Podcasts
Nicki Minaj’s ‘Super Freaky Girl,’ DJ Khaled’s Bee Gees Spin, Snoop Dogg’s Top 10 & More Nostalgia on the Billboard Charts
Everything old is new again on the Billboard charts, with a series of samples, features and remixes putting some legends back on top 40 radio. On Friday, Nicki Minaj released “Super Freaky Girl,” which prominently samples Rick James‘ 1981 top 20 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Super Freak.” Plus, Snoop Dogg is back in the Hot 100 top 10, thanks to Benny Blanco‘s “Bad Decisions” with BTS (No. 10), marking his fourth decade with a top 10 hit on the chart. And DJ Khaled‘s new song “Staying Alive” (No. 5), featuring Drake and Lil Baby, samples the Bee Gees‘ 1978 Hot 100 No. 1 “Stayin’ Alive” and puts the Brothers Gibb back in the top 10 as songwriters. Oh, and did we mention that Beyoncé and Madonna’s “Queens Remix” of “Break My Soul” (which samples Madonna’s own 1990 hit “Vogue”) contri...
Could Beyonce & Drake’s Albums Help Bring Pop Music Back to the Dance Floor?
Two of the biggest albums of the summer — Drake‘s June release Honestly, Nevermind and Beyoncé‘s Renaissance, out this Friday — find a pair of A-list superstars channeling house music for the very first time. So will all of pop music soon follow their lead? Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are joined by another Katie — Billboard dance director Katie Bain — to break down both projects, how they’ve been received by the dance music world, and how they could potentially impact pop music to come. Back when house music last ruled top 40 radio, in the early to mid-1990s, chart-toppers by the likes of Robin S. were followed by the Eurodance trend of Culture Beat and La Bouche. Could something simi...
Beyoncé & Drake Collide on the Dance Floor: Breaking Down the Surprise A-List Releases
Just one week ago, fans had no clue about Beyoncé‘s Renaissance or Drake‘s Honestly, Nevermind, beyond some subtle social media hints from Queen B. Now, we have a full new album from Drake and a release date (July 29) for Beyoncé, as well as the first taste of her project in lead single “Break My Soul.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news And in a further coincidence, both Drizzy and Bey have taken their sounds in a decidedly dancey direction, with Drake teaming up with some unexpected electronic artists for the project and Beyoncé reuniting with queen of bounce Big Freedia on her house-inspired new song. On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking all about the left-field releases from these A-list artists and what we thin...
Tears for Fears’ Curt Smith Talks Taking ‘Mad World’ Back to Its Roots on ‘Behind the Setlist’ Podcast
Curt Smith of Tears for Fears is excited to have new material to play live. The group’s new release, The Tipping Point, was its first studio album in nearly 18 years. “The fun part of the first week to two weeks of touring is, you may not have got it right,” he tells Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast. “And you may want to change things for the first bunch of shows. So until you get in front of an audience, you don’t know 100% what’s going to work.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Smith and bandmate Roland Orzabal first hit the charts in the U.K. in 1982 with “Mad World.” For a time, the band performed the song to sound like the darker Gary Jules and Michael Andrews version that was featured on the soundtrack to the film Donnie Dark...
Spotify Lays Out Roadmap to Higher Margins: Here’s the Plan
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek and a parade of top executives had a simple message for investors in a live-streamed presentation from New York on Wednesday (June 8): Our margins will be better. Although the company has communicated its long-term vision through quarterly earnings calls, press releases and occasional Wall Street conferences, it hasn’t gathered the investment community for a meaningful conversation since going public in 2018. “I’m not sure that journey’s very well understood,” said Ek. “And, frankly, we probably haven’t done a very good job explaining it.” Despite posting 24% revenue growth in both 2021 and the first quarter of 2022, the company’s share price is down 51.7% in 2022. As CEO, Ek’s job on Wednesday was to captain the nearly four-hour presentation communicating to investor...
Listen to a Guided Audio and Mindfulness Experience With Martin Garrix
We’re willing to bet you haven’t heard Martin Garrix quite like this before. Garrix’s music is typically synonymous with the unbridled energy of a rave, but this time around, it’s rooted in mindfulness. The Dutch dance music star, who recently released his long-awaited debut club album Sentio, has joined forces with Case Kenny to co-produce a unique audio experience for Kenny’s podcast, New Mindset, Who Dis. The exclusive music and mindfulness collaboration features 30 minutes of uplifting beats from Garrix, whose mix is interpolated with meditative soliloquies courtesy of Kenny. The central theme, Kenny says, is to be cognizant of our need as humans to actively practice self-love. “Being present isn’t easy in 2022—we’...
Will One Direction Ever Reunite? And Who Else Do We Want to See Back Together? A Wish List
One Direction is back in the headlines in a big way, with the release of Harry Styles‘ blockbuster third album Harry’s House and Liam Payne‘s controversial interview with Logan Paul, during which he aired some dirty laundry from his boy-band days. All this 1D talk has us wondering: What might the future hold for the group? Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On the latest episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking all about the potential of a One Direction reunion and what it could look like. But that’s not all: We’re also talking about some other groups who have broken up or gone on hiatus that we would love to see back together again some day. Who makes our wish list? Listen to the podcast below to find out. Also on ...
Could Harry Styles Score His First Album of the Year Nod for ‘Harry’s House’? The Top Grammy Category Is Getting Crowded
With fans and critics alike already enjoying their stay at Harry’s House, the just-released third album from Harry Styles, is it too early to wonder whether the singer/songwriter could score his first album of the year Grammy nomination for the project? Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news We’re eight months into the eligibility period for the 2023 Grammy Awards (Oct. 1, 2021-Sept. 30, 2022), and on this week’s Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are digging into the already-crowded field for album of the year. While Styles’ sophomore album, Fine Line, was nominated for best pop vocal album at the 2021 Grammys (and its Billboard Hot 100-topping single “Watermelon Sugar” won for best pop solo performance), the One Direction singer h...
After Selena Gomez’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ Hosting Debut, Which Musician Should Host Next? Vote!
This past weekend, Selena Gomez hosted Saturday Night Live for the very first time, where she showed off her spot-on Miley Cyrus impression and reminded viewers of her showbiz beginnings on Barney & Friends. While she’s far from the first musician to host SNL — following in the footsteps of Lizzo, Adele, Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Billie Eilish, Drake, Ariana Grande and many more — her hosting gig got us thinking: Which musician should host the show next? Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On the latest episode of the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith throw out a few ideas for current musicians who would make great SNL hosts, from Megan Thee Stallion and Olivia Rodrigo to Lil Nas X and Doja Cat. And you might be just as surprised as...
Red Hot Chili Peppers Score Their First No. 1 Album in 15 Years — Who Else Waited a Decade-Plus?
With Unlimited Love‘s debut atop the Billboard 200 this week, the Red Hot Chili Peppers scored their first No. 1 album in almost 16 years, dating back to 2006’s Stadium Arcadium. So just how rare is it to wait that long between Billboard 200 chart-toppers? Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about other acts who have waited at least 10 years between No. 1 albums. We searched through every No. 1 on the Billboard 200 going back to January 2010 and found 12 other acts who waited at least a decade, including Backstreet Boys, A Tribe Called Quest and Paul McCartney, who waited a whopping 36 years to get back to the top. Who else is on the list? You’ll have to listen below ...
Spotify Podcast and Editorial Exec Courtney Holt Exits
Courtney Holt, Spotify’s head of talk partnerships, editorial and global markets, will transition to an advisory role next month as the audio giant prepares to divide his responsibilities across multiple executives, a person familiar with the matter told The Hollywood Reporter. Holt is expected to stay on as advisor for a year. In the meantime, his duties will be taken over by a team primarily led by Julie McNamara, Spotify’s head of U.S. studios and video, and Max Cutler, the head of new content initiatives and the founder of Parcast Studios. The transition has been underway for a few weeks, according to the person, and Spotify is not hiring a replacement for Holt’s position. “I want to give thanks to the incredible teams at @Spotify I was [lucky] enough to lead and interact with,” Holt t...
So Olivia Rodrigo Didn’t Sweep at the 2022 Grammys — But She Didn’t Need To
Going into Sunday’s 64th annual Grammy Awards, Olivia Rodrigo was a heavy favorite in the Big Four categories — record and song of the year for “Drivers License,” album of the year for Sour, and best new artist. In the end, she only walked away with one of those top prizes (the coveted best new artist), plus two genre awards: best pop vocal album and best pop solo performance. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news So was her big night dashed because she didn’t repeat Billie Eilish’s 2020 Big Four sweep? Or should we be saying “good 4 her” for bagging three Grammys at her very first ceremony? On the latest Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, we’re talking all about Rodrigo’s big night and why no one should count her out. We even flash back to Taylor Swift’s f...
