State Champ Radio r&b
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Beyoncé fan Jon Hetherington posted a video last week in which he lamented that he would not be able to achieve a lifelong dream of seeing Queen Bey in concert in Seattle at Lumen Field because he said the airline he was flying on was unable to accommodate his wheelchair. In a TikTok video, Oregon native Hetherington said he got the airport and was told by the unnamed airline that his chair was four inches too tall to be loaded onto the plane.
“They checked every possible flight, every airline, and nothing is available. So after 25 years of waiting, I’m not seeing Beyonce tonight. So ableism strikes again,” he lamented in the video that went viral and racked up more than 360,000 likes and 1,500 comments.
He was quickly flooded by comments from the Bey Hive, with some offering to give him their tickets for upcoming shows, and many others tagging Beyoncé, her Parkwood Entertainment management company and Columbia Records. “I’ve waited so f–king long for this,” Hetherington said in a follow-up video in which he said was demoralized, frustrated and sad about missing the show; two weeks earlier he said he was left stranded in Seattle for hours after a Janelle Monáe show because he could not find an accessible taxi in Seattle.
The groundswell of support and offers of help for the Oregon native turned into a dream come true on Thursday night (Sept. 21) when Hetherington, 34 — who has cerebral palsy and uses an electric wheelchair — was able to attend Bey’s Renaissance tour date at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX after a member of the singer’s team reached out to him, according to the New York Times; at press time a spokesperson for Beyoncé could not be reached for confirmation of the report.
The Times reported that Bey’s team arranged for a new flight and after the show Hetherington reported that not only did his dream come true, but he met Beyoncé’s mom — Tina Knowles-Lawson — as well as the singer herself. “Beyhive, you made this happen, you pushed and tagged like the internet has never seen. Tonight, for the first time ever, I had a seat on the floor for a concert. Welcome to the RENAISSANCE,” he wrote alongside a shot of him awaiting the beginning of the concert.
In a second photo, next to a smiling Knowles-Lawson, Hetherington was elated about his magical night and told his followers that he planned to keep the special words Beyoncé shared to himself. “There is much that I will say in the coming days about what tonight means to me. There are some things I’ll keep for myself. Truly an honor to meet you, @mstinaknowles! Thank you for all that you’ve done and given the world. We’re so grateful,” he said.
“To the Queen herself, @beyonce, I will treasure those words you said and the hugs you gave,” he added. “I meant every word I said. No, for anyone and everyone reading this, I will not ever share with you what was said to me, don’t even try it. That moment is between the two of us.”
See Hetherington’s posts below.
After 25 years in the music industry, Mýa is showing no signs of slowing down. The pop-R&B star made her debut in 1998, when she put out her self-titled studio album via Interscope Records. The debut single from the album, “It’s All About Me” with Sisqó, reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and put the world onto Mýa’s sultry, angelic voice and cutting-edge R&B sound that infiltrated the mainstream pop market while drawing influences from hip-hop, dancehall, techno and more.
She revealed in a new interview with Billboard News that the outfit she wore in the “It’s All About Me” music video, which was inspired by the traditional red Chinese wedding dress, is her all-time favorite look. “I sketched that outfit on paper, drew the designs that I wanted and I saw it come to life,” she said. “But this is something that I’ve been doing for years. I have this whole sketchbook of outfits that I wanted to create before I signed my first deal. And so, that was one of them. The seamstress brought it to life, and that was an amazing experience for me as a brand new artist.”
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In June, she re-created the UNC jersey dress from her 2000 “Best of Me (Part 2)” video, featuring Jay-Z, while she was performing at Charlotte R&B Music Experience. (This reporter also re-created the UNC jersey dress look, as well as Mýa’s outfit from the 1999 “Take Me There” video with Blackstreet, Mase and Blinky Blink, due to endless claims that she resembles the singer. Decide for yourself in the video interview above!)
Aside from her iconic looks, pop-dancehall collaborations have been another constant in Mýa’s storied career. Over the years, she’s worked with Jamaican reggae and dancehall artists like Beenie Man (“Girls Dem Sugar,” “Lie Detector,” “Docta”), Sean Paul (“Things Come & Go”), Spice (“Take Him Out”) and, most recently, Bounty Killer, on her latest steamy single “Whine.”
“Funny story is I had a solo version of the video shot two years prior to reaching out to Bounty Killer,” she says. “And I’ve always wanted a feature on that record. And so we went back down to Jamaica two years later, to the same location, and put Bounty Killer in the video, inserted him, and it all looks cohesive now.”
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Of her pop-dancehall collaborations, Mýa says they feel like a family effort. “Every time I go down there, it’s usually for music. But then my associates, music friends, become like family over the years. We understand the beauty of independency but also working together. And so, that’s a big part of the culture, too,” she explains. “I think it’s important also to just be authentic for representation, so it was important for me to be in Kingston, in the heart of Jamaica, to capture the essence of the good vibes and the music, the culture and the people and the dance.”
Outside of her debut LP’s 25th anniversary this year, Mýa also celebrated the 20th anniversary of her third album Moodring, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned her another Hot 100 top 20 hit with “My Love is Like…Wo.” (Missy Elliott co-produced the track two years after working with her on the five-week No. 1, Grammy-winning smash “Lady Marmalade” with Christina Aguilera, P!nk and Lil’ Kim from the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack.)
Earlier this year, she collaborated with Interscope/UMe to release the digital deluxe 25th anniversary edition of Mya, the digital deluxe 20th anniversary edition of Moodring and the “25th Anniversary Remix” of “It’s All About Me,” accompanied by the Brian Friedman-directed choreography video. Come December, Mýa will ring in the 15th anniversary of her fifth album Sugar & Spice.
“I was a baby, I was a kid, everything was brand new. Working in the studio with Dru Hill for the first album was really like a family and a camp, so I had big brothers around me … I learned a lot from them, watching them,” she reflects. “It’s just a beautiful journey. I’m excited as well about what’s to come. I just love music, so it’s a blessing to just still be here 25 years later and still feel like it’s brand new.”
Watch the full video interview above.
Miguel previewed songs from his upcoming fifth studio album, Viscera, on Friday in Los Angeles during an event dubbed the “Viscera Experience,” in which the singer warned the small crowd that the performance would include “boundary-pushing artistry including body manipulation [and] skin piercing.”
According to a description of the show posted by Vibe, after taking the stage at Sony Studios in a white tank, baggy black pants and black rubber boots, the “Sky Walker” singer was joined by two men who pushed metal hooks through the skin on his back, then attached them to wires that lifted him off the ground by the hooks. He then hung for nearly five minutes while singing an unreleased song — featuring the apropos lyrics “I’m hanging onto nothing/ I’m hanging from the ceiling” –before being lowered and having the hooks removed.
On Monday (Aug. 29), Miguel posted a series of pics on Instagram showing the aftermath of the S&M stunt, including the series of holes in his back as well as the white tank top, streaked and spotted with his blood alongside the caption, “What is your relationship to pain? What is your relationship to change?”
The type of suspension Miguel used in the performance is typically referred to as a “suicide suspension” and Miguel isn’t he only one who has employed it as type of body modification that dates back at least 5,000 years to India as part of a spiritual piercing rituals during Hindu festivals. Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro waxed poetic about the therapeutic aspects of putting large-gauge hooks through the skin of your back in a 2013 Guardian interview, saying, “To be honest, at first I just wanted to try it because it was interesting; I didn’t know that there was going to be an experience attached to it. I saw it as just a mind-over-matter thing until I got off the ground the first time. Then a lightbulb went off.”
He said while some people are horrified by the act — admitting that there is definitely pain, and blood, involved — he found it to be “a very intensely gratifying emotional release. Sometimes it’s just fun, but it can also be very meditative.”
Last month, Miguel pushed boundaries as part of Sony’s “For the Music” campaign, scaling a massive skyscraper and breaking through a glass window in a one minute visual that director Liam McRae said symbolized the singer’s next era and Sony’s commitment to supporting artists like him breaking through “creative barriers” and connecting directly with their fans.
Viscera, which does not yet have an official release date, is the follow-up to 2017’s War & Leisure; he released the single “Give It to Me” in April.
See Miguel’s posts below.
All that Jorja Smith likes to do is write and sing — which makes separating herself from her career “a bit tricky” sometimes. “I’ll have days where I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I wish I gave myself a different name because I need to switch Jorja Smith off,’ ” she says. “I don’t want to be Jorja Smith all of the time.”
Struggling to find balance not only speaks to her Gemini zodiac sign, says the 26-year-old artist, but is also at the core of her highly anticipated second album, Falling or Flying, out Sept. 29 on her longtime independent label, FAMM. “I don’t really have an in between. I’m either happy or sad, obsessed or completely unfocused, up or down,” she says. “I feel like I’m flying in my career, and then other times, I feel like I’m falling because the pressure can feel [like] too much.”
At 18, Smith left her hometown of Walsall, England, and traveled two-and-a-half hours south to London in order to pursue music full time. Her secondary school yearbook named her most likely to become famous — and she quickly ascended to become one of the United Kingdom’s brightest stars. In 2016, Smith uploaded her socially conscious debut single, “Blue Lights,” to SoundCloud, and it garnered nearly half a million plays in one month. The song eventually appeared on her 2018 critically acclaimed debut album, Lost & Found, which boasted slow-burning songs that blended R&B, reggae, hip-hop, jazz and neo-soul production with a songwriting approach inspired by Amy Winehouse. All the while, Smith earned co-signs from Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Stormzy, as well as acclaim in the form of a 2018 BRITs Critics’ Choice Award and a 2019 Grammy nod for best new artist.
But fulfilling her yearbook prophecy had a disorienting effect on Smith, who became famous in her early 20s. After tiding fans over with the 2021 EP Be Right Back, she moved home to Walsall at the beginning of 2023. “I went back when I finally decided I’ve had enough of London … It’s a bit overwhelming sometimes,” she says with a sigh. “I moved back and I feel a lot more balanced. I feel more myself now.”
On Falling or Flying, Smith soars over sprightly tracks that experiment with acoustic indie-rock production, syncopated basslines and retro synth chords. She enlisted U.K. jungle DJ-producer Nia Archives to remix the album’s second single, “Little Things,” which captured a flirty, feverish energy quintessential for clubbing in its original form. But some songs demand the coziness of a jazz club, where Smith’s lithe, velvety vocals can fill the space on their own — and quiet those around her. While Lost & Found comprised teenage love songs Smith had written when she was 16, Falling or Flying finds the singer stepping “into womanhood” and being more sure of herself than ever before. As she sings on “Backwards,” “I stand here and I look down on myself and I am so proud.” Meanwhile, on tracks like “Broken Is the Man” and “Try Me,” she challenges past lovers and harsh critics.
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Walsall production duo DameDame* — Smith has known one of its members since she was 15 — was responsible for most of Falling or Flying, another sign that returning to her roots better served her music. “We laughed, ate food, sang, cried, jammed some more,” she says. “It wasn’t like, ‘I need to make the album uptempo.’ It was just, ‘Let’s mess around, have fun and see what happens.’ ”
Smith teases that she’ll take Falling or Flying on the road for her first headlining run in five years. “That’s all I want to do,” she says, beaming. “That’s where I feel at home. In Walsall and onstage is where I feel like, ‘OK, I can just be me.’ ”
This story originally appeared in the Aug. 26, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Back before Cleveland was tapped to be the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, its downstate rival, Cincinnati, was also (briefly) in the mix for the honor of being the institution’s host. The city got on the short list thanks to its legacy as the home of pioneering label King Records, where a number of very early rock n’ roll, funk and R&B sides were cut by the likes of James Brown, Bootsy Collins, Otis Williams and others; not for nothing, but Billboard was founded in the city in 1894.
And while the Queen City missed out on that Rock Hall of Fame, on Saturday (July 22), Cincinnati will get its own circle of honor when the long-awaited Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame opens to the public in a splashy ceremony that will unveil a years-in-the-works project to honor the city’s unique place in music history.
“The historical part of this place is that African-American slaves lived in this flood plain and [the Hall of Fame] is across from Paycor Stadium, where the annual Cincinnati Music Festival takes place,” says Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece, the main driver behind the project in reference to the 61-year-old locally promoted gathering that has brought the best of funk, soul, R&B and jazz to her hometown for six decades.
Reece’s passion for the Walk of Fame is evidence by her bubbling enthusiasm over a recent Zoom call, as well as a voice already hoarse from her duties hyping her passion project in the lead-up to this weekend’s grand unveiling. And she comes by it naturally. Her mother, Barbara Howard, was a national recording artist, and her father, Steven Reece Sr., was a local rep for Motown Records who helped to bring both the Beatles and Aretha Franklin to town for their first-ever Cincinnati dates.
When her mother died at 57, Reece says she realized her purpose was to make sure that she left something for future generations. “These stories can’t die when we die,” she says. So she began the yearslong process of pushing to convert an empty downtown lot into her vision of a free-to-the-public Hall of Fame honoring the city’s Black music legends of pop, rock, funk, gospel, hip-hop, jazz and classical music.
Describing the multi-level Hall of Fame layout — a necessity due to its proximity to the Ohio River floodplain — Ron Bunt, senior VP of design firm JRA tells Billboard that visitors will descent a series of ramps with a number of interactive displays that will bring the city’s music history to life. After entering through a towering stainless steel arch that explains the various features, visitors will see a series of 13 podiums that each feature the stories of two prominent Black Cincinnati artists.
This year’s inductees include soul superstar Brown, who recorded some of his more iconic songs at King Records, as well as The Deele, an early 1980s R&B group featuring future superstars and local legends L.A. Reid and Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. Also on the list is late Spinners (“Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”) singer Philippé Wynne and Louise Shropshire, who penned the original lyrics to what became the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.”
The two previous classes included the first inductees, funk bass master Bootsy Collins, the Isley Brothers, gospel singer Dr. Charles Ford and The Charms doo-wop singer Williams; the 2022 class featured Klymaxx/Snap! singer Penny Ford, hip-hop producer Hi-Tek (50 Cent, Snoop Dogg), R&B/jazz guitarist Wilbert Longmire and funk group Midnight Star.
“Each podium has a brief bio, and album cover, which, when you scan the QR code, will make the artist pop out with more information,” Bunt says of the displays that will also feature copy in braille and a haptic panel that will allow hearing impaired visitors to “feel” the music. In addition, they will allow users to listen to a 30-second clip of the artist’s music, with the QR code providing access to the Walk of Fame’s website, where you can read more about all the inductees.
There is also a feature called the “Beatmaker,” with 8 drum heads that interact with the lights and an adjacent fountain, acting like a kind of Simon Says game in which visitors follow Hi-Tek’s instructions to keep up with the music, as well as areas with three-minute video clips about each act and panels with the stories of local music influencers.
“It’s a holistic experience that tells an important story that’s never been told,” says Bunt of the hands-on displays that will include an AR component allowing visitors to “jam” on stage with Bootsy and Ford’s avatars. He and Reece are also both excited about a twice-nightly “Takeover Dance party” where the speakers on all the displays will synch up for a music and light show that will encourage attendees to boogie to the music. “It’s kind of an ‘a-ha’ moment for a lot of people when you hear songs you grew up with that most people didn’t know were by people who are from here, which tells yo how worldwide this story is,” Bunt says.
The final iteration of the multi-million project will have room for up to 200 honorees and Saturday’s grand opening will feature a free show by the Ohio Players. “We wanted something that will bridge the gap between generations… grandmas and their grandkids can come and see something educational and entertaining,” says Reece.
Watch a video about the grand opening below.
Jamie Foxx and Colin Firth are teaming up to celebrate one of the greatest voices in R&B history. Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division announced on Tuesday (July 11) that Foxx’s Foxxhole Productions and Firth’s Raindog Films are teaming up for the first-ever full-length authorized documentary on late singer Luther Vandross. Production has already begun […]
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 […]
It’s a few weeks in, but Celine Dion made the wait for her 2023 Pride Month playlist well worth it. The singer posted her “Love Is Love” Pride playlist on Wednesday (June 21), a massive 81-track roster that, of course, includes a few of her new songs and some classics, as well as killer selections from Madonna, Tina Turner, Britney Spears, Queen, RuPaul, Lady Gaga and more.
“Only love, only love, only love, only love is the gift! Love is for everyone, no matter who you are, where you’re from and who you want to love! Be yourself and be loud!” read a tweet from the singer about the super-packed list that runs more than five hours.
The party kicks off with a pair of Dion’s tracks from the recent Love Again soundtrack, “The Gift” and “I’ll Be,” followed by a nod to the late rock goddess Turner (“The Best”), Candi Staton’s 1970s disco classic “Young Hearts Run Free,” Madonna’s “Music” and Robyn’s modern dance classic “Dancing on My Own.”
There’s fellow Canadian Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman,” Britney’s “Stronger,” and Sam Smith’s cover of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love,” as well as Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” (featuring Ariana Grande), ABBA’s “Dancing Queen,” Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” and Lady Gaga’s ultimate pride paean, “Born This Way.”
The list also includes tracks from Harry Styles (“Late Night Talking”), Sia (“Unstoppable”), Queen (“Don’t Stop Me Now”), Cher (“Believe”), Katy Perry (“I Kissed a Girl”) and a few from RuPaul (“Sissy That Walk,” “Supermodel (You Better Work).”
Dion was recently forced to cancel all of her 2023-2024 European tour dates due to her ongoing battle with a rare neurological disease. The affected dates included 2023 shows in Amsterdam, Paris, Antwerp, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki that were slated to take place from late August to early October, as well as 23 European shows booked for March 6-April 22.
The singer performed the first 52 dates of the Courage tour in North America before the pandemic paused it in March 2020. She was then diagnosed with a rare condition called Stiff Person Syndrome, which her team said causes severe and persistent muscle spasms that have prevented her from performing. In December 2022, Dion pushed all her 2023 dates into 2024, and canceled them entirely before initially vowing to reboot the European portion of the tour this summer.
See Dion’s tweet and the playlist below.
Only love, only love, only love, only love is the gift!Love is for everyone, no matter who you are, where you’re from and who you want to love! Be yourself and be loud!Here it is, as a tradition, Celine’s 2023 Pride playlist! https://t.co/ZECPUKSN6SHappy Pride everyone!🏳️🌈-TC pic.twitter.com/vlLHRMEmzR— Celine Dion (@celinedion) June 21, 2023
Dionne Warwick had to cancel an upcoming concert at the Rivers Casino Des Plaines outside Chicago after the 82-year-old “That’s What Friends Are For” singer reportedly suffered a minor health issue. TMZ was first to report that Warwick said she began having an unspecified issue with one of her legs on Thursday that was serious […]
Anita Baker has had it. After going on a tweet spree over the past few days decrying the harassment she said she’s been receiving from Babyface’s fans, the “Caught Up in the Rapture” singer announced on Tuesday morning (June 13) that she’s had it.
“After Silently, Enduring Cyber Bulling/Verbal Abuse & Threats of Violence from the Fan Base, of Our Special Guest/Support Act. In the Interest of Personal Safety. I will continue, The Songstress Tour, alone. Appropriate refunds will be made. Blessings,” Baker wrote alongside a new tour poster that doesn’t feature her former opener’s name on it.
The tour celebrating Baker’s four decades in the music business that kicked off in Florida in February — and is slated to run through a Dec. 23 show at Oakland Arena — had featured opening support sets from singer/songwriter/producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds. But after Edmonds was unexpectedly cut from a May 10 show at the Prudential Center in New Jersey due to reported technical issues that pushed that night’s start time by two hours, she said his fans have been relentlessly harassing and trolling her.
“I am truly sorry to my fans who have been waiting for us to hit the stage this evening at the Prudential Center,” Babyface wrote at the time. “I was asked not to perform in order to give Ms. Baker her space and time to perform her show in its entirety. My band an I are extremely saddened we didn’t get to perform for y’all tonight.”
In the series of tweets last weekend that stretched into the weekend and then Monday, Baker made it crystal clear that Edmonds was always the opening act and that she is fed up with the alleged taunting from his fans. Dubbing his followers “Kenny’s Crazies,” on Monday Baker made a direct plea to Babyface to stop the madness.
“Dearest one. You are Not, privy to *The Contracts*. Yes, Babyface is Special Guest/Support Act, on My Tour,” she tweeted. “This False Narrative, of A Co-headliner is creating Unrealistic Expectations & Aggression, from his fans towards me. He should tell you guys, the Truth.”
At press time it did not appear that Babyface had reacted to Baker’s tweets and a spokesperson for the singer had not returned a request for comment.
Baker’s tour is a celebration of 40 years in music and the anniversary of her debut album, 1983’s The Songstress. The dates also mark the first time the Ohio native is performing her classics live since winning back the right of her masters in 2021 with the help of Chance the Rapper. The next scheduled date on the tour is June 30 at the United Center in Chicago.
See Baker’s tweet below.
#AnitaBaker After Silently, Enduring Cyber Bulling/Verbal Abuse & Threats of Violence from the Fan Base, of Our Special Guest❤️/Support Act. In the Interest of Personal Safety. I will continue, The Songstress Tour, alone. Appropriate refunds will be made.Blessings🎁ABXO🎼 pic.twitter.com/P7OzVdiEPm— Anita Baker (@IAMANITABAKER) June 13, 2023
