NEWS
Diplo Apologizes for Playing Song Featuring Morgan Wallen During Super Bowl Afterparty
After facing scrutiny last weekend for playing a track featuring Morgan Wallen during a Super Bowl afterparty, Diplo has apologized. Following the conclusion of Super Bowl LV, Diplo caused a stir by dropping his 2020 collaboration with Morgan Wallen, “Heartless,” during his performance. The song appeared on Diplo’s debut country album effort, Diplo Presents Thomas Wesley Chapter 1: Snake Oil. However, the producer has since addressed it, stating he did not intend to make a political statement and that the song had been a part of his set prior to the country star’s controversy. Morgan Wallen was infamously cut from his record label earlier this month after video surfaced from TMZ of the country singer using racial slurs. Following the revelations, Jason Isbell,...
Finn Wolfhard’s The Aubreys Share Origins of New Single “Sand in My Bed”: Stream
In our new music feature Origins, artists are tasked with letting fans behind the curtain of their latest single. Today, The Aubreys reveal how they found “Sand in My Bed”. Celebrities, they’re just like us — even in a pandemic. Plans put on hold, friends kept at a digital distance, milestones left uncelebrated, things we’ve all experienced over the last year regardless of our notoriety. Finn Wolfhard’s summer 2020 should have been spent promoting Ghostbusters: Afterlife, reveling in his high school graduation, or jamming with drummer Malcolm Craig in their new project The Aubreys. The band had only been around for a few months following the dissolution of Calpurnia in the fall of 2019. They’d released their debut Soda & Pie EP in March, and then like the rest of us, found th...
Taylor Swift’s Re-Recorded Albums Are Eligible for Grammys
Taylor Swift’s plan to re-record all of her older music is officially underway, as evidenced by the announcement of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) a few days ago. A project this ambitious has never before happened with a pop star of her caliber, and it has led to questions regarding her eligibility at upcoming Grammy ceremonies. Could these records, most of which received nominations in the past, again find themselves in contention? Well, the answer is yes — kind of. “Current eligibility guidelines would allow for the new performances and albums to be eligible if they were recorded within the last five years,” explained a spokesperson for the Recording Academy. “However, none of the older songs would be eligible for songwriting awards.” That statement is simultaneously clear and confusin...
Ludacris To Star In New Cooking Show ‘Luda Can’t Cook’
Source: Kevin Mazur / Getty Ludacris has done it all as a rapper and actor, but does he have what it takes to become a cook? Apparently, Luda isn’t that nice in the kitchen, thus his aptly named upcoming show Luda Can’t Cook will be a journey into learning how to chef it up. As reported by the Chicago Crusader, a recent Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour event detailed the upcoming Discovery Plus series, Luda Can’t Cook, which will pair Ludacris, real name Chris Bridges, alongside veteran Chef Meherwan Irani. Luda admitted during the event that cooking has never been his thing but will undergo the grueling process and pitfalls of learning how to cook under Chef Irani’s careful instruction. “I absolutely love food and have always appreciated the art of cooking, but I can’t lie...
Ford, VW EV Battery Supplier Forced From U.S. Market?
The battery supplier for Ford and Volkswagen, SK Innovation, will possibly exit the United States market after the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) issued a 10-year exclusion order that prohibits the company from importing its lithium-ion batteries. SK Innovation, however, can import “components for domestic production of lithium-ion batteries and other parts for Ford Motor Co’s EV F-150 program for four years, and for Volkswagen of America’s MEB electric vehicle line for the North America region for two years,” per Reuters. The decision came in response to LG Chem’s accusation that SK Innovation stole electric vehicle battery-related trade secrets from it. While SK Innovation could theoretically maintain a presence here, the company would need to r...
JPEGMAFIA Drops New Project EP2!: Stream
JPEGMAFIA is back with the exclamatory new release EP2!. Stream it below via Apple Music or Spotify. The follow-up to 2020’s EP! and 2019’s full-length All My Heroes Are Cornballs, EP2! is all JPEGMAFIA all the time, with every track written, produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Peggy himself. While he built his reputation with an in-your-face delivery, on EP2! he holds up a cracked mirror to melodic radio rap, creating a sound that’s indelibly his own. As he spits on “KELTEC!”, “You can’t believe I created a lane.” Previously, he shared the singles “LAST DANCE!” and “FIX URSELF!”. Besides that, he had a staggeringly busy 2020, sharing “living single”, “BALD!”, “COVERED IN MONEY!”, “BODYGUARD!”,“CUTIE PIE!”, “THE BENDS!”, and a wonderful “BALD! REMI...
Gina Carano Reacts to Mandalorian Firing: “They Can’t Cancel Us If We Don’t Let Them”
The Manadalorian actress Gina Carano has shared her first public statement since being let go by Lucasfilm earlier this week. Lucasfilm and Carano’s talent agency UTA cut ties with the actress following a series of abhorrent social media postings, including one in which she compared being a Republican today to being Jewish during the Holocaust. Carano, who also previously spread misinformation about voter fraud and mocked individuals who used preferred pronouns, unsurprisingly showed no semblance of contrition in her statement. In fact, she says she’s “only just begun using my voice which is now freer than ever before.” “I’m sending out a direct message of hope to everyone living in fear of cancellation by the totalitarian mob. I have only just begun using my voice which is now freer ...
Kevin Gates Drops New Single “Plug Daughter 2”: Stream
Punxsutawney Phil predicted another six more weeks of winter, but Kevin Gates couldn’t care less. The Louisiana rapper just surprise released a new single called “Plug Daughter 2” and an accompanying music video that sees him soaking up the sun in Puerto Rico. It’s a welcome dose of vitamin D, and you can stream it below. Lyrically, “Plug Daughter 2” sees Gates detailing a tumultuous love affair, but the music itself couldn’t sound happier. Over a breezy beat, Gates’ vocals echo atop a nimble keyboard melody and faded backing vocals that harmonize rather sweetly. It’s mellow but driven — the exact type of progression Gates has been capitalizing on as of late. In the music video, Gates wanders through gorgeous landscapes in Puerto Rico. Lucious trees and vibrant greens surround him while he...
Which Taylor Swift Re-Recorded Album Are You Most Looking Forward To? Vote!
Taylor Swift announced Thursday that Fearless is the first of six albums she’ll be re-recording — but which one are you dying to hear? Those albums — which were released between 2006 and 2017 by Big Machine Label Group, which Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings purchased in its entirety (including Swift’s master recordings) in June 2019 — include her self-titled debut, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989 and Reputation. The country-pop crossover star is only one of two female artists (along with Adele) to win album of the year at the Grammy Awards twice for her solo recordings, earning the major accolade in 2010 for Fearless and again in 2015 for 1989. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are loo...
Harry Connick Jr. Goes It ‘Alone’ for Faith-Inspired New Album: Watch ‘Amazing Grace’
Connick sang every part, played every instrument and arranged every song on the album, out March 19 via Universal Music’s Verve and Capitol CMG. Up first is his stirring rendition of “Amazing Grace,” along with a music video directed by Connick’s 24-year-old daughter Georgia. In addition to “Amazing Grace,” some other familiar spiritual titles on the track list include “How Great Thou Art,” “Because He Lives,” “Be Not Afraid” and “The Old Rugged Cross,” mixed in with some Connick originals. “Besides the familiar, traditional songs, I wrote and recorded new music that tells the story of my experience during the lockdown,” he adds in his personal note. “I, like most of us, felt joy, sadness, ...
Kelly Clarkson Brings Back a ‘Voice’ Classic by Covering This Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton Duet
It’s been nine years since Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton performed “Just a Fool” on The Voice when they were both coaches. On Friday (Feb. 12), Kelly Clarkson took the stage of her own talk show to pull off the duet all on her own. She stripped down the country-pop ballad on the dimly lit stage with only The Kelly Clarkson Show‘s musical director Jason Halbert playing the piano. Clarkson powered through Aguilera’s first verse before taking on the swelling chorus. “I, I had my heart set on you/ But nothin’ else hurts like you do/ Who knew that love was so cruel/ I waited and waited so long/ For someone who’ll never come home/ It’s my fault to think you’d be true/ I’m just a ...
From Danna Paola’s ‘Breakup Party’ to TikTok Dances, Here’s How to Spend Your Galentine’s Day
In honor of Galentine’s Day, Billboard compiled some music-related ideas to celebrate with your closest friends in-person or via video. Crash Danna Paola’s “Breakup Party” Last month, Danna Paola dropped her most personal album yet, K.O., released via Universal Music Mexico. With songs such as “Friend de Semana” and “Amor Ordinario,” Danna says her album represents healing. “I used it to drain everything I had in my heart,” she told Billboard. “That’s why I named it ‘K.O.’ — because it was like the last punch to the heart during this whole process.” In celebration, the Mexican pop star invites all of her fans to her “breakup party” via a state-of-the-art live stream that includes three stages, 16 dancers, and audiovisual effects, to name a few. The concert will take place at 9:...
