entertainment blog
First Stream: New Music From Rihanna, SZA, Jin & More
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 See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news This week, Rihanna returns from a far-too-long absence, SZA tries out the full-length version of a long-teased fan favorite, Ice Spice goes under the sea and more. Check out all of this week’s First Stream picks below: Rihanna, “Lift Me Up” Rihanna’s much-anticipated return to music comes not with the kind of door-kicking, floor-filling lead single we once expected from her on a yearly basis, but rather with a lush, percussion-less ballad of domestic bliss. Co-written with producer Ludwig ...
Taylor Swift Dominates Australia’s Charts With ‘Midnights’
Taylor Swift is the queen of Australia’s music charts, as Midnights (via Universal) darts to No. 1 with the biggest volume week of any album in five years. Midnights bows atop the latest ARIA Chart, with more combined sales than any title since Swift released Reputation, also No. 1 back in 2017. It’s her 10th No. 1 ARIA Album. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news With Midnights setting the albums chart alight, records tumble. Swift enjoys a record-setting haul on the national singles survey, capturing nine of the top 10 positions, led by “Anti-Hero” at No. 1, with “Lavender Haze” and “Snow On The Beach,” featuring Lana Del Rey, respectively completing the top 3. According to Universal Music Australia, Midnights is the most-streamed album in a week i...
Here’s a Guide to the Samples Fred again.. Used to Create “Actual Life 3”
We all know Fred again.. is a gifted music producer. But it’s actually his humanity which is his greatest weapon. After being starved for connection throughout the isolation of the pandemic, our hunger for genuine bonds is ravenous. And no one is able to cultivate them with their music quite like Fred, a master of unfiltered storytelling whose new album, Actual Life 3, is a reminder to imbue color in life’s grey moments. AL3 is a microcosm of Fred’s profound ability to turn life’s happenstances into visceral dance music. Interpolating samples from real-life encounters, transcendent songwriting sessions and even random videos sent by friends, the album is a collage of the mementos he’s collected during his breakthrough year. We’ve pulled the yar...
All of The Stars: The Cast & Crew of ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Hit The Purple Carpet At World Premiere
HipHopWired Featured Video CLOSE Source: Getty Images / Black Panther: Wakanda Forever It’s almost time to head back to Wakanda. Before fans embark on what will most definitely be an emotional journey, the cast and crew of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever shined at the film’s world premiere. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is just a few weeks from its November 11, 2022 release, but before it arrives, the cast and crew hit Los Angeles to celebrate the film’s completion after what seemed like a grueling process. Wakanda Forever is the follow-up film to Marvel Studios’ mega-successful film, Black Panther. Before film cameras started rolling, director Ryan Coogler was met with a challenge when his lead star, and friend Chadwick Boseman, tragically passed away after privately battling colorec...
SZA Debuts New Single “Shirt”
SZA has dropped off her highly-anticipated single, “Shirt.” Clocking in at three minutes, the track is produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins and Freaky Rob and arrives with an accompanying music video helmed by Dave Meyers. The visual stars SZA and LaKeith Stanfield and shows the pair in a Bonnie and Clyde situation, with its ending featuring a teaser of an unreleased track. “Shirt” was initially teased by the TDE stalwart in December 2020, uploading a clip of the track on TikTok. It became a viral favorite soon after and was further teased with the release of SZA’s “Good Days” music video, but did not release until October 2022 as she was still finishing up the song; she confirmed during her set at Austin City Limits that the original release date was October 14, but she was not ple...
Rihanna Makes Her Exciting Return to Music With “Lift Me Up”
After a long, six-year wait, Rihanna has finally returned to music with her new single “Lift Me Up,” which is set to appear on the soundtrack of the highly-anticipated Marvel film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Clocking in at just a little over three minutes, the track is produced by Ludwig Göransson and was co-written by Tems, Göransson, director Ryan Coogler and Rihanna herself, and was penned as a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. “Lift Me Up” was recorded in five different countries and is described by Tems as a message she would give to the people she’s lost. “After speaking with Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life. I tried to imagine what it would fee...
Smino Delivers First Album in Four Years, ‘Luv 4 Rent’
Smino has finally released his first solo full-length effort in four years, Luv 4 Rent. Clocking in at 50 minutes, the 15-track album features guest appearances from J. Cole on the previously-released single “90 Proof,” Doechii and Fatman Scoop on “Pro Freak,” Cruza on “Louphoria,” Lucky Daye and Phoelix on “Modennaminute,” Cory Henry and Ravyn Lenae on “Settle Down,” Lil Uzi Vert on “Pudgy” and Reggie on the closer “Lee & Lovie.” Luv 4 Rent marks the Zero Fatigue founder’s first album since 2018’s NØIR, but follows his second mixtape She Already Decided from 2020. To celebrate the release, Smino will be co-headlining a joint tour with JID in 2023. The Luv Is 4Ever Tour will see the duo hit up 32 cities across North America beginning late January. Stream Smino’s Luv 4 Rent on Spotify a...
Perfume Genius to Play New York Show for Pitchfork Presents
On December 9, Pitchfork Presents will host a 2022 Year in Music Showcase at Knockdown Center in Queens, headlined by Perfume Genius. Grace Ives will also play the show, and more artists will be announced soon. Advance tickets for the Pitchfork Presents Year in Music Showcase are available today via Dice. Each edition of Pitchfork Presents follows a theme based on the site’s editorial coverage. The billing for the inaugural installment, in August, included Big Freedia, Dawn Richard, Hurray for the Riff Raff, and more. Perfume Genius shared his latest album, Ugly Season, back in June. The same month, Ives issued her excellent record Janky Star. Grace Ives’ Hot Mess Anthems
Harry Styles Shares New “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” Video: Watch
Harry Styles has shared a video for “Music for a Sushi Restaurant,” the opening track of this year’s Harry’s House. Directed by Aube Perrie in Brooklyn, the clip imagines Styles as a half-human, half-squid creature who finds himself the “Catch of the Day” at the fictional sushi restaurant Gill’s Lounge. Watch the video below. Styles’ Love on Tour shows continue as he wraps up 15 nights at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum before heading to Mexico and South America. He recently announced a series of 2023 dates which will largely take place in Europe and Australia and will feature support from Wet Leg. “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” follows visuals for “As It Was” and “Late Night Talking.” Content This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Steve Lacy Announced as SNL Musical Guest
Steve Lacy has been announced as an upcoming musical guest on Saturday Night Live. Lacy will make his SNL debut on the November 5 episode hosted by Amy Schumer. The appearance will require Lacy to shuffle around some shows on his current tour in support of his second solo record, Gemini Rights. Lacy recently earned his first No. 1 hit for “Bad Habit,” where it remained at the top for three weeks until it was nudged out by Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ “Unholy.” Previous musical guests on the current season of Saturday Night Life include Kendrick Lamar, Willow, and Megan Thee Stallion, who also acted as host. Jack Harlow will pull double-duty as host and musical guest on the show’s October 29 episode.
Taylor Swift Removes “Fat” Scale From “Anti-Hero” Video Following Criticism
Taylor Swift has removed a scene from her “Anti-Hero” music video that has been criticized as fatphobic. Swift wrote and directed the visual, which finds her contending with the neuroses and anxieties described in the song, helped along by her anti-hero, also played by Swift. In the original version of the video, Swift steps onto a scale that reads “FAT” as the anti-hero shakes her head disapprovingly. The new version still has Swift on a scale but cuts out its “FAT” reading. Swift discussed disordered eating and living with body image issues in the 2020 documentary Miss Americana, saying in the film that there have been times where she’s seen pictures of herself “that’ll just trigger [her] to just starve a little bit—just stop eating.” And, in an interview with Variety, she explained, “My...
Fred again.. Says He and Skrillex Swapped Homes In Pursuit of “Creative Impact”
Well that’s one way to spark creativity. Fred again.. has revealed that he’s living in the Los Angeles home of Skrillex, who’s concurrently shacking up in the Brit’s London digs. The two electronic music superstars swapped homes ahead of the release of Fred’s long-awaited third album, Actual Life 3. Over the course of the last few weeks, fans have tuned into both artists’ social media for spontaneous jam sessions livestreamed from the homes. A bevy of renowned musicians appeared alongside Skrillex and Fred in these streams, such as Four Tet and Flowdan. That group have been teasing a hotly anticipated collaboration, tentatively titled “Rumble,” which Fred played in his viral Boiler Room set. Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, Fred opened...
