Music News
Lorde Covers a ‘Genius’ Rosalia Song to Introduce ‘Liability’: Watch
Lorde just covered a Rosalía song on tour and, as the 28-year-old Latin musician would say: It’s so, so, so, so, so, so good. While performing Monday night (April 18) at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Lorde began singing the lyrics to Rosalía’s sensual, Spanish-language track “Hentai,” prompting ecstatic screams from the audience as soon as they realized whose song the “Solar Power” artist was performing. Sitting on the steps of her stage’s enormous sundial-shaped structure, Lorde’s only accompaniment was a soft piano that began playing the instantly recognizable opening notes of her Melodrama fan-favorite “Liability” once she got through the English lyrics — “So, so, so, so, so, so good” — of Rosalía’s chorus. The 25-year-old pop star has spoken before about her love for “Hen...
Ohashi Chippoke Showcases Bouncy Next-Gen J-Pop Tunes in April Edition of Billboard Japan & TikTok’s ‘Next Fire’
Billboard Japan and TikTok kicked off the April edition of Next Fire, highlighting singer-songwriter Ohashi Chippoke as this month’s featured artist. Next Fire introduces some of the hottest rising J-pop acts of the moment, based on Billboard Japan’s Heatseekers Songs chart. The collaborative project on TikTok Live streams studio concerts and pre-recorded interviews by the featured artist of the month to present an in-depth look at their career and artistry. Ohashi is a solo artist whose bouncy pop song “Jouryoku” (“Evergreen”) released last year held the top spot on the Heatseekers tally for six consecutive weeks. The 23-year-old performed a live showcase set on Apr. 8, including this breakout hit and an upcoming new track called “Iya demone” due Apr. 29. Ohashi Chippoke appeared in the l...
Macklemore Is Now a Minority Owner of Seattle Kraken Hockey Team
The Seattle Kraken NHL expansion team is adding some additional star power to their ownership group. The Kraken announced Monday (April 18) that Grammy winner Macklemore and former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch are joining the minority investor group. The two are taking small stakes in the franchise but bringing big ideas about community engagement and outreach to go along with their financial commitment. One of the original members of Seattle’s ownership group was Hollywood film maker Jerry Bruckheimer. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I’d say that perhaps we didn’t need just two more investors. But these are investors who uniquely want to help us in the community and are excited about what we’re doing,” Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke told T...
Kylie Jenner Shares Adorable Easter Photo of Travis Scott Holding Their Baby Boy
The artist formerly known as Wolf just celebrated his first Easter. Kylie Jenner shared a sweet holiday photo Sunday (April 17) of Travis Scott holding their newborn baby boy — whose name is still unknown after the parents walked back on their original name choice of Wolf. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The photo is cut off so that it doesn’t show the face of the baby or his dad, but the “Sicko Mode” rapper’s tattooed hands can be seen cradling his new son close to his chest. Jenner, who simply captioned the post with a white heart and rabbit emoji, has yet to share a photo that includes the face of her family’s most recent addition. The 24-year-old makeup mogul uploaded the father-son moment to a reel of photos from her family’s holid...
BTS Announce Next Album as They Wrap Up Blockbuster Las Vegas Residency
The ARMY might be mourning the end of BTS‘ “Permission to Dance On Stage – Las Vegas” residency, but now they have some big news to celebrate instead: The Korean septet has announced the release date of their next album. At their final Vegas show on Saturday night, the group played a teaser video for the crowd that featured black-and-white clips of each member — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook — before they all say the phrase “We Are Bulletproof” in unison followed by a date: June 10, 2022. While “We Are Bulletproof” appears to be the slogan for the new era, the album title has yet to be revealed. On Sunday, BTS’ label Big Hit Music made the news official on Weverse, posting a message confirming that an album is just under two months away. “Hello,” the message begins. “This is...
Lizzo Is the YouTube Algorithm and a Costco Singer in Cut for Time ‘SNL’ Sketches
Lizzo served as both host and musical guest on this weekend’s SNL, but at least two of her sketches were cut for time from the televised show. Fortunately, they landed on YouTube the morning after it aired. One sketch, which was actually themed to YouTube, starred Chris Redd and Bowen Yang as a duo singing about how they watch YouTube while eating dinner. “Food and YouTube” brought Lizzo in as a special guest — The Algorithm — toward the end of the tune. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I am The Algorithm and I’m here to help/ B—-, I know you better than you know yourself,” Lizzo rapped. “Oh, you watch travel vids? I can show you the world/ Here’s the 10 most savage moments from The Golden Girls/ I’ll take you down roads that you never ...
Please Don’t Destroy Helps Lizzo Pen New Song ‘Horny Zookeeper’ on ‘SNL’
“Special” wasn’t the only new song Lizzo debuted on SNL this weekend. With late-night comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy’s assistance, the singer overcame a bout of writer’s block and brought “Horny Zookeeper” to life. In a writing night sketch, Saturday night’s (Feb. 16) host and musical guest sat down for a hilarious meeting with Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I mean, two new songs?” she said with a laugh. “I don’t have those … I’m not joking.” “I got writer’s block. Can you write me a new song? I’m gonna need you to write me a new song. New song now, b—-. Go,” demanded Lizzo. “I need y’all to write a Black woman anthem,” she clarified, before everyone in the room realized that really was...
Fans Choose Anitta’s ‘Versions of Me’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
What a week to be an Anitta fan! The Brazilian singer released her fifth album, Versions of Me, on Tuesday, and the trilingual project tops this week’s Billboard new music poll. Fans voted in a poll published Friday, and the album scored more than 70% of the vote over the weekend. But the album release was just the tip of the iceberg for the Latin pop star. Anitta also made her Coachella debut on Friday night, with fans hashtagging her performance #Anichella all over social media. She brought out Snoop Dogg and Saweetie as special guests during the set, and also put on a sensual performance of her viral smash hit “Envolver.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Elsewhere in the poll, Phoebe Bridgers‘ new song “Sidelines” — written for the Hu...
Megan Thee Stallion Debuts Fiery New Song Dedicated ‘To Whom the F— It May Concern’ at Coachella
Megan Thee Stallion made her Coachella debut late Saturday, and she didn’t disappoint, packing her set with spicy hits and one especially fiery brand-new song. Introducing the yet-unheard song, the Houston rapper said it was personal to her and dedicated it “to whom the f— it may concern.” It’s unclear what the song is called, but it wrapped with a couple of notable phrases. The final line — “you’s a bi—” — was broadcast across the festival’s big screens, while she also repeated the Twitter-favorite lyric “di– don’t run me, I run di–.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news It’s unclear if there’s one specific inspiration behind the new song, though social media is suggesting some of the lyrics could be targeted at Tory Lanez, who is currently...
Lizzo Time-Travels to a 2008 Studio With Black Eyed Peas for ‘SNL’ Skit
Remember when the Black Eyed Peas had the music industry in a veritable chokehold? Saturday Night Live certainly does. On Saturday’s (April 16) episode – for which Lizzo was both host and musical guest – one skit imagined an Interscope recording studio circa 2008 as the pop-rap quartet recorded two of their biggest hits: “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling.” Chris Redd (apl.de.ap), Bowen Yang (Taboo), Kenan Thompson (will.i.am) and Cecily Strong (Fergie) perfectly embody the Peas, with Aidy Bryant and Lizzo playing their producers. As will sings the “boom boom boom”s of “Boom Boom Pow,” Bryant explains that those were just meant to be “temp lyrics describing the beat of the track.” Lizzo chimes in: “Yeah, you were supposed to replace them with your own lyrics — you know, like words.” Expl...
Jon Batiste to Make Feature Acting Debut in ‘The Color Purple’
After winning the top prize at this year’s Grammys, Jon Batiste is set to make his feature acting debut in The Color Purple. Warner Bros. is behind the feature adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, itself an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel by Alice Walker, and on which the Oscar-nominated Steven Spielberg-directed 1985 movie was based. The story centers on a woman named Celie Harris and tracks her lifelong struggles as an African American woman living in the South during the early 1900s. Batiste is set to portray Grady, Shug Avery’s (played by Taraji P. Henson) husband, a sweet-talking piano man. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Batiste would join a previously reported cast of Henson, Fantasia Barrino, Dani...
Broadway Theaters Extend Mask Mandate Through May 31
Broadway theatergoers will have to keep their masks up through at least May 31, the Broadway League said Friday (April 15). The announcement comes as the United States deals with a fresh COVID-19 surge, with cases rising nationally and in most states after a two-month decline. “Our intention is that by maintaining strict audience masking through at least the month of May, we will continue that track record of safety for all. And of course, we urge everyone to get vaccinated,” said Charlotte St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, in a statement. One policy change is that Broadway theaters will soon leave vaccination checks up to theater owners. The Shubert Organization, which owns 17 theaters, said it will not require proof of vaccination from patrons starting May 1. The Broadway Lea...
