Music News
Shooting Wounds 4 in Downtown Austin as City Hosts South by Southwest Festival
Four people were shot and wounded in downtown Austin, Texas, early Sunday (March 19) as the city hosts the annual South by Southwest festival, police said. According to the Austin Police Department, the shooting took place on the 400 block of 6th St. Officers told people to avoid the area at around 2:50 a.m., warning via Twitter that the gunman was still at large. However, police tweeted that a suspect was in custody shortly before 5 a.m. Police and the Austin-Travis County EMS said the victims’ injures were not life-threatening, and all four had been taken to the hospital. The coronavirus pandemic forced the SXSW festival to go virtual the last two years. In 2019, multiple shootings took place as the festival drew to a close, prompting Austin’s police chief to pledge more security for the...
How SXSW’s Only Ukrainian Act Fled Kyiv to Bring ‘Masters of War’ to Austin
To get to this moment — singing “Masters of War” at the Speakeasy in Austin, Texas, on Saturday (March 19) with Bob Dylan‘s guitarist while fans draped in Ukrainian flags roared from the balcony — Oleksandra Zaritska endured a terrible journey. On Feb. 25, the 29-year-old singer for popular regional trio Kazka was living in central Kyiv when Russia invaded her country. Early that morning, she witnessed the bombing from her balcony. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I will remember this for my whole life,” Zaritska tells Billboard, with the occasional help of a translator, during South by Southwest at a downtown Austin food hall a day prior to the Speakeasy gig. As emergency sirens blared throughout the city, Zaritska, better known as Sasha, deci...
Barbara Morrison, Legendary L.A. Jazz & Blues Singer, Dies at 72
Barbara Morrison, a legendary singer in the Los Angeles jazz and blues music community, has died. She was 72. Morrison passed away on Wednesday (March 16), according to her brother Richard Morrison. A cause of death was not disclosed. “We are working on keeping the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center open to preserve my sister’s legacy,” Richard Morrison said in a statement, referring to the L.A.-area facility his sister founded in 2009. In early March, a GoFundMe was launched for Morrison after she was admitted to the hospital with cardiovascular disease, the Los Angeles Times reports. The page helped raise more than $13,000. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Born in a suburb of Detroit in 1949, Morrison moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s at the age of 21 and went o...
Tucson Music Hall to Be Renamed to Honor Linda Ronstadt
The Tucson Music Hall will be renamed in honor of Linda Ronstadt, a southern Arizona native who went on to become a Grammy-winning superstar, Mayor Regina Romero announced Friday (March 18). One of the top performers of the 1970s and a popular singer well into the 21st century, Ronstadt collected nearly a dozen Grammys in such categories as country, pop, Latin and children’s music. She stopped singing in 2009 when Parkinson’s disease robbed her of her singing voice. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “Linda Ronstadt is a beloved daughter of Tucson. It is time to honor her legacy and her ability to tell the story of our culture through music,” Romero said in a statement. Ronstadt arrived on the music scene in 1967 as the lead singer of the Stone Poneys, a country-folk trio that feat...
Kanye ‘Ye’ West’s Grammys Performance Pulled Over ‘Concerning Online Behavior’
Kanye “Ye” West’s rep says that an unannounced performance at the 2022 Grammy Awards has been pulled due to “concerning online behavior.” A representative for the rapper confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter details in a report, published on Friday by The Blast, which alleges West received a call Friday evening notifying him that he was scrapped from this year’s Grammys performer line-up. While West is up for five nominations this year, he was not among the first round of artists announced to perform by the Recording Academy ahead of the April 3 ceremony. A rep for West, whose legal name is Ye, declined to confirm whether he was still attending or invited to the show taking place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. THR has reached out to t...
BTS’ Jin Undergoes Surgery After Injuring Finger
BTS‘ Jin is recovering after surgery, Big Hit Music revealed in a notice released on fan community platform Weverse on Saturday (Feb. 19). “We would like to provide you with some information regarding BTS member Jin’s finger injury,” said the company that manages BTS. “Jin injured his left index finger during his daily activities and visited the emergency room at a hospital nearby for examination and treatment on Friday, March 18. He consulted doctors and was told he required surgery as the tendons in the finger had been partially damaged. He underwent surgery to repair the extensor in his left index finger on the afternoon of Friday, March 18,” Big Hit wrote. Explore Explore BTS See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The note went on to offer the BTS ARMY an...
Arcade Fire’s Will Butler Leaves the Band
Will Butler, a longtime member of Arcade Fire, has announced his departure from the band. “Hi friends — I’ve left Arcade Fire,” Butler — who’s the younger brother of frontman Win Butler and has been a part of Arcade Fire since the group’s debut full-length album, Funeral — announced in a tweet on Saturday (March 19). “I left at the end of last year, after the new record was complete,” the multi-instrumentalist and songwriter clarified. “There was no acute reason beyond that I’ve changed — and the band has changed — over the last almost 20 years. Time for new things.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news His update continued, “I’m working on a new record; booking some shows this summer. I’m working on music for a David Adjmi play (which is so good). A few other projects percolati...
Sunflower Bean’s Julia Cumming Talks New Album at SXSW 2022: Watch
Ahead of the release of new album Headful of Sugar, Sunflower Bean headed to Austin, Texas, to play several shows at SXSW. Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly caught up with singer and bassist Julia Cumming to chat about what fans can expect from the new album, which artists she jams out to, her first concert memories and more. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I would say it is a gritty, psychedelic, pop-rock record,” Cumming said in an interview at the Samsung x Billboard Galaxy House at SXSW. She added, “I feel like the word psychedelic is really weighted. Everyone thinks that it has to be this giant, colorful thing, but our album … We’re from New York City. I’m born and raised in Alphabet City. It’s very much placed in the real world. But we tried to d...
Tone Stith Dishes on Viral Track ‘FWM,’ What He’s Learned From H.E.R. & More at SXSW 2022: Watch
Tone Stith stopped by South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on Friday (March 18) to discuss his viral song “FWM,” what he learned while touring with H.E.R., and his goals for the coming year. Over the summer, the 26-year-old R&B singer — who’s penned songs for Chris Brown and collaborated with 2 Chainz and Ty Dolla $ign — dropped his second musical project, FWM, through RCA Records. Since then, the title track has turned into a viral hit on TikTok. Explore Explore Tone Stith See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I dropped the project, the song is buzzing,” Stith told Billboard News host Tetris Kelly at the Samsung x Billboard Galaxy House. “Months later, people started seeing me in person and they’re like, ‘Yo, you sing that song ‘FWM,’ it’s on my playli...
Trae Tha Truth Teases Surprise Album, Talks Friendship With ‘Little Bro’ Gunna & Young Thug at SXSW
As a born-and-bred Texan, it’s no surprise that Trae Tha Truth is back in Austin for the 2022 edition of South by Southwest. Backstage at Gunna and Young Thug’s set Thursday night for Billboard x Samsung’s three-night SXSW concert series, Billboard News’ Tetris Kelly caught up with Trae to talk about his friendship with the two young rappers and what it’s like to be back at South By. “I’ve been here since the beginning days,” Trae says. “I’ve seen a lot of artists be created through South by Southwest.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news He also talked about his early interactions with Thug and with Gunna (“that’s little bro”) and how he’s been impacting his Houston hometown since receiving the Change Maker Award at the 2021 Billboard Music A...
Britney Spears’ Instagram Is Back
Two days after Britney Spears‘ Instagram account mysteriously disappeared, the pop star returned to the photo-sharing app with three new posts. Spears’ account was disabled without warning on Wednesday, and Billboard confirmed at the time that Instagram was not behind the account’s deactivation. The trio of posts on Friday (March 18) include peeks at Spears’ Clueless look, with the “…Baby One More Time” singer wearing a velour miniskirt paired with a white crop top with puffy sheer sleeves, clearly inspired by the preppy style of Alicia Silverstone’s Cher Horowitz. A third video is a repost from TikTok user lirios9595 of a baby moving around its mom’s pregnant belly, with the caption “Mommy … get me out of here.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news Spears’ Instagram account has been...
Shawn Mendes Shows Off New Neck Tattoo Ahead of SXSW Set: See Photos
Shawn Mendes is not one to shy away from a good tattoo. The “Wonder” singer shared the latest addition to his body ink in a set of photos posted to Instagram on Thursday. “Austinnnn see you Saturday,” the 23-year-old captioned the photos — a reference to his forthcoming live performance at Samsung + Billboard present THE STAGE at SXSW on March 19 — which featured pics of him chilling by a a fire pit, petting horses, and looking out at a body of water while shirtless, with his new tattoo on display. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Mendes kept his new ink simple, getting a thin red line right through the center of his neck. The beginning of the tattoo is hidden beneath the back of his hairline, while the end of the tattoo sits squarely atop a golden chain (a match to the huggie ho...
