Pop

18 Jul 2023

Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ Tops Billboard’s Songs of the Summer Chart at July Midpoint

What will be the No. 1 song of the summer of 2023? We’re halfway to the answer, per Billboard’s Songs of the Summer chart.

The 20-position Songs of the Summer running tally tracks the most popular titles based on cumulative performance on the weekly streaming-, airplay- and sales-based Billboard Hot 100 chart from Memorial Day through Labor Day (this year encompassing charts dated June 10 through Sept. 9). At the end of the season, the top song of the summer will be revealed.

Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” ranks at No. 1 through the first half of this year’s Songs of the Summer tracking period, having led the list all seven weeks so far. Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” ranks at No. 2, followed by Rema and Selena Gomez’s “Calm Down” (No. 3), Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” (No. 4) and Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” featuring J. Cole (No. 5).

While all five hits above have appeared on Songs of the Summer each week this season, two titles not on the survey at summer’s start are currently climbing (on the chart dated July 22): SZA’s “Snooze,” up 14-13 in its fifth week, and Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” new at No. 16. The latter, introduced on Swift’s 2019 album Lover, has been gaining momentum in recent weeks, as Swift has been performing it on her current The Eras Tour, her first in which she’s been able to spotlight songs from the set, which was released shortly before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The song is now being promoted as a single by Republic Records.

(“Cruel Summer” is also the first song with “summer” in its title to reach the Songs of the Summer chart since Calvin Harris’ “Summer,” the season’s No. 8 hit for 2014.)

Conversely, one hit has endured enough to rank on this year’s Songs of the Summer chart after also making last year’s final tally: Wallen’s “You Proof,” at No. 19, after finishing at No. 17 for 2022.

Harry Styles’ “As It Was” wrapped at No. 1 on the 2022 Songs of the Summer chart, joining the lineage of BTS’ “Butter,” the leader for 2021; DaBaby’s “Rockstar” featuring Roddy Ricch (2020); Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus (2019); and Drake’s “In My Feelings” (2018).

Check out the top 10 summer songs every year throughout the Hot 100’s history (from the chart’s start in 1958) and the latest Songs of the Summer chart in its entirety.

18 Jul 2023

JC Chasez Talks Joining a Cat Boy Band for Meow Mix & Reveals Why He’s the Least Active in the *NSYNC Group Chat

Besides being a beloved pop icon, JC Chasez is also a lifelong animal lover.

That’s why teaming up with Meow Mix was a natural fit for the *NSYNC superstar. In a new advertisement for the cat food brand, Chasez joined a different kind of boy band — full of cats. The group brings back all the 90s nostalgia by transforming Meow Mix’s original 1980 jingle into a perfectly harmonized, quintessential boy band pop hit.

In the commercial clip, the five-piece furry group (a.k.a. The Catty Five) performs sleek choreography while dressed in coordinating denim and all-white outfits. Chasez comes in halfway through the jingle to belt out some serious “meow, meow, meow” ad libs.

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“I was made to host The Catty Five,” Chasez tells Billboard with a laugh. “I grew up with cats — and dogs to be fair. I’m an animal lover in general. So, I loved the Meow Mix idea. Of course, there’s a lot of 90s Nostalgia going on right now, so putting a 90s spin on the longtime jingle was so fun.”

The star also gushed over how “cute” the final product is. “It’s so good. It’s the sound, right? You automatically go back to that era. They they nailed the sound of the era.”

“Thanks to the brilliant Meow ReMix creative from incredible agency and brand partners in Publicis, BBH, and JMS, BCL Entertainment knew that the talent had to be legendary,” Bettie Levy, talent producer of the campaign and founder and CEO of BCL Entertainment, said of the new collaboration in a press statement.  “Beyond JC being part of one of the most iconic boy bands of all time, his interest in engaging in and contributing to unique campaigns made this partnership so natural and authentic.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to release the latest installment of our Meow ReMix campaign” added Peter Defries, GCD of BBH USA. “When we were tasked with launching the wet-food range, there was only one genre that could really bring it to life – the rain-soaked boybands of the 90s. And when JC Chasez came on board, we knew we were sitting on another hit.”

“Our latest campaign honors Meow Mix’s storied heritage while also bringing new cultural relevancy to the brand,” said Gail Hollander, chief marketing officer of JM Smucker’s. 

The Meox Mix boy band-themed spot comes amid a particularly fun renaissance for boy bands in the music industry, with K-pop groups like BTS and SEVENTEEN dominating the pop landscape. “I want more!” Chasez says.

Besides the emergence of new boy bands, classic groups like Chasez’s own *NSYNC have been getting a second life on TikTok. In particular, a page called @justice4jc has been going viral on the platform, spotlighting the 46-year-old’s impressive vocal range and giving him the “credit & recognition he deserves,” per the user’s bio.

When asked if he’s seen the Justice for JC movement, Chasez admits that he hasn’t personally been following it, but has been told about it by some of his friends. In fact, he hasn’t had much time to scroll on TikTok, as he’s been immersing himself in writing musical theater. “There are similarities [between writing a pop hit and musical theater songs] and there are some some very big differences,” he explains. “When you’re writing a single for something, you’re just looking to write about what you’re feeling in the moment. When you’re working on a musical, there’s alwaysa bigger picture and the story is always the driving force. I would say, in pop music, you can live in the moment and not be worried about what you’re singing about in terms of it not working with another piece.”

He continued, “What really attracted me to it lately is that there’s such a human experience in live theater. There’s no hiding. There’s no AI up there. There’s no dirty tricks. It’s people up there giving you everything in that moment. So that’s what’s really been fun about.”

So far, Chasez has written two plays — a coming-of-age-story and one that’s a “bit more serious” and “beautiful” look at humanity. “It’s kind of like the last thing that I haven’t really dabbled in,” he says of theater. “I started in television, then I moved into music and I made a couple of films. Now it feels like this is the last untapped thing. It’s nice to experience all sides of it.”

Lastly, the singer gave his official response to fellow *NSYNC member Chris Kirkpatrick’s claim that he’s the least active in the boy band’s group chat. “I don’t have an official response, because it’s true!” Chasez says. “They go off on tangents, man. It happens in waves, like, the chat will be quiet for a couple of weeks and then somebody chimes in with something and then everyone’s riffing on that. I get my piece in there, but they get they get chatty.”

Watch the new Meow Mix commercial here.

18 Jul 2023

Jennifer Lopez Teases Another Romantic Ode to Ben Affleck With Anniversary-Themed ‘Midnight Trip to Vegas’

She loves him, she really loves him. Jennifer Lopez teased her latest homage to husband Ben Affleck on Monday (July 17) when the singer/actress dropped a 20-second preview of her ode to the couple’s Sin City wedding, “Midnight in Vegas.” The first listen to the sweet ballad came a day after the first anniversary of their wedding at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas.

“Then you whispered in my ear/ Said, ‘let’s get out of here’/ We can disappear tonight/ What about a midnight trip to Vegas?/ Just me and you, baby/ Throw the kids in the back of the pink Cadillac/ And us in the bathroom changing,” she sang in a selfie lip synch video posted to her On the JLo page.

The song opens with the lines, “I always dreamed that I’d find somebody like you/ We’re drowning/ In orchid arrangements/ Dresses and pastries/ What if it’s raining, yeah?/ Is this what we’ve been dreaming of?/ It’s crowded with families and agents/ Room reservations/ Which destination/ Paps helicopters/ Event of the ages/ Caught in the matrix.”

“One year since our Midnight Trip To Vegas … ?♠️❤️ Go to On The JLo for a special surprise… #ThisIsMeNow,” she wrote on Instagram along with two glam shots of herself in a glittery dress. The preview of the song is the first listen we’ve had so far of This Is Me… Now, JLo’s sequel to her 2002 Affleck-inspired album This Is Me… Then. It is also at least the third song she’s written to honor Affleck, following up on the earlier album’s “Dear Ben”; “Dear Ben Pt. II” is slated to appear on Now, whose release date has not yet been announced.

Lopez and Affleck first began dating in July 2002 and were engaged in November of that year. The couple postponed their wedding in Sept. 2003 just a few days before the wedding was slated to take place and broke up before reuniting in 2021.

17 Jul 2023

Will.i.am Teases New Britney Spears Collaboration ‘Mind Your Business’

We’re now rocking with Will.i.am and Britney, b—-!

The Grammy-winning producer took to social media on Monday (July 17) to tease his new collaboration with Britney Spears, the electro-tinged “Mind Your Business.” The 16-second clip features Spears proclaiming over the track, “Mind your business, b—-!”

According to the post, the song is set to arrive on Tuesday (July 18). The duo previously teamed up on 2013’s “Scream & Shout.”

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The track’s title is fitting, as Spears has previously expressed frustration with documentaries about her life and 13-year conservatorship that hit streaming services without her permission. To take back her own story, the pop superstar is unveiling her long-awaited tell-all memoir, The Woman in Me, on Oct. 24. People magazine was first to report the news on the title that’s described as a “brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith and hope.”

Spears teased the memoir last April in a lengthy Instagram post in which she wrote, “Well I’m writing a book at the moment and as it’s actually healing and therapeutic … it’s also hard bringing up past events in my life … I’ve never been able to express openly !!! I can only imagine that I do sound childish but I was extremely young when those events took place … and addressing it now … I’m sure it seems irrelevant to most and I’m completely aware of that !!!”

See the “Mind Your Business” teaser and announcement below.

17 Jul 2023

Tina Knowles-Lawson Gushes Over Blue Ivy Joining Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour: ‘She Really Worked Hard’

From show-stopping vocals to eye-popping choreography and production, Beyoncé‘s Renaissance World Tour is one of the grandest shows happening right now. In the midst of all the show’s opulent elements stands one special surprise for select dates: a dance performance by Grammy winner Blue Ivy, the eldest daughter of the superstar and husband Jay-Z, and grandma Tina Knowles-Lawson couldn’t be prouder.

“Well, this is a heels family. You’re trained early to walk in heels,” Knowles-Lawson, mother to Beyoncé and grandmother to Blue Ivy, told People. “She’s having the time of her life, and I couldn’t be more proud of her because she really worked hard.”

Blue Ivy, the second-youngest Grammy winner in history, seamlessly fit into Beyoncé’s crew of seasoned dancers, featuring ballroom powerhouse Honey Balenciaga and renowned dancer-choreography Aliya Janell.

At the tour’s Paris stop (May 26), Blue surprised the sold-out stadium with some dazzling dance moves set to a pair of her mother’s most empowering anthems: “My Power” and “Black Parade,” both from 2019’s The Lion King: The Gift (Deluxe Edition). Blue’s flawless execution of the “My Power” choreography went viral and sparked a dance trend on TikTok.

Knowles-Lawson, a credited costume designer for the Renaissance World Tour, told the publication, “She is 11 years old, and she had one week to prepare, and she’s just getting better and better. So I’m the proud grandma, always.”

Blue is the eldest Carter child; she is the big sister to 6-year-old twins Rumi and Sir Carter. According to her grandmother, the tween’s confidence has soared “to the sky” since joining the Renaissance Tour. The young dancer made her debut on the tour’s North American leg at the Philadelphia show on July 12.

Blue Ivy has earned one entry on the Billboard Hot 100: 2019’s “Brown Skin Girl” (with Beyoncé, Wizkid & SAINt JN), which won the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Music Video and peaked at No. 76.

17 Jul 2023

Ariana Grande’s ‘Into You’ Music Video Reaches 1 Billion YouTube Views

It’s been seven years since Ariana Grande unveiled her club-ready hit “Into You” off her 2016 album Dangerous Woman, and the enduring hit has reached a new milestone. The music video for the track crossed the one billion views mark on YouTube.

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Upon its release in 2016, “Into You” climbed to No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Over the course of her impressive career, Grande has notched a whopping 73 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. Of those hits, 20 made the top 10 and seven topped the chart. The superstar’s first leader on the track was her 2018 breakup song, “Thank U, Next,” before snagging two more solo No. 1s with “7 Rings” and “Positions.”

She also topped the tally with a number of collaborations, including “Rain on Me” with Lady Gaga, “Stuck With U” with Justin Bieber and her two team-ups with The Weeknd, “Save Your Tears” and “Die For You.”

In other Grande news, the singer has reportedly split from husband Dalton Gomez after two years of marriage. According to TMZ, who was first to report the news, the couple has been separated since January and are planning to legally end their marriage. People also reports that the pair went their separate ways earlier this year.

Reminisce and rewatch Grande’s “Into You” music video below.

17 Jul 2023

A Timeline of Ariana Grande & Dalton Gomez’s Relationship

From a whirlwind romance to a reported divorce, here’s a full timeline of Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez’s relationship.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande attends the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on Jan. 26, 2020 in Los Angeles.

David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via GI

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez have reportedly parted ways after three years together.

According to TMZ, who was first to report the news, the couple has been separated since January and are planning to legally end their marriage. People also reports that the pair went their separate ways earlier this year.

Prior to their reported split, they attempted to reconcile without success. TMZ, People and Entertainment Tonight also report that Grande and Gomez remain friends, and talk regularly over the phone. Gomez and Grande have yet to publicly confirm the current status of their relationship.

The duo reportedly started dating in early 2020 but didn’t choose to make anything public until May, and were happily sharing the news of their engagement by December.

Grande announced that she was engaged to Gomez on Dec. 20 with a series of snapshots, including a look at her ring. They tied the knot just five months later, in May.

“Forever n then some,” she captioned the lovebirds’ photo gallery.

Get a recap of the glimpses they’ve given of their whirlwind relationship so far in the timeline below.

17 Jul 2023

Madame Tussauds Unveils 7 New Harry Styles Wax Figures: See the Photos

As his fans would probably say, one Harry Styles just isn’t enough. But luckily, Madame Tussauds is on a mission to make sure there’s plenty of Harries to go around, unveiling seven new wax figures of the pop star across the museum’s various locations around the world on Monday (July 17).

Featuring some of the the singer’s most iconic looks from performances and red carpet appearances, the seven figures will be distributed this month to museums in London, New York, Hollywood, Amsterdam, Berlin, Singapore and Sydney. The wax Harry in London — who wears a green suit modeled after real-life Harry’s My Policeman premiere look and took 10 months for Madame Tussauds’ artists to complete — will premiere to the general public July 27.

New York’s wax Harry is adorned with the “As It Was” singer’s famous rainbow bodysuit worn at his 2022 headlining Coachella set. Other Harries sport looks from the star’s bestselling Love On Tour global trek.

“Harry is one of the biggest stars in the world right now, from filling stadiums worldwide with his sell-out tours to being a fashion influencer, there is no denying he has left a timeless mark on popular culture,” said Madame Tussauds’ Global Brand Director Angela Jobson in a statement. “When the opportunity came up there was no hesitation, we jumped at the chance to add the Grammy award-winning superstar to our collection, and we cannot wait for fans to see him at any one of the seven venues worldwide.”

It’s not the first time Styles has been wax-ified by Madame Tussauds, but the new figures do mark his first as a soloist. A decade prior, he and bandmates Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne were replicated for a One Direction exhibit at Madame Tussauds in London — which became a popular mourning site for Directioners following Malik’s departure from the boy band in 2015.

See photos of the new Harry Styles wax figures below:

17 Jul 2023

Nick Carter Is Ready to Explore ‘Creative Personal Expression’ on Upcoming Solo Tour: Exclusive

Nick Carter feels most himself when he’s making music. After touring the world with the Backstreet Boys for the past four years, one might think he’d step back and take a much deserved break — but, in fact, he’s just getting started.

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“When I got back home and was finally able to be with the family, it was so amazing, but I’m a musician, I’m a performer. I love music, and so I decided that I wanted to get back on the road and do what I love,” the 43-year-old superstar tells Billboard.

That’s why he’s heading out on the road for his first solo tour in seven years. The Who I Am tour, announced exclusively via Billboard, aims to capture the music, the stories and the journey that, fittingly, made Carter who he is. “I was born in 1980 and there was a lot of music that influenced me throughout the years to be one of the members of the Backstreet Boys. So, I’m going to perform a lot of songs that I love,” he says of what fans can expect from the 14-show run. “80s songs, 90s songs — songs that that we all grew up with, and then also some solo songs and a lot of the Backstreet Boys songs. It’s just going to be a real fun show.”

The tour kicks off on October 4 in Lexington, Ky., before making its way through cities like Nashville, Tempe and Orlando before wrapping up on October 25 in Las Vegas. While Carter will be honoring his Backstreet Boys pop roots, fans can also expect to see a new side of the singer.

“I’m going to go out with a band, and I play guitar. I’m going to be playing drums throughout the show. So, it has a bit more creative personal expression and is a little bit more organic, I guess you could say,” he says of how his tour differs from a BSB run, before sharing the “surprising” songs he hopes to add into the setlist. “There’s no walls for me when it comes to music,” Carter says with a laugh. “One of the songs I really want to do is Simple Mind’s ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ from The Breakfast Club and another one I want to do is Bon Jovi’s ‘Wanted Dead or Alive.’ I’m actually going to do some rap because I grew up listening to rap music. I’m gonna tear up some rap and do my own East Coast versus West Coast!”

Don’t worry, Backstreet Boys fans. Just because Carter is embarking on a solo tour, doesn’t mean he’s not still close with the rest of the guys. “I’m probably going to write a song with AJ [McLean], and I just hung out with Kevin [Richardson] recently. We went to a yoga retreat together,” he says.

Carter’s Who I Am tour comes at a particularly poignant time in the superstar’s life. In November, his younger brother and fellow pop star Aaron Carter died at age 34 after he drowned in the bathtub at his home in Lancaster, Calif., after inhaling difluoroethane and taking alprazolam. His cause of death was deemed accidental.

“It’s been a very rough year for me and my family and losing my brother is still something that I’m processing,” Nick shares. Following Aaron’s death, Nick and his sister Angel launched a donation fund in their late brother’s memory to benefit On Our Sleeves, which advocates to break the stigma surrounding mental health and provides children’s mental health resources to families and teachers nationwide.

“You try to find ways to cope with the things that are being thrown at you in life. Leaning into anything philanthropic or charitable, it makes it about something bigger than yourself,” Nick says of his past few months. “When my sister and I [launched the donation fund], I think that was the only way we were able to process what we’ve been going through. It’s become about how can we turn what we’ve been feeling into something that can hopefully help somebody else, and then we can learn from it and then somebody else can learn from it.”

“I love my brother. He’s my baby brother and I love him. Losing him, it’s been really hard,” he adds, before taking time to offer some advice for those also going through the loss of a loved one. “You just have to take life as it comes and learn from it and, most importantly, just know that you’re not alone.”

Amid the grieving process, Nick has also been facing a new sexual abuse lawsuit from Melissa Schuman – a former member of teen-pop group Dream who has long claimed that she was assaulted by the singer. “I’m a really strong believer in the legal system,” the Backstreet Boys member tells Billboard, noting that he can’t share too many details about the ongoing lawsuit at this time. “I’m confident that justice will be served in the end, and I actually look forward to speaking about it more when it’s all over.”

As for now, Nick says that the Who I Am tour has provided a much welcomed beam of light in a particularly tumultuous year. “I’m a musician. I’m an artist. I’m a performer, but I’m also a human first,” he explains. “Music is therapeutic to me and we all find ways to manage the things that we’re going through in life. Getting out there and performing for fans and just being who I am — it’ll help me during this this time.”

Tickets and exclusive VIP packages for the Who I Am tour go on sale starting July 21 here. See below for the full list of tour dates.

Oct. 4 – Singletary Center for the Arts – Lexington, KY
Oct. 5 – The Family Arena – St. Charles, MO
Oct. 7 – Schermerhorn Symphony Center – Nashville, TN
Oct. 8 – The Classic Center Theatre – Athens, GA
Oct. 9 – Harbison Theatre – Irmo, SC
Oct. 11 – Shaftman Performance Hall Jefferson Center – Roanoke, VA
Oct. 13 – Wilson Center – Wilmington, NC
Oct. 15 – Walt Disney Theater at Dr. Phillips Center – Orlando, FL
Oct. 17 – Pompano Beach Amphitheater – Pompano Beach, FL
Oct. 19 – Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts – Gainesville, FL
Oct. 20 – Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall – Sarasota, FL
Oct. 22 – Morsani Hall Straz Center for the Performing Arts – Tampa, FL
Oct. 24 – Mullett Arena – Tempe, AZ
Oct. 25 – The Theater at Virgin Hotel Las Vegas – Las Vegas, NV

17 Jul 2023

BTS’ J-Hope Releasing Physical Edition of ‘Jack in the Box’ Album With Live Lollapalooza Tracks

Though BTS‘ J-Hope is in the midst of his mandatory military service, the singer is still giving ARMY something to talk about, and listen to. BIGHIT Music announced on Monday morning (July 17) that a year after its initial release, Hope’s solo debut, Jack in the Box, will be released in a physical version on August 18.

Jack in the Box (HOPE Edition) will feature the original album tracks, along with three new live recordings from Hope’s history-making performance at Lollapalooza in 2022 in Chicago, as well as two instrumental tracks. According to a release, the physical album will also include new concept photos and a number of other “special components.”

At press time the full track listing had not yet been announced.

Back in April, J-Hope’s bandmates gave him an emotional send-off to celebrate his entry into mandatory South Korean military bootcamp to fulfill the country’s 18-month service requirement. Suga, RM, Jung Kook, Jimin and V showed up at the drop-off location to send the rapper off and lift his spirits, lightening the mood by making some playful comments about JH’s new buzz cut.

While JH serves his country, ARMY got another chance to spend time with him last month when a solo documentary, j-hope IN THE BOX, was released to theaters worldwide as part of the k-pop group’s 10th anniversary celebration. A description of the film said it would give viewers, “a close look at the creative process of the artist during the album’s preparation process, as well as front row seats to j-hope’s epic 2022 Lollapalooza performance and the Jack In The Box listening party.”

J-Hope made history last August when he became the first South Korean artist to headline the main stage at a major Ameican music festival.