Music News
Fans Choose FKA Twigs and The Weeknd’s ‘Tears in the Club’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
FKA Twigs and The Weeknd‘s new track has topped this week’s fan-voted new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll that was published Friday (Dec. 17) on Billboard, choosing “Tears in the Club” as their favorite new music release of the past week. “Tears in the Club,” the first team-up between the two artists, brought in just over half of the vote at 52.43%. FKA Twigs and The Weeknd dropped the song on Thursday, with the atmospheric chorus “Tears in the club/ ‘Cuz your love’s got me f—ed up.” While it’s unclear whether “Tears in the Club” will appear on an upcoming album from either FKA Twigs or The Weeknd, this year they’ve both hinted that new albums are in the works. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The Weeknd’s “Poison” collab with Aaliyah, re...
Carlos Marin, Singer in Classic Crossover Act Il Divo, Dies at 53
Carlos Marín, who was part of the British singing group Il Divo, died Sunday at age 53. The cause of death was not revealed; however, he had been hospitalized recently. The group announced his death via its Instagram account. “It is with heavy hearts that we are letting you know that our friend and partner, Carlos Marin, has passed away,” the post reads. “He will be missed by his friends, family and fans. There will never be another voice or spirit like Carlos. For 17 years the four of us have been on this incredible journey of Il Divo together, and we will miss our dear friend. We hope and pray that his beautiful soul will rest in peace.” The post was signed by the group’s three surviving members: David Miller, Sébastien Izambard and Urs Bühler. The news of his death comes three days afte...
Charli XCX Joins Paul Rudd for Pre-Recorded ‘SNL’ Musical Sketch ‘The Christmas Socks’
Charli XCX‘s SNL performance was called off Saturday night (Dec. 18) due to a limited crew amid the surge of COVID-19 cases linked to the omicron variant in New York City, but she did make a cameo in a pre-recorded musical sketch for the show. “The Christmas Socks,” possibly a parody of the 2000 song “The Christmas Shoes,” was led by SNL host Paul Rudd and featured Charli as a very special guest: a singing bird named T.J. Rocks. Explore Explore Charli XCX See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “Christmas is a time of charity and giving, and that was the inspiration for this next music video, which I shot yesterday morning with Kyle Mooney, Aidy Bryant, Kenan Thompson, Alex Moffat and what should have been tonight’s musical guest, Charli XCX,” Rudd said in his...
Jingle Ball Concert Called Off Due to Omicron Variant Concerns
Jingle Ball’s stop in Florida, which was scheduled for Sunday (Dec. 19) in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale market, has been canceled. The event at the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida, was called off due to COVID-19 concerns, amid the surge of the omicron variant. In a statement posted on Twitter on Sunday, iHeartRadio wrote, “Due to the increased transmission of the new Covid-19 variant and to further minimize any potential risks, as a precautionary measure and for the safety of our staff, talent and guests, we have made the decision to cancel tonight’s iHeartRadio Y100 Jingle Ball. Thank you for your understanding. Ticket holders will receive a refund within 48 hours and if they have any issues, they should reach out to their point of purchase.” The message was followed with a tweet reg...
Drakeo the Ruler Reportedly Stabbed at Festival in Los Angeles
UPDATE: This story was updated on Dec. 19 to confirm that Drakeo the Ruler has died as a result of being stabbed at Los Angeles’ Once Upon a Time in LA festival. A representative for the artist confirmed his passing to Billboard. Drakeo the Ruler has died after being stabbed at a Los Angeles music festival. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The rapper was assaulted at the Once Upon a Time in LA concert Saturday night (Dec. 18), the Los Angeles Times reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of the attack who requested anonymity. The festival was expected to feature several artists, including Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Ice Cube. The Once Upon a Time in LA Fest confirmed in an Instagram post that the event had been called off early. Organizers did not give a reason. Los Angeles F...
Charli XCX’s ‘SNL’ Performance Canceled: ‘I Am Devastated and Heartbroken’
Charli XCX will no longer be performing on Saturday Night Live tonight (Dec. 18). She shared the news shortly after SNL made the announcement that Saturday’s show would tape without a live audience on Saturday as COVID-19 cases linked to the omicron variant surged in New York City. “hi everyone,” she wrote on social media Saturday evening. “due to the limited crew at tonight’s taping of snl my musical performances will no longer be able to go ahead. i am devastated and heartbroken. myself, caroline, christine and all of our crews and teams have worked so hard all week alongside the snl team to bring the most amazing music performance to life. it can’t happen this time but I’ll be back! i am currently safe and healthy but of course very sad.” Explore Explore Charli XCX See latest videos, ch...
UTFO’s Kangol Kid Dies After Battle With Cancer at 55
Kangol Kid, a member of the legendary hip-hop group UTFO, has died after a battle with colon cancer. He was 55. The family of Kangol Kid — whose real name is Shaun Shiller Fequiere — said in a statement that he died peacefully around 3 a.m. Saturday (Dec. 18) at a hospital in Manhasset, New York. He was diagnosed with cancer in February. Kid was known for often sporting the popular Kangol headwear and being a member of UTFO, which stands for Untouchable Force Organization. The four-member group was known for 1980s hits including “Roxanne, Roxanne” and “Ya Cold Wanna Be With Me.” Explore Explore UTFO See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Along with his hip-hop success, Kid became recognized for his efforts against breast cancer through the Mama Luke Foundatio...
Queen’s Brian May Tests Positive for COVID-19: ‘The Shocking Day Finally Came’
Queen guitarist Brian May has tested positive for COVID-19. The 74-year-old rock icon took to social media on Saturday (Dec. 18) to share the news with his fans. “Yep. The shocking day finally came for me. The dreaded double red line,” May wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of his test results. “And yes — definitely NO sympathy please — it has been a truly horrible few days, but I’m OK. And I will tell the tale.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The musician added, “PLEASE take extra care out there, good folks. This thing is incredibly transmissible. You really do NOT want it messing up YOUR Christmas. With love – Bri.” May recently lashed out at Eric Clapton, who said in July that he wouldn’t play any live shows that required attendees to sho...
Rod Stewart and Son Resolve Florida Hotel Assault Case
Rod Stewart and his son have pleaded guilty to battery in an assault case stemming from a New Year’s Eve 2019 altercation with a security guard at an exclusive Florida hotel. Court records released Friday (Dec. 17) show that the singer and his son Sean Stewart entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor charges of simple battery. Explore See latest videos, charts and news “No one was injured in the incident and a jury did not find Sir Rod Stewart guilty of the accusation,” his attorney Guy Fronstin said in a statement. “Instead, Sir Rod Stewart decided to enter a plea to avoid the inconvenience and unnecessary burden on the court and the public that a high profile proceeding would cause.” The raspy-voiced Stewart, 76, is a British member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was knighted by Quee...
Wanda Young, Singer of The Marvelettes, Dies at 78
Wanda Young, a member of the 1960s Motown group The Marvelettes, has died, Rolling Stone reports. She was 78. Young, who also performed under the name Wanda Rogers, was the lead vocalist on Marvelettes songs like “I’ll Keep Holding On” and “Don’t Mess With Bill.” Further details about her death were not available at press time. “We are so saddened by the news of Wanda Young of the Marvelettes passing,” Motown official Twitter account wrote on Thursday (Dec. 16). “What an impact she has had on the world of Classic Motown and the lives of so many. Her legacy will continue to live on.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news We are so saddened by the news of Wanda Young of the Marvelettes passing. What an impact she has had on the world of Classic Motown ...
Jonas Brothers Enlist Joe Biden for White House Recreation of Viral ‘Joe Byron’ TikTok Video: Watch
Jonas Brothers are chiming in on TikTok’s latest viral video trend. On Friday (Dec. 17), Kevin, Nick and Joe Jonas visited the White House and filmed a presidential TikTok with snippets from Sidetalk’s Coney Island Ski Club and Coney Island’s Finest videos on YouTube, which went viral on TikTok in September and aided in popularizing the slang term “bing bong.” The video had a special cameo from Joe Biden himself. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Nick, Joe and Kevin are seen in the video engaging in shenanigans around several rooms within the White House as audio from the now-infamous TikTok sound plays. “Bing Bong! Are you vaccinated? Yes sir. Ey yo!” the brothers take turns saying in the short clip. Nick then asks the video’s important question...
First Spin: The Week’s Best New Dance Tracks From Gordo, Marcel Dettmann & More
This week in dance music, we took a tour of the Brazilian scene with one of the country’s hottest exports, Vintage Culture; Porter Robinson, Alison Wonderland and REZZ topped the lineup for New Orleans’ Buku Music + Art Project 2022; Above & Beyond topped themselves by playing from the apex of a granite monolith in Colombia; we got the rundown from the new SoCal festival Desert Air; Madonna entered Hot/Dance Electronic Songs via the Sickick edit of her 90s hit “Frozen”; we got a behind-the-scenes tour of EDC Las Vegas 2022; and we selected our 20 favorite dance albums of 2021. (Watch for our best songs of the year list coming next week.) Explore Explore Carnage See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Beyond that, there was some quality music to check out a...
