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Lana Del Rey Defends Her Comments on Fellow Female Singers, ‘Racist’ Backlash
After facing heavy criticism on thoughts she expressed via Instagram earlier on Thursday (May 21), Lana Del Rey is defending herself. In her original post, the singer called out fellow female stars Doja Cat, Ariana Grande, Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Kehlani, Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé, who “have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f—ing, cheating, etc.” She then asked if she can continue singing about her own dark past “without being crucified or saying that I’m glamorizing abuse?” “To be clear because I knowwwwww you love to twist things,” she wrote in the comments section of her post. “I f—ing love these singers and know them. that is why I mention them.” “I would also like to have some of the same freedo...
Donny Benét Talks ‘Mr Experience,’ Baking and Musical Evolution
Donny Benét doesn’t just operate in his own lane. He owns it. The Don returns today (May 22) with Mr Experience as a wiser, smarter, more mature artist, but every bit the same “Australian piss-taker,” in his own words. Mr Experience is a party in a package, which funks its way across 10 tracks. It’s the culmination of two years’ work, during which time the Sydney singer, bass player and producer created a pool of 30 songs. “Some are completely finished, some I’ve just started and an hour later started swearing and dragged it into the ‘rejects’ folder,” he tells Billboard. “I haven’t dropped the rejects folder into the trash. It’s good to look back and see where you’re at.” Benét is always looking forward, even if his sound and style harks back to a glorious age when we rolled up our j...
How Tom Holkenborg Returned to His Dance Music Roots for the Score of a New Netflix Series
In 1998, Ibiza was becoming one of the world’s freshest and most exciting destinations for dance music. The music was new, the nights were long and the tan lines were deep. Tom Holkenborg was there, performing sets under his DJ name Junkie XL. In the decades that have followed, Holkenborg’s career has evolved from producing tracks to scoring, with his work soundtracking dozens of movies and television shows including Mad Max: Fury Road, Deadpool, The Dark Tower, Terminator: Dark Fate and the recently released Scooby Doo flick, Scoob! But arguably, none of these projects have fused Holkenborg’s history as a DJ with this current profession as well as his recent project White Lines. Premiering on Netflix May 15, the series tells the story of a woman who t...
Long Holiday Weekend? Vote for the Latin Artist You’d Virtually Hang Out With
Memorial Day is approaching, meaning that many people in the U.S. will have a much-needed long weekend. The U.S. federal holiday, which takes place on the last Monday in May, commemorates and honors all the fallen heroes while serving in the country’s armed forces. Associated with family gatherings, parades, a beach day, or even a day of relaxation, the holiday festivities also marks the “unofficial” start of summer. With so many people in quarantine and social distancing due to the global health crisis, Billboard is curious to know: which Latin artist would you like to have a virtual hang out with on Memorial Day weekend? The list includes CNCO, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna, Thalia, and many more Latin music stars who will surely be a fun virtual company. Vote below! You Deserve to ...
Steven Spielberg-Produced Musical ‘Smash’ Headed For Broadway
The stage production is inspired by the TV series of the same name, which ran for two seasons on NBC. New musical Smash, inspired by the NBC series of the same name, is headed for Broadway. Steven Spielberg, who is among the show’s lead producers, wrote in a statement that he is “personally thrilled” to be a part of this project. “Smash is near and dear to my heart, and it seems fitting that a new musical inspired by what we did on the show would eventually come to the stage,” continued the filmmaker. “I’m beyond thrilled to be working with this incredible creative team and my producing partners, who began the Smash journey with me over ten years ago.” Tony winner Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone, The Prom) and Tony nominee Rick Elice (Jersey...
Makin’ Tracks: Ryan Hurd Moves Forward by Mining ‘Every Other Memory’
Ever since its inception, when promoters promised to preserve “old-time music,” country has been a genre built upon the past. Whether it’s recounting childhood events in the lyrics or borrowing the phrasing and technique from its predecessors, each generation has managed to bring history into the here and now. With “Every Other Memory,” Ryan Hurd accomplishes that in two ways as the song’s protagonist recalls an old flame through a mental scrapbook of their time together. And one of the specific images is an Eric Church concert, which pays homage to one of Hurd’s real-life icons. “I really love leaning on nostalgia,” says Hurd. “It’s just such a huge part of our genre, and I kind of picked pictures, like emojis sort of, so that every line is a snapshot.” Every lyrical line owes a debt to t...
Big Hit Entertainment Global CEO Lenzo Yoon Talks New Role, ‘Localizing’ In the U.S. & Growing Artist Roster
“Any new service that Big Hit will present all starts from our business philosophy of ‘What content will fans enjoy the most?'” A decade into his tenure at Big Hit Entertainment, Lenzo Yoon is gearing up for some big moves — both in the company and in his personal life. One of the biggest takeaways of last week’s executive changeups at Big Hit Entertainment — the South Korean label home to the record-breaking BTS, Tomorrow X Together and GFriend — came in co-CEO Lenzo Yoon’s expanding his role to Global CEO and soon leading from the United States. The move not only pointed to a more global outlook for the company (which had its biggest year ever with a record $500 million in revenue in 2019), but also that it was official...
Saint Lane Reflects on ‘Worst Year,’ Prepares For a Great One With ‘When Did We Grow Up’: Exclusive Premiere
Saint Lane is overdue some good luck. In 2019, the Gold Coast-based rapper lost his dad, and had a painful experience with three friends which, as a result, he no longer calls “mates”. Last year was “the worst year of my life,” he admits. And this year, well, it’s bad for everyone. Lane was traveling in Canada when the coronavirus emergency was upgraded to a pandemic, and on his return to Australia, Lane was quarantined in a room for two weeks. As creatives tend to do, he used his time to make stuff. With a mic and a laptop, he reached out to musician and comedian friends, including Lime Cordiale and Hayden James, for a special isolation podcast. One of his amusing go-to questions was a gag about locating the cure for coronavirus (it’s always plain sight, just to your left). Those wo...
Crush Releases New Song ‘Mayday’ Featuring Red Velvet’s Joy: ‘She’s Got the Most Beautiful Voice’
Singer-songwriter Crush is back with a new single after releasing his last studio album, From Midnight to Sunrise, five months ago. The South Korean musician, who is known for being inspired by things in ordinary life such as the Han River at dawn or his pet dogs, focuses on the theme of “home” for his newest project, titled Homemade. New singles will be released back-to-back, the first of which is “Mayday,” out today (May 21). The new song has been long anticipated by fans, especially since the announcement that Joy from Red Velvet would be the featured artist. Fans became even more curious when cute selfies of the two artists together appeared on both of their Instagram accounts, accompanied by comments on how lucky they were to collaborate with each oth...
Nick Cordero’s Coronavirus Recovery Is Going ‘Downhill,’ Wife Amanda Kloots Asks for ‘Mega Prayers’
One week after finally waking up and taking some positive steps in his coronavirus recovery, Nick Cordero’s journey has taken a bumpy turn. His wife Amanda Kloots, who has been frequently posting updates on the Broadway star’s status, took to her Instagram story on Wednesday (May 20) to reveal that “Nick has had a bad morning,” adding, “Unfortunately, things are going a little downhill at the moment.” “So I am asking again for all the prayers, mega prayers right now,” she continued, tearing up. “Please sing, please cheer, and please pray for Nick today. I know that this virus is not going to get him down. This is not how his story ends. So just keep us in your thoughts and prayers, thank you.” Cordero was admitted to the hosp...
Who Should Win Season 3 of ‘The Masked Singer’? Vote!
The Masked Singer airs its epic season 3 finale Wednesday night (May 20) to see whether the Frog, Night Angel or Turtle wins the whole singing competition series. So who’s your pick? The lucky celebrity will follow the monstrous footsteps of T-Pain from season 1 and the victorious foxtrot of Wayne Brady from season 2, but fans have already picked out some probable guesses as to who’s behind the remaining three costumes. The show’s dedicated viewers took to Twitter to voice their predictions, with Jesse McCartney as the top contender for Turtle, Kandi Burruss as Night Angel, and Bow Wow as Frog. So who should be unmasked as the season 3 winner tonight? Vote below, and tune in at 8 p.m. ET on Fox to find out who it really is! You Deserve to Make Money Ev...
Clean Bandit & Anne-Marie Perform ‘Rockabye’ in Honor of International Nurses Day
In celebration of International Nurses Day, Clean Bandit and Anne-Marie honored the heroes on the coronavirus frontlines with a performance of their 2016 collaboration, “Rockabye.” The members of Clean Bandit delivered the tune from a serene garden, while Anne-Marie video conferenced in from a laptop on a table. Though the song’s third collaborator, Sean Paul, wasn’t present for the performance, the group overlaid a photo of him during his verse. The lyrics are fitting to celebrate nurses, as it features the reassuring maternal pre-chorus, “She tells him ‘Your life ain’t gonna be nothing like my life / You’re gonna grow and have a good life / I’m gonna do what I’ve got to do.'” Watch the performance below. [embedded content]...
