Music News
Gwen Stefani to Headline Hollywood Bowl Opening Night
Gwen Stefani has a date at the Hollywood Bowl on June 3, as the pop superstar is confirmed to headline the new season’s opening night festivities. Opening night — a benefit for Los Angeles Philharmonic’s learning and community programs — will also feature music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel, the L.A. Phil’s Youth Orchestra Los Angeles and special performances from ballet dancer Roberto Bolle, saxophonist Branford Marsalis and dancing sisters Let It Happen. And in a surprising showing of unity, the program will feature rival marching bands from UCLA and USC. The night will close with an installment of the Bowl’s notable fireworks show. The L.A. Phil also announced today more details for the free two-day weekend festival known as 101 Fest, held at both the Bowl (June 11) and nearby v...
Billboard Explains: South by Southwest
South by Southwest takes over Austin, Texas, every year, intertwining film, music and interactive media — but how did it become one of the arts’ biggest festivals? The inaugural SXSW took place in 1987 as an extension of an already-existing New York City festival. When those plans fell through, Ronald Swenson of the Austin Chronicle — who is now the CEO of SXSW — decided to co-organize it as a local music festival. SXSW has 15 tracks of programming in various formats, including summits, keynotes, panels, workshops, podcasts and more. “It would be like if every creative person in the world went on spring break together in Austin, Texas,” Brian Hobbs, SXSW programming manager, tells Billboard‘s Tetris Kelly. With inspiring speakers, major film screenings and headline-making performances...
Kelly Clarkson Gets ‘Nostalgic’ With New Performance of an Old Song: Watch
Kellyoke is typically a place for Kelly Clarkson to pay tribute to other artists, but in the Tuesday (March 15) installment of The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s live music cover series, she dusted off one of her own songs. Throwing her audience back to 2015, the three-time Grammy winner took the stage with her band Y’all for a sentimental performance of her fittingly titled seven-year-old track “Nostalgic.” Though Clarkson usually adapts hit songs from all generations to fit her signature power vocals, singing an original track meant opportunities for belted riffs and sustained high notes were already built in — opportunities she took with a graceful power only Kelly Clarkson could deliver. Explore See latest videos, charts and news And though this was a rare instance of the “Stronger” s...
Lin-Manuel Miranda Channels Rafael Nadal When he’s Writing Songs: Watch
Lin-Manuel Miranda has a superpower. He collects awards like no-one else. The multi-hyphenate musicals master has two Emmys, three Grammys, three Tonys, and a Pulitzer Prize. With his recent Academy Award nomination for Encanto, he could attain EGOT status, all at age 42. On Monday night (March 14), Miranda stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live for a chat and to poke fun at his own good fortune. The animated Disney film’s “Dos Oruguitas,” for which which Miranda composed the music and lyrics, is nominated for best original song at the 2022 Oscars. Explore See latest videos, charts and news How much does he want that EGOT? Surely he’d kill for a shot at glory, Kimmel pressed at the top of their spot. “It’s like stats,” Miranda explains. “When (Spanish tennis champion) Rafa Nadal broke the reco...
Taraji P. Henson Calls to ‘Free’ Jussie Smollett: ‘The Punishment Does Not Fit the Crime’
Jussie Smollett’s fellow Empire star Taraji P. Henson is coming to his defense after the actor was sentenced on Thursday (Mar. 10) to 150 days in jail for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack that he orchestrated himself. Henson took to Instagram on Monday (Mar. 14) to post a black screen with the hashtag #FreeJussie written in white. In the caption, the actress and comedian called for Smollett’s release. “I am not here to debate you on his innocence but we can agree that the punishment does not fit the crime,” she wrote, comparing the situation to Emmett Till, who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, after being falsely accused of making advances toward a white woman in her family’s grocery store. “Emmett Till was brutally beat and ultimately murdered because of ...
SXSW: Lizzo Calls Texas’ Anti-Abortion, Anti-Trans Laws ‘Atrocious’
Lizzo declared she was strongly against Texas’ laws targeting abortions and trans rights, calling the laws “atrocious” during a keynote session at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. “The abortion ban is atrocious,” the artist said on Sunday (March 13) to a packed room in the Austin Convention Center. “Mind your business. Stay out of my body.” Explore Explore Lizzo See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Last year, Texas signed into a law one of the most restrictive abortion measures in the country, effectively criminalizing abortions occurring as early as six weeks into a pregnancy. Though abortions rights advocates have fought against the legislation, a decision from Texas’s Supreme Court on March 11 essentially shut down a federal law...
Fans Choose Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa’s ‘Sweetest Pie’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa‘s “Sweetest Pie” tops this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (March 11) on Billboard, choosing the pair’s collaborative track as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Sweetest Pie,” which arrived this week alongside a trippy music video from the superstar duo, brought in more than 67% of the vote. “Oh, it’s the ride of your life/ Hold on ’cause I might just give you a bite/ Of the sweetest pie,” Lipa sings in the chorus. Lil Durk‘s latest project, his new 7220 album, came in second on the poll, with more than 17% of the vote. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news See the final results of this week’s new music release poll below. [embedded content] [flexi-common-toolb...
Barack Obama Tests Positive for COVID-19
Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday (March 13) that he had tested positive for COVID-19, though he’s feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative. “I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise,” Obama said on Twitter. “Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news Obama encouraged more Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, despite the declining infection rate in the U.S. There were roughly 35,000 infections on average over the past week, down sharply from mid-January when that average was closer to 800,000. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 75.2% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated and 47.7% of the fully vaccinated have received a boo...
Traci Braxton, Singer and ‘Braxton Family Values’ Star, Dies at 50
Traci Braxton, a singer, actor and television personality who was the sister of Toni and Tamar Braxton, has died. She was 50. Traci passed away on Saturday morning (March 12) following a battle with esophageal cancer, her husband Kevin Surratt told TMZ. “We have come to a time where we must inform the public that after a year of privately undergoing a series of treatment for esophageal cancer our beloved Traci Braxton has gone on to glory,” Surratt said. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Traci’s older sister, R&B singer Toni, took to social media on Saturday to share a heartfelt tribute on behalf of the Braxton family. “It is with the utmost regret that we inform you of the passing of our sister, Traci,” Toni wrote alongside a black-and-white photo of the Braxton family on Ins...
The Fray’s Isaac Slade Announces Departure From Band
Isaac Slade, lead singer of The Fray, is leaving the band, he announced on social media on Saturday (March 12). “I have some heavy news to share today,” Slade wrote in a letter on Instagram. “I know it’s been pretty quiet on the band front for a long time but I want to let everyone know I’m stepping down from The Fray. It’s been an honor and privilege to make music with those three amazing guys for the last two decades, and all for the best fans anyone could ever imagine.” He continued, “I let the guys know five or six years ago that I was getting ready to call it, that I was going to start my long exit ramp and now it’s finally time. And it’s all good. I wish those guys all the best in whatever they do next. I’m ready to start dreaming up what it is I’m going to do with the rest of my lit...
Famed Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville Up For Sale
The downtown Nashville record store that was opened by Opry legend Ernest Tubb in 1947 and has been a landmark in country music for decades will close as the building is being put up for sale. The owners of the Ernest Tubb Record Shop said in a statement on Friday (March 11) they were heartbroken that the store, which has been in its current location on Broadway since 1951, will close in the spring. The building and store is owned by the Honky Tonk Circus, LLC and the David McCormick Company, Inc. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “Our goal has always been to protect, promote and preserve the great history of the record shop and building. That desire remains as strong today as ever,” the owners said in a statement. “However, due to changes in circumstances out of our control, it’s...
Hailey Bieber Reveals She Was Hospitalized for Blood Clot to Brain: ‘Home Now and Doing Well’
Hailey Bieber is opening up about a recent health scare that landed her in the hospital. The 25-year-old model, who is married to pop star Justin Bieber, took to social media on Saturday (March 12) to reveal that she was hospitalized earlier this week after experiencing stroke-like symptoms caused by a small blood clot. “On Thursday morning, I was sitting at breakfast with my husband when I started having stroke like symptoms and was taken to the hospital,” Bieber wrote on her Instagram Story. “They found I had suffered a very small blood clot to my brain, which caused a small lack of oxygen, but my body had passed it on its own and I recovered completely within a few hours.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news She added, “Although this was definitely one of the scariest moments I’v...
