Before we get lost in the whirlwind of Grammy Week, we’re here to highlight some of the best new music by emerging R&B/Hip-Hop artists from the past couple of weeks. Rap girlies like Gloss Up, Kari Faux and Flo Milli caught our ears this week along with smooth cuts by JGrrey and Maesu. Don’t forget to spread the wealth with our Spotify playlist, linked below.

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Freshest Find: Cordae feat. Anderson .Paak, “Two Tens”

Overtop a nostalgic hip-hop beat produced by none other than J. Cole and Grammy-winning producer Dem Jointz, Anderson .Paak opens “Two Tens” vivaciously, declaring, “Two friends and they both tens, lookin’ nice/ Too bent, I should call it quits but I’m not.” Both .Paak and Cordae toss the mic back and forth perfectly, displaying enviable synergy that leaves fans craving more collabs from the lively pair.

Gloss Up, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, Toes”

Gloss Up is on your head, shoulders, knees and toes. The nursery rhyme-inspired standout track appears on the rising Memphis rapper’s debut mixtape Before the Gloss Up — which also houses her single “Bestfrenn,” featuring real-life best friend GloRilla. The Quality Control signee is carving a lane for herself in the rap game, and is already proving to be a mainstay with her bars and wordplay, highlighted here.

JGrrey, “Theirs13”

With “Theirs13”, rising U.K. singer JGrrey touches on her various complexities through vocals similar to that of Macy Gray. The intoxicating single is a hazy meditation on love, identity, adoption and the transitional periods she’s faced as an artist and person, as she ponders the same question throughout: “Who am I?”

Taylor Hill, “i want you to know.”

After earning credits with big names like Justin Bieber, BTS, Summer Walker, producer/songwriter Taylor Hill is honing in on his own artistry. His funk-inspired new single “i want you to know.” explores the dichotomy of his personal point-of-view and God’s, sprouting from an argument he had with his now-wife at church.

Jordan Ward feat. Ryan Trey, “White Crocs”

“White Crocs” is the second single off of Jordan Ward’s upcoming debut album FORWARD. The rising singer tapped fellow St. Louis native Ryan Trey for the Lido-produced track, which sees the two trade thoughts on balancing a relationship while satisfying a partner’s expensive tastes. FORWARD, which will be released March 3, holds layers of significance for the artist both artistically and personally. “FORWARD, not only pushing our sound and creativity, but pushing to evolve and break cycles,” Ward says of the album title. “FOR WARD, a dedication to my family and our future. FOUR-WARD, my fourth project, but also a FOREWORD in my story being the debut album!”

Kari Faux, “Me First”

Kari Faux is putting herself first … as she should. “Me First” sees the Arkansas native expressing über-confidence as she delivers a self-love bop to set the tone for all the girls this year. Faux is one of many rap girls running laps around their male counterparts right now, with “Me First” being the latest addition to her arsenal.

TRAETWOTHREE, “Outside Like This”

On the precipice of Grammy Weekend, Cali upstart TRAETWOTHREE scripts a gripping tale set at a Grammy party, which could double as a Tyler Perry flick. “Outside Like This” is a cautionary tale about TRAE running into his ex-girlfriend at the awards-week festivities. The biggest blow? Seeing her chat it up with another dude right in front of his eyes.

Flo Milli feat. Lola Brooke & Maiya the Don, “Conceited”

As if the original wasn’t epic enough, Flo Milli’s “Conceited” is back, with a few new it-girls. Enlisting buzzing Brooklyn newcomers Lola Brooke and Maiya the Don, Milli breathes new life into her viral summer 2022 anthem. All three distinct voices shine through, from Milli’s theatrical tone to Brooke’s husk and Maiya the Don’s laid back approach.

Maesu, “Sex on GPS”

“Sex with me on location please/ I’ve been away for weeks,” croons L.A.-based singer, songwriter, and producer Maesu, providing a simple enough plea to catch the attention of listeners. The afro-fusion number is smooth and sensual with tons of replay value thanks to Maesu’s addictive flows and Tejiri Akpoghene’s silky production.

midwxst & Denzel Curry, “Tally”

Indiana rapper midwxst channels his inner Old Hollywood crime boss in the visual for his latest single, “Tally.” Produced by Charlie Heat and Kennedy Sabin and centering latin guitar and horn melodies, the track’s emphatic production adds to the visual’s theatrics, perfectly underscoring midwxst and Denzel Curry’s loaded verses.