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30 Jan 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard Global Charts

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” remains the biggest song in the world, as it adds a second week at No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts. As it gains in streams, it notches the biggest worldwide streaming week for a soloist, and the second-greatest week overall, since the Global 200 began in September 2020.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts rank songs based on streaming and sales activity culled from more than 200 territories around the world, as compiled by Luminate. The Global 200 is inclusive of worldwide data and the Global Excl. U.S. chart comprises data from territories excluding the U.S.

Chart ranks are based on a weighted formula incorporating official-only streams on both subscription and ad-supported tiers of audio and video music services, as well as download sales, the latter of which reflect purchases from full-service digital music retailers from around the world, with sales from direct-to-consumer (D2C) sites excluded from the charts’ calculations.

‘Flowers’ Logs Second-Biggest Global 200 Streaming Week

“Flowers” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 with 217.1 million streams (up 21%) and 107,000 sold (up 12%) worldwide in its second full tracking week, Jan. 20-26 (after it arrived Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. EST).

A week after the song claimed the greatest global streaming week for a soloist, and the third-biggest frame among all acts, since the Global 200 began in September 2020, it now boasts the second-biggest week overall.

Biggest Worldwide Streaming Weeks in Global 200 History:
289.2 million, “Butter,” BTS, June 5, 2021
217.1 million, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Feb. 4, 2023
212.1 million, “Pink Venom,” BLACKPINK, Sept. 3, 2022
179.1 million, “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Jan. 28, 2023
178.2 million, “Easy on Me,” Adele, Oct. 30, 2021
170.8 million, “Permission To Dance,” BTS, July 24, 2021
169.8 million, “Butter,” BTS, June 12, 2021
152.8 million, “Shut Down,” BLACKPINK, Oct. 1, 2022
152.6 million, “Lalisa,” Lisa, Sept. 25, 2021
152.5 million, “Life Goes On,” BTS, Dec. 5, 2020

Cyrus first announced during her Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party NBC special that “Flowers” would be released Jan. 13, which fans noticed doubles as her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. That juicy narrative and fervent interaction on TikTok have helped swell the profile of the song, which introduces Cyrus’ eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, due March 10.

Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” holds at its No. 2 Global 200 high; SZA’s “Kill Bill” keeps at No. 3 after two weeks on top; Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” repeats at No. 4 after reaching No. 3; and Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” rises 6-5, after it notched four weeks at the summit in October.

Cyrus Also No. 1 for Second Week on Global Excl. U.S.

As on the Global 200, “Flowers” crowns the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a second week, with 162.4 million streams (up 26%) and 45,000 sold (up 20%) outside the U.S. Jan. 20-26.

The rest of the Global Excl. U.S. chart’s top five also holds in place, with Bizarrap and Shakira’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53” at its No. 2 best; SZA’s “Kill Bill” at No. 3 after reaching No. 2; Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” at No. 4, after two weeks at the summit; and David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” at No. 5, after it hit No. 2 in September.

The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Feb. 4, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 31). For both charts, the top 100 titles are available to all readers on Billboard.com, while the complete 200-title rankings are visible on Billboard Pro, Billboard‘s subscription-based service. For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

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.

30 Jan 2023

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’: Amethyst Gets Real About Dealing With ‘High School’ Drama While Filming

With every season of RuPaul’s Drag Race comes the long-awaited (for some contestants, long-feared) sewing challenge — and on season 15, the show decided to switch things up yet again.

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On last week’s episode (aired Friday, January 27), the 13 remaining queens were split into three fashion houses inspired by judges Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley and Ross Mathews, and tasked with turning unconventional home decor materials into runway-ready haute couture.

For Luxx Noir London, the challenge proved to be nothing short of triumph when she earned her first win for creating zebra-print pants and a flowing silk top. But for queens Salina EsTitties and Amethyst, their less-stellar looks landed them in the bottom two.

Facing off in a lip sync for your life to Janelle Monáe’s iconic single “Q.U.E.E.N.” in front of Monáe herself, Salina and Amethyst twerked, dipped and bounced their way through one of the most entertaining lip syncs of season 15, fighting for their right to stay. For her spot-on performance, Salina earned another week in the competition, while Amethyst was finally sent packing after her third time in the bottom.

Amethyst spoke to Billboard following her elimination about her grueling sewing challenge experience, her love of Lady Gaga, and how one piece of personal information turned into “high school” drama with the other queens while filming.

You’ve had quite the journey on Drag Race — what was it like getting to watch it unfold?

It doesn’t really feel real, if I’m being quite honest. I still get giddy over seeing myself on Drag Race — that’s actually still crazy to me. I’m still fangirl-ing a lot. I think that’ll go away soon. Otherwise, it’s been such a blast, connecting with the fans.

Were there any moments while you were filming in particular that made you go into full fangirl mode?

If the work room entrance didn’t do it for me, then I think walking the runway for the first time really did. It’s just the moment that it’s suddenly real. 

Over the last few episodes, the queens have conducted a pretty thorough investigation into your prior relationship with Robin Fierce — was that a weird thing for you to deal with while filming this show?

It wasn’t weird, necessarily. Like, I didn’t mind explaining it to my sisters. I think the only super weird part to me was how much of a hot topic it was among them. Once I saw that Robin was on the show with me, my mind immediately was like, “Do we tell people? What’s the plan of attack?” So I told myself from day one that if somebody asked, I wouldn’t lie. I just never saw it getting to the point that it got to, weirdly — the whole “who broke up with who” conversation. It was just so high school to me. I didn’t mind giving my side of the story, but it was weird that this was our topic of conversation.

I gotta say, watching people try and unravel the “mystery” of your breakup despite you literally explaining that it was a mature, somewhat mutual situation is very funny to me.

Girl, it’s the gays, we just gotta make it a drama. 

Before we get into this episode, I want to talk to you about the runway you served last week as Lady Gaga at the 2009 VMAs. You nailed the look — what made you choose this interpretation of the theme “Beautiful Nightmare?”

As we all know, Lady Gaga opened that performance by singing, “Amidst all of these flashing lights, I pray the fame won’t take my life.” That was the idea I wanted to run with for this, because when I saw “Beautiful Nightmare,” I thought, “Well, my beautiful nightmare is going to be watching myself look so good on TV and then having to deal with trolls online telling me I’m an early-out.”

I just think Gaga set that metaphor up so eloquently, and I’m a firm believer that if something isn’t broken, you don’t need to fix it. Or as RuPaul would say, “You ain’t gotta reinvent the wheel.” I knew, “Am I going to get read for recreating this look head-to-toe? Probably.” But I do feel like the performance of it all sold it and took it to that extra level, especially with the bleeding.

As soon as the blood came out, I said out loud, “Yep, she did that.”

Exactly! I knew people would forget the fact that I was walking down the runway in a bodysuit and thigh-highs if I could give them that gag. So I was really happy with myself. 

To this day, that stands as one of the most iconic awards show performances of all time. 

That’s why it was so far in the front of my brain and I was able to replicate it so quickly! Ever since I saw it in 2009, that’s just where it lives, girl. Like, pure horror, the audience was literally scared of her! 

Speaking of looks, this week was our first sewing challenge of season 15. What was going through your mind when they announced the challenge, knowing that you’d already been in the bottom twice and you’re not a seamstress?

A lot of explicit language that I probably should not repeat in an interview. [Laughs.] I will say, when Ru said it was unconventional materials, my ears did perk up a little — because I feel like that’s weirdly easier? Then, I can get away with using hot glue because it’s weird objects. That just didn’t work out for me, as we can now see.

I would like to talk about that — I feel like this was a very strong showing from everyone including you, and that made it harder to single out a bottom two. There were no LaLa Ri’s on that stage.

Yeah, for sure. Ru even said while we were walking the runway, “Y’all are making this hard.” It wasn’t that I looked bad, it was just that it didn’t measure up to everybody. But that’s another reason why when they announced the sewing challenge, I was saying a lot of swear words; 11 out of the 13 of us were sewers. It was like, “Well, there’s simply no way for me [to win].” I got really in my head and I started to rethink things that I shouldn’t have been rethinking, because in a situation like that — having less than a day to put this look together — you don’t have time to sit around and stare in a mirror and rethink. You have to go. 

I really want to commend you on your lip syncs this season — you’ve killed every lip sync you were in, especially this “Q.U.E.E.N.” one. What, to you, is the key to nailing a lip sync?

It’s so nerdy and boring, so be ready; I went to theatre school for acting, and my approach to lip syncs is actually how I would approach doing a monologue, or a scene. I was trained to have an action for every line, and you want every action to be different. So you’ll pick very descriptive lines of the song, and then figure out what it is that you’re going to sell with that line. That’s why I love lip syncing, because you’re telling a story through your performance of the song. 

30 Jan 2023

Diane Warren’s 14 Oscar Nominations for Best Original Song: History in the Making

Diane Warren is getting up there on the all-time list of top Oscar nominees for best original song. Her nod this year for “Applause,” sung by Sofia Carson in Tell It Like a Woman, is her 14th — a tally equaled by only seven other songwriters in the 89-year history of the category).

Moreover, this is the sixth year in a row she has been nominated, the longest continuous run streak of nominations in this category since Alan Bergman and his late wife Marilyn Bergman were nominated six years running from 1968-73. (Their streak was bookended by two winners – “The Windmills of Your Mind” and “The Way We Were.”)

Only two other songwriters in Oscar history have had six or more consecutive nods. Mack David, the older brother of Hal David (of Bacharach & David fame), was nominated every year from 1961-66. He never won. Sammy Cahn holds the all-time records both for the most consecutive years with a best original song nod (eight, from 1954-61) and most total nods in that category (26). Cahn won a record-tying four Oscars in the category.

If you’re looking for a common denominator among Warren’s best original song nominees – besides quality – good luck. Three of them reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but several others didn’t even crack the chart. Three are from blockbuster action films, but several others are from smaller indie films that barely made a dent at the boxoffice.

Four of the 14 songs, including the current one, are from films directed by women. That’s far higher than the industry-wide percentage of films directed by women. The only director Warren has worked with on two nominated songs is Michael Bay. She wrote songs for his blockbusters Armageddon (“I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”) and Pearl Harbor (“There You’ll Be”).

Warren received an honorary Oscar in November. She’s only the fifth person in Oscar history – and the first person from the world of music – to receive an honorary Oscar and a competitive Oscar nomination in the same awards year. Warren, 66, has the work ethic of a songwriter half her age, one still trying to make her mark. That could be her secret.

Let’s take a closer look at Warren’s best original song nominees. The films’ worldwide box-office receipts are taken from boxofficemojo.com (rounded off to the nearest million). In two cases where the film grossed less than $1 million, we show the exact tally.

30 Jan 2023

Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ Holds at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, JVKE’s ‘Golden Hour’ Hits Top 10

Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” holds at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, reigning for a second frame a week after it soared in at the summit, as it continues its dominance in both streaming and sales.

Meanwhile, David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue),” at No. 6 on the Hot 100, becomes the most-heard song on radio, reaching the top of the Radio Songs chart, and JVKE scores his first Hot 100 top 10 as “Golden Hour” rises from No. 11 to No. 10.

The Hot 100 blends all-genre U.S. streaming (official audio and official video), radio airplay and sales data. All charts (dated Feb. 4, 2023) will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 31). For all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

“Flowers,” released on Smiley Miley/Columbia Records, drew 59.8 million streams (up 14%, good for the Hot 100’s top Streaming Gainer award) and 40.8 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 22%) and sold 65,000 (down 6%) in its second full tracking week, Jan. 20-26, according to Luminate (after it arrived Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. EST).

The single spends a second week at No. 1 on both the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts and surges 18-11 on Radio Songs.

Cyrus first announced during her Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party NBC special that “Flowers” would be released Jan. 13, which fans recognized as her ex-husband Liam Hemsworth’s birthday. That narrative and interaction on TikTok have helped grow the profile of the song, which ushers in Cyrus’ eighth studio album, Endless Summer Vacation, due March 10.

Propelled in part by that buzz, “Flowers” boasts the greatest weekly streaming sum since Drake’s “Way 2 Sexy,” featuring Future and Young Thug, totaled 67.3 million (Sept. 18, 2021).

“Flowers” is also the first song with consecutive weeks of 50 million or more streams in two years, since Olivia Rodrigo’s “Drivers License” arrived with 76.1 million and followed with 59.7 million (Jan. 23, 30, 2021).

Plus, with its gain from 52.6 million to 59.7 million weekly streams, “Flowers” is the first song to post at least 50 million streams in a week and gain the following frame in over three years, since Roddy Ricch’s “The Box” increased from 68.2 million to 77.2 million (Jan. 18, 25, 2020).

SZA’s “Kill Bill” ranks at its No. 2 Hot 100 best for a third week, with 38 million in radio reach (up 29%), 34.1 million streams (down 2%) and 2,000 sold (down 17%). It tops Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot R&B Songs, which use the same methodology as the Hot 100, for a seventh week each. The song is from her album SOS, which adds a seventh week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” repeats to No. 3 on the Hot 100, after leading for a personal-best eight weeks; Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage’s “Creepin’” is steady at its No. 4 high, as it wins the chart’s top Airplay Gainer trophy (67.2 million, up 16%); and Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy” keeps at No. 5, after it ruled for a week in October.

David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” holds at No. 6 on the Hot 100 after reaching No. 4, as it ascends to No. 1 on Radio Songs (85 million, up 2%). Guetta claims his first Radio Songs leader (among seven top 10s), while Rexha earns her second (among four top 10s), after “Meant To Be,” with Florida Georgia Line, dominated for five weeks in 2018. (The song that “I’m Good” prominently interpolates, Eiffel 65’s “Blue [Da Ba Dee],” hit No. 6 on Radio Songs in 2000.)

“I’m Good” tops the Pop Airplay chart for a second week and rises to No. 1 on Adult Pop Airplay, where it becomes Guetta’s first champ and Rexha’s second (likewise after “Meant To Be”). “I’m Good” leads the multi-metric Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart for a 19th week.

The Weeknd’s “Die for You” keeps at No. 7 on the Hot 100, after hitting No. 6; Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex” is a non-mover at No. 8, after it reached No. 2, as it tops the multi-metric Hot Rap Songs chart for an 11th week; and Harry Styles’ “As It Was” rebounds 10-9 on the Hot 100, following 15 weeks at No. 1 beginning last April, the fourth-longest reign in the chart’s history.

Rounding out the Hot 100’s top tier, JVKE achieves his first top 10, with his initial entry, as “Golden Hour” climbs 11-10 with 29.1 million in radio reach (up 4%), 14 million streams (essentially even week-over-week) and 2,000 sold (up 2%).

Released on JVKE’s eponymous independent imprint, the ballad is being promoted by Sony Music Entertainment’s AWAL label, which notches its first Hot 100 top 10. Prior to “Golden Hour,” AWAL hit a No. 27 best via Lauv’s “I Like Me Better” in 2018.

“Golden Hour” concurrently becomes the first top 10 for Rhode Island native JVKE (born Jake Lawson), who broke through thanks in part to traction on TikTok, on the Pop Airplay chart (11-10). It’s his second title to make the tally, after “This Is What Falling in Love Feels Like” reached No. 35 last July.

(Small state, big hits: Other acts to score chart success with Rhode Island origins include Bill Conti, whose Rocky theme song “Gonna Fly Now” topped the Hot 100 for a week in 1977; John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band, whose “On the Dark Side,” from the film Eddie and the Cruisers, rose to No. 7 in 1984; and Blu Cantrell, whose “Hit ‘Em Up Style [Oops!]” reached No. 2 in 2001.)

Again, for all chart news, you can follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram and all charts (dated Feb. 4), including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh on Billboard.com tomorrow (Jan. 31).

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.

30 Jan 2023

Joe Jonas Teases Jonas Brothers’ New Song ‘Wings’ From the Studio: ‘I Don’t Care, I Just Want You to Hear It’

He just couldn’t help himself. Joe Jonas leaked a snippet of the Jonas Brothers‘ new song “Wings” on social media on Sunday (Jan. 29).

“Guys, we got the mix of our new song ‘Wings’ and, umm, I don’t care, I just want you to hear it. C’mon,” the middle JoBro says before heading inside to the studio where his siblings are taking in the unreleased track.

As the trio blast the song, Nick Jonas can be heard crooning, “You are the wings I need to fly away,” before the beat drops and he tosses the mic to Joe, who belts out, “When you give me love, I feel it/ I feel it, I feel it/ Got me runnin’ through the ceilin’/ The ceilin’, the ceilin’/ And my love, it never had a meanin’/ A meanin, a meanin’/ You gave me a reason, you got me believin’/ You’re makin’ me say.”

“Wings” is slated to be included on the tracklist for the Jonas Brothers’ upcoming sixth studio set, a follow-up to No. 1 album Happiness Begins from 2019. Previously, the band called the song one of their favorites off the forthcoming, Jon Bellion-helmed LP in a sit-down with Variety. (Kevin Jonas also named the as-yet-unheard “Vacation Eyes” as his personal favorite, while Nick was torn between “Little Bird” and “Waffle House.”)

Ahead of the album’s unveiling, Joe, Nick and Kevin will be receiving their very own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday afternoon (Jan. 30).

Watch the JoBros rock out to a clip of “Wings” below.

30 Jan 2023

Spotify Launches ‘Women of Iran’ Playlist Amidst Continued Women-Led Revolution in Iran

Spotify has launched a new playlist to amplify the voices of Iranian women, who have for the last four months have led the fight towards human rights in Iran.

The playlist, titled “Women of Iran,” includes songs by iconic Iranian singers, including Googoosh, Mahasti and Hayedeh, alongside artists like Shervin Hajipour and Toomaj Salehi, who were both arrested and imprisoned after sharing music in support of the fight against the Islamic Republic’s injustices. Hajipour, who received a whopping 95,000 submissions for The Grammys’ new best song for social change award, was released following international pressure back in October.

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“The Academy is deeply moved by the overwhelming volume of submissions,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr in a statement. “While we cannot predict who might win the award, we are humbled by the knowledge that the Academy is a platform for people who want to show support for the idea that music is a powerful catalyst for change.”

After his October arrest, 32-year-old rapper Salehi has remained in police custody and is at risk of receiving the death penalty, according to BBC.

As a part of the playlist launch, Spotify is utilizing their playlist clips feature, which are likened to “stories” connected to a playlist, providing a platform for Iranian musicians, comedians, designers, producers and more to speak on topics like culture, art, creative process and the importance of freedom of expression. The playlist also includes diasporic Iranian artists, including Rana Mansour, Snoh Aalegra, and Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza, who has released a number of songs in support of the ongoing revolution in Iran.

Stemming from the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s “morality police” but rooted in over 40 years of oppression, the current Iranian revolution begun in late September and has resulted in over 500 deaths officially, although some human rights groups estimate the number to be over 5,000. The number of individuals arrested spans beyond 20,000, while four known executions have taken place, with many more estimated to come.

International uproar has ensued since the start of the protests, with government officials and global stars alike speaking out on the brutal injustices taking place under the authority of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Momoa, Britney Spears and Bella Hadid are among the celebrities who have used their platforms to bring awareness to the ongoing fight, while a massive show of international solidarity led to a vote in the United Nations to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women.

In Iran, kissing and hugging in public, women singing and dancing in public, among other basic acts, are illegal. Women also face discrimination in matters regarding marriage, divorce, inheritance and decisions relating to children. Members of a number of religious groups, including Baha’is are heavily persecuted in Iran, considering that Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians are the only recognized religious minorities. These human rights violations, along with income inequality and lack of freedom of expression has brought the Iranian public to their boiling point time and time again.

While there is no end in sight, the playlist’s creator Leila Kashfi emphasizes the importance of keeping the voices of Iranians alive, writing on Instagram, “For decades, the Islamic Republic has forced Iranians to suppress the beauty of Persian culture – a culture founded thousands of years ago in music, dance, romance, & tolerance. The [Islamic Republic] targets artists because music fuels revolution.”

Check out the playlist below.

30 Jan 2023

Makin’ Tracks: Old Dominion’s ‘Memory Lane’ Moves an Old Idea Into New Territory

“Let’s take a trip down memory lane.”

Few expressions are more clichéd. Different usages of “memory lane” or “memory’s lane” began showing up in the late 1800s, and the phrase has become a common way to think of nostalgia.

Old Dominion’s new single, which Arista Nashville released to country radio via PlayMPE on Jan. 4, puts a fresh coat of paint on that time-worn “Memory Lane” idea. It exists because three band members — lead singer Matthew Ramsey and guitarists Brad Tursi and Trevor Rosen — were open to it when Jessie Jo Dillon (“Break Up in the End,” “10,000 Hours”) brought it up during a Jan. 24, 2022, appointment at Tursi’s house.

“Whenever you’re in a room full of very successful songwriters and someone throws out something that’s so clichéd, there’s a reason, and they may not even know it,” Ramsey says. “You definitely pay attention to it — because, of course, it’s clichéd. But why is that sticking out right now? So it makes us kind of all sit down and go, ‘All right, forget the clichéd. Why is this title here in this room with us?’”

Tursi actually started the creative chain before his co-writers arrived that day, building a short rhythmic track around an acoustic guitar and kick drum.

“After you write a million songs on the guitar, it starts to become hard to think of a different rhythm,” says Tursi. “I knew those guys — and girl — were coming to my house, and I tried to pull up a little drum program that has a different rhythm than you would play on a guitar. I just kind of found that little groove, that acoustic part in the intro. It was two chords and the loop, and that’s what I played them when they got there.”

It sounds vaguely similar in spirit to the rolling guitar in “Gentle on My Mind,” a song John Hartford wrote based on the traveling plot of the 1965 movie Dr. Zhivago. Dillon thought “Memory Lane,” logged in a page of titles on her phone, was an appropriate match.

“He had this beat that was real fast and kind of pulsing,” she says. “I wouldn’t really think to do that idea that way naturally, but it gave the song so much energy, and I think it feels driving — kind of like you’re driving down memory lane.”

Dillon originally generated the title during her own battle with nostalgia. She was getting over a relationship with another songwriter, and she still missed him significantly.

“When I hear that song, I picture exactly where it was — the house and the place, for me,” she recalls. “I think the guys had their own versions of that as well in their minds when we were writing it.”

One of the guys — likely Rosen — came up with the opening line, “If I could buy a house on Memory Lane,” and Ramsey chimed in with quick rhymes: “I’d put my money down, and I’d sign my name.” They envisioned a corner lot, but never identified the cross street. (It’s tempting to think it’s Lonely Street, which would put Memory Lane in the same neighborhood as Heartbreak Hotel.)

Since that “Memory Lane” title appears in the opening line, it made sense to repeat it in the first line of every successive verse. But that also posed a problem when they reached the chorus; it wouldn’t make sense to repeat the title at the end of the chorus and the beginning of the next verse. So they didn’t included the title in the song’s key stanza.

“It would have been corny to try to somehow wrap the chorus back up into that line,” explains Rosen. “It allows the chorus to just give the images, and it’s such a release when it falls back into that line [in the next verse]. There’s no need to say it in the chorus.”

In fact, they held out the tension at the end of the chorus, creating an extra line over an unresolved chord, while a fantasy from the past — “We’d never let go, and we’d never be over” — plays out in the story. Emphasizing that tension, staying locked in the memory, reminded Rosen of the movie Inception.
“It’s a really trippy sci-fi movie where they figure out how to go into other people’s dreams,” he says. “But sometimes when they’re in a dream, they don’t know [it]. It felt like being in that movie, where if I could just live in this [dream], I wouldn’t care if I came back to reality.”

Since the chorus is designed to circle back to the verse, they couldn’t end “Memory Lane” with the chorus. So they concluded by repeating the first verse and changing the lyrics in the back half of that section to “We’d never fade, never fade, never fade…”

Old Dominion, including bassist Geoff Sprung and drummer Whit Sellers, recorded “Memory Lane” with producer Shane McAnally (Sam Hunt, Midland) at Shrimpboat Sound Studio in Key West, Fla., a facility with an appropriately nostalgic atmosphere.

“It’s this little, unassuming cinder block building that no one knows what’s going on on the inside or pays any attention to, but it’s Jimmy Buffett’s studio,” says Ramsey. “You walk in there, and it’s like a time capsule of his career. There’s Jimmy Buffett memorabilia and all these old Polaroids everywhere. It’s like stepping back in time, and it’s a very creative little vortex.”

Instead of following the band’s typical recording process, in which it plays as much of the track as possible together, “Memory Lane” was built piece by piece over programmed percussion. Sellers replaced most of the synthetic rhythms with real drums after everyone else did their parts, a reversal of the typical order.

Ramsey was challenged by the lead vocal’s phrasing — “It’s really tough to find a place to take your breath and keep going,” he says — and Tursi developed a guitar solo that feels as much like a journey as the rest of the track. “What happens with me is one of those times when we’re running it down, I’ll just take a solo and then spend another 15 minutes trying to beat it,” Tursi says. “And then everyone goes, ‘The first one is the best one.’ I’m never satisfied with anything.”

When Old Dominion played it as a full band for the first time on Jan. 19 in Evansville, Ind., Tursi extended the performance with an adventurous 90-second closing solo after the “never fades” lyric ended. Meanwhile, “Memory Lane” travels to No. 33 on the Country Airplay chart dated Feb. 4.

“It just felt like it was strong and artistic and commercial, and it had the right balance of everything,” Tursi says.

And it brings a fresh attitude to a very familiar phrase from the past.

30 Jan 2023

Kanye West The Suspect of A Battery Investigation After Snatching & Tossing Woman’s Phone

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Kanye West Named A Suspect In A Battery Investigation

Source: MEGA / Getty / Kanye West

Hip-Hop’s Clayton Bigsby, aka Kanye West, is in trouble with the law.

Spotted on TMZ, antisemYe, better known as Kanye West, might have taken his hate for being photographed or filmed a bit too far.

Ye has been hiding or “missing” but recently emerged a married man in all his Nazi-sympathizing glory, and the paparazzi have been snapping away, much to the rapper’s dismay.

One woman felt Kanye West’s rage after she got some video footage of him on her smartphone, and he took matters into his own hands, claiming she was following him and now he could be in serious trouble with Los Angeles law enforcement.

Per TMZ:

Kanye West is the named suspect in a battery investigation after a heated exchange with a photographer escalated to the point of Ye grabbing and throwing the woman’s phone.

The woman exclaims, “You’re a celebrity!” but that’s enough for Ye, who grabs and throws the woman’s phone into the street.

He then hops into his SUV where his wife, Bianca Censori, is patiently waiting.

The celebrity gossip website says West is a suspect in a battery investigation, and deputies from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department arrived on the scene around 4:30 PM and have video evidence of the encounter.

It’s unclear if the woman is an actual paparazzi or just a regular citizen, but TMZ notes she was near the sports complex where North West, YEEZY’s oldest child, took part in a basketball game.

What Has Kanye West Been Up To?

West has seemingly moved on from begging for his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, back and dissing her choice of men and dressing up fake poor woman Julia Fox to look like the reality star/mogul.

Yeezy is now hooking up with Bianca Censori, an architectural designer at YEEZY brand, and was with her popping tags her at Balenciaga.

Keep in mind the high fashion brand that cut ties with him because of his penchant for antisemitism.

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Photo: MEGA / Getty

30 Jan 2023

Joshua Bassett Assures He’s ‘Better Than I Have Ever Been’ After Sparking Concern With Religious Posts

Joshua Bassett has a message for fans who are worried about his well-being: Don’t be. In a series of posts on his Instagram Story, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter addressed concerns over some of his previous tweets — in which he abruptly professed his Christian beliefs — and stated that he’s better than ever since finding peace in religion.

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“For those concerned about me be sure of this: i’m better than i have ever been,” he wrote Sunday night (Jan. 29). “The peace i feel is far beyond what i thought possible.”

The High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star also shared anecdotes form his spiritual journey, including one where he asked God to “send someone to touch my back” while praying at church. “Moments later, two people came up behind me saying that God put it on their heart to put their hands on me and pray,” Bassett wrote. “His love is great, and my faith is certain. praise be to God forever and ever in Jesus name.”

“I have also first hand encountered Jesus twice,” the actor added. “The experience’s [sic] were richer and more vivid than anything in my entire life… i look forward to speaking about it soon.”

Bassett’s posts come a few weeks after he startled some fans and delighted others with a religious Jan. 5 tweet that read, “Jesus Christ is the only way. His death and resurrection are historically documented. turn away form hate, seek forgiveness and come home to Him .”

The message polarized his audience, with some people leaving question marks and notes of concern in his comments section. Others praised Bassett for embracing Christianity.

A few days before that, however, the “Lie, Lie, Lie” musician had tweeted, “most people i know, including myself, are struggling right now.”

“Please be good to yourselves and others, reach out to support those you love, and dont be afraid to ask for help,” he’d noted in the tweet posted on Christmas Eve.

Billboard has reached out to Bassett’s rep for comment.

The young star has certainly had a turbulent past couple of years. In January 2021, he became the target of online harassment after his HMTMTS costar and rumored ex-girlfriend Olivia Rodrigo released her heartbreaking hit single “Drivers License,” which painted an ex in a not-so-positive light. That same month, he was hospitalized after experiencing septic shock and heart failure.

In a pair of GQ interviews, Bassett also opened up about coming to terms with his sexuality, going to therapy and healing from incidents of sexual abuse he experienced in his childhood.

“I just hope that this generation can feel comfortable, confident, and safe talking about sexuality without needing to be a box and without needing to have it all figured out,” he told the publication in June 2021. “I didn’t necessarily have that when I was younger … I’m growing so much. The year that I’ve had has been earth-shattering. I’m still landing on my feet.”

30 Jan 2023

Baroline Diaz Launches Great Day Records With Santa Anna and Alamo

Baroline Diaz has founded her own label, Great Day Records, in association with Santa Anna and Alamo Records. Formerly vp of A&R at Interscope Records, Diaz will serve as chairwoman of Great Day, which will be based in New York.

The announcement follows the recent launch of Santa Anna, an artist and label services company established by Sony Music Entertainment and Alamo CEO/founder Todd Moscowitz. Under terms of the partnership with Diaz, Great Day’s roster of artists will have access to Santa Anna’s resources and promotional support.

“Baroline is a force to be reckoned with and a major player in the music industry,” said Moscowitz in a statement. “We cannot wait to work alongside her and develop new ways to scale her impressive roster and discover new ways to expand her growing empire.”

Diaz joined Interscope in 2019 as senior director of A&R before receiving her vp stripes a year later. During her tenure at Interscope, she collaborated on projects from DaBaby, Moneybagg Yo, Est Gee, Rob 49 and Lil Poppa, among others. She will continue to manage rapper Babyface Ray.

“I want Great Day Records to bring back real artistry and artist development,” commented Diaz in the Sony press announcement. “I want it to be a label where we are building the next generation of superstars in music, and I feel that Alamo/Santa Anna is going to be the best partner to execute that. They understand my vision and what the future of music is going to look like.”