Music News
Fans Choose MONSTA X’s ‘The Dreaming’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
MONSTA X‘s new album has topped this week’s fan-voted new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll that was published Friday (Dec. 10) on Billboard, choosing The Dreaming as their favorite new music release of the past week. MONSTA X’s The Dreaming, the K-pop group’s second English-language album, brought in an overwhelming majority of the vote, at 86.72%. The K-pop group’s new record was released the same week as their feature film Monsta X: The Dreaming, an inside look at the six-piece’s journey over the past six years. In second place on the poll results was Fighting Demons, Juice WRLD‘s second posthumous release, which had 11.53% of the vote. Suga from BTS guests on the track “Girl of Your Dreams,” and Polo G, Trippie Redd and Justin Bieber also make appearances on the late rapper’s albu...
‘Diana, The Musical’ to End Broadway Run This December
Diana, The Musical — which made its debut not on the stage but on the screen in a filmed version that streamed on Netflix — will be ending its run just a short month after it opened. It was announced late Friday evening that the show’s Sunday, Dec. 19 performance will serve as its closing night at the Longacre Theatre. The musical, which traces the life of Princess Diana as well as her legacy, opened on Broadway on Nov. 17 following a series of previews that began on Nov. 2. It will have run for a total of 33 performances and 16 previews. “We are extraordinarily proud of the Diana company and of the show onstage at the Longacre. Our heartfelt thanks go out to the cast, crew and everyone involved in creating the show. And to the audiences who have shown their love and support at every perfo...
Doja Cat Pulls Out of 2 Jingle Ball Dates After Crew Members Test Positive for COVID-19
Doja Cat will no longer perform at the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball stops in New York City and Boston this weekend after members from her production team tested positive for COVID-19. She shared the update on her socials Friday (Dec. 10), just hours before NYC’s Jingle Ball was set to start at Madison Square Garden. Explore Explore Doja Cat See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “We recently learned that a few members on my production team have tested positive for Covid 19 and are now on quarantine,” reads the message. “For the health and wellbeing of the rest of our crew, we are following all the appropriate safety measurements and necessary precautions, which means I won’t be able to perform at iHeartRadio’s New York Z100 and Boston KISS FM Jingle Ball. I’m extr...
David Lasley, Musician-Songwriter and Prized Backup Singer for Music Legends, Dies at 74
David Lasley — an American artist, songwriter and longtime backup singer for a slew of legendary artists — passed away on Dec. 9 at the age of 74, Billboard has confirmed. In addition to a solo career that netted him the 1982 top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit “If I Had My Wish Tonight,” Lasley sang backup for Burt Bacharach, Neil Diamond, Luther Vandross, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin and more. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Tributes to the late singer poured in after the news of his passing, with Desmond Child, James Taylor and more expressing their condolences online and sharing his music. Lasley co-wrote Bonnie Raitt’s “I Ain’t Gonna Let You Break My Heart Again” and “Got You On My Mind.” Raitt took to social media with fond words about Lasley, stating, “I am so sorry to hear of th...
Mary J. Blige, H.E.R, The Isley Brothers & Rick Ross to Perform at Jazz in the Gardens Festival
The star-studded lineup for the 15th annual Jazz in the Gardens has been revealed. On Friday (Dec. 10), it was announced that Mary J. Blige, H.E.R, Rick Ross, The Isley Brothers, SWV, The Roots and soon-to-be-announced local artists are set to perform at the event, slated to kick off at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on March 12 and 13. T-Pain, Stokely, Johnathan McReynolds, Mike Phillips and Mark Allen Felton are also set to make special appearances amid the two-day festivities. Radio personality and comedian Rickey Smiley will return as host for the 2022 event. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Attendees will be required to present a COVID-19 vaccination card or a recent negative COVID-19 test to enter. Social-distancing...
Getting Back in the DJ Booth: Siobhan Bell Talks Spinning at Diddy & WizKid’s Parties, Collaborating with Karl Lagerfeld and Taking the Reopened World By Storm
As clubs have been reopening and shows have been resuming across the country after a year-and-a-half-long COVID-19 pandemic pause on the live music industry, Billboard is asking club and touring DJs about their experience fading between spinning at home to performing back outside. The world is Siobhan Bell’s stage. After growing up in South London and moving to East London at age 18, Bell found a circle of friends to spin with and formed the “Work It” DJ collective that regularly hosted the hottest parties around town. But Bell learned how to fly solo and make a name brand for herself, starting up her beloved “Cherryade” underground parties a decade ago in Dalston to designing items for Karl Lagerfeld’s fall-winter 2020 music collection. The internationally renowned DJ’s creative expressio...
Ralph Tavares, Eldest Brother of R&B Quintet Tavares, Dies at 79
Ralph Tavares, the eldest of the five brothers in the Grammy-winning R&B singing group Tavares, whose hits included “It Only Takes a Minute” and “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel,” has died. Tavares died at his home in South Dartmouth, Mass., on Wednesday, two days before his 80th birthday, the group’s manager David Oriola said. The cause was not immediately clear. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The brothers, sons of immigrants from Cape Verde who were based in New Bedford, Mass., began performing together in 1959, settling on the name Tavares in 1973, the same year they had their first hit, “Check It Out.” Tavares sang alongside his brothers Antone Laurence “Chubby” Tavares, Perry Lee “Tiny” Tavares, Feliciano Vierra “Butch” Tavares Jr., and Arthur Paul “Pooch” Tavares. Ano...
CMA-Commissioned Study Examines Country Music’s Multicultural Audience Opportunities & Barriers
As country music grapples with how to become more inclusive, a study commissioned by the Country Music Association reveals that while the number of people of color enjoying the genre is rising, 20% say they experienced racial profiling and/or harassment at a country music live event. That was one of the key takeaways from “Country Music’s Multicultural Opportunity,” a Horowitz Research study commissioned by the CMA, whose results were presented during a Dec. 7 webinar by CMA senior director of market research Karen Stump and Horowitz’s chief revenue officer and insights & strategy lead Adriana Waterston. The study also found that while 50% of overall respondents who had listened to country music at a live music venue reported perceiving events as “family-friendly” and 43% said th...
Silk Sonic, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift & More: What’s Your Favorite Song of 2021? Vote!
The Billboard staff had a hard enough time choosing our 100 favorite songs of 2021, but now we want to know: What one track was your personal song of the year? Silk Sonic topped our 100-deep list with their silky-smooth ’70s-R&B-revival jam “Leave the Door Open,” which also crowned the Billboard Hot 100 back in April, and Olivia Rodrigo isn’t far behind with “Good 4 U” at No. 2 — plus her other Hot 100 chart-topper, “Drivers License,” is at No. 11 as well. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Some other highlights from our list: Dua Lipa’s year-end Hot 100 No. 1 song “Levitating,” Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow’s chart-topping team-up “Industry Baby,” and Taylor’s Swift’s extra-long rendition of “All Too Well” from Red (Taylor’s Version). You might...
Machine Gun Kelly Is a Gunslinger In First Look of ‘The Last Son’
Colson Baker is a headline-grabbing machine. He’s bagged a No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart as Machine Gun Kelly, and there’s more music on the way. Gossip columns can’t get enough of his relationship with Hollywood siren Megan Fox and his antics with bestie Pete Davidson. And he’s done the rounds of U.S. talk-shows in recent weeks, in full support of The Last Son, the David Von Ancken-directed action western in which he co-stars alongside Avatar star Sam Worthington and Boogie Nights’ Heather Graham. Billboard has a sneak preview from the new film, in which Baker and his boys hit a bank. Playing the role of Cal, Baker oozes evil charm, a tough guy with a six-shooter who gets what he wants. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The film follows Isaac LeMay (Worthington), who learns fr...
Robbie Shakespeare, Legendary Bass Player Who Formed Sly & Robbie, Dies at 68
Robbie Shakespeare, the two-time Grammy Award-winning bass player, record producer, and one half of the iconic rhythm section Sly & Robbie, died Wednesday (Dec. 8) at the age of 68. The late musician is remembered as one of the all-time greats on the bass guitar, and for shaping the sounds of reggae and dancehall music, across a career that earned him 13 Grammy nominations, snagging wins in 1984 and 1985. Jamaica’s Culture Minister Olivia Grange remarked that Shakespeare was among the country’s “greatest musicians.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news I am in shock and sorrow after just receiving the news that my friend and brother, the legendary basist Robbie Shakespeare has died. Robbie and Sly Dunbar, the drummer, as Sly and Robbie, have bee...
1500 Sound Academy Raises the Volume on Educating Next Generation of Music Creators
Since 2006, 1500 or Nothin’ has played an integral role in writing, producing and/or playing for superstars such as JAY-Z, Kanye West, Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar. Beyond its hit-filled portfolio, however, the Grammy Award-winning collective is laser-focused on paying that success forward through its 1500 Sound Academy. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Dedicated to providing a career pathway for the next generation of creators and players, 1500 Sound Academy recently announced a new partnership with the Los Angeles Urban League to fund scholarships for music students from African American and other underserved communities beginning in 2022. This is in addition to the academy’s ongoing annual scholarship initiatives in partnership with musical ...
