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Helen Reddy, Voice of the Feminist Anthem ‘I Am Woman,’ Dies at 78
Helen Reddy, the Australian activist and powerful voice of the 1972 feminist anthem “I Am Woman,” died Tuesday (Sept. 29), according to a statement from her family. The hitmaker was 78 years old. “It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Helen Reddy, on the afternoon of September 29th 2020 in Los Angeles,” her children Traci and Jordan shared via Facebook. “She was a wonderful Mother, Grandmother and a truly formidable woman. Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever.” Reddy charted 20 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart in her lifetime, including three No. 1s: the Grammy Award-winning “I Am Woman” (which she co-wrote with Ray Burton), “Delta Dawn” and “Angie B...
What Does Justin Bieber’s ‘Holy’ Mean for His Next Move?
As Justin Bieber’s “Holy” arrives at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 – marking his 20th top 10 hit – what does the single mean for the pop star’s next move? Bieber himself has called “Holy” the beginning of a “new era,” and he’s currently at work on recording a new studio album. (It’s “some of the best music I’ve made,” Bieber said in a livestream recently.) So, what might “Holy” suggest for the sound of the new project? On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), the team discusses if the enlightened sound of “Holy,” where Bieber sings “the way you hold me … feels so holy” points to a specific genre or sound on the upcoming project. Will it be a continuation of the journey Bieber began with his recent album, Changes, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 earlier in the year...
Mac Davis, Iconic Artist & Elvis Songwriter, Dies at 78
Mac Davis, renowned for writing such hits as “In the Ghetto” and “A Little Less Conversation” for Elvis Presley, as well as commanding his own five-decade career that spanned the stage and big and small screen, died Tuesday night (Sept. 29) following heart surgery. He was 78. “Mac Davis has been my client for over 40 years, and, more importantly, my best friend,” Davis’ longtime manager Jim Morey said, in announcing his death. “He was a music legend, but his most important work was that as a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend. I will miss laughing about our misadventures on the road and his insightful sense of humor. In addition to Presley, among the artists who recorded Davis’ compositions were Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell, Tom Jones and Johnny Cash. But the Gramm...
Zendaya to Play Ronnie Spector in Upcoming Film on Singer’s Life
Zendaya will be taking on the role of Ronnie Spector in an upcoming film on the iconic singer’s life, according to Deadline. Independent entertainment company A24 is teaming up with New Agency for the Marc Platt-produced film, which has closed deals for Spector’s life rights and for her memoir, Be My Baby, written with Vince Waldron. Spector personally chose Zendaya to portray her, according to Deadline. A24 also produces Euphoria, and Zendaya at 24 years old recently became the youngest actress to win an Emmy lead actress in a drama series for her role as Rue in the popular HBO show. Spector fronted the girl group the Ronettes with her older sister Estelle Bennett and their cousin Nedra Talley. The group rolled out hits throughout the 1960s, including&n...
Bryson Tiller Honors Fellow Louisville Native Breonna Taylor With Billboards Across Kentucky
Bryson Tiller celebrated the fifth anniversary of his Trapsoul album last week when he released a deluxe version featuring three extra tracks, but he isn’t in a celebratory mood. In his Louisville hometown just two days prior, a Kentucky grand jury came to a decision in the case of Breonna Taylor that didn’t charge a single police officer in direct connection to the killing of the 26-year-old EMT. Tiller’s peers in R&B, from Alicia Keys to Ella Mai and more, expressed their frustration immediately after the news broke. That’s when the 27-year-old crooner decided to redirect the key real estate he recently secured in his and Taylor’s Kentucky home state: billboards. Originally intended to promote his forthcoming album Anniversary, which ...
Here Are the Lyrics to 24kGoldn’s ‘Mood,’ Feat. iann dior
24kGoldn and iann dior are in a pretty good “Mood” as their hit keeps skyrocketing up the Billboard Hot 100, with a peak spot at No. 5 this week (chart dated Oct. 3). This year’s XXL Freshman and his featured guest Dior question their stormy relationship with women who seem indecisive when it comes to their feelings. Check out the lyrics and music video below. (Whoa-oh)(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah) Yeah Why you always in a mood?F—in ’round, actin’ brand newI ain’t tryna tell you what to doBut try to play it coolBaby, I ain’t playing by your rulesEverything look better with a view Why you always in a mood?F—in ’round, actin’ brand newI ain’t tryna tell you what to doBut try to play it coolBaby, I ain’t playing by ...
Boughs of Dolly: The Country Icon Will Star in & Produce Christmas Movie For Netflix
Christine Baranski and Jenifer Lewis star with Parton in ‘Christmas on the Square.’ Dolly Parton and Netflix are extending their working relationship. The country music icon will star in and executive produce a musical holiday movie for the streamer called Christmas on the Square. The movie, which also stars Christine Baranski, Jenifer Lewis, Treat Williams and Jeanine Mason and is directed by Debbie Allen (Grey’s Anatomy), is set to premiere Nov. 22. The release date for the movie is exactly one year after Netflix debuted Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, an anthology series based on Parton’s songs. One of the eight installments, “These Old Bones,” earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding TV movie earlier this year. The It’s a Won...
Madonna’s Son David Banda Grooves to ‘Like a Virgin’ at His 15th Birthday Party
Madonna threw a raging backyard 15th birthday party for her son David Banda recently. The 62-year-old pop icon adopted Banda when he was just 13 months old after meeting him in 2006 at an orphanage in Malawi that she had helped fund, and it’s clear their bond has only grown stronger over the years. In a clip from the party that Madonna posted to Instagram on Monday (Sept. 28), the singer and Banda share a tender moment, with David giving Mom a big smooch and the pair explaining the origin of the teen’s birth name, which he said means “speaks the truth.” “Do you think you’ll be able to live up to that?” Madonna asks him. “Definitely, I’m currently living up to it. I love you. That’s the truth right there,” he says, kissing hi...
Jennifer Lopez Gushes Over Daughter Emme’s New Book: ‘She’s Way, Way Ahead of Me’
Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony‘s 12-year-old daughter Emme is now a published author, with her first book — titled Lord Help Me — out Tuesday (Sept. 29). The proud mamá spoke to Good Morning America about Emme, who sang with her at this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, and her love of sloths — which inspired the tween’s prayers book. Emme came up with the idea with her nanny as she thought kids needed to be taught to pray, according to Lopez. “They just kind of had this conversation, and she was like, ‘Maybe we can write a book where we can save the sloths, and we can use the money to save the sloths,'” Lopez told GMA. “I’m so proud of her to author her first book at 12 years old. She’s way, way ahead of me.R...
Kis-My-Ft2 Leads, Arashi’s New Bruno Mars-Produced Single Bows at No. 6 on Japan Hot 100
J-pop boy band Kis-My-Ft2’s “ENDLESS SUMMER” debuts at No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Sept. 14 to 20, selling 180,763 copies in its first week. The septet’s 26th single leads physical sales and look-ups, while also performing well in Twitter mentions (No. 3) and radio airplay (No. 27). Arashi’s new single “Whenever You Call” — an all-English R&B ballad produced by Bruno Mars — dropped digitally last Friday (Sept. 18), and the highly anticipated track racked up 58,989 downloads in just three days to blast in at No. 1 for the metric this week. The song also buzzed on Twitter (No. 1) and fared well in video views (No. 9), bowing at No. 6 on the Japan Hot 100. [embedded content] This week sees two other acts besides the two Johnny’s boy bands debuting in the top 10, wh...
Billboard Japan & NTT Data’s Joint Research Predicts Future Hits From Chart Data & Cerebral Information
Billboard Japan and NTT Data/NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting (NTT Data/IMC) partnered on a new project that combines the former’s chart data and the latter’s neuroscientific technology to develop a new way to analyze music trends. Billboard Japan’s Hot 100 song chart is based on a weighted formula incorporating eight metrics such as CD sales, downloads, streams and Twitter mentions. NTT Data/IMC is a pioneer in the advancement of the brain information business, in part through its development of the “NeuroAI” that predicts the cerebral activity and perceptual content of people viewing moving images. The underlying technology of NeuroAI was adopted by this year’s AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-20). The collaborative project used technology called “NeuroAI-Music...
Garth Brooks Welcomed Fans to 360-Degree Studio G With Trisha Yearwood & a Live Virtual Audience
Studio G goes 360 degrees! Garth Brooks unveiled on Monday (Sept. 28) his new stage with screens 360 degrees around for “Inside Studio G: A Monday Night Conversation.” Trisha Yearwood even popped in, joining the live virtual audience for some conversation and performances of “I’ll Carry You Home,” “Like We Never Had A Broken Heart” and “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore.” The couple also teased something big on the way. When a fan asked if they have anything in the works, like a Nashville museum or restaurant, Brooks verbally said no but cheekily nodded his head and gave a wink. “Inside Studio G” airs on Garth’s Facebook Page every Monday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The episode was also simulcast on Garth’s SiriusXM Channel (Channel 55). ...
