Pop

06 Jul 2023

Olivia Rodrigo Posts Hilariously Sanitized Alternate Radio Edit ‘Vampire’ Lyrics

Olivia Rodrigo‘s “Vampire” almost had a very different kind of bite. In a TikTok video posted on Wednesday titled “dream crusher it is”, Rodrigo and producer Dan Nigro are in the studio working on the first single from the singer’s upcoming sophomore album, cooking up some pretty hilarious alternate lyrics for the track’s radio edit.

In the clip, Rodrigo and Nigro amuse themselves by replacing the more explicit line about a “Bloodsucker, fame f—er/ Bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire” with more safe-for-work alternatives, including “tree hugger,” “fame hunter,” “whale blubber,” “Mark Zucker,” “fame lover” and “garlic butter.” The sanitized radio version out now has her singing “Bloodsucker, dream crusher.” After several takes Nigro can be heard laughing at the proposed replacement phrases, with both losing it at the mention of the Meta boss. It ends with Nigro confidently saying, “yeah, I think one of them will work.”

“Vampire” is the first new music from Rodrigo since her 2021 debut, Sour, which featured her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits “Drivers License” and “Good 4 U,” as well as “Deja Vu” and “Brutal.” The song is slate to appear on Rodrigo’s upcoming second album, GUTS, which is due out on Sept. 8.

As you might expect, the search is on among fans for the identity of the vampiric protagonist in the song, with Rodrigo having some fun recently with the “who is it about?” parlor games her fans have been taking part in. Just days after the single dropped, Rodrigo, 20, hopped on TikTok to offer some blood red herrings to her followers. While pretending to sip blood from a fake hospital-grade “Type A” blood bag while listening to the song, Rodrigo paused and said, “Wait, is this f—ing play about us?,” while lip synching along to a scene from Euphoria.

Next to her in the video was TikTok comedian Jake Shane wearing a vampire cape and also drinking fake blood, whom Rodrigo joked in the caption was actually the subject of her new lyrics. “for everyone asking… vampire is about @Jake Shane,” she wrote. “I am the vampire in question,” Shane confirmed in the comments.

Check out the TikTok below.

05 Jul 2023

SEVENTEEN’s Joshua & Vernon Unveil Summer-Themed Radio Show

What better way to soak up the sun than with the boys of SEVENTEEN? The K-pop superstar group’s Joshua and Vernon are teaming up to host a special summer radio show on Apple Music 1, aptly titled Summer Vacation With Joshua and Vernon of SEVENTEEN.

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Over the course of the four episode series, the duo will play some of their favorite songs, share their best summer memories and answer questions from their beloved fanbase, the CARATs. The inaugural episode, available on Wednesday (July 5), features Joshua and Vernon chatting about past travel stories and dream vacation spots, all while jamming out to a number of summer hits.

“Just the fact that we are launching an Apple Music radio show makes me very excited, and I want to communicate with CARATs quickly,” Joshua said in a press statement. “I want to deliver good energy to CARATs through the Apple Music radio show.”

Vernon mirrored the sentiment, adding, “Excited to host my and Josh’s Apple Music radio show. We plan to introduce several episodes through Apple Music radio, and among them, I think the episode ‘Ice Cream & Summer Foods’ will be especially fun. I look forward to it very much. Hope you enjoy!”

Summer Vacation With Joshua and Vernon of SEVENTEEN will air live weekly on Apple Music 1 here, with the remaining episodes premiering at 5 p.m. PT on July 12, 19 and 26. If you missed the live broadcast, fear not. All episodes will be available any time on demand here with an Apple Music subscription.

SEVENTEEN's Joshua & Vernon

Apple Music

05 Jul 2023

Here Are 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Austin Mahone | Billboard

Austin Mahone reveals five things you didn’t know about him.

Austin Mahone:
Hey, I’m Austin Mahone, and here are five things that you may not know about me.

The first thing is that you should know is that I’m country. I’m from San Antonio, Texas. I grew up, you know, going to every single rodeo that I could. My first concert I ever went to was Kenny Chesney, and I just love country music.

And the second thing you may not know about me is that everything that you saw in my “Kuntry” music video was real — it’s from my family. That’s just what they love to do in their spare time is get their friends and their friends’ trucks together and go mudding and drink beer and scream at the top of their lungs and shove people in the muddy water. It’s just a good time.

The third thing that people may not know about me is I’m 6 feet tall, so just know.

The fourth thing is I have a film account. I like to shoot film pictures. So if you want to see my work, it’s in my bio, just click the link in there.

The fifth thing is I grew up with two dogs and two cats, and I think I might prefer cats over dogs.

I’m Austin Mahone. And those are five things that you may not have known about me

05 Jul 2023

TWICE Takes Over ‘TODAY’ With Bubbly Performances of ‘Alcohol Free,’ ‘Set Me Free’ & More

TWICE was “ready to be” on a television screen near you with their performances for TODAY‘s Summer Concert Series on Wednesday (July 5).

The K-Pop girl group graced the show’s concert stage with multiple performances of hits from across its catalog, including selections from recently released project, Ready to Be. Ahead of hitting the stage, TODAY Show co-host Craig Melvin hailed them as “the history-making queens of K-Pop.”

Each of the group’s members — Momo, Minatozaki Sana, Nayeon, Tzuyu, Jihyo, Chaeyoung, Jeongyeon, Mina and Dahyun — got an opportunity to introduce themselves to TODAY viewers before lighting up the stage with a series of electric performances “Alcohol-Free,” “Set Me Free” and more, complete with bubbles, a live band and outfits straight out of their music videos.

TWICE is the first all-woman K-Pop group to sell out a stadium in North America. The global phenoms are set to headline New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium as a part of their Ready to Be World Tour, which boasts nearly 40 dates across Asia, North America, Europe and Australia. The group’s TODAY performance included a rendition of Ready to Be lead single “Set Me Free,” which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, their highest peak on the ranking. The girl group also performed “Moonlight Sunrise,” their second English-language single and second song to enter the Billboard Hot 100 (No. 84).

Ready to Be, the group’s twelfth EP, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 with over 153,000 album-equivalent units. Of that figure, 145,500 units came from pure album sales, good enough for the group’s biggest consumption week in the U.S., as well as their highest-charting title in the U.S. to date.

TWICE has earned four consecutive top ten titles on the Billboard 200 dating back to 2021’s Taste of Love. “The Feels,” their first original English-language single, is their highest-charting Hot 100 hit (No. 83).

Check out some clips of TWICE’s TODAY performances below.

05 Jul 2023

Beyonce Cancels Pittsburgh Renaissance Tour Date Due to Production, Scheduling Issues

Beyoncé‘s planned August 3 show at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium has been canceled. The venue announced the news on Wednesday (July 5) in a tweet, which said that due to unspecified “production logistics and scheduling issues” the Renaissance World Tour date has been scratched from the schedule.

Refunds will be automatically issued at the point of purchase.

At press time Bey had not commented on the Pittsburgh pull and a spokesperson had not responded to Billboard‘s request for additional information on the cause of the cancellation; the show is no longer listed on the roster of dates on the singer’s official site, which now has her playing Boston on August 1 and then moving on to Washington, DC on August 5-6.

The Renaissance tour kicked off on May 10 in Stockholm, Sweden and found the singer performing in stadiums and arenas across Europe through the final show on June 27 at the PGE Narowdoy in Warsaw, Poland; according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Bey grossed $154.4 million and sold 1 million tickets across 21 European shows.

The North American tour is scheduled to kick off on July 8 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto and keep Beyoncé on the road through a Sept. 27 gig at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The North American Renaissance dates will find Bey criss-crossing the U.S. and Canada at the same time as another powerhouse performer, Taylor Swift, fills stadiums on her Eras Tour, with Queen Bey playing a number of the same venues as her fellow Forbes’ America’s Richest Self-Made Women list honoree.

See the announcement below.

05 Jul 2023

Watch BTS’ 10th Anniversary Fireworks Show

Though FESTA has come and gone, BTS fans have another chance at experiencing the group’s 10th anniversary fireworks show online. The Bangtan Boys uploaded the special celebration, which took place live from Seoul on June 17, to its YouTube page on Wednesday (July 6) for fans to enjoy.

The stunning pyrotechnics display occurred at the Han River Park after night fell, and kicked off with Map of the Soul: Persona track “Mikrokosmos” — a fitting selection, as the song’s message speaks of unity and a beacon of hope to those watching. “One light is ambition/ Some light is rebellion/ People’s lights/ All are precious/ This dark night (Don’t be lonely)/ Like stars (We shine)/ Don’t disappear/ ‘Cause you’re a big existence/ Let us shine,” RM and Suga rap on the song’s second verse.

Throughout the light show, special effects were employed to fit the theme of the song playing. For “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey, the sky lit up with smiley faces and red hearts, and during the group’s No. 1 smash “Butter,” several yellow sequences were sent up above the river. The visual display concluded with BTS’ recently released track, “Take Two,” which featured several fireworks in the group’s signature color — purple.

According to Reuters, an estimated 400,000 people — some who traveled across the world — turned up for the event in Seoul. RM was in attendance at the FESTA celebrations, and gave a message to all the fans in attendance, as well as those tuning in. “Time goes by so fast. Everything has changed, and I’ve changed a lot,” he shared. “I’m not sure what I’m going to be doing with what feelings on the 15th and 20th anniversaries, but my love for you won’t change.”

Watch the fireworks display above.

05 Jul 2023

Ariana Grande Celebrates Her Birthday on Set of ‘Wicked’: ‘Ozian 30th’

Ariana Grande was definitely the most “Popular” birthday girl on the set of Wicked last week.

In a Wednesday (July 5) Instagram post, the newly 30-year-old pop star revealed that she celebrated her 30th birthday hard at work with her castmates and crew, sharing snaps of all the sweet ways her Wicked live-action colleagues made her feel extra special on June 26. In one video, she goes out to eat with co-star Bowen Yang; in another photo, the R.E.M. Beauty founder poses for a mirror selfie with her makeup team.

“Ozian thirtieth :)” she captioned the post.

More photos reveal that the cast and crew made a compilation of personal video messages for the “Positions” singer, including Jeff Goldblum, who plays the Wizard of Oz in the film. “I LOVE U,” Grande wrote of the actor on her Story.

“My Ozian family made me the sweetest video in the world,” she added of the gesture. “This entire crew. It’s too much. I’m never leaving.”

Grande will play Glinda the Good Witch opposite Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba — aka the Wicked Witch of the West — in the two upcoming Wicked films, the first of which is set to arrive November 2024. The Jon M. Chu-directed project also stars Michelle Yeoh and Bridgerton‘s Jonathan Bailey.

On the actual day of her birthday, Grande shared a sweet throwback photo of herself as a child, dressed up as Dorothy Gale in a blue and white checkered dress. “HBD, tiny!” she wrote to her past self in the caption. “I trust you implicitly & have never been prouder of you.” 

See photos from Ariana’s on-set birthday celebrations below:

05 Jul 2023

Taylor Swift Announces 14 More 2024 European Eras Tour Dates With Paramore

Summer is better with friends. That might explain why Taylor Swift announced on Wednesday morning (July 5) that one of her pals, Paramore‘s Hayley Williams, will be joining her for the entire run of 2024 European Eras Tour summer dates.

The news came in the form of a post featuring a picture of the two old friends with their arms draped over each other’s shoulders and an excited message from Swift. “Really can’t contain my excitement because… we’re adding 14 new shows to The Eras Tour,” she wrote. “And I get to travel the world doing shows with @paramore!! Hayley and I have been friends since we were teens in Nashville and now we get to frolic around the UK/Europe next summer??? I’m screaming???”

The addition of the 14 new dates means Paramore is slated to open all 48 dates of the 2024 European leg of the tour, which kicks off on May 9 in Paris and wraps on August 17 with the last of six shows at Wembley Stadium in London. Paramore helped Swift launch the massive tour during the first two shows in March in Glendale, AZ and the dynamic duo will appear together on “Castles Crumbling” from the anticipated Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)collection due out on Friday (July 7).

See Swift’s tweet and the full list of shows Paramore will open in 2024 below.

2024 Eras Tour dates featuring Paramore:

May 9 – Nanterre, France @ Paris La Défense Arena

May 10 –  Nanterre, France @ Paris La Défense Arena

May 11 –  Nanterre, France @ Paris La Défense Arena

May 12 –  Nanterre, France @ Paris La Défense Arena $

May 17 –  Stockholm, Sweden @ Friends Arena

May 18 –  Stockholm, Sweden @ Friends Arena

May 19 –  Stockholm, Sweden @ Friends Arena $

May 24 –  Lisbon, Portugal @ Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica

May 25 –  Lisbon, Portugal @ Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica $

May 30 –  Madrid, Spain @ Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

June 2 –  Lyon, France @ Groupama Stadium

June 3 – Lyon, France @ Groupama Stadium $

June 7 –  Edinburgh, Scotland @ BT Murrayfield Stadium

June 8 –  Edinburgh, Scotland @ BT Murrayfield Stadium

June 9 –  Edinburgh, Scotland @ BT Murrayfield Stadium $

June 13 – Liverpool, England @ Anfield $

June 14 – Liverpool, England @ Anfield

June 15 Liverpool, England @ Anfield

June 18 –  Cardiff, Wales @ Principality Stadium

June 21 –  London, England @ Wembley Stadium

June 22 –  London, England @ Wembley Stadium

June 23 –  London, England @ Wembley Stadium $

June 28 – Dublin, Ireland @ Aviva Stadium

June 29 –  Dublin, Ireland @ Aviva Stadium

June 30 – Dublin, Ireland @ Aviva Stadium $

July 4 –  Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Johan Cruijff Arena $

July 5 –  Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Johan Cruijff Arena

July 6 –  Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Johan Cruijff Arena

July 9 –  Zurich, Switzerland @ Letzigrund

July 10 –  Zurich, Switzerland @ Letzigrund

July 13 –  Milan, Italy @ Stadio Giuseppe Meazza

July 14 –  Milan, Italy @ Stadio Giuseppe Meazza $

July 17 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins-Arena $

July 18 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins-Arena

July 19 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany @ Veltins-Arena $

July 23 – Hamburg, Germany @ Volksparkstadion

July 24 – Hamburg, Germany @ Volksparkstadion

July 27 –  Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion

July 28 – Munich, Germany @ Olympiastadion

August 1 – Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy $

August 2 – Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy

August 3 – Warsaw, Poland @ PGE Narodowy

August 8 – Vienna, Austria @ Ernst-Happel-Stadion $

August 9 – Vienna, Austria @ Ernst-Happel-Stadion

August 10 – Vienna, Austria @ Ernst-Happel-Stadion

August 15 – London, England @ Wembley Stadium

August 16 – London, England @ Wembley Stadium

August 17 London, England @ Wembley Stadium

$ — denotes newly announced Paramore opening dates

05 Jul 2023

Meghan Trainor and Husband Daryl Sabara Announce Birth of Second Son

Meghan Trainor and husband Daryl Sabara welcomed their second child over the weekend. The “Made You Look” singer announced the news on Tuesday night (July 4) in a sweet Instagram post featuring a black and white picture of mother and baby snuggling in the hospital.

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“On July 1st (our 7 year anniversary of our first date) we welcomed Barry Bruce Trainor into the world,” she wrote alongside the series of snaps, which also featured the former Spy Kids star cradling baby Barry, as well as a number of adorable solo Barry snaps and one of Trainor in her hospital bed throwing up a peace sign.

“He was a big boy at 8lbs 7oz…and sideways (transverse), but we had an amazing, successful c-section, and I finally got my skin to skin time!,” she added. “Thank you to all of the incredible doctors and nurses who took such great care of u.” Baby Bary joins the couple’s two-year-old son, Riley.

The exciting news was celebrated by a number of fellow stars, including fellow mother of two Mandy Moore, who commented, “Go Mama!! And welcome to the party, Barry!! What a lucky dude!!,” while Paris Hilton — who welcomed her first child earlier this year — added “Congratulations sis! So happy for you!”

Actresses Ashley Benson and Chrissy Metz also offered their congratulations, as did Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying and JoJo Siwa’s mom, Jessalyn.

Back in April the couple revealed the baby’s sex on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the same place where they disclosed the sex of their first born two years earlier.

Check out Trainor’s post below.

04 Jul 2023

Kelly Clarkson Earns Fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales Chart With ‘Chemistry’

Kelly Clarkson earns her fourth No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated July 8) as her latest studio effort, Chemistry, debuts atop the list. The set sold 43,000 copes in the U.S. in the week ending June 29, according to Luminate. Clarkson previously led the tally with Piece by Piece (2015), All I Ever Wanted (2009) and Thankful (2003). All told, Chemistry is her 10th top 10-charting title on Top Album Sales.

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Also in the top 10 of the new Top Album Sales chart, Young Thug nabs his sixth top 10 set as Business Is Business bows at No. 6.

Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now Luminate. Pure album sales were the sole measurement utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. The new July 8, 2023-dated chart will be posted in full on Billboard‘s website on July 5, one day later than usual, owed to the Independence Day holiday in the U.S. on July 4.  For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram.

Of Chemistry’s 43,000 copies sold in its first week, physical sales comprise 25,500 (18,000 on CD and 7,500 on vinyl) and digital album sales comprise 17,500. The set also enters at No. 1 on the Vinyl Albums chart (her first leader there), and with 7,500 sold, Chemistry lands Clarkson her best week ever on vinyl.

Chemistry’s sales were bolstered by its availability across multiple vinyl variants, including exclusive color editions for Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Clarkson’s webstore, Spotify, Target, Urban Outfitters and Walmart. (Target’s edition also had an alternative cover.) Clarkson’s CD sales were enhanced by multiple editions, including a signed version sold through her webstore, an Amazon-exclusive that contained a poster and a Target-exclusive variant with an alternative cover.

ATEEZ’s The World EP.2: Outlaw falls to No. 2 in its second week, with 32,000 sold (down 68%) after debuting atop the list a week ago. Stray Kids’ former No. 1 5-STAR is a non-mover at No. 3 with 19,000 (down 28%) and ENHYPEN’s Dark Blood is also stationary at No. 4 with 11,000 (down 10%). Taylor Swift’s chart-topping Midnights is steady at No. 5 with nearly 11,000 sold (down 4%).

Young Thug’s Business Is Business is the second and final debut in the top 10, as it starts at No. 6 with 8,500 sold, with 97% of that figure from digital album sales. A small number of sales were generated by a CD edition of the album that was released late in the tracking week to a limited number of independent record stores. Business is the sixth top 10-charting set for the rapper.

Swift has two more albums in the top 10, as her former No. 1s Folklore (10-7 with 8,000; up 4%) and Lover (16-8 with 7,000; up 16%) both climb. Two more chart-topping sets round out the top 10, as SEVENTEEN’s SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album: FML is a non-mover at No. 9 (nearly 7,000; down 19%) and TWICE’s Ready to Be rises 13-10 (6,000; down 9%).

In the week ending June 29, there were 1.708 million albums sold in the U.S. (down 13.6% compared to the previous week). Of that sum, physical albums (CDs, vinyl LPs, cassettes, etc.) comprised 1.363 million (down 17%) and digital albums comprised 346,000 (up 3.1%).

There were 620,000 CD albums sold in the week ending June 29 (down 14.4% week-over-week) and 735,000 vinyl albums sold (down 19.1%). Year-to-date CD album sales stand at 17.537 million (up 3.9% compared to the same time frame a year ago) and year-to-date vinyl album sales total 23.606 million (up 21.7%).

Overall year-to-date album sales total 50.641 million (up 7.9% compared to the same year-to-date time frame a year ago). Year-to-date physical album sales stand at 41.407 million (up 13.3%) and digital album sales total 9.234 million (down 11.2%).