Photos

05 Mar 2024

Rihanna, Miley Cyrus & More Artists Who Have Walked Fashion Week Runways

Few industries are as inextricably linked as music and fashion. From Michael Jackson‘s glittery glove and The Supremes’ era-defining hairstyles to Beyoncé‘s silver-streaked Renaissance dress code and Billie Eilish‘s subversive take on baggy streetwear, musicians have been setting fashion trends for decades on end. Couple all this with the artists who have formally entered the fashion space in collaboration with iconic houses and brands — Pharrell, Rihanna, Kanye, oh my! — and you have two industries that work in tandem more often than not.

In the past year alone, a plethora of musicians have made incredible strides within the fashion industry. Last Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14, 2023) Louis Vuitton officially announced that Pharrell Williams would serve as the fashion house’s new men’s creative director, succeeding the late Virgil Abloh in the role. The “Happy” singer’s first collection debuted during Paris Men’s Fashion Week a few months later (June 20, 2023), complete with a performance alongside Jay-Z on the iconic Pont Neuf Bridge.

About four months after Pharrell’s debut LV men’s collection launched (Oct. 25, 2023), Puma announced that A$AP Rocky will serve as creative director for the brand’s motorsport business category. The month prior (Sept. 7, 2023), Rocky’s long-term partner and music icon Rihanna returned to Puma with a new “Avanti” sneaker after taking several years off from being the brand’s Fenty label creative director.

Naturally, Fashion Week brings out all the stars across the entertainment industry, but there are a few musical artists who have graced the catwalk themselves. From Jennifer Lopez to Madonna and Playboi Carti, here are a few musicians who have walked the runway during Fashion Week.

26 Feb 2024

Photos From Olivia Rodrigo’s Guts Tour Opening Night

Olivia Rodrigo’s long-awaited Guts world tour kicked off on Friday night (Feb. 23) at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, Calif., and Rodrigo had the crowd on their feet the whole night with a jam-packed set of hits spanning her two albums: 2021’s Sour and 2023’s Guts.

With multiple outfit changes throughout the night — including sparkling sets and a No Doubt-inspired “I’m Just a Girl” tank top for the encore — the 21-year-old pop star performed songs ranging from ballads like “Traitor,” “Happier,” “Teenage Dream,” “Logical,” “Enough for You” and her Hot 100 chart-topping breakout hit “Drivers License” to head-banging tracks like “Bad Idea Right?,” “All-American B—-,” “Good 4 U,” “Get Him Back!” and many more.

Rodrigo will continue to perform her Guts tour trek in North America through April, where she’s scheduled to take the stage for a pair of dates on April 5 and 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. She then heads overseas, beginning her international dates on April 30 in Dublin, Ireland. The pop star returns to the United States with a July 19 show in Philadelphia, and wraps her world tour with two concerts at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on Aug. 13 and 14.

See below for all the photos from the high-energy opening night of the Guts world tour. If you’re looking for more coverage from the event at Acrisure Arena, check out our list of best moments here and our rundown of Rodrigo’s setlist from the night here. 

23 Feb 2024

Ana Bárbara, Anitta & More: The Best Photos From Premio Lo Nuestro 2024

Although she couldn’t attend, Karol G was the top winner at Premio Lo Nuestro 2024 with nine awards including artist of the year, followed by Maluma, Carin León, Shakira and Peso Pluma (the last two also absent), with four trophies each. But the highlight of Thursday night’s (Feb. 22) event weren’t the winners themselves, but the performances.

With over 20 musical numbers, the 36th annual Premio Lo Nuestro awards was a colorful spectacle that brought some of the biggest Latin music artists of yesterday and today to the stage. From those honored with special awards like Don Omar, Olga Tañón and Ana Bárbara — who were undoubtedly among our favorites — to Yuridia and Ángela Aguilar, Anitta, Camilo and Evaluna (showing her recently announced second pregnancy), Grupo Frontera, Chayanne and many more, there was music for all tastes and ages.

Maluma, who led the list of nominees with 14 nods, opened the show with his two new forays into Mexican music with his hit “Según Quién” and his corrido feliz “Bling Bling” (both performed without his collaborators Carin León, Octavio Cuadras and Grupo Marca Registrada, respectively).

Among other highlights, Gente de Zona presented “Celia,” which uses original recordings by the Queen of Salsa Celia Cruz to create an infectious medley with two of her classics: “Ella Tiene Fuego” y “La Negra Tiene Tumbao.” And Carin León took the stage with Kane Brown to premiere their new duet, “The One (Pero No Como Yo)” live.

The 2024 Premio Lo Nuestro awards were broadcast live on Univision and were co-hosted by Galilea Montijo, Angélica Vale and Clarissa Molina. Also in attendance were mainstream artists such as Kane Brown and Machine Gun Kelly, who took the stage with Carin León and Don Omar, respectively.

Here are the best photos of some of the night’s standout performances.

12 Feb 2024

Post Malone, Jay-Z, Ice Spice, Calvin Harris & More Bring Star Power to 2024 Super Bowl Parties

Las Vegas is no stranger to A-list musicians, but Super Bowl Week was an especially starry time to be in Sin City.

There were parties up and down the Strip, starting at the desert’s newest resort, the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, which made excellent use of its members-only Poodle Room for a pair of intimate pre-game parties. First was Roc Nation Sports’ Super Bowl Party on Friday night, where Jay-Z caught up with fellow rap vets Fat Joe and E-40 and mingled with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Brady, Travis Scott, Queen Latifah, Jermaine Dupri and more stars. On Saturday night, Grand Marnier Presents Magic Johnson’s Mount Rushmore Super Bowl LVIII Bash took over the Poodle Room, with the Lakers legend hosting *NSYNC’s Lance Bass and a return trip from DiCaprio.

Elsewhere at the Fontainebleau on Friday night, Post Malone headlined The One Party by Uber, returning to the BleauLive Theater after his pair of New Year’s Eve weekend shows that launched the venue. Up a level at the LIV nightclub that same night, Calvin Harris and Kid Cudi headlined the FanDuel x Spotify party, with Harris coming back a couple of days later to headline LIV’s post-Super Bowl DJ set on Sunday night.

One venue that stood out on the Strip was the h.wood Homecoming pop-up megastructure that covered 45,000 square feet. Friday night’s party, presented by Taco Bell and in partnership with REVOLVE, was headlined by David Guetta and Future (with a surprise DJ set by Travis Scott), while Saturday was headlined by Jack Harlow and Kaytranada, along with a DJ set from Zack Bia, where partygoers got to see Harlow perform his five-week Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Lovin On Me.”

Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Cosmopolitan’s Marquee Dayclub was the place to be on Saturday afternoon, with Ice Spice, Justin Bieber, Jelly Roll, The Chainsmokers, Russell Wilson, Ciara and more all making appearances at the poolside party, which included performances by Travis Scott and T-Pain.

Usher showed off more of his rollerskating skills Sunday night at the Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace Big Game After Party Celebrating the Release of “Coming Home” by Usher and Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop at Encore Beach Club at Wynn. Dre and Snoop surprised guests with a performance that included “California Love,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” and “Gin and Juice.” Over at another Wynn property on Friday night, Lil Wayne performed and Flavor Flav DJ’d at Shaq’s Fun House, which went down at XS. The next night, Bebe Rexha performed at Sports Illustrated‘s SI The Party Presented by Captain Morgan, also at XS.

Country was well-represented during Super Bowl Week, with Zach Bryan (alongside Leon Bridges) headlining the Bud Light Backyard Tour at The Chelsea in The Cosmopolitan, while Luke Combs played the BetMGM Big Game Bash on Saturday night, also at The Chelsea.

Verizon’s four-day “Verizon Live” activation took over Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club in The LINQ Promenade and offered fans a chance to get up close and personal with their favorite athletes, artists and entertainers, from the stars of Avatar: The Last Airbender and HBO’s Hacks, to Grammy-nominated rapper Tobe Nwigwe. Verizon partnered with MAX, Apple Music and Netflix on the Super Bowl event, serving as a chance to promote their Verizon myPlan bundles, which gets customers access to popular streaming services bundled together (I.e. Netflix and MAX) from just $10 a month.

And that’s not all — find pictures of some of your favorite stars from music and sports in our full Super Bowl party gallery below.

–Additional reporting by Tim Chan

11 Feb 2024

Super Bowl 2024: Photos From Usher’s Halftime Performance

Eight-time Grammy-winning R&B icon Usher graced the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show Sunday (Feb. 11) for a maximalist ode to both Las Vegas performance history and his own hit-packed discography.

Performing on both the stage and the literal field of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the “Burn” singer tore through his classic catalog, beginning with Confessions cut “Caught Up” before tearing through hits such as “OMG,” “Love In This Club” and “Nice & Slow.”

The consummate entertainer packed on the choreography, incorporating elements of crunk, dancehall and Afrobeats throughout his 15-minute set. Of course, all of those influences were tempered with a healthy dose of gyration, which eventually gave way to Usher stripping off his cream diamond-studded blazer to flaunt his rippling six-pack.

With nine Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers and a sprawling collection of other hits, Usher could have easily handled the halftime show on his lonesome. Nonetheless, he further leveled up the show’s entertainment factor with a slew of surprise guests including “My Boo” duet partner Alicia Keys, “Yeah!” collaborators Lil Jon and Ludacris, longtime songwriting partner Jermaine Dupri, and Grammy- and Oscar-winning R&B singer-songwriter H.E.R., who shredded her guitar during Usher’s heated renditions of “U Got It Bad” and “Bad Girl.”

In addition to his own hits, Usher also highlighted some of smashes from his guests. He and Alicia Keys harmonized on the latter’s “If I Ain’t Got You” and Lil Jon’s “Turn Down for What” got some special attention during the show’s last few minutes.

Click through photo gallery to relive all the show-stopping moments during Usher’s dazzling Super Bowl halftime performance.

04 Feb 2024

Jon Bon Jovi, Bell Biv DeVoe & A CeeLo DJ Set: Inside Primary Wave x Billboard No. 1s Pre-Grammy Party

Primary Wave’s annual pre-Grammy party went down Saturday night at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, and this year, for the first time, it celebrated Billboard No. 1s.

So it makes sense that a crowd of hitmakers was in the building to celebrate Grammy Weekend, including Jon Bon Jovi, who had just been honored the night prior as MusiCares Person of the Year and is the voice of four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits with his namesake band. Melissa Etheridge was also there, alongside wife Linda Wallem, and she’s a Billboard chart-topper too, including the Adult Contemporary No. 1 smash “I’m the Only One.”

Then there was Bell Biv DeVoe — the trio of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens and Ronnie DeVoe — who scored three No. 1s on Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in their early ’90s heyday. They were the perfect people for Billboard‘s Rania Aniftos to ask “what is the key to making a hit song?” on the red carpet Saturday night.

“Be yourself, have fun, make sure you’re enjoying it,” Bell offered. “Make sure it’s what you would really listen to when you go to the clubs or jump in your car. Just keep it true in that aspect.”

Bivens chimed in next: “I would say get a hot beat. Don’t nothing happen without the beat. Then go straight to the chorus and get something that they want to remember. And then just tell a story that you think connects to men and women.”

Finally, DeVoe said, “It’s about that moment in time too, like being real as far as what you’re feeling in your life at that time. The biggest albums were about a moment in time in any given artist’s career. Whether it’s Prince, Purple Rain or Mary J. Blige, What’s the 411? There’s so many classics based on people’s pain and their victory at any time. A song should speak to that.”

CeeLo was in charge of the night’s music, spinning everything from Usher’s “Yeah!” and Too $hort’s “Blow the Whistle” to his own “F**k You! (Forget You),” a No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart in 2011.

Also at the Waldorf Astoria for the party: Lauren Spencer-Smith, Fifth Harmony alumni Ally Brooke & Dinah Jane, Grandmaster Flash, Gavin Rossdale, “Lovin On Me” co-writer & co-producer Sean Momberger, Johnny Gill, Bonnie McKee, Israeli & Palestinian boy band as1one, Eric Benét, charlieonafriday, Pat Houston, Donna Houston, Damien “DDOT” Washington, Domani Harris, Armani White, James Charles, Crystal Kung Minkoff
Dom Fenison & Chanel West Coast, Terry Washington and, last but not least, The Hamburglar, who surprised the party with Happy Meal boxes filled with McDonald’s cheeseburgers and french fries.

Find photos from the party below:

01 Feb 2024

Photos From Billboard x Tres Generaciones: The New Nominees Dinner

Billboard and its official partner, tequila company Tres Generaciones held a pre-Grammy dinner this week celebrating this year’s new nominees, and the star-studded event took over The Sun Rose at Pendry West Hollywood on Tuesday (Jan. 30).

Among the evening’s guests were Conan Gray, Moses Sumney, Halle Bailey, Rocsi Diaz, Paris Jackson and Elton Qualls-Harris. Additionally, Billboard‘s Editorial Director Hannah Karp and Chief Brand Officer Dana Droppo were in attendance. Bailey’s “Angel” is nominated for best R&B song at the 66th annual Grammy Awards this year, which take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday (Feb. 4).

Last month, Billboard announced its year-long partnership with Tres Generaciones. Throughout the year, the partnership aims to curates unique music experiences, interactive fan engagement and content across major U.S. cities.

With the announcement, president of Billboard Mike Van expressed excitement about the partnership, aiming to infuse culture, music, and premium tequila into events for fans and artists. The collaboration honors success stories and celebrates resilience, with Tres Generaciones tequila playing a central role at iconic Billboard events like R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players, Latin Music Week and much more.

See below for all the photos from Billboard x Tres Generaciones: The New Nominees Dinner.

01 Jan 2024

See Photos From ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2024′

It’s not New Year’s Eve until the Times Square ball drops, and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2024 celebrated the start of a brand-new year in style with dozens of performances and hundreds of thousands of partygoers gathered in New York City.

Among the night’s biggest performers in NYC were Megan Thee Stallion, who did a medley of “Body,” “Cobra,” “Her” and her breakthrough 2020 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Savage” just after the clock struck midnight ET. Times Square also saw performances from Jelly Roll (“Need a Favor” and “Halfway to Hell,” as well as “Wild Ones” with Jessie Murph); LL Cool J (a final salute to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with “I’m Bad,” “Mr. Good Bar,” “Phenomenon,” “Rock the Bells” and “Mama Said Knock You Out”);  Tyla (“One and On,” “Truth or Dare” and her breakout top 10 Hot 100 hit “Water”); and Sabrina Carpenter (“Feather” and “Nonsense,” which included the updated outro “Clark is everybody’s favorite di– type/ Make a toast to everyone you dislike/ Balls are dropping everywhere at midnight”).

The show’s Hollywood party included performances from “Barbie Girl” duo Aqua, as well as Billboard Women in Music 2023 Rising Star Doechii; Ellie Goulding; Green Day; Janelle Monae; Loud Luxury and Two Friends with Bebe Rexha; Ludacris; Chic’s Nile Rodgers; Paul Russell; Renee Rapp, with a guest appearance from Coco Jones; and Thirty Seconds to Mars.

Finally, away from New York and Los Angeles, Cardi B performed from Miami, NewJeans performed from South Korea, Post Malone performed from Las Vegas, and Ivy Queen performed from Puerto Rico.

Below, find photos of the performers at Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2024.

19 Dec 2023

Billboard’s Best Photography of 2023

With 2023 coming to an end, Billboard is looking back on some of its best photos throughout the year.

Some of today’s biggest stars in every musical genre have posed for cover stories, magazine features and Billboard events throughout the year, including Billboard Women in Music, Billboard Country Power Players and Billboard Latin Music Week. The stunning photos feature the likes of Lana Del Rey, XG, Shakira, Chappell Roan, Paramore, Portugal. The Man, Jelly Roll, Lil Wayne, TWICE, Peso Pluma, The Last Dinner Party, Tate McRae, Metro Boomin, Lil Yachty, Latto, Gracie Abrams, Morgan Wallen, Ice Spice, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Feid and many, many more.

Billboard‘s Maluma cover story photos were nominated for the 2023 National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards. Meanwhile, the vintage-inspired Lana Del Rey Women in Music cover photos, shot at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, won best feature photos at the ceremony. “The excellent, offbeat Billboard photo of singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey reclining in the back of a station wagon gives an air of mystery to it,” the judge noted of the black-and-white snaps, which accompanied Del Rey being honored with the Visionary Award at the 2023 Billboard Women in Music Awards.

See below for our gallery of Billboard‘s best photos from 2023, featuring major artists, breakthrough stars, groundbreaking events, breathtaking locations and so much more.

19 Dec 2023

9 Musicians Who Ate Off Their Spotify Billion Streams Plaque

When reaching a notable milestone, some people are honored with a certificate, trophy or plaque. Sometimes, there might even be some music and a meal as part of the celebration. But when it comes to surpassing the one billion streams mark on Spotify, some musicians have a little extra fun marking the moment.

Artists who reach the massive streaming milestone receive a giant black plaque featuring a huge, shiny silver plate with the Spotify logo, as well as their name and the title of the song that joined the Billions Club. But musicians are doing more with that massive token than just hanging it up to display on a wall — and they’re getting creative. Artists from BLACKPINK’s Lisa to Maren Morris to Quavo and beyond are literally eating up their success by slapping full meals onto the plaque.

In 2020, for example, “In My Feelings” singer Drake dug into a heap of spaghetti piled onto his plaque when the track reached the high mark. Then following his lead a few weeks later, Halsey noshed on Cheetos and M&Ms from the platter when her collab “Without Me” alongside the Chainsmokers joined the Billions Club.

In November 2023, Lisa took it to the next level in the music streamer’s video show “Billions Club: The Series” when her solo track “Money” made her the first solo female K-pop star to reach the milestone. In her video for Spotify, the singer not only ate off the shiny commemorative plate, she first cooked a full meal — her favorite Thai omelette — to place on top of it. (The singer then finished off the meal with some sticky rice in a white bun topped with coconut ice cream.)

Read on to see which musicians have totally dug into their Spotify Billions Club plaques.