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Justin Townes Earle Dies at 38
Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, the son of Steve Earle, has died. He was 38. His passing was confirmed Sunday night (Aug. 23) by a statement released on his official Facebook page. “It is with tremendous sadness that we inform you of the passing of our son, husband, father and friend Justin,” the statement reads. “So many of you have relied on his music and lyrics over the years and we hope that his music will continue to guide you on your journeys. You will be missed dearly Justin.” The cause of death has not been revealed. Earle is survived by his wife and daughter. Born in Nashville, Earle was named after songwriter Townes Van Zandt. “My mother hated Townes Van Zandt,” he said in an interview last year. “My first name was suppose...
BTS Break Major YouTube Record With ‘Dynamite’
“Dynamite” is blowing up on YouTube. The new music video from BTS counted 101.1 million views within 24 hours of its release, YouTube confirms to Billboard, making it the music video with the biggest first-day debut to date. The visual for “Dynamite,” the new English-language track from the K-pop superstars, dropped with a bang at midnight on Aug. 21. More than 3 million concurrent viewers immediately tuned in at premiere time. BTS first teased the new single back in July. “We are preparing an album for the second half of this year,” they said at the time, on Korean broadcasting app V Live, “but decided to first release a single because we wanted to reach our fans as soon as possible. Due to COVID-19, people around the world have been going through...
ACLU Offers Britney Spears Support Amid Conservatorship Extension
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is publicly reaching out to Britney Spears, following a ruling this week by a Los Angeles judge to extend her conservatorship until Feb. 1, 2021. “People with disabilities have a right to lead self-directed lives and retain their civil rights,” the nonprofit organization tweeted earlier in the week, on Aug. 19. “If Britney Spears wants to regain her civil liberties and get out of her conservatorship, we are here to help her.” On the afternoon of Aug. 23, they shared an article published on aclu.org, titled “How Conservatorship Threatens Britney Spears’ Civil Rights.” “Conservatorships can result in serious financial, physical, or emotional abuse,” the ACLU tweeted alongside the link. Conservatorship &...
Is Justin Bieber’s ‘Squishy Cute’ Newborn Niece Giving Him Baby Fever?
Bieber fever might be making way for baby fever. Justin Bieber got to meet his very new — and very adorable — niece, Iris Elle Aronow, and the pictures are proof that he’s smitten. The pop star shared a series of snuggly Instagram photos with Iris, Alaia Baldwin and Andrew Aronow’s baby who was born on Aug. 17. “My baby niece iris .. scroll through and whitness the most squishy cute gumdrop ever!! Love you @alaiabaldwin and @andrewaronow ! She’s so precious!” Bieber wrote Sunday (Aug. 23). Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson left a winky-face comment on the post: “This image pretty much seals the deal. Fully expect you and H to have a baby in 2021.” Bieber’s wife, Hailey Baldwin, posted a snapshot on her Instagram ...
Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Kirk Franklin Win Big at Stellar Gospel Music Awards: Here’s the Complete List of Winners
For the second year in a row, the show honored a legendary figure who died during the previous year. Last year it was Aretha Franklin; this year it was John Lewis. Tasha Cobbs Leonard took artist of the year at the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, which were presented in a virtual event that aired on BET on Sunday (Aug. 23). Leonard also won contemporary female vocalist of the year. But Kirk Franklin, who co-hosted the show with Jonathan McReynolds and Koryn Hawthorne, won more awards overall — five. He took male vocalist of the year and contemporary male vocalist of the year, album of the year and contemporary album of the year, and producer of the year. Donald Lawrence won four awards, including song of the year for “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus).” John P. McKee won three aw...
Vote for Your Favorite Song on Maluma’s New Album ‘Papi Juancho’
Maluma surprised fans by dropping a 22-track album titled Papi Juancho on Aug. 21., which includes his chart-topping single “ADMV” and collaborations with Yandel, Ñengo Flow, and Myke Towers, among others. Name after the Colombian singer-songwriter’s nickname of “Juancho” (short for Juan Luis), Maluma recorded the majority of the songs during quarantine with longtime producers The Rude Boyz (Kevin ADG and Chan “El Genio”). “All I could do during lockdown in Medellin was work alone in my studio,” Maluma told Billboard in an exclusive interview. “That’s why this album has so much of my true essence; because I did so much of it alone.” Following the release, Billboard spoke to Maluma about the album and broke dow...
Colton Dixon and Wife Annie Welcome Twins Daughters
Congratulations are in order for Colton Dixon and his wife, Annie, who are now the proud parents to twin daughters. The 28-year-old American Idol alum announced the birth of his baby girls in a sweet Instagram post on Saturday night (Aug. 22), sharing a black-and-white photo of their tiny feet with hospital wristbands around their ankles. “Everyone meet Ava Dior and Athens Elizabeth Dixon,” the season 11 Christian rocker captioned the picture. The Dixon twins officially arrived on Tuesday (Aug. 18), according to People. Annie Dixon also shared the exciting news on Instagram, posting the same photo as her husband, and adding that Ava was born weighing 7 lbs., 1 oz., while Athens weighed 5 lbs., 6 oz. “Baby girls are here,” she captioned the photo. “We have take...
Nike Celebrates Kobe Bryant’s 42nd Birthday With Kendrick Lamar-Narrated Tribute: Watch
Happy birthday, Kobe Bryant. To help commemorate the late basketball legend’s 42nd birthday on Sunday (Aug. 23), Nike teamed up with Kendrick Lamar for a 90-second video highlighting Bryant’s Mamba Mentality of always striving to be better. In the inspirational video, appropriately titled Better, Lamar spits rapid-fire spoken word over a montage of clips from Bryant’s unforgettable career, mixed with footage of recent protests across the United States. “Better friend. Better fighter. Better rider. Better eater. Better leader. Better generation. Better nation,” Lamar says over a soft piano melody. “Just be better. Can you do that?” In a post on its website, Nike described the video as a celebration of the “universal relevance of progress and highlights Kobe’s prolifi...
5 Uplifting Moments in Latin Music This Week (August 22)
From career milestones and new music releases to major announcements and more, Billboard editors highlight the latest news buzz in Latin music every week. Here’s what happened in the Latin music world this week: Jessie Reyez’s peaceful protest Wearing a scarf with Breonna Taylor’s name written on it and taking a kneel, Jessie Reyez bravely sang the Canadian and U.S. national anthems at the top of the CN Tower in Toronto. “I don’t want to say much except a quote that’s reverberated with me throughout the years: ‘do what you can, with what you have, wherever you are,’” Reyez expressed after her performance that kicked off the first game of the NBA Playoffs between the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets. A new milestone for Pedro Capo’s “Calma” This week, Pedro Capo sur...
Chance the Rapper Hopes Megan Thee Stallion ‘Gets Justice’ After Shooting Incident
Chance the Rapper is showing his support for Megan Thee Stallion after her recent claim that Tory Lanez shot her after a Hollywood Hills party in July. “I hope Meg really gets justice for what Tory did to her,” Chance tweeted on Saturday (Aug. 22). “And that we can all learn from this, how near and constant and serious, the threat of lethal violence and abuse is for every Black woman.” Earlier in the week, Meg took to Instagram Live to set the record straight on who was responsible for pulling the trigger and shooting her in the feet on after the Los Angeles party on July 12. “Yes … Tory shot me. You shot me and you got your publicist and your people going to these blogs lying,” she said during an Instagram Live on Aug. 20. “Stop lying. Why lie? I don’t unders...
The Weeknd & Calvin Harris Drop More Details About Their New Track
It won’t be long before The Weeknd and Calvin Harris‘ new song is here. The Weeknd announced the track’s title, “Over Now,” as well as a release date on social media Saturday afternoon (Aug. 22). “over now. friday,” he captioned some newly unveiled artwork for the collaboration, which is billed as “Calvin Harris x The Weeknd.” “Brand new this Friday,” Harris confirmed on his own Instagram account. “Over Now” will make its debut on Friday, Aug. 28. It was first teased earlier in the week, when The Weeknd shared a photo of himself with the Scottish producer, and Harris put up footage previewing a funky and smooth R&B jam in an Instagram story. Check out their latest posts below. You Deserve to Make Mo...
Is Luke Bryan Becoming an Underwear Model?
He has a new album, he’s back on ‘Idol’ and now he’s teaming up with an iconic underwear brand. Luke Bryan got a little nervous when his wife, Caroline, opened a package of underwear Jockey sent him. The country couple, newly announced as brand ambassadors, unboxed some Jockey goodies for a comical campaign spot — and even though Bryan insisted he’s “been working out,” he wasn’t so sure about the thong. “Here’s your new go-to,” Caroline teased her husband, holding up a garment that would leave little to the imagination. “This is a prank, is what that is,” he playfully shot back in the clip, which was filmed in Nashville. (For the record, Bryan was all smiles about wearing the boxer briefs.) On Instagram, where the pair...
