State Champ Radio Pop
Page: 624
P!nk got real in a new interview on Friday (Feb. 17) about bouncing back from both the COVID pandemic and her recent surgeries.
“Having breaks is good for my voice. Not so good for the body,” the singer told Variety. “Especially during COVID — I gained 36 pounds. All I did was make sourdough and then eat the sourdough. And then I had not just the hip surgery but double disc replacement in my neck.
“So now I’m the bionic woman,” she continued. “I’ve lost those 36 pounds, and I am stronger than I’ve ever been in my life. And I’m ready to go, and I’m ready to get the hell out of here. I’ve been home way too long.”
During the chat, the star also explained her approach to putting songs together for her new album Trustfall, which is out now via RCA Records. “I’m overthinking all the time,” she said. “So there’s the worry and grief and longing and anger on the record, but there’s also, ‘I’ve had enough. Just turn it up to 11. Everyone shut up and dance.’ And instead of mixing those songs up, I could have done side A as a dance party, and side B as maybe you should get the sharp objects out of your kitchen. But that’s not life. Life is like, ‘Oh, I had a great morning, I had a sh—y afternoon, now I’m ready for a drink, now I just wanna cuddle, and now I’m gonna have a cry.’ That’s a day in the life.”
The 13-track studio set, a follow-up to P!nk’s 2021 live compilation All I Know So Far: Setlist, features lead single “Never Gonna Not Dance Again,” “Trustfall,” “When I Get There” and more.
Read P!nk’s full interview with Variety here.
Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” bounds to No. 1 on Billboard’s mainstream top 40-based Pop Airplay chart (dated Feb. 25).
The song, released on Smiley Miley/Columbia Records, becomes Cyrus’ third Pop Airplay leader, after “Party in the U.S.A.” reigned for a week in November 2009 and “Wrecking Ball” ruled for two weeks in November-December 2013. She boasts six top 10s among 15 total entries on the radio ranking.
Notably, “Flowers” tops Pop Airplay, flying from No. 5 to No. 1 (up 15% in plays on 153 reporters Feb. 10-16, according to Luminate), in just its fifth week on the chart, dating to its debut, at No. 16, on the Jan. 28 list. It claims the quickest coronation since Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” also needed just five frames to hit No. 1 in 2016.
Here’s a recap of the songs to lead Pop Airplay the fastest, with four having ruled in just their fourth week each on the chart.
Four weeks to No. 1 on Pop Airplay:
“I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston, hit No. 1 on the chart dated Dec. 12, 1992
“Dreamlover,” Mariah Carey, Sept. 4, 1993
“I’ll Be There for You,” The Rembrandts, June 17, 1995
“Over and Over,” Nelly feat. Tim McGraw, Nov. 6, 2004
Five weeks to No. 1 on Pop Airplay:
“That’s the Way Love Goes,” Janet Jackson, hit No. 1 on the chart dated May 29, 1993
“All That She Wants,” Ace of Base, Oct. 30, 1993
“I Swear,” All-4-One, May 28, 1994
“I’ll Make Love to You,” Boyz II Men, Sept. 10, 1994
“One Sweet Day,” Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 9, 1995
“Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar, July 4, 2015
“Hello,” Adele, Dec. 5, 2015
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” Justin Timberlake, June 18, 2016
“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus, Feb. 25, 2023
As of the latest all-genre, multimetric Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Feb. 18), “Flowers” is Miley Cyrus‘ newly crowned longest-leading No. 1, surpassing the three-week command of “Wrecking Ball” in 2013.
All charts dated Feb. 25 will update on Billboard.com Wednesday, Feb. 22 (a day later than usual due to the Presidents Day holiday in the U.S. Monday, Feb. 20).
Demi Lovato hopped on TikTok on Thursday (Feb. 16) to offer fans a snippet of “Still Alive,” her new single for the Scream VI soundtrack.
To tease the song, the pop singer appears with her back to the camera, slowly circling to reveal that she’s holding the famous Ghostface mask in front of her face. As she lowers the shroud, Lovato’s voice can be heard singing, “Alive, I don’t want to just survive/ Give me something to sink my teeth in” before the song abruptly cuts out.
Naturally, Lovatics were chomping at the bit to hear the whole track, which will be released March 3. “Demi Lovato is coming for blood,” one fan predicted in the comments, punctuating the sentiment with a single drop of blood emoji. Another wrote, “I’m so here for this era…keep slayinggggg,” while a third amusingly commented, “I work in a cinema and when I tell you this better be the end credit song so I can hear it 5 times a day when I’m cleaning I swear.”
“Still Alive” will serve as Lovato’s first taste of new music since releasing her seventh studio album, Holy Fvck, back in 2022. The pop-punk fueled full-length contained collaborations with Yungblud, Royal & the Serpent and Dead Sara and ultimately topped three separate Billboard tallies: Top Rock & Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums.
Released last summer, Holy Fvck also inadvertently helped spark the ongoing outrage over queer artists utilizing Satanic imagery in their music, along with Lil Nas X giving the devil a lap dance in his “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” music video and the controversy surrounding Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ Grammys performance of “Unholy.”
Get a preview of Lovato’s “Still Alive” below.
We’re halfway through February, and there’s a massive new batch of music to sift through by everyone from P!nk to Skrillex. With so many new options, we want to know which new release you’ll have on repeat going into Presidents’ Day Weekend.
The pop veteran unfurled her ninth studio album, Trustfall, complete with singles “Never Gonna Not Dance Again,” the anthemic title track and “When I Get There” as well as guest features from The Lumineers, First Aid Kit and Chris Stapleton, while Skrillex dropped his long-awaited sophomore album Quest for Fire. The follow-up to 2014’s Recess features high-octane collabs with the likes of Missy Elliott, Fred Again, Pete Wentz, Porter Robinson and Joker.
Meanwhile, Janelle Monáe teamed up with Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 to deliver carefree new single “Float,” and Niall Horan kicked off a new era with “Heaven,” the swoon-worthy lead single off his upcoming third solo album, The Show.
Plus, Omar Apollo treated fans to the dreamy mathematical rebound conundrum that is “3 Boys” — his first single in the wake of his star-making 2022 debut Ivory. And Polo G tapped Future for the contemplative “No Time Wasted.”
Depending on how your Valentine’s Day went, you also have Kelsea Ballerini‘s post-divorce EP Rolling Up the Welcome Mat and Caroline Polachek‘s hot-and-heavy new studio set Desire, I Want to Turn Into You to keep on rotation as you work out the emotional rollercoaster that is love.
No matter what you’re listening to this weekend, vote for your favorite release in Billboard‘s weekly new music poll below.
Lizzo celebrated Valentine’s Day in the most “Unholy” way. The “Special” singer/rapper hit the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge earlier this week for a run through the Sam Smith/Kim Petras Bilboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit and, of course, she had to put her signature flute filagree on the song.
In a spare, bass-thumping arrangement that leaned into the track’s sensual groove Lizzo totally sold the bump-and-grind attitude of the original before busting out her woodwind and adding a jazzy interlude. She brought it home with some ad libbed soul shouting, assisted by three back-up singers repeating the chorus and a wailing electric guitar solo.
Smith and Kim Petras performed their Grammy-winning song at this year’s show earlier this month and then again at the 2023 Brit Awards on Feb. 12. According to U.K. broadcasting regulator Offcom, the latter received more than 100 complaints, even though it didn’t feature the same Satan-themed touches as the Grammy set.
For the Brit Awards, Sam and Kim took a more literal approach to their “Body Shop” metaphor from the song’s lyrics, with an industrial set, flying sparks and mechanic’s outfits on both performers and their dancers. While it is unclear which parts of the performance received complaints, Offcom received 106 complaints for the 2023 Brit Awards, the majority of which were aimed at Smith and Petras.
The complaint comes after the pair’s highly publicized Grammy’s performance, which also drew plenty of criticism for its use “satanic” imagery from viewers and even a few right-wing politicians, including Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Church of Satan itself ended up weighing in, saying the pair’s performance felt pretty tame.
Check out Lizzo’s Live Lounge performance of “Unholy” below.
Billboard’s First Stream 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.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
This week, Skrillex ends a long album drought, P!nk takes us on a journey, and both Janelle Monáe and Niall Horan return with splashy new singles. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below:
Skrillex, Quest for Fire
Casual Skrillex fans might be shocked to learn that Quest for Fire is only his second album — after all, the 35-year-old was a defining figure of the EDM boom during the 2010s, a prolific producer and collaborator over the past decade, and one of the more exhilarating presences at the many festivals he played across several years. Quest for Fire is his first album in nine years, but perhaps Skrillex was simply winding up for this moment: the long-awaited follow-up to 2014’s Recess sounds just as vital in its dance visions as his best work, and riotously diverse, with a song like “RATATA,” in which Missy Elliott stops by to breathe new life into a “Work It” refrain, leading into “Tears,” a slam-bang showcase for dubstep king Joker.
P!nk, Trustfall
In a recent chat with Billboard about new album Trustfall, P!nk explained why her ninth studio LP is a “f–king journey” that can’t be contained by one mood. “This album could have easily been, Side A is Roller Skate Time, and Side B is No Sharp Objects in the Kitchen Time!” she said. “But that’s not life. Life is messy and beautiful and messy again.” And Trustfall is true to P!nk’s reality: working with a range of collaborators, from Max Martin to Chris Stapleton to Fred Again.. to First Aid Kit, the pop superstar presents herself as a woman, wife, mother and industry veteran capable of dancing away her troubles and pleading for understanding on the same collection of sometimes uptempo, often emotional songs.
Janelle Monáe feat. Seun Kuti & Egypt 80, “Float”
Janelle Monáe lives up to the title of her new single: “Float” is all about hovering over muddled discourse and rising above petty details, being able to leave earthly trappings and find grace in artistry. It’s a skill that the multi-talented Monáe has flaunted over the course of her breathtaking career, and “Float,” created with Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, gives her a chance to bask in her achievements over simmering trap drums and a boisterous mid-tempo piece of production; “Float” may introduce a new body of work, but even if it doesn’t, Monáe has earned the chance to levitate above the naysayers.
Niall Horan, “Heaven”
When boy band members disperse, they often leap into establishing a solo presence to keep the public’s attention, then gradually settle into a sound for themselves. Such has been the case with the members of One Direction since they went on hiatus, and particularly with Niall Horan, who has found a warm pop-rock niche and strengthened his songwriting since debuting with solo hits like “This Town” and “Slow Hands.” “Heaven,” which previews third album The Show, reaches for eternal love with a vocal elasticity and guitar chug that play off each other with ease.
Polo G feat. Future, “No Time Wasted”
“I know you waitin’ / Gettin’ fed up, you runnin’ out of patience,” Polo G declares to open the chorus of “No Time Wasted”; he could be addressing his ravenous fan base, which didn’t get a new album from the Chicago rap star in 2022 after three straight years of doing so, but Polo spends the rest of the new single demonstrating that, when he does return, his storytelling instincts will be sharper than ever. Guest star Future slides onto Polo G’s contemplative level here, simultaneously bragging and commiserating about the trappings of fame, but Polo owns the track by mulling his fears, memories and nightmares in evocative detail.
Omar Apollo, “3 Boys”
Fresh off of a breakthrough year and a best new artist Grammy nod, Omar Apollo has returned with “3 Boys,” a smoky synthesis of doo-wop in which he concludes that a multiplication of romantic partners would be the only way to overcome a bitter heartbreak. The new single smartly showcases the multi-faceted enormity of Apollo’s voice — his ability to deliver ghostly harmonies, ethereal falsetto and desperate, full-throated cries — and becomes another winner for the rising star because of it.
You are going to have a lot of chances to see P!nk on the road this year. On the same day she dropped her ninth studio album, TRUSTFALL, the “Never Gonna Not Dance Again” singer announced the dates for her 2023 fall arena tour in support of the collection, which is slated to kick off with an Oct. 12 date at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif.
The Live Nation-produced 14-city North American tour with support from Grouplove and KidCutUp will feature stops in San Francisco, Vancouver, Denver, Kansas City, Montreal, New York, Cleveland and Miami before winding down on Nov. 18 at Amway Center in Orlando. Tickets for select dates on the TRUSTFALL Tour will be available in a Citi and Verizon presale beginning Tuesday (Feb. 21) at 10 a.m. local time until Feb. 23 at 10 p.m. local time here.
The general onsale for the tour will start on Feb. 24 at 10 a.m. local time here.
Fans have already gotten a taste of TRUSTFALL through the singles “Dance” and the touching ballad dedicated to her late father, “When I Get There.” The album also features collaborations with Chris Stapleton, The Lumineers and First Aid Kit, as well as production and songwriting from Max Martin, Shellback, Greg Kurstin, FRED and Billy Mann.
The TRUSTFALL tour will follow this summer’s previously announced Summer Carnival Stadium Tour, which will feature guests Brandi Carlile, Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Grouplove and KidCutUp.
Check out the dates for P!nk’s fall 2023 TRUSTFALL tour and the album cover below:
Oct. 12 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
Oct. 14 – San Francisco, CA @ Chase Center
Oct. 17 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
Oct. 20 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
Oct. 25 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
Oct. 27 – Kansas City, MO @ T-Mobile Center
Nov. 1 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
Nov. 4 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Nov. 7 – Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Nov. 8 – Cleveland, OH @ Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
Nov. 11 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
Nov. 12 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
Nov. 14 – Miami, FL @ Miami-Dade Arena
Nov. 18 – Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
Courtesy Photo
Niall Horan made his final visit to the Late Late Show count on Thursday night (Feb. 16), crooning his new single, reminiscing about the time Katy Perry helped launch him into stardom and getting emotional about host and longtime friend James Corden winding down his midnight run.
Sharing the couch with Perry’s partner, actor Orlando Boom, Horan talked about how the “Teenage Dream” singer basically made his career happen in 2010 when she took a chance on his potential on X Factor. Corden rolled the tape of the moment when Perry told a blonde mop-topped, pimply-faced Niall that he needed more experience. “And by the way, just because you’re likable… likeableness isn’t going to sell records,” Perry said in 2010 as some in the audience howled.
“It’s talent and you have… a seed of it,” Perry added. “Of course, you’re in,” she said as Horan pumped his fists and shouted for joy. In a box at the bottom corner of the screen, present day Niall watched and smiled as the pivotal moment unfolded, clapping as Bloom freaked out.
“That is fantastic!” Bloom marveled. “Is that the moment that really changed your whole thing?” he asked Horan, who admitted that before Perry threw him a bone his audition was going “very south… Katy just kept me in the competition. If it wasn’t for her I definitely would not be here and she knows it.”
In addition to talking about shooting the upcoming season of The Voice with fellow newbie judge Chance the Rapper and returning chair-swivelers Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, Horan performed a sweet acoustic take of his new single “Heaven.” After strumming a single chorus, Horan added another at Corden’s urging as the host looked on rapt with what can only be described as a moist-eyed, proud papa look on his face watching the 29-year-old singer who has been a frequent guest and become a close pal.
“That was so good, so good,” Corden whispered into Horan’s ear as he gave the former One Direction singer a warm, loving embrace. Bloom, meanwhile, snatched up Niall’s guitar pick and slipped it into his jacket pocket, promising to put it in a special place next to another one he owns from Prince.
“This is show 1,167… you have been, when you were in the band and now as a solo artist… the times that we’ve spent with you here, you are such a part of the family,” Corden said as he held Horan’s hand. The feeling was mutual, with Horan thanking Corden for hosting him so many times and becoming part of his off-screen life as well. Getting emotional, Horan talked about his long relationship with Corden and Late Late Show co-executive producer Ben Winston, saying he lost two friends with the pair moved to the U.S. to work on the show that will wind down later this year.
“Dude, you boys changed pop culture forever and your’e two very close friends of mine and I love you both,” he said as Corden cut to commercial while wiping away tears.
Check out Horan on The Late Late Show below.
It’s a trustfall, baby! P!nk released her new album Trustfall on Friday (Feb. 17) via RCA Records.
The studio effort is the pop veteran’s first follow-up to her 2021 live compilation All I Know So Far: Setlist, and was preceded by roller-skate-ready lead single “Never Gonna Not Dance Again,” the anthemic title track and heaven-sent ballad “When I Get There,” which is dedicated to her late father. The album also contains collaborations with The Lumineers (“Long Way to Go”), First Aid Kit (“Kids in Love”) and Chris Stapleton (closer “Just Say I’m Sorry”).
Ahead of the release, P!nk sat down with Billboard for an exclusive chat about how the album came together and explained the significance of its title.
“It was so easy to name the record,” she said. “I feel like getting out of bed, and getting dressed, and dropping your kids off at school, and being in a relationship, and parenting, and participating in elections — it requires a lot of trust. And most of the time, we feel like we’re falling backwards, and we don’t know where the ground is.”
The singer also offered her unfiltered thoughts on the rise of TikTok and its effect on pop music, adding, “Things have changed, and that’s not what I do,” she said of the popular social platform. “And I’m okay with that. The people that have been coming to my shows, we’ve grown up together. I’m a pop fan. I like The Beatles, I like doo-wop music, I like Broadway. I come from a different thing, and I’ve got to be true to me.”
This July, P!nk will embark on her Summer Carnival 2023 stadium tour in support of the album with special guests Brandi Carlile, Pat Benatar & Neil Girlado, Grouplove and KidCutUp.
Stream P!nk’s Trustfall in full below.
Kelly Clarkson brought a special guest to help open the Thursday (Feb. 16) episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show: Corey Ward of The Voice.
To kick off the “Kellyoke” duet, the superstar and her former protégé harmonized on “Falling Slowly” from John Carney’s 2007 musical film Once. “I don’t know you but I want you all the more for that,” Ward crooned, strumming an acoustic guitar before Clarkson joined him in singing the chorus: “Take this sinking boat and point it home/ We’ve still got time/ Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice/ You’ve made it now/ Falling slowly, sing your melody/ I’ll sing along.”
Ward was part of Team Kelly back in 2021 during Season 20, where he was eliminated in the Live Semifinal round before Cam Anthony eventually took the trophy for Blake Shelton’s team. Some of his most memorable performances on The Voice include his audition with Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” as well as covers of Clarkson’s “Already Gone,” Lewis Capaldi’s “Bruises” and “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls.
Later in the show, Clarkson interviewed Ward about his time on the reality singing competition, his mom’s cancer diagnosis — which led him to initially audition for Season 19 — as well as his new single “Close to Love.”
In recent days, the original American Idol winner has also covered everything from Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again,” Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain,” Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack,” Camille Yarbrough’s Fatboy Slim-sampling “Take Yo’ Praise” and more.
Watch Clarkson and Ward duet on “Falling Slowly” below.
