Pop

13 Feb 2024

New Beyoncé! First ‘Wicked’ Trailer! Usher’s Halftime! Super Bowl 2024 Delivers Epic Music Moments

When Usher was announced as the headliner back in September, we all knew the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show was going to be epic. What we couldn’t have possibly predicted is all the other epic music moments to go down on Sunday.

From Beyoncé starring in a Verizon Super Bowl commercial and then surprise-dropping two new songs from her seemingly country-themed “Act II” album coming in March to Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo starring in the first trailer for part 1 of the Wicked movie musical out in December, Usher wasn’t the only musician to take advantage of the NFL game’s record ratings.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we talk all about Sunday’s biggest music moments — including Katie being inside the game to shadow Kaskade as the first-ever Super Bowl DJ. Listen below:

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Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how the late Toby Keith hits No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 35 Biggest Hits, how 44 albums on the chart gain in the wake of exposure on the Grammy Awards, and how the Grammys send a number of songs racing up the Billboard Hot 100 chart — and back onto the chart, including Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.”

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)

13 Feb 2024

Watch Travis Kelce Thank Taylor Swift for ‘Making it Halfway Across the World’ to 2024 Super Bowl

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce‘s already iconic post-Super Bowl kiss has been analyzed from all angles — but now, thanks to the NFL, fans are getting to hear exactly what the couple said to each other minutes after the Kansas City Chiefs triumphed over the San Francsico 49ers Sunday (Feb. 11).

In an emotional TikTok posted Tuesday (Feb. 13) by the NFL, a mic’d up Kelce wraps Swift in a hug and tells her, “Thank you for coming, baby.”

“Thank you for the support,” he continues, before acknowledging the 12-hour flight his superstar girlfriend had to take in order to make it there from her Eras Tour show in Tokyo the day prior. “Thank you for making it halfway across the world. You’re the best, baby. The absolute best.”

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The “Anti-Hero” singer joined Kelce down on the field shortly after the tight end helped lead the Chiefs to a 25-22 victory — the team’s second Super Bowl win in a row — at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. Previous clips from the moment revealed that Swift had gushed to the Ohio native, “I can’t believe you. How did you do that?”

After the game, which Swift watched from a private suite with Ice Spice, Blake Lively, Lana Del Rey and more, the couple attended a high-energy afterparty in Sin City and adorably danced along to remixes of some of the pop star’s songs. Later, Swift shared a hilarious TikTok explaining that she thought the rager was going to be a “family party,” so she brought her parents with her to the club where it was located on accident.

Listen to Kelce thank Swift for her support at the Super Bowl below.

13 Feb 2024

Here’s Why Fans Think Beyoncé & Lady Gaga Have a ‘Telephone’ Sequel on the Way

Are Beyoncé and Lady Gaga reuniting? Fans seem to think so.

During the Super Bowl festivities on Sunday (Feb. 11), Beyoncé formally ended long-rumored speculation about the second act of her Renaissance trilogy by posting a teaser labeled “act ii” on Instagram, adding the project’s release date: March 29. She also released two songs, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.”

In the teaser, Bey is seen driving a taxi through a barren landscape. Fans seems to have connected the taxi and the landscape to the music video for Beyoncé and Gaga’s 2010 collaboration, “Telephone,” in which Bey bails Gaga out of prison and the duo drive around in a red-and-yellow truck called the “p—- wagon.” The music video ends with the words “To Be Continued,” even though that never ended up happening.

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Fans think that the story is continuing now, 15 years later, connecting the taxi in Bey’s teaser to the music video. Bey and Gaga have yet to confirm any future collaboration, so the theories are just speculation at this point.

The still-untitled Act II is the follow-up to Renaissance. That album, Beyoncé’s seventh solo studio effort, debut atop the Billboard 200, spawned a pair of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits — “Break My Soul” (No. 1) and “Cuff It” (No. 6) — and soundtracked the historic Renaissance World Tour, which grossed over $579 million.

Between the references to her home state of Texas and the country sound of the new music snippet, it looks like fans were onto something with their theory that Beyoncé’s next LP will find her delving into country music.

13 Feb 2024

Justin Bieber Congratulates Usher on 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show: ‘No One Can Sing and Dance the Way You Do’

Justin Bieber sent a heartfelt congrats to his longtime pal and early supporter Usher after the singer brought down the house during his electrifying Super Bowl LVIII halftime show on Sunday. The all-caps Instagram post featured an iconic image of Usher in his blue and black glittery stage attire at the end of the performance with the message, “LOVE YOU MY BROTHER. NOONE CAN SING AND DANCE THE WAY YOU DO. LOVE YOU FROM THE DEPTHS OF MY HEART.”

Bieber also praised the Atlanta singer for staying true to his roots. “BROUGHT THE “A” TO THE WORLD, ONLY YOU BABYYYYYY ?”

Bieber wasn’t the only one who was blown away by Usher’s set, which included guest spots from Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Will.i.am, Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon and Ludacris. Chrissy Teigen was also super into the glitzy throwdown at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium in the middle of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, which ended as overtime ended with KC’s third championship in five years.

“I always love halftime. I never ever hate on halftime,” Teigen captioned an Instagram post in which she shared a series of video of her dancing to the medley of Ush’s hits, including a cute one in which she grooved along with her eight-month-old son, Wren Alexander. “It’s such a big deal and the pressure is so insane, the timing is so bananas. It’s all just so much and I’m so proud of anyone who does this show. But man, when you know all the songs.”

See Bieber’s note below.

13 Feb 2024

Taylor Swift Accidentally Partied With Her Parents After Chiefs’ Super Bowl Win, And She Liked It

Forget all the pre-game fretting about whether Taylor Swift would be able to jet across the ocean from her Eras Tour shows in Japan to make it to Las Vegas in time for Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII. The real headline from the Kansas City Chiefs’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers was that Taylor and boyfriend K.C. tight end Travis Kelce hit the club afterwards… with her folks.

In a TikTok video featuring Ludacris’ raunchy 1999 hit “What’s Your Fantasy” blasting in the background at the Zouk nightclub, Swift captured the always excitable Kelce sticking out his tongue and turning up. The on-screen caption revealed, however, that it was definitely a family affair. “It’s a friends and family party they said,” it read. “Bring your parents they said,” it added, as the camera swung around to Tay’s mom and dad, Andrea and Scott, sitting on a couch as her pops tipped up a cold one and the singer pointed the camera at herself as she comically winced.

The video’s caption said it all: “accidentally going clubbing with your parents is something everyone should try at least once in their life.”

It wasn’t all totally awkward mom and dad time, though. Swift and Kelce also danced and sang along to two of her own hits, “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” at an afterparty, with Taylor smiling and wrapping her arms around the three-time Super Bowl champ’s neck and kissing him while mouthing the lyrics “it’s a love story, baby just say yes.”

The party followed the Chiefs’ second Super Bowl victory in a row, in which they bested the Niners 25-22 at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. Swift, of course, attended the game with her usual star-studded group of friends – Blake Lively, Ice Spice, Lana Del Rey and Miles Teller, among others – and joined Kelce on the field immediately after KC earned their third Lombardi Trophy in the past five years. There, she watched No. 87 make an emotional speech, and scream “Viva Las Vegas” before kissing him in front of NFL cameras. 

Check out Swift’s video below.

13 Feb 2024

BLACKPINK’s Lisa Joins All-Star Season 3 Cast of ‘White Lotus’

The all-star cast of season 3 of The White Lotus has added some musical heft in the form of BLACKPINK‘s Lisa. According to Variety, the K-pop star will be credited on the show under her real name, Lalisa Manobal, when production is slated to begin this month in and around Koh Samui, Phuket and Bangkok, Thailand.

At press time a spokesperson for BLACKPINK did not return Billboard‘s request for confirmation on the casting and HBO has not officially confirmed the addition to the show’s ensemble or any production details; a spokesperson for HBO had also not returned a request for comment at press time.

As with the previous two seasons, the upcoming White Lotus series is expected to follow a new group of guests staying at a resort property, with another wide-ranging cast that will include: Leslie Bibb, Dom Hetrakul, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Parker Posey, Tayme Thapthimthong, Christian Friedel, Julian Kostov, Morgana O’Reilly, Lek Patravadi, Shalini Peiris, Carrie Coon, Scott Glenn, Francesca Corney, Nicholas Duvernay, Arnas Fedaravičius, Natasha Rothwell, Walton Goggins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Aimee Lou Wood, Sarah Catherine Hook, and Sam Nivola.

The White Lotus booking represents Lisa’s first official acting gig, following on the heels of bandmate Jennie — credited as Jennie Ruby Jane — stealing scenes in her acting debut on the critically panned HBO music drama from The Weeknd, The Idol, last summer.

Back in December, the members of BLACKPINK, Jennie, Jisoo and Rosé, split with YG Entertainment for all solo endeavors, while signing an extension of their contract with the management group for their group activities. In September, Lisa’s solo single “Money” broke a Guinness World Record after it hit 1 billion Spotify streams, making it the first K-pop solo track to hit that peak.

13 Feb 2024

Katy Perry Is Leaving ‘American Idol,’ Hints at New Music

Katy Perry is ready to close the door on American Idol, and open another chapter in her music career.

Idol will premiere on ABC this Sunday (Feb. 18), marking the TV talent show’s 22nd overall season. It’ll be Perry’s seventh and final season as a judge.

Perry broke the news when she stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday night (Feb. 12). “I love the show so much,” she tells the host, “but I want to go see the world and maybe bring new music.”

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The “Firework” singer has been a judge on alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan since it was revived by ABC in 2018.

“I think this will probably be my last show, my last season for Idol,” she continues. “I love Idol so much. It’s connected me with the heart of America, but I feel like I need to go out and feel that pulse to my own beat.”

Perry is buzzed about visiting Brazil this September to perform at the Rock In Rio festival. “It’s really exciting. It’s a big deal,” she says of her spot on the bill.

By leaving her regular gig on Idol, “let’s just say I’m creating space for my new wingspan.”

Perry can spread those wings far and wide. Last year, Litmus Music, a catalog rights company backed by private-equity giant Carlyle Group LP, said it acquired the rights in five studio albums released for Capitol Records, including her Grammy-nominated Teenage Dream.

Sources told Billboard that Litmus paid $225 million for Perry’s stake in the master recording royalties and music publishing rights to her five albums released between 2008 and 2020 — One of the Boys, Teenage Dream, PRISM, Witness and Smile.

Perry remains the first woman and only second artist ever (after Michael Jackson) to send five songs from the same album to the summit of the Hot 100, which she did with 2010’s Teenage Dream (“California Gurls,” “Firework,” “E.T.,” “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” and “Teenage Dream”).

2020’s Smile peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart, and is Perry’s last full-length studio album.

During her late-night TV stint, Perry also discusses Usher’s Super Bowl performance (“he was awesome”), singing at King Charles’ Coronation, and lodging at Windsor Castle (her mother tagged along. “That’s like the best gift you could ever give your mom”).

Watch the full interview below.

12 Feb 2024

Rod Stewart Says Ed Sheeran’s Music Won’t Stand the Test of Time

Turns out, Rod Stewart is not an Ed Sheeran fan.

In a new interview with The Times, the 79-year-old star revealed which young artists he believed would stand the test of time. “You mean like ‘Maggie May’? Songs that will be played in 50 years?” Stewart asked, before continuing, “I like whatshisname. Oh f—ing great, Rod. Well done. He’s British, really talented and his songs will be around.”

When the interviewer suggested that Sheeran is the person whose name he forgot, Stewart denied. “No, not Ed, I don’t know any of his songs, old ginger bollocks.“

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Ultimately, Stewart was thinking of “Barcelona” singer George Ezra. “Yes! I think he writes really tremendous songs,” he said of Ezra. “He’ll be around for quite a while.”

Last year, Sheeran released his latest album Autumn Variations. Produced by the National’s Aaron Dessner, Autumn Variations extended Sheeran’s perfect albums chart records in the U.K. and Australia to seven, all consecutive (including two in 2023). 

In the United States, the set gave Sheeran his sixth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart. 

Sheeran has wrapped his The Mathematics Tour for 2023, a run that saw the Englishman smash attendance records on multiple continents, including East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground (twice). The Asia leg of his trek kicked off in January.

12 Feb 2024

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Sing Along to ‘Love Story’ & ‘You Belong With Me’ at Super Bowl Party

Taylor Swift is the soundtrack to her own love story. Following the Kansas City Chiefs’ hard-earned Super Bowl victory against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday (Feb. 11), she and Travis Kelce attended an afterparty together and danced along to two of the pop star’s hits: “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me.” 

In a clip from the Chiefs’ post-game celebrations, Swift and the tight end dance excitedly to an EDM remix of the singer’s 2008 smash “Love Story.” After smiling while mouthing the lyrics “It’s a love story, baby just say yes,” the 14-time Grammy winner – wearing Kelce’s jacket – wraps her arms around the football star’s neck and kisses him.  

In other videos, Kelce stands on the DJ’s stage while bumping a remix of another of his superstar girlfriend’s Fearless hits, “You Belong With Me.” As the song plays, he and Swift lovingly single each other out in the crowd, singing the words back to each other.  

The party followed shortly after the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in a row at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, scoring 25-22 against the 49ers. Swift attended the game with her usual star-studded group of friends – Blake Lively, Ice Spice, Lana Del Rey and Miles Teller, to name a few – and joined Kelce on the field immediately after Kansas City took the Lombardi Trophy. There, she watched No. 87 make an emotional speech before kissing him in front of NFL cameras. 

A week prior to the Super Bowl, Swift had a major win of her own. At the 2024 Grammys, she became the first artist in history to take home album of the year four times, this time winning with Midnights.  

“She’s unbelievable,” Kelce said of the “Anti-Hero” musician shortly after the awards show, days before the big game. “She’s re-writing the history books herself, and I told her I’d have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with some hardware too.” 

See how Swift and Kelce celebrated the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win below. 

11 Feb 2024

Beyoncé Drops 2 New Songs, Unveils ‘Act II’ Release Date: Here’s When It Arrives

Mere seconds after starring alongside Emmy-winning actor Tony Hale in a hilarious Verizon commercial during Super Bowl 2024, Beyoncé has finally revealed the second act of the three-act project she announced back in 2022.

On Sunday (Feb. 11), the “Cuff It” singer posted a mysterious teaser to her official Instagram page. In the video, an unidentified woman — presumably Beyoncé herself — starts up a car with a license plate that reads “Texas Hold ‘Em.” The woman drives the car down an empty road before the clip then cuts to a group of men staring incredulously at the sky. The focus of their stares? A billboard cutout of a red lingerie-clad Beyoncé lounging in a seductive pose.

“This ain’t Texas,” she croons over finger-picked guitars in the background. “Ain’t no hold ’em/ So lay our cards down, down, down, down.” The clip then cuts to a black screen that reads “Act II, 3.29.”

Queen Bey’s official website sports the same teaser, as well as the same date of March 29. Under the site’s music tab, a section for Act II includes empty credits section, clean and explicit tabs, and two track titles — “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” which are listed as the record’s opening two tracks, respectively. Both tracks are now available to stream on TIDAL and YouTube.

Between the references to her home state of Texas and the country sound of the new music snippet, it looks like fans were onto something with their theory that Beyoncé’s next LP will find her delving into country music. The still-untitled Act II is the follow-up to Renaissance. That album, Beyoncé’s seventh solo studio effort, debut atop the Billboard 200, spawned a pair of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits — “Break My Soul” (No. 1) and “Cuff It” (No. 6) — and soundtracked the historic Renaissance World Tour, which grossed over $579 million.

Check out Beyoncé’s new Act II teaser and songs below: