Music News
Shania Twain Opens Up About ‘How Good It Felt’ Posing Topless: ‘I‘m Comfortable in My Own Skin’
The best thing about bein’ a woman is the prerogative to have confidence in your body, no matter what stage of life you’re in. That’s exactly how Shania Twain feels, anyway. In a recent interview with People, the 57-year-old country–pop star opened up about why she chose to pose topless for the cover artwork of her September single “Waking Up Dreaming,” set to appear on her February album Queen of Me. “This is me expressing my truth,” she shared. “I’m comfortable in my own skin, and this is the way I am sharing that confidence.” “I think the best fashion is confidence, and whatever you wear — if you’re wearing it with that, it’s fashionable,” she continued. “I am a woman in my late 50s, and I don’t need to hide behind the clothes. I can’t even tell you how good it felt to do nude sho...
John Mayer Reveals Who ‘Your Body Is a Wonderland‘ Is About on ’Call Her Daddy’ Holiday Special
John Mayer stopped by Call Her Daddy for the hit podcast’s first-ever holiday special and spilled some major tea about his breakout hit “Your Body Is a Wonderland.” The topic came up when host Alex Cooper asked the rocker what he was like in high school, in an episode that dropped Tuesday night (Dec. 20). “I didn’t have a presence,” Mayer admitted. “So I think that one of the bigger misnomers about me is that there’s like a jocky-ness to me, you know? Like there’s an alpha, musician jocky-ness to me and the bottom line is, like, I went to school to get it over with. And my life began at 3 o’clock in the afternoon when I came home and played guitar.” Cooper was quick to point out that just a few years after graduating from high school, he was winning his first Grammy for 2002’s “Your Body I...
Ozzy Osbourne Reacts to ‘Patient Number 9′ Grammy Nominations: ‘The Whole Thing Shocked Me’
Ozzy Osbourne earned four Grammy nominations for his Patient Number 9 album, and he tells Billboard that the nods were an unexpected, yet welcome, surprise. “The whole thing shocked me,” he says in a new interview with Lyndsey Havens. “I mean, if I won anything for the album I’ll be floored.” “That’s what I like about the business. It’s never short of — I love surprises,” he adds in the clip of the Q&A above. Osbourne says he’s “kind of excited for being nominated for the best rock album” for Patient Number 9, which topped Billboard‘s Top Rock Albums chart in September. He’s also nominated for best rock song and best rock performance, for the song “Patient Number 9” featuring Jeff Beck, as well as best metal performance for “Degradation Rules” with Tony Iommi. (A full list of nominatio...
Jewel Sings Two of Her Hits Plus Songs by Christina Aguilera, Madonna & More in ‘Song Association’: Watch
Jewel hasn’t let the fear of striking out keep her from playing the game. At least, that’s the attitude the singer-songwriter went in with for Tuesday’s (Dec. 20) episode of Elle‘s “Song Association.” Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Before formally kicking off the game, the “Foolish Games” singer made sure viewers knew that her score was likely going to be a bad one. “Hi, it’s Jewel and i’m going to play a game of song association with Elle. I will be given a word and then I will attempt to sing or rap a song associated with that word,” she said, adding, “I don’t know popular music very well. I only know my own songs, so I’m not going to give myself great odds.” Jewel made sure her vocals chords were properly warmed up by doing a tradit...
Will Adele Ever Release a Holiday Album? Here Are 12 Acts We’d Love to Make a Seasonal Set
While it may seem like most every major artist has released a full-length holiday album, there are still quite a few superstars that have yet to drop a seasonal project – including such chart-topping acts as Adele, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Ed Sheeran. On the latest Billboard Pop Shop Podcast (listen below), hosts Katie and Keith discuss a dozen artists that are missing from the holiday cannon and debate whether we’ll ever actually get a seasonal album from them. (We’re looking at you, Paul McCartney!) Also on the show, the Pop Shoppers chat about SZA scoring her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with SOS (and securing one of the biggest debuts of 2022) and how Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” reaches double-digits at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, spending i...
From GloRilla to Latto, What’s Your Favorite Hip-Hop Song of 2022? Vote!
It’s been a banner year for hip-hop and Billboard recently rounded up our critics’ picks of the genre’s 15 best tracks of 2022. But now that we’ve run through our favorites, we want to know which hip-hop song you loved the most. The past twelve months have seen newcomers like GloRilla and Ice Spice explode onto the scene and rising stars like Latto finally break through, while hitmakers such as Kendrick Lamar, DJ Khaled, Cardi B and more continued to successfully crank out smash singles and fan-favorite album cuts. In fact, not one but two tracks by GloRilla have landed in Billboard‘s top 10 picks of the year — “F.N.F. (LET’S GO),” her debut release, at No. 1 and its Cardi B-assisted follow-up “Tomorrow 2” at No. 6. Lamar is another artist who delivered multiple hits this year: “N95” and “...
SZA Debuts 20 Songs From ‘SOS’ on Hot 100, Rules Artist 100 for First Time
SZA debuts a whopping 20 songs from her sophomore LP SOS, on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (dated Dec. 24), including two in the top 10. The set launches at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, marking her first leader and sparking her first week atop the Billboard Artist 100 ranking. SOS arrives at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 318,000 equivalent album units earned, according to Luminate. That’s the seventh-largest one-week total of the year and the second-biggest among R&B albums, after only the first week of Beyonce’s Renaissance (332,000, Aug. 13). SZA scores her third Billboard 200 entry after her debut LP, Ctrl, reached No. 3 in 2017 and EP Z peaked at No. 39 in 2014. Of the 23 tracks on SOS, 20 debut on the Hot 100, including two in the top 10: “Kill Bill” (No. 3) and “Nobod...
Xman Xmas: Ed Christman’s Christmas Classics, Deep Cuts & Oddities
Christmas is a time for music and memories. In that spirit, this playlist is an excerpt from Ed Christman‘s yesteryear Xman Xmas mixtapes, compiled circa 1986-1988. The Xman XmasTape Ed Christman Encompassing well-known classics by Burl Ives and Bobby Helms, long-lost gems (e.g. The Gems’ “Love for Christmas”) and surreal oddities such as Edd “Kookie” Byrnes’ “Yulesville,” here are some Christmas classics to revisit and deep cuts to discover. In particular, Christman, Billboard senior editor/analyst, would like to call your attention to Dean Martin’s reference of Rudolph as “Rudy, the red-beaked reindeer.” Andy Williams, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” The Crystals, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt Kickers, “Monster’s Holiday” The Trashmen, “D...
Rick Anderson, The Tubes Bassist, Dies at 75
The Tubes has lost another member. Rick Anderson, bassist and founding member of the San Francisco rock band, died at 75 on Dec. 16, the group shared in a statement on social media. “We lost our brother on 12/16/22,” the band captioned a series of photos on Sunday (Dec. 18). “Rick brought a steady and kind presence to the band for 50 years. His love came through his bass. RIP.” The statement did not offer any additional details regarding Anderson’s death, which comes after the April passing of Re Styles, who sang with the group. The Tubes formed on March 22, 1972, in San Francisco, and was the combined forces of two Phoenix bands that came from the city to California in 1969. The first band, called The Beans, included Anderson as well as other members Bill Spooner, Vince Welnick and Bob Mc...
JoJo Siwa Claims She Was Used ‘for Clout’ After Avery Cyrus Split: ‘I Got Played’
Trouble is brewing for JoJo Siwa and ex-girlfriend Avery Cyrus. The former Dance Moms star recently claimed that she had been “used” for internet fame by someone she thought she was “in love” with, harsh words presumably aimed at Cyrus, who revealed only days prior that she and Siwa had broken up after dating briefly. On Monday (Dec. 19), JoJo’s mom Jessalynn Siwa posted a video to her own Instagram Stories of her daughter talking heatedly. In the video, the “Boomerang” singer paces back and forth as Jessalynn asks, “Why are you mad?” “Because I got used!” JoJo responds. When asked by her mom what exactly she was used for for, JoJo keeps going. “For views and for clout,” she continues, still pacing, though never naming Cyrus. “I got tricked into being told I was loved and I got f–king...
‘Almost Famous’ to Close on Broadway in January
The musical stage adaptation of Almost Famous will play its final Broadway performance on Jan. 8, the production announced Monday (Dec. 19). The musical, an adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film, began previews at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on Oct. 3 and opened on Nov. 3. This is the latest Broadway show to announce its closure, following KPOP, which closed on Dec. 11, two weeks after opening, and Ain’t No Mo, which received a closing notice, but is now extended through Dec. 23 after the production and celebrities backers rallied around the show. The closing notices come as tourism remains down in New York and as Broadway shows grapple with higher running costs and changing audience behavior. Almost Famous also rece...
Justin Bieber Claims H&M Released Merch Collection Without His Permission
Justin Bieber is calling out retail clothing company H&M for selling products featuring his image and song lyrics, claiming that the items were released without his approval. “I DIDNT APPROVE ANY OF THE MERCH COLLECTION THAT THEY PUT UP AT H&M,” Bieber wrote in an Instagram Story on Monday afternoon (Dec. 19), adding that it was done “all without my permission and approval SMH I WOULDNT BUY IT IF I WERE YOU.” “The H&M MERCH THEY MADE OF ME IS TRASH AND I DIDNT APPROVE IT DONT BUY IT,” he emphasized in a second Instagram Story. Bieber was referring to items that appeared online on H&M’s website including a tote bag, a sweatshirt, a sweatshirt dress and more. On a fan Instagram account that shared images of some of the products, Bieber left the comment “When everyone finds ou...
