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Hozier is taking a brief break from the road to rest and recuperate. The “Too Sweet” singer informed fans on Monday (August 26) that he’s been forced to postpone tonight’s (August 27) planned show in Billings, MT at the First Interstate Arena and Wednesday’s (August 28) gig at Casper, WY’s Ford Wyoming Center due to […]
It was the rumor that everyone wanted to believe but nobody could confirm: the final night of the Democratic National Convention was going to feature a very special appearance by Beyoncé. The fantasy was that the singer was going to shock the world and cap the coronation of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat party’s 2024 presidential nominee by performing her Harris campaign theme song, “Freedom” in Chicago’s United Center as the balloons and confetti rained down on Harris and her VP pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Only it wasn’t true and never was. It was, however, such a compelling manifestation that even some of the event’s staff were convinced it was happening.
“We never put out anything about Beyoncé. We denied it every time the media asked us — even though, by the way, people on my staff didn’t believe me,” DNC executive producer Ricky Kirshner told The Hollywood Reporter. “I kept getting texts from news organizations saying, ‘When is Beyoncé coming out?’ But come on, we have the biggest star, the Democratic nominee for president. Why would we overshadow that?”
It’s a fair point. Plus, Kirshner, an Emmy-winning veteran of 14 Super Bowl halftime shows and a raft of other live events, who worked with Emmy-winning director Glenn Weiss (Tony Awards, Kennedy Center Honors) to design the four-night spectacle, said they already had a huge task ahead of them after Harris swapped in just four weeks before the event following President Joe Biden’s exit from the race. Coming off a muted 2020 convention that was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Weiss said they were looking for a “big-energy experience,” after throwing out the original script and pivoting to focus the event around Harris.
Weiss said the Beyoncé rumor — which kicked into high gear by the anonymous @Angry_Staffer X account writing, “If you thought the Oprah surprise was big, just wait” — was a perfect example of an internet whisper taking on a life of its own. “And people taking something as fact — literally to the point that people in my booth are saying, ‘Is she coming? You can tell me.’ And I would say, ‘I have no knowledge she’s coming.’ And they would say, ‘No knowledge? So there’s something to know?,’” he said. “It was pretty crazy. But she wasn’t coming. In the end even TMZ [which first reported it] had to issue an apology.”
The rumors spun up so quickly and fervently that a spokesperson for the singer stressed to THR on the day of Harris’ convention-ending acceptance speech on August 22 that “Beyoncé was never scheduled to be there… The report of a performance is untrue.”
While Queen Bey was not in the house, her presence was definitely felt, including on night one when a moving a cappella video cued to her Lemonade track “Freedom,” with narration from Oscar-nominee Jeffrey Wright, was played to help kick-off the proceedings. After Harris unexpectedly jumped into the race last month, the campaign rolled out “Freedom” during the veep’s walk-out at her inaugural visit to campaign headquarters. A full-band album version of the song was also featured in an early campaign video.
Unlike Trump, who has been sued, issued cease & desist orders and strongly-worded requests from artists who don’t agree with his divisive, name-calling rhetoric and who want him to stop using their music during his campaign stops, Beyoncé gave the Harris campaign full approval to use “Freedom.”
In another nod to how important music was to the DNC, Kirshner said that the instantly viral Georgia roll call moment with Lil Jon performing “Turn Down For What!” in the room even took producers by surprise. “It took on a life of its own,” Kirshner said of the high point of the innovative, music-heavy recitation of the delegate count, which had a much more traditional, staid roll-out at the RNC weeks before. “We were just trying to energize the room and we woke up the next morning and it was like, ‘holy crap!’ We actually asked a couple of people from other states if they might want to do something and they didn’t get into it. But Lil Jon just really leaned in.”
Benson Boone and RAYE have been added to the already star-studded line-up for the 2024 Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park. The pair join a previously announced roster of acts that includes Post Malone, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll and Rauw Alejandro.
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“Ending extreme poverty is a responsibility we all share,” said Boone in a statement. “I’m grateful to be involved in Global Citizen’s mission by helping those who are living in extreme poverty. I hope we can all come together to take action and make a real difference in the world.”
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The festival hosted by Global Citizen Ambassador Hugh Jackman will also feature special appearances by primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall and Coldplay singer Chris Martin. As part of its portfolio of environmental sustainability efforts, this year’s even will also become one of the first major U.S. festivals to be powered entirely by hybrid energy.
According to a release, the Central Park stage will be powered by the same kind of SmartGrid battery system used to power Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres world tour, including all audio, lighting, video and stage production. Working with Showpower Global B.V. and CES Power, Global Citizen Fest will become one of the first major U.S. festivals to move away from using diesel generators in order to reduce the event’s carbon emissions.
Among the confirmed presenters scheduled to take the stage on Central Parks’ Great Lawn on Sept. 28 are: Antoni Porowski, Bill Nye, Bridget Moynahan, Charlamagne Tha God, Danai Gurira, Eric Adjepong, Gavin DeGraw, Jordan Fisher, Kal Penn, Liza Koshy, Doctor Mike Varshavski, Nomzamo Mbatha, Osi Umenyiora, Rachel Brosnahan, Rhett & Link, Sophia Bush and Vladimir Duthiers.
The group leading the international push to end extreme poverty is once again offering fans free tickets, which can be earned by taking action on the Global Citizen app or on the organization’s site here in an effort to defeat poverty, defend the planet and demand equity.
“Global Citizen Festival has always been about using the power of music and activism to drive real, tangible change. This year, we’re taking bold steps to protect our planet, from powering our stage with clean energy to advocating for Indigenous-led projects that preserve the Amazon and calling for a global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty,” added Global Citizen co-founder Michael Sheldrick in a statement. “These efforts are about ensuring that the transition to a sustainable future leaves no one behind – whether it’s communities in the Global South or right here in New York. We’re calling on world leaders, businesses, and citizens alike to join us in mobilizing action towards a just transition to clean energy and a safer planet for all.”
Global Citizen will also mark the start of Climate Week with a beach clean-up on Sept. 21 in partnership with the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy. Fans can also earn free tickets the the festival by removing trash and marine debris from the shores of Jamaica Bay and documenting the year’s “Dirty Dozen” most commonly found trash items; click here to register and for more information.
Official Global Citizen 2024 merch is available now, with responsibly sourced items made in collaboration with Doja Cat, Alejandro, Aviator Nation and more; click here to see the items.
Among the calls to action for this year’s event is one asking the G7 nations — Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the U.K. and the U.S. — to increase support for anti-poverty programs worldwide, as well as one calling for businesses, governments and philanthropic organizations to protect and restore the Amazon rainforest by investing $1 billion to help support indigenous communities and pledge to set timelines for phasing out coal, oil and gas to ensure a transition to green energy. The third action point is Global Citizen’s plea for world governments to commit at least $5 billion to equitable access to nutritious food, stronger health systems and quality education around the world.
Sabrina Carpenter is having an incredible year, everywhere. In the U.K., the popstar is aiming to claim her third No. 1 single with “Taste,” the latest release from her album Short n’ Sweet.
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If “Taste” climbs to No. 1 on the Official U.K. Singles Chart, it will be the third consecutive chart-topping single from Short n’ Sweet, joining “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” which together dominated the charts for 12 weeks earlier this year.
The leader on the midweek chart, “Taste” is a polished pop track that sees Carpenter addressing an ex-boyfriend and his new partner with unapologetic confidence, delivering lines like: “You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you.” With this single, Carpenter effortlessly evolves her sound, bringing a bold edge to the pop style that has defined her success.
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Adding to the song’s impact is its music video, which dropped on the same day as the album’s release, Aug. 23.
Directed by Dave Meyers, the video is a wild tribute to classic horror flicks, particularly Death Becomes Her, and it stars none other than Jenna Ortega, known best for her titular role on the Netflix series Wednesday.
The video is a bloody adventure, as Carpenter and Ortega’s characters go head-to-head in a gory, over-the-top showdown that ends with a surprising twist: the two becoming friends after their shared love interest meets a gruesome end.
And it’s not just “Taste” making major moves across the pond—two other tracks from Short n’ Sweet are also climbing chart. “Please Please Please” is currently sitting at No. 5, and the disco-infused “Good Graces” is on track to break into the Top 10 at No. 10.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars are also aiming to hit a new peak with their track “Die With A Smile,” which is climbing to No. 6 in the midweek charts.
Meanwhile, Sonny Fodera, Jazzy, and D.O.D are inching closer to a Top 10 breakthrough with their collaborative single “Somedays,” projected to rise to No. 11. Teddy Swims is also on the rise, with his slow-burning hit “The Door” expected to enter the U.K. Top 20 for the first time at No. 18 this Friday
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Paramore is celebrating their Eras tour trek with Taylor Swift. The band took to their Instagram page on Monday (Aug. 26) to share appreciation for Swift, posting a photo in which frontwoman Hayley Williams and the band smile alongside the pop star, who is giving a thumbs up to the camera. “Thank you for asking […]
Charli XCX accidentally on purpose drew herself into the current heated American presidential race with what she thought was an innocuous tribute to Vice President Kamala Harris’ ineffable, no f’s given qualities. And while her “Kamala IS Brat” tweet last month helped boost the enthusiasm about what was then the very-new White House campaign by the current VP-turned-Democratic-candidate, Charli told Vulture that the tweet fired off while hanging around her pool in L.A. was meant to be something “positive and lighthearted” rather than a strict political endorsement.
Just days after Harris announced her intention to run for the Democratic nomination following President Joe Biden’s historic decision to give up his second run for the nation’s top job, Charli made noise by announcing “Kamala IS brat.”
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The reference was to the title of XCX’s new album and a messy-on-purpose lifestyle Charli has described as someone who can be high lux at times, or who has a “pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra” at others. Very aware of what she was doing and how it might land, Charli watched as the Harris campaign immediately seized on what seemed like a cool girl nod to their insurgent effort, by instantly rebranding the Kamala HQ‘s X page with the same font and lime green logo style as the singer’s album title.
“To be on the right side of democracy, the right side of women’s rights, is hugely important to me,” said Charlie, who as a British citizen cannot vote in the U.S. election, but whose tweet became a cringe-worthy talking point on cable and broadcast news programs where confused anchors tried to figure out what the kids were talking about.
“I’m happy to help prevent democracy form failing forever,” she added, appearing to nod to the existential threat to the American political system that President Biden and Harris have said former President and third-time White House aspirant Donald Trump represents. “I obviously knew what I was doing.”
That said, she had no inkling the tweet would be seem more than 55 million times and turned into its own meta meme. “Did I think me talking about being a mess b–ch and, like partying and needing a Bic lighter and a pack of Marlboro Lights would end up on CNN? No,” she said, noting that she is not, and has never aspired to be, “a political artist… I’m not Bob Dylan and I’ve never pretended to be… My music is not political. Everything I do in my life feeds back into my art. Everything I say, wear, think, enjoy — it all funnels back into my art. Politics doesn’t feed my art.”
In the same interview, Charli revealed that she is already working on another “full-length other project” that will definitely be “in the bratosphere, so to speak.” At press time no additional information was available on that project.
Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” nests atop both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts for a third week. Two weeks earlier, the song became her first leader on each list.
Plus, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars bound in at No. 2 on each tally with “Die With a Smile” and LISA’s “New Woman,” featuring Rosalía, debuts at No. 6 on Global Excl. U.S.
The Global 200 and Global Excl. U.S. charts, which began in September 2020, 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 United States.
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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.
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Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” holds atop the Global 200 with 86.4 million streams (up 1%) and 10,000 sold (down 35%) worldwide Aug. 16-22. (A week earlier, its sales were boosted after she performed the song at the 2024 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremony on Aug. 11.)
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Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” soars onto the Global 200 at No. 2 with 75.1 million streams and 31,000 sold worldwide following its release Aug. 16. The former adds his third top 10 since the chart began, while the latter lands her first.
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” slips 2-3 on the Global 200, following three nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in June; Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen, jumps 12-4, following a week at No. 1 upon its debut in May — as parent album F-1 Trillion debuts at No. 1 on the U.S.-based Billboard 200; and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” tumbles to No. 5 from its No. 3 high.
“Birds of a Feather” concurrently leads Global Excl. U.S. with 64.1 million streams (up 2%) and 5,000 sold (down 30%) outside the U.S. Aug. 16-22.
“Die With a Smile” starts at No. 2 on Global Excl. U.S. with 48.2 million streams and 13,000 sold outside the U.S. It’s Bruno Mars’ second top 10 and Lady Gaga’s first on the chart.
Karol G’s “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido” retreats to No. 3 from its No. 2 Global Excl. U.S. best; Carpenter’s “Espresso” falls 3-4, following eight nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 beginning in May; and Jimin’s “Who” backtracks 4-5 after logging two weeks at No. 1 earlier in August.
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Plus, LISA’s “New Woman,” featuring Rosalía, launches at No. 6 on Global Excl. U.S. with 54.5 million streams and 10,000 sold outside the U.S. Aug. 16-22, following its Aug. 15 release. LISA earns her fourth top 10 on the chart – the most among BLACKPINK members; Jennie boasts three, and Jisoo and Rosé have one each. Meanwhile, LISA matches the four top 10s that BLACKPINK has achieved as a group. Rosalía adds her fifth top 10 on the chart.
The Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts (dated Aug. 31, 2024) will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Aug. 27. 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 X, formerly known as 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.
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” adds a seventh nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single, which became the singer-songwriter’s first leader on the list in July, claims outright 2024’s longest reign, surpassing the six nonconsecutive weeks on top for Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help” featuring Morgan Wallen. The latter, […]
Coldplay closed out their four-night run at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium on Sunday (August 15) with yet another tribute to Taylor Swift. Performing in the same venue that Swift had to abandon earlier this month after local police uncovered an alleged terror plot to attack Swifites, Coldplay singer Chris Martin and opening act Maggie Rogers paid homage to Swift with a meditative song from the singer’s 2020 pandemic album Folklore.
Again posted up on the smaller satellite b-stage in the midst of the audience on the stadium floor, Martin played piano on the “beautiful song” co-written by Swift and producer Aaron Dessner. “I’m doing good, I’m on some new s–t/ Been saying yes instead of no/ I think I saw you at the bus stop, I didn’t though,” Martin sang in a fan video of the performance.
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The 65,000-plus fans were remarkably hushed during the quiet, keyboard-and-voice cover, with Rogers coming in to sing the refrain, “I guess you never know, never know/ And if you wanted me, you really should’ve showed,” before the two singers joined voices for the wistful chorus, “But it would’ve been fun/ If you would’ve been the one.” As usual, Martin brought a pair of fans up on stage for the tribute, one of whom was rocking a Coldplay concert tee along with a colorful sign that read: “Dear Chris, Swifties Will Remember You. Thank you!”
The thanks came after Coldplay opened their run last Wednesday with a cover of Swift’s “Love Story,” and then performed “Shake It Off” twice, once with the band on Thursday and a second time with two fans on Saturday.
Swift wrapped up her five-show run at London’s Wembley Stadium last week, bringing a close to the European leg of her Eras Tour. The triumphant final run came after officials in Vienna said they’d arrested three suspects in the alleged plot to attack the stadium during what was planned to be a three-show run by Swift in an effort to “kill as many people as possible.”
The main 19-year-old suspect, reportedly radicalized online, had allegedly pledged fealty to the Islamic State, while a another suspect, an 18-year-old man, had also allegedly pledged allegiance to the terror group ISIS. A 17-year-old young man who has been detained was reportedly hired by a company providing services to the venue for the shows just a week prior. None of the men have been formally charged yet.
Watch video of Martin and Rogers performing “The 1” below.
With just a few weeks left to go, Taylor Swift has officially joined in on Brat summer. While speaking to Vulture for a profile on Charli XCX, the 34-year-old pop superstar sang her former Reputation tourmate’s praises, complimenting everything from her songwriting to the success she’s seen this year with her sixth studio album.
“I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011,” Swift told the publication. “Her writing is surreal and inventive, always. She just takes a song to places you wouldn’t expect it to go, and she’s been doing it consistently for over a decade.”
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The 14-time Grammy winner added, “I love to see hard work like that pay off.”
Swift’s remarks come amid rumors of tension between her and the “Boom Clap” singer, fueled by the latter’s Brat song “Sympathy Is a Knife,” which some fans believe is about the former. “This one girl taps my insecurities,” Charli sings on the track before seemingly referencing Swift’s romance last year with The 1975’s Matty Healy: “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show.”
Charli — who is engaged to the 1975’s George Daniel — touched on the song’s alleged pot stirring in her Vulture interview. “People are gonna think what they want to think,” she said. “That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I don’t want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt.”
When asked whether she considered omitting the line about being backstage at Daniel’s show to make the song’s subject less “obvious,” she simply said “No.” “You do the silence game,” she then told the reporter. “But I know that well — where you go silent and want me to talk more. But I don’t care about it being awkward. We’ll sit in silence.”
Aside from “Sympathy Is a Knife,” Charli XCX and Swift’s efforts to dominate the Billboard 200 with their respective albums — Brat and The Tortured Poets Department, which has spent a total of 15 weeks at No. 1 so far — has also caused fans to speculate that there might be beef between the two singers. In June, the “Von Dutch” artist called out concertgoers who began chanting “Taylor is dead” at Charli’s shows, writing on Instagram Stories, “can the people who do this please stop … it is the opposite of what i want and it disturbs me that anyone would think there is room for this in this community.”
Before that, though, Swift championed Charli by inviting her to perform as a special guest on the 1989 Tour in 2015. Three years later, the “Anti-Hero” musician asked the 32-year-old Brit to open for her on the Reputation Stadium Tour alongside Camila Cabello.
In a 2019 interview, Charli was quoted as saying the Rep trek felt like “getting up on stage and waving to 5-year-olds,” shortly after which she clarified that she meant no shade. “I am extremely grateful to Taylor for inviting me to open for her,” she wrote at the time. “She’s one of the biggest artists of my generation and the reputation tour was one of the biggest tours in history.”