Pop
‘I’m Here For a Reason’: Bebe Rexha on Finding Peace & Her Place in the Music Industry
The result is an unflinching self-assessment that hopscotches across pop, hip-hop, alternative rock and dance music, and pulls in a few of Rexha’s famous friends, from Lil Uzi Vert on “Die for a Man” to Travis Barker on “Break My Heart Myself” to Doja Cat on lead single “Baby, I’m Jealous.” A version of Better Mistakes was originally finished prior to the pandemic and resulting shutdown; in the interim, Rexha changed managers, signing to Wassim “Sal” Slaiby’s Sal & Co. last fall, where she joins artists like The Weeknd and Doja Cat. During a Zoom chat a few days before the release of Better Mistakes, Rexha discussed what the project represents to her personally and professionally, battling imposter syndrome, and why she wants to dabble in metal music. You had spoken about the focus of ...
Justin Bieber’s ‘Peaches’ Reaches No. 1 on Rhythmic Airplay Chart
Daniel Caesar, meanwhile, reaches No. 1 with his first appearance on Rhythmic Airplay. Giveon, too, achieves a first leader with a first showing. Since “Peaches” debuted on the list, though, he’s added a second song on the chart: His sleeper hit “Heartbreak Anniversary” scores its fifth week on the chart and pushes 23-19 on the new ranking. As “Peaches” completes its journey to No. 1 in six weeks, it logs the fastest trip among Bieber’s five chart-toppers. “I’m the One” previously held the mark in his roster, needing seven weeks before its coronation. With the Rhythmic dominion conquered, “Peaches” will likely next set its sights on top 40 radio. The collaboration darts 6-2 on the Pop Airplay chart, which measures the most-played tracks at mainstream top 40 stations. There, the song adds 2...
Justin Timberlake Tells DJ Khaled He’s ‘The Best A&R Guy’ in the Biz
Khaled said Timberlake’s contribution to the album featuring the usual compliment of superstar vocalists and rappers — including Lil Wayne, H.E.R., Migos, Cardi B, Lil Baby, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Justin Bieber, Drake and Jay-Z, among others — made him cry. “This is an important song,” Timberlake said, suggesting that if Jigga’s 2002 The Blueprint anthem “Song Cry” had never existed, but then Justin and Jay’s 2013 collab “Holy Grail” was “Song Cry.” You follow? “I got the right rasp in the right spots, bro!” Timberlake enthused. The clip ends with Khaled trying to convince JT that they absolutely must shoot a video for the track. “It’s needed!” Khaled tells him. Watch...
Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky, & Post Malone to Headline Governors Ball 2021
DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, 21 Savage and more slated for Sept. 24-26 event at Citi Field in New York. The 2021 Governors Ball festival will take place at New York’s Citi Field from Sept. 24-26, and will feature headlining sets from Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky and Post Malone. The 10th anniversary edition of the festival — which took a break in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — will follow all mandated state and federal guidelines at the time of the event, according to a release. More than 60 acts will take the stage over the weekend, including J Balvin, DaBaby, Megan Thee Stallion, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Ellie Goulding, Leon Bridges, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Portugal. The Man, Burna Boy, Future Islands, Phoebe Bridgers, Jamie XX, Carly Rae Jepsen, Big Thief, Bleachers and many mor...
The Weeknd Calls Grammy Rule Changes “Admission of Corruption”
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-03T17:45:00+00:00“>May 3, 2021 | 1:45pm ET The Weeknd is not satisfied with the Recording Academy’s decision to eliminate almost all secret committees responsible for nominating artists for the Grammy Awards. Despite calling for that very change in March, the artist born Abel Tesfaye is doubling down on his Grammy critiques, telling Variety that the rule changes are an “admission of corruption.” Tesfaye’s crusade against the Recording Academy actually began last year, when he was shut out of all Grammy categories despite releasing one of the most critically-lauded, commercially-successful albums of 2020 in After Hours. His rhetoric escalated in March when he announ...
The Weeknd Doubles Down on Grammy Boycott After Recording Academy Axes Nomination Review Committees
As Billboard reported in March, rank-and-file Grammy voters determine the final nominees in just 12 of 84 categories. In 59 categories, however, nominations review committees had the final say in determining the nominees. (The final nominations in the remaining 13 categories are determined by so-called “craft committees.”) The decision to end the committees paves the way for rank-and-file Grammy voters to have final say. In a statement to Variety, The Weeknd expanded on his break with the academy, describing the decision as a move forward, but not a solution. “The trust has been broken for so long between the Grammy organization and artists that it would be unwise to raise a victory flag,” he told the magazine, again saying he would not offer his music up for the awards...
BTS Offers Another Sweet Taste of ‘Butter’ in 2 New Teasers
Ahead of these two latest clips, BTS shared a 60-minute video featuring an animated pat of butter melting against a yellow background. The video, which was released April 26, has already racked up nearly 15 million views. Big Hit had revealed on April 28 that ahead of the arrival of “Butter,” the group would be teasing the song with concept clips and photos until the tune’s May 21st arrival. The stars described “Butter” in an earlier press release as “a dance pop track brimming with the smooth yet charismatic charm of BTS.” The song is their second English-language tune. Their first was 2020’s “Dynamite,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100. On Thursday (April 29), the Billboard Music Awards announced that BTS is a finalist in four...
10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week: Alec Benjamin, Dawn Richard, Lauren Jauregui & More
Anger, confusion, self-doubt and frustration are all transmitted through Alec Benjamin’s sweet, lilting voice on “The Way You Felt,” a post-breakup track in which the singer-songwriter sorts through his feelings in real time. The pain feels genuine, and Benjamin’s soothing delivery creates the impression that the shock hasn’t fully registered; in the meantime, programmed drums capably soundtrack his broken heart. Niko Rubio, “You Could Be The One” A percussive whoosh arrives when 20-year-old singer-songwriter Niko Rubio utters the phrase “You could be the one!” on her debut single, capturing the dramatic thrill of unsuspecting romance. The kicky pop-rock track allows Rubio’s tone to sink down low and soar skyward, turning into a captivating showcase for the newcomer. Scarlet Pleasure, “Som...
Fans Choose Billie Eilish’s ‘Your Power’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Billie Eilish‘s “Your Power” has topped this week’s new music poll. Music fans voted in a poll published Friday (April 30) on Billboard, choosing Eilish’s single from her upcoming album Happier Than Ever as their favorite new music release of the past week. “It’s an open letter to people who take advantage — mostly men,” Eilish said about the track in an interview published this weekend by British Vogue (of which she graces the cover). “I would like people to listen to me. And not just try to figure out who I’m talking about, because it’s not about that. It’s really not at all about one person. You might think, ‘It’s because she’s in the music industry’ — no, dude. It’s everywhere.” You Deserve to Make ...
5 Takeaways From Billie Eilish’s British ‘Vogue’ Interview
Eilish talked about abuse and implied that she’d been a victim. “I don’t know one girl or woman who hasn’t had a weird experience, or a really bad experience,” she said. Here are five things Eilish shed light on in British Vogue. How She Spent Her Unplanned Year at Home Eilish and her brother, Finneas, in the company of their dogs, spent the pandemic year swimming, cycling, fighting, eating Taco Bell and working on music in the basement, the article revealed. She’s very proud of the project: “I’ve grown so much and gotten so much better in my voice,” Eilish noted of her work on Happier Than Ever, due out on July 30. “It’s crazy to think about. I think change is one of the best gifts in the world.” This Is What ‘Your Power’ Is Really About The first...
Katy Perry Transforms Into Tinker Bell for ‘American Idol’
“legolas’s gf flyin in hot with a pouch full of pixie dust to throw on anyone who doesn’t believe we have the best top 10 in @americanidol history #disneynight ok,” she tweeted alongside a video of her ear transformation. While Idol aired, Luke Bryan shared a clip on Twitter of Perry in full pixie dust mode. “Katy goes all out,” he commented, to which she replied, “Why would I go halfway? That’s for losers.” See Perry’s getting-ready process, plus the final look, below. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help g...
Song of the Week: Billie Eilish Reclaims Herself on “Your Power”
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-02T22:20:07+00:00“>May 2, 2021 | 6:20pm ET Song of the Week digs into the new track we just can’t get out of our head each week. Find these songs and more on our Spotify Top Songs playlist. For our favorite new songs from emerging artists, check out our Spotify New Sounds playlist. This week, Billie Eilish sings for those stepping out of lopsided dynamics on “Your Power”. Billie Eilish’s ascent was built for the internet age: a SoundCloud upload, a “made just for fun” viral hit, and a brother-sister duo creating music in a bedroom are perfect plot points of a story for this Extremely Online generation. The singer has been seemingly unstoppable since she burst onto the scene,...
