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Taylor Swift is watching Sunday’s Chiefs-Bears game from the comfort of Travis Kelce’s suite. Rumors swirled on social media that Swift would be attending the Sept. 24 Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chicago Bears game just before kickoff, with Bleacher Report posting the tip about where she’d be seated. Rumors of a romance between the two […]
Jung Kook‘s “3D” promotion at Global Citizen Festival didn’t remain cryptic for long. BIGHIT Music confirmed Saturday night (Sept. 23) that “3D” is Jung Kook’s second solo single — and it features Jack Harlow. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “We are excited to announce the release of […]
Taylor Swift is giving a significant boost to U.S. voter registration. During National Voting Day on Tuesday (Sept. 19), the pop superstar shared a message on Instagram urging her 272 million followers to register to vote through nonpartisan nonprofit Vote.org. The push resulted in more than 35,000 registrations, according to the organization. “I’ve been so […]
Belinda Carlisle charts her second new song of 2023, as “If U Go” debuts at No. 30 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary survey (dated Sept. 30).
The single is from Carlisle’s EP Kismet, released in May on BMG. Diane Warren wrote all five tracks on the set, reviving a partnership between the two talents. Carlisle sent the Warren-penned “I Get Weak” to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and to the Adult Contemporary top 10 in 1988. (Warren has written 32 Hot 100 top 10s, including nine No. 1s.)
Earlier in 2023, Carlisle extended her Billboard chart history by entering Digital Song Sales with another Warren composition, “Gonna Be You.” The all-star song, from the comedy 80 for Brady, brought Carlisle together with Dolly Parton, Cyndi Lauper, Gloria Estefan and Debbie Harry.
“I can’t say ‘no’ to her,” Carlisle mused to Billboard about Warren upon the release of Kismet. “The fact that she gave me these amazing songs is like a gift.”
Warren wrote “If U Go” with Carlisle in mind. Making for a partial team-up of The Go-Go’s, it features Charlotte Caffey on backing vocals. The song even sports a “go, go” echo, although Carlisle said that Warren didn’t originally plan for two members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band to sing that line.
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Carlisle appears on a Billboard airplay chart for the first time since 1990, when “Summer Rain” reached Adult Contemporary. She boasts four top 10s on the tally: “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” (No. 7, 1987); “I Get Weak” (No. 9, 1988); “Circle in the Sand” (No. 5, 1988); and “Leave a Light On” (No. 8, 1989). (She last appeared on a chart that blends airplay data when “Do You Feel Like I Feel?” hit the Hot 100 in 1991.)
“I always said that if I was going to record pop in the same vein that I did in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, it would have to be on par with those songs,” Carlisle told Billboard. “I’m not going to record a song just to record it.”
Of Kismet’s songs, Carlisle said, “This was five out of five.” Warren “didn’t show me anything else, and I loved them all.”
All charts dated Sept. 30 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, Sept. 26.
After taking the internet by storm with their breakthrough single “Cupid,” FIFTY FIFTY‘s latest EP, The Beginning, arrived on Friday (Sept. 22). The set — which contains tracks from the group’s EPs The Beginning: Cupid and The Fifty, as well as three tracks that are newly recorded — is available on seven physical variants for […]
Most pop stars don’t suddenly experience a lot of firsts several decades into their career, but Kylie Minogue has always stood out from the pop pack.
Last year, the Aussie icon brought her branded rosé wine to the U.S. after dominating sales in the U.K.; on Nov. 3, she begins her debut Las Vegas residency at the Venetian’s Voltaire, making her the first headliner at the new venue. And unexpectedly this May — just two months shy of her debut album turning 35 — Minogue landed a viral smash with “Padam Padam,” a song that helped define the summer of 2023. The single, titled after the onomatopoeic sound of a heartbeat, instantly inspired an eclectic slew of memes, dances and lip-syncs from a generation who wasn’t even born when Minogue’s “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” hit the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 in March 2002.
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With new album Tension out now and her Vegas residency kicking off soon, Minogue chatted with Billboard about joining TikTok, Padam-demonium and the most personal song on her latest album.
We have to start by talking “Padam Padam,” which was everywhere this summer, from Ariana Grande lip-syncing to Vice President Harris dancing to it in front of Stonewall. When did you realize the reaction to this song was different from other singles?
It felt very instantaneous. I didn’t know it was going to be this kind of, dare I say, zeitgeist-y [song with] more than a day of excitement on socials. But I had the feeling, “This is different from other times.” I was just loving it, I’m not gonna lie.
And it finally pushed you to become active on TikTok. Now that you’ve been doing it a bit, what do you think of that environment?
I’m into it now. My label tried to get me to do TikTok things before and it didn’t feel organic enough. But “Padam Padam” happened organically. I don’t think anyone on the team was thinking, “This is our TikTok moment.” In “Tension,” there’s less of a routine, but enough, and I’ve enjoyed seeing people extract what they want from the video and make it their own. It’s not, “this is how it goes – now you do it.” It’s a presentation, and then the users decide how they want to express themselves with it. People are so creative and hilarious. It’s amazing to me to have another big first in my career, and “Padam” did that.
Your last few albums have all had a theme: Kylie Christmas was the holiday album, Golden was the Nashville record, Disco was obviously the disco LP. Is there a theme for Tension?
We started searching for one. Initially, a kind of ‘80s vibe was floated. We did a block of writing with an ‘80s lilt in mind and then we abandoned it. Then there was no theme, and things really started to come together. It’s just what feels good — it’s servicing the song. And then making sure sonically they live in the same world enough to live as an album. Even a song like “Tension” is referencing different eras and sounds.
Was there one song that was the hardest to get right?
“Story” took a lot of chipping away.
It seemed very personal.
It is.
“10 Out of 10,” your collab with Oliver Heldens, is so much fun. How was working with him?
I’ve still not met Oliver! We were emailing back and forth, he was always very sweet over old-school emails, which I really like. We went back and forth with stems; it took me a long time to get that one down with the syncopation of it. A few songs (on Tension) took a while, and that was one of them. Whereas “Padam” took no time at all.
At the New York preview listening session over the summer, “Green Light” went off.
What a joy to hear the songs with people and get instant feedback – that tipped me over the edge. I tried to say, “this might be one of the slower ones” (to the crowd), and then, nuh-uh. It’s illuminating. It’s not like a 100 people got together in a room and came up with a plan – it was a natural, visceral reaction. And that helped us inform the run of singles, and “Tension” being a single. When we got past the fact that there was no theme for this album, the one thing I kept coming back to was my A&R Jamie Nelson, who was so important in this process. He said, “Just have fun – as long as it’s not boring.” And I don’t think any of the songs are boring. Mission accomplished on that front.
This is your 16th album now. What keeps you excited about making new music?
Writing with people I love, particularly Biff Stannard, Duck Blackwell and Jon Green on the last couple albums. There’s a history and an unspoken acceptance — we all complement each other. We enjoy writing together. Starting a day with nothing and writing a song is one aspect of creating that I love more and more, especially as I understand my strengths more in writing, and what risks I want to take. And now I self-record a lot — I travel with my studio — and I have my independence with that. I really, really had such a desire to get back into the studio.
You have a Las Vegas residency starting in November – you’ll be the first headliner to play the Voltaire. It’s called “More Than Just a Residency.” How are you making it more than what someone has seen before?
Well, that’s the club tag line [laughs]. But the presentation of the venue is custom-made: what they’ve come up with is a cross between a ‘30s cabaret club and Studio 54. That’s where it’s more than just a residency – there’s gonna be other entertainment leading up to the headline act, and if you want to stay (after my performance) you can carry on, there will be a DJ after it. It is more than just a residency — mine will stand alone as having another point of view.
Have you seen any shows in Vegas that inspired you?
Lady Gaga’s Jazz & Piano show, John Legend’s show and Silk Sonic. I was really inspired seeing the excitement. Vegas is its own beast.
Are you a gambler? Will we see you at the blackjack table?
I’m not. I’m a kind of 10-cent slot machine, give myself a 20-buck limit. It’s uneventful, me and gambling.
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You mentioned how “Tension” references different eras and sounds. I love how cool the verses feel, but then there’s this euphoric chorus.
It’s a roller coaster of a song. I can’t get that one out of my head.
The video is amazing.
Yes, the many me’s.
Are those looks a hint of what’s to come at the residency?
If I can be four people at once, yes. There’s nods to all sorts of things in the video and it’s incredible seeing people come up with their own theories. I don’t know which character will be the one I see people dressing up as (in Vegas). I wouldn’t know where to place my bet. Maybe the controller, the bleached blonde. I encourage people who come to the show in Vegas to live your best life, be your best self and have a great time. That’s a good tag line, isn’t it?
Summer turns to fall Saturday (Sept. 23), but Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer” continues going strong. Swift ties her longest rule on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart, as “Cruel Summer” rebounds for a seventh week at No. 1, on the ranking dated Sept. 30. She first dominated for seven weeks with “I Knew You Were Trouble” in […]
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.
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This week, Doja Cat turns into a hip-hop titan, Zach Bryan has more tricks up his sleeve and Shakira keeps piling up the wins. Check out all of this week’s picks below:
Doja Cat, Scarlet
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Not many music stars could release an album with five bonafide pop hits, follow that up by declaring a new rap-focused era, and find just as much artistic and commercial success — but that’s exactly what Doja Cat has achieved with Scarlet, a thrilling curveball that still complements her inherent skill set. Planet Her demonstrated that Doja could toss off fierce, funny rhymes in between pop hooks, and while Scarlet contains plenty of hummable melodies to follow the one on recent No. 1 single “Paint the Town Red,” the album’s primary triumph resides in Doja’s fully rendered verses, with boastful onomatopoeia (“Shutcho”), extended sex metaphors (“Gun”) whirlwind romance (“Agora Hills”) and deafening clapbacks (“F–k The Girls (FTG)”). Scarlet proves that Doja could reside among hip-hop’s elite for a long time — but that would presume she doesn’t create a whole new dazzling world on her next project.
Zach Bryan, Boys of Faith EP
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For those surprised that Zach Bryan’s self-titled album was only 16 songs long following last year’s 34-track epic American Heartbreak, Boys of Faith, a surprise EP released less than a month after the country superstar’s first chart-topper, helps even the scales a bit, while also boasting some more intriguing sounds and collaborations to add to Bryan’s repertoire. The immediate focus will be on the back-to-back guest spots from Noah Kahan (on the rolling, wistful “Sarah’s Place”) and Bon Iver (on the wrenching, fuzzed-out title track), but opener “Nine Ball,” on which Bryan recounts his complex feelings toward his father as he helps him win a billiards bet, highlights this rewarding addendum to a breakthrough project.
Shakira & Fuerza Regida, “El Jefe”
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“I feel like a cat with more than nine lives; whenever I think I can’t get any better, I suddenly get a second wind,” Shakira told Billboard during her recent cover story interview. Amidst a period of personal tumult and professional victories, Shakira sounds like she’s positioned herself to enjoy another smash with “El Jefe,” a collaboration with regional Mexican group Fuerza Regida that transports her unmistakable voice into their ever-expanding world while pushing the tempo as the guitar strums and bubbling horns gradually turn more urgent. “El Jefe” sounds like no other Shakira song before it, and turns truly exciting — that’s why she keeps getting better.
Blink-182, “One More Time”
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Blink-182’s 2023 reunion tour included plenty of arena and festival dates, even more scatological jokes from the stage and the jokey 2022 comeback single “Edging” joining the pop-punk vets’ collection of anthems; the live run also held some unexpected moments of reflection from the trio, who candidly spoke about Mark Hoppus’ 2021 cancer battle and how they were grateful to be back together. “One More Time” bottles that appreciation into a somber, genuinely moving three-and-a-half minute self-examination: as Hoppus and Tom DeLonge sing to each other, “I don’t want to act like there’s tomorrow / I don’t want to wait to do this one more time,” longtime fans will be wiping away tears, grateful that they didn’t.
Kylie Minogue, Tension
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Although “Padam Padam” represented a surprise comeback for Kylie Minogue — reaching international charts that the dance-pop veteran hadn’t graced in a decade, as well as becoming her first top 10 single in the 10-year history of the Billboard Dance/Electronic Songs chart in the U.S. — the reinvigoration of Minogue’s aesthetic that the hit single hinted at can now be heard in full on Tension, her most complete full-length since 2010’s Aphrodite. Minogue’s gift for airy, energetic pop music sounds more natural on songs like “Things We Do For Love,” “Green Light” and the title track than it has in years, as the Australian star mines simple pleasures in each track and then amplifies their impact.
Editor’s Pick: 070 Shake, “Black Dress”
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070 Shake is currently playing stadiums as an opening act on Coldplay’s current west coast run, and “Black Dress,” the daring hip-hop artist’s first single release of 2023, deserves an enormous venue: like 070 Shake herself, the song defies easy categorization — it combines a heavy guitar riff, swirling electronics and a “na-na-na” pop refrain — but the mixture rings out as massive. After 070 Shake enjoyed a surprise top 40 hit alongside Raye with “Escapism” earlier this year, let’s hope “Black Dress,” which precedes a forthcoming new album, receives a mainstream moment as well.
Take That mark their return with This Life To Be, the superstar British boyband’s ninth studio album and first collection of new material in over five years.
The pop outfit’s latest campaign opens with “Windows,” arriving early Friday (Sept. 22).
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Expect the new set to capture Take That’s signature “beautiful melodies, soaring choruses,” and “sophisticated harmonies beautifully blending the trio’s voices,” reads a statement announcing This Life To Be, slated to drop Nov. 24.
“It’s been a wonderful experience being back in the studio together making this record. It has that feeling of spreading your wings, letting out the old and bringing in the new,” reads a comment from the band.
Formed in 1989 as a five-piece — Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams — Take That was one of the most popular acts of its generation, certainly in the U.K.
Now performing and recording as the trio of Barlow, Donald and Owen, the group can boast 12 U.K. No. 1 singles, and eight U.K. No. 1 albums, and a lengthy list of career highlights, including a performance at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. The lads had only one top 10 hit in the U.S., 1995’s “Back for Good,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Take That has been gearing up for the new release with a raft of performances in 2023, including an “intimate” spot at KOKO in support of War Child, a headline slot at British Summer Time in Hyde Park, the King’s Coronation concert, and the rollout of Greatest Days, the big-screen adaptation of their musical The Band.
This Life To Be is the followup to 2017’s Wonderland, which peaked at No. 2 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. Next up, the release of career retrospective Odyssey, which, in December 2018, spent one week at No. 1 with 106,000 first-week combined sales, making it the year’s fastest-selling album.
Sessions for This Life To Be were recorded in such historic music spaces as New York’s Electric Lady Studios and Nashville’s Historic RCA Studio A.
“We’re incredibly proud of the new album, there’s a sense of togetherness, whether that’s us coming back together as a band or people wanting connection in their own lives,” continues the message from Take That. “We’re excited for this new chapter.”
A 2024 tour of the British Isles will kick off April 13 at Sheffield Utilita Arena, with support from Olly Murs.
Stream “Windows” below.
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After months of teasing and controversy, Doja Cat is finally ready to transport fans to “Agora Hills.” The Grammy-winning cross-genre artist unveiled Scarlet, her fourth studio album, on Friday (Sept. 22).
After signaling her new era with a shaved head and a rebuke of her earlier music, Doja launched Scarlet in June with the release of “Attention,” a boom-bap-indebted hip-hop track that prioritized showcasing the dexterity of her rapping ability. The track debuted and peaked at No. 31 on the Billboard Hot 100, and its music video — which previewed the era’s overarching horror aesthetic — picked up six nominations at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, ultimately winning best art direction.
“Paint the Town Red,” the record’s first radio single, soon followed with a catchy hook and a bouncy Dionne Warwick-sampling beat. The song became Doja’s second Hot 100 No. 1 — her first unaccompanied — becoming the first hip-hop song to reach the top of the ranking in 2023. A punk-rap promotional single titled “Demons” arrived on Sept. 1, complete with a music video starring Emmy-nominated Yellowjackets star Christina Ricci. A Ric Flair-nodding promotional single called “Balut” was released on Sept. 15. In the final weeks leading up to the album, blood-covered life-size mannequins made in Doja’s likeness appeared in major cities across the United States.
Scarlet boasts a completely featureless tracklist and eye-popping titles such as “Wet Vagina,” “Skull and Bones” and “F—k the Girls (FTG).” The standard edition houses 15 tracks, while two extra songs can be found on digital versions of the album: “Shutcho” and “WYM Freestyle.”
To support the new record, Doja will embark on The Scarlet Tour. The 24-date trek will kick off on Halloween at San Francisco’s Chase Center, and hit major cities across the U.S. before wrapping Dec. 13 at Chicago’s United Center. Ice Spice and “What It Is (Block Boy)” rapper Doechii will serve as opening acts for the tour.
Doja Cat’s new album is the follow-up to 2021’s Planet Her. That album, her third studio effort, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned a litany of Hot 100 hits, including the SZA-assisted “Kiss Me More” (No. 3), “Woman” (No. 7), “Need to Know” (No. 8), “You Right” (No. 11, with The Weeknd), and “Get Into It (Yuh)” (No. 20).
Stream Scarlet now: