Music News
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 ...
‘America’s Got Talent’ Contestant Skilyr Hicks Dies at 23
Former America’s Got Talent contestant Skilyr Hicks died Monday, Dec. 6, at age 23, TMZ reports. The singer-songwriter’s mom, Jodi, told the site that Hicks was found dead at a friend’s home in Liberty, S.C. Jodi also shared that the young artist had struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse. Chief Deputy Chad Brooks of the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office told TMZ that the suspected cause of death is a drug overdose. Billboard has reached out to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and America’s Got Talent for comment. Hicks appeared on season 8 of NBC’s talent competition in 2013, when she was only 14 years old. During her audition, she shared that she would be performing a song that she wrote in memory of her father, who died a few years earlier. “He made some bad decisions ...
K-Music to the World: How to Enjoy Korea Through Virtual ‘K-Vibe Festa’
For the past two years, lockdowns and travel bans have resulted in it being almost impossible to visit other countries. As the world resets and the global COVID-19 pandemic recedes, tourism is tentatively returning to some regions, but if you’re not yet ready to hop on a plane to South Korea, that’s all right, because with the K-VIBE FESTA, South Korea can come to you, virtually. A multi-element experience that is built on the increasingly popular idea of a metaverse, the Korea Tourism Organization’s K-VIBE FESTA campaign is themed around the idea of “Come Play With Korea” and features a variety of different experiences for people to engage with in digital realms. The overall theme of the K-VIBE FESTA is for international fans to explore and enjoy all that South Korean pop culture and trad...
Machine Gun Kelly Strips Down for Wild Calvin Klein Campaign With Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson has finally joined Instagram — but it’s not what you think. On Monday, the Saturday Night Live star took over Calvin Klein’s Instagram to unveil his new campaign with Machine Gun Kelly. The social media surprise began with Davidson posting a casual selfie to the brand’s feed. “I got Instagram,” he captioned the post, which featured him throwing up a peace sign in a simple, white Calvin Klein T-shirt, his face mostly obscured by his camera’s flash. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The post by the famously social media averse star quickly went viral, amassing more than 400,000 likes. For his part, Kelly took to the comments section to hint that he’d somehow be involved, writing, “Are you gonna post us in our undies[?]” Hours later, the pair surprised fans by taking ov...
Billie Eilish’s Name Is Among the Year’s Most Mispronounced Words
“Cheugy” is apparently a lot to chew on. Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce have something in common — broadcasters butcher their names. And virtually everyone is having trouble with “omicron.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news All four made it onto this year’s list of most mispronounced words as compiled by the U.S. Captioning Company, which captions and subtitles real-time events on TV and in courtrooms. The list released Tuesday identifies the words that proved most challenging for newsreaders and people on television to pronounce this year. The caption company said it surveyed its members to generate the list, which is now in its sixth year and was commissioned by Babbel, a language-learning platform with headquarter...
Adele’s ‘30’ Leads U.K. Chart Race
Adele’s blockbuster album 30 (Columbia) is on the way to a third consecutive U.K. chart title. But it won’t have an easy ride. Based on midweek sales and streaming data published by the OCC, 30 is on course for the crown, though it’s facing a challenge from JLS’s 2.0 (BMG), the X Factor alum’s first album of original material since Evolution, which hit No. 3 on the Official U.K. Albums Chart in 2012. JLS’s latest is on target for a No. 2 debut, for what would be the outfit’s sixth U.K. Top 10 album, continuing an unbroken streak which began with their eponymously-titled debut, in 2009. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Despite finishing runner-up on The X Factor in 2008, JLS has crossed the finish line first on the U.K. charts, including five No....
Hailey Mia Shines With Lewis Capaldi Cover on ‘The Voice’: Watch
Hailey Mia is the youngest competitor in The Voice 2021, and, thanks to her poise and talent-beyond-her-years, many fans of the show are wondering whether she’ll become the youngest-ever winner. Mia did her chances no harm on Monday night (Dec. 6), when she performed Lewis Capaldi’s “Someone You Loved” during the Top 8 Live round. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The New Jersey native selected a song overflowing with drama and action, and the teen, accompanied with a string quartet, blazed away. “Someone You Loved” is the sad song that could. The Scot’s breakout hit took 24 weeks to reach the Billboard Hot 100 summit, in 2019, completing the fifth-lengthiest climb to No. 1 all-time. Will Kelly Clarkson’s impressive protégé take the long route to...
