Music News
Fred Parris, ‘In the Still of the Night’ Songwriter and Five Satins Frontman, Dies at 85
Fred Parris, frontman for The Five Satins, a doo-wop group whose smash 1956 ballad “In the Still of the Night” became an enduring standard and was prominently used in movies including Dirty Dancing and The Irishman, died Thursday after a brief illness. He was 85. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “I never expected it to have so much of an impact,” Parris told the New Haven Register in 2014. “I didn’t know if they were going to listen to it 15 minutes later, let alone 50 years.” On Feb. 19, 1956, Parris and one of his bandmates, Al Denby, were at home on military leave in New Haven, Conn., when they recorded “In the Still of the Night” in the St. Bernadette Catholic Church basement. It was the heart of the doo-wop era, when groups such as Frankie ...
Lisa Roy, Influential Audio Production Executive, Dies
Lisa Roy, a beloved audio production and communications executive, peacefully died Dec. 31 at her home in Marina Del Rey, Calif. Her brother broke the news on Facebook. Her age was unknown. Roy got her start in the music industry as co-founder of Ground Control Studios, a multi-room facility on Los Angeles’ west side. From there, she launched Rock & Roy Entertainment in 1999. The consulting firm matched creators and technology with clients ranging from AT&T and Dell to Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Danny Elfman and Ben Folds. She also worked on a number of special events, including the MTV Video Music Awards, the annual Audio Engineering Society convention, the Latin Grammy Awards, the Pensado Awards and more. Additionally, she handled artist relations for a number of instrument man...
The Chainsmokers Announce Their Return In Hilarious Satire Video: Watch
After a two-year hiatus, The Chainsmokers are gearing up for their fourth album, and they want you to know that they’re sorry about it. In a satirical video released Thursday (Jan. 13), The Chainsmokers’ label head hires a pair of actors to replace the duo because they’re taking too long to make a new album, a scheme that is believed will work “because who really knows what they look like.” This video then documents these fake Chainsmokers’ process of trying to make new music, which includes smoking $100 bills, ingesting psychedelic mushrooms, and rollerskating around their mansion while ripping a giant bong before succumbing to the pressures of fame and quitting the project. At the end of the video, the fake Chainsmokers are then replaced with the real thing, with the duo’s Drew Taggart a...
A Timeline of Machine Gun Kelly & Megan Fox’s Relationship
Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox’s love felt destined from the moment the Jennifer Body’s actress felt the rockstar rapper’s Pisces moon. From their movie’s production being postponed due to COVID to Fox’s guest appearance in MGK’s “Bloody Valentine” music video to their Instagram-worthy engagement, the couple’s love life has played out onscreen and shown their fans how they’re meant to be. Billboard compiled a timeline of how the stars aligned for the stars’ destined romance. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news March 2020: The two meet on set of Midnight In The Switchgrass Although production of the serial killer thriller was postponed in Puerto Rico due to the coronavirus pandemic, co-stars MGK (real name Colson Baker) an...
Full Coachella 2022 Lineup Is Here
The full Coachella 2022 lineup has arrived. After Billboard reported the headliners earlier Wednesday (Jan. 12), the official Goldenvoice poster confirms that Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and Ye are headlining each day, while Swedish House Mafia will be “returning to the desert” on an undisclosed day. Other highlights from the lineup: Phoebe Bridgers, Lil Baby, Big Sean and Daniel Caesar will perform alongside Friday headliner Harry Styles; Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage, Anitta and Giveon join Saturday headliner Billie Eilish; and Doja Cat, Run the Jewels, Karol G, Maggie Rogers and Ari Lennox will play Sunday along with headliner Ye. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) is the only headliner returning to the Empire...
Trey Songz Accused of Sexual Assault by Basketball Player Dylan Gonzalez
Artist and former University of Nevada, Las Vegas basketball star Dylan Gonzalez has come forward claiming that Trey Songz raped her and caused her “unbearable PTSD.” She also has hired an attorney to represent her in a potential case against the singer. Explore Explore Trey Songz See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news In a statement shared to Instagram on Tuesday (Jan. 11), Gonzalez wrote, “With what seems like endlessly reoccurring news of the alleged sexual assaults committed by Trey Songz, I am forced to repeatedly relive in my mind, and suffer anew, the long-suppressed horror and unbearable PTSD of my rape by his very hands at a well known Las Vegas Hotel.” Her post continued by sending “love, strength, and hope to all who are victims of sexual assault a...
The BPM Festival Costa Rica Postpones 2022 Event
Two days before it was scheduled to begin, organizers of The BPM Festival Costa Rica have postponed the event. The festival had been scheduled to take place in the beach town of Tamarindo, Costa Rica from Jan. 12-18, 2022. Organizers have not yet published new dates. “After more than a year of planning and looking forward to welcoming you to our 15th anniversary edition, we sympathize with your sense of disappointment and frustration and are beyond heartbroken to share this news with you,” BPM organizers wrote in a statement. This postponement is due to new country-wide restrictions announced today (Jan. 10) that ban mass gatherings, among other regulations. These regulations will extend from Jan. 11-23. The Costa Rican government announcement notes that “In just the first 7 days of 2022, ...
18 Unexpected Music Collaborations: The Weeknd & Jim Carrey and Beyond
Genre-crossing collaborations happen all the time in music, with fusions like pop-rock, folk-metal and country-rap even becoming genres of their own. But sometimes — like when The Weeknd paired with comedy legend Jim Carrey for his Dawn FM project — a team-up makes you do a double take. Explore Explore The Weeknd See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Whether it’s a Billboard Hot 100 hit or a big miss, here are some of the most memorable, unexpected collaborations in music history. The Weeknd & Jim Carrey, Dawn FM (2022) When The Weeknd announced that the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2020 smash album After Hours would feature Jim Carrey — yes, the superstar actor behind Ace Ventura, Bruce Almighty, The Mask and more blockbusters — fans ha...
Fans Choose Sebastian Yatra’s ‘Amor Pasajero’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Sebastián Yatra‘s “Amor Pasajero” has topped this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (Jan. 7) on Billboard, choosing the 27-year-old Colombian pop star’s sensual single as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Amor Pasajero,” the second single from Yatra’s upcoming album, Dharma, brought in nearly 44% of the vote, beating out new music by The Weeknd (Dawn FM), Lauren Spencer-Smith (“Fingers Crossed”), Gunna (DS4Ever), Maren Morris (“Circles Around This Town”), and others. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Produced by hitmakers Andrés Torres and Mauricio Rengifo, “Amor Pasajero” finds Yatra on a rollercoaster of emotions as he comes to terms with a failed relationship. “I’ve returned to the same bar to drink my sorrows away and meet som...
Calvin Simon, Former Parliament-Funkadelic Member, Dies at 79
Calvin Simon, who was a founding member of Parliament–Funkadelic and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, has died. He was 79. “We lost another Original member of Parliament/Funkadelic,” Bootsy Collins wrote on Instagram on Friday (Jan. 7), confirming Simon’s death. “A friend, bandmate & a cool classic guy, Mr. Calvin Simon was a former member of Parliament/Funkadelic. He’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen members of P-Funk! R.I.P Bootsy baby!!!” “Rest in peace to my P-Funk brother Mr. Calvin Simon,” a post on George Clinton‘s Facebook page said. “Longtime Parliament-Funkadelic vocalist. Fly on Calvin!” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Simon’s cause of death has not been reported. Born in 1942 in West Virginia...
Woodstock Co-Creator Michael Lang Dies at 77
Michael Lang, legendary co-creator of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, has died. He was 77. Lang died on Saturday night (Jan. 8) from a rare form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at Sloan Kettering Hospital in New York City. His rep and family friend Michael Pagnotta confirmed the news to Billboard. Lang worked alongside partners Joel Rosenman, Capitol Records’ Artie Kornfeld and John P. Roberts for the 1969 festival held at Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York. The three-day lineup included icons such as Richie Havens, Santana, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, Sly and the Family Stone and The Who, among others. “I booked the three hottest bands at the time — Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat and Credence Clearwater Revival,” Lang told Billboard in 2...
Marilyn Bergman, Oscar-Winning Lyricist, Dies at 93
Lyricist Marilyn Bergman, who teamed with her husband, Alan Bergman, to win three Academy Awards as one of the most revered writing tandems in the annals of movie music history, has died. She was 93. Bergman, whose work includes such classics as “The Windmills of Your Mind,” “Nice ’n’ Easy,” “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” and “The Way We Were,” died peacefully early Saturday morning (Jan. 8) in her Los Angeles home, according to family rep Ken Sunshine. The cause of death was respiratory failure (non-COVID related). Her husband, 96, survives her. Explore See latest videos, charts and news They won Academy Awards for the best original songs “The Way We Were” (shared with Marvin Hamlisch) from the 1973 Barbra Streisand film of that name and “Windmills of Your Mind” (shared with Michel Legrand)...
