Pop
María Isabel Signs To Warner Records, Releases ‘No Soy Para Ti’ Single: Exclusive
The Queens native released her first track, “The 1,” in 2020, after spending multiple years developing her songwriting technique. Her debut EP, Stuck in the Sky, demonstrated a poetic flair within both Spanish and English lyrics, and was followed by the two-track release of “Buy Your Own Flowers” and “Love song” earlier this year. “Beyond her sheer talent, there is a unique passion, vulnerability and intelligence present in María’s music and lyrics that immediately draws you in,” says Dominique Maldonado, Warner Records’ senior director of A&R. “María shows up unabashedly as herself in everything that she does, and I know she’s going to continue to inspire as the world gets to know her.” In the “No Soy Para Ti” music video, which was directed by Alfred Marroquin, Isabel returns h...
Justin Bieber, Tori Kelly, Jaden Smith to Headline ‘Freedom Experience’ at SoFi Stadium
“1DayLA and The Freedom Experience live concert event showcase the power and beauty of a city coming together,” said Dominic Russo of 1DayLA in a statement. “In the wake of a sustained season of crisis and isolation, people desperately need authentic expressions of hope, help, and love. This will be an unforgettable opportunity to celebrate and dynamically impact communities across Los Angeles.” According to the statement, Bieber was inspired to join the 1DayLA movement “because of his strong and long-held belief that giving of ourselves in service to others is one of the most important things we can do. Bieber is committed to the powerful idea that a movement for change can start with individuals helping one another and their community.” The release announcing the event said t...
Bobby Brown vs. Keith Sweat in Essence Verzuz Battle of R&B Icons: Billboard’s Scorecard & Winner For the Showdown
“This is truly a celebration of two giants of the culture…” DJ Cassidy enthused later in the evening and he couldn’t be more on target. Bobby Brown’s career soared in the mid-‘80s as part of the omnipresent R&B boy band New Edition — and while he ventured out on his own in 1987 with a built-in fanbase, Keith Sweat was finding his place on the Billboard 100 for the first time with hits like “Make It Last Forever” and “I Want Her” from his debut album. As the lights brightened in the venue, the two sat across from each other, backs straightened against ornate thrones, ready to prove why they’ve long been crowned kings. Here’s how Billboard scored their showdown. Round 1: Keith Sweat’s “Something Just Ain’t Right” vs. Bobby Brown’s “Don’t Be Cruel” Sweat...
BTS Perform “Butter” and “Dynamite” for SiriusXM: Watch
BTS were guests on the SiriusXM show HITS 1 on 1 on Thursday, sitting down for an interview and a spectacular two-part performance of “Dynamite” and “Butter”. After a brief remote chat with SiriusXM hosts Tony Fly and Symon in which they hyped up their upcoming single “Permission to Dance”, BTS put on an award ceremony-worthy performance. Look, at this point it’s not really shocking that the Bangtan Boys can put more production into a single TV appearance than most artists do in a music video, but it’s still pretty amazing to see every time. Things kicked off simply enough, with BTS sitting in a loft set on some midcentury modern couches. They had as much fun playing off each other during “Dynamite” as they would on a helipad, getting up to dance through the final chorus. As the song ...
Iggy Azalea Claims Britney Spears’ Dad Made Her Sign an NDA Before a Performance
“During the time we worked together in 2015, I personally witnessed the same behavior Britney detailed in regards to her father last week and I just want to back her up & tell the world that: She is not exaggerating or lying,” Azalea wrote. “I saw her restricted from even the most bizarre & trivial things: like how many sodas she was allowed to drink. Why is that even necessary. “Her father conveniently waited until literally moments before our [Billboard Music Awards] performance when I was backstage in the dressing room & told me if I did not sign an NDA he would not allow me on stage,” the rapper claimed. “The way he went about getting me to sign a contract, sounded similar to the tactics Britney spoke about last week in reg...
Bessemer Trust Requests to Withdraw as Co-Conservator of Britney Spears’ Estate
Bessemer Trust has officially requested to discontinue its role as co-conservator over Britney Spears’ estate amidst the pop star’s ongoing fight to end the conservatorship that has governed her life for the last 13 years. The wealth management company, which was appointed to serve alongside the icon’s father Jamie Spears in the fall of 2020, filed the motion on July 1st citing “changed circumstances” surrounding the conservatorship, according to The New York Times. “As a result of the conservatee’s testimony at the June 23 hearing, however, the Petitioner has become aware that the Conservatee objects to the continuance of her Conservatorship and desires to terminate the conservatorship,” the company wrote in its filing. “Petitioner has heard the Conservatee and respects her wishes.” ...
BTS Unveils ‘Butter’ CD Single Tracklist, and It Includes the New Ed Sheeran Collab
“Butter” held on to the No. 1 spot on the latest edition (July 3) of the Billboard Songs of the Summer survey (which will run from June 12 to Sept. 11), and the song led the Billboard Hot 100 song chart for a fifth week in the latest tally, continuing a run that kicked off since it debuted at No. 1. following its May 21 release, making it the group’s longest leading No. 1 to date. Andrews recently described the process of creating “Butter” to Billboard, saying that when she first heard it in February, she knew it was something special. “When [writer-producer] Rob [Grimaldi] sent me this song he worked on with [writers] Stephen Kirk and Sebastian Garcia, I immediately thought that the hook and melody were incredible,” Andrews said. “I thou...
Kane Brown & Blackbear Pair on Pop Track ‘Memory’
Brown and Blackbear (under his real name Matthew Musto) wrote the song with Andrew Goldstein, Joe Kirkland and Ernest Smith. The sauntering midtempo track features Brown first speaking and then singing about living life at top speed and escaping from any pain, concerned that he’s running on empty and proclaiming “I don’t want to be a memory,” before blackbear takes over similarly expressing the need to find a way to manage the crazy train. Brown began teasing the collaboration on his Instagram two days ago when he cryptically posted a photo of two men in spacesuits with the date 7/9/21. The cover art premieres above. Blackbear has worked with a diverse range of artists including Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, Linkin Park, Nick Jonas, G-Eazy, and, more recently, Maroo...
LA Courts End Remote Audio Program After Illicit Britney Spears Recording Surfaces
When asked what is the court’s general policy is on taking action if a proceeding is recorded without permission, L.A. County Superior Court Communications Director Ann E. Donlan said only: “Parties who publish unauthorized recordings of court proceedings in violation of a court order are subject to sanctions and other potential liability pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure section 1209 and other applicable law.” Penny, at the beginning of the hearing, not only reminded those listening about the policy against recording but also warned against live-tweeting and told those physically in the courtroom that they needed to use a pen and paper instead of a laptop for their notes. Still, audio of Spears testimony began circulating just hours after the hearing, including in a YouTube p...
Judge Denies Britney Spears’ Request to Remove Father As Conservator
Days after Britney Spears’ harrowing public testimony, a judge has turned down the pop singer’s request to remove her father, Jamie, as her sole conservator. Spears’ attorney, Samuel Ingham III, had petitioned the court to remove Jamie in November 2020. At that time, Judge Brenda Penny declined the request, but did appoint the financial company Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator of the estate. Today’s filing approved Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator while also reiterating the judge’s decision to not remove Jamie from remove Britney’s conservatorship. While the paperwork is technically in response to the November 2020 petition, it’s still significant as Judge Penny signed the document days after Britney’s testimony. Related Video Last week, Britney appeared virtually in a Califo...
The Players Behind Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Deja Vu’: See the Full Credits
Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album Sour returned to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in its fifth week on the chart, marking its second total week atop the tally. Meanwhile, the album’s second single, “Deja Vu,” rose from No. 10 to No. 9 on the Hot 100, rising from No. 12 to No. 10 after reaching a high of No. 3 on the chart in early June. Along with “Good 4 U,” “Deja Vu” also hit the top 10 on Billboard’s Radio Songs chart this week, raising Rodrigo’s career top 10s on the tally to three — a count that includes her breakthrough smash “Drivers License.” Explore the team of musicians, producers and more behind the track with recording credits provided by Jaxsta below. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begin...
Olivia Rodrigo Throws the Prom of Her Dreams with SOUR Concert Film: Watch
We may be knee-deep into summer, but Olivia Rodrigo is ready for prom. Last night, the pop sensation debuted her highly-anticipated SOUR Prom concert film. Rodrigo donned a ruffled, royal blue mini-dress for the big dance, and kicked things off before even arriving with an inventive mash-up of “Happier” and “Deja Vu” on the trippy limo ride to the school. After making her grand entrance, the Disney star was surrounded by a bevy of back-up dancers, all in their best formal wear, as she ran through fan favorite tracks off her debut album like “Brutal”, “Traitor”, and the social media-dissecting “Jealousy, Jealousy”. The special doesn’t just stick to the action happening in the gymnasium, though, with Rodrigo making a brief pit stop in the school’s photo lab for an acoustic rendition of “Enou...
