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New Kids on the Block announced their first album of new material in 11 years on Tuesday morning (March 5), Still Kids, which will be released through BMG on May 17.
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The 14-track album was previewed via the mid-tempo single “Kids,” which was co-written and co-produced by David Stewart (BTS, Jack Harlow) and Luke Batt (Katie Melua); the song’s video, directed by Marissa Velez, will premiere on YouTube at 1:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday and the live premiere will take place on The Kelly Clarkson Show on Friday (March 8) during an NKOTB episode takeover.
A release announcing the follow-up to the band’s 2013 studio album 10 promises that the eight full-length from Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood is “full of pop anthems, dance tracks, love songs and grooves that will become fast favorites for the Blockheads.”
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The bouncy “Kids” single features a look-back chorus from the long-running boy band — who are all in their early 50s — on which they sing, “And we’re still just kids from a nobody town/ Still just kids that are messing around/ Making the most of the things that we found.”
“It’s the most mature album we’ve ever made,” said the project’s creative director Wahlberg in a statement; the singer co-wrote seven of the tracks on the album with longtime collaborator Lars Halvor Jensen. “Yet it’s the most fun and most comfortable album we’ve ever made… This album, more than any other, is bringing the New Kids and the fans full circle. It’s about hope and possibilities and being ourselves.” The collection has features from DJ Jazzy Jeff on “Get Down” and Taylor Dayne on “Old School Love.”
McIntyre — who co-wrote six of the tracks with songwriter/producer Sean Thomas — added, “It says a lot about any band to make a record that has energy and passion and lightness and fun and depth – after almost 40 years together? It’s crazy.”
Listen to “Kids” below and check out the album tracklist and NKOTB Magic Summer 2024 tour dates.
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Still Kids track list:
“Magic”
“Summer Love”
“Long Time Coming”
“Kids”
“A Love Like This”
“Dance With You”
“Come Back”
“In the Night”
“Runaway”
“Pop”
“Get Down” (feat. DJ Jazzy Jeff)
“Old School Love” (feat. Taylor Dayne)
“Better Days”
“Stay”
Magic Summer 2024 North American tour dates (with DJ Jazzy Jeff and Taylor Dayne):
June 14 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
June 15 — Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
June 18 — Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
June 19 — Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake
June 21 — Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
June 22 — Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
June 23 — Prior Lake, MN @ Mystic Lake Amphitheatre
June 25 — Bonner Springs, KS @ Azura Amphitheater
June 26 — Rogers, AR @ Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
June 28 — Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
June 29 — Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
July 2 — Wheatland, CA @ Toyota Amphitheatre
July 3 — Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 5 — Ivine, CA @ FivePoint Amphitheatre
July 7 — Chula Vista, CA @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 9 — Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
July 10 — Albuqureque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
July 12 — Del Valle, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
July 13 — The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
July 14 — Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
July 16 — Franklin, TN @ FirstBank Amphitheatre
July 19 — Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 20 — West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
July 21 — Jacksonville, FL @ Dailey Amphitheater
July 25 — Charleston, SC @ CreditOne Stadium
July 26 — Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
July 27 — Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
July 28 — Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
August 1 — Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
August 2 — Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
August 3 — Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
August 4 — Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
August 8 — Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Art Center
August 9 — Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
August 10 — Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
August 11 — Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 15 — Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center for the Performing Arts
August 16 — Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 17 — Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
August 22 — Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
August 23 — Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
August 24 — Milwaukee, WI @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater
August 25 — Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
Jack Black teamed up with his longtime bandmate Kyle Gass to record a cover of Britney Spears’ 1998 breakout hit, “…Baby One More Time,” and the star revealed he’s a fan of the pop princess at the premiere for Kung Fu Panda 4 on Sunday (March 3). Explore See latest videos, charts and news See […]
Sabrina Carpenter is feeling light as a feather with a certain Irish actor on her mind. In an adorable video from the 24-year-old singer-actress’ weekend shows opening for Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour in Singapore, she shares a sweet exchange with Barry Keoghan — whom she is rumored to be dating — moments after finishing her […]
Boy George is giving Harry Styles his stamp of approval when it comes to, fittingly, style. The Culture Club sang his praises for the 30-year-old Grammy winner during appearance on Sherri Shepherd’s talk show on Monday (March 4), during which Shepherd honored Boy George for inspiring people to be “free” in their sense of fashion, […]
After nearly 20 years, two all-female groups are in the top 10 at the same time on the Billboard 200 albums chart, as the latest releases from TWICE and LE SSERAFIM debut at Nos. 1 and 8, respectively, on the chart dated March 9. TWICE achieves its first No. 1 with the chart-topping debut of With YOU-th, while LE SSERAFIM lands its second top 10 effort with the arrival of Easy.
The last time that at least two all-female groups were in the top 10 concurrently was on the Aug. 5, 2006-dated chart, when The Chicks were at No. 9 with Taking the Long Way, while The Pussycat Dolls were No. 10 with PCD.
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Notably, as both TWICE and LE SSERAFIM are South Korean ensembles, this week marks the first time at least two all-female Korean pop (K-pop) groups are in the top 10 together.
With YOU-th is the third No. 1 on the Billboard 200 by an all-female group in less than three years. NewJeans was the last all-female group on top with 2nd EP ‘Get Up’ (Aug. 5, 2023, chart) and they were preceded by BLACKPINK with Born Pink (Oct. 1, 2022). All three acts are Korean pop groups, their respective albums were their first No. 1s, and all debuted atop the tally. Before BLACKPINK, the last all-female group to lead the chart was American act Danity Kane, with its second album, Welcome to the Dollhouse, which bowed at No. 1 on the April 5, 2008, chart.
The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week in the U.S. based on multi-metric consumption as measured in equivalent album units, compiled by Luminate. Units comprise album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA). Each unit equals one album sale, or 10 individual tracks sold from an album, or 3,750 ad-supported or 1,250 paid/subscription on-demand official audio and video streams generated by songs from an album. The new March 9-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on March 5. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram.
Taylor Swift linked up with one of her most famous fans at her Sunday (March 3) concert in Singapore — BLACKPINK‘s Lisa, the second member of the girl group to make it out to see the Eras Tour. The 26-year-old K-pop star shared photos from Singapore National Stadium on Instagram, showing off her many friendship […]
With a title like All Born Screaming, you’d be forgiven for assuming St. Vincent’s upcoming new album might be a dark affair. But according to the artist, one song in particular pays loving tribute to a late icon. Speaking to The Guardian in an interview published on Saturday (March 2), the singer — otherwise known […]
TOMORROW X TOGETHER is looking to the future. The K-pop quintet announced Sunday (March 3) that its sixth mini album, minisode 3: TOMORROW, is coming up fast on the horizon, marking the band’s first release of 2024. Bandmates Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun and HueningKai broke the news to fans on the second day of their […]
Since PinkPantheress started uploading her music to TikTok three years ago, her songs have gone from locked away on her hard drive to the Billboard charts — but the singer, songwriter and producer’s recording essentials remain the same: microphone, GarageBand-outfitted laptop and a killer ear for finding niche samples primed for her to mold into the next dance-pop earworm.
The 22-year-old from Bath, England, may have started enlisting fellow producers to help polish her work, as on her recent album Heaven Knows, but make no mistake: From her early viral single “Pain” to her 2023 hit “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2” with Ice Spice, PinkPantheress has been the creative mastermind. In fact, the self-described perfectionist — whose team lovingly refers to her as “Pink” in lieu of divulging her real name — admits that she often finds herself seizing control of her studio sessions with collaborators.
“As soon as I’m at a point where I can’t do anything else, that’s where I go, ‘OK, now can you do the rest?’ ” she says of her process, laughing. “It ends up being a collaborative thing. I just like to get what I can do out of the way first.” When she comes across another artist’s track that she can’t stop obsessing over, that usually means it’s about to become the skeleton of her next project. “I’m just like, ‘I need to somehow make this my song,’ ” she says.
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She can recall only one time that she had to ax a track because she couldn’t get a sample — the original producer’s royalties demands were simply too high. But Billboard’s 2024 Women in Music Producer of the Year knew that what she brought to the table on her own was valuable — something that might inspire young girls who also want to make music — so she walked away.
“For whatever reason, I’ve always felt strongly about that,” she says of her sense of self-worth. “Obviously, it’s a good thing.”
Billboard’s last Producer of the Year honoree, Rosalía, gave you a shoutout during her Women in Music interview. Which female producers inspire you?
That’s really sweet. I didn’t know she knew who I was. Since she’s a [female] producer as well, it’s really cool. There’s obviously not many of us. I’m always going to say WondaGurl, just because she’s who I looked up to when I was starting. Obviously, Imogen Heap, but these are all veterans. I need to tap into more up-and-coming ones.
Sampling has been your bread and butter from the start. How has your process changed over time?
At the beginning, I wasn’t really adding anything to my samples. I was basically just singing over instrumentals. I didn’t mind sampling, but I didn’t like how people… I think people thought it was lazy, and part of me understood what they meant. I’m chopping them, speeding them up or slowing them down way more. I’m adding more instrumentation so it’s more hidden, whereas before it would kind of just be the actual track itself.
Lia Clay Miller
You’ve said before that some of your songs are “crap.” Do you really think that?
I’m one of those people who, in my whole life, nothing is ever good enough. For better or worse, this is just how I am. I’ll put out a song and think at the time, “This is 100% amazing.” It’s only when I’ve put it out that I doubt myself. Does that mean I think the song’s actually bad? No. Because at the end of the day, I know it’s still a bop.
What advice do you have for other female producers trying to hold their own in the industry?
It’s the vibe you go in with that people judge to see if they can get away with stuff. If you know what you want to make as soon as you step into the room, there should be nothing stopping you from actually doing it. What I’m saying is, if there’s a MIDI keyboard there, ask to use the MIDI keyboard. If [other producers] say no, then that’s wild and definitely leave. But chances are, they’ll say yes.
This story originally appeared in the March 2, 2024, issue of Billboard.
One week after releasing the sparkling, disco-tinged pop single “Love On,” Selena Gomez has watched the song’s optimism spread across her fan base, and has enjoyed witnessing a positive personal moment translate to her listeners via a new single.
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“It’s been lovely,” Gomez tells Billboard about seeing the general reaction to “Love On” following its Feb. 22 release. “I try not to read too much into things, but I think the whole idea was to make a song that felt good. I feel like I’m in such a light and happy place, and that’s reflected in the song.”
Among the admirers: a certain Oscar-winning actress that Gomez ran into at the SAG Awards last month. “It was really sweet — Reese Witherspoon came up to me and said the song made her really happy and she loved it,” Gomez recalls. “It was a huge compliment, I was glowing. Those messages mean the world to me.”
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“Love On” came together last spring, when Gomez was “in and out of the studio” in April while shooting a film in Paris. Feeling inspired by the City of Light, as well as content within her personal and professional life, Gomez called up longtime songwriting collaborator Julia Michaels and came up with a lyrical concept at once airy and flirtatious.
The standout lyric: “Why we conversin’ over this steak tartare?/ When we could be somewhere other than here/ Makin’ out in the back of a car/ Or in the back of a bar?” Yes, Gomez has seen the flood of TikTok clips dedicated to the “steak tartare” line, and says, “It brings me a lot of joy.”
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The music video for “Love On” captures the song’s romantic effervescence, with French director Greg Ohrel surrounding Gomez with opulent parties, ballet dancers and couples sucking face. “It’s so liberating to not worry about how I look,” Gomez says of filming the video, “and I just wanted it to feel like I was having a good time. I didn’t need it to feel very intense or dramatic. It was just a blast, and I wanted it to convey that — I was genuinely that happy.”
Gomez says that she “definitely” has more material with the “Love On” creative brain trust of Michaels, who has helped pen some of her biggest pop hits, and production/songwriting collective The Monsters & Strangerz, which has worked with Gomez dating back to her Stars Dance album in 2013.
“I feel like I have moments where I hit these strides, and we’re just writing song after song, just in the zone, and I tend to do that when I’m with that dynamic group,” she says. “With Julia and I — for some reason the universe has put us in each other’s lives, because we go through so many similar things in our lives. It just feels so nice to have someone who knows me, knows my voice really well. That’s kind of what I feel like the goal is when I work with that gang — I’m always like, ‘How can I make another song that feels kitschy and fun?’”
However, “Love On,” as well as 2023 track “Single Soon,” may not make the track list to her next album, which will follow her excellent 2020 full-length Rare. Similar to how Gomez preceded Rare with a string of singles (including “Bad Liar,” “It Ain’t Me” with Kygo and “Wolves” with Marshmello) that didn’t make the proper album’s track list — they were later included on the Deluxe edition — Gomez says that these recent singles might just exist on their own.
“I think objectively, I would like to say that I am working towards an album, but I don’t know if those songs would be on that project,” she says. “I feel like I’m brewing, and I’m in the process of really creating some great songs, hopefully. I don’t know if they would fit with what I’m gonna go with.”
However the track list shakes out, Gomez simply wants “to make a great album” in 2024, in addition to continuing her film work. She recently returned to the Only Murders in the Building set, as filming on season 4 of the hit Hulu series has gotten underway.
“I want to continue working towards my goals,” she says. “In the acting field, I feel like I haven’t even started. And with music, it’s always evolving. It’s such a therapeutic experience for me.”