Pop

13 Nov 2024

Sega Bodega Calls Out Lil Nas X for Imitating His Single Art: ‘Not Even Trying to Put a Spin on It’

While plenty of Lil Nas X fans are hyping themselves up over his upcoming new single, dance artist Sega Bodega has a few questions for the rapper about one of his promotional photos.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In a series of posts to his X on Wednesday (Nov. 13), Bodega — who goes by Salvador Navarrete off stage — pointed out the similarities between a photo Lil Nas X shared in conjunction with his new project Dreamboy and the single artwork for Bodega’s 2021 song “Angel on My Shoulder.” “not even trying to put a spin on it is where I’m like yeesh,” Bodega wrote. “anyway stream ‘Angel on my shoulder.’”

Billboard has reached out to Lil Nas X’s representatives for comment.

Trending on Billboard

In both pictures, the subjects — Bodega and Lil Nas, respectively — sit at a vintage desktop computer in a dimly lit, wood-paneled rooms while a figure made out of light stands just behind them covered in white light. Lil Nas himself pointed out the similarities in a post to his Instagram Stories, sharing the artwork for “Angel on My Should” and calling it a “ref” for his new promotional photo.

When fans pointed out Lil Nas’ Stories post to Bodega, the “Cicada” artist responded that he was still unhappy with the lack of recognition. Responding to one fan who called him “ungrateful” and said that Lil Nas should “remove [his] credit to you,” Bodega said he couldn’t tell “if this is a very good joke or not cause that’s literally what he did ahahah there is no credit.” He added that offering credit “in a photo that will disappear in 24 hours forever and no name whatsoever of artist or photographer [Aidan Zamiri]” wasn’t sufficient.

The artist’s complaint comes just after Lil Nas X’s announced his new album era Dreamboy, and revealed that his next single, “Light Again,” will be debuting on Friday (Nov. 15). In the post where Lil Nas referenced Bodega’s single art, the rapper offered a heartfelt thank you to his fans. “it just dawned on me how lucky i am to have all of you that still f–k with me. bc i know it isn’t always easy,” he wrote.

Check out Sega Bodega’s posts below:

13 Nov 2024

Rema and Selena Gomez’s ‘Calm Down’ Remix Video Hits 1 Billion Views on YouTube

Rema and Selena Gomez‘s remix video for the Afrobeats star’s 2022 single, “Calm Down” has crossed the one billion views mark on YouTube. The visual for the song that originally appeared on Nigerian singer Rema’s Feb. 2022 debut studio album, Rave & Roses, got a second life in August of that year when Gomez hopped into the visual for the sultry jam.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

In the video, both singers hang out in a living room with green walls and colorful tapestries, with Gomez dancing seductively behind a beaded curtain and shaking her hips alongside Rema as he sings, “I see this fine girl, for my party, she wear yellow/ Every other girl they dey do too much, but this girl mellow/ Naim, I dey find situation, I go use take tell am ‘Hello’/ Finally, I find way to talk to the girl, but she no wan’ follow.”

Trending on Billboard

Midway through, Gomez sidles up to Rema and adds, “Yeah, I know I look shy but for you i get down, woah/ And my hips make you cry when I’m moving around you/ Do it once, do it twice/ I push back you hold me tight.” The two then join forces on the chorus: “Baby, show me you can calm down, calm down/ Dance with me and take the lead now, lead now/ Got you so high that you can’t come down, come down” as the action turns to an all-white garage where the pair pose on a vintage roadster.

In addition to crossing the billion mark on YT, the song set all kinds or records during its chart run, including the longest run at the top of Billboard’s U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and first song in history to spend a year on that chart (currently at 138 weeks) and the record for the first African song to log a whole year (57 weeks total) on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also has the record for the most weeks ever spent on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, logging an unprecedented 64 weeks as of Jan. 20 of this year; “Calm Down” bested the previous record-holder, Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” which had 63 week at the top in 2022-2023.

Watch the “Calm Down” remix video below.

13 Nov 2024

LISA of BLACKPINK Hints at New Project With Cyberpunk Teaser & Cryptic Countdown

Something LISA this way comes — but fans aren’t exactly sure what it is yet.

That will all change soon, however, according to a mysterious untitled countdown that has appeared on the BLACKPINK star’s solo website. By Billboard‘s math, the clock will finish ticking down on Nov. 19 — the possible release date of new music from LISA.

LISA also shared a cinematic teaser on X Tuesday morning (Nov. 12), featuring the Thai singer-rapper in an edgy black bodysuit striking poses and playing guitar in a desolate cyberpunk landscape. At one point, she looks up to the sky and summons a neon purple light from the heavens, after which she stares down the camera as magenta sparks fly behind her on a rocky sculpture.

The clip is paired with an instrumental of LISA’s June single “Rockstar,” which reached No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 and kicked off the performer’s new solo era. She’s since dropped “New Woman” with Rosalía and “Moonlit Floor (Kiss Me).”

And though they can’t know for sure yet what LISA’s new teaser and countdown are building up to, fans are hopeful a solo album announcement is on its way. “LETS GOOOO ALBUM IS COMING!!!” one person commented on the video, while another fan replied, “im gonna faint we need the album.”

Trending on Billboard

Some BLINKs are also certain they’ve decoded the project’s title: “Alter Ego,” the phrase printed on a faux magazine starring LISA on the cover in her August music video for “New Woman.” “ALTER EGO????” an excited fan commented under the star’s new teaser Tuesday.

As fans prepare for a new project from LISA, the star is also gearing up to make her acting debut in White Lotus. The 2025 third season of the HBO show will feature the musician as Mook, a resort manager at a hotel in Thailand, as seen in a new trailer, in which LISA greets guests with, “Welcome to The White Lotus in Thailand, ka.”

See LISA’s teaser below.

13 Nov 2024

Jin of BTS to Make His Solo Debut on Jimmy Fallon’s ‘Tonight Show’

Jin of BTS on The Tonight Show? He’ll be there. 

As announced by host Jimmy Fallon in a video posted to to the show’s social media accounts Tuesday (Nov. 12), the 31-year-old K-pop star is set to make his solo debut on the late-night talk program. In the clip, the Saturday Night Live alum opens an envelope labeled “Top Secret” and feeds a disc into an ancient-looking computer. 

Once the contents of the disc finally load, revealing a photo of Jin’s face and the date of his upcoming Tonight Show appearance — Nov. 20 — Fallon’s jaw drops with excitement.  

The news comes about six years after BTS made its full-band debut on Fallon’s show. In 2018, the group — which is also comprised of SUGA, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — performed Billboard Hot 100 No. 11 hit “Idol” and “I’m Fine,” as well as tried out that year’s “Fortnite” dance trend. 

Trending on Billboard

In 2020, the boys made a number of Tonight Show appearances — including a couple virtual musical numbers on the show to lighten ARMY’s moods during the COVID-19 pandemic — before returning again in 2021 for performances of their No. 1 hits “Butter” and “Permission to Dance.” Jin’s bandmates Jimin and SUGA have since made their own solo debuts on the show. 

News of the “Super Tuna” singer’s upcoming appearance comes on the heels of his new single “I’ll Be There,” which dropped Oct. 25 ahead of his debut solo album, Happy, which arrives Friday (Nov. 15). In a recent interview, Jin said of the project, “I have a very clear idea of what kind of emotions I want to share with our fans … I want our fans, our ARMY, to be happy.” 

Jin’s solo era is unfolding as most of the BTS boys are still finishing out their mandatory service in the South Korean military, which the “Abyss” artist became the first to complete in June. J-Hope is the only other member of the group to have completed his since then; full-band activities are on pause until next year. 

Watch Fallon’s announcement above.

13 Nov 2024

Lil Nas X Promises There Will Be ‘Light Again’ With New Single Announcement

While Lil Nas X‘s new music feed has gone somewhat dark over the last few months, the singer is back with a promise — there will be “Light Again.”

In a post to his social media accounts on Tuesday (Nov. 12), Lil Nas announced that he would at last be officially releasing his next single on Friday (Nov. 15). Titled “Light Again,” the song will come to streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music after the rapper previously teased it on social media in the spring and shared the song to his SoundCloud earlier this year.

The announcement arrived just after Lil Nas shared a high-concept teaser trailer for his forthcoming new album, Dreamboy. In the clip, Lil Nas X is adrift at sea on a wooden raft when Dreamboy, a flying, helmet-wearing figure descends from the clouds to “save” the rapper from himself. “It’s time to remember who you are,” Dreamboy tells Lil Nas before surround him with a series of memories. Lil Nas responds in the best way he knows how: “Wow! A fa—t!”

Trending on Billboard

But not all of Lil Nas’ online antics were meant to troll his fans. In a post shared early Wednesday (Nov. 13) morning, the singer shared a heartfelt reflection with his followers on X, thanking them for sticking around to see what he does next. “it just dawned on me how lucky i am to have all of you that still f–k with me,” he wrote. “bc i know it isn’t always easy! dreamboy isn’t just an album, it’s me coping with the loss of what once was and fighting for a new world. im so excited to bring you on the journey.”

Check out Lil Nas X’s official announcement for “Light Again,” and his trailer for Dreamboy, below:

13 Nov 2024

Tanner Frick Unexpectedly Leaves ‘The Voice’ Before Launch of Knockout Rounds

When fans of The Voice tuned in to the show on Monday night (Nov. 11) to check out the start of the Knockout rounds, there was one singer who was conspicuously absent. According to EW, host Carson Daly noted at the top of the episode that country singer Tanner Frick had dropped out of the competition after notching a four-chair turn earlier in season 26.

At press time, Frick had not commented on his absence and the show did not provide any additional information about why he left the series. But on Tuesday (Nov. 12), the Manchester, TN native who used to work at the city’s water & sewer department posted another snippet of a new song on Instagram featuring seemingly prescient lyrics.

“These whiskey nights and neon lights they all fade away/ But this lonesome road keeps calling me to stay,” he sings in his gravely country drawl over acoustic guitar. “So I’m back here, I’m on my own/ I can’t seem to leave this life alone/ I guess I’m a lone wolf and a stray/ Ain’t nobody want me anyway.” Frick did not comment on the song or his departure in the post, with the caption to the clip re-iterating the song’s refrain.

Trending on Billboard

Commenters were confused and had a lot of questions, with one asking “What happened???,” while another added, “Ugh I hate that you left the Voice. I had you as my top #1 artist! So sad to see you go but I hope everything is okay! You have an amazing voice and you have such talent. Keep pushing forward and good luck with your future.” One of his fans lamented that Frick could have “won it all.”

On Nov. 3 Frick seemed to preview his leave-taking in a TikTok video featuring the same song — which he said was titled “Lonesome Road” — while reminding fans to tune in to the show to see him perform.

Frick made a name for himself during the blind auditions round in early October with a cover of Morgan Wallen’s “Thought You Should Know,” which earned him chair turns from all four coaches, with both Snoop Dogg and Reba McEntire bonding instantly with the singer over their shared family roots in Mississippi. “While ya’ll still had your backs turned I was into this!” Snoop reminded fellow judges Michael Bublé and Gwen Stefani about his early adopter status on the country crooner.

Stefani said all the judges were won over when Frick sang with his “full voice,” which allowed his uniqueness to shine through, correctly predicting that the singer would go with country icon McEntire as his coach. Last week, Frick impressed again in a Battle Round duel with Tate Renner on Jelly Roll’s “I Need a Favor.” After he failed to advance in that round, Bublé snagged him for his team, calling the pick-up a “huge win for me” and dubbing the country singer a “piece of the puzzle” that he didn’t have.

EW reported that on Monday’s show Daly told fans at home that Frick, 26, had “left the competition after rehearsals,” with no additional information available at press time on the reason for his departure.

The Voice airs on NBC on Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET before streaming on Peacock the next day.

13 Nov 2024

Caitlin Clark Got So Many Friendship Bracelets at Eras Tour Shows Her Arm Went Numb

Caitlin Clark had a blast at the Eras Tour. The breakout Indiana Fever WNBA star was recently spotted taking in Taylor Swift‘s global outing, which just wrapped its U.S. dates with a trio of gigs in Indianapolis. The baller, who just finished her rookie season with the Fever, attended the first night of the Indy run with her coach boyfriend Connor McCaffrey, and was spotted trading the outing’s signature friendship bracelets with Swifties from her suite.

While of course everyone was there to see Taylor, given that the shows were in Clark’s WNBA hometown, local fans and WNBA heads were also freaking out about seeing the vaunted point guard and NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer at the gig. In fact, they were so psyched that Clark said they almost caused her to suffer a non-playing injury.

Trending on Billboard

“Taylor Swift, I just went two nights in a row in Indianapolis. I’ve been three times,” Clark said during an interview this week at the Women’s Leadership Summit “I had a ton [of bracelets], all the way up the arms. I had to take them off, my circulation was getting cut off! Everyone was just chucking their bracelets at me. I’ve seen her three times, and every time the show has just gotten better.” Check out a snap of Clark’s arm loaded up with bracelets here.

It wasn’t just Swifties who fell for Clark during the Indy Eras run. Taylor’s boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, revealed on a recent “New Heights” podcast episode that while he attended one of the gigs he met Clark and is now Team Caitlin.

“Saw Caitlin Clark there, got to meet Caitlin. She’s awesome, she loves being out there in Indianapolis, says it’s a fun city, and we’re both just true Midwesterners to the heart,” said Kelce, who grew up in Cleveland Heights, OH and went to college at the University of Cincinnati. “Played high school ball, college ball, pro ball all out here in the Midwest, and it was cool catching up with her.”

13 Nov 2024

Lady Gaga Releasing ‘Disease (The Antidote Live)’ Single

Lady Gaga is readying the antidote to her “Disease.” In an Instagram post early Wednesday morning (Nov. 13), the singer revealed that she is releasing a live version of her recent single dubbed “Disease (The Antidote Live).” The track, and an accompanying video, are slated to drop at noon ET on Wednesday.

At press time there was no additional information on where the video was recorded aside from a note on the YouTube placeholder that read “music video by Lady Gaga performing ‘Disease (The Antidote Live).’”

Gaga released the Halloween-appropriate official music video for “Disease” on Oct. 29, describing the first single from her upcoming untitled seventh studio album as being about “facing that fear, facing myself and my inner darkness, and realizing that sometimes I can’t win or escape the parts of myself that scare me. That I can try and run from them but they are still part of me and I can run and run but eventually I’ll meet that part of myself again, even if only for a moment.”

Trending on Billboard

At the same time, she released a live version of her Grammy-nominated collab with Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile,” celebrating the track that spent eight weeks at the top of both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts.

In the lead-up to her next album, Gaga released the surprise Joker: Folie à Deux companion LP Harlequin, a collection of jazz and pop standards and a handful of originals that debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 and marked her third No. 1 on the Billboard jazz charts. The singer has said that her upcoming studio album is due out in February.

Gaga was recently named the No. 5 Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century in Billboard’s ongoing countdown to No. 1.

13 Nov 2024

Coldplay Announce Their Biggest-Ever Show With Concert in India

Earlier this year, Coldplay’s ongoing Music Of The Spheres tour was named as the largest-ever rock tour by Billboard Boxscore as it surpassed $1 billion in grosses. Now it’s about to expand even further as Coldplay have announced a show in Ahmedabad, India with that the band are calling their “biggest-ever” concert.

Explore

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The show will take place on Jan. 25, 2025 at the city’s Narendra Modi Stadium, which can host up to 132,000 attendees, and will feature a “mystery guest” to be announced soon. Tickets for the show will go on sale at 12 p.m. IST (India Standard Time) on Saturday (Nov. 16) here. The band previously announced three shows to take place at Mumbai’s D Y Patil Stadium in the same week.

Modi Stadium, which opened in 2020, typically hosts sporting events including cricket, as well as political events; it is named after the country’s Prime Minister, who has held the position since 2014.

Trending on Billboard

It will mark the latest show in Coldplay’s Music Of The Spheres tour which first began in 2022 and is set to run through 2025. The British group recently released their 10th studio album Moon Music, which simultaneously charted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and the U.K’s Official Albums Chart, becoming the first British group to do so since 2016.

In recent weeks the band have been touring through Australia, and their 2024 dates will conclude on Saturday in Auckland, New Zealand. The dates will resume in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 9.

During a show at the Accor Stadium in Sydney over the weekend, the band briefly covered Travis Scott’s “Goosebumps” in their set, which frontman Chris Martin called “his favorite” song by the “Sicko Mode” rapper. Scott responded to the shout-out and cover saying that the band “totally got it”.

Elsewhere, Martin had a mishap in an earlier tour stop in Melbourne when he fell through a hole in the stage, though laughed off the matter.

Next year’s run of shows will include a string of summer dates in North America, and is currently set to conclude with a 10-night stand at London’s Wembley Stadium in August 2025.

13 Nov 2024

Band Aid Announces 40th Anniversary Ultimate Mix of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ Featuring Bono, Harry Styles & More

A new version of Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” has been announced to celebrate the song’s 40th anniversary.

The charity single, first released in 1984, has become a festive staple over the years and the Band Aid Charitable Trust has raised over £140 million ($178 million) for causes such as poverty in Africa. The song was first written and organized by Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure following a BBC report into famine in Ethiopia, and became one of the best-selling singles of all-time in the U.K. and beyond.

Now the “Do They Know It’s Christmas? 2024 Ultimate Mix,” due out on Nov. 25, will combine voices from the four existing versions of the track. The song was re-recorded in 1989, 2004 and 2014 with new contemporary singers. A new music video directed by Oliver Murray — who worked on the visuals for The Beatles’ AI-assisted song “Now and Then” — will be released on the same date; watch the trailer below.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The confirmed vocal takes will include: Sting, Boy George and George Michael from the 1984 version; Bananarama from 1989’s edition; Sugababes, Chris Martin and Robbie Williams from 2004’s re-record; Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith from 2014’s version, among others. U2’s Bono – who has appeared on multiple versions of the single – will appear as a vocalist three times in the new version. 

Trending on Billboard

The Band Aid house band fuses instrumental takes over the years from Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Thom Yorke, Paul Weller, Damon Albarn and more. The song has been produced by Trevor Horn, whose credits include The Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star” and work by Spandau Ballet and the Pet Shop Boys.

Upon release, the single became the fastest-selling U.K. Single of all time, until it was toppled by Elton John’s “Candle In the Wind” in 1997. Every version of the song has hit No.1 on the Official Singles Chart in the U.K., while the song peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The success of the song spawned several events including Live Aid in 1985 which first took place at London’s Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s John F. Kennedy Stadium. The song and music video’s depiction of Africa, however, has drawn criticism over the years with Moky Makura, executive director of non-profit organization Africa No Filter writing in The Guardian that “[Live Aid’s] portrayal of Africa triggered the birth of a patronizing industry whose mission it was to ‘save Africa.’”