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While John Legend and Chrissy Teigen have shared much of their love story in songs and tweets, respectively, the singer said in a recent interview that he was not always the best partner. In an interview on the latest episode of the On Purpose With Jay Shetty podcast, Legend went back to a time in his mid 20s when he was the kind of a bad boyfriend.
“I think I was more selfish then,” Legend, 43, said of the first blush of romance with Teigen, 36, who he married in 2013 after first meeting in 2006 on the set of the video for his “Stereo” single. “I wasn’t a great partner at the beginning of our relationship, even though I was very into her and very excited to be with her. I was still selfish. I was in my mid 20s, still not ready to fully be the committed partner that I am now.”
That obviously changed in the ensuing years, with Legend famously dedicating the Billboard Hot 100-topping 2013 true love anthem “All of Me” to his wife, with whom he shares two children, with a fourth on the way after suffering a pregnancy loss with baby Jack in September 2020. And Legend is still writing about the couple’s endless love on tracks such as this year’s “I Don’t Love You Like I Used To,” which he said was about the evolution of a relationship.
“When we first met, we were like, very attracted to each other, our chemistry was great, but that level of attraction is more like infatuation at the beginning of a relationship,” he said. “And love when it is able to stand the test of time, it has to be deeper and more real than that. We’ve been through enough together where it’s really fortified us and made us stronger.” All those tests have helped the couple grow and made them stronger, Legend said, as they’ve discovered all the things they didn’t know about each other. “And going through all of that, to be able to write and sing a song called ‘I Don’t Love You Like I Used To.’ It’s different now but it’s better.”
Legend said he can write that song now because once you “really figure out that you love someone” and you really want to make it work with that person you have to decide, “‘I’m going to do the things that I need to do to be a good partner in this relationship,’” he told Shetty. “And I’ve just grown as a person because of that too. When you stop being so selfish when you think about not only the joy you get from a situation and the pleasure you get from it, but you also think about your responsibly and your commitment in that situation. I think you just grow, and you mature. I think part of it is it’s just a matter of time. You need time to become that person you want to be.”
And while Teigen is not that interested in getting “in the weeds” of Legend’s music-making, he said she always has thoughts on his live show, his setlist and how he should look, and he’s always happy when she’s proud of his accomplishments. Legend also acknowledged, however, that there are plenty of tough times, including the loss of Jack, which Teigen shared with the world in a cathartic series of posts.
“Like I said with Chrissy, I’ve seen so much growth through our grief and through our tragedy,” he said. “It’s always going to be a part of who we are and I’m fine with that. It’s part of who we are. We carry it with us and it’s OK.” He said you have to commit to the hard work necessary to get through the pain, something the couple are both ready to do.
“Like doing the work that we needed to do to get through it. And I think having, already had two kids together was definitely helpful because they just bring so much joy into our lives and laughter and fun and they’re great focus for our energy,” he said of daughter Luna, 6 and son Miles, 4. “And even when you’re going through deep grief on losing a pregnancy you still have these two beautiful babies that you love, and I think that was certainly helpful.”
Listen to Legend’s interview in the podcast below.
To put together her new record, Taylor Swift had to consider falling apart. That’s what the pop star revealed in the final video of her recent Spotify series, in which she’s been sharing the five concepts that fueled the sleepless nights songwriting sessions that eventually led to her fast-approaching 10th studio album Midnights.
“The fifth thing that kept me up at night?” Swift says in the new video, uploaded as usual to the exclusive Spotify pre-save page for Midnights. “Falling apart.”
When the 11-time Grammy winner first announced Midnights at the end of August, she revealed that its 13 tracks were individually inspired by “stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.” “This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” she wrote on Instagram at the time.
Nearly two months later, Swift has spent the week leading up to Midnights‘ Friday (Oct. 21) release sharing via Spotify which exact thoughts caused her insomnia those nights she was writing the album. In the first video, posted earlier this week, she revealed that “self-loathing” was one of them, followed by the second — “fantasizing about revenge.”
“Wondering what might have been” and “falling in love” marked the subjects of Swift’s third and fourth Spotify revelations, respectively.
The five core inspirations behind Midnights aren’t the only album secrets Swift has teased in partnership with the music streaming service. She’s also spent the past week staging Spotify billboards in different cities — New York City, London, São Paulo, Nashville and Mexico City, so far — that light up at 12 a.m. local time with lyrics from her new songs.
Watch Taylor Swift reveal the five main inspirations behind Midnights on Spotify mobile here.
The arrival of Ellie Goulding‘s next project is imminent. The British singer is gearing up for the release of her forthcoming fifth album, Higher Than Heaven, and to drum up anticipation for the release, discussed the LP’s first single, “Easy Lover” featuring Big Sean, and what fans can expect from the project in an interview with Billboard News.
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Though fans of the Grammy-nominated singer got to hear “Easy Lover” following its July release, the track was actually several years in the making.
“I wrote ‘Easy Lover’ about five years ago in Los Angeles. I was with Greg Kurstin, one of my favorite producers of all time, and Julia Michaels, who’s an amazing songwriter,” Goulding explained. “I think one of us was dealing with a known f–kboy at the time, but we ended up with a song about going back to the same person who’s hurt you and you think you can change them. We always say we can change someone, and we can’t.”
Speaking of the track’s relatable nature, the 35-year-old added, “I can’t help but write about situations we all go through. I love the idea that someone can listen to my songs and feel like they’re getting some kind of advice or some help. I like to help people. At the same time, I grew up on house music and dance music and pop music, so if I can do both somehow, I often do.”
“Easy Lover” features Big Sean rapping a verse on the track, a collaboration that has been in the making ever since he sampled Goulding’s 2009 track “Fighter Plane” on his 2011 single “High” featuring Wiz Khalifa and Chiddy Bang. Goulding and Sean have maintained contact ever since, which resulted in them joining forces for “Easy Lover.”
“We’ve stayed in touch for years because he sampled me a couple of times,” the singer shared. “I always feel like there’s something pretty special in someone who appreciates me that early on as an an artist, so I’ve stayed in touch with everyone from that era, in particular him because I think’s he’s consistently been a brilliant artist. At some point we were going to do a collab, and it just happened to be this song.”
Goulding also provided an update regarding Higher Than Heaven‘s release and teased the next single from the project. “The album’s done, although I’m sure it will get to the release date of the beginning of next year and I’ll be like ‘No! There’s more songs to write!’” she said. “But I have a couple more songs coming out this year. The next one I’m really excited about. It’s one of those songs that isn’t a radio song, but something I think people will enjoy.”
Higher Than Heaven is scheduled to arrive on Feb. 3, 2023. Watch Goulding’s interview with Billboard News above, and check out the video for “Easy Lover” below.
Taylor Swift‘s newest lyric reveal has Swifties all but hyperventilating. Unveiled with a billboard located in Mexico City — the latest of several spontaneous light-up signs planted by the pop star in cities all over the world — a line from one of the songs off Midnights was confirmed to be one very sneakily teased by Swift five months ago during her commencement speech for New York University.
Part of a Midnights pre-release partnership between Swift and Spotify, the billboard lit up at the stroke of midnight in Mexico City, just as its successors in New York City, London, São Paulo and Nashville did on different days throughout the past week. “Breathe in, breath through, breathe deep, breathe out,” it read, white lettering layered over a blue and orange watercolor graphic.
Those words may sound familiar to those who tuned in to the speech Swift gave at NYU’s spring commencement ceremony, at which she was presented with an honorary doctorate in fine arts. At the end of her 20-minute address, she delivered the line as a simple piece of advice to graduates — before quipping, “I’m a doctor now, so I know how breathing works” — without giving any sign to Swifties that they’d just unknowingly heard lyrics to an album they didn’t even know existed yet.
Earlier in the speech, the singer-songwriter also said, “Scary news is, you’re on your own now. Cool news is, you’re on your own now.” Sounds eerily similar to the title of Midnights track five, “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” doesn’t it?
The locations of Swift’s lyric reveals were all teased by Spotify’s official Twitter account a few hours before each billboard went up, meaning Swifties in each of the lucky cities had the chance to hunt them down before 12 a.m. and watch live as new lyrics were unveiled. That’s exactly what fans in Mexico City did. In the moments leading up to the “All Too Well” singer’s newest reveal, a group congregated nearby and joined together in a performance of “August,” a track off Swift’s Folklore.
The Mexico City unveiling marked just 23 hours left to go until Midnights, the 11-time Grammy winner’s 10th studio album, arrives at 12 a.m. ET Friday (Oct. 21). After the record drops, Swift has a busy week ahead of her.
On release day, she’ll premiere a music video for lead single “Anti-Hero” and treat fans to a “special very chaotic surprise,” as she shared in a recent Instagram post. Later, she’ll make appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Graham Norton Show, and drop a second music video for a still unidentified song.
See Taylor Swift’s newest lyric reveal in Mexico City below:
Ed Sheeran was very, very close to achieving an all-time career goal for any artist when he was tapped to write a James Bond theme song in 2019. In fact, he had already begun crafting his take on the venerable genre for Daniel Craig’s Bond swan song, No Time To Die, when he was swapped out for eventual Oscar/Grammy/Golden Globe-winner Billie Eilish.
“I was within a f—ing gnat’s pube of doing one [a Bond theme song], and they changed directors, and then they just changed scripts and that was it.. we’d done all the meetings, I started writing it,” Sheeran said colorfully on this week’s episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast. The singer said that as an English performer penning a Bond theme is always a career bucket list item. “I’m not gonna pretend it didn’t hurt not doing it. But if they came back I’d be like, ‘yeah, yeah, of course, yeah!’”
In 2019, Sheeran’s manager Stuart Camp said he and the singer had met with series producer Barbara Broccoli in Dublin in 2017 to discuss a potential Bond theme, saying the film’s team “were interested” in Ed taking a shot at being the latest English/Scottish/Welsh act to give it a go; Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Lulu, Duran Duran, Adele and Sam Smith have all previously recorded Bond themes.
The opportunity at the time appeared tied to director Danny Boyle helming of the 25th Bond movie — Boyle had worked with Sheeran on Richard Curtis’ 2019 Beatles fantasia Yesterday — but after Boyle quit over creative differences and was replaced by Cary Joji Fukunaga, Eilish was tapped for the gig.
Listen to the podcast (Bond talk starts 31:29).
BTS‘ Jin is picking a massive stage for the live debut of his just-announced solo single, “The Astronaut.” In fact, the entire world can tune in when the K-pop icon performs the song during his friends Coldplay‘s upcoming Oct. 28 concert at Buenos Aires, Argentina’s River Plate stadium, which will be beamed out to more than 3,500 movie theaters in more than 70 countries.
Big Hit Music confirmed the news on BTS’ Weverse page, noting that the concert will not be livestreamed, but that video of “The Astronaut” live debut featuring Coldplay will be uploaded after the show “to make sure ARMY all around the world can watch Jin and Coldplay’s performance.” The concert will take place just hours after “The Astronaut” — written by Jin and Coldplay — is released; Coldplay and BTS previously collaborated on the 2021 global smash “My Universe.”
For fans who haven’t gotten a chance to see Coldplay’s eye-popping, luminous Music of the Spheres show — which has sold more than 5.4 million tickets to date while racking up more than $60 million in concert grosses in July — the Oct. 28-29 two-night-only cinema special will capture the explosive event in all its glory thanks to BAFTA-winning director Paul Dugdale. Coldplay recently postponed 8 Brazilian shows due to singer Chris Martin’s “serious lung infection.”
The official poster for “The Astronaut” was unveiled on Wednesday and three different concept photos will arrive next, on Oct. 23, 24 and 25, before Jin drops the official music video teaser on Oct. 26. News about “The Astronaut” came just one day after it was confirmed that all seven members of the K-pop boy band will face the mandate to serve in South Korea’s military for at least 18 months.
See the announcement of the “Astronaut” live debut — complete with a text exchange between Jin and Coldplay’s Martin — below.
Brandi Carlile and Joni Mitchell are planning a sequel. Carlile announced on The Daily Show on Wednesday night (Oct. 19) that she and folk icon Mitchell will reunite for a special concert weekend at Washington state’s picturesque venue the Gorge Amphitheatre in June 2023 for a pair of shows they’re calling “Echoes Through the Canyon.”
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In the wake of this summer’s surprise Mitchell concert at the venerable Newport Folk Festival, Carlile said that Joni told her, “I want to do another show. She said, ‘I want to play again.’” So they settled on the 27,000-capacity Gorge, which Carlile noted is “one of the most beautiful venues in the world.” Brandi will play the first night, June 9, and Joni and the Joni Jam — lineup to be announced — will headline the second night (June 10).
“Joni Mitchell is going to play. No one’s been able to buy a ticket to see Joni Mitchell play in 20 years,” Carlile noted of the artist who hadn’t performed a full live set since 2000 before Newport and hadn’t appeared in public much since suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015. “So this is enormous… and she is going to crush it!” Carlile played a show also called “Echoes Through the Canyon” at the Gorge in August 2021 with Sheryl Crow and Amythyst Kiah.
Carlile also talked about the surprise moment this summer when Mitchell shocked the world by performing a 13-song set at the Newport Folk Festival in which she sang and played guitar from a golden throne with help from Marcus Mumford, Blake Mills, Lucius, Taylor Goldsmith, Wynonna and more. “I still can’t believe that happened,” Carlile told Noah of the live version of the series of “Joni Jams” the 78-year-old singer has been holding with musicians including Carlile for years during her long recovery process. “It was just a few months ago and the fact that it was at Newport Folk Festival, which is such a monumental and historic place. She [Mitchell] always has a plan. She knows what she wants to do even if she doesn’t say it.”
What’s more, Carlile revealed that the team that worked behind the scenes to get Mitchell to Newport had no idea that the 1960s legend was going to play the entire show. “We thought it was a jam. We didn’t know that she was going to sing all the leads on those songs,” Carlile said of Mitchell’s forceful, all-in performance. “She just started singing. We had rehearsed the songs ourselves. And we didn’t know whether we should stop or what we should do, you know, so we just sang with her.”
Then, as Carlile described, Mitchell just “completely took over” the gig and became the “performer that we all know that she is.” The energy was o off-the-charts that Carlile said they stayed up until sunrise the next morning basking in the love and good vibes. “Joni flat-out loves to perform and she’s awesome at it,” said Carlile, who has been unabashed in her Mitchell superfandom in the past, including covering Mitchell’s entire Blue album at an Oct. 2019 show at Walk Disney Concert Hall. “She’s every bit as good at it now as she ever was.”
Watch Carlile on The Daily Show below.
Months after breaking into Stateside consciousness as the first-ever champion of American Song Contest, AleXa has connected with new team members as well as new music.
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Billboard can exclusively reveal that the U.S.-raised K-pop star has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA) for representation in all aspects, including areas beyond music like TV, film and licensing. Billboard had previously broken the news that the starlet had previously teamed with ICM Partners in 2020, just months after her debut onto the K-pop scene.
AleXa will continue under ZB Label, the subsidiary recording company under long-running Korean video and film production company Zanybros. “I’m looking forward to a new history of K-pop as AleXa works with one of the world’s best agencies,” says Kim Junhong, CEO of ZB Label. “I’m confident that this relationship between UTA and AleXa will grow into a new Hallyu axis in the global music market.”
Janet Kim, music agent at UTA, and David Zenek, partner and co-head of worldwide music at UTA, add to the excitement, saying: “AleXa is a multi-talented artist whose ability to engage her audience is unparalleled. We are excited to collaborate with her and the team at Zanybros to create innovative ideas across multiple platforms to help take AleXa to the next level.”
Meanwhile, Max Michael, head of Asian business development at UTA, sees the deal as a way for more Korean content to reach larger audiences.
“We are thrilled to grow our relationship with Korea’s leading music and entertainment company, Zanybros, and begin working with the wildly talented AleXa in expanding her global reach,” he says. “K-content is setting the pace for global content the world over, and both AleXa and the Zanybros are at the forefront of pioneering that impact.”
The signing comes ahead of AleXa’s first new music after winning NBC’s latest singing competition in American Singing Contest and landing herself a radio hit in the U.S.
As part of a new EP slated for November, AleXa will release new single “Back in Vogue” with some of the same creative team that crafted the winning formula behind “Wonderland,” which won her ASC and scored AleXa her first entry on Billboard‘s Pop Songs airplay chart. Credits on “Back in Vogue” include Sunshine of EKKO Music co-writing and producing on the track, while Paul and Jeri of the Los Angeles–based House of Sam helmed the choreography.
“I hope to showcase a new, fierce image through this concept,” AleXa says of her upcoming release. “With its musical-like elements, I feel right at home and in my comfort zone. ‘Back in Vogue’ is an exciting step forward and I can’t wait for my fans to enjoy the show.”
AleXa gave fans the first preview of her upcoming EP by performing unreleased tracks from the project during the opening stop of her First Meet & Live Tour in the U.S. that kicked off in Jersey City, NJ on Oct. 18. The seven-stop trek hits San Juan next, on Oct. 20, before wrapping in Los Angeles on Oct. 30.
Fans can look out for AleXa’s new EP on Nov. 10 with more details, including a comeback trailer previewing the record, coming very soon.
While K-pop stars have risen to newfound worldwide fame in the last decade, major players in the esports world are not too far behind in larger recognition, as made clear by a new collaboration.
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“Last Man Standing” is a new theme song crafted by K-pop super-producer Raiden, boy band The Boyz and T1, the South Korean esports organization with multiple world-champion titles for the massively popular, online multiplayer battle game League of Legends. The track follows up T1’s first foray into K-pop music with Raiden last year via “Runner,” which featured EXO member Baekhyun and Korean rapper Changmo. The collaboration will boost support as T1 competes in the League of Legends World Championship (also known as Worlds) that kicked off in September in Mexico City, which will hold its quarterfinals on Oct. 20 in New York City, ahead of the finals in November in San Francisco.
“Coming back as an executive producer for T1’s 2022 theme song ‘Last Man Standing,’ I feel more confident than ever,” Raiden tells Billboard. “I imagined this song to be ringing in everyone’s ears as we march for the Worlds trophy. In our music video, we worked with ILLUMIN, a very talented creative director, on a message ‘speaking through light.’ We captured The Boyz, T1 players and myself as the last men standing in saving the world. It is very cinematic and I’m happy that The Boyz were just as passionate as I was in delivering this song both vocally and on set.”
Produced by Raiden and co-written by The Boyz member Sunwoo, “Last Man Standing” is described as a culmination of creative admiration among the different artists. “We shared a lot of ideas together, so this is truly a collaborative project,” Raiden adds. “Sunwoo is such an amazing songwriter and a rapper—it was a pleasure being able to work with him creatively as well.” Billboard can also share exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and reflections from those involved.
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“I’m a big fan of T1 so it’s a dream to be able to deliver their 2022 Worlds theme song,” Sunwoo says of the track he helped co-write. “I think this song fits T1 and players very well. It has a majestic twist to it. What an experience—I’d love to play and learn the game from them more. Looking forward to reuniting!”
Meanwhile, T1 leader Faker adds that “It was great working with Raiden again after ‘Runner’ and I hope that the fans enjoy the music video for our theme song ‘Last Man Standing’ and cheer us on during Worlds 2022.”
Raiden, T1 players and members of The Boyz were all on hand to shoot the music video shoot for “Last Man Standing” where The Boyz gifted the gamers a signed copy of their latest album Be Aware featuring their summer hit “Whisper.”
“It was a very astonishing and cool experience to be at the shoot and a part of the same project with Raiden and T1 players,” The Boyz’s Jacob shares of the collaboration. “Personally, I am a big fan of League of Legends and T1 of course. ‘Last Man Standing’ is an amazing song!” Juyeon echoes the sentiment: “It was such a fun experience to shoot with Faker, Oner and Gumayusi, and sing their anthem. I will always cheer for T1 and their result for Worlds championship 2022.”
Courtesy Photo
Courtesy Photo
Even in the recording process, The Boyz leader Sangyeon says they envisioned the song helping the League of Leagues champs. “I recorded this song, hoping that our voice could help empower T1 and their endeavor for Worlds championship. I could not be happier with the final product. I hope for their best results at Worlds. This project united The Boyz, T1 and Raiden into one and I want to spread a joyful message to everyone through this amazing song.”
Plus, many of The Boyz members also follow T1.
“As a T1 fan, I hope for T1’s great results in their journey at T1 and onwards,” Younghoon says. “It’s an honor to be a part of this project.” And Hyunjae says, “this song fits T1 like no other—it sounds heroic and powerful. I will always be T1’s fan.”
The Boyz’s Kevin calls the collaboration “an honor,” member New called it “amazing,” while Q describes it as a “cool tune with a majestic edge to it.”
But Ju Haknyeon may sum up things best by saying, “This is a project with the world’s best team T1, and global DJ artist Raiden, it’s an honor to have all of us together for one song,” before adding a cheering message of his own: “Let’s go, T1! Let’s take on Worlds!”
Watch the music video for “Last Man Standing” below:
Taylor Swift penned a thoughtful tribute to Ina Garten in a new cover story about the famous chef for Food Network magazine, released Wednesday (Oct. 19).
“I’ve been lucky enough to meet Ina a few times and get to know the magnificent woman behind the TV show and the cookbooks,” the superstar wrote of the chef, otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa, adding, “She’s one of those people who is even better, funnier, warmer than you’d hoped her to be.
“My most potent memories of Ina come from when I first discovered her TV show,” Swift continued. “I was in my teens, and my life revolved around touring. On my rare days off at home, I barely ever cooked because it had always felt like a chore. Watching Ina prepare a meal changed my perspective on cooking and reframed it as something relaxing. She made cooking feel like self-care. Ever since, cooking has been my escape from stress and one of the only ways I can truly calm myself on a rough day. I’ll always be grateful to her for giving me that.”
Other famous faces who reminisced about Garten’s impact for the story included Julianna Margulies, Tina Fey, Nathan Lane, Katie Couric, Jennifer Garner and fellow Food Network personality Bobby Flay.
Swift is currently gearing up for the release of her landmark 10th studio album Midnights, which will drop, appropriately, at midnight on Friday (Oct. 21). In the lead-up to the studio set’s unveiling, she’s been teasing lyrics from its 13 tracks in major cities like New York, London, Nashville and São Paulo. She also used the rollout campaign to encourage her fans to vote in the upcoming 2022 midterm elections happening across the country.
Read Taylor’s thoughts about the Barefoot Contessa here.
