State Champ Radio Pop
Page: 374
“Shellback was bored,” ILYA says, reflecting on how he and the Swedish hit-maker ended up working together for the first time — ultimately changing the course of his career. Having grown up in what he calls “the hood of Sweden,” ILYA’s discovery of music production was a bit of a surprise — quite literally, as he found a CD of the music-making program Dance eJay in a cereal box. From there, he says, he “fell in love with creating.”
By his late teens, in 2005, ILYA signed a publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music and remembers “grinding, grinding, grinding… with not a lot happening.” Several years later, he met Shellback (Britney Spears, P!nk, Taylor Swift), who eventually asked ILYA what he was working on, and later suggested to his close collaborator Max Martin that they should all team up. “Coming up to that point, I had a lot of almosts,” recalls ILYA, now 37. “I had songs with One Direction that just fell off and didn’t make the albums. All those years were so important to learn how to act in the room, how to deal with people’s emotions and all these things leading up to when I got the shot from Shellback and Max.”
Almost immediately, ILYA scored a major win as a co-producer and co-writer on Ariana Grande and Iggy Azalea’s 2014 smash, “Problem,” which hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Every time I make music today, I try to channel the energy I had when we did ‘Problem,’ ” says ILYA, who has continued his relationship with Grande for a decade, leading into her current era. “Making that beat, it was like, ‘I’m just going to do me.’ And when that success finally happened… It was unbelievable.”
Ariana Grande, “Yes, And?”
“This whole song was her idea — she had a vision. I remember we were going through chords and she was like, ‘It needs to be more confident. It has to be more sassy.’ When Ari’s describing an emotion she wants to have, I instantly go, ‘What sounds can make that emotion come to life?’ And to me, the 909 drums are what that vibe is. In the bridge there are all these funny Mellotron sounds that are really ’60s, Beatles-esque, and a flute that Max played that I laugh at every time I hear it. Once we finished it, that’s when I fell in love with it.”
[embedded content]
Tate McRae, “Guilty Conscience”
“The first time I worked with [Tate] she seemed very unsure of everything. There was one song we did so many versions of because she couldn’t decide which one was the best. But I think growing up, she feels much more confident in what she likes, which helps me a lot. I’ve never finished a song as fast as this one… it was all her initiative. We wrote it and then had to turn it in that week or the week after. Everything [came] from whatever happened that day.”
[embedded content]
Conan Gray, “Never Ending Song”
“Conan started working with Max for a few days and they cracked this sonic direction, but not the details. And then Max came to me and was like, ‘Conan would love to work with you for this next round.’ Once the song was done, [Max and I] spent a lot of time running stuff through analog gear. Sometimes it’s cool if a song sounds like it’s made quickly — but the details and tasteful stuff that you can get from analog gear, you can’t beat that.”
[embedded content]
This story will appear in the Jan. 27, 2024, issue of Billboard.
Billboard’s Friday Music Guide serves as a handy guide to this Friday’s most essential releases — the key music that everyone will be talking about today, and that will be dominating playlists this weekend and beyond.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
This week, Justin Timberlake returns still looking out for number one, Ice Spice gets lightly scatological and Megan Thee Stallion becomes Megan Thee Rattlesnake for one particularly venomous diss track. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Justin Timberlake, “Selfish”
It hasn’t been the easiest half-decade of Justin Timberlake’s career, following 2018’s poorly received Man of the Woods album and some very public relitigation of his old behavior in his personal relationship with Britney Spears and professional relationship with Janet Jackson. But with a catalog and legacy like he has, a new Timberlake project is still going to command some degree of attention — and we’ll see just how much with the release of “Selfish,” single from his upcoming Everything I Thought It Was album. Despite the title, the song is actually much more unassuming than his usual lead singles: a honeyed, ornately produced mid-tempo ballad built on warmly groaning organs and a bossa nova drum machine. “If I get jealous, I can’t help it/ I want every bit of you, I guess I’m selfish,” JT sings on the chorus — not exactly a brand-new sentiment, but one sweet enough to really get up much hate for.
Megan Thee Stallion, “Hiss”
The song that your entire social media feed is buzzing — fine, hissing — about this morning is almost certainly Megan Thee Stallion’s take-no-prisoners latest. “I just wanna kick this s–t off by saying f–k y’all,” Megan proclaims to begin “Hiss.” “I’m finna get this s–t of my chest and lay it to rest.” Megan then spends the next three minutes spitting venomous bars against her haters and rivals, including rhymes about BBLs and Megan’s Law, which have been largely interpreted by fans online to be about Drake and Nicki Minaj’s husband Kenneth Petty, respectively. (Nicki Minaj seemingly responded on IG Live this morning with bars of her own.) Regardless of intended targets, though, the song contains some of the fieriest rapping of Megan’s career, and seems likely to recenter her in the hip-hop conversation for early 2024.
Ice Spice, “Think U the Shit (Fart)”
Ice Spice basically dominated 2023 from January on, so it’s not shocking she’d try to get in early on 2024 as well. “Think” is a bit of a left turn for her — go-to producer RIOTUSA replaces her usual drill beats and pop-leaning hooks with Jersey Club thumps and bleating synths, sounding like a cousin of 41’s underground smash “Bent” from last year. Ice’s vocals put a lot of stock in the questionable chorus rejoinder, “Think you the s–t?/ You not even a fart,” but goes a little harder on the verses, spitting, “I’m a pretty b–ch, I don’t like fightin’/ On the beat, I’m goin’ Super Saiyan.” We’ll see if it’s enough to keep her 2023-long hot streak on the charts cooking into 2024.
Lil Nas X, “Where Do We Go Now?”
Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, the first full-length documentary about Lil Nas X, debuts on MAX this Saturday (Jan. 27). We wrote about our biggest takeaways from the doc here, but while fans wait to get their first look at the doc, Lil Nas has gifted them with another new song (following “J Christ” from two weeks ago): “Where Do We Go Now?” The pop-rock power ballad is written with and produced by LNX’s star’s go-to collaborators, Blake Slatkin and Omer Fedi, and feels like very natural new sonic and thematic territory for the genre-blending star, as he pleads “I just wanna be somebody new inside” over tender guitars and racing drums.
Morgan Wallen, “Spin You Around (1/24)”
Call it a Morgan’s Version: Country superstar Morgan Wallen announced last night on social media that he would be releasing a new version of his 2015 early-career recording “Spin You Around” this Friday. Why now? Because it’s not the only new release you’ll see posted on his artist page this morning: Stand Alone, parent EP to “Spin You Around,” has also been re-released in a 13-track “10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition” (despite having come out nine years ago), featuring eight previously unreleased songs — all against Wallen’s wishes. “I cringe when I listen to these songs & I’m very concerned my fans may mistakenly believe this is a new release by me,” he explained.
So to hopefully direct fans away from the unapproved new re-release, he’s re-recorded the fan favorite as a stripped-down acoustic ballad, subtitled with today’s date and given the cover-art note “had to leave the duck woods to make this.” It’s a lovely new version of the love song — which despite its rough-draft quality, does sound decently in line with more recent Wallen recordings — and it wouldn’t be shocking to see it become a new-old hit for Wallen, much like some of those Taylor’s Versions have the past couple years.
The Smile, Wall of Eyes
Apart from the huge pop, rap and country releases of this Friday, there’s also the less-top-40-friendly (but equally anticipated in some corners) new sophomore album from rock supergroup The Smile, led by Radiohead duo Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood. The eight-track new set features more blends of knotty art-rock melodies, psychedelic instrumental flourishes, Krautrock grooves and alt-funk jams, and has already attracted some of the early year’s strongest critical notices, including a Best New Music designation in Pitchfork.
Just hours after teasing his return to the stage on Thursday night’s (Jan. 25) Tonight Show, Justin Timberlake rolled out the dates for his first tour in five years. The first leg of JT’s Forget Tomorrow World Tour will include 22 North American dates, kicking off on April 29 with a show at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
The Live Nation-produced arena outing will take Timberlake from coast-to-coast, hitting Seattle, San Jose, Las Vegas, San Diego, Phoenix, Atlanta, Tampa, Miami, Chicago, New York, Boston and Cleveland before winding down with a July 9 show at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY.
The dates will support Timberlake’s upcoming sixth solo album, Everything I Thought It Was, which features his moody new R&B single, “Selfish.” The new album — Timberlake’s follow-up to his earthy 2018 Man of the Woods LP — is due out on March 15.
There is a Citi presale for the tour that kicks off in the U.s. beginning Jan. 30 at 10 a.m. local time until Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. local time here, with a Verizon presale slated through Verizon Up beginning Jan. 30 at 10 a.m. local time until Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. local time here. Tickets for the North American tour will be available beginning with a fan presale starting Jan. 29, with existing fan club members receiving a unique email code, followed by the general onsale kicking off on Feb. 2 at 10 a.m. local time here.
Check out the dates for Justin Timberlake’s 2024 North American leg of the Forget Tomorrow World Tour below.
April 29 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
May 2 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
May 6 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center at San Jose
May 10 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena*
May 14 – San Diego, CA @ Pechanga Arena San Diego*
May 17 – Inglewood, CA @ Kia Forum
May 21 – Phoenix, AZ @ Footprint Center
May 29 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
May 31 – Austin, TX @ Moody Center
June 4 – Fort Worth, TX @ Dickies Arena
June 6 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
June 10 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
June 12 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
June 14 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
June 15 – Miami, FL @ Kaseya Center
June 21 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
June 25 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
June 29 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
July 3 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
July 4 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
July 7 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse*
July 9 – Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
*Verizon Up Presale Not Applicable
Justin Timberlake spent four years recording upcoming Everything I Thought It Was album, so it’s no surprise that the “Selfish” singer had some energy to spare when he jumped on the couch on Thursday night’s (Jan. 25) Tonight Show. From his sprinting up to the cheap seats rumba line entrance with old pal host Jimmy Fallon, to a greatest hits run classroom instruments bit, Timberlake seemed eager to kick off his EITIW era after several years of being mostly off the radar.
Introducing JT at the top of the show, Fallon went on an extended news-inspired riff in the opening monologue ticking off just how close the pair are. “He is the Taylor to my Travis,” Fallon joked. “He’s the missing bolt to my Boeing plane… He’s the recall to my exploding Tesla… Yeah, he and I are besties. We got together like a soccer mom and a Stanley tumbler… That’s right, we’re quite a team. Think of us like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, but with chemistry… I’m so glad he’s here. Last week when it slowed a little in New York, I looked at the grass and I saw those frosted tips and I thought, ‘I should call Justin.’”
The pair then crammed into the Tonight Show schoolroom for a round of Classroom Instruments, with the Roots gathered around as Timberlake struck a triangle to kick off a funky, unplugged version of his just-released new single, “Selfish.” They only got a verse in, though, before diving into a quick-hit run through JT’s solo catalog of hits, pivoting to a snippet of hip-swiveling “Señorita,” before jumping into “SexyBack,” “My Love,” “Suit & Tie,” “Rock Your Body,” and a raucous “Can’t Stop the Feeling.”
Timberlake, 42, made a proper entrance by roping Fallon into doing a dance up the steps into the audience and then busting some disco moves before hoofing it back down to the stage and declaring himself “exhausted.” Fallon said he’d never seen anyone work harder on anything than Timberlake did on EITIW, describing Timberlake’s work ethic in the studio, while Justin copped to how strange it was to be explaining the new album’s origin to Jimmy, with whom he said he’s already discussed it ad nauseam in private.
“I feel like we’ve already had this conversation, but we have to have it so you guys can hear the story,” Timberlake said, of the difficulty of recording during the pandemic, having his second son, Phinneas, with wife Jessica Biel, and tracking 100 songs over different runs across several years. In describing the sound, Timberlake suggested that the Tonight Show should have a spin-off called Jimmy Fallon Listens to Your Album.
Timberlake then described what a kick he got out of watching Fallon listening to the album. “What was I doing?” Fallon asked in perfect rehearsed confusion. “A lot,” Timberlake laughed, as Jimmy described himself as totally “cool” and “chillin’ out” in the studio. Justin then proceeded to jump on the couch and channel Fallon by shouting “what is this song?!” “OH! What?!,” “OH My GOD!” before busting out some goofy dance moves.
JT also revealed the upcoming Forget Tomorrow World tour, which kicks off April 29th in Vancouver, with stops in Seattle, Phoenix, Fort Worth, Raleigh, Miami and New York, with dates and venues to announced soon.
The segment ended with Fallon recalling an unlikely bunker shot he nailed while playing at Timberlake’s 8AM Golf Invitational tournament last year, where the friends were paired with Kansas City Chiefs dynamic duo Travis Kelce and QB Patrick Mahomes. Jimmy described Timberlake giving him some meticulous swing advice, before cueing up the video of Fallon sinking the shot and getting lifted up into the air by an overjoyed Kelce.
It got better, though. In an extended view of the special moment, after Timberlake sprinted around in circles, he made his way over to congratulate the two and Justin said that was nearly the end of him. “Travis Kelce almost… I saw my life flash before my eyes,” Timberlake said of his abject fear when jumping up to do a hip bump with the 250-pound NFL tight end.
“I was like, ‘he’s doing it! I have to do it!,’” Timberlake recalled thinking, forgetting that the professional baller has about 80 pounds on him. As the tape kept rolling, it showed Kelce hip-checking Timberlake flat onto his sexy back on the green.
Timberlake will be back as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend and will play a free show at 1,100-capacity Irving Plaza in New York on Jan. 31.
Watch Timberlake on The Tonight Show below.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
First the single, then the album, now Justin Timberlake completes his solo return with confirmation of a world tour.
The former boybander announced the big news when he stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, for a stint surfing the guest couch.
The Forget Tomorrow World Tour will support JT’s forthcoming collection Everything I Thought It Was, his first solo album release in more than six years.
Due out March 15, EITIW is Timberlake’s sixth studio LP, and the followup to Man of the Woods which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 following its release in February 2018, for his fourth consecutive solo leader.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
As a warm-up, the pop singer will play a small-capacity show in New York on Wednesday, Jan. 31, the 1,100-capacity Irving Plaza.
Fallon teased the touring news out of JT, in a totally above-board, pre-rehearsed kind of way.
Was there anything more to announce, the late-night show host prompted his musical guest? Well, yes, “we are still putting the setlist together for Irving Plaza,” noted Timberlake.
But wait, there was more.
“I’m going on tour,” was the dry response.
The 10-time Grammy Award winner gave fans a taste of things to come earlier this week with the release of “Selfish,” the first cut from EITIW. He’ll be back on our screens when he serves as musical guest on Saturday Night Live this weekend, with Dakota Johnson hosting.
Though his solo music career has been in deep freeze, Timberlake did return to his boy band roots last year when he reunited with *NSYNC for “Better Place,” which accompanied the JT-starring animated family film Trolls Band Together. The track started at No. 25, for *NSYNC’s lucky 13th appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 and first appearance on the tally since “Girlfriend” featuring Nelly reached No. 5 — way back in 2002.
As a solo artist, Timberlake has landed 19 titles in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, including five No. 1s.
Details of the Forget Tomorrow World Tour have yet to be announced. Watch the big reveal on Fallon’s late-night show below.
He came back like “J Christ” — now Lil Nas X wants to figure out what happens next. On Friday (Jan. 26), the pop singer unveiled his latest song “Where Do We Go Now,” a poignant slow-jam that poses its titular question to remarkable effect. Stepping away from his signature tongue-in-cheek braggadocio, Lil Nas X […]
Dua Lipa may have pulled off a vanishing act with “Houdini,” but now she’s reappearing for yet another pop banger. On Thursday (Jan. 25), the pop singer announced the release of her new single, “Training Season.” In a clip posted to her TikTok, Lipa lip syncs along with a short clip of the new track, […]
Over the course of a few years, Lil Nas X went from a college kid scared about his future to an internationally-acclaimed, record-breaking star. His fans know him as the funny, terminally online, occasionally controversial pop-meets-rap-meets-country artist next door. They even know a bit about Montero Lamar Hill, the man behind the moniker, thanks to more than a few revelatory lyrics on his debut album.
But with Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero, the new documentary debuting on HBO this Saturday (Jan. 27), the “Industry Baby” singer is done trying to prove anything — he’s simply letting the audience see him in all lights possible.
The 95-minute feature follows Lil Nas X over the course of 60 days as he embarks on the North American leg his first-ever headlining tour in late 2022. Unlike Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour before it, the documentary gives fans only a peek into the star’s live show, occasionally showing off minute-long snippets of the titular concert before cutting away to backstage footage.
The rest of the movie, though, serves as a glimpse inside the mind of a blossoming artist looking to manage his impact on a career he crash-landed into. Hill opens up about everything from his upbringing, to his start in the industry, to the grueling process of putting together a tour . But most of all, Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero watches Hill learn, in real time, what it means to be one of the most publicly visible members of the LGBTQ+ community, and how that public perception impacts his own search for meaning.
“Some people think my music is dope, but they think I do too much as far as videos and the things I do online go. And some people think the things I do online are cool, but they don’t like my music. Some people still see me as the kid-friendly artist, and some people see me as this Satanic devil that’s gonna ruin the world, or who’s part of some big agenda,” he says at one point in the documentary. “People feel a lot of things about me. But me? Boy, do I love this kid.”
Below, Billboard takes a look at five of the biggest revelations throughout Long Live Montero, from the rapper opening up about his relationship with his family, to a tribute for the music icon that continues to inspire him to this day.
Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero premieres on HBO Saturday, January 27 at 8 p.m. ET.
The ‘Ghost’-ly Sample Haunting ‘Old Town Road’
Ariana Grande earns her fifth No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs chart with “Yes, And?,” which starts atop the Jan. 27-dated tally. In the Jan. 12-18 tracking week, “Yes, And?” earned 27.2 million official U.S. streams, according to Luminate. It’s Grande’s first ruler since “Die for You,” her collaboration with The Weeknd, led for a […]
K-pop girl group ITZY announced the dates for their second world tour on Thursday (Jan. 25). The spring/summer outing will find the quartet hitting 18 countries across Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Europe and North America on the BORN TO BE swing that is slated to kick off at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul, South Korea on Feb. 24.
The follow-up to their 2022 debut world tour, CHECKMATE, will have the group performing in Latin America, the U.K., Europe, Australia and New Zealand for the first time. The 27-city tour produced by JYP Entertainment and promoted by Live Nation will touch down in North America on June 6 for a show at WAMU Theater in Seattle, WA.
It will then run through shows in Oakland, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Newark and Chicago before winding down on June 28 with a gig at the Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort in Toronto. The final run will feature shows in Taipei, Taiwan (July 20), Manila, Philippines (August 3) and Hong Kong (August 10).
The dates will feature the debut live performances of songs from the group’s recent 10-track Born To Be mini album, which is their first release to feature solo songs from each member of the group. The eighth EP from the group comprised of Yeji, Ryujin, Chaeryeong and Yuna — fifth member rapper Lia is currently on hiatus from the group dealing with health issues — includes the title track, as well as “Untouchable,” “Mr. Vampire” and “Dynamite.”
Tickets for the Asian dates can be found on the local promoter’s websites, with the Mexican date presales beginning on Feb. 5, followed by a general onsale beginning Feb. 6 at 11 a.m. local time here. The Santiago date presale begins on Jan. 29, followed by the general onsale on Jan. 31 at 12 p.m. local time here. European and U.K. date presales will begin on Feb. 1, with the general onsale beginning at 10 a.m. local time on local Live Nation site on Feb. 2 and the North American ticket general onsale beginning Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. local time here.
Check out the ITZY BORN TO BE tour dates below.
Feb. 24 – Seoul, KOR @ Jamsil Indoor Stadium
Feb. 25 – Seoul, KOR @ Jamsil Indoor Stadium
March 16 – Bangkok, Thailand @ Impact Arena
March 21 – Auckland, NZ @ Spark Arena
March 24 – Sydney, AUS @ ICC Sydney Theatre
March 26 – Melbourne, AUS @ Margaret Court Arena
April 6 – Singapore @ Singapore Indoor Stadium
April 15 – Mexico City, MX @ Pepsi Center WTC
April 18 – Santiago, Chile @ Movistar Arena
April 24 – London, UK @ OVO Arena Wembley
April 26 – Paris, France @ Zénith Paris – La Villette
April 28 – Berlin, Germany @ Velodrom
May 1 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
May 4 – Madrid, Spain @ Palacio Vistalegre
May 18 – Tokyo, Japan @ Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium
May 19 – Tokyo, Japan @ Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium
June 6 – Seattle, WA @ WAMU Theater
June 8 – Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
June 11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Kia Forum
June 14 – Sugar Land, TX @ Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
June 16 – Irving, TX @ The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
June 18 – Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre Atlanta
June 20 – Fairfax, VA @ EagleBank Arena
June 23 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
June 26 – Chicago, IL @ Rosemont Theatre
June 28 – Toronto, ON @ The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort
July 20 – Taipei, Taiwan @ Taipei Arena
August 3 – Manila, Philippines @ SM Mall of Asia Arena
August 10 – Hong Kong, China @ AsiaWorld-Arena
