Pop
Chartbreaker: LOONA Cracked the Code to a K-Pop U.S. Radio Crossover
Only a handful of Korean acts have experienced that singular thrill. Despite K-pop’s strong physical sales, booming streaming numbers and titanic influence on social media (LOONA alone has 1.6 million Instagram followers), it has long struggled to gain traction on American radio, an institution that doesn’t play a lot of non-English pop songs. So Korean artists looking to break through on U.S. airwaves typically adapt to the market with strategic label partnerships, Western collaborations, and English-language singles — and LOONA has adopted the lattermost option with “Star.” Before LOONA ever attempted to cross over, though, the group — whose members range in age from 18 to 24 — promoted each member individually before debuting as a 12-member unit under its Korean management company...
Charli XCX Teases Banging Debut Single From Supergroup With The 1975 and No Rome: Listen
Charli XCX posted a 17-second snippet of “Spinning,” the debut single from her supergroup with No Rome and The 1975 on Wednesday (March 3). The track, a dancefloor-ready banger due out on Thursday (March 4), has been teased out for months, years really. Way back in 2019, The 1975 singer Matty Healy let is slip that he was working with Charli, telling fans he produced a track with No Rome and 1975 drummer George Daniel. Earlier this week, Charli posted an Instagram pic of a carton version of herself on a psychedelic background, writing, “formed a supergroup with @no_rome @trumanblack & @bedforddanes75 our song spinning drops march 4th ✨ pre save at the link in my bio ☁️ get ready for the cutest video of all time ☺️...
Jessie J Reflects on ‘Who You Are’ Album 10 Years Later & Says New Music Can ‘Hang’ With Her Biggest Hits
For the 10-year anniversary, Jessie J got on a video call with the Billboard Pop Shop Podcast to talk all about the making of the album, scoring her first (and second) No. 1 hits in her native U.K., and a familiar face that popped up in her early music videos. Listen to the podcast below: She also has some great stories about writing “Do It Like a Dude” with Rihanna in mind but keeping the aggressive anthem for her first U.K. single instead (“I just remember seeing the complete split of ‘I love her’/’I hate her’ [when it debuted] … I loved the extremity”) and writing what would become one of Miley Cyrus’ biggest hits. “‘Party in the USA’ put my foot in the door as a credible artist that can write songs, and that ...
Olivia Rodrigo Can’t Believe Her ‘Idols’ Taylor Swift & Lorde Have ‘Become My Peers So Quickly’
But the line Davidson draws between Rodrigo and Swift is pretty solid. Following Swift’s co-sign of “Drivers License,” Rodrigo said the pop superstar penned her a letter based on the teen singer’s favorite lyrics from “long story short” on Swift’s most recent Billboard 200 No. 1 album evermore: “Past me/ I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things/ Your nemeses/ Will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing.” “So she wrote about that a little bit in her letter,” Rodrigo elaborated about the heartfelt note. “She was like, ‘I think we make our own luck and I think when you’re kind to people and do what’s right, it always comes back to you in the best ways.'” The High Scho...
Jamie Spears Says He Would “Love Nothing More Than to See Britney Not Need a Conservatorship”
In the wake of the New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears, the pop star’s father Jamie Spears has faced renewed scrutiny over his conservatorship of her estate. Through his attorney, Jamie has now responded to calls that he step aside, telling CNN that he would “love nothing more than to see Britney not need a conservatorship.” Spears’ lawyer Vivian Lee Thoreen also offered her client’s perspective on the recent court tussles over the $60 million estate. Last month, a judge ruled that Bessemer Trust would serve as a co-conservator alongside Jamie. At the time, reporting suggested that this happened despite the elder Spears’ objections. “Jamie never contested or objected to Bessemer being appointed as his co-conservator,” Thoreen contended. “And at the last hearing...
You Can’t Take Your Eyes (or Ears) Off Kelly Clarkson’s Cover of Lauryn Hill
That same year, Ms. Hill became the first woman to take home five Grammy Awards in one night, including best new artist and album of the year for her sole solo studio album, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, which is the first hip-hop album to receive the major accolade. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was recently certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making Ms. Hill the first female rapper to ever achieve this career milestone. The numerous versions of Valli’s sweet classic have charted on Billboard, including Surf Mesa‘s most recent rendition, dubbed “ily (i love you baby),” featuring Emilee, that went No. 1 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs tally. Watch Clarkson’s Kellyoke cover of “Can’t ...
Jenna Andrews on Struggling with Anorexia Nervosa
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Pandora | Stitcher | Google | Pocket Casts | Radio Public | RSS Presented by Consequence of Sound and Sound Mind Live, Going There with Dr. Mike is a new interview podcast series in which clinical psychologist and life coach Dr. Mike Friedman talks with musicians about the crossroads where music and mental health meet. Blockbuster singer-songwriter Jenna Andrews joins the show this week to discuss her history with anorexia nervosa. She details her harrowing experiences with weight-related bullying as an adolescent, the likes of which included verbal and physical assaults. Later, Andrews describes how she recovered from anorexia nervosa and how she continues to work on her ongoing recovery. This includes the ways she developed a healthy body ...
BTS Added to MusiCares ‘Music on a Mission’ Event
The K-pop icons will join Haim, H.E.R. and Jhene Aiko at the March 12 event. BTS has joined the lineup for MusiCares’ Music on a Mission event on March 12. The virtual event will feature never-before-seen performances — some live, some on tape — from Haim, H.E.R., Jhené Aiko and John Legend. Music on a Mission is replacing the traditional MusiCares’ Person of the Year gala, a mainstay of Grammy Week since 1991 that’s been canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will also include video from the MusiCares vault of performances at past Person of the Year galas by Stevie Nicks, Usher, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and several more artists to be named soon. It will also feature a pre-show DJ set by DJ D-Nice and “special ap...
Miley Cyrus Is Totally Here for These ‘Hannah Montana’ Memories From Lil Nas X & Megan Thee Stallion
Hannah Montana stopped airing on Disney Channel in 2011, but Miley Cyrus‘ influence on the hottest hip-hop stars hasn’t stopped a decade later. Lil Nas X created a hilarious parody of the teen sitcom series via TikTok on Sunday, re-creating the jaw-dropping climax of the 2006 pilot episode where Cyrus’ character reveals her dual identity to her best friend Lilly Truscott (played by Emily Osment). Nas’ “Call Me By Your Name” plays in the background before he stops the music and dramatically removes his shimmering blond wig and cuts to Hannah Montana‘s signature musical transition. “I hope miley don’t block me for this,” he captioned the clip. But she did quite the opposite. The 28-year-old superstar switched roles by ...
20 Questions With Ateez: K-Pop Group Reflects on Lessons Learned From Genre Leaders
Check out the Q&A below. 1. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium? Wooyoung: The first album I bought was by BTS! I’ve been a huge fan, so I remember purchasing it online. Seonghwa: I can’t remember the first album I bought, but I often visited the album store in my neighborhood. I really liked to buy and collect albums so I bought albums of senior artists who were, and are still, very active. Of course, right now, I have our albums on display. 2. What was the first concert you saw? Hongjoong: I remember going to a concert where many K-pop artists including Girls’ Generation performed, when I was in elementary school. At that time, dancing and singing on the stage itself looked amazing and they looked like people living i...
Ask Billboard: Justin Bieber’s Biggest Albums & Songs, 2021 Birthday Edition
Happy birthday, Justin Bieber! In his honor, and in anticipation of his forthcoming album Justice, let’s update his career U.S. album sales, most-streamed songs and most-heard hits on radio, in lead or co-lead roles, according to MRC Data (with all data current through Feb. 25). Best-Selling Albums3.4 million, My World 2.02.1 million, My World (EP)1.9 million, Purpose1.7 million, Believe1.6 million, Under the Mistletoe946,000, Never Say Never: The Remixes (EP)841,000, My Worlds Acoustic424,000, Believe: Acoustic205,000, Changes Most-Streamed Songs (on-demand audio and video combined; in lead or co-lead roles)1.4 billion, “Sorry”1 billion, “Love Yourself”938 million, “What Do You Mean?”651 million, “I Don’t Care” (Ed Sheeran & ...
Fans Choose Pop Smoke’s Posthumous Song ‘AP’ as This Week’s Favorite New Music
Pop Smoke was shot and killed at a Los Angeles residence in early 2020. In the months following his murder, the 20-year-old Brooklyn star’s posthumous album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The late rapper will make his posthumous acting debut in Eddie Huang’s new coming-of-age movie Boogie, the story of Queens basketball prodigy Alfred “Boogie” Chin. Pop Smoke plays Boogie’s on-court rival Monk. Placing second on the past week’s tally with 23% of the vote was Malone’s rendition of Hootie & the Blowfish’s 1995 hit “Only Wanna Be With You.” The cover will appear on Pokémon 25: The Album, which celebrates the franchise’s 25th anniversary. Other artists appearing on Pokémon 25 include ...
