Music News
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...
Missy Elliott Calls Out Jowell for Implying She Gets 99% of Bad Bunny’s ‘Safaera’ Royalties: ‘This Is Very Irresponsible’
Missy Elliott is clearing her name after successfully getting her royalties for Bad Bunny’s hit song “Safaera,” which features a sample from her hit, “Get Ur Freak On.” It all started last week, when Jowell of Jowell & Randy said in an interview that his royalties for his feature on “Safaera,” dropped to just one percent due to the uncleared sample. The interview led to some backlash, with some claiming that “Safaera” is an original Bad Bunny song and Missy does not deserve her chunk of the royalties. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On Wednesday (Mar. 16), an Ariana Grande fan page called out Jowell on Twitter for “all the hate your interview is bringing Missy!” “F— that,” Jowell replied. “Let them enjoy their money. Its not you and me enjo...
2022 Dance/Electronic Grammy Preview: Black Coffee on His Historic Nomination & Why Dance Deserves ‘Better Exposure’ at the Awards
Editors note: In this series, Billboard Dance is speaking with each 2022 Grammy nominee from the dance/electronic categories ahead of the 64th Annual Grammy Awards on April 3, in Las Vegas, NV. Black Coffee was at home in Johannesburg, South Africa hanging out with his mother when he learned that his 2021 album Subconsciously was nominated for the best dance/electronic album Grammy. “It was a surreal moment,” the producer tells Billboard. Explore See latest videos, charts and news One could also say it was a long time coming. The artist born Nkosinathi Innocent Sizwe Maphumulo has been a fixture of the global electronic scene for nearly two decades and has long flown flags for both house music and the vibrant electronic scene of his native South Africa. His nomination marks the first time ...
St. Patrick’s Day: Ed Sheeran, Paul McCartney and More Celebrate the Day of the Irish
Throw on something green, hit up your local Irish pub and use the four-leaf clover emoji with reckless abandon — it’s what all the celebrities are doing. From Ed Sheeran to Paul McCartney, keep reading to see what your favorite musicians are doing this St. Patrick’s Day. Ed Sheeran celebrates five years of “Galway Girl” (feat. Saiorse Ronan) 🍀 HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY 🍀And a Happy Five years to ‘Galway Girl’, released on this day in 2017 💥 pic.twitter.com/Sldr90on2F — Ed Sheeran HQ (@edsheeran) March 17, 2022 Paul McCartney reminisces on a long-ago trip to Ireland Here’s to Ireland and St. Paddy – Paul 🍀 📷 By Linda McCartney pic.twitter.com/rDmNYH9G8X — Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) March 17, 2022 Liam Gallagher gets ready to drink...
Joe Jonas Becomes a Bridgerton In New Tanqueray Commercial: Watch
Look out Lady Whistledown, there’s a new Bridgerton in town. On Wednesday (March 16), Joe Jonas transformed himself into the latest member of the aristocratic Netflix family in a charming ad for Tanqueray Gin. “Welcome to ‘How to T-Time Like a Bridgerton.’ I’m Joseph Jonas the First,” the pop star says in the clip as he strides down a grand staircase in a Regency-era tailcoat, cravat and modern-day sneakers. “I know what you might be thinking, I’m a Jonas, not a Bridgerton. While that might be true, the internet has been kind enough to point out that I do look like one. And I feel like I’m getting the hang of it.” Explore Explore Joe Jonas See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news From there, the “Dancing Feet” singer gets a few lessons in how to be a proper nin...
Elements Festival Announces Headliners Kaskade, Rezz and Fisher – And a New Location
Elements Music and Arts Festival, the Northeast’s only car camping and dance music festival, will feature Kaskade, Nicole Moudaber, Shermanology and Gene Farris this year along with returning favorites Fisher, Zeds Dead, J. Worra, Liquid Stranger, Sofi Tukker, Rezz and TroyBoi The final lineup will feature more than 100 artists spanning every genre of dance music The self-sustaining August 19-22 festival is leaving Lake Como, Penn., for a new home this year at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Penn. The new site will provide built-in spaces for food, water, parking, car camping and safety infrastructure. Ben May, president of Pocono Raceway, said the event was “the perfect complement to our mission of providing exciting experiences and lifelong memories at a beautiful and sustain...
Ed Sheeran Remembers Getting Baked With The Game: ‘I Was Out’
Ed Sheeran is many things in the pop music world, a “super busker” (with some acting chops) who can fill stadiums around the world with little more than a mic, guitar, some effects pedals and a collection of original songs. One thing he’s not, is a pot head. Speaking with Fitzy & Wippa for Australia’s commercial radio network Nova, Sheeran recounted a slightly embarrassing moment back in the day, when he partied with The Game. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I remember I was in the studio once in, like 2013. I was doing some records with The Game and he took me to Compton,” Sheeran says. “And we were in studio and we probably made like 13, 14 songs. And towards the end of the session his boys come in and they’re sort of like, it starts bei...
