State Champ Radio News
Page: 557
Before Jelly Roll sang a bit of Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” to tens of thousands of fans as the day 2 headliner of Stagecoach on Saturday night, the country superstar got a little practice in with his wife, Bunnie XO. Bunnie shared a video of the couple making their way to the Mane Stage over the […]
Goldenvoice must pay a $20,000 fine to the City of Indio for going past curfew for several minutes during Travis Scott‘s set during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival, according to a statement from city officials. On Saturday, April 12, Scott closed out his headlining set three minutes past 1 […]
Lizzo celebrated her 37th birthday on Sunday, and at one point during her party, she was overcome with emotion to the point that it brought the flute-playing singer to tears. The Detroit native took a moment to reflect on her party, and she said time stood still as she took in seeing her family members […]
The members of BTS are just as eager to reunite after their break as ARMY is to see it happen, according to J-Hope.
In a clip from his upcoming interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Low, which Teen Vogue premiered Monday (April 28), the “Chicken Noodle Soup” singer shared an update on the boy band’s future with respect to RM, Suga, V, Jimin and Jung Kook approaching the end of their respective times in the South Korean military. “I look forward to June when our members will have completed their service,” J-Hope began, according to a close-captioned translation.
The star went on to reveal that the septet’s reunion will be speedy once the final five members finish their enlistments. “We will quickly get together and talk about what BTS can do in the future,” he told Lowe. “I think it’s going to be a massive energy.”
The interview comes a little over six months after J-Hope became the second member of BTS to be discharged from the military, after Jin. The bestselling band has been on break for about two years as they each completed their mandatory service periods, with all seven of the members releasing solo projects in the interim.
Trending on Billboard
“I think that over time, we each refined our unique identities as each of us work on their own music, come out with their solo projects and do their own thing,” J-Hope said on Apple Music 1. “The funny thing for me is when our identities, which have taken shape in various ways, come together as BTS.”
He added of their upcoming reunion: “I’m curious to see how it’ll look like.”
For J-Hope’s part, the South Korean singer has released multiple pieces of solo music since he began his now-complete military service in February 2023. In March of that year, he dropped single “On the Street” with J. Cole, about a year after which J-Hope unveiled EP HOPE ON THE STREET VOL. 1, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard 200.
BTS last released an album in 2020, with Be reaching No. 1 on the albums chart. The LP features smash hit “Dynamite,” which spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Coco Jones has released her debut album Why Not More?, and the R&B singer shares how sampling Britney Spears’ “Toxic” for “Taste” came to life, her experience working with an “in love” Future, how she’s defining R&B in her own way, and more! What did you think of Coco Jones’ new album? Let us know […]
Hit songs are generally quick — Billboard Hot 100 top 10s ran an average of three minutes and 40 seconds in 2024, according to Hit Songs Deconstructed — but no Hot 100 hit has ever been as brief as Jack Black’s “Steve’s Lava Chicken.”
The track — at just 34 seconds in its original form (with a still-swift 1:15 extended mix also released) — breaks the record as the shortest Hot 100 hit ever by run time, dating to the chart’s Aug. 4, 1958, inception. The cut from the soundtrack of A Minecraft Movie debuts at No. 77 on the list dated May 3, 2025. It continues to gain in streaming, surging 62% to 7 million official U.S. streams April 18-24, according to data tracker Luminate.
Black co-stars in A Minecraft Movie, which has grossed $816 million globally over its first four weekends of release. Black and the film’s director, Jared Hess, co-wrote “Steve’s Lava Chicken” and John Spiker produced it.
Black earns his second Hot 100 hit, after “Peaches” reached No. 56 in April 2023. That song was from the soundtrack to The Super Mario Bros. Movie, likewise co-starring Black.
Elsewhere, “Steve’s Lava Chicken” hits the top 10 on the Hot Rock Songs chart, pushing four spots to No. 10.
Meanwhile, the track is one of four by Black on the A Minecraft Movie soundtrack, along with “I Feel Alive” — featuring Dave Grohl on drums — and two others each less than a minute long: “Birthday Rap,” with co-star Jason Momoa, and “Ode to Dennis.”
“Steve’s Lava Chicken” surpasses Kid Cudi’s “Beautiful Trip,” which runs 37 seconds long, as the quickest Hot 100 hit by song length.
Below, take a look, as long as you’d like, at the 10 quickest Hot 100 hits by run time over the chart’s history, with assistance from Paul Haney at Joel Whitburn’s Record Research. (Conversely, here the longest Hot 100 hits.)
:34 — “Steve’s Lava Chicken,” Jack Black
On Friday and Saturday (April 25-26), hundreds of young professionals got a look behind the veil of the music industry with some help from Grammy winners Coco Jones, Samara Joy and Laufey — as well as the Recording Academy’s New York chapter.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Hosted at Racket NYC in Chelsea, the Mastercard-presented 2025 Grammy U Conference featured two jam-packed days of networking opportunities, panel discussions, headshot stations and various activations spearheaded by industry professionals across disciplines. The two-day conference aimed to educate 18-29-year-olds actively pursuing careers in the music industry. From publicists and songwriters to DEI coordinators and engineers, virtually every music industry field had a representative at the sprawling conference.
Jones, who released debut studio album Why Not More? on the same day, headlined the first day of the conference, participating in a lively, edifying panel hosted by Grammy U Atlanta chapter representative Jasmine Gordon. Titled “Crafting A Multifaceted Career,” Jones’ panel provided the audience with an honest look at how she balances her multi-platinum musical career with her robust acting portfolio.
Trending on Billboard
Many students in the audience grew up alongside Jones as she transitioned from Disney starlet to Grammy-winning R&B siren — she took home best R&B performance for “ICU” in 2023 — so her industry insights felt particularly pertinent. From stressing the power of positive affirmations (“You gotta be delulu till it’s true-true!” she quipped) to the benefits of an entrepreneurial DIY mindset, Jones dropped several gems during her talk, while excited audience members quoted lyrics from her hours-old new album.
“The Grammys and the Recording Academy do so much for creatives that I want to help shine a light on,” Jones told Billboard minutes before she graced the stage. “The awards are obviously life-changing, but it’s also about keeping the lights on in that apartment while you’re writing songs. It’s also about helping somebody further their education on what this business is really like. I feel like it’s my duty to help highlight that. I see myself in these students.”
Following Jones’ chat, Grammy U mounted two additional panels — one on the world of sync licensing, and another on the evolution of influencers and digital media — before breaking for the day at 10:00 p.m. E.T. Bob Bruderman, Blu DeTiger and Riggs Morales led the panel on sync licensing, A&R and brand partnerships, while content creators Davis Burleson, Anthony Garguila, Julian Shapiro-Barnum, and Jonathan Tilkin headlined the night’s closing panel.
Pop-soul band Lawrence, who scored a divisive viral hit on TikTok with last year’s “Whatcha Want,” kicked off the conference’s second day by sharing an unflinching look at the studio sessions for their 2024 album Family Business. Band members Clyde Lawrence, Jordan Cohen and Jonny Koh projected their ProTools sessions and broke down how Tower of Power’s influence, hours of improvisation, ambitious songwriting collaborations and meticulous mixing of live and programmed drums gave way to album cuts like “Hip Replacement” and “Death of Me.”
Icelandic-Chinese jazz-pop star Laufey, who won the traditional pop vocal album Grammy for Bewitched in 2023, closed out the day with an equally charismatic and insightful keynote panel, moderated by TikTok game show “Track Star” host Jack Coyne. In their discussion, Laufey stressed the importance of her classical music foundation, detailed her Coachella debut alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and explained how she found the fearlessness to write songs across a range of genres.
“Growing up, I felt like there wasn’t quite enough transparency on how the industry worked, how teams and artists are built, how you build and sustain a career, all of that,” she told Billboard shortly before her panel. “I was so recently a student that I felt this need to talk to kids who are in my footsteps and be transparent about what it’s like and show all the different opportunities that are available.”
Laufey, who dropped her “Silver Lining” single earlier this month, also treated the Grammy U Conference to the first-ever performance of her forthcoming new single, “Tough Luck.” Billed as an “angry, f–k you” song, Laufey performed the track accompanied by just an acoustic guitar. “You say, ‘I can’t read your mind,’ but I’m reading it just fine/ You think you’re so misunderstood, the black cat of your neighborhood,” she crooned, nailing her debut performance of the track.
After a break, the conference reconvened at the iconic Bowery Electric for a Grammy U & DEI showcase, headlined by five-time Grammy-winning jazz sensation Samara Joy. Before the Bronx native took the stage, three talented Grammy U performers — selected in collaboration with the Recording Academy’s New York chapter — treated the crowd to impressive sets. Neo-soul crooner Isea, saxophone-fronted jazz band The Jax Experience and new-school rock band The Millers all repped the region well, with each act winning over several new fans by the end of their performances.
Of course, Joy brought the house down with a rousing set comprised of cuts from her 2024 album Portrait, including standout tracks “No More Blues” and “Peace of Mind / Dreams Come True.” With upcoming performances in Brazil (Aug. 2) — while speaking with Billboard before her performance, she teased a forthcoming bossa nova-influenced single in which she may be singing in Portuguese — and at New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall (April 30), Joy reminded the Bowery crowd why she’s one of today’s most celebrated live vocalists.
“I’m inspired by my peers and folks younger than me who are passionate about music. I want to be in spaces where I’m surrounded by like-minded people,” she told Billboard moments before lighting up the Bowery Electric. “That’s what my band is, I like presenting that collaboration and sense of community as we develop and grow.”
As diversity efforts and arts education continue to face relentless attacks, the 2025 Grammy U Conference helped equip the next generation with the necessary insight to shape and protect the industry’s future.
Doechii’s 2023 breakout hit “What It Is (Block Boy)” was originally intended to land on Normani‘s debut album according to songwriter Bianca “Blush” Atterberry.
Atterberry explained over the weekend in a TikTok video how she was commissioned by RCA Records to write tracks for Normani and what led to “What It Is” eventually landing with Doechii.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“This record ‘What It Is’ was intended for Normani. Me, J White [Did It], Verse Simmons and Fresh locked in. Label set it up — they wanted records for Normani,” she said. “We all got together in the studio. We were locked in for like three days and we got about six songs and ‘What It Is’ was one of them.”
Trending on Billboard
Once the song was finished, Atterberry knew they had a hit on their hands. “We immediately knew,” she stated of the track’s potential. “We were like, ‘This is a smash. This is one of them ones.’ You just be knowing.”
They played it for RCA Records and Normani, but she didn’t think “it was something that fit her vision” at the time. “Which is normal. It happens all the time,” she added. “Sometimes that’s just how this works… It’s not odd. It’s very normal.”
After holding onto the track for a couple of years and disregarding a few other artists who attempted to cut the record, Doechii entered the fold. “We heard it and absolutely loved it. We were like, ‘She’s out of here. She’s a star.’ Always been a star.”
Atterberry made sure to defend Normani’s decision to pass on the track. “We uplift over here,” Blush concluded.
“What It Is (Block Boy)” arrived in March 2023 with a version featuring an assist from Kodak Black. The J White Did It and Brian Kennedy-produced track served as the TDE rapper’s first Billboard Hot 100 entry, which hit the top 40 and peaked at No. 29.
Normani’s much-delayed debut album, Dopamine, was released in June 2024 and landed at No. 91 on the Billboard 200.
Watch the full oral history of “What It Is” from Blush’s perspective below.
There’s nothing messy about Taylor Swift‘s recording process, according to the superstar’s “Clean” collaborator, Imogen Heap.
In an interview with People published Monday (April 28), the producer opened up about the day more than a decade ago that Swift visited her home studio to hammer out one of the most beloved tracks on 1989, with Heap revealing that the pop star was “extremely efficient” the entire way through. “She turned up looking immaculate, and we didn’t really know what we were going to do,” Heap explained.
“She had an idea on her phone, she played it to me, and I was like, ‘That’s good. Should we go and record it?’” the “Hide and Seek” songwriter continued. “We went downstairs, we had our cup of tea by the fire, and she wrote the next verse. I started to make music around us. And then by the time she left, which was, like, just after dinner, we had managed to write the song, produce the song, record the song, chat, meet, have tea, sit by the fire, eat lunch, eat dinner, do an entire record all by ourselves.”
Heap specificially praised Swift for having a clear artistic vision for herself from the outset of her career. “She is extremely efficient. I’ve never done that from start to finish with anyone,” she explained. “And I felt very excited. I really appreciated her. There was one moment when I was trying out something a bit different for the middle section, and I was like, ‘What about these chords?’ … She was like, ‘You know what? I think we’re going to lose them here, so let’s just do this.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s fine.’ What I learned, I suppose, [is] just she’s very good in the studio, and she knows what works.”
Trending on Billboard
The interview comes more than 10 years after “Clean” arrived in 2014 on Swift’s critically acclaimed fifth studio album 1989, which spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Shortly after the album dropped, Heap gushed in a blogpost that her studio session with the 14-time Grammy winner was a “special one” and clarified, “I’ve also been reading the odd report or tweet here and there that the reason the lyrics to ‘Clean’ are so good is because I wrote the song with her but FOR SURE they are all hers she deserves all the credit!”
In 2023, when Swift re-released 1989 as part of her ongoing Taylor’s Version re-recording project, she once again tapped Heap to produce the updated “Clean.” “This is Taylor playing a bada– card to stay in control of her work in a commercial music industry that largely works against musicians,” Heap wrote on Instagram after the reissue’s release. “Thank you Taylor for inviting me into your world!”
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Mike Coppola / Getty
Lately, NFL legend Bill Belichick hasn’t been making headlines for his playbook, it’s all eyes on his awkward love life.
The 73-year-old coach has been catching heat, and a whole lotta side-eyes, over his relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson, a former cheerleader. They popped up together publicly in early 2023, not long after Bill called it quits with longtime girlfriend Linda Holliday. Since then, folks haven’t stopped talking, and not just because of the wild 49-year age gap.
Related Stories
What’s got the internet buzzing now is an awkward-as-hell moment that played out during a CBS News segment. A reporter casually asked Bill how he and Jordon first met, a pretty basic question, right? But before Bill could even get a word out, Jordon’s voice cut through from behind a monitor like a record scratch, “We’re not talking about this,” she snapped, clearly not here for the small talk.
It got tense fast. The vibe in the room shifted immediately, and when the anchor tried to press a little, Jordon shut it down again, flat out saying, “No.” The reporter eventually jumped in with a voiceover to save the moment, saying it’s just a topic “neither one of them is comfortable commenting on.” Now, this whole scene has gone viral, and people are calling it one of the most awkward couple moments they’ve ever seen on camera. Fans are confused, critics are dragging it, and the memes, ruthless.
Let’s be real, Bill’s always been known for keeping it low-key and all business. But now he’s stepping into a new kind of spotlight, one that’s got way more drama than any post-game presser.
