Pop
CHIKA Covers Billie Eilish’s “my future”, Reimagines “U SHOULD”: Stream
All this week, the Spotify Singles series is highlighting the nominees for the 2021 Best New Artist Grammy. But the contribution from CHIKA comes as a double celebration, as today happens to be the Alabama MC’s 24th birthday. As a gift for your ears, she’s delivered a new rendition of her single “U SHOULD” as well as a cover of Billie Eiilish’s “my future”. Plenty of artists have put their own spin on Eilish’s single from last summer, including Artist of the Month Arlo Parks and Miley Cyrus. CHIKA takes it into a new realm, however, taking ownership of the luscious, jazzy ode to self worth with a whole new verse of her own. “Ain’t no stopping shooting stars/ They got their own mind, and that’s the gold mine,” she raps. “The whole grind is nuts, so hold mine/ I promise you I’m set for go ti...
Harry Connick Jr. on the ‘Thrill’ of His 15th Grammy Nod & Going It ‘Alone’ for New Album
He jokes, but in actuality, the New Orleans crooner now has three Grammy Awards to his name (he won again in 2002) and 15 total nominations — including one at Sunday’s show: best traditional pop vocal album for True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter. While his first priority is making great music, Connick admits the nominations never get old. “I’m not really thinking about Grammys when I’m recording, but when Grammy time comes around, I think we all think about that and what an incredible thrill and honor it is,” he says. “So I pinch myself. It’s a really big deal.” Looking back on his early wins, Connick remembers just how massive Music’s Biggest Night truly felt back then. “You have to understand, that was before cell pho...
Gwen Stefani Needs You to ‘Slow Clap’ for Her Upcoming Single
A “Slow Clap” is required for Gwen Stefani‘s latest announcement: Her new single is coming on Thursday. Stefani giddies up for the single’s cover in her bedazzled and diamond-fringed cowgirl getup. A couple of Easter eggs, such as a boombox, basketball, alarm clock that reads 5:44, ice cream cone, cassette tape and bicycle, surround the iridescent star, some of which she’s already shown fans before. The pop star teased her single on Monday with a picture of her inserting the “Slow Clap” cassette tape into a boombox, and on Sunday, Stefani posted a photo of an alarm clock with the time 5:44 on it. 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....
The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” Becomes First Song in History to Remain in Billboard Top 10 for a Whole Year
The Weeknd just made chart history. The Canadian superstar’s smash hit, “Blinding Lights”, is now the first song to ever spend an entire year in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. Ever since the iconic singles chart was first established on August 4th, 1958, there’s never been a song that’s remained in the Top 10 for a full 52 weeks, until now. Sure, the artist born Abel Tesfaye didn’t get the Grammy nomination he was hoping for, but the enduring success of “Blinding Lights” is arguably a more historic feat. Interestingly, the After Hours single didn’t look like a runaway success when it was first unveiled. The Weeknd released the tune on November 29th, 2019 as the second single for his album rollout. However, it only debuted at No. 11 on the Hot 100 during its first week, and then it pl...
Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas and More of the Best ‘Shallow’ Covers: Watch
Now that “Shallow” has earned Gaga her first Academy Award, Billboard decided to honor her latest masterpiece with a roundup of some of the best covers. Kelly Clarkson During the Green Bay, Wisc. stop on her Meaning of Life Tour on Feb. 15, 2019, Clarkson took her love for A Star Is Born to the next level with her own version of “Shallow.” “I don’t have a Bradley Cooper here, so I’m just holdin’ it down,” she joked before humbly quipping, “I hope I don’t suck, and if I do I hope [Gaga] doesn’t see it.” Though she slipped up one lyric, her powerhouse voice certainly made up for any flubs. Lea Michele and Darren Criss The former Glee stars sang “Shallow” together on the sec...
Miley Cyrus Urges Everyone to Get Vaccinated in New ‘Angels Like You’ Video: ‘Each of Us Can Help Stop the Pandemic’
“The audience here is fully vaccinated health care workers who have been fearlessly + tirelessly fighting COVID-19,” reads the handwritten note that pops up at the end of the clip. “We all look forward to being together again + this can happen sooner than we may have thought with vaccines becoming more available. Each of us can help stop the pandemic by being vaccinated. Together we can make the experience of live music a reality again.” During her roughly 90-minute pre-game concert — which included surprise appearances by Billy Idol and Joan Jett — Cyrus repeatedly thanked health care and frontline workers in the audience and watching at home for all they had done during the global pandemic. “All of us have a purpose,” she said at one p...
Faouzia’s International Women’s Day Playlist With Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Blackpink & More: Exclusive
Singer-songwriter Faouzia has curated an International Women’s Day playlist exclusively for Billboard to celebrate the global day today (March 8). Faouzia, who recently released the stirring “Minefields” in collaboration with John Legend, looks up to some of the biggest voices in pop — including Rihanna, whose 2016 single “Needed Me” kicks off the playlist. “Rihanna has always been an inspiration of mine growing up and still to this day,” Faouzia tells Billboard of her first pick. “She is so strong, unique, and isn’t afraid to be herself.” Female forces like Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Blackpink and Miley Cyrus (who just happened to release the official music video for “Angels Like You” today) also made the list. You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are loo...
Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak Ask the Grammys to Let Silk Sonic Perform at This Year’s Show
He promised that Silk Sonic would follow all safety protocols and even joked that they’d be willing to audition for the spot. “We haven’t been able to perform for a while and we just want to sing. We’ll send in an audition tape and take as many covid tests as we need to. I promise we won’t be extra. We just really want a gig again. I hope you’ll consider this request and give us the opportunity to shine,” Mars asked nicely. Of course, .Paak wasn’t quite so chill about it all. Earlier, he sent a whole lot of tweets Mars’ way about not seeing Silk Sonic — who just released their first single together, “Leave the Door Open” — named as performers for the March 14 show. “YO @BrunoMars WHAT THE F—?!? Did yo...
Lizzo on What It’s Really Like Living ‘Obese’: ‘My Bank Account Is So Fat’
Looking at the camera and pretending to hold back tears (while also trying to hold back laughter), Lizzo continued, “I put on my obese Louis Vuitton house slippers, and I walk into my massive, obese bathroom and I just stare into my wall-to-wall, obese mirror and lather myself in the most obese, expensive oils and creams, and — oh, god — I walk into my obese, gorgeous, mid-century modern kitchen, and by the time I’ve made it into my kitchen, I’ve already made another obese million dollars.” “My bank account is so fat,” she sobbed. “My bank account is so obese, and, like, I tried to put it on a diet but she’s just so stubborn, like, she won’t listen.” Watch her fire back at the attempted body-shaming on Instagram. Her r...
Song of the Week: Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Play It Smooth as Silk Sonic on “Leave the Door Open”
Song of the Week breaks down and talks about the song 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, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak dropped their first single as Silk Sonic. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have teamed up under the name Silk Sonic, which seems to have been a good name choice. Their first single, “Leave the Door Open”, is nothing if not luxurious, velvety goodness. The full-length project, An Evening with Silk Sonic, reunites the two artists who previously toured together with .Paak as an opening act on Bruno Mars’ 2017 “24K Magic World Tour”. Sonically, “Leave the Door Open” is a return to form for Bruno Mars, who ha...
Beyonce Pays Tribute to Late Fan Lyric Chanel With Emotional Medley
Toward the end of “Love on Top,” Bey changes the lyric “baby” to “Lyric” in remembrance of her late fan. “Lyric it’s you/ You’re the one I love/ And you’re the one I need,” she sings. “You’re the only thing I see/ Come on Lyric it’s you/ You’re the one that gives your all/ You’re the one I can always call/ When I need you baby everything stops/ You put my love on top.” Beyonce concludes the tribute with a heartfelt, “I love you with all my heart.” In September, Lyric received a beautiful bouquet of white flowers from the 39-year-old mother of three after posting an adorable throwback video of herself singing the star’s 2011 hit “Love on Top.” “When the Q...
Louis Tomlinson Announces Plans to Launch New Management Company
The former One Direction member continued, “So I’ve decided to put it out there in the world today. I’m going to start my own music management company to help develop new artists. Watch this space.” Tomlinson pointed out that the management company announcement is “the first step of actualising the idea but at this stage that’s all this is. An idea!” He also clarified in another tweet that his plans do not included forming a record label. In July 2020, Tomlinson announced that he had parted ways with Simon Cowell’s Syco. The artist had signed a solo recording contract with the label in 2017. “Hope everyone is doing ok! Just wanted to let you know that Syco Music and I have agreed to part ways,” Tomlinson tweeted at the time. IR...
