Pop
Jennifer Hudson Demands ‘Respect’ on ‘Late Show,’ Talks Last Conversation With Aretha Franklin
Hudson — who recently traveled to Detroit to meet with members of Franklin’s family at the singer’s childhood home — said one of the other things she learned while prepping for the film was how involved Aretha was with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. “It was such a beautiful moment because we reminisced on our favorite moments of hers and her songs,” she said of the visit that included some of Franklin’s grandchildren. Hudson also explained that she learned to play piano for the role because she wanted to emulate Franklin’s skills on the keys, even as Colbert wondered how she could pull it off with her long, pointy, diamond-encrusted fingernails. “It was the most unnatural part to me so I said I had to start wi...
Dua Lipa and Elton John Unveil New Collaboration “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix)”: Stream
Dua Lipa and Elton John have teamed up for their sparkling new single “Cold Heart (Pnau Remix).” Watch the accompanying video below. On their duet, the superstars take turns interpolating lyrics from some of Sir Elton’s greatest hits, including 1972’s “Rocket Man” and 1989’s “Sacrifice.” “Cold, cold heart/ Hard done by you/ Some things lookin’ better, baby,” the legendary singer-songwriter croons over Pnau’s disco-inspired beat, leading the pop star to respond, “And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time/ ‘Til touchdown brings me ’round again to find.” Ahead of the release, both singers hyped up the track, as well as their love for each other, on social media. “I’m fizzing with excitement!!!! @eltonjohn I love you and i’m so happy this is finally coming out into the world,” Lipa wrote on ...
Lizzo and Cardi B Set the Record Straight on New Single “Rumors”: Stream
Lizzo has finally released her new single “Rumors” featuring Cardi B. It’s been a long time since Lizzo last treated her fans to some new music — more than two years, to be exact. Before now, Lizzo’s most recent track was her Charli XCX collaboration “Blame It on Your Love” from May 2019. “Rumors,” perhaps needless to say, more than compensates for the time that’s passed, as it sees both Lizzo and Cardi B doing what they do best: injecting some seriously fun attitude into the pop side of hip-hop. Watch the song’s accompanying video below. Lizzo has been making music for quite a while now, but she got her belated breakout moment courtesy of Cuz I Love You, her smash hit LP and one of the best albums of 2019. It skyrocketed the Minnesota rapper to become a household name thanks to her massiv...
WizKid Drops ‘Essence’ Remix Feat. Justin Bieber & Tems: Stream It Now
“Essence” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in July at No. 82 after the Tems-assisted song was released in October 2020 from Wiz’s album Made in Lagos. The sultry Afrobeats/R&B club jam has been steadily climbing the tally over the last five weeks, rising to its current position of No. 54 in the week ending Aug. 14. “That song has become emblematic of being back outside,” Tunji Balogun, who was recently announced as the new CEO/chairman of Def Jam and signed WizKid to RCA Records in 2017, told Billboard. “Then, a narrative on the internet started about the song being the song of the summer — and we took that energy and ran with it.” Listen to the “Essence” remix below. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Onl...
Elton John and Dua Lipa Blast Off With New Collab ‘Cold Heart,’ Remixed by Pnau: Listen
On paper, it reads as though it couldn’t work. On audio, it’s something else. Elton and Lipa have much in common. They teamed up in March for his annual Oscar viewing party, where Lipa and John took turns duetting with each other’s songs, including his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 “Bennie and the Jets” and her Future Nostalgia deep cut “Love Again.” John was also one of the VIP guest stars on Lipa’s Studio 2054 livestream last year. “Dua, I adore you,” John teased on Instagram ahead of the “Cold Heart” release, “and it has been an incredible experience making this together. I can’t wait for you all to hear it!” Elton and Pnau have history, too. Back in 2012, Pnau remixed a collection of Elton’s classic songs for the album Good Morning to the Night...
Jamie Spears Agrees to Step Down as Britney Spears’ Conservator
Jamie Spears has agreed to step down as Britney Spears’ conservator, a position which he has held since 2008. In legal documents filed by his attorney on Thursday, Jamie said that he “does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests,” according to TMZ. His attorney added that Jamie “intends to work with the Court and his daughter’s new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator.” Advertisement Related Video Even so, Jamie continues to maintain that there are “no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate… and it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears’ best interests.” In a statement, Britney’...
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Tony Bennett Cancels Remaining Concerts, Officially Retired from Touring [Updated]
Tony Bennett just celebrated his 95th birthday last week with a pair of shows at Radio City Music Hall alongside Lady Gaga. The gigs were billed as his final concerts in New York City, but it turns out they may be his last shows permanently. The legendary jazz and pop singer has just canceled his fall 2021 tour dates, reports Variety. Update: In an interview with Variety, Tony’s son and manager, Danny Bennett, confirmed that his father has played his final shows. “There won’t be any additional concerts,” Danny said. “This was a hard decision for us to make, as he is a capable performer. This is, however, doctors’ orders. His continued health is the most important part of this, and when we heard the doctors — when Tony’s wife, Susan heard them — she said, ‘Absolutely not.’ He’ll be doing ot...
Katy B Releases First New Single in Five Years “Under My Skin”: Stream
UK electro-pop crooner Katy B is back, having just released a new single called “Under My Skin” that serves as her first piece of solo music in five years. Stream it below. Katy B sounds right at home on “Under My Skin,” scaling falsettos and low notes with ease while singing about a love gone sour. Musically, it’s a light and catchy number with snappy percussion, buoyant synths, and vocal runs galore. Part of that instrumentation is thanks to P2J, the Nigerian musician who co-wrote and produced the single. In a statement, Katy B said it was a “dream” to work with P2J on the song: “He’s a fellow south Londoner like me and went to school with my brother. He told me back in the day my brother was always saying to him ‘you have to work with my sister’ and when we met, I instantly felt at ease...
Justin Bieber Jumping on a Remix of WizKid’s ‘Essence,’ His Personal ‘Song of the Summer’
The song could experience a leap on the chart following the Bieber-assisted remix, which happened with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito.” The Latin pop anthem leapt to No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 2017 and remained at the top for 16 weeks, tying the record for longest-running No. 1 song at the time. The watershed movement could translate for the Afrobeats genre with the new version of “Essence.” Wiz has famously worked with another Canada-born sensation — Drake — on the No. 1 smash “One Dance” in 2016, which also features British singer Kyla. The remix comes in the same week as Tunji Balogun, who was executive vp of A&R RCA Records for six years and signed WizKid in 2016, being announced as the new CEO/chairman of Def Jam Records...
Ariana Grande Song Streams Spike After ‘Fortnite’ Concert
The second-biggest gains went to Sweetener’s “R.E.M,” streams of which rose 94% from 43,000 on Aug. 5 to 84,000 on Aug. 8. Streams of “The Way,” Grande’s 2013 collaboration with Mac Miller, rose 44% from 146,000 to 211,000. Streams of thank u, next standout “7 rings” rose 23% from 446,000 to 552,000. “Positions,” Grande’s most recent hit single, gained an extra 10,000 or so streams – from 611,000 to 621,000 – but given the song’s high starting stream count, the surge only accounted for a 2% increase. Grande’s concert also included a handful of tracks by other artists, which enjoyed streaming gains as well. Australian rock band Wolfmother‘s “Victorious” saw the biggest percentage jump of all: Streams rose from close to 3,000 ...
20 Questions With Luke Hemmings: Why the 5 Seconds of Summer Leader ‘Needed To Make’ His Solo Debut
Adopting songwriting into his daily routine, Hemmings untangled his thoughts and repurposed them as When Facing The Things We Turn Away From, his debut solo album out Friday (Aug. 13). Used to sharing the songwriting stage with three other people, the album offered Hemmings an opportunity to craft a musical identity outside of 5SOS through a fully introspective project with his own influences. It also put all of the surrounding pressures on him, even if the scrutiny was coming from his own self. Ahead of the release of When Facing The Things We Turn Away From, Hemmings answered Billboard’s 20 questions about his relationship with songwriting, overcoming self-imposed pressures and creating an ethereal, over-emotional album as a bookmark in this chapter of his life. 1. What’s the first...
Billie Eilish, Prince & Grateful Dead Lead Busy Top Album Sales Chart
Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart ranks the top-selling albums of the week based only on traditional album sales. The chart’s history dates back to May 25, 1991, the first week Billboard began tabulating charts with electronically monitored piece count information from SoundScan, now MRC Data. Pure album sales were the measurement solely utilized by the Billboard 200 albums chart through the list dated Dec. 6, 2014, after which that chart switched to a methodology that blends album sales with track equivalent album units and streaming equivalent album units. For all chart news, follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. Of Happier Than Ever’s sales of 153,000 in the week ending Aug. 5, physical album sales comprise 129,000 (with a whopping 73,000 on v...
