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Once a bandmate, always a brother. That appears to be the case for Lance Bass, who recently stuck up for his *NSYNC bandmate Justin Timberlake amid the “Mirrors” singer’s myriad swirling controversies following the bombshell revelations unleashed in Britney Spears’ new memoir The Woman in Me. In an impromptu airport interview with TMZ, Bass confirmed […]
Boygenius’ Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker gave fans a serious throwback to 2018 with their Halloween costume over the weekend, recreating a viral photo of Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson that has since become the base of countless memes. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In the snap […]
Joe Jonas helped a Jonas Brothers band member say “I do” on Sunday night (Oct. 29) — in front of thousands of fans. In a video shared to TikTok by user @recessionobsession, the sibling trio stopped their concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., to share what happened when they asked their percussionist, Molly Lopresti, […]
Looking for some motivation to help power you through the start of another work week? We feel you, and with some stellar new pop tunes, we’ve got you covered.
These 10 tracks from artists including Maisie Peters, Alec Benjamin, Yard Act, Baby Queen and more will get you energized to take on the week. Pop any of these gems into your personal playlists — or scroll to the end of the post for a custom playlist of all 10.
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Samira, “Toxic”
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Pop newcomer Samira has spent the year releasing a string of increasingly promising singles, and “Toxic” bests them all by imbuing its entire runtime with a sense of danger, as the stormy percussion and the lyrical warning signs suggest trouble lies ahead with her bad-boy subject. “Toxic” doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, but provides Samira with a new high-water mark. — JASON LIPSHUTZ
Yaeger, “Jaguar”
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Love Swedish pop? Dig into the latest confection from Yaeger, the impressive singer-songwriter who recently hopped on the latest album from fellow Swedes Icona Pop, and whose new single carries a similar sensation of Tove Lo’s best tracks. “Jaguar” feasts upon a killer synth riff (borrowed from downtempo electronic greats Boards of Canada), not backgrounding that hook too much as Yaeger’s voice drifts between vulnerability and ferocity. — J. Lipshutz
Kanii feat. Trippie Redd, “Sins (Let Me In)” Remix
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After dropping “Sins (Let Me In)” last month, Kanii has tapped Trippie Redd to flesh out its bleary-eyed, melodic bounce, and the remix is a match made in heaven. Trippie’s croon grounds the track in the middle of Kanii’s vocal flourishes, gripping the skittering beats until his voice fades out — but “Sins (Let Me In)” still has another minute of evaporating emotion before the curtain closes. — J. Lipshutz
CIL, “Bloodsucker”
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Plenty of pop artists try to stand out each and every week with dramatic vocal showcases, but CIL possesses the skill and confidence to pull it off. New single “Bloodsucker” is a snappy kiss-off with some muted strings, a quick guitar solo and a ghostly texture, but the instrumentation takes a backseat to her melismas, belts and snarling soul throughout the track. If you haven’t been following CIL yet, “Bloodsucker” will command your attention. — J. Lipshutz
Yard Act, “Dream Job”
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Yard Act’s 2022 debut The Overload demonstrated a modern understanding of classic post-punk, but the previews of 2024 sophomore LP Where’s My Utopia? suggest that the British rock group is ready to burst forward with new ideas. “Dream Job” funnels their talkier tendencies into a crowd-approved groove, with the band shimmying over the dance track with undeniable fervor and untamed personality. — J. Lipshutz
The Voidz, “Flexorcist”
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While The Strokes’ music often soars with live instrumentation — a hallmark of the group’s early garage rock revivalist sound, thanks to early releases Is This It and Room on Fire — Julian Casablancas’ side project, The Voidz, trades the crunchy guitar riffs and heavy drum beats for ’80s excess in new single, “Flexorcist.” The indulgent, nearly six-minute single sees the singer’s vocals sitting under a blanket of upbeat synths and keytar accompaniment as he casts an eye roll at a know-it-all (“What — you’re an expert?/ You read about it somewhere?,””It’s always something with you”) on the chorus. Talking Heads-inspired drum beats carry the song through its fade-out. — Starr Bowenbank
Wilderado feat. Matt Berninger, “In Between”
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In September, indie-folk band Wilderado released its first single of 2023 with “In Between.” Now, the band has tapped The National’s Matt Berninger for a cozy acoustic take on life’s in betweens. And while the lyrics seem to tell a sliver of a larger story, Berninger’s signature low range adds depth to the open-ended narrative — resulting in an engaging “choose your own adventure” listen. — LYNDSEY HAVENS
Alec Benjamin, “Different Kind of Beautiful”
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Pop singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin has returned with the creeping and complimentary “Different Kind of Beautiful.” Produced by duo Stargate, the single is the first taste of a new album coming next year. The moodier, Weeknd-inspired beat and elongated ending notes are evidence of what’s to come, with Benjamin confirming in a statement: “The song represents the start of a whole new chapter.” — L.H.
Maisie Peters, “You’re Just a Boy (And I’m Kinda the Man)”
Hailing from Maisie Peters’ seasonally appropriate new album The Good Witch, “You’re Just a Boy (And I’m Kinda the Man)” is a strummy, energetic tune that’s as much of a profession of love as it is a savage dunk on a romantic man-child. The influence of Taylor Swift looms large on this signee to Ed Sheeran’s Gingerman Records, but Peters’ deceptively sweet voice and sly humor gives it a distinct flavor. — JOE LYNCH
Baby Queen, “I Can’t Get My Shit Together”
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A perfect anthem for a frustrated Monday morning, “I Can’t Get My Shit Together” finds Baby Queen bellowing her frustrations in a staccato chant over a playful blast of synth-y indie-pop. The South Africa-born, London-based singer might not feel like it, but when it comes to crafting sub-three-minute bursts of pop pleasure, her s–t is very much together. — J. Lynch
Just weeks after she was announced as a special guest slated to play the role of Sally in the annual live stage performance of Tim Burton’s Halloween classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, Halsey quietly pulled out of the production. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news While no […]
Tate McRae got an inkling that her latest single would be huge the night before it was released.
The 20-year-old pop singer began teasing snippets of “Greedy” on TikTok in August, prior to the single arriving in full on Sept. 15. McRae was in the middle of a North American headlining tour in mid-September, and decided to unveil “Greedy” at her Sept. 14 show at The Fillmore in Philadelphia.
“We put it into the set list, and in rehearsals, I was just so nervous and terrified, because it was such a different sound for me,” McRae tells Billboard. “And then the second we premiered it in Philly, the crowd reaction was crazy.” McRae was especially blown away that the crowd knew most of the lyrics to “Greedy,” even though she had only been posting teasers of the track. “It was just very, very validating,” she says.
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McRae has enjoyed crossover hits prior to “Greedy”: The Calgary native scored a top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hit in 2020 with “You Broke Me First,” while singles like “She’s All I Wanna Be” and the Regard/Troye Sivan collaboration “You” also made their presences felt at top 40 radio. Yet “Greedy” is something different, a propulsive self-empowerment anthem built around a firecracker of a pop hook that finds McRae dipping in and out of a falsetto while exuding unshakeable confidence.
The song has earned 71.3 million on-demand official U.S. streams to date, according to Luminate, and by peaking at No. 14 on the Hot 100 thus far (it’s No. 17 on the current tally), “Greedy” is already McRae’s highest-charting hit on the chart. More important to McRae than the commercial achievements, however, is how the song has expanded her sound and pop persona, offering a commanding vocal take amid whooping sound effects and a danceable beat.
“I think I have a pretty good grasp on what my fans like to hear and what they enjoy,” McRae explains. “But I don’t think you ever really know. I was like, ‘This is a big risk for me as an artist’ — turning 20, I felt like I had to make a big change in my life and my sound. And you can only see so much on TikTok. You never know which direction it’s gonna go, or if it’s going to translate. So it’s been pretty special.”
McRae says that she typically writes songs by herself in her bedroom, so creating “Greedy” in the studio with pop veterans Ryan Tedder, Amy Allen and Jasper Harris felt like an effective crash course. “I just try to be a sponge as much as possible, and just see where their instincts go,” she explains. McRae adds that she and that same trio of songwriters have penned a lot more songs together, potentially for her next full-length. “It feels like a little family,” she says, “and we’re just like trying out new sounds and being ballsy and being like, ‘How do we take a bigger risk and say something different?’”
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Meanwhile, the “Greedy” music video, which is up to 22 million views on YouTube, highlights a different, yet personally familiar, side of McRae. Set in an empty hockey arena, the clip gives the singer an opportunity to showcase her dance skills — with breakneck choreography, courtesy of the esteemed Sean Bankhead — years after becoming a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance.
“I was a competitive dancer until I was like 17 years old, and it was everything to me,” she says. “And then I had no idea how to dance and sing at the same time, because they were just opposite sides of my brain — one was this emotional teenager who needed to express herself, and then the other side was this super-competitive athletic dancer. So it was really cool for me to be able to put my two passions together.”
Having wrapped up her headlining tour earlier this month, McRae says that she’ll be spending the rest of the year finalizing the next phase of her career — logging more studio time, filming more videos and finishing a body of work to follow last year’s debut album I Used to Think I Could Fly. But she couldn’t have asked for a better start to that phase than “Greedy,” and the way it represents what she wants for herself as a recording artist and performer.
“I feel like for the first time in my career — with the visuals and the single art and the music video and the song — it feels like 100% my vision,” says McRae. “I can look at it on Spotify and I can look at it on YouTube and be like, ‘I’m so proud of this.’ And I think that’s why I’m having a really good time. I’m working beside people that I really admire, and people that really respect me as a young woman, and that feels very satisfying … I just feel very lucky right now, and excited for what’s to come.”
New Kids on the Block is getting ready to party next summer, as the quintet will embark on Magic Summer Tour 2024, announced on Monday (Oct. 30).
The trek — which will feature guests Paula Abdul and DJ Jazzy Jeff — serves as a reimagination of the group’s sold-out 1990 tour of the same name. The North American tour is slated to kick off next year on June 14, starting in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, at the town’s Blossom Music Center. It will make stops in Denver, Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, Toronto and more before concluding on Aug. 24 at the Ruoff Music Center in Noblesville, Ind.
“The true ‘magic’ of this tour is in the music, the moments and the memories that we get to create – and recreate – with our amazing fans each night,” said member Donnie Wahlberg in a press release about the tour. “Feeling all the nostalgic feels of the original Magic Summer, with the bond that we’ve shared throughout the years, will make for a most magical time indeed.”
Fans looking to get tickets for the tour will be able to do so starting on Wednesday (Nov. 1) through the New Kids on the Block’s official fan club and Citi pre-sales. More pre-sales will hit throughout the week before tickets become available through Live Nation’s general on-sale on Nov. 3 at 10 a.m. local time. Citi cardmembers will receive access to pre-sale tickets starting Nov. 1 at 12 p.m. local time until Thursday, Nov. 2 at 10 p.m.
See the announcement and the full list of dates below.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK THE MAGIC SUMMER 2024 TOUR DATES:
June 14, 2024: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio — Blossom Music Center
June 15, 2024: Tinley Park, Ill. — Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
June 18, 2024: Clarkston, Mich. — Pine Knob Music Theatre
June 19, 2024: Burgettstown, Penn. — The Pavilion at Star Lake
June 21, 2024: Cincinnati, Ohio — Riverbend Music Center
June 22, 2024: Maryland Heights, Mo. — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis
June 23, 2024: Prior Lake, Minn, — Mystic Amphitheater
June 25, 2024: Kansas City, Mo. — Starlight Theatre
June 26, 2024: Rogers, Ark. — Walmart AMP
June 28, 2024: Denver, Colo. — Ball Arena
June 29, 2024: Salt Lake City, Utah — USANA Amphitheatre
July 1, 2024: Highland, Calif. — Yaamava’ Theater*
July 2, 2024: Wheatland, Calif. — Toyota Amphitheatre
July 3, 2024: Mountain View, Calif. — Shoreline Amphitheatre
July 5, 2024: Inglewood, Calif. — Kia Forum
July 6, 2024: Palm Desert, Calif. — Acrisure Arena
July 7, 2024: Chula Vista, Calif. — North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 9, 2024: Phoenix, Ariz. — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
July 10, 2024: Albuquerque, N.M. — Isleta Amphitheater
July 12, 2024: Austin, Texas — Germania Insurance Amphitheater
July 13, 2024: The Woodlands, Texas — Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented by Huntsman
July 14, 2024: Dallas, Texas — Dos Equis Pavilion
July 16, 2024: Franklin, Tenn. — FirstBank Amphitheater
July 17, 2024: Franklin, Tenn. — FirstBank Amphitheater
July 19, 2024: Tampa, Fla. — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 20, 2024: West Palm Beach, Fla. — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
July 21, 2024: Jacksonville, Fla. — Daily’s Place
July 25, 2024: Charleston, S.C. — Credit One Stadium
July 26, 2024: Alpharetta, Ga. — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
July 27, 2024: Charlotte, N.C. — PNC Music Pavilion
July 28, 2024: Raleigh, N.C. — Coastal Credit Union Music Park
Aug. 1, 2024: Virginia Beach, Va. — Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Aug. 2, 2024: Hartford, Conn. — XFINITY Theatre
Aug. 3, 2024: Hershey, Penn. — Hersheypark Stadium
Aug. 4, 2024: Wantagh, N.Y. — Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
Aug. 8, 2024: Holmdel, N.J. — PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 9, 2024: Gilford, N.H. — BankNH Pavilion
Aug. 10, 2024: Mansfield, Mass. — Xfinity Center
Aug. 11, 2024: Saratoga Springs, N.Y. — Broadview Stage at SPAC
Aug. 15, 2024: Philadelphia, Penn. — TD Pavilion at the Mann
Aug. 16, 2024: Columbia, Md.— Merriweather Post Pavilion
Aug. 17, 2024: Toronto, ON — Budweiser Stage
Aug. 22, 2024: Darien Center, NY.. — Darien Lake Amphitheater
Aug. 23, 2024: Columbus, Ohio — Nationwide Arena
Aug. 24, 2024: Milwaukee, Wisc. — American Family Insurance Amphitheater
Aug. 25, 2024: Noblesville, Ind. — Ruoff Music Center
* New Kids on the Block only and no Citi pre-sale
One of Jimmy Buffett’s last messages to his family and friends before his Sept. 1 death from skin cancer was “keep the party going,” and his longtime backing musicians in the Coral Reefer Band now say they plan to do just that.
“The Coral Reefer Band is second family to all of us. We are a family. And Jimmy wants us to continue and we want to continue,” Mac McAnally, longtime Coral Reefer Band singer/guitarist tells Billboard. How that will look is still being determined, but McAnally says, “there’s ongoing discussions about the best way to do that, the most practical way to do that and how to do it in a way that is worthy of the legacy that we’re part of.”
The Coral Reefer Band, which has had a rotating cast of musicians — some of whom had played with Buffett for nearly 50 years — began backing the singer-songwriter in concert and in the studio in the ‘70s.
Deciding the best way forward is taking some time. “We’re going to figure it out and we’re going to do something,” McAnally says. “Whatever the best equation arrives from those discussions is what we’re going to do,” he says. “I can’t wait until we [figure it out] because we miss being out there, playing his songs to people and feeling that alternating current go back and forth from the stage to the crowd. I don’t know who’s got more energy, them or us.”
The current members, in addition to McAnally include keyboardist Michael Utley (who has played with Buffett since the ‘70s), steel drummer Robert Greenidge, guitarist/vocalist Peter Mayer, bassist Jim Mayer, drummer Roger Guth, steel pedal guitarist Doyle Grisham, trumpeter John Lovell, percussionist Eric Darken and vocalists Tina Gullickson and Nadirah Shakoor.
The Coral Reefer Band played its last full concert with Buffett on May 6 at San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium. Buffett’s last time on stage was McAnally’s July 2 show in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, when Buffett joined him for eight songs, including signature tunes “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” and “Margaritaville.”
Though Buffett was undergoing treatment, he still craved being on stage. “He had been calling through the summertime when the treatments were going,” McAnally says. “I didn’t know how far up or down he was. I hadn’t seen him [in person], though he never called without Facetiming me and I could tell he was losing weight. He couldn’t do a full show, but he kept calling saying, ‘Where are you playing? I’m gonna come sit in.’”
McAnally’s Rhode Island date was a quick flight from Buffett’s house in Sag Harbor, N.Y. and easy for him to fly in for. “We played ‘5 O’Clock Somewhere’ and when it got to [the line], ‘What would Jimmy Buffett do?,’ nobody knew that he was there. Nobody knew and he walked out from behind the stage. It was maybe 400 people there and they all came up out of their seat. It was like somebody hit them with 220 volts,” McAnally remembers.
But no one was more pleased than Buffett. “I looked back around at him because he was coming up behind me and he was 100% the happiest person on earth because I don’t think he knew if he was going to feel it again and I don’t think he knew that he was never gonna feel it again after that,” McAnally says. “Buffett called McAnally two days later asking if he had other shows that weren’t on his website yet so he could join him again. “He was ready to tour as a guest singer on these little singer-songwriter shows,” McAnally says, but unfortunately, his time ran out.
Thirteen past Grammy winners, ranging from Amy Grant to Kim Petras, will help announce the 66th Annual Grammy Award nominees in a livestream event on Nov. 10. The announcement will be accessible on live.Grammy.com and YouTube.
Other Grammy winners on board for the event include: Arooj Aftab, Vince Gill, Jimmy Jam, Jon Bon Jovi, Samara Joy, Muni Long, Cheryl Pawelski, Judith Sherman, St. Vincent, Jeff Tweedy and “Weird Al” Yankovic. They will be joined by CBS Mornings co-hosts Gayle King, Nate Burleson and Tony Dokoupil and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr.
Joy was the surprise winner for best new artist last year. Jon Bon Jovi will be the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year honoree.
The nominations event will kick off with a special presentation announcing the nominees in the general field and select other categories. There will be two changes in general field categories this year. There will be just eight nominations, down from 10 the last two years, for album, record and song of the year, plus best new artist, which have always comprised the general field. Also, two additional categories are being bumped up to the general field for the first time – producer of the year, non-classical and songwriter of the year, non-classical.
Video announcements of the nominees in the remaining categories will also be published on live.Grammy.com and YouTube while the event is underway. The full list of nominees will be published on Grammy.com immediately following the presentation.
Here’s the timeline for when these events will occur on Nov. 10. All times are approximate and subject to change.
10:45 a.m. ET / 7:45 a.m. PT: Grammy nominations pre-show
11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT: Nominations livestream event
11:25 a.m. ET / 8:25 a.m. PT: Nominations livestream event ends: Full nominations list posted on Grammy.com
11:25 a.m. ET / 8:25 a.m. PT: Grammy nominations wrap-up show
Adele has had a number of special guests come through her Las Vegas residency show, but over the weekend someone stopped by who literally stopped the singer in her tracks. In fan-shot video of the moment during Saturday night’s show, Adele was crooning her hit 2015 single “When We Were Young” while wearing her Morticia […]