State Champ Radio Pop
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Because reading is what? Fundamental! Dua Lipa announced Thursday (May 11) that she’s starting her very own book club. The Service95 Book Club will be the latest offshoot of the singer’s Service95 newsletter, and she shared the news in a bikini-clad Instagram post, writing, “Ever since I can remember, anywhere I go I take a […]
H is for Haim! The Haim sisters stopped by Sesame Street recently to perform a new song all about the alphabet. Chancing upon Elmo, the trio tells the little red character that they’re checking out “all of the wonderful things on Sesame Street” from an arbor and the buildings to a spotting of Oscar the […]
Diane Keaton relived her viral dance to Miley Cyrus‘ “Flowers” on the Thursday (May 11) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. The iconic actress — who was on set with her Book Club: The Next Chapter costars Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen and Candice Bergen — immediately became self-deprecating when host Kelly Clarkson wanted to talk […]
Lizzo thinks it’s about d–n time for TikTok to stop excluding her videos from its algorithm. In a recent video, the hitmaker told her followers that she thinks the platform has shadow banned her after noticing that her posts have been performing suspiciously better on Instagram than on TikTok in terms of view counts. Explore […]
Beyoncé‘s Renaissance World Tour kicked off in Stockholm on Wednesday (May 10). The star gave a dazzling, three-hour showcase of tracks from recently released LP Renaissance, iconic hits from her solo career across two decades, and even delighted fans with a few songs from her time in Destiny’s Child. In addition to the hits, the […]
Haley Lu Richardson can’t wait to see the Jonas Brothers again. “I’m so excited, have I mentioned that?” she asks Billboard over the phone.
The White Lotus standout is set to serve as Today‘s first-ever special correspondent for the JoBros’ concert on Friday — a surprise announcement she made early Thursday (May 11) on the morning talk show.
Not only will Nick, Kevin and Joe Jonas’ takeover of New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza officially kick off Today‘s 2023 Citi Concert Series, it will also mark the official release of their new studio set The Album — the promo for which started back in late February with lead single “Wings.”
After finding out Richardson was a certified superfan courtesy of her viral interview on The Late Late Show With James Corden (where Nick surprised her via FaceTime), the brothers enlisted the actress to star in the Las Vegas-based music video for “Wings” along with her real-life friends.
Since then, she’s been on hand for The Album FlyOver Experience in Las Vegas, but stepping in front of the camera for Today on behalf of Jonatics everywhere is a whole new kind of role for the 28-year-old. “I was actually freaking out all day yesterday,” she admits. “Like, I was actually starting to get some genuine anxiety and I was like, ‘Where’s this anxiety coming from?’ And then about halfway through the day I realized, ‘Oh yeah, ’cause I’m going to New York to meet the Jonas Brothers again.’ So I’ve been honestly really excited and really nervous about it.”
Read the rest of Richardson’s exclusive chat with Billboard, including the songs she wants to hear on the Today stage, how she’d cast each JoBro in The White Lotus and more, below.
Hi Haley! I’m basically the Haley Lu Richardson of the Billboard office, when it comes to the Jonas Brothers, so I’m obviously excited to talk with you about them.
[Laughs] That’s great. I love that I can represent that kind of person.
Absolutely. So you were in the “Wings” video, and now you’re a Today correspondent for their concert…
Well, I don’t even exactly know what this… Today show correspondent, you called it? I don’t exactly know everything that that’s gonna entail. ‘Cause I’m pretty sure I’m just gonna be freaking out the whole time.
What’s it been like to be a part of The Album‘s promo cycle in multiple ways now?
[Pauses] Do you think I’m really a part of it?
You’re in the video!
I am in the video. I mean, I guess it still just feels kind of unreal? I’ve watched that music video, I think it has like five-something-million views, and I’m probably like two million of them. [laughs] Whenever I’m just sad or down on myself or in a funk, all I have to do is really watch that to feel better about my life and myself and my whole journey. So honestly, it’s kind of just the best thing ever. I can’t really believe it, still.
Do you have a favorite memory from the “Wings” shoot?
There was this time where I was blindfolded with the tie I made for Nick when I was, like, 12, and my friends were spinning me around to kiss the cardboard cutout of Nick. And then while I was blindfolded, I heard my friend talking to someone, and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a different tone of voice and inflection than she’s used all day, it’s, like, much more excited.’ But I didn’t really think much of it. And then it turns out that Nick. Jonas. was just, like, in the hallway. [laughs] I took my blindfold off and Nick was standing there! That was extremely overwhelming. Also, Kevin is just the nicest human in the entire world, and the suite that we were filming in was his suite. We were all getting dressed and, like, we would rest between takes in Kevin’s bedroom. So that was cool, yeah, that was neat. That was fun.
So I assume you’ve heard The Album.
Yeah, there was this Vegas Flyover Experience that they did, and the songs from their album are the songs on the ride. It’s kinda like Soarin’ Over California in California Adventure, but it’s in Vegas. But the songs when you’re soaring over Vegas and the West Coast and stuff, is The Album songs. So I heard it once, then. And it was so emotional, I was literally crying the whole time. It’s a very emotional album. I feel like it’s very personal and moving.
Which of the band’s old songs are you hoping they’ll play at their Today show?
Wow, umm…obviously “Lovebug.” Well, I’ve always wanted them to sing “Hello Beautiful” and Nick to look me in the eyes. And also “When You Look Me in the Eyes,” I wanted Nick to look me in the eyes. Which I actually think, I don’t know if I’m delusional or if it actually happened, but when I was at their Vegas show, I swear they knew where me and my friends were standing. They must’ve ’cause I was pretty close and I was being very loud. And I apologized to everyone that was around me, except everyone that was around me was all singing pretty loud. I guess that’s what you do at a concert. But anyways, I could’ve sworn that when they were playing “When You Look Me in the Eyes,” Nick looked at me. I could’ve sworn. But you know, I think I might be delusional.
That’s every Jonas Brothers fan’s dream come true.
It’s what you always want ’cause I’ve been to so many concerts —I’ve been to like 15 concerts at least, now, of the Jonas Brothers throughout my life. So I feel like every time I’ve gone, that’s what I’ve wanted during that song. And it’s never happened, you know, ’cause I’ve been up in, like, the nosebleed seats. Is that what they’re called? You know, I’ve never had great seats at a Jonas Brothers concert up until this Vegas show. And I just could’ve sworn he looked at me and we locked eyes.
Well, and now you do know them.
Well…yeah I guess you could say that. [laughs]
What are you most nervous about hosting the Today concert?
Well I’m just extremely, again, nervous to be around them. Like, I just don’t know how I’m gonna function, I don’t know what the Today people are expecting of me. But I’m not gonna be able to really…I want to be friends with them. I do have to be able to be grounded and somewhat functional around them.
And you do have to introduce them and maybe ask them questions.
I do?? Oh my god! No one told me that! I think they probably know that I’m just gonna freak out if they tell me I have to do something like that. Oh god! Oh no! Wish me luck. Oh man, I’m already…my shoulders are in my ears, I’m freakin’ out.
So I have to ask, which brother do you think could’ve played a role on The White Lotus with you?
Oh wow…You know what, they’re all so talented and they’re all funny. I think that Nick could’ve made an amazing Cameron. Isn’t that Theo’s character? ‘Cause he can do that cool attitude thing. And, you know, he wears fancy sunglasses and stuff like that. I could just see it. I feel like Joe could’ve been a good Albie. Or Joe could’ve been a good Jack. Kevin, honestly, he’s just the nicest thing, I don’t know if he could play any of these awful people because he’s just so good. He was so kind to me when I met them. Like, honestly, gave me way more time than he needed to.
Sorry, does that mean that you think Nick and Joe are awful people?
No! Please don’t ever think that. They were all so kind. But Nick has this kind of, like, very…what’s the word? He’s just so cool, you know? And Joe is so, like…But Nick is so charming! And Joe! They’re all so grounded and kind and generous. Oh my god, no, I think they’re all great. Maybe Kevin could’ve been Ethan! Yeah, how ’bout that for an alternate universe?
Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the contestants eliminated on Wednesday night’s (May 10) episode of The Masked Singer.
You’d think that having five singers would give you a distinct advantage when going up against just one disguised vocalist on The Masked Singer. But on Wednesday night’s semifinal episode of the season, even after California Roll left it all on the stage with a killer version of Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway” and then went head-to-five-head against Macaw and Medusa in the Battle Royale round singing Bruno Mars’ “Runaway Baby,” it was time for the nori to meet the road.
Once again, the panel was split on who was under the adorable sushi getups, which had intrigued the panel for weeks as the group of singers showed impressive versatility, with a haunting take on Radiohead’s “Creep,” an epic cover of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” and perfect harmonies on Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” As usual, panelist Ken Jeong was way off, suggesting Miami Sound Machine and the cast of In the Heights, while Nicole Scherzinger thought they might be the cast of Spring Awakening or Hamilton. Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg was on-target again by voting for chart-topping vocal group Pentatonix.
As it turns out, she was right, and before the group’s elimination on Wednesday, Billboard caught up with members Scott Hoying, Kevin Olusola and Matt Sallee (the group also includes Mitch Grassi and Kirstin Maldonado) to find out how they got rolled into participating and why hitting their signature vocal harmonies was so hard with zero eye contact.
Were you fans of the show before you were booked, and why did it take so long to get you on there, because it seems like a natural fit?
Hoying: I love the show. I think it’s such a fun idea… totally over-the-top and the costumes are so beautiful. I remember watching it and seeing how moved the people were that were on the show because when you’re hidden behind the mask, you can change your voice and sing any way you want and express yourself in ways you don’t normally get to. People actually get emotional because they feel the freedom. We definitely had that [experience], and it was the least nervous I’ve ever been performing on a television show because it felt so cozy behind the mask and we could really unleash new parts of ourselves.
Matt, what were you able to do what you typically can’t onstage, or things you lean on when you perform?
Sallee: I thought it was really cool when we were going through the arranging process and we were really excited to try new sounds and instrumentation because we’re a cappella. We were thinking, “How can we make this as enjoyable as possible because of all the instrumentation we could use?” That’s something we’ve dabbled with in our more recent music, and we wanted to show an evolution of how we can be not just an a cappella group, but can also use other instruments and sounds and still have the same Pentatonix sound.
There’s something about being under those masks. Were you able to physically express yourselves in ways you normally wouldn’t?
Olusola: That’s one of the most fun parts of this. Normally, when you’re onstage and everyone sees you, not to say you’re self-conscious, but you’re very aware of how your body moves and your angles, how your face looks because the cameras are on you. It’s all part of the presentation. When you’re behind the mask, you can really go full-out because there’s a levity to the mask — it’s an interesting, funny character — so the fun and joy that you bring the more extra moments you have onstage lends really well. So if we’re kicking onstage, if we’re jumping around, if we’re having fun with the audience doing something that would normally look outlandish, it lends super well to this show. We really went full out and we would talk about it so much afterwards: “Did you really do that on stage!?” “Yeah, I did, and I’m happy about it!”
Anything that scared you about slipping into the sushi?
Hoying: Oh man, so many anxieties. I was worried at first because our sushis were so boxy when we were in them. I was afraid we were going to be echoey. I was literally being a nerd about the acoustics, and I was also worried about being really, really hot. I get hot really easily and I worried I wouldn’t be able to sing or perform. I was also worried about falling off the stage, because I couldn’t see through the mask super well peripherally.
With a vocal group, I imagine being able to see each other and make eye contact while singing is a huge deal. How hard was it to pull that off in these ridiculous costumes?
Sallee: I was really proud of us, because we sing together — we’re together a lot, more than with our families — so we know each other really well and there is this big trust built and natural cohesiveness when we sing together. I was really proud of us for doing that apart from each other. For one of the songs we were spread out throughout the studio and not even by each other singing together. Being able to hear each other and know in our in-ear monitors that we’re all there, it was not so terribly different when we’re not having giant sushi rolls on top of us.
It’s hard enough to do choreo on a good day, but how much harder was it when you can’t see each other? Were you counting steps, worried that you would knock each other over?
Olusola: That was my main fear. You’re looking through a very limited hole, and so because of that, it limits your ability to see and your visibility is lower. That’s something I had to be extremely aware about, but also knowing that I wanted to go full out because the character I got to play. That was one of the things where my brain and body had to be in synchronization in a completely different way. At the same time, we still had so much fun and we still went full out! At some point, when you got to the actual show, we had rehearsed it enough to kind of trust our bodies, trust our ability to perform and not make any mistakes that will cause bodily harm.
Medusa seems pretty formidable. Any idea who she is?
Hoying: We have no idea, but she is sooo good! Just one of those undeniable voices, just oh my gosh.
Will you be adding any of the songs from your Masked run to your upcoming summer tour?
Hoying: I think so. I think we’ll definitely do a couple of them.
Behati Prinsloo took to social media on Tuesday (May 9) to give fans a peek at husband Adam Levine playing with their newest baby.
The model stuck the candid snap in the middle of a photo carousel captioned, “A blink of an eye.” In the photo, the Maroon 5 frontman wears a pink and purple tie-dyed hoodie and long blue sweat shorts on the beach as he lifts his youngest high above his head, with the tot’s face out of frame.
In the comments section, some fans think the little one’s outfit is subtle confirmation that the baby is the couple’s first boy, though neither Levine nor Prinsloo has publicly revealed the sex or name. (They also share two daughters: 6-year-old Dusty Rose and 4-year-old Gio Grace.)
The Namibian model, known for her work with Victoria’s Secret, first confirmed her pregnancy with the newborn back in September, but her rock-star hubby soon found himself mired in a cheating scandal when salacious texts leaked between himself and Instagram model Sumner Stroh.
While Levine denied having an affair, the leaked conversation was certainly damning — he even went as far as to ask Stroh for her permission to name his yet-unborn baby with his wife “Sumner” if it turned out to be a boy. In the wake of the scandal, he ended 2022 as the top trending musician of the year on Google and has since gone on to open a Las Vegas residency with his Maroon 5 bandmates.
Check out Prinsloo’s latest Instagram post below.
From a musical and commercial perspective, SEVENTEEN’s best-ever chart rankings and sales numbers all feel wholly deserved for their 10th mini album FML.
With 135,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the week ending May 4, according to Luminate, the set marks the K-pop group’s biggest sales week, plus a new chart peak of No. 2 on the Billboard 200. (With just 3,000 units separating them from ending Morgan Wallen’s two-month run atop the chart). As the top-selling album of the week, as well as the fourth-largest sales week for all of 2023, SEVENTEEN also notch their fifth No. 1 on Top Album Sales as well as seventh No. 1 on World Albums.
After FML racked up over a reported 4.64 million in pre-orders globally to be the most-ordered album in K-pop history, SEVENTEEN tell Billboard that their latest accomplishments are hardly comprehensible.
“I think [our debut album] 17 CARAT sold 1,400 copies and we were really grateful,” Mingyu reflects. “So, 4.64 million is a number that’s really difficult to grasp. [Laughs] It’s close to 3,000 times how many were sold for our debut album—it’s all very surreal. It makes me think a lot about what we need to do to return this enormous amount of love.”
Throughout FML, the 13-member boy band share with fans—known affectionately as CARATs—how they remain honest about life’s hardships but also offer hope.
“Within our album, we offer two ways of defining the expression ‘FML,’” Joshua explains. “There’s ‘F*ck My Life,’ which is what the acronym usually means, and we also offer ‘Fight for My Life,’ which is what we want the acronym to mean. There are multiple other ways to turn the expression ‘FML’ around to mean something else other than ‘F*ck My Life,’ and that’s what we hope our fans, CARATs, and listeners will also take a stab at after listening to the album.”
Adds Woozi, who wrote on every track on FML and co-produced five songs, “From a macroscopic view, we often only see the good parts, the picturesque parts of everyone’s lives, but there are so many battles that are not visible to the naked eye. Everyone goes through rough times, fiercely fighting to live their lives. We wanted FML to be a reflection of these different layers.”
The guys recognize an uncharacteristically boldness in the group’s two new K-pop singles, “F*ck My Life” and the anthemic, energizing “Super,” the latter of which marked SEVENTEEN’s first Top 40 hits on the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. US, but say it’s necessary in order to express themselves genuinely.
“These are our honest thoughts without an attempt to dress them up,” Wonwoo shares. “By letting everyone know the things we feel and asking ourselves to fight for our lives, we hope those listening will also gain a bit more energy to do the same together with us. I think it’s a mindset that we all relate to even if the trailer and our song might not look like they offer the most pleasing or comforting set of words.”
Through SEVENTEEN’s hard battle as K-pop underdogs—with twice as many members as most groups—members S.Coups, Mingyu Joshua, Woozi, Woowoo, Jeonghan, Hoshi, Jun, DK, The 8, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino rose to the top ranks of the global charts motivated not just by their inherent talent to express themselves creatively as a “self-producing” group but find peace from delighting their supportive fans around the world.
“We always work to make our CARATs proud,” SEVENTEEN’s leader S.Coups says. “And I think they would be the most proud of us now.”
Read on for the exclusive track-by-track breakdown with SEVENTEEN below.
“F*ck My Life”
Image Credit: PLEDIS Entertainment
Written by: BUMZU, WOOZI
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI
WOOZI: It’s the first time ever that SEVENTEEN is singing a lead single of this tempo, I think. But I don’tthink that it’s any less “SEVENTEEN” than our previous lead singles. We might make different choices each time when it comes to how we express what we think and feel, but at every song’s core, it remains the same that we just present and perform what feels true to us at that point in time.
THE 8: At first, the track might be surprising both sonically and because of its title, but “F*ck My Life,” aswell as “Super,” were just the songs we wanted to share with everyone at this time. We really liked them both so couldn’t single one out to be the lead single either. I think the contrast between the two lead singles makes the album more fun, and actually works to better articulate the overall message of the album.
“Super”
Image Credit: Courtesy of PLEDIS Entertainment
Written by: BUMZU, WOOZI, S.COUPS, VERNON
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Agust Rigo
WOOZI: Initially, we just had the vague idea of highlighting a strong image of SEVENTEEN through the lead single for this album. Thinking about superheroes for that reason, we started pulling together ideas from the many versions of heroic figures we know of and that eventually turned into “Super.”
MINGYU: I also really like the lines “I love my team, I love my crew!” I think it accurately expresses where our heads are right now.
HOSHI: It’s also the perfect song for a performance—it’s exhilarating when over 200 dancers’ footwork begins to sync up and without even thinking, you just know that your entire crew is acting in unison. It’s a different type of energy, which I hope will be passed onto our audience too!
WOOZI: “Super” is also our answer to the question that follows the first track of the album, “F*ck My Life.” If you ask “So, how is SEVENTEEN fighting for ‘your’ life?” “Super” provides our answer by talking about how SEVENTEEN has fought our way through, for whom and with whose support, all of which also continue to propel us forward.
“Fire”
Written by: BUMZU, MINGYU, S.COUPS, VERNON, WONWOO, WOOZI
Composed by: BUMZU, VERNON, WOOZI
VERNON: “Fire” was a fun song to work on. I threw in the idea of adding in the bells, went on the keyboard and asked [producer] BUMZU if he could make it sound this way. Hopefully it will be a song that gets everyone dancing.
S.COUPS: I’m sure all of the Hip-Hop Unit members have already imagined what it’ll be like to put “Fire” on stage. It’s an addicting sound, one that sort of just hooks you on. It’ll be so much fun to enjoy it with our CARATs at a show, I really can’t wait.
WONWOO: In the midst of the addicting sound, I think the Hip-Hop Unit members’ distinct characters also stand out in each of our verses. It adds a great extent of diversity within the track, and it’s fun because we all sound very different and each have a very different [verse].
“I Don’t Understand But I Luv U”
Written by: BUMZU, DINO, HOSHI, WOOZI
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Nmore
HOSHI: “I Don’t Understand But I Luv U” is our letter back to the heartwarming and beautiful message from our CARATs. When you’re performing in front of thousands of people that have gathered at that precise moment in time and location just to see you perform, and you feel that pure feeling of joy and love in the air; it’s not a feeling and a sight you can ever forget. That air of affection is not something that can be described in words, as is the connection we have with our fans across the world regardless of the language any of us speak. I hope knowing that brings comfort to everyone listening.
JUN: We recorded this song over multiple sessions, starting with a session before the tour and continuing on after as well. I didn’t realize it at the time, but after touring around all over the world, the music must have hit me differently. BUMZU said I sounded different, that there was a change in how I sing the song.
DINO: We have had the privilege of getting to experience these powerful connections firsthand touring around countries and, because of that privilege, I think we need to try harder to make it known how beautiful these emotional connections are.
JUN: Adding on, we are the Performance Unit after all! We’ve never really set a limit to the type of music we perform. The future of our team lies in performances that sound great, look great and something everyone watching can also become a part of.
“Dust”
Written by: BUMZU, WOOZI
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Kitae Park
WOOZI: The melody came together first, and I thought that there was a sense of loneliness and longing that came with the sound. Outside the bounds of this song too, I think it’s often the case that we feel a mixture of these sentiments all at once—putting the two together didn’t feel difficult or like a struggle.
JEONGHAN: From our point of view, this track is very classically WOOZI, and has SEVENTEEN written all over it. We’ve been seeing a lot of fan responses that say the song sounds like it could be a soundtrack to a cartoon series, which I agree with! I’m happy to see our fans also enjoying and digging into the song.
“April Shower”
Written by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Kareem James, Softserveboy
Composed by: BUMZU, WOOZI, Kareem James, Softserveboy
DK: Looking back, we also made our debut in May, so the saying “April showers bring May flowers” is something we really resonate with! We wanted our 10th mini album FML to console those listening, even if it’s just a little bit. Everyone has troubles of their own, so whatever it is that you’re going through, we hope you will be able to feel a little better and come to have a little bit of hope that brighter days will come after listening to our album.
DINO: We weren’t originally supposed to say it but since it’s been spoiled already by some of our members… We are planning on another comeback later this year. We hope you’ll join us then too!
Priyanka Chopra appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast on Wednesday (May 10) to chat about her relationship with Nick Jonas.
Sitting down with host Alex Cooper, the Citadel actress said that she was initially attracted to her pop star hubby after he “had the confidence to slide into my DMs and ask me out” after crossing paths at the Met Gala.
“Literally, like, his message was ‘I’ve been told we should meet,” she revealed. “How cocky! [gasps] So sexy. I love it!”
When Chopra googling the Jonas Brothers singer, the first result that came up was the music video for his 2016 solo single “Close” featuring Tove Lo, which prompted her to “immediately” send the singer her number. “I mean, I knew of the Jonas Brothers but I…different generations, also,” she confessed. “I grew up in India, you know? I was doing Indian pop culture at that time, I didn’t know about the music as much.
“At least a date. That body deserves at least a date,” she said after watching the video. “That video! His voice. That song, still, every time he sings that song on stage for me, like, I get weak in the knees.”
As fans know, the superstar couple got married in a lavish Indian wedding with multiple ceremonies in Dec. 2018 and Chopra told Cooper the secret to their relationship is in their unflinching support of one another. “Like, I’ve found my husband and I have this incredible partnership of ‘I’ve got you,’ and we communicate and we feel a sense of…you know that trust exercise? I would never do that with anyone else except Nick,” she added with a laugh. “I don’t trust people, but he’s one that, just, I know has my back.”
Listen to Chopra’s appearance on Call Her Daddy below.
