music blog
Coachella Sues Ghanaian Music Festival Afrochella for Trademark Infringement
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and its organizer, Goldenvoice, are suing Ghana’s Afrochella for alleged trademark infringement. In the lawsuit—filed in a California federal court on Wednesday (October 5) and obtained by Pitchfork—Coachella and Goldenvoice claim that Afrochella is “intentionally trading on the goodwill of [Coachella and Goldenvoice’s] well-known COACHELLA and CHELLA festivals and trademarks by actively promoting music events in the United States and in Ghana using the confusingly similar mark ‘AFROCHELLA’ and by fraudulently attempting to register Plaintiffs’ actual trademarks as their own.” Coachella Music Festival, LLC and Goldenvoice, LLC filed a similar lawsuit last year against Live Nation Entertainment for contributory trademark infringement. The complai...
Beyoncé Shuts Down Right Said Fred’s “Erroneous” Sampling Claims
On her new album, Renaissance, Beyoncé interpolated Right Said Fred’s hit “I’m Too Sexy” on “Alien Superstar.” As a result, the group’s Fred and Richard Fairbrass, as well as past member Rob Manzoli, are credited as co-writers of “Alien Superstar.” In a recent interview with the British tabloid The Sun, however, the Fairbrass brothers claimed, “Normally the artist approaches us but Beyoncé didn’t because she is such an arrogant person she just had probably thought ‘come and get me’ so we heard about it after the fact when you did. But everyone else, Drake and Taylor Swift, they came to us.” Beyoncé has now responded Right Said Fred. In a statement shared with Pitchfork, the musician said: The comments made by Right Said Fred stating that Beyonce used “I’m Too Sexy” in “Alien Superstar” wit...
Listen to Tiësto’s Energizing Club Remix of Black Eyed Peas’ “Pump It”
Tiësto has teamed up with Black Eyed Peas to produce a modern-day club spin on the group’s ageless hit, “Pump It.” The track was in Tiësto’s regular club rotation over the summer before it officially hit streaming platforms today. He wastes no time and cuts right to the chase, reworking the 2006 hit into a fresh house anthem. “As a fan and supporter of will.i.am’s work and Black Eyed Peas, I couldn’t be more excited to collaborate directly with them on this project,” gushed Tiësto, who said his fans “go absolutely crazy” when he plays the track at clubs and festivals. There’s no mistaking Dick Dale’s’s instantly recognizable “Misirlou” 1962 surf sample, and it’s not long before Tiësto builds the arrangement before an energizi...
WILLOW Drops Hard-Rocking New Album ‘<CopingMechanism>’
WILLOW on Thursday dropped off her hotly-anticipated new album, <COPINGMECHANISM>, alongside a self-directed music video for “ur a <stranger>,” co-starring Paris Jackson. In a message to fans posted to Instagram, WILLOW said she was at a loss for words when it came to describing her emotions surrounding this release. “No words can describe the gratitude and joy that I feel in this moment,” she wrote. Produced by WILLOW and Chris Greatti, the new record follows the 21-year-old artist’s 2021 effort, lately I feel EVERYTHING. The tracklist includes 11 tracks with just one feature from Yves Tumor on “Perfectly Not Close To Me.” In Greatti’s words, “bracing oneself for an intensely hard-rocking yet emotional experience while listening is strongly recommended.” Now, WILLOW is gearing...
Hardwell to Talk Hiatus, New Music and Career Lessons at ADE 2022
With this year’s Amsterdam Dance Event only two short weeks away, organizers have finalized the conference’s list of speakers, which now includes Peggy Gou, Richie Hawtin and Stranger Things composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein. Also on the docket is a special session called “Hardwell: The Return.” Now just three weeks removed from the release of his comeback album, REBELS NEVER DIE, the Dutch DJ will host an in-depth talk on why he took a hiatus from dance music, what he learned and how he’ll take those lessons into this new chapter of his career. “I’m really happy with the whole decision, and I’ve never been more productive and happy in the studio as I am right now,” Hardwell told EDM.com earlier this year. “It feels way more li...
Check Out These Early Daft Punk Helmet Concept Images From the ’90s
Before Daft Punk‘s signature robot attire became a staple of pop culture, the design and functionality of their helmets were subject to years of trial and error. Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo launched Daft Punk in 1993, but it would be six years until they conceived their robot alter-egos in 1999. And the iconic helmets we know and love today apparently went through many iterations before they were finalized and changed electronic music forever. An Instagram page by the name of Aksploration has unearthed images which the account says depicts the development of Daft Punk’s helmets in 1999. Some early concepts even featured wigs, according to Aksploration. It seems the legacy of Daft Punk’s helmets has amplified in the wake of their shocking spl...
Chart-Topping Duo LF System Drop Groovy House Track, “Hungry (For Love)”
Hot on the heels of their chart-topping single “Afraid to Feel,” British house music duo LF System have returned with yet another groovy record, “Hungry (For Love).” A toe-tapping house rhythm, bubbly disco synths and soulful vocal combine for a rapturous and vibrant tune. With such a captivating and versatile sound, this record can be played anywhere from clubs and festivals to rollerskating rinks and restaurants. “The love and support we’ve had over the past year has been absolutely wild and we’re over the moon to be sharing more music with you all,” LF System writes. “The tune has had a class response to it every time we’ve played it and we’re so happy it’s properly out for everyone to listen from all over the world.” Scroll to Continue Recommended Art...
Britney Spears Kisses Justin Bieber… the Monkey
Britney Spears shared a kiss with Justin Bieber on Friday (Oct. 7) — but it’s not what you’d expect. The pop superstar took to Instagram to share a video commemorating “almost a year since I became a free woman” from her 13-year conservatorship that ended in November 2021. The clip then cut to Spears on vacation, holding a monkey named “Justin Bieber.” “Hi, Justin Bieber!” Spears coos at the animal before giving him a kiss. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “F— yes !!! Wheee !!!” the star captioned the post celebrating her free life. “Psss the monkey’s name is Justin Bieber [rose, winking and laughing emojis] !!!” The “Hold Me Closer” singer has been showing her love for her 28-year-old fellow star on social media lately. Earlier this wee...
‘Charlie’s Good Tonight’: Read an Exclusive Excerpt From the Authorized Biography of the Rolling Stones’ Late Drummer
On Oct. 11, the quiet but mammoth impact of the Rolling Stones’ drummer Charlie Watts is celebrated with the release of Charlie’s Good Tonight: The Life, the Times, and the Rolling Stones: The Authorized Biography of Charlie Watts (available here). Authorized by Watts’ family and featuring forewards from both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the book delves into the incredible life of a man who came from a working class background and served as the anchor and guiding light of one of the world’s greatest rock bands from the early sixties until his death in 2021. Written by journalist Paul Sexton, a Billboard contributor who has also written for The Times (London), The Guardian and Daily Telegraph, Charlie’s Good Tonight draws on his 30-plus years of experience writing about the Stones as wel...
Jazmine Sullivan Shares Courageous Anthem “Stand Up” From ’TILL’ Soundtrack
Jazmine Sullivan has released her contribution to the TILL soundtrack, “Stand Up.” The GRAMMY Award-winning artist specially wrote the original song for the upcoming film as a tribute to Emmett and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. Sullivan said the song focuses on how Mamie “found her voice and purpose in so much turmoil.” “I’m honored to be able to contribute to such a powerful film about such a historic and tragic moment in American history,” she continued. Co-written, directed and executive produced by Chinonye Chukwu, TILL tells the historic and heartbreaking story of the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till in Mississippi through the eyes of his mother Mamie. Following her son’s death, Mamie gave Jet Magazine the right to publish images of her deceased body, calling the world’s attention to his...
Here’s How Jenna Dewan Reacted to Being Part of JoJo Siwa’s ‘Gay Awakening’ Story
Actress Jenna Dewan is honored to be a part of pop star JoJo Siwa’s coming out story. In a TikTok duet posted Thursday (Oct. 6), the Step Up actress offers her reaction as the former Dance Moms star shares her coming out story to the tune of Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” for the One Thing About Me challenge. As Siwa begins to rap how she realized she was gay, the actress nods along to the beat, a smile on her face. When the 19-year-old gets to the part about repeatedly watching Dewan’s Magic Mike number on Lip Sync Battle, the actress’ face lit up with a huge smile, and she laughs with joy. As the “Bop!” singer raps, “Little me, she didn’t know she was gay … until,” Dewan’s jaw drops and she puts one hand to her chest, touched by the revelation. “Jojo, I have never been more honored…!!...
Here’s Why Megan Thee Stallion Fans Think She’s Working With ‘Stranger Things’
Will Megan Thee Stallion be entering the Upside Down? The Hotties have reason to believe the rapper may be entering the Stranger Things universe in some capacity, after sharing a particularly eyebrow-raising photo to her Instagram on Friday (Oct. 7). Hidden in a photo carousel of her wearing a 2000s-inspired matching set, bold red curls and full glam, Megan popped in a photo of her holding a card in front of her face — black widow Halloween nails on full display — with the official Stranger Things logo on it. In the following photo, Megan sits in a black director’s chair that has Netflix’s logo emblazoned on its back. Billboard has reached out to Megan’s representatives, the Duffer Brothers and Netflix for comment. Though there is no word on what the “Her” rapper is cooking up with the str...
