Pop
Woman Charged With Manslaughter in Shoving Death of Beloved Vocal Coach Barbara Gustern
A 26-year-old woman charged in the death of an 87-year-old Broadway singing coach hurled an epithet at her before shoving her to the ground and walking away while the older woman lay bleeding on the sidewalk, prosecutors said at an arraignment Tuesday (March 22). Lauren Pazienza, of Port Jefferson, Long Island, turned herself in earlier Tuesday to face a manslaughter charge in the death of Barbara Maier Gustern, which police said was the result of “an unprovoked, senseless attack” between two strangers. Gustern hit her head and was critically injured March 10 after she was shoved to the ground on West 23rd Street in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood. She died March 15. Friends told The New York Times that Gustern had just left her apartment to catch a student’s performance after hosting a r...
Ed Sheeran Awaits Verdict in ‘Shape of You’ Copyright Court Battle
An 11-day trial over the copyright of Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Shape of You” concluded in London on Tuesday (March 22), with the judge saying he would take some time to consider his ruling. The British pop star and his co-writers, Snow Patrol’s John McDaid and producer Steven McCutcheon, deny accusations that the 2017 song copies part of a 2015 song called “Oh Why” by Sami Chokri, who performs under the name Sami Switch. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Lawyer Andrew Sutcliffe, representing the “Oh Why” co-writers, argued there was an “indisputable similarity between the works” and suggested the chances of two songs that “correlate” appearing within months of each other was “minutely small.” The lawyer claimed that Sheeran had “Oh Why” “consciously or unconsciously in his head” whe...
It’s Official: Beyoncé Will Perform at the Oscars
It’s official: Beyoncé will perform at the 2022 Academy Awards. The Academy has announced that Queen Bey will perform “Be Alive,” her Oscar-nominated song from King Richard, during Sunday’s awards show. It’ll mark her first public performance since 2020. Additionally, the Academy has confirmed that Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas, will be on hand to perform “No Time to Die,” their Oscar-nominated theme song to the latest James Bond film of the same name. Related Video Two other Oscar nominees are also scheduled to hit the stage: Reba McEntire will sing “Somehow You Do” from Four Days Gold, and Sebastián Yara will perform “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto. Van Morrison, the fifth and final nominee for Best Original Song, was also invited to perform “Down to Joy” from Belfast, but is ...
Billie Eilish to Perform at the 2022 Oscars
To the surprise of no one, Billie Eilish has been confirmed to perform at the 2022 Academy Awards, during which she’ll play the Oscar-nominated “No Time to Die” with her brother and collaborator FINNEAS. “No Time to Die,” the latest James Bond theme from the film of the same name, is up for Best Original Song. It’s a heavy favorite to pick up the award, having already snagged trophies at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, and Grammys. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, the Oscars have a history of awarding Bond themes. Adele’s “Skyfall” from the 2012 movie of the same name was the first one to win the Best Original Song trophy, followed by Sam Smith’s “Writing’s on the Wall” from 2015’s Spectre. Advertisement Related Video Eilish and FINNEAS join Travis Barker as c...
Taylor Swift Pens New Song for ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ Film: ‘I Wanted to Create Something Haunting’
Something ’bout North Carolina felt like home somehow. Taylor Swift revealed Tuesday (March 22) that she’s lending her voice and lyrics to the July-slated, Reese Witherspoon-produced film Where the Crawdads Sing with an original song titled “Carolina.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news The 11-time Grammy winner posted the film’s trailer — which includes her lyrics and low register voice filling spaces between leading lady Daisy Edgar-Jones and the rest of the cast’s dialogue — to Instagram, and explained in her caption how “Carolina” came to be. “Where The Crawdads Sing is a book I got absolutely lost in when I read it years ago,” she wrote. “As soon as I heard there was a film in the works starring the incredible @daisyedgarjones and produced by the brilliant @reesewitherspo...
Rihanna Declares Herself ‘#PreggoAF’ in New Baby Bump Selfie Video
Rihanna took to social media on Sunday night (March 20) to show off her growing baby bump. “Takin ‘booty do’ to new levels #preggoAF,” the superstar captioned the Instagram Story, which starts with a closeup of her bump before panning to reveal her smiling face. Ever the business mogul, RiRi also took the opportunity to shout out one of her latest Fenty Beauty products, which she just so happened to be wearing in the selfie video, writing, “I’m not gon’ lie we f—-ked this new lip gloss color UUUPPP!!! #BubbleBinge is easily my new obsession.” Explore Explore Rihanna See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Last week, the singer revealed in a new interview with Elle during the opening of Fenty Beauty at Ulta that she’s officially entered into the third trimester...
Sebastian Yatra Taps John Legend for Bilingual Remix of ‘Tacones Rojos’
Colombian pop star Sebastian Yatra will release a bilingual remix of his hit “Tacones Rojos,” featuring John Legend on Wednesday (March 23). The new version of the feel-good track — on which Yatra channels ’90s Spanish pop with airy good humor, eschewing graphic lyrics for sweet lines such as “My slice of sunshine, the apple of my eye” — will now begin with Legend singing in English, before Yatra takes over in Spanish. Yatra announced the remix, slated for release this week, in a social media post. Recording with Legend, he tells Billboard exclusively, was a dream come true. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news “John is miraculously talented and musically he can go anywhere. He’s someone I admire, and vocal-wise, it’s very intriguing to see how...
Shawn Mendes & Sebastian Yatra Bring the Heat to the Stage at 2022 SXSW
From one star to another, Shawn Mendes and Sebastian Yatra joined forces for a sizzling joint concert, closing a series of superstar shows as part of Samsung Galaxy + Billboard Present THE STAGE at SXSW. The set, which took place at the newly-opened Moody Amphitheater at Austin’s Waterloo Park on Saturday night (Mar. 19), saw Mendes take center stage for a 60-minute performance, where he was joined by his band for a run of his biggest pop hits like “If I Can’t Have You,” “Treat You Better,” “Señorita” and “In My Blood.” During the concert, the Canadian star offered up his talent and charm, inviting a young girl from the audience to duet with him, getting candid with between song banter and taking a photo with the roaring crowd using the Samsung Galaxy S22, which served as the official host...
Weezer Go Vivaldi-Rock (?) on SZNZ: Spring EP
For a band still very much defined by the crunchy alt-pop of their very first album (and by the departures from that sound on their classic follow-up), Weezer has used its unlikely second and third decades as a band to practice a surprising amount of eclecticism. For Decade Two (roughly 2003 through 2013), this translated to never knowing whether a Weezer song would be pop-rock bliss or appalling disaster, leaving only the certainty that any given album would have at least several tracks’ worth of each. But since 2014 or so, the band has seemed less defiantly scattershot in their experiments. Their albums still come out at a steady clip, but they feel more sonically and thematically cohesive — without sacrificing their playfulness. Appropriate for its debut in a season of blooming, the ban...
Shawn Mendes Unveils New Song, Brings ‘Wonder’ on the Road in Billboard SXSW Showcase
“I never want to stop playing, even if I’m playing for 10 people in a bar,” Shawn Mendes recently told Billboard for a cover story preceding his South By Southwest showcase for Billboard + Samsung’s The Stage on Saturday night (Mar. 19). “And I only want to play bigger shows if I get to do it by making music that’s authentic.” Explore See latest videos, charts and news With a special performance at the Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park in Austin, Mendes was able to demonstrate both his unyielding passion for playing live shows and ambition for pushing his creative limits. At long last, Mendes will be able to support his 2020 album Wonder on the road later this year after pandemic-caused delays, and he used a hyper-spirited SXSW performance to preview blown-out, rafter-rattling treatments...
BTS’ Jin Undergoes Surgery After Injuring Finger
BTS‘ Jin is recovering after surgery, Big Hit Music revealed in a notice released on fan community platform Weverse on Saturday (Feb. 19). “We would like to provide you with some information regarding BTS member Jin’s finger injury,” said the company that manages BTS. “Jin injured his left index finger during his daily activities and visited the emergency room at a hospital nearby for examination and treatment on Friday, March 18. He consulted doctors and was told he required surgery as the tendons in the finger had been partially damaged. He underwent surgery to repair the extensor in his left index finger on the afternoon of Friday, March 18,” Big Hit wrote. Explore Explore BTS See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The note went on to offer the BTS ARMY an...
Duran Duran Lights Capitol Tower in Ukrainian Colors During Performance
During a rooftop performance in Hollywood on Thursday night (Mar. 17), Duran Duran showed their support for Ukraine by lighting up the Capitol Records building in the colors of the Ukrainian flag. “We are appealing to our fans in Russia to have an open heart and to support peace. We are all hoping you can get back to an ‘Ordinary World,’” Duran Duran star John Taylor said of the “Ordinary World” performance. Explore See latest videos, charts and news The performance hasn’t been the only time where the group has supported Ukraine. Duran Duran has been encouraging their fans [embedded content] Duran Duran’s performance comes on the heels of the announcement for a star-studded, 10-hour telethon to raise money for the victims of the war in Ukraine. Steve Martin, Annette Bening, ...
